152. Rabbi Aba Saba (the elder) stood up and said, May peace and tranquillity come to you, Rabbi Shimon, the son of Yochai, for restoring the diadem to its former splendor. For we learned in the first Mishnah that since the soul is perfected in the supernal place, it does not return to the body. It remains in the same condition, but other souls are created and come out of it. Then Rabbi Shimon, the son of Yochai, taught that although this world is vanity and the body is a putrid drop of semen, yet the soul enters it. In the future, when everyone will be refined and the body will be more pure, sustained and complete, there will be no reason for the soul to enter it with all its completeness.

153. Rabbi Acha said, The Holy One, blessed be He, will give the very soul and very body existence in the future, but both will be whole and have completeness of knowledge so they can achieve what they did not achieve in this world.

154. "And Abraham was old, advanced in age (lit. 'coming with the days')." Rabbi Bo said that, according to Rabbi Yochanan, this refers to the world of days, NAMELY LIGHT, and not to that world which is night. Rabbi Ya'akov said, COMING WITH THE DAYS MEANS THAT HE CAME TO those worlds called days because of all the pleasures and the brightness that he inherits. RABBI YA'AKOV IS NOT DIFFERING FROM RABBI YOCHANAN, HE IS SIMPLY EXPLAINING THE VERSE MORE FULLY. "And Hashem had blessed Abraham in all" (Beresheet 24:1) refers to the office, NAMELY TO THE AUTHORITY that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him of His name, which is the letter Hei by which the world was created.

155. We learned that Rabbi Yochanan said, Metatron, the great minister, is a boy, a servant whose Rabbi, his master, rules him. He is in charge of the soul and gives it daily of the light he was ordered TO GIVE IT. In the future, he will receive an account in writing from the cemetery, from Dumah FOR EACH BODY that he can show to his Master. He will turn that backbone into yeast TO BUILD THE BODY under the ground, to mend and wholly revive the body, AS IS PROPER FOR a body without a soul. Later, the Holy One, blessed be He, will send the soul to its place WITHIN THE BODY. THIS WILL BE AFTER IT COMES TO THE LAND OF YISRAEL.

156. Rabbi Yitzchak said, It is then written, "And Abraham said to the eldest servant of his house, that ruled..." (Beresheet 24:2). If we look at this from the aspect of wisdom, NAMELY AS IT CONCERNS THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD, what is THE MEANING OF THE WORDS, "his servant?" BECAUSE ABRAHAM IS THE SECRET OF THE SOUL, "AND ABRAHAM SAID TO THE...SERVANT" REFERS TO THE SERVANT OF THE SOUL. HOW DO WE KNOW THAT THERE IS A SERVANT TO THE SOUL? Rabbi Nehorai responded, We need look only at the words "his servant" AND NOT CONNECT THEM TO ABRAHAM IN THE MEANING OF THE VERSE. THEN, THE MEANING IS the servant of Hashem, close to His worship. Who is he? He is Metatron, who will beatify the body in the grave, as we have said.

157. Thus the words, "And Abraham said to his eldest servant" refer to Metatron, the servant of Hashem. The phrase, "The eldest servant of his house" is the beginning of the creations of Hashem. "That ruled over all that he had" means that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him power over all His hosts, NAMELY OVER THE UPPER ANGELS.

158. We learned that Rabbi Shimon quoted Rabbi Yosi who quoted Rav saying that all the hosts of the servant receive light and delight in the splendor of the soul, as the light of the soul in the World to Come is greater than the light of the throne, NAMELY THE THRONE OF GLORY. AND THE ANGELS RECEIVE THEIR LIGHT FROM THE THRONE, SO THE LIGHT OF THE SOUL IS GREATER THAN THAT OF THE THRONE. A DIFFICULT POINT IS THEN RAISED. It seems that the soul was taken from the throne, AND THE RECEIVER IS BY DEFINITION SMALLER THAN THE GIVER. THE EXPLANATION IS THAT each had according to what was appropriate for it. Rav Nachman added that it is actually greater than the light of the throne, as it is written, "The likeness as the appearance of a man upon it" (Yechezkel 1:26), above it in splendor.

159. When he goes to perform the errand OF THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, all his hosts and his Chariot are nourished by that splendor OF THE SOUL. And the soul says to him, "Put...your hand" - namely, your escort, OR THE HOSTS OF METATRON-"under my thigh" (Beresheet 24:2). This is the light that flows from the soul.

160. Rabbi Yehuda the son of Rabbi Shalom said that we have been taught that when he goes on an errand for the Holy One, blessed be He, He moves His upper hosts by one letter of His name, NAMELY BY THE LETTER YUD OF THE NAME YUD HEV VAV HEI. HEI IS THE SECRET OF IMA AND ABA, THE ROOT OF THE SOUL'S LIGHT. Rabbi Huna said, Yerechi ('my thigh') has the same numerical value as ram (lit. 'high'), which is what the soul says, that is, "Put...your hand," your escort, under the grade of the high and elevated, which rules over all. After the soul commanded the escort of high ones to be under Him, IT TOLD HIM, I make you swear a great oath.

161. Rabbi Yitzchak said, It is written, "Elohim of the heaven, and Elohim of the earth" (Yechezkel 1:26). Since he already mentioned Hashem, NAMELY "I WILL MAKE YOU SWEAR BY HASHEM," why add "Elohim of the heaven, AND ELOHIM OF THE EARTH?" HE ASKS RABBI YEHUDA, WHO SAID THAT HE MOVES ALL HIS HOSTS BY ONE LETTER OF HIS NAME WHEN HE GOES. Rabbi Yehuda said, IT IS WRITTEN, "ELOHIM OF THE HEAVEN, AND ELOHIM OF THE EARTH" to show that He is Master over everything simultaneously. In one instant, He moves everything, and everything is nothing compared to Him. THIS IS WHY HE MENTIONS HEAVEN AND EARTH IN THE OATH, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE LETTER YUD, WHICH INDICATES THAT THIS LIGHT GOVERNS ALL THE GRADES, AND EVREYTHING IS AS NAUGHT COMPARED TO IT. Rabbi Yitzchak said that by two letters of His name HE MOVES HIS WHOLE HOSTS, WHEN METATRON GOES TO DO HIS ERRAND. This is to show that He is all, and there is nothing save Him.