The two bloods, of Pesach and of circumcision

128. "On the fourteenth day of the first month..." (Vayikra 23:5). Rabbi Chiya opened with, "I sleep, but my heart wakes. Hark, my beloved is knocking..." (Shir Hashirim 5:2). The Congregation of Yisrael said, I sleep in exile in Egypt, SINCE EXILE COMES FROM THE POWER THE LEFT EXERCISES OVER THE RIGHT AND WITH THE JUDGMENTS OF THE LEFT, THE MOCHIN OF MALCHUT ARE GONE, WHICH IS CONSIDERED SLEEP. My children were there under harsh enslavement, "but my heart wakes" to keep them so they will not be destroyed in exile. "Hark, my beloved is knocking" refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, who said, "and I have remembered My covenant" (Shemot 6:5).

129. "Open to me" (Shir Hashirim 5:2) MEANS OPEN TO ME an opening as thin as a needle, and I shall open to you the celestial gates. "Open to me, my sister," since the opening to come in to Me is within you, so My children shall enter only through you. Unless you open your opening, I am closed off and cannot be found. Hence, "Open to me." "Open to me" assuredly. Therefore, when David wished to come in to the King, he would say, "Open to me the gates of righteousness. I will go in to them, and I will praise Yah. This is the gate of Hashem" (Tehilim 118:19-20). This, THE GATES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, WHICH IS MALCHUT, is an opening through which to come in to the King. "This is the gate of Hashem" to find Him and cleave to Him. Hence, "Open to me, my sister, my love...for my head is filled with dew," to unite with you and be at peace with you forever.

130. Come and see, when the Holy One, blessed be He, was killing the firstborns Egyptian, NAMELY all those He killed at midnight, and brought the upper grades down, at that very time Yisrael entered the covenant of the holy sign by circumcising and uniting with the Congregation of Yisrael and joining her. They then displayed that blood on the lintel. So there were two kinds of blood, the one of the Pascal sacrifice and the other that of circumcision, and the mark of Faith was imprinted on the lintel, one on one side, the other on the other, and one in between. THESE ARE THE THREE COLUMNS, RIGHT, LEFT AND CENTRAL. It is also said, "and put it on the two side posts and on the upper door post" (Shemot 12:7), to display Faith.

131. "On the fourteenth," we learned that then leavened bread and leaven are renounced, and Yisrael are gone from another dominion and are uprooted from it, and join the leavened bread in a holy bond. After they are circumcised they come into it BY MEANS OF THE MATZAH until AFTER THE GIVING OF THE TORAH, WHEN they uncovered the corona and their imprint was revealed. Then He gave them the bond in a high place in the bond of Faith, the place where it is written, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you" (Shemot 16:4), exactly from heaven, NAMELY FROM ZEIR ANPIN CALLED HEAVEN. This has already been explained.

132. Come and see, on the fourteenth day AT NIGHT, when the union of the moon, MALCHUT, is in perfection with the sun, ZEIR ANPIN, the lower Sfirot OF THE KLIPOT do not endure so much in the world. For at the time of the renewal of the moon, evil species abound and are roused to expand in the world. BUT when the union of the moon is wholly in the light of the sun, all THE KLIPOT are gathered into one place AND HIDE, while the holy things of the King are roused. Then, "It is a night of watchfulness to Hashem" (Shemot 12:42), since the holy union is present, which is watchful in every respect.

133. Rabbi Acha said, For that reason the bride, MALCHUT, is made ready on that day, THE FOURTEENTH, and on the night OF THE FIFTEENTH DAY, the house is settled, NAMELY MALE AND FEMALE ARE UNITED. Woe to those who are not of the household, WHO DO NOT CLEAVE TO MALCHUT, when the two Torahs come to unite - THE WRITTEN TORAH, ZEIR ANPIN, AND THE ORAL TORAH, MALCHUT. Woe to those who are not recognized by them. For that reason, holy Yisrael prepare MALE AND FEMALE a home, THAT IS, A UNION, all that FOURTEENTH day, and through them those who need to, enter, THAT IS, THE MOCHIN NECESSARY FOR THE UNION OF MALE AND FEMALE. And they, MALE AND FEMALE, are glad and both sing. Happy are Yisrael in this world and in the World to Come.

