106. Rabbi Shimon opened the discussion saying, "Let the pious be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds" (Tehilim 149:5). We have learned that the knot of Faith, NAMELY MALCHUT, is tied with the thirteen attributes OF MERCY so that blessings are to be available for all. The entire Faith of the Holy One, blessed be He, is enclosed in three, NAMELY THREE COLUMNS, THE SECRET OF THIRTEEN, AS THEY ENLIGHTEN EACH OF FOUR SFIROT - CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT WITHIN IT. NOW, THREE TIMES FOUR EQUALS TWELVE AND, TOGETHER WITH MALCHUT THAT CONTAINS THEM, THERE ARE THIRTEEN. Consequently, the Torah is crowned with the thirteen attributes, as we have established IN THE BARAITHA OF RABBI YISHMAEL, namely using the arguments of an inference from minor to major and comparison by analogy. We have explained this several times. The Holy Name, NAMELY MALCHUT, is crowned with this.
106. פָּתַח ר"ש וְאָמַר, יַעְלְזוּ חֲסִידִים בְכָבוֹד יְרַנְּנוּ עַל מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָם וְגוֹ,' תָּאנָא בי"ג מְכִילָן, אִתְקְשַׁר קִשְׁרָא דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא, לְאִשְׁתַּכְּחָא בִּרְכָאן לְכֺלָּא. וְכָל מְהֵימְנוּתָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בִּתְלָתָא אַסְתִּימוּ. וְעַל הַאי, בי"ג מְכִילָן, אוֹרַיְיתָא מִתְעַטְּרָא, כְּמָה דְּאוֹקִימְנָא מק"ו ומג"ש וְכוּ,' וְכַמָּה זִמְנִין אוֹקִימְנָא הַאי. וּשְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא בְּהַאי מִתְעַטְּרָא.
107. Come and see that when Jacob wished his sons to be blessed in the name of the Faith, it is written, "All these are the twelve tribes of Yisrael: and this (Heb. zot fem.) IS THAT WHICH THEIR FATHER SPOKE TO THEM" (Beresheet 49:28). TWELVE AND ZOT are thirteen, since the Shechinah, CALLED ZOT, participated with them and the blessings were fulfilled. This is the meaning of the verse, "Every one according to his blessing he blessed them" (Ibid.). What is meant by "according to his blessing?" MEANING according to the resemblance to that which is above, THE THIRTEEN ATTRIBUTES OF MERCY, NAMELY according to the blessing of each attribute.
107. ת"ח, בְּהַהִיא שַׁעֲתָא דְּבָעָא יַעֲקֺב, דְּיִתְבָּרְכוּן בְּנוֹי בִּשְׁמָא דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא. מַה כְּתִיב, כָּל אֵלֶּה שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר וְזֺאת, הָא תְּלֵיסַר, דְּאִשְׁתַּתֵּף עִמְּהוֹן שְׁכִינְתָּא, וְאִתְקְיָימוּ בִּרְכָאן. וְהַיְינוּ דִּכְתִּיב, אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר כְּבִרְכָתוֹ בֵּרַךְ אוֹתָם. מַאי כְּבִרְכָתוֹ. בְּהַהוּא דּוּגְמָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, כְּבִרְכָתוֹ דְּכָל מְכִילָא וּמְכִילָא.
293. We have learned that when Rav Hamnuna Saba (the elder) ascended there, THE HOLY LAND, he had with him twelve members of his Yeshiva students. He said to them: If I go this way, it is not for my own sake that I do so but to return the pledge to its owner. We have learned that all those who did not merit this, TO LIVE IN THE HOLY LAND, during their lifetime must return the Master's pledge to another, NAMELY THE SOUL THAT WAS GIVEN TO THEM, TO THE OTHER SIDE.
293. תָּאנָא, כַּד סָלִיק רַב הַמְנוּנָא סָבָא לְהָתָם, הֲווֹ עִמֵּיהּ תְּרֵיסָר בְּנֵי מְתִיבְתָּא דִּילֵיהּ, אָמַר לוֹן, אִי אֲנָא אָזִיל לְאָרְחָא דָּא, לָאו עַל דִּידִי קָא עֲבִידְנָא, אֶלָּא לְאָתָבָא פִּקְדוֹנָא לְמָארֵיהּ. תָּנֵינָן כָּל אִינּוּן דְּלָא זָכוּ לְהַאִי בְּחַיּיוֹי, אָתִיבִין פִּקְדוֹנָא דְּמָארֵיהוֹן לְאָחֳרָא.
382. Rabbi Yitzchak said, "There the tribes used to go, the tribes of Yah" (Ibid. 4). Who are the tribes? HE ANSWERS: These are the twelve boundaries that spread from that large and strong tree, BEING ZEIR ANPIN, BEING THE SECRET OF FOUR SFIROT - CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT. EACH HAS THREE COLUMNS WHICH ARE TWELVE BOUNDARIES. FROM ZEIR ANPIN, THEY ARE DRAWN TO MALCHUT, WHERE THEY ARE CALLED BY THE NAME OF TWELVE TRIBES that HE inherited from Aba and Ima. This is what is written, "The tribes of Yah," MEANING from the good testimony that the holy son gives, as it is written, "The tribes of Yah, an appointed practice (lit. 'testimony') for Yisrael," AS THE TWELVE BOUNDARIES ARE THE SECRET OF THE TESTIMONY, MEANING THE ILLUMINATION OF EDEN (CHOCHMAH). These are the deep rivers flowing from Yah (Yud Hei), WHICH ARE ABA AND IMA. It is all for the purpose "to give thanks to the name of Hashem" (Ibid. 4). THEREFORE, "for there are set thrones of Judgment, the thrones of the house of David" (Ibid. 5), in order to bequeath the Holy Kingdom to him and his sons for generations. This is the poem recited by David concerning the holy, supernal kingdom.
382. רִבִּי יִצְחָק אָמַר, שֶׁשָּׁם עָלוּ שְׁבָטִים שִׁבְטֵי יָהּ. מַאן שְׁבָטִים. אִלֵּין תְּרֵיסָר תְּחוּמִין, דְּמִתְפָּרְשָׁן מֵהַהוּא אִילָנָא רַבָּא וְתַקִּיף, דְּאַחֲסִין לוֹן מִסִּטְרָא דְּאַבָּא וְאִימָּא. הה"ד שִׁבְטֵי יָהּ, מִשְׁפַר סַהֲדוּתָא, דְּאַסְהִיד בְּרָא קַדִּישָׁא דִּכְתִּיב שִׁבְטֵי יָהּ עֵדוּת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאִינּוּן נַהֲרִין עֲמִיקִין, דְּנַגְדִּין וְאִתְמַשְּׁכָן מִן יָהּ. וְכָל כַּךְ לָמָּה. לְהוֹדוֹת לְשֵׁם יְיָ.' כִּי שָׁמָּה יָשְׁבוּ כִסְאוֹת לְמִשְׁפָּט כִּסְאוֹת לְבֵית דָּוִד, לְאַחְסְנָא מַלְכוּתָא קַדִּישָׁא הוּא וּבְנוֹי לְדָרֵי דָּרִין, וְדָא הִיא שִׁירָתָא דְּאָמַר דָּוִד עַל מָלְכוּ עִלָּאָה קַדִּישָׁא.
386. HE SAYS: Vav consists of six letters, MEANING IT IS MADE UP OF SIX LETTERS FROM ALEPH TO VAV THAT PRECEDE IT. The Yud includes them all, AS THE YUD CONTAINS ALL NINE LETTERS THAT PRECEDE IT, AMONG WHICH IS THE VAV AND THE SIX LETTERS INCLUDED THEREIN. THIS IS THE YUD THAT IS ABOVE THE VAV, AS MENTIONED. This Yud is engraved with marks, MEANING WITH THE INCLUSION OF THE NINE LETTERS THAT PRECEDE IT, and ascends TO THE YUD OF YUD HEI VAV HEI, THAT INCLUDES ALL 22 LETTERS to be crowned with the twelve other letters FROM YUD TO TAV. THEN IT IS ALSO PART OF THE 22 LETTERS LIKE THE YUD OF YUD HEI VAV HEI. THEN ten engraved sayings, MEANING TEN SFIROT, come out of it, and all of the paths of the supernal most precious way. Then the other Hei OF YUD HEI VAV HEI, MALCHUT, contains them all, MEANING, IT RECEIVES FROM ALL LIGHTS AS MENTIONED, carved from the part of the concealed peg, YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, to give birth below, MEANING TO BE WORTHY TO BEAR SOULS.
386. ו' כָּלִיל שִׁית אַתְוָון, וְכֻלְּהוּ כָּלִיל יוֹ"ד. יוֹ"ד אִתְגְּלִיף בְּגִלוּפוֹי, וְסָלִיק לְאִתְעַטְּרָא בִּתְרֵיסַר אַתְוָון אָחֳרָנִין, מִנֵּיהּ נַפְקוּ עֲשַׂר אֲמִירָן בְּגִלוּפוֹי, וְכֻלְּהוּ שְׁבִילִין דְּאוֹרְחָא עִלָּאָה, יַקִּירָא דְּכֺלָּא. כְּדֵין הֵ"א אָחֳרָא אִתְכְּלִילַת מִן כֻּלְּהוּ, גְּלִיפָא מִסִּטְרָא מְתִיחָא טְמִירָא, לְאוֹלָדָא לְתַתָּא.
392. Come and see: At the time Moses ascended the cloud and entered among the holy ANGELS, one angel, by the name Kemuel, came to him in a flame of fire with burning eyes and flaming wings, and wanted to swallow him. Then Moses mentioned one Holy Name which was engraven with twelve letters. He trembled and shook, and Moses was thus able to ascend among them. So happened with each one. Blessed is his lot. We discussed this earlier.
392. תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּסָלִיק מֺשֶׁה גּוֹ עֲנָנָא יַקִּירָא, עָאל בֵּינֵי קַדִּישִׁין. פָּגַע בֵּיהּ חַד מַלְאָכָא בְּשַׁלְהוֹבֵי נוּרָא, בְּעַיְינִין מְלַהֲטָן, וְגַדְפּוֹי מוֹקְדָן, בָּעָא לְשַׁאֲפָא לֵיהּ בְּגַוֵּויהּ. וְהַהוּא מַלְאָכָא קְמוּאֵ"ל שְׁמֵיהּ, כְּדֵין אַדְכַּר מֺשֶׁה חַד שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא. דַּהֲוָה גָּלִיף בִּתְרֵיסַר אַתְוָון, וְאִזְדַּעְזָע וְאִתְרְגַשׁ, עַד דְּסָלִיק מֺשֶׁה בֵּינַיְיהוּ. וְכֵן לְכָל חַד וְחַד, זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהּ וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא מִלֵי.