The story of the manna

364. "And Hashem said to Moses, 'Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you'" (Shemot 26:4). Rabbi Yehuda opened the discussion, saying: "Blessed is he who considers the poor, Hashem will deliver him in the day of evil" (Tehilim 41:2). We have explained this passage. It refers to when a person is lying ill, captured by the officers of the King. His head is chained, his feet in manacles, many soldiers guard him from all sides so that he shall not escape, his limbs are bound and fighting among themselves, and food is taken from him.

365. At that time, they appoint for him an Interlocutor and a Defender in order to speak favorably about him to the King, as it is written, "If there be an angel over him, an interpreter, one among a thousand" (Iyov 33:23). At that moment, blessed is the portion of a man who comes to him and teaches him a way to save him from Judgment. This is what is written, "Blessed is he who considers the poor."

366. HE ASKS, And how can he save the sick person? HE ANSWERS, He should teach him the way of returning and repenting before his Master. Then an Intercessor is formed for him above, AND HE IS SAVED. What is his reward? It is that "Hashem will deliver him in the day of evil." Another explanation for, "Blessed is he who considers the poor." How strong is the reward of THE ONE WHO ASSISTS the needy before the Holy One, blessed be He.

367. Rabbi Chiya said, I wondered about this passage, "For Hashem hears the poor" (Tehilim 69:34). Does He hearken only unto the poor and no others? Rabbi Shimon said, It is because they are closer to the King, as it is written, "A broken and a contrite heart, O Elohim, You will not despise" (Tehilim 51:19). And there is no one in the world one who has a broken heart like a needy person. Rabbi Shimon also said, Come and behold. All the people of the world appear before the Holy One, blessed be He, in body and soul. But the poor appear before the Holy One, blessed be He, only in soul, BECAUSE HIS BODY IS BROKEN, and the Holy One, blessed be He, is closer to the soul than to the body.

368. There was a poor man who lived in the neighborhood of Rabbi Yisa. No one paid any attention to him. He himself was bashful and did not press upon other people. One day he became ill. Rabbi Yisa came in to visit him and heard a voice saying: Justice, justice - MEANING THAT HE GAVE A STATEMENT OF JUSTICE TO HEAVEN. The soul is departing from me but my time has not yet arrived. Woe to the inhabitants of the city, for there is no one among them to return his soul to him. Rabbi Yisa arose and put some fig juice and a measure of spicy wine into his mouth. A sweat broke out in his face and his spirit returned to him.

369. Afterwards, he came to visit and he inquired about him. He said, I swear, Rabbi, the soul left me and reached the King's throne, and wanted to remain there. But the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to award you, and they announced of you: Rabbi Yisa's spirit will depart and he shall be bound in a particularly holy assembly, NAMELY IN THE GREAT ASSEMBLY (IDRA RABA), AND NOT IN THE SMALLER ASSEMBLY that the friends shall raise in the land. And they have prepared three chairs that are standing ready for you and your friends, RABBI YOSI, THE SON OF RABBI YA'AKOV, AND RABBI CHIZKIYAH, WHOSE SOULS DEPARTED DURING THIS ASSEMBLY. From that day onward, the inhabitants of the city watched and paid attention to him.

370. Another incident occurred when a poor person passed before Rabbi Yitzchak with half a coin of silver in his hand. He said to Rabbi Yitzchak: Save my and my daughters' souls. He said, How can I make whole your souls, when I have only a half coin. He said, I will complete it hereby with the half coin I have in my possession. He took it out and gave it to him.

371. They showed him in his dream how he was traveling along the edge of the Great Sea and they wanted to throw in him into it. He described how Rabbi Shimon stretched out his hand towards him. And that poor person came, took him out and gave him into the hands of Rabbi Shimon, and he was saved. When he awoke, his mouth uttered this passage, "Blessed is he who considers the poor, Hashem will deliver him in the day of evil."

372. Come and behold, every day the dew of Atika Kadisha drips to Zeir Anpin, and the whole Field of Holy Apples is blessed, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and from that, dew is drawn to these below. The holy angels are nourished from it, each one according to his ability to eat. This is what is written, "Man ate the bread of angels" (Tehilim 78:25); NAMELY, THAT DEW MENTIONED EARLIER, WHICH IS THE BREAD OF ANGELS. Yisrael ate of that food in the wilderness, THE MANNA.

