Ha'azinu: Chapter 3

The apple tree and the lily

Synopsis

Rabbi Yitzchak says how blessed Yisrael is to be under the direct care of God rather than to have been assigned to one of His appointed ministers. He says that God is like an apple that has three colors and the Congregation of Yisrael, Malchut, is like a lily that has two colors. The three colors of the apple allude to Chesed, Gvurah and Tiferet, while the two colors of the lily allude to Judgment and Chesed. The Patriarchs are also the three colors joined in the apple.

Angels Apples Colors Idolatry Jacob Tree Wood World to Come, The

9. Rabbi Yitzchak opened with, "Like the apple tree..." (Shir Hashirim 2:3). Happy is the portion of Yisrael more than all the idolatrous nations, because all the other nations were handed to appointed ministers to control them. As for holy Yisrael, happy is their portion in this world and in the World to Come that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave them neither to an angel nor to another ruler, but took them for His own portion. This is the meaning of, "For Hashem's portion is His people" (Devarim 32:9), and, "For Hashem has chosen Jacob to Himself" (Tehilim 135:4). "Like the apple tree among the trees of the wood:" just as the apple tree is different in color from all the other trees in the field, so is the Holy One, blessed be He, separated and marked above all higher and lower legions. Hence His name is Hashem Tzva'ot, WHICH MEANS He is a sign (Heb. ot) throughout the celestial army (Heb. tzava).

9. רִבִּי יִצְחָק פָּתַח, כְּתַפּוּחַ בַּעֲצֵי הַיַּעַר וְגוֹ.' זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל מִכָּל עַמִּין עכו"ם, דְּהָא כָּל שְׁאַר עַמִּין אִתְיְהִיבוּ לְרַבְרְבָן מְמָנָן, בְּשֻׁלְטָנוּתָא עָלַיְיהוּ. וְיִשְׂרָאֵל קַדִּישִׁין, זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵהוֹן בְּעָלְמָא דֵּין וּבְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, דְּלָא יָהַב לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לָא לְמַלְאָכָא, וְלָא לְשָׁלִיטָא אַחֲרָא, אֶלָּא הוּא אָחִיד לוֹן לְחוּלָקֵיהּ, הה"ד כִּי חֵלֶק יְיָ' עַמּוֹ. וּכְתִיב, כִּי יַעֲקֺב בָּחַר לוֹ יָהּ. כְּתַפּוּחַ בַּעֲצֵי הַיַּעַר, מַה תַּפּוּחַ מִתְפָּרְשָׁא בִּגְוָונוֹי, עַל כָּל שְׁאַר אִילָנֵי חַקְלָא, כַּךְ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מִתְפְּרַשׁ וְאִתְרְשִׁים עַל כָּל חֵילִין עִלָּאִין וְתַתָּאִין, בג"כ יְיָ' צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ, אוֹת הוּא בְּכָל חֵילָא דִּלְעֵילָּא.

Apples Colors Congregation Judgment Lily Red White

10. Come and see, the Holy One, blessed be He is like an apple that has in it three colors, WHITE, RED AND GREEN THAT INDICATE CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET. The Congregation of Yisrael, WHO IS MALCHUT, is like a lily. What is a lily? Rabbi Aba said, It is a generic lily, a lily of six petals. The colors of such a lily are white and red, and it is all of two colors, red and white THAT INDICATE JUDGMENT AND CHESED. Such is the Congregation of Yisrael, WHO IS MALCHUT.

10. ת"ח, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כְּתַפּוּחַ, דְּאִית בֵּיהּ תְּלַת גַּוְונִין. כ"י כְּשׁוֹשַׁנָּה מַאן שׁוֹשַׁנָה. א"ר אַבָּא, שׁוֹשַׁנָה סְתָם, שׁוֹשַׁנָה דְּאִתְכְּלִילַת בְּשִׁית טַרְפֵּי, שׁוֹשַׁנָה דָּא גְּוָונֵיהּ חִוָּור וְסוּמָק. וְכֺלָּא הוּא תְּרֵין גְּוָונֵי, סוּמָק וְחִוָּור, הָכִי כ"י.

Apples Colors Congregation Correction Jubilee Lily Patriarchs Tree

11. The Holy One, blessed be He, is like an apple tree; the Congregation of Yisrael is like a lily. For thus spoke the Congregation of Yisrael, "I roused you under the apple tree" (Shir Hashirim 8:5). HE ASKS, Where is this, under the apple tree, AND HE ANSWERS, These are the Patriarchs we mentioned, CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET THAT ARE CALLED PATRIARCHS. Rabbi Yosi said, It is Jubilee, NAMELY BINAH CALLED APPLE TREE. Rabbi Aba said, Everything is correct, because the Patriarchs we mentioned are the three colors joined in the apple.

11. קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כְּתַפּוּחַ, כ"י כְּשׁוֹשַׁנָּה. דְּהָכִי אָמְרָה כ"י, תַּחַת הַתַּפּוּחַ עוֹרַרְתִּיךָ. תַּחַת הַתַּפּוּחַ בְּאָן אֲתָר הִיא. אֶלָּא אִלֵּין אֲבָהָתִין דְּאַמָרָן. ר' יוֹסֵי אָמַר, דָּא יוֹבְלָא. ר' אַבָּא אָמַר, כֺּלָּא שַׁפִּיר, אֶלָּא אִלֵּין אֲבָהָן דְּקָאַמְרָן, אִלֵּין אִינּוּן ג' גְּוָונֵי, דְּמִתְחַבְּרָן בַּתַפּוּחַ.

Congregation Kisses Lily Lips Zeir Anpin

12. Rabbi Yitzchak said, How did the Congregation of Yisrael become a part of the lily? By loving kisses with which MALCHUT cleaved to the supernal King ZEIR ANPIN. Then she took FROM HIS TWO LIPS two roses, as it is written, "his lips like lilies" (Shir Hashirim 5:13). This is why the Congregation of Yisrael said, "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth" (Shir Hashirim 1:2), since then she is included in the lilies in his two lips THAT ARE CALLED LILIES.

12. ר' יִצְחָק אָמַר, בְּאָן אֲתָר אִתְכְּלִילַת כ"י בְּשׁוֹשַׁנָּה. בְּאִינּוּן נְשִׁיקִין דִּרְחִימוּתָא, דְּאִתְדְּבָקַת בְּמַלְכָּא עִלָּאָה, נַטְלָה תְּרֵי שׁוֹשַׁנִּים, כד"א שִׂפְתוֹתָיו שׁוֹשַׁנִּים. ובג"כ אָמְרָה כ"י, יִשָּׁקֵנִי מִנְּשִׁיקוֹת פִּיהוּ. בְּגִין דְּאִתְכְּלִילַת בַּשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים, בִּתְרֵי שִׂפְוָון דִּילֵיהּ.

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