73. "And from thence they went to Be'er (Eng. 'well') that is the well" (Bemidbar 21:16). HE ASKS: What is the change - why does it first say, Be'erah (Eng. 'to the well') and immediately after that, Be'er (Eng. 'well')? HE RESPONDS: It is only that Be'erah IS HOW MALCHUT WAS CALLED after all the waters converged into the sea and flowed down TO THE AREA OF MALCHUT. MALCHUT IS CALLED Be'er when Isaac, WHO IS THE LEFT COLUMN OF ZEIR ANPIN, fills it up. SINCE THE BE'ER IS STILL ENACTED UPON BY ZEIR ANPIN, IT IS THEREFORE CALLED BE'ER WITHOUT HEI, INDICATING MASCULINE LANGUAGE. THEREFORE, "she (Heb. hi) is the well," is spelled, "he (Heb. hu) is the well," WITH THE VAV, INDICATING THAT IT IS MASCULINE LANGUAGE. The secret is as we explained. "But the Levite, he shall do the service" (Bemidbar 18:23), SINCE HE INDICATES THE LEFT SIDE OF ZEIR ANPIN.
73. וּמִשָׁם בְּאֵרָה הִוא הַבְּאֵר. מ"ש דְּהָכָא בְּאֵרָה, וּלְבָתַר בְּאֵר. אֶלָּא בְּאֵרָה, לְבָתַר דְּמִתְכַּנְשֵׁי מַיָּיא לְגוֹ יַמָּא, וְנַחְתֵּי לְתַתָּא. בְּאֵר, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּיִצְחָק מַלְּיָיא לֵיהּ. הִיא הַבְּאֵר, הוּא כְּתִיב וְרָזָא דָּא, כְּמָה דִּכְתִּיב וְעָבַד הַלֵּוִי הוּא.
74. Rabbi Aba said: Anyplace WHERE IT IS SPELLED "he" and pronounced "she," AS IT IS HERE AT THE WELL, IT INDICATES male and female combined, AND THE THREE LETTERS OF "HE" (HEI-VAV-ALEPH) is an overall high principal. Hei is female, MALCHUT, Vav is male, ZEIR ANPIN, and Aleph IS BINAH THAT IS inclusive of all, SINCE ZEIR ANPIN AND THE FEMALE EMERGE FROM HER. Aleph, WHICH IS BINAH, is the perfection of everything, SINCE ALL THE MOCHIN FLOW FROM HER. Happy are the children of Yisrael. Although they are down, they are grasped in the highest principle of all - THAT IS, IN THE THREE LETTERS OF HEI, VAV, ALEPH. Therefore, it is written: "it is He who made us, and we belong to Him" (Tehilim 100:3). The word lo is spelled with an Aleph INSTEAD OF A VAV, INDICATING, "AND NOT (HEB. LO) WE," as it is the inclusion of Vav-Hei, WHICH ARE ZEIR ANPIN AND THE FEMALE. And the Aleph includes everything.
74. ר' אַבָּא אָמַר, בְּכָל אֲתָר הוּא, וְקָרֵינָן הִיא, דְּכַר וְנוּקְבָּא כַּחֲדָא. וּכְלָלָא עִלָּאָה, ה' נוּקְבָּא, ו' דְּכַר, א' כְּלָלָא דְּכֹלָּא. דְּהָא א' בִּשְׁלִימוּ שַׁרְיָא. זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל, אע"ג דְּאִינּוּן לְתַתָּא, אִינּוּן אֲחִידָן בִּכְלָלָא עִלָּאָה דְּכֹלָּא, ובג"כ כְּתִיב הוּא עָשָׂנוּ וְלֹא אֲנָחְנוּ, בְּאָלֶף כְּתִיב. כְּלָלָא דְּו"ה וְא' דְּכָלִיל כֹּלָּא.
75. Rabbi Shimon said: The spirit (also: 'wind') in the water is the Holy Spirit, MEANING THE SPIRIT OF MALCHUT THAT IS REFERRED TO AS 'HOLY SPIRIT' that blows in the beginning, as it says, "blow upon My garden" (Shir Hashirim 4:16). This MEANS THAT IT ELEVATES MAYIN NUKVIN (FEMALE WATERS), and then waters will flow, WHICH ARE THE UPPER MAYIN DUCHRIN (MALE WATERS) to fill her. This is what is written: "He causes His wind to blow: they run as water" (Tehilim 147:18). At first, "He causes His wind to blow," and then, "waters will flow." As long as He does not cause His wind to blow, the waters will not flow. What does this teach us? From this, it is apparent that in everything there is a requirement to arouse something FROM BELOW, THAT IS AN ASPECT OF FEMALE WATER, by action or speech, or to indicate and display some similarity to the act, AND THEN COMES THE AROUSAL FROM ABOVE. THEREFORE, until the wind does not blow, the water, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF ABUNDANT FLOW, does not flow towards the wind, WHICH IS MALCHUT.