373. Rabbi Shimon said, Many people are nourished from it today. And who are they? They are the friends, who are occupied with Torah days and nights. And if it you think that it was actually the same food THAT THE CHILDREN OF YISRAEL ATE IN THE WILDERNESS, it is not, but it is very similar to that food, for it is worth double THE MANNA THAT THE CHILDREN OF YISRAEL ATE IN THE WILDERNESS.

374. Come and behold, when Yisrael came and cleaved unto the Holy King, they merited then to eat a much higher bread because of the uncovering of the holy sign OF THE CIRCUMCISED ORGAN. Before, when they left Egypt, they came with bread called unleavened bread (Heb. Matzah), WHICH IS MALCHUT. Now they merited to eat a different, much higher bread, from a high place, as it is written, "Behold I will rain bread from the heavens for you," actually from the heavens, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, and it became available to Yisrael from this place at that time. The friends who are occupied with Torah are nourished from a higher place. What is it? It is as written, "Wisdom gives life to those who have it" (Kohelet 7:12), which is a place far higher THAN ZEIR ANPIN.

375. Rabbi Elazar said to him, If so, why are those occupied with Torah weaker than other people, for the other people appear to be stronger than those who are occupied with Torah? He said to him, You ask well.

376. Come and behold, all the food of the inhabitants of the world comes from above. That food that comes from the heaven and the earth is the food of the whole world. It is the food of all, and it is coarse and thick nourishment. The food that comes from a higher source and is a finer food comes from the place where Judgment is prevalent, NAMELY MALCHUT, and this is the food that Yisrael ate when they left Egypt, NAMELY, UNLEAVENED BREAD. The food that was provided Yisrael at that time in the wilderness was from a higher place, called 'heavens,' WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN. It is a finer food that enters into the soul more THAN ANY OTHER FOOD. It is more separate from the body and is called 'the food of the angels,' NAMELY MANNA.

377. The food that is the highest of all is the food of the friends, those who are occupied with Torah, who eat the food of the spirit and the soul and do not eat physical food at all. It is from the place that is more precious than anything, called Chochmah (Wisdom). Therefore, the bodies of the friends are weaker than the people of the world because they do not eat the food of the body at all. They eat only the food of the spirit and soul from the distant place, higher and more precious than all - WHICH IS CHOCHMAH, WHICH IS FAR AWAY, AS IT IS WRITTEN, "I SAID, 'I WILL BE WISE; BUT IT WAS FAR FROM ME'" (KOHELET 7:23). Therefore, that food is far more refined than all. Blessed is their portion. This is what is written, "Wisdom gives life to those who have it." Blessed is the portion of a body that can be nourished with the food of the soul.

378. Rabbi Elazar said to him, Certainly, it is so, but in the present time how is such food to be found? He said to him, You ask well. Come and behold, this is the clarification of the matter. The first food is the food of the whole world, that which comes from the heavens and earth. And it is the food of the body.

379. The food that is higher than it, which is finer, comes from the place where Judgment is prevalent, called righteousness (Heb. tzedek), WHICH IS MALCHUT. This is the food of the poor; NAMELY MATZAH, THAT IS CALLED 'THE BREAD OF AFFLICTION.' And the secret of the matter is that one who helps fulfill the poor person has a letter added to Tzedek, and it becomes "tzedakah ('charity')." This is the secret of, "The merciful man does good to his own soul" (Mishlei 11:17). Acts of kindness show that one is under Judgment but has perfected it with Chesed. Then it turns into Mercy.

380. A food even higher than these is a supreme nourishment, more glorious and precious, from the place called 'heaven,' WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN - NAMELY MANNA, WHICH THE CHILDREN OF YISRAEL ATE IN THE WILDERNESS. It is finer than all of them. And this is the food of the sick. This is what is meant by, "Hashem strengthens him upon the bed of sickness, whenever he is prostrate You recover him in his illness" (Tehilim 41:4). Hashem is precise, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN. What is the reason? Because these ill people are fed only with the actual food of the Holy One, blessed be He, WHO IS ZEIR ANPIN.

381. A supreme food, holy and precious is the food of spirits and souls, and it is the food from a high and far away place - WHICH IS BINAH THAT HAS AGAIN BECOME CHOCHMAH - ABOUT WHICH IS STATED, "I SAID, 'I WILL BE WISE; BUT IT WAS FAR FROM ME.'" It is the place that is called "the pleasantness of Hashem," MEANING BINAH THAT HAS RETURNED TO CHOCHMAH.

