Meditation over a blessing

1. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). "Wherefore it shall come to pass, if you hearken to these judgments..." (Devarim 7:12). "When you have eaten, and are replete, then you shall bless Hashem your Elohim" (Devarim 8:10). We are commanded to bless the Holy One, blessed be He, for everything we eat and drink and enjoy in this world. He who does not bless is considered as stealing from the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written: "he who robs his father or his mother" (Mishlei 28:24), and the friends explained THAT IT APPLIES TO THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE. The blessings that a person gives the Holy One, blessed be He, are meant to draw life from the source of life, WHICH IS BINAH, to the Holy Name of the Holy One, blessed be He. And these blessings are to pour on top of Him from that supernal oil THAT IS THE ABUNDANCE OF CHOCHMAH. From there, it is then drawn upon the whole world.

2. It is also written: "when you have eaten, and are replete, then you shall bless Hashem your Elohim" (Ibid.). By these blessings, a person pours out through his words ABUNDANCE from the highest source, THAT IS BINAH. All the levels and sources OF ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT are blessed and filled with abundance to pour upon all the worlds, and everything is blessed together.

3. Therefore, a person needs to meditate on the secret of the blessings, so that the Patriarchs, WHO ARE CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN, and the children, WHO ARE NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, shall all be blessed together. Whoever blesses the Holy One, blessed be He, is blessed and receives his part from these blessings before the rest of the lower world. As soon as the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is blessed from there, the initial portion of those blessings comes down and rests on the head OF THE ONE WHO SAID THE BLESSING. We have already provided an explanation for this, as it is written: "in all places where I cause My Name to be pronounced, I will come to you, and I will bless you" (Shemot 20:21). After that particular blessing comes and rests on the head OF HE WHO BLESSED, it spreads from there to the rest of the world.

4. When these blessings descend, they are adorned within the field of holy apple trees, THAT IS MALCHUT. Many levels of the those nominated over the world meet them there and come down together with them, announcing and proclaiming that it is the gift that this person sent to the Holy One, blessed be He. HE ASKS: From which place do the blessings descend? HE REPLIES: THE BLESSINGS descend afterward from the place of the head of the Righteous, THAT IS YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN. THE BLESSINGS first go up and cause other BLESSINGS from above to go down, and it is filled from THOSE THAT DESCEND from above and from THOSE THAT ASCEND from below. This is the meaning of: "blessings are upon the head of the just" (Mishlei 10:6). Once that level is filled up, it pours upon the bride, WHICH IS MALCHUT, whence they flow and spread downward.

5. When these blessings rise from below, there is no single opening above and there is no appointee from up high that does not open these openings, and declare throughout the firmaments: 'This is the gift to the King that so-and-so sent. That is a wholly proper gift.' What is A FULL blessing: IT IS A BLESSING to which Amen was said. For every blessing to which Amen was said is a properly full BLESSING.

6. When this blessing ascends, all the grades above summon the non-shining, NAMELY MALCHUT, to shine on it. Even more so, if it is a blessing said by many, it is adorned with holy crowns by means of SAYING Amen. Amen is the secret of the connections within each unification and sanctification in accordance with the secret of his Master. It properly adorns that blessing with sublime crowns.

7. The Holy One, blessed be He, favors those that bless Him, and His passion is for the blessing that is below. That blessing rises and lights up the non-shining candle, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and strengthens it with a strong force to rise above, TO UNITE WITH ZEIR ANPIN. About this secret, it is written: "those who give Me honor, I will honor" (I Shmuel 1:30). This verse refers to those who give blessings to the Holy One, blessed be He. .".and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed" (Ibid.) refers to those who do not bless the Holy One, blessed be He, and withhold any blessings from their mouths.

8. The secret of secrets is for those who have knowledge in the Wisdom of their Master, to know the secret meanings of the blessings recited over the commandments of the Torah and over all the enjoyments and pleasures in this world, to pour out blessings from above downward.