75. ר"ש אָמַר, רוּחַ דְּמַיָּא, דָּא הוּא רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ, דְּנָשַׁב בְּקַדְמֵיתָא. כד"א הָפִיחִי גַנִּי, לְבָתַר נַזְלִין מַיָּיא לְמַלְיָּא לָהּ, הה"ד יַשֵּׁב רוּחוֹ יִזְּלוּ מָיִם. יַשֵּׁב רוּחוֹ בְּקַדְמֵיתָא, וּלְבָתַר יִזְּלוּ מָיִם. וְעַד לָא נָשִׁיב הַאי רוּחָא, לָא נַזְלִין מַיָּיא. מַאי קָא מַשְׁמַע לָן, מַשְׁמַע דְּבָעֵי בְּכֹלָּא לְאַתְּעָרָא מִלָּה, בְּעוֹבָדָא אוֹ בְּמִלָּה, אוֹ לְאִתְחֲזָאָה כְּחֵיזוּ דְּעוֹבָדָא. וְהָכָא, עַד דְּרוּחָא לָא נָשִׁיב, לָא נַזְלִין מַיָּיא לְגַבֵּיהּ דְּהַהוּא רוּחַ.
76. "...That (lit. 'he') is the well," IS SPELLED, but we pronounce it as: "She is the well." ALSO, what changes so that it is written "Be'erah" at first and then, "Be'er?'' HE REPLIES: It is only because the female, THAT IS MALCHUT, was alone in the beginning AND THEREFORE IT WAS SAID IN FEMININE LANGUAGE, "BE'ERAH." When it says "he," it indicates the inclusion of both male and female, so it is called "Be'er" in the MASCULINE FORM. ALTHOUGH IT ALSO INCLUDES THE FEMALE, IT IS IN THE MASCULINE FORM, since all are called in the masculine form in the area where a male exists, even if he has WITH HIM a hundred females.
76. הוּא הַבְּאֵר, הִיא הַבְּאֵר קָרֵינָן, מ"ש בְּקַדְמֵיתָא בְּאֵרָה, וְהַשְׁתָּא בְּאֵר, אֶלָּא בְּקַדְמֵיתָא נוּקְבָּא בִּלְחוֹדָהָא, וְהַשְׁתָּא דְּקָאָמַר הוּא, כְּלָלָא דִּדְכַר וְנוּקְבָּא, אִקְרֵי בְּאֵר. וּבַאֲתָר דְּאִשְׁתְּכַח דְּכַר, אֲפִילּוּ מְאָה נוּקְבָּא, דְּכַר קָרֵינָן לְכֹלָּא.
77. IT IS WRITTEN: "THAT IS THE WELL of which Hashem spoke to Moses saying, 'Gather the people together'" (Bemidbar 21:16). This is because that well was not missing from them. If you wonder how all of them could possibly draw from that one, it is because it divided into thirteen streams. This is SINCE MALCHUT DIVIDES INTO THIRTEEN, IN THE SECRET OF THE TWELVE, WHICH IT RECEIVES FROM THE TWELVE BOUNDARIES IN ZEIR ANPIN, AND ONE IS COMPOSED OF ALL OF THEM. The flowing spring in the well is filled and overflows in all directions. Then, at the time the children of Yisrael were singing and desired water, the children of YISRAEL would stand about her, OVER THE WELL, and sing. What did they say? '"Spring up, O well" (Ibid. 17), and raise your water to produce water for everyone to drink.' That is the way to praise this well, and THAT IS "the well that the princes dug out." They spoke words of truth. And so it is.