382. And more precious than all of them is the food that the friends who are occupied with Torah EAT. It is the food that comes from the Supernal Chochmah, WHICH IS ACTUAL CHOCHMAH. What is the reason THAT IT COMES from this place? It is because Torah emanates from the supernal Chochmah, and those who are occupied with Torah enter into the main source of the roots. Therefore, their food comes from that high, holy place.

383. Rabbi Elazar approached and kissed the hands OF RABBI SHIMON, HIS FATHER. He said, Blessed is my portion that I understood these words. Blessed is the portion of the righteous who are occupied with Torah days and nights, for it merits them in this world and in the World to Come, as it is written, "For He is your life, and the length of your days" (Devarim 30:20).

384. "Behold I will rain down bread from the heavens for you." Rabbi Yosi opened the discussion with the verse, "You open your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living thing" (Tehilim 145:16). What is written above? "The eyes of all wait upon You" (Ibid. 15). All the people of the world hope and raise their eyes to the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore, all believers must request their food from the Holy One, blessed be He, on a daily basis, and pray their prayers for it.

385. HE ASKS, What is the reason? AND HE SAYS, Because everyone who says his prayer to the Holy One, blessed be He, for his food, causes that tree that contains everyone's food to be blessed through him. Although he has food, he still must ask for it before the Holy One, blessed be He, and pray his prayer for nourishment every day, in order that through him, blessings shall be prevalent above every single day. This is the meaning of, "Blessed be Adonai day by day" (Tehilim 68:20).

386. Therefore, a person should not cook food on one day for another day, in order not to leave over from one day to another. This is what is meant by, "And the people shall go out and gather a certain portion every day" (Shemot 16:4). "Every day," is exact, except on Shabbat eve for Shabbat, as we have established. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, is full of blessings every day. Then it is written, "You open Your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living thing." What is the "desire?" That is that particular desire that comes from Atika Kadisha, WHICH IS KETER, and a desire emanates from Him that there shall be food available to all. And he who requests food every single day is called 'a faithful son,' a son on account of whom blessings are prevalent above.

387. Rabbi Aba opened the discussion, saying: "Hashem takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love" (Tehilim 147:11). How important it is for people to go in the ways of the Holy King, and to go in the paths of the Torah, so that blessings will be prevalent for everyone, those above and those below.

388. For we have learned, it is written, "Yisrael, in whom I will be glorified" (Yeshayah 49:3). Indeed, "I will be glorified." What is its meaning? It is because of Yisrael below, WHO ELEVATE MAYIN NUKVIN ('FEMALE WATERS'), that the Holy One, blessed be He, is glorified above. What is His glory-He dons Tefilin, in which colors are mixed, with which to be glorified. FOR THE FOUR PORTIONS ARE THE SECRETS OF THREE COLORS, WHITE, RED, AND GREEN, AND THEY COMBINE IN THE SECRET OF THREE COLUMNS TO ILLUMINATE IN ALL PERFECTION.

389. We learned, "Hashem takes desires those who fear Him." HE SAYS, It should have said, 'Hashem takes pleasure in those who fear Him.' What is the meaning of "Hashem desires those who fear Him?" AND HE ANSWERS, "Hashem desires those who fear Him," means that He produced this desire and with it fulfilled the desires of those who feared Him. And who are the fearful for whom He produced this desire? He repeats and says, "Those who hope in His steadfast love," MEANING those who hope and wait every single day to request their food from the Holy One, blessed be He. This we learn from the verse, "those who hope in His steadfast love."

390. Rabbi Yisa Saba (the elder) did not prepare his meal every day until he prayed his prayer before the Holy One, blessed be He, for food. He said, We will not prepare the meal until it is given from the King's house. He then prayed his prayer before the Holy One, blessed be He, waited one hour, and then would say, By now it was already given from the King's house. From now on, prepare the meal. This is the way of those who fear the Holy One, blessed be He, those who fear sin.

391. Of the wicked people who go crookedly in the ways of the Torah, it is written, "Woe to them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink" (Yeshayah 5:11). And therefore, "Hashem takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love." "His steadfast love," indeed. And by this those people of Faith are recognizable every single day, as it is written, "And the people shall go out and gather a certain portion every day." "A certain portion every day," is said, and not a certain portion for the next day.

392. HE ASKS, Why to such a degree? HE SAID, IT IS, "that I may test them, whether they will follow My Torah, or no" (Shemot 16:4). By this, MEANING IN THE EATING, these people of Faith are recognizable, for every day they walk in the straight path in the Torah. Rabbi Yitzchak said, From this we understand, "the righteous eats to satisfy his soul" (Mishlei 13:25), WHICH MEANS THAT not until he has satisfied his soul with prayer and the study of Torah DOES HE EAT.

