The standards

27. "Every man...shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensigns" (Bemidbar 2:2). These are the four camps of the Congregation of Yisrael - THAT IS THE SECRET OF CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT - AND THEY ARE MICHAEL, GABRIEL, URIEL, RAPHAEL, who represent the twelve tribes and twelve boundaries all encircled around her, BECAUSE CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT EACH HAVE THREE COLUMNS FOR A TOTAL OF TWELVE. Everything reflects the above, THE TWELVE BOUNDARIES OF ZEIR ANPIN. The Scripture says, "There the tribes used to go up, the tribes of Yah..." (Tehilim 122:4). The words, "there the tribes used to go up," refer to the twelve tribes, which are the twelve boundaries below OF MALCHUT, WHO WENT UP TO THE TWELVE BOUNDARIES OF ZEIR ANPIN.

28. "...The tribes of Yah..." It has been explained that this is because Yud-Hei, THE SECRET OF CHOCHMAH AND BINAH, is assuredly "an appointed practice (also: 'a testimony') for Yisrael." And therefore IT IS WRITTEN, "The Reubenite (with Hei as prefix and Yud as suffix)" (Bemidbar 26:7); "the Shimonite" (Ibid. 14). This is because each individual contains Yud-Hei, HEI IN THE BEGINNING AND YUD AT THE END. But assuredly it is so, because the uppermost holy Tree, THAT IS THE NAME OF YUD HEI VAV HEI, has stamped them with its seal. And this has been explained according to the scripture: "As for the likeness of their faces, the four had the face of a man, the face of a lion on the right..." (Yechezkel 1:10), IN WHICH the image of a man, WHICH IS MALCHUT, is included in all. And there were four faces to the four directions of the world. They are distinguished in their appearances, NAMELY A LION, AN OX, AND AN EAGLE, and all are integrated in man, THE SECRET OF MALCHUT. THE LION, OX, AND EAGLE ARE CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, AND THE FACE OF MAN IS MALCHUT, WHICH DRAWS FROM ALL, AND ALL ARE INCLUDED IN IT.

29. Michael is to the right, WHICH IS SOUTH. Gabriel is to the left, WHICH IS TO THE NORTH. Uriel is to the front, WHICH IS EAST. Raphael is to the back, WHICH IS WEST. And the Shechinah is on top of them. Two are on this side, FROM SOUTH AND NORTH, and two are on that side, FROM EAST AND WEST, and she, MALCHUT, is in the center. Likewise, it is on the earth below AT THE STANDARDS. Two are on this side, THE STANDARD OF JUDAH'S CAMP AND THE STANDARD OF REUBEN'S CAMP, and two are on that side, WHICH INCLUDES THE STANDARD OF EPHRAIM'S CAMP AND THE STANDARD OF DAN'S CAMP. And Yud-Hei is in the center, WHICH IS THE SECREAT OF THE TWO TABLETS OF TESTIMONIAL IN THE ARK THAT TRAVELED IN THEIR MIDST. AND THE CHANGE OF ORDER THAT WE FIND HERE AT THE STANDARDS, IS THAT EAST MOVES FIRST, NAMELY, TIFERET, WILL BE EXPLAINED FURTHER.

30. Since the two standards traveled, THAT OF JUDAH AND REUBEN, what does the scripture say? "Then the Tent of Meeting shall set forward with the camp of the Levites..." (Bemidbar 2:17). And following them were the other two STANDARDS OF EPHRAIM AND DAN, which compose the four camps in the four directions of the world - EAST, SOUTH, WEST AND NORTH, for a total of twelve. This is BECAUSE EACH STANDARD COMPRISES THREE TRIBES, SINCE below it is the same as above, IN MALCHUT.

31. The standard of the Judah camp traveled first, the representative of the camp of Uriel. And AFTERWARDS, THE STANDARD OF the Reuben camp followed, representing the camp of Michael. That is, REUBEN to the south, WHICH IS CHESED, and that OF JUDAH to the East, WHICH IS TIFERET. AND THE SPRINKLING ON the altar ALSO BEGAN in the south-east CORNER, WHICH SIGNIFIES CHESED AND TIFERET. And the camp of Dan was to the north, and the camp of Ephraim was westward. The camp of Dan, TO THE NORTH, is representative of the camp of Gabriel, and the camp of Ephraim, to the west, is representative of the camp of Raphael. AND THE SPRINKLING ON the altar was also north-west, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF GVURAH AND MALCHUT. Everything is connected with the other until all ascends and unites with the Holy Name, YUD HEI VAV HEI, which is the beginning of everything, NAMELY THE YUD OF YUD HEI VAV HEI, WHICH IS CHOCHMAH. It is supreme over all, THE FIRST HEI, BINAH. Overall holiness is VAV, TIFERET. Everything is comprised in it, THE LAST HEI, WHICH IS MALCHUT.