77. אֲשֶׁר אָמַר יְיָ' לְמֹשֶׁה אֱסוֹף אֶת הָעָם, בְּגִין דְּהַאי בְּאֵר לָא אַעְדֵּי מִנַּיְיהוּ. וְאִי תֵּימָא, הֵיךְ יַכְלִין לְשָׁאֲבָא מִנֵּיהּ כֹּלָּא, אֶלָּא אִיהוּ נָפִיק לִתְלֵיסַר נַחֲלִין, וּנְבִיעַ אִתְמְלֵּי וְנָפִיק לְכָל סִטְרִין, וּכְדֵין הֲווֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּשָׁארָן וּבַעְיָין מַיָּיא, קַיְימִין עָלֵיהּ, וְאַמְרֵי שִׁירָתָא. וּמַה אַמְרֵי, עֲלִי בְאֵר. סַלְקִי מֵימַיִךְ, לְאַנְפָּקָא מַיִין לְכֹלָּא, וּלְאִתְשָׁקָאָה מִנָךְ. וְכֵן אַמְרֵי תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דְּהַאי בְּאֵר, בְּאֵר חֲפָרוּהָ שָׂרִים וְגוֹ.' מִלָּה קְשׁוֹט הֲווֹ אַמְרֵי, וְכַךְ הוּא.
78. From here, we were taught that for whoever desires to arouse matters above, either by deed or speech, if that deed or speech is not performed properly, then nothing gets aroused. All the inhabitants of the world go to the synagogue to arouse something above, but few are those who know how to arouse. The Holy One, blessed be He, is near those who know how to call on Him and arouse properly. However, if they do not know how to call on Him, He is not near, as it is written: "Hashem is near to all those who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth" (Tehilim 145:18). What is, "in truth?'' That is that they know how to arouse the truthful thing appropriately, and it applies to all THINGS as well.
78. מֵהָכָא אוֹלִיפְנָא, כָּל מַאן דְּבָעֵי לְאַתְּעָרָא מִלִּין דִּלְעֵילָּא, בֵּין בְּעוֹבָדָא בֵּין בְּמִלָּה. אִי הַהוּא עוֹבָדָא, אוֹ הַהוּא מִלָּה, לָא אִתְעָבֵיד כַּדְּקָא יָאוּת, לָא אִתְּעַר מִדִי. כָּל בְּנֵי עָלְמָא אַזְלִין לְבֵי כְּנִישְׁתָּא לְאַתְּעָרָא מִלָּה דִּלְעֵילָּא, אֲבָל זְעִירִין אִינּוּן דְּיַדְעִין לְאַתְּעָרָא, וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא קָרִיב לְכֹלָּא דְּיַדְעֵי לְמִקְרֵי לֵיהּ וּלְאַתְעֲרָא מִלָּה כַּדְּקָא יָאוּת, אֲבָל אִי לָא יַדְעֵי לְמִקְרֵי לֵיהּ, לָאו אִיהוּ קָרִיב, דִּכְתִּיב קָרוֹב יְיָ' לְכָל קוֹרְאָיו וְגוֹ.' מַאי בֶאֱמֶת. דְּיַדְעֵי לְאַתְּעָרָא מִלָּה דִּקְשׁוֹט כַּדְּקָא יָאוּת, וְכֵן בְּכֹלָּא.
79. ABOUT THE WELL, Yisrael said these things which are matters of truth in order to arouse this well, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and to give drink to Yisrael. If they had not said these things, THE WELL would not have been aroused. Likewise, even the world's sorcerers who use evil things would not be awakened for them until they performed for them some veritable acts; they would not awaken if they did not say some truths in order to draw them in the manners they desire. Even if they had screamed all day long with other words and different acts, they would never have been capable of drawing them, and they would not have been awakened towards them.
79. אוֹף הָכָא, הֲווֹ אַמְרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָנֵי מִלִּין, מִלִּין דִּקְשׁוֹט, בְּגִין לְאַתְּעָרָא לְהַאי בֵּירָא, וּלְאַשְׁקָאָה לוֹן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְעַד דְּאַמְרֵי הָנֵי מִלֵּי לָא אִתְּעַר. וְכֵן אֲפִילּוּ בְּאִינּוּן חֲרָשֵׁי עָלְמָא, דְּמִשְׁתַּמְשֵׁי בְּזִינִין בִּישִׁין, עַד דְּעַבְדֵּי עוֹבָדוֹי דִּקְשׁוֹט לְגַבַּיְיהוּ, אִי לָא אָמְרוּ מִלֵּי דִּקְשׁוֹט, בְּגִין לְאַמְשָׁכָא לוֹן בְּהָנֵי גְּוָונָא דְּבַעְיָין, לָא מִתְעָרִין לְגַבַּיְיהוּ, וַאֲפִילּוּ דְּצַוְוחֵי כָּל יוֹמָא בְּמִלִּין אַחֲרָנִין, אוֹ בְּעוֹבָדָא אַחֲרָא, לָא מַשְׁכִין לוֹן לְגַבַּיְיהוּ לְעָלְמִין, וְלָא מִתְעָרִין לָקֳּבְלַיְיהוּ.