9. HE EXPLAINS: The exception is the blessings in the prayer service, which are the correction of their Master. THEY BOTH RISE from below upwards and from above downwards, while the blessings that are not over the prayer rise from below upwards until they reach the non-shining light, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and awaken it with force by that blessing. This awakening rises high up until it reaches the highest Throne, WHICH IS BINAH, the source of all life, MEANING THAT ALL LIGHTS EMANATE FROM IT. Other blessings then flow out from that higher source and they meet and kiss one another. They approach and rest on the head of the Righteous THAT IS YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN to pour down. When they descend, the Patriarchs, WHICH ARE CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN, and the children, WHICH ARE NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, are blessed and all their candles, WHICH ARE THE SFIROT OF MALCHUT.

10. The secret of these blessings that awaken from above to below pertains to this secret. 'Blessed' is the secret of the highest source, WHICH IS SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA, WHICH ARE CALLED CHOCHMAH. ONE NEEDS TO MEDITATE to pour, draw and kindle from there all the candles, MEANING THE LOWER GRADES. It is always blessed because its water never ceases flowing, MEANING THEY ARE IN A NEVER-ENDING UNION AND THEIR ABUNDANCE TO THE LOWER BEINGS NEVER CEASES FLOWING. From there, the beginning that is called the World to Come, MEANING BINAH, RECEIVES. It is CALLED the end of heaven, because that end is the upper end OF ZEIR ANPIN CALLED HEAVEN. For there is a similar end below, which is the lower world, MALCHUT, which is also called 'blessed,' in correspondence to the lower beings, MEANING to pour BLESSINGS downward and awaken from below upward by the blessing of the prayer. But here, REGARDING THE OTHER BLESSINGS, is called 'blessed,' after the secret of Chochmah, DENOTING SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA, that which fills that place, BINAH CALLED THE WORLD TO COME, AS MENTIONED ABOVE, by means of a narrow path, MEANING YESOD OF CHOCHMAH, through which it enters it.

11. THE WORD 'you' IN THE BLESSING then begins to be revealed, because 'blessed' is hidden, WHICH ARE CHOCHMAH AND BINAH THAT ARE INCOMPREHENSIBLE TO THE LOWER BEINGS. Therefore, it is called 'blessed' vaguely, IT BEING a higher unexposed source. HOWEVER, THE WORD 'you' is the start of the revelation outside. This is why it is called 'you,' IN THE SECOND PERSON, WHO IS REVEALED. And who is it? It is the secret of the right, WHICH IS CHESED OF ZEIR ANPIN, called a priest to that place, BINAH. That is the meaning of: "you shall be a priest forever (lit. 'to a world')" (Tehilim 110:4), MEANING, who is "a priest" to that world, Binah, it is 'you.' This is the supernal right, CHESED OF ZEIR ANPIN, that is there to be revealed.

12. THE WORD 'Hashem' IN THE BLESSINGS is the secret of the Central Column IN ZEIR ANPIN, the secret meaning of the Faith in all directions. The WORD 'our Elohim' IN THE BLESSINGS is the left side OF ZEIR ANPIN. It is included in his right; the right is included in it, and one is included in the other into one. Up to this point, MEANING UP TO CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN, the blessings are connected TO ZEIR ANPIN. Once these CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN are blessed, everyone below is blessed.

13. After CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN are blessed and receive blessings for themselves, all return included into one to that source, WHICH IS BINAH, because they cannot return to that place before they are blessed. Once they are blessed first, they again enter that place THAT IS BINAH, to receive other additional blessings to bestow down. Before they are blessed, they do not enter or return TO BINAH. That is the secret meaning of the verse: "and none shall appear before Me empty" (Shemot 23:15).