393. Rabbi Shimon said, Come and behold. Before the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Torah to Yisrael, He differentiated between these people of Faith and the wicked who were not faithful and did not want the Torah. How did He tell the difference between them? By the manna, as it is written, "That I may test them." The Holy One, blessed be He, marked all those who were found to be faithful with the imprint of the Sfirah of Chesed. As it is written, "Those who hope in his steadfast love (lit. 'Chesed')." And all those who are not found to be faithful, He removed from this supernal Sfirah. And the Manna announced and said, "But the belly of the wicked shall feel want" (Ibid.). And with all this, "he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack" (Shemot 16:18).

394. We learned that at that time Yisrael became perfected below, similar to above, as we have established by the verse, "And they came to Elim, where were twelve springs of water, and seventy palm trees..." (Shemot 15:27). THIS MEANS THAT the holy tree, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, was strengthened by twelve boundaries in the four sides of the world, CHESED AND GVURAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT, AND THERE ARE TWELVE BOUNDARIES, WHICH ARE THE SECRET OF THE TWELVE SPRINGS OF WATER. And it was strengthened with seventy branches, WHICH ARE THE SEVENTY MINISTERS, THE SECRET OF THE SEVENTY PALM TREES. And it all resembles that which is above.

395. At that time, the holy dew, MEANING THE ABUNDANT FLOW THAT IS CALLED 'DEW,' drips from the concealed Atika, WHICH IS KETER, and fills the head of Zeir Anpin, the place that is called 'heaven.' From that dew of the supernal holy Light was the manna drawn and descended below. And when it descended, it spread like flakes of layered ice and congealed below. This is what is written, "As fine as the hoar frost on the ground" (Shemot 16:14).

396. All these people of Faith would go out and gather and bless the Holy Name over it. And the manna emitted fragrances of all the spices of the Garden of Eden, because they were drawn into it and descended below. And when one placed it before him, he tasted in it any taste he desired, and blessed the Supernal Holy King.

397. Then THE MANNA was blessed in his intestines, and he would observe closely and have knowledge of the above, to observe the supernal Chochmah. Therefore, they were called 'the Generation of Knowledge.' And these were people of Faith, and the Torah was given to them to gaze into it and to know her ways.

398. Of those who were not faithful, it is written, "And the people went about (Heb. shatu), and gathered it" (Bemidbar 11:8). What is "shatu?" They selected foolishness (Heb. shtut) for themselves because they were not people of Faith. It is written about them, "And ground it in mills, or beat it in mortar..." (Ibid.). Who made them toil so much? This is because they were not people of Faith.

399. Similar to this are those who do not have Faith in the Holy One, blessed be He. They do not want to pay attention to His way, and they burden themselves every day after food, days and nights, out of fear that perhaps they will not acquire a loaf of bread. What caused them to do this? It is because they are not people of Faith.

400. Here also, the people "went about, and gathered" in their own foolishness. And they wanted to toil over it. This is what is written, "And ground it in mills." And after all this work, they were not successful, as it is written, "And the taste of it was like the taste of oil cake" (Ibid.), and no more. What caused this for them? It is because they were not people of Faith.

401. Rabbi Yosi asked, What is "an oil (Heb. leshad) cake?" Some say that it was kneaded in oil, according to its Aramaic translation. And some say that as a demon (Heb. shed) changes to many modes, so does the manna change to many tastes, MEANING THAT THEY TASTED EVERY TASTE THEY WANTED IN IT. Rabbi Yehuda said, "An oil cake" MEANS nourishment from oil.

402. Rabbi Yitzchak said, "They gathered every man according to his eating" (Shemot 16:21). HE ASKS, Does that mean that one who ate a little gathered a little, and one who ate more gathered more? Yet is it not written, "He that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack?" HE ANSWERS, Rather, they gathered according to the eaters. This is understood FROM THE WORDS "his eating," MEANING, according to the number of eaters, and therefore it is not written, 'EACH MAN ACCORDING TO what he can eat.'

