12. After gaining freedom and finding himself at rest, a yoke is placed upon him from that place that brought him freedom, MEANING FROM THE SECRET OF THE SEVENTH YEAR, MALCHUT. If someone rejected freedom, as the verse reads, "And if the servant shall say, I love my master..." (Shemot 21:5) he certainly has thwarted that place, NAMELY MALCHUT, since he has rejected the yoke of the Heavenly Kingdom and accepted the yoke of his master. What does it say of this? "Then his master shall bring him to the judges (lit. 'the Elohim'); he shall also bring him to the door..." (Ibid. 6). "Then his master shall bring him to the Elohim;" Elohim IS SAID generally, MEANING HE BROUGHT HIM to that place that he damaged, MALCHUT, also referred to as Elohim.

13. To what place does he bring him near? "...to the door, or the door post (Heb. mezuzah)" (Ibid.), since that place, NAMELY MALCHUT, is the entrance to above, MEANING THE ENTRANCE THROUGH WHICH TO MERIT ZEIR ANPIN, and it is called 'mezuzah.' And so we learned. Since he intended to blemish that place, MALCHUT, there remained this deficiency in his body. This is what is written: "and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him forever" (Ibid.), since the servant will be beneath the feet of his master until Jubilee year.

14. HE ASKS: Why BORE THROUGH his ear? HE ANSWERS: We already have established this. Hearing is dependent upon this place, NAMELY MALCHUT, acting above UPON BINAH. When the Congregation of Yisrael was approaching Mount Sinai with the love in their hearts to approach the Holy One, blessed be He, they placed doing before hearing. Normally, listening precedes doing. Listening depends on the Sabbatical Year, DENOTING MALCHUT, and so since this servant damaged this listening, his listening was blemished. This blemish remains with him, and he does not remain a servant to his master unless he approaches that place that he blemished and he is blemished before it, and this rebuff remains with him. For this reason, "then his master shall bring him to the Elohim." This is unspecified, POINTING TO MALCHUT, as we established. Hence, "shall the land keep a Shabbat to Hashem" (Vayikra 25:2), SO THAT IT WILL NOT BE RENDERED DEFECTIVE THROUGH SLAVERY. HERE IT IS DIFFERENT FROM MOST INSTANCES WHERE WE SAY THAT LISTENING DENOTES BINAH AND DOING MALCHUT.

15. "Six years you shall sow your field... but in the seventh year shall be a Shabbat of solemn rest for the land, a Shabbat for Hashem" (Vayikra 25:3-4). We already established, as it is written, "but in the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow" (Shemot 23:11). What is the reason? "That the poor of your people may eat" (Ibid.). For the poor are associated with that place, MALCHUT, DENOTING THE SABBATICAL YEAR; therefore, leave it to them to eat. Consequently, one who shows mercy for the poor contributes peace to the Congregation of Yisrael, AS THE POOR ARE ASSOCIATED WITH IT. He multiplies blessings in the world and gives joy and strength to the place called 'righteousness,' DENOTING MALCHUT, by pouring blessings on the Congregation of Yisrael. This has been explained.