14. When they return to that place, BINAH, and enter there, that place is called 'king,' WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE WORD 'KING' IN THE BLESSING. BINAH is considered a king only when these - CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN, draw near it to be blessed. A king is considered a king when his chief ministers come to him when they are rich and have everything they need, without lacking anything. Then he is king. A king below, WHO IS MALCHUT, IS SO CONSIDERED when these, THE SFIROT OF ZEIR ANPIN, adorn her (Malchut) adequately with holy crowns. Here IN THE BLESSING, where a king is mentioned, who is THE KING? It is "The world, who has sanctified us and commanded us," WHICH IS BINAH. Since it is a world that is not revealed externally and is hidden, it is recited in a hidden manner, MEANING IN THE THIRD PERSON, 'WHO HAS SANCTIFIED US AND COMMANDED US,' INSTEAD OF THE SECOND PERSON, NAMELY, "YOU WHO HAVE SANCTIFIED AND COMMANDED US." Therefore, it is recited in an undisclosed manner.

15. As we learned, the right, WHICH IS CHESED, is always called 'you.' Therefore, the priest bows HIS HEAD towards that place, 'YOU,' AT EACH AND EVERY BLESSING OF THE AMIDAH PRAYER, WHERE HE BOWS at the beginning OF THE BLESSING and at the end OF THE BLESSING. The lower world, THAT IS MALCHUT, when it is connected to the right, WHICH IS CHESED, and attached to it, is called from below upward 'blessed,' and is not considered blessed except by means of the source to which it was attached, which entered it and filled it, WHICH IS CHESED. ONLY THEN IS MALCHUT CONSIDERED BLESSED. 'You' IN THE BLESSING is the secret of the priest, MEANING CHESED, to be attached to him. Therefore, in the prayer, one bends his knees at 'blessed,' THAT IS MALCHUT, because it is a world bent at the top. That is the difference between 'blessed' in the prayer and 'blessed' in the other blessings; 'BLESSED' IN THE OTHER BLESSINGS IS IN CHOCHMAH AND BINAH, WHILE 'BLESSED' IN THE PRAYER IS IN MALCHUT. Everything follows a higher meaning to pour blessings to all the worlds.

16. AT THE WORD 'blessed' in the AMIDAH prayer, one bends his knees, and bows his head at 'you,' because 'you' is called 'head (or: 'first').' Therefore, the priest receives his portion first and is always first in line. That is why the knee bending is at 'blessed,' and lowering of the head is at 'you.' Wherever the priest reads 'you,' he bows down when praying. After a king lowers down his head AT THE BEGINNING OF THE AMIDAH PRAYER, he does not raise it again UNTIL HE FINISHES THE PRAYER. What is the reason? IT IS BECAUSE the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the moon: 'Go and diminish yourself,' and THE MOON, WHICH IS MALCHUT, has not yet straightened herself FROM THIS DIMINISHING. A KING IS THE ASPECT OF MALCHUT; THEREFORE, HE LOWERS HIS HEAD AND DOES NOT RAISE IT UP. Hence, a blessing with which a person blesses the Holy One, blessed be He, is aroused to pour down blessings from above to all the worlds, as we have learned. Blessed are the children of Yisrael in this world and the World to Come.

17. It is written: "You are our Father, though Abraham is ignorant of us..." (Yeshayah 63:16). We have learned that in the World to Come Isaac shall be told: 'YOU ARE OUR FATHER.' THUS ISAAC, WHO IS THE LEFT COLUMN, IS CALLED A FATHER. That is because the left is included in the right. HOWEVER, BEFORE IT WAS INCLUDED IN THE RIGHT IT WAS NOT CONSIDERED A FATHER, BECAUSE HARSH JUDGMENTS WERE FLOWING FROM HIM. But how do we know that the right too is considered a father? HE RESPONDS: It is written, "and be to me a father and a priest" (Shoftim 17:10). WE UNDERSTAND FROM THIS THAT THE PRIEST, WHO IS RIGHT AND CHESED, IS CONSIDERED A FATHER. Although above, even the non- shining light WHICH IS MALCHUT, is considered a father, when it is here attached to the right, it is called 'you,' as it is written: "You, Hashem, are our Father, our Redeemer" (Yeshayah 63:16).