62. "And Sarah died in Kiryat Arba" (Beresheet 23:2). Rabbi Aba noted that, of all the women in the world, only for Sarah are the number of her days and years and the time of her life in the world mentioned, as well as the place in which she was buried. This shows that there was no other woman in the world like Sarah.
63. If you say that it is written of Miriam, "And Miriam died there, and was buried there" (Bemidbar 20:1) AS IT IS WRITTEN OF SARAH, NOTE THAT THIS WAS WRITTEN only to show that Yisrael sinned, AS SAID IN THE NEXT VERSE, "AND THERE WAS NO WATER FOR THE CONGREGATION, AND THEY GATHERED THEMSELVES TOGETHER" (IBID. 2). Yisrael had no water there without Miriam, and HER DAYS AND YEARS were not specified when describing her death, as was done for Sarah.
64. Rabbi Yehuda opened the discussion saying, "Happy are you, O land, that your king is a man of freedom, and your princes eat in due season" (Kohelet 10:17). This verse was explained by the friends. Nevertheless, we have studied that the children of Yisrael are happy because the Holy One, blessed be He, gave them Torah with which to know the hidden ways and reveal the supreme mysteries.
65. "Happy are you, O land" refers to the land of the living, NAMELY THE NUKVA, WHICH CLOTHES THE LIVING ELOHIM, IMA, because her king, ZEIR ANPIN, prepared for her all the blessings he had received from the supernal fathers - THE SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA. THAT KING IS the secret of the letter Vav, which is always in readiness to pour blessing over her. He is called "a man of freedom," the son of a Jubilee, WHICH IS BINAH, NAMELY YISRAEL-SABA, AND TEVUNAH, THE MOCHIN who liberates slaves and gives them freedom, THE MOCHIN OF THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH. He is also a son of the supernal world - THE SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA, who give generously FROM THEIR EVERLASTING UNION all life and illumination, the oil of greatness, and honor. Thus it is written, "Yisrael is my son, my firstborn" (Shemot 4:22). Therefore, "Happy are you, O land."
66. The verse "Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child" (Kohelet 10:16) is explained as follows. This is the nether land, and the nether world draws nourishment from the uncircumcised foreskin alone. All is drawn down only from the king called child, NAMELY METATRON, as was explained. Woe to the world that must nourish this way.
67. Come and behold this child, METATRON, who has nothing of himself, but the blessings he receives FROM THE NUKVA at appointed times. These blessings are withheld every time that the moon, NUKVA, is rendered defective and becomes dark. Woe to the world that depends on him for survival. Moreover, the world suffers many judgments before it draws nourishment from him, NAMELY FROM THE KLIPOT, for all is established and maintained through judgments, as has been explained.
68. The verse, "And Sarah died..." also contains a secret, which is that she did not die by the tortuous serpent, NAMELY THE ANGEL OF DEATH. It had no power over her, as it has over the people of the world. As a result of Adam's sin, all the people in the world die by the serpent except Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, WHO DIED BY A KISS, as is written, "Upon the mouth of Hashem" (Bemidbar 33:38). In honor of the Shechinah, it is not mentioned of Miriam, "upon the mouth of Hashem," ALTHOUGH SHE, TOO, DIED BY A KISS.
69. Yet of Sarah it is written, "And Sarah died in Kiryat Arba" because she died in and by the hands of Kiryat Arba, and not by the serpent. She died by the hands of Kiryat Arba that is Hebron, where David was united with the patriarchs. Therefore she died not by another, but in Kiryat Arba.
70. Come and behold, When man's days are maintained by the supernal grades, NAMELY THE SEVEN LOWER SFIROT - CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT - man thrives in the world. If he is not sustained by the supernal grades, MEANING HE HAS LIVED SEVENTY YEARS DRAWN FROM THE SEVEN LOWER SFIROT - CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT - his days come out OF THE SFIROT and beneath THE SFIROT until they approach the level where death dwells. NAMELY, THE ANGEL OF DEATH UNDERNEATH MALCHUT, OF WHICH IT IS SAID, "SIN CROUCHES AT THE DOOR" (BERESHEET 4:7). Then the Angel of Death receives permission to take out the man's soul. He flies through the world in one flight, takes the soul and defiles the body, which remains corrupted. Happy are the righteous who were not defiled by him, for no corruption remained in their bodies.