169. Rabbi Shimon said, Matzot (unleavened bread) is spelled WITHOUT VAV, as, "visions (Heb. mar'ot) of Elohim" (Yechezkel 1:1) IS WITHOUT VAV; THEREFORE, IT ALLUDES TO JUDGMENT. Why were they called Matzot-for their being of Judgment, Holy Judgment, Judgment that is attached to the Holy Name, Judgment that was not strong throughout that time among Yisrael, because the moon was flawed. And since the moon was flawed, it is written, "The bread of affliction" (Devarim 16:3).
170. HE ASKS, What is the reason THAT THE MOON, WHICH IS MALCHUT, was in a waning state? HE ANSWERS, Because they were not uncovered and the holy sign was not revealed. The children of Yisrael were circumcised, but did not uncover the corona. When they did, it is written, "There He made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He tested him" (Shemot 15:25). And even though we have explained this passage as referring to something else, it was all in context, and it is well.
171. If you wonder that it seems they had to be uncovered in the days of Joshua, this was not so. Only those about whom it is written, "But all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised" (Yehoshua 5:5). After they were uncovered, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, 'Before, you ate unleavened bread because the moon remained waned, and it was called "the bread of affliction." But from now on, bread will be from a different place,' as it is written, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you" (Shemot 16:4). Not from the moon, WHICH IS MALCHUT, as at that time BEFORE THEY WERE UNCOVERED, but actually from the heavens, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, as it is written, "Therefore Elohim give you of the dew of heaven" (Beresheet 27:28).
172. And holy Yisrael observe the days when they came under the wings of the Shechinah and kept the bread that came from its side, NAMELY THE MATZOT, as it is written, "And you shall observe the commandment of unleavened bread" (Shemot 12:17). What is the meaning of, "And you shall observe...the unleavened bread?" It is similar to: "And keep My covenant" (Shemot 19:5), WHICH IS THE COVENANT OF CIRCUMCISION. And it all rises and is attached to the same level, AS MENTIONED BEFORE.
173. One may wonder how it could be that Moses did not uncover them BUT LET THEM REMAIN CIRCUMCISED WITHOUT BEING UNCOVERED. HE ANSWERS, In order that Yisrael would not be delayed there until they became healed, HE THEREFORE DID NOT UNCOVER THEM. Pertaining to this, it is written, "Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread with it, the bread of affliction" (Devarim 16:3). Why WAS IT "the bread of affliction?" Because, "for you came forth...in haste" (Ibid.) and SIMILARLY, it is written, "and could not delay" (Shemot 12:39). THEREFORE, THEY WERE NOT UNCOVERED, AND CIRCUMCISION WITHOUT UNCOVERING BRINGS ABOUT THE BREAD OF AFFLICTION.
174. Come and behold, when Yisrael came to the Holy Land, they came circumcised and uncovered, and it is written, "A land in which you shall eat bread without scarceness" (Devarim 8:9). And what is "scarceness?" It is "the bread of affliction." And why is it called "the bread of affliction?" This is because the moon, WHICH IS MALCHUT, is waning and is not blessed from the sun, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, and does not shine from the sun, as it is written, "For all (Heb. kol) that is in heaven and on earth" (I Divrei Hayamim 29:11), MEANING THAT KOL ('ALL'), WHICH IS YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, IS ATTACHED TO HEAVEN, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, AND TO THE EARTH, WHICH IS MALCHUT, AND RECEIVES FROM THE HEAVENS AND GIVES TO THE EARTH. What is the reason that it did not shine from the Jubilee, WHICH IS BINAH? This is because they did not uncover themselves, AS MENTIONED BEFORE, but now that Yisrael were circumcised and uncovered UPON ARRIVING INTO THE HOLY LAND, it is written, "You shall not lack anything (Heb. kol) in it" (Devarim 8:9), NAMELY, YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN THAT ILLUMINATES ON MALCHUT AND IS CALLED 'KOL.' What is the reason for, "In which you will not eat bread without scarceness?" It is because "You shall not lack kol in it," the way they did in Egypt.
175. And every year, the children of Yisrael make a memorial to Egypt and eat UNLEAVENED BREAD and have not interrupted this for generations and generations. Because they did not uncover themselves in Egypt, they lacked this "kol," and the moon was waning and is called "the bread of affliction." Affliction MEANS 'poverty,' as in the Aramaic translation. The reason they ate the bread of affliction in the Holy Land, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD ALREADY UNCOVERED THEMSELVES, serves as a remembrance to Egypt. This is a custom for generations and generations. And for the future to come, it is written, "Your sun shall no more set; nor shall your moon withdraw itself" (Yeshayah 60:20), MEANING THAT THE WANING OF THE MOON, WHICH IS MALCHUT, WILL BE NO MORE.
176. We learned that Rabbi Shimon said, It is written, "On the tenth day of this month they shall take..." (Shemot 12:3), and, "Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be Yom Kippur" (Vayikra 23:27). It is derived from what we learned, as it is written, "on the tenth day of this month." THE ZOHAR WONDERS AND ASKS, What does it mean by this? HE ANSWERS THAT IT ALLUDES TO THE WORDS, "on the tenth." The business OF TAKING THE LAMB comes from the tenth, WHICH IS BINAH THAT SHINES ON MALCHUT, AS MENTIONED. AND THIS IS WHY HE FIRST MENTIONS THE ANALOGY BETWEEN THE TENTH IN THIS CONTEXT AND THE TENTH OF YOM KIPPUR, WHICH IS BINAH. AND HE ASKS, It is written, "of this month," but it should say, 'In this month.' HE ANSWERS, IT IS BECAUSE when the illumination came to this level, WHICH IS MALCHUT, the parse "of this month;" "OF THE MONTH" is exact, WHICH IS MALCHUT THAT IS CALLED 'MONTH.'
177. "They shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the houses of their fathers, a lamb for a house." We learned that there are three bonds, the firstborn of cattle, the firstborn of the captive, and the firstborn of the maidservant. All the other levels OF THE KLIPAH are connected to these three aspects above. They are all bound to the one called flock, and everything is included in it. IT IS THE HIGHEST LEVEL AMONG THEM. The flock BELOW is connected to the flock ABOVE, and is unable to separate from its bond. SO WE SEE that they are all connected to this, TO THE FLOCK. This is why it is written BY IT: "and you shall keep it" (Shemot 12:6) MEANING bind it with a knot, and it would be given into your hands under your control until you slaughter it and execute Judgment upon it. In the time to come, it is written, "Who is this that comes from Edom?" (Yeshayah 63:1) and, "For Hashem has a sacrifice in Botzrah" (Yeshayah 34:6), MEANING THAT HE WILL DESTROY ALL THE OTHER SIDE FROM THE EARTH. And THEN it is written, "And Hashem shall be king over all the earth. On that day Hashem shall be one and His Name One" (Zecharyah 14:9).