134. Rabbi Yosi said, Why should we bother so much? There is a whole verse to the effect that that night the supernal holy union is awakened and is present. This is the meaning of, "It is a night of watchfulness to Hashem." Why is watchfulness WITH A PLURAL SUFFIX? HE ANSWERS THAT IT ALLUDES TO two, which are the union of the moon with the sun, MALCHUT AND ZEIR ANPIN. "For all the children of Yisrael in their generations" (Ibid.) MEANS THAT from now on YISRAEL are united and connected with the bond of the Holy Name, and have come out from another dominion. For that reason, they prepare themselves on the fourteenth and burn all the leaven among them and enter into a holy dominion. Then the groom and bride, ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT, are crowned with the crowns of supernal Ima, BINAH, and man should show himself free, SINCE THE MOCHIN OF SUPERNAL IMA ARE CALLED FREEDOM.

135. Rabbi Yosi said, What is the purpose of the four cups on that night? Rabbi Aba said, The friends explained they correspond to the four redemptions, "AND I WILL BRING...AND I WILL DELIVER... AND I WILL REDEEM...AND I WILL TAKE" (SHEMOT 6:6-7). This is well EXPLAINED in the book of Rav Yesa Saba, who said that since the holy union abounds that night in all directions, BOTH IN CHOCHMAH AND CHASSADIM, the union is formed with four bonds, or four grades that are inseparable when this union is present, WHICH ARE CHOCHMAH AND BINAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT. And we are awakened by their joy, AND DRINK FOUR CORRESPONDING CUPS, because we attained them, since whoever is attached to it, TO THE ILLUMINATION OF THE UNION, attains all FOUR GRADES, CHOCHMAH AND BINAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT. For that reason this night is different than all other nights, and it behooves us to make AND UNIFY this name in every way, and rejoice that night since it is joy above and below.

136. He further said that these four, CHOCHMAH AND BINAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT, are called four redemptions. The reason is that the last grade, MALCHUT, is called 'redeemer,' NAMELY the redeeming angel. It is only called redeemer through a higher superior grade, TIFERET, that is situated over it and shines upon it. It, TIFERET, only brings light upon it by means of the two grades above it, CHOCHMAH AND BINAH, FROM WHICH TIFERET RECEIVES. Thus these four, CHOCHMAH AND BINAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT, are the four redemptions, SINCE THEY ARE CONNECTED TO MALCHUT CALLED REDEEMER.

137. Rabbi Yehuda asked Rabbi Aba: It says, "Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses" (Shemot 12:19), and there is joy all those seven. Why is no complete Hallel (Prayer of Thanksgiving) recited throughout the seven days OF PESACH as in Sukkot, where we daily recite Hallel with complete joy?

138. He said to him, Well asked. But it is known that here, ON PESACH, Yisrael are not bonded as wholly as they were later, because on that FIRST night when the union OF MALE AND FEMALE is present and overall joy, and Yisrael are bonded with that joy, we bring about perfection and the Hallel is complete. But later, THROUGHOUT THE DAYS OF PESACH, even though they are all present, ALL SEVEN GRADES, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT THAT SHINE IN THE SEVEN DAYS OF PESACH, Yisrael have not yet connected to them, nor uncovered the corona so the holy imprint will be revealed in them. Nor did they receive the Torah or enter those GRADES, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT, as they did later. For that reason on Sukkot there is overall perfection and overall joy IS IN IT to the utmost. But here ON PESACH they have not yet attained, and there was not so much perfection in them. Even though all seven are present, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT OF ZEIR ANPIN DURING THE SEVEN DAYS OF PESACH, they are not revealed, and Yisrael were not well connected with them yet, UNTIL AFTER THE GIVING OF THE TORAH.

139. Therefore there is overall joy and the Hallel is recited in full that FIRST night OF PESACH, because of that portion Yisrael are attached to. The reason is that union is there that night, and all the bond OF ALL THE GRADES is present from the side of union, FROM THE ASPECT OF AWAKENING ABOVE, but not from the side of Yisrael. When the union OF ZEIR ANPIN is in her, IN MALCHUT, the two grades CHOCHMAH AND BINAH were situated over her AS WELL. When these are present, the whole body, THE WHOLE STATURE OF ZEIR ANPIN, is with them. Then everything is perfected and joyous, and the Hallel is recited in full, for then the moon, MALCHUT, is adorned with everything. But this is not so after THE FIRST NIGHT, since every day OF THE SEVEN DAYS GRADES, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT, is there, but Yisrael have not yet attained them. Thus the Hallel is not complete as in other times.