80. Come and behold: it is written, "and called on the name of the Ba'al..." (I Melachim 18:26) What is the reason THAT THEY WERE NOT ANSWERED? HE RESPONDS: First, it was not within the Ba'al's authority TO BRING DOWN FIRE FROM HEAVEN. In addition, since the wording was not the right one among them, the Holy One, blessed be He, made them forget them. That is what is written: "and that You have turned their hearts back again"(Ibid. 37). Praised are the righteous who know how to call upon their Master properly.
80. ת"ח, כְּתִיב, וְיִקְרְאוּ בְשֵׁם הַבַּעַל וְגוֹ.' מַאי טַעֲמָא. חַד דְּלָאו רְשׁוּ בְּהַהוּא בַּעַל בְּהַאי. וְעוֹד דְּמִלִּין לָא מִתְכַּשְּׁרָן בֵּינַיְיהוּ, וְאַנְשֵׁי לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מִנְּהוֹן. הה"ד וְאַתָּה הַסִבּוֹתָ אֶת לִבָּם אֲחוֹרַנִּית. זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן צַדִּיקַיָּיא, דְּיַדְעֵי לְמִקְרֵי לְמָארֵיהוֹן כַּדְּקָא יָאוּת.
81. Rabbi Shimon said: Here I wish to reveal something. Come and behold: anyone who is capable of preparing his deed as is proper and sets his speeches as is proper, definitely arouses the Holy One, blessed be He, to extend forth high matters that are upright. And if not, he is not propitious to them. If this is so, does not the whole world know how to prepare in an orderly manner the necessary performances and speeches? What then is the special value of them, the righteous? The righteous know the essence of words and actions, and they know how to direct their heart and desire more than those who are not as knowledgeable.
81. אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, הָכָא בָּעֵינָא לְגַלָּאָה מִלָּה. ת"ח, כָּל מַאן דְּיָדַע לְסַדְּרָא עוֹבָדָא כַּדְּקָא יָאוּת, וּלְסַדְּרָא מִלִּין כַּדְּקָא יָאוּת, הָא וַדַּאי מַתְעָרֵי לקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, לְאַמְשָׁכָא מִלִּין עִלָּאִין דְּמִתְכַּשְׁרָן. וְאִי לָא, לָא אִתְכְּשַׁר לְגַבַּיְיהוּ. אִי הָכִי כָּל עָלְמָא יַדְעֵי לְסַדְּרָא עוֹבָדָא, וּלְסַדְּרָא מִלִּין, מַאי חָשִׁיבוּ דִּלְהוֹן דְּצַדִּיקַיָּיא, דְּיַדְעֵי עִקָּרָא דְּמִלָּה וְעוֹבָדָא, וְיַדְעֵי לְכַוְּונָא לִבָּא וּרְעוּתָא, יַתִּיר מֵאִלֵּין אַחֲרָנִין, דְּלָא יַדְעֵי כָּל כַּךְ.
82. HE RESPONDS: It is only that those who are not as knowledgeable of the essence of actions, but simply know their orderly set up and nothing more, draw to themselves from behind the shoulders of the Holy One, blessed be He. THEIR PRAYER does not soar in the air, which is considered providence, MEANING TO SAY THAT IS THE PROVIDENCE OF THE FACE AND THEY ARE ONLY WORTHY OF THE ASPECT OF BEHIND THE SHOULDERS.
82. אֶלָּא אִלֵּין דְּלָא יַדְעֵי עִקָּרָא דְּעוֹבָדָא כּוּלֵי הַאי, אֶלָּא סִדּוּרָא בְּעָלְמָא וְלָא יַתִּיר, מַשְׁכִין עָלַיְיהוּ מְשִׁיכוּ דְּבָתַר כַּתְפוֹי דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דְּלָא טָס בַּאֲוִירָא דִּשְׁגִּיחוּ אִקְרֵי.