403. HE ASKS, What does this, THAT EACH ONE GATHERED ACCORDING TO THE AMOUNT OF EATERS, teach us? HE ANSWERS, If someone held a servant or maid servant, and said, He is mine, and his neighbor came and said, He is mine, they would approach Moses for judgments. He would say to them, How many people are there in your house and how many people are in the other's house. They would say the number. Then Moses would say to them, Gather tomorrow, and afterwards both of you come before me. The next day they would go out and gather and then go before Moses. They would place before him a vessel, which he would measure. If that servant was the owner's, then the portion of the servant would be in that vessel, because there was one Omer measured for each person of his household. He would measure for the other and would find that the food portion of the servant was lacking in his vessel, and there was one Omer for each person in his household. THEN he would say, The servant belongs to this one. This is what is meant by, "They gathered every man according to his eating," and: "An Omer for every man, according to the number of your persons."

404. Rabbi Yisa said, It is written, "At evening you shall know that Hashem has brought you out from the land of Egypt. And in the morning, you shall see the glory of Hashem" (Shemot 16:6-7). HE ASKS, "At evening you shall know." How will they know? HE ANSWERS, We have learned that every single day the laws of the Holy One, blessed be He, abide. In the morning, Chesed is roused in the world. And at the time that is called evening, Judgment is suspended over the world. As we have established, Isaac instituted the Minchah (Afternoon Prayer,) AND ISAAC IS GVURAH. Therefore, "At evening you shall know," when Judgment is aroused over the world, you will know that with this Judgment Hashem has brought you out of Egypt. "And in the morning, you shall see the glory of Hashem," because at that time Chesed is aroused over the world, and He will give you nourishment.

405. Rabbi Chiya said, It is the opposite of what is written before, "When we sat by the flesh pots..." (Ibid. 3). At that moment, evening was awakened, NAMELY JUDGMENT. And at the time that Judgment was provoked, Chesed was also aroused in the world. This is what is written, "You shall know that Hashem has brought you out from the land of Egypt." You will know the Chesed that He performed by you during the time of Judgment, and that He brought you out of the land of Egypt, "and in the morning, you shall see the glory of Hashem." The glory of Hashem is already known TO BE MALCHUT. And why all this? Because "when Hashem hears your murmuring..." (Ibid. 8).

406. Rabbi Yesa said, The Holy One, blessed be He, did not change His laws SO THAT CHESED WOULD ILLUMINATE IN THE EVENING, AS RABBI CHIYA SAID. Only those wicked people of the world changed and turned Mercy into Judgment, as we learned.

407. Rabbi Elazar taught that the Righteous shall eat of that manna in the World to Come. And if you think that it is in that same manner THAT THE CHILDREN OF YISRAEL ATE IN THE WILDERNESS, it is not so, but rather more THAN THEY, in SUCH PERFECTION that never existed. What is it? It is as we have established, "to behold the pleasantness of Hashem, and to inquire in His temple" (Tehilim 27:4), and, "Neither has the eye seen, that an Elohim, beside You" (Yeshayah 64:3).

408. "See, that Hashem has given you the Shabbat" (Shemot 16:29). Rabbi Chizkiyah opened the discussion, saying: "A song of ascents, out of the depths I have cried to You, Hashem" (Tehilim 130:1). HE ASKS, "A song of ascents," is unspecified, it does not explicitly reveal who says it. HE ANSWERS, But, "A song of ascents," MEANS that all the inhabitants of the world will eventually say this, because this song will be said for eternal generations.

409. HE ASKS, What is THE MEANING OF, "Out of the depths I have cried to you?" HE ANSWERS, So have we learned. Everyone who prays his prayer before the Holy King must ask for his requests and pray from the depth of his heart, in order that his heart is completely with the Holy One, blessed be He. Thus, he should concentrate his heart and desire. THIS IS THE MEANING OF, "OUT OF THE DEPTHS I HAVE CRIED TO YOU." HE ASKS, Did David say it this way? Is it not written, "With my whole heart I have sought You" (Tehilim 119:10)? And this passage is sufficient, THAT IS, TO PRAY WITH THE WHOLE HEART. Why is, "out of the depths," necessary?

410. HE ANSWERS, We learned, every person who makes his request before the King must concentrate his mind and desire on the source of all sources, to draw blessings from the depth of the pit, in order that blessings shall flow from the wellspring of all. And what is it? It is at that place from where that river, WHICH IS CONCEALED CHOCHMAH, emerges and comes forth, as it is written, "And a river went out of Eden" (Beresheet 2:10). FOR EDEN IS CHOCHMAH, AND RIVER IS BINAH, NAMELY BINAH THAT CAME OUT OF THE TOP OF ARICH ANPIN, WHICH IS CONCEALED CHOCHMAH. And it is written, "There is a river, whose streams make glad the city of Elohim" (Tehilim 46:5), and this is called "out of the depths." The depth of all, the depth of the pit from which springs emerge and are drawn to bless all. This is the beginning of drawing blessings downward from above.

