Night and Midnight

357. "And when Abraham was ninety nine years old..." (Beresheet 17:1). Rabbi Yosi opened the discussion by quoting, "Your people also shall be all righteous, they shall inherit the land forever..." (Yeshayah 60:21). Happy is Yisrael above all other nations because the Holy One, blessed be He, called its people righteous. For we have learned that there are 125,000 winged creatures roaming the world ready to hear and receive the voice.

358. As we have learned, everything in the world has a voice, which floats and flies in the firmament, where those winged creatures catch it and carry it aloft TO MAYIN NUKVIN (FEMALE WATERS) FOR MALE AND FEMALE, to be judged to good or to evil, as it is written, "For the bird of heaven shall carry the sound and that which has wings shall tell the matter" (Kohelet 10:20).

359. "When do they judge this voice?" IN OTHER WORDS, "WHEN IS THE VOICE CARRIED ALOFT AS MAYIN NUKVIN (FEMALE WATERS) FOR MALE AND FEMALE." Rabbi Chiya answers, When a person goes to bed and sleeps, because at that time, the soul leaves him and testifies about him; that is when the voice is judged. THIS MEANS THAT IT IS ELEVATED TO MAYIN NUKVIN (FEMALE WATERS) IF THE SOUL TESTIFIES IN HIS FAVOR! Therefore, it is written, "Keep the doors of your mouth from her that lies in your bosom" (Michah 7:5). Why? Because it is she who testifies against the person. THE WORDS "FROM HER THAT LIES IN YOUR BOSOM" ALLUDE TO THE SOUL. As Rabbi Yehuda says, All that a person does during the day, his soul testifies on him at night.

360. Rabbi Elazar said, as we have learned, At the beginning of the first hour at night, when the day is blown away and the sun goes down, the keeper of the keys, who is in charge of the sun - METATRON, THE GOVERNOR OF THE WORLD, WHO DRAWS THE LIGHT OF THE SUN DOWN TO THE WORLD - enters the twelve gates that BELONG TO THE SUN. THESE GATES are open during the day, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE TWELVE HOURS OF DAYLIGHT. After he has passed through all TWELVE GATES, MEANING AFTER THE TWELFTH HOUR IS OVER, then all the gates are closed, MEANING THAT THE DOMINION OF THE DAY HAS ENDED AND THE TIME FOR THE DOMINION OF THE NIGHT HAS COME!

361. A herald then makes an announcement - BECAUSE EVERY CHANGE IS ACCOMPLISHED BY AN ANNOUNCEMENT. THE HERALD, THE ANGEL GABRIEL risesand holds onto their keys. DURING THE DAY, THE KEYS ARE IN THE HANDS OF METATRON. THROUGH THESE KEYS, HE DRAWS THE DARKNESS, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT. After he completes the announcement, all the guardians of the world gather together and ascend FROM THE WORLD. Nobody remains to create an opening TO DRAW DOWN EVEN A TINY LIGHT, because they are all silenced. Then the lower Judgments are aroused. They start to roam the world, and the moon begins to shine.

362. And wailers WHICH ARE THE FORCES OF JUDGMENT THAT AROUSE WAILING AND HOWLING IN THE WORLD, cry out loud WITH THE BLOWING OF A TRUMPET. At the second blast, the angels begin to chant and sing before their Master. How many Guardians stand erect TO OFFER PROTECTION FROM JUDGMENTS, and Judgments are aroused in the world. Then as people sleep, their souls leave THEIR BODIES, give testimony, and are sentenced - BECAUSE THERE IS NO RIGHTEOUS PERSON ON EARTH WHO DOES NOT SIN. But the Holy One, blessed be He, deals mercifully with the human beings and allows the soul to return back IN THE MORNING.

363. At midnight, when the birds awaken, THAT IS, THE COCKS, a spirit (or wind) rises in the North. THIS REFERS TO THE LEFT COLUMN, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH WITHOUT CHASSADIM - THE SECRET OF THE UPPER THREE SFIROT OF RUACH. The scepter then rises in the South, NAMELY IN THE RIGHT COLUMN, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF CHASSADIM, and unites with that spirit OF THE LEFT COLUMN. THUS, THEY ARE INCLUDED WITHIN EACH OTHER, AND THE JUDGMENTS OF THE LEFT COLUMN subside and are mitigated BY CHASSADIM. And the Holy One, blessed be He, is awakened and, as is His wont, delights Himself with the righteous in the Garden of Eden.

364. Happy is he who awakens at that time to delight in the Torah, because the Holy One, blessed be He, together with all the righteous in the Garden of Eden listen attentively to his voice. This is why it is written, "You that dwell in the gardens, the companions hearken to your voice -- cause me to hear it" (Shir Hashirim 8:13).

365. In addition, the Holy One, blessed be He, draws down upon him a thread of grace (lit. 'chesed') which earns him protection in this world from both higher and lower beings. Therefore it is written, "Hashem will command His loving kindness (Heb. Chesed) in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me" (Tehilim 42:9).

366. Rabbi Chizkiyah said, whoever delves to the study of Torah at that hour shall definitely have an eternal share in the World to Come. Rabbi Yosi then asked, what is the meaning of 'eternal'? He answered, This is what I have learned. Every midnight, when the Holy One, blessed be He, enters the Garden of Eden, all the plants - NAMELY THE SFIROT, of the Garden of Eden, WHICH IS THE NUKVA - are watered most generously by the stream that is called the 'ancient stream' and also the 'stream of delight,' WHICH REFERS TO THE SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA, which waters never cease to flow; BECAUSE THE MATING OF ABA AND IMA NEVER STOPS. So, if a person awakens to study Torah, it is as if that stream is poured on his head and he is watered, together with the plants of the Garden of Eden. HE RECEIVES AN ETERNAL PORTION OF THE MOCHIN OF THE WORLD TO COME AS WELL.

367. Furthermore, because all the righteous in the Garden of Eden listen to him, they add another portion to that flow of the stream, WHICH ARE THE MOCHIN OF SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA. Therefore he has an eternal portion in the World to Come, FOR THEY ARE INCLUDED IN THE MOCHIN OF ABA AND IMA.

368. Rabbi Aba was traveling from Tiberias to Tronya, where his father-in-law lived, accompanied by his son, Rabbi Ya'akov. When they decided to spend the night in the village of Tarsha, Rabbi Aba asked his landlord, "Is there a cock around here?" The landlord asked, "What do you need a cock for?" Rabbi Aba responded, "Because I awake at midnight exactly! AND I NEED A COCK TO WAKE ME UP.

369. THE LANDLORD then said, You do not need THE COCK. I have prepared a signal in the house that indicates midnight, the scales that are before my bed. For this purpose, I fill a vessel with water. The water drips out THROUGH A HOLE IN THE VESSEL so that it empties exactly at midnight. AT THAT MOMENT, ONