156. Rabbi Elazar opened the discussion with the verse: "Hashem, You are my Elohim; I will exalt You, I will praise Your name; for You have done..." (Yeshayah 25:1). This verse in the scripture is the secret of the Faith. Yud Hei Vav Hei is the top secret and is the beginning of the higher point that is concealed and not known, THAT IS, ABA AND IMA UP HIGH, WHO ARE THE SECRET OF CHOCHMAH. AND THEY ARE CONCEALED FROM CHOCHMAH, ENTIRELY UNKNOWN. "My Elohim" is the secret meaning of "a still small voice" (I Melachim 19:12) THAT IS YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH, WHICH IS THE SECRET MEANING OF BINAH. That is the beginning of that which may be inquired into. HOWEVER, it becomes concealed and unknown, and there is no one that responds to it; ALTHOUGH IT IS AVAILABLE FOR INQUIRY, AVAILABLE TO BE REVEALED BUT RATHER IN THE PLACE OF ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT, because it is concealed, covered and hidden.

157. AFTER EXPLAINING THAT YUD HEI VAV HEI IS THE SECRET OF ABA AND IMA THAT STAND ABOVE ANY QUESTIONING, AND "MY ELOHIM," THAT SECRET OF YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR INQUIRY, BUT THERE IS NO ONE TO RESPOND TO IT, HE EXPLAINS NOW: "You" that is right, MEANING CHESED OF ZEIR ANPIN, is the start of what is available for inquiry and for a response to it. HOWEVER, THAT IS MERELY THE BEGINNING OF THIS REVELATION, BUT IS NOT YET REVEALED IN IT, ONLY WHEN IT IS IN MALCHUT. That is CALLED 'the High Priest,' as it says, "You shall be a priest forever, after the manner of Melchizedek" (Tehilim 110:4). HE INQUIRES: What is the meaning of: "After the manner (lit. 'word') of Melchizedek?" HE RESPONDS: This is the supernal priest, CHESED OF ZEIR ANPIN, that is standing over the word, WHICH IS MALCHUT, because this word does not endure except through the right, WHICH IS CHESED. What is that word? That is Melchizedek, the name OF MALCHUT. The reason it says "divrati (lit. 'word of' also: 'my word')" INSTEAD OF 'DAVAR' IS because it was connected with David, SINCE DAVID WAS THE CHARIOT TO MALCHUT. All the words of DAVID'S praise came through that word and, therefore, it says, "My word," MEANING MY MALCHUT. As a result of this, "you" is a priest, WHICH IS CHESED. We have already explained that there are three areas and each one is called "you," BECAUSE CHOCHMAH IS CALLED "YOU" AND CHESED IS CALLED "YOU," AS IT IS WRITTEN HERE. AND MALCHUT IS CALLED "YOU."

158. NOW HE EXPLAINS THE WORDS: "I WILL EXALT YOU" THAT IS IN THE VERSE MENTIONED ABOVE. HE SAYS, "I will exalt You," meaning in all THREE NAMES, YUD HEI VAV HEI, "MY ELOHIM," AND "YOU," and together "I will praise Your name" as proper. That name is known TO BE MALCHUT CALLED 'NAME.' "For You have done wonderful things" (Yeshayah 25:1): "WONDERFUL" IS A LANGUAGE OF CONCEALMENT THAT MEANS THAT YOU HAVE MADE a cover and attire to the concealed light of Atika, WHICH IS BINAH. The beginning of the top level, WHICH IS THE CHOCHMAH CONTAINED WITHIN, IS REFERRED TO AS concealed primordial man, so that he will be attired with a cover of another light THAT IS CHASSADIM.

159. Another explanation of: "For You have done wonderful things (Heb. pele):" NAMELY, You have made Aleph, SINCE PELE IS SPELLED WITH THE SAME LETTERS OF ALEPH. What is the meaning of Aleph? We learned that Aleph Bet MEANS Aleph Binah, (lit. 'teach to understand'). Yet the form of the Aleph is three side, RIGHT, LEFT AND CENTER, that is the start of the higher secret of the primordial man. THAT IS THE THREE COLUMNS IN BINAH, THE SOURCE OF THE IMAGE OF MAN, WHO IS MOCHIN OF ZEIR ANPIN. For in the form of the Aleph there are two arms, one from each side, THAT ARE THE TWO COLUMNS OF CHESED AND GVURAH THAT ARE THE UPPER YUD AND HER LOWER YUD, and the body in the centre; THAT IS THE VAV BETWEEN THE TWO YUD'S. All has one secret meaning, THAT IT IS IN ONE MEANING WITH THE EXPLANATION THAT PELE IS CHOCHMAH BEING CLOTHED IN CHASSADIM, SINCE THIS CLOTHING DOES NOT HAPPEN EXCEPT THROUGH THE THREE COLUMNS. That is the secret of unification of this Aleph and that is also why Aleph HAS A NUMERICAL VALUE OF one. That is the meaning of: "For You have done wonderful things (Heb. pele)," WHICH IS THE SECRET OF ALEPH. And Rav Hamnuna Saba (the elder) said this, "For You have done wonderful things." This wonder is one level from these hidden wonders of Chochmah. Which one is it? "There is a path which no bird of prey knows" (Iyov 28:7), WHICH IS THE FIFTIETH GATE. And that is a wonderful thing.

160. "Counsels from afar" (Yeshayah 25:1): HE ASKS: First he calls it "wonderful" AND DOES NOT SAY THERE 'COUNSELS OF OLD,' yet here he says: "wonderful things - counsels of old (also: 'from afar')." WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE? HE RESPONDS: It is because there he had to count the six ends of the higher levels. THEREFORE, HE SAYS, "Wonderful (Heb. pele), counselor, a mighty El, the everlasting father, prince of peace" (Yeshayah 9:5). EL IS CHESED, MIGHTY IS GVURAH, THE FATHER IS TIFERET, EVERLASTING IS NETZACH, PRINCE IS HOD, AND PEACE IS YESOD. And here, he does not come to count THE LEVELS. HE ASKS: However, what are "counsels from afar?" HE REPLIES: They are the two willow branches, WHICH ARE NETZACH AND HOD AND ARE CALLED 'COUNSELS,' since all the counsels of the prophets stem from there and are called 'counsels from afar' SINCE THE PROPHETS RECEIVE FROM NETZACH AND HOD. "In faithfulness and truth" (Yeshayah 25:1): These are two that are one, SINCE THEY ARE the river and the Garden THAT ARE YESOD AND MALCHUT. This RIVER, YESOD, comes out from Eden and this GARDEN, WHICH IS MALCHUT, gets watered from it. We find here IN THIS SCRIPTURAL VERSE: "HASHEM YOU ARE MY ELOHIM," the entire concealed secret meaning of the Faith, AS DEFINED SINCE HASHEM IS CHOCHMAH; "MY ELOHIM" IS BINAH; 'YOU' IS CHESED; 'WONDERFUL' IS THE THREE COLUMNS, CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET; 'COUNSEL FROM AFAR' ARE NETZACH AND HOD; 'FAITHFULNESS' IS MALCHUT; AND 'TRUTH' IS YESOD.