411. Rabbi Chizkiyah explains HIS WORDS, When the most concealed Atik desires to bring blessings for the world, He places and includes everything in that supreme depth, WHICH IS CONCEALED CHOCHMAH OF ARICH ANPIN, OF THE ASPECT OF BINAH EMERGING OUT OF IT. And from here a river, WHICH IS BINAH, is drawn and flows, and rivers and wellsprings emerge from it, WHICH ARE THE MOCHIN. And everything is watered from it. FOR ALL THE MOCHIN OF THE MALE AND THE FEMALE AND BRIYAH, YETZIRAH, AND ASIYAH ARE DRAWN FROM THERE. And whoever says his prayer must concentrate his heart and desire to draw blessings from this depth of all, in order that his prayer is accepted and his desire is carried out.

412. "And Moses said to them, 'Let no man leave of it till morning'" (Shemot 16:19). Rabbi Yehuda said, Every single day, the world is blessed from that supernal day, for all the six days are blessed from the seventh day. And every day gives from that blessing that it receives on its own day.

413. Therefore Moses said, "Let no man leave of it till morning." What is the reason? Because one day does not borrow or give to another. Rather, each one reigns exclusively, alone in its day, because one day cannot reign in the day of its neighbor.

414. Therefore, all these five days reign on their respective days, and that which they received is available in them. The sixth day contains more, and this is according to what Rabbi Elazar said, It is written, "the sixth day," WITH THE DEFINITE ARTICLE (=HEI), which is not written of the other days. But this is the way they established it. "The sixth day," WITH A HEI, shows that the Queen is joined with it, WHO IS CALLED HEI, WHICH IS MALCHUT, to prepare the table for the King. Therefore, it has two parts, one from the day itself and one from establishing the joy of the King with the Queen.

415. That night is the joy of the Queen with the King and their uniting, and all the six days are blessed, each one on its own. Therefore, a person must prepare his table on Shabbat night so that blessings from above will dwell upon him, and a blessing is not present on an empty table. Therefore, scholars who know this secret mate only on Shabbat nights.

416. "See, that Hashem has given you the Shabbat." HE ASKS, What is Shabbat? HE ANSWERS, That is the day in which the other days rest. And it is the inclusion of all the other six days, and from it are they blessed. Rabbi Yisa said, The Congregation of Yisrael is also called 'Shabbat,' for she is the spouse OF SHABBAT, and a bride, as it is written, "You shall keep the Shabbat therefore, for it is holy to you" (Shemot 31:14). To you and not to the other nations. This is what is meant by, "Between Me and the children of Yisrael" (Ibid. 17). This portion is an eternal heritage of Yisrael; thus it is written, "If you restrain your foot because of Shabbat..." (Yeshayah 58:13). And we explained the matter where we discussed it.

417. It is written, "Let no man go out of his place on the seventh day..." We learned that ITS MEANING IS from the place that is proper to go, MEANING OUT OF THE CITY. And the secret of the matter is, "Blessed be the glory of Hashem from his place" (Yechezkel 3:12), WHICH IS MALCHUT, and this is the place. This is the secret of what is written, "For the place on which you stand is holy ground" (Shemot 3:5). It is the known area that is called "place," which is known by the supernal glory, NAMELY MALCHUT.

418. Therefore, it is an admonition to the person who adorns himself with the holy crown of above ON THE SHABBAT DAY. From his mouth secular talk should not emerge, because if SECULAR TALK does emerge, he desecrates the Shabbat day. DESECRATING THE SHABBAT WITH THE HANDS is done by doing work; with his feet is by going out of the specified 2,000 cubits. All these are a desecration of the Shabbat.

419. "Let no man go out of his place." This is the precious place of Holiness, because outside of it, there are other Elohim. "Blessed be the glory of Hashem." is the glory of above, NAMELY MALCHUT FROM THE CHEST AND ABOVE. "From his place," is the glory of below, NAMELY MALCHUT FROM THE CHEST AND BELOW. This is the secret of the crown of the Shabbat, WHICH IS CALLED 'PLACE.' Therefore, a person should not go out from his place, BECAUSE OUTSIDE OF IT ARE OTHER ELOHIM. Blessed is the portion of one who has merited the splendors of the Shabbat.