The Sabbatical Year and Jubilee

16. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). "But in the seventh year shall be a Shabbat of solemn rest..." (Vayikra 25:4). This precept is to rest during the seventh year. The following one is to rest during the seventh day, and the following is to cancel money debts on the seventh and then to count, "seven times seven years; and the space of the seven Shabbatot of years shall be to you 49 years" (Ibid. 8). Here is the secret of the group of sevens as they emanate from the Shechinah, DENOTING MALCHUT, called 'seven' from the standpoint of the Righteous, DENOTING YESOD, which is seventh from Binah. And she, MALCHUT, is the daughter of seven from the side of supernal Ima, DENOTING BINAH THAT ILLUMINATES IT, SINCE BINAH IS THE SEVENTH GOING FROM BELOW UPWARD, of which it is written, "Seven times a day I praise You" (Tehilim 119:164).

17. There are seven names: Aleph-Bet-Gimel Yud-Tav-Tzadi; KUF-RESH- AYIN SIN-TET-NUN; NUN-GIMEL-DALET YUD-CAF-SHIN; BET-TET-RESH TZADI-TAV-GIMEL; CHET-KOF-BET TET-NUN-AYIN; YUD-GIMEL-LAMED PE-ZAYIN-KOF; SHIN-KOF-VAV TZADI-YUD-TAV. They contain 42 letters and the sum of both letters and words is 49, THAT IS, 42 LETTERS AND SEVEN WORDS. Supernal Ima, BINAH, represents the fiftieth year, in which you shall "proclaim liberty" (Vayikra 25:10). For within her, BY RECEIVING HER MOCHIN the lower Shechinah, MALCHUT CALLED 'LAND,' shall be liberty, redemption and rest for Yisrael, of whom it is written, "and your seed shall be as the dust of the earth" (Beresheet 28:14), THE EARTH BEING MALCHUT.

18. Every Sfirah, MEANING EACH NAME from these seven names, POSSESSES six wings, CORRESPONDING TO CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD, since there are six letters in every name - ALEPH-BET-GIMEL YUD-TAV-TZADI POSSESSES SIX LETTERS, AND AS WELL KUF-RESH-AYIN SIN-TET-NUN, AND SO IT IS WITH ALL OF THEM. And with them, the Holy One, blessed be He, with each Sfirah from these seven, ILLUMINATES THE ANGELS ABOUT WHOM IT IS WRITTEN, "with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two did he fly" (Yeshayah 6:2). Binah represents one. The lower Shechinah is seven. Above Binah, THE HIGH PRIEST COUNTS one and one. HE WOULD COUNT the ten Sfirot BY MEANS OF SPRINKLING. ONE CORRESPONDS TO KETER; ONE AND ONE EQUALS CHOCHMAH AND BINAH; ONE AND two ARE CHESED AND GVURAH; ONE and three CORRESPONDS TO TIFERET; ONE and four CORRESPONDS TO NETZACH; ONE and five CORRESPONDS TO HOD; ONE and six CORRESPONDS TO YESOD; ONE and seven CORRESPONDS TO MALCHUT.

19. From here it grows, AS WE PROMOTE TO A HIGHER GRADE OF SANCTITY BY ADDING ONE EACH TIME. From the perspective of the stranger, MEANING THE OTHER SIDE, "the waters decreased continually" (Beresheet 8:5). When WAS THIS? It took place where the lower Shechinah, BEING MALCHUT, dwells with the seven. The verse states, "And the ark rested in the seventh month" (Ibid. 4), corresponding to the lower Shechinah. FROM THEN THE WATER BEGAN TO DECREASE. "...On the seventeenth day of the month..." (Ibid.) DENOTING MALCHUT, REFERRED TO AS seventh, AND REFERRED TO AS tenth. WHEN ONE BEGINS TO COUNT FROM KETER DOWNWARD, MALCHUT IS LOCATED TENTH. FROM CHESED AND DOWN, SHE IS SEVENTH.

20. When THE NAME Eheyeh, denoting Binah, the Jubilee year, rises AND ILLUMINATES upon them, UPON THE 49 YEARS, it, BINAH IS CALLED 'Eheyeh-Asher-Eheyeh.' This means twice Eheyeh, SINCE EACH ONE NUMERICALLY REACHES 21 in the count of 42. With eight letters OF THE TWO NAMES ALEPH-HEI-YUD-HEI, there is now fifty. In them is anchored the precept to count the Jubilee year and the precept to return to one's inheritance on the Jubilee, as it is written: "In the year of the Jubilee you shall return" (Vayikra 25:13). This MEANS that each will return to the level whence his soul was attached, as we established in, "and the spirit returns to the Elohim..." (Kohelet 12:7), MEANING BINAH, CALLED 'YUD HEI VAV HEI,' WITH THE VOWELS OF ELOHIM.

21. The Sabbatical Year represents the lower Shechinah, which consists of seven years. Jubilee is Ima supernal, Binah representing the fifteenth year. Yisrael was connected with it when departing Egypt, as it is written: "and you shall return every man to his family" (Vayikra 25:10). This means that just as at the exodus from Egypt there were masters of Torah among them - as it is said of them, "and the children of Yisrael went up armed (Heb. chamushim)" (Shemot 13:18), and we established that it meant one out of fifty (Heb. chamishim), DENOTING BINAH - SO HERE, "AND YOU SHALL RETURN EVERY MAN TO HIS FAMILY," DENOTES BINAH. AND THIS MEANS "TO HIS FAMILY," AS IN THE EXODUS FROM EGYPT, IN WHICH THEY WERE REDEEMED BY THE FIFTIETH GATE, BINAH.

22. The lower Shechinah corresponds to the redemption of the houses of walled cities, and in relation to it the houses of the villages without walls are mentioned. There are two houses in the heart, CORRESPONDING TO MALCHUT. If they are those of the sages of Torah, they are called 'houses of walled cities,' as it is written when departing Egypt: "And the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left" (Shemot 14:22). Others who are not Torah masters are called "the houses of the villages which have no wall" (Vayikra 25:31). FOR THE INNER PART OF MALCHUT IS CALLED 'HOUSES OF WALLED CITIES,' AND THE OUTER MALCHUT IS CALLED "THE HOUSES OF THE VILLAGES WHICH HAVE NO WALL."

23. Rabbi Shimon said: Of these cities (also: 'courts') it is written: "And stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house" (Ester 5:1). Everywhere when it is written IN THE SCROLL, 'the King' -without a name - it refers to the Holy One, blessed be He. "And stood:" standing means in prayer. "...over against the king's house," MEANING facing the Temple, as all Yisrael are obligated to pray there facing the Temple. And here, what is THE MEANING OF the inner court? Assuredly, there are two courts of the House of Hashem, AN OUTER AND INNER. YET YOU SAY THAT THE HOUSES OF THE COURTYARD WERE OUTER.

24. The holy luminary said to him: The two courtyards refer to the outer part of the heart, MEANING THE OUTER PART OF MALCHUT, representing two handles of the heart. The two inner chambers represent two chambers of the heart, DENOTING THE INNER PART OF MALCHUT. The inner are two and the outer are two. At the time of the Redemption, the Redemption will be for all of them: those close to the heart, which is the Shechinah, and those from afar who came near, since this is the essence of the verse, "Peace, Peace, both for far and near" (Yeshayah 57:19). And we explained it as far, from the midst of sin, to the near, from the midst of performing a precept.