293. We have learned that every time Solomon is mentioned in the Song of Songs, IT IS AN ALLUSION TO the King to whom shalom (peace) belongs, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN. IF ONLY the general term 'king' IS USED, AS OPPOSED TO KING SOLOMON, THEN IT ALLUDES TO the Female principle OF ZEIR ANPIN, WHICH IS MALCHUT. The lower king is INCLUDED within the upper KING and the secret is that the lower inherits from the upper, and they become as one. Then is THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE CALLED a house, as it is written: "Through wisdom a house is built" (Mishlei 24:3), WHICH MEANS THAT THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE IS NOT CALLED A HOUSE WITHOUT RECEIVING CHOCHMAH. It is also written: "King Solomon made himself a palanquin of the timbers of Lebanon" (Shir Hashirim 3:9). The palanquin is the improvement of the lower world, WHICH IS THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE, by the upper world, WHICH IS BINAH.

294. Before the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, his name remained concealed within himself; so he and his name concealed within himself were one. HIS NAME ALLUDED TO MALCHUT, WHICH WAS INCLUDED BEFORE THE CREATION WITHIN THE ENDLESS LIGHT AND CONCEALED THERE WITHOUT BEING REVEALED OR RECOGNIZED. Nothing was revealed until his desire was aroused to create the world. So he formed and built THE WORLDS, but they did not last until THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, WHO IS BINAH, wrapped himself up with a covering of radiance and created the world.

295. He produced imposing and great cedars from that supernal covered radiance and he laid his Chariot upon the twenty-two engraved letters, WHICH ARE MALE AND FEMALE. They were carved into ten sayings and firmly established. This is why it is written: "of the timbers of Lebanon." It is also written: "The cedars of Lebanon, which he has planted" (Tehilim 104:16).

296. In "King Solomon made himself..." 'himself' IS REDUNDANT AND IS EXPLAINED AS 'for himself' - for his own sake - WHICH MEANS THAT KING SOLOMON, WHO IS ZEIR ANPIN, BUILT WITH THE MOCHIN OF BINAH THE PALANQUIN FOR HIMSELF, for his own advantage. HE FIRST PERFECTED HIMSELF WITH THE PALANQUIN: 'himself - that is, to show his supernal glory - SO THAT HE MAY BESTOW HIS MOCHIN FROM THE SUPERNAL GLORY (BINAH) UPON THE PALANQUIN (MALCHUT) for himself. [The action was] to proclaim that he is one and his Name One, TO HASTEN THE END OF THE CORRECTION - as it is written: "Hashem shall be one, and his Name One." It is also written: "That men may know that You alone, whose Name is Hashem..." (Tehilim 83:19).

297. Upon mating by striking - REACHING MALCHUT OF BINAH - the chambers (THAT IS, MOCHIN) are conceived in thought. It drips upwards, to the right, to the left and goes downwards and extends MOCHIN to the four corners. His kingdom - MALCHUT OF BINAH - spreads out above and below into the four corners to become one supernal river.

298. ZEIR ANPIN, WHO IS THE SECRET OF THE SUPERNAL RIVER, comes down AND BESTOWS THE MOCHIN UPON MALCHUT, and turns her into a great sea, as it is written: "All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full" (Kohelet 1:7). She, MALCHUT, gathers everything and absorbs it inside herself, as it is written: "I am the tulip of the Sharon; the lily of the valleys" (Shir Hashirim 2:1). Only the place close by the great sea is called Sharon, as it absorbs all the waters of the world, discharging and absorbing THEM. And one shines by the other in well-known ways. It is then written of them: "Through wisdom is a house (Heb. bayit) built." To this alludes Bet in Beresheet. Nevertheless, the great upper house is the habitation of the world. BOTH THE SUPERNAL HOUSE, BINAH, AND THE LOWER HOUSE, WHICH IS MALCHUT, WERE BUILT THROUGH CHOCHMAH. The unattributed 'king' alludes to MALCHUT, the lower house.

299. "But the king" - WHO IS MALCHUT - "shall rejoice in Elohim" (Tehilim 63:12), the upper ELOHIM WHO IS BINAH, by embracing Him below His head and drawing him closer in joy so that they become one. "But the king shall rejoice in Elohim" by THE GLADNESS OF the light that He brought forth. AND THIS CAUSED GLADNESS, because he, NAMELY MALCHUT, came forth through a hidden and concealed path and introduced in Him - NAMELY BINAH - two PATHS that are one. So was the world, NAMELY MALCHUT, firmly established WITH WHOLE MOCHIN in its existence.

300. "But the king shall rejoice in Elohim..." means that the lower world shall rejoice in the concealed upper world, that world which gives life to all AND which is called the 'Life of the King,' NAMELY THE MOCHIN OF CHOCHMAH. This is the mainstay of the house. This house builds the house of the world, REFERRING TO MALE AND FEMALE, and builds the world AS THE MOCHIN ARE COMPLETED AS FULLY REQUIRED. This is THE MEANING OF: "In the beginning (Heb. beresheet) Elohim created" (Beresheet 1:1), WHERE BERESHEET IS COMPOSED OF Bet Resheet. Resheet (beginning) is Chochmah, ALLUDING TO THE TIME WHEN MALCHUT gathers ALL THE MOCHIN into herself and becomes the great sea in order to absorb ALL THE MOCHIN.

301. The waters of the frozen sea, NAMELY MALCHUT, absorb the water of all the seas of the world, and it gathers them all into it. The waters go forth, moving back and forth INSIDE IT and are absorbed into it. This issues from above, FROM BINAH, AND SETTLES IN MALCHUT. The proof of this secret is in the verse: "Out of whose (Heb. mi) womb came the ice?" (Iyov 38:29), WHICH ALLUDES TO BINAH THAT IS CALLED MI (ENG. 'WHO') AND IS WHERE THE ICE THAT REACHED MALCHUT ORIGINATED. IT TURNED INTO A FROZEN SEA, whose waters are frozen so that it can absorb other waters. THIS MEANS THAT THE FROZEN WATERS, WHICH ARE ICE, HAVE BECOME FULL OF EMPTY HOLES. IF WATER IS POURED ON THEM, THE ICE ABSORBS IT. BY THE WATERS TURNING INTO ICE, THEY HAVE BECOME A VESSEL TO RECEIVE ADDITIONAL WATERS.

302. The waters of this ice THAT BELONGS TO the frozen sea shall only flow when the mighty force of the South, WHICH IS THE RIGHT, reaches it and draws it to itself. The waters that were frozen by the North side, WHICH IS THE LEFT, then melt and flow by the South side AND ARE BESTOWED ON THE LOWER BEINGS to water all the animals of the field. THIS IS A REFERENCE TO THE GRADES THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF ATZILUT AND ARE IN BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH, as it is written: "They give drink to every wild beast" (Tehilim 104:11). These GRADES are called 'mountains of separation' - AS IT IS WRITTEN OF BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH, "AND FROM THENCE IT WAS PARTED" (BERESHEET 2:10). These are all watered when the South side starts to approach it and then the waters flow. Because of this supernal force, which originates IN THE SOUTH, all shall be in splendor and joy.