32. The Yud OF YUD HEI VAV HEI OF ZEIR ANPIN is east, and that is the beginning of light. It travels and wanders and produces the south, THAT IS CHESED. And the south goes out, suspended from beginning of the east, THAT IS THE YUD OF YUD HEI VAV HEI, CHOCHMAH. Hei OF YUD HEI VAV HEI OF ZEIR ANPIN is south, MEANING THAT from it the south goes forth to the world, SINCE HEI IS BINAH AND FROM BINAH THE CHESED IS DRAWN, THAT IS, SOUTH. But the Yud, REPRESENTING CHOCHMAH, enters at the beginning of the east and takes out CHESED, WHICH EVOLVES FROM BINAH TO ZEIR ANPIN.

33. From Hei come south and north and that which is in between, WHICH IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN THAT UNITES THEM, from Yud east, and from Yud-Hei-south and north depend on them - SOUTH FROM YUD, AND NORTH FROM HEI, Vav in the center, WHICH UNITES THEM. And that is a male child, NAMELY, TIFERET THAT IS A SON OF YUD-HEI. And for this reason, it is between north and south, therefore, we are taught that whoever places his bed between the north and the south shall have male children, because this male child, WHO IS TIFERET, is situated between north and south. FOR from the supreme Hei, BINAH, came out north and south, WHICH ARE THE TWO COLUMNS IN IT. The male child, NAMELY TIFERET, is between them, UNITING THEM in the mystery of Yud-Vav-Hei. YUD IS THE RIGHT COLUMN ON THE SOUTH. VAV IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN ON WHOSE RIGHT IS SOUTH AND ON WHOSE LEFT IS NORTH. HEI IS THE LEFT COLUMN ON THE NORTH. The last Hei OF YUD HEI VAV HEI is west, NAMELY MALCHUT.

34. Consequently, the south holds to the east, where the sun rises, and depends on it. Therefore, we are taught that the aspect of Aba - THAT IS THE YUD, bonds and depends on the supreme Chesed. And on the side of Ima, THAT IS THE Hei, Gvurah depends. Likewise, everything holds to each other.

35. The corners of the altar were also circled in that manner. It comes to the south-east corner, because the south is strengthened in the east, THE CENTRAL COLUMN, which is the sunrise, and the strength of the sun only stays at the start. IT THEN APPROACHES the north-east CORNER. Since after the south, NAMELY CHESED, received the strength of the east - THAT IS, AFTER THE CENTRAL COLUMN UNITED SOUTH AND NORTH - THE EAST illuminated to the north, and the north was included in the south because the left is combined in the right THROUGH THE CENTRAL COLUMN.

36. IT THEN COMES TO the north-west CORNER, since the west that is in the last Hei, NAMELY MALCHUT, receives from the north. And therefore the north moves west, SINCE MALCHUT IS BUILT FROM THE LEFT COLUMN. IT THEN FOLLOWS TO the south-west CORNER, BECAUSE MALCHUT moves to join in the south, NAMELY, TO DRESS UP CHOCHMAH WITH CHASSADIM, since the south is dependent on the east, THE CENTRAL COLUMN. And THEREFORE, its strengthening, WHICH IS THE EAST, moves first; the west moves to grasp the south, AND THE SOUTH, WHICH IS ITS STRENGTHENING, MOVES FIRST. That is the meaning of the words: "and his right hand embraces me" (Shir Hashirim 2:6); right meaning south. Therefore, it nourishes from two sides, from the north and south, FROM LEFT AND RIGHT. That is the meaning of, "His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me;" left is north and right is south.

37. And this mystery I learned: that the Holy One, blessed be He, places His bed from north and south, SINCE HIS BED IS THE MYSTERY OF MALCHUT, and it is certainly attached to the son, THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN, WHO IS THERE, FROM SOUTH AND NORTH. And therefore people should place their bed between north and south; THE RIGHT OF THE BED SHOULD BE TO THE SOUTH AND THE LEFT OF THE BED TO THE NORTH, JUST AS ZEIR ANPIN STANDS BETWEEN SOUTH AND NORTH. And so my father taught me, that one is given male children because he concentrated on the complete, whole supernal Faith, NAMELY the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is situated between north and south, and the Congregation of Yisrael, NAMELY MALCHUT ALSO CALLED 'BED,' situated between north and south. Most certainly he shall have male children.

38. And in all things, we must show a deed, WHICH SHOULD BE in the likeness of the higher. As one manifests a deed below, likewise it awakens on him above. This has been explained. Rabbi Pinchas heard this explanation and kissed Rabbi Elazar and cried and smiled. He said: Blessed is my lot in this world and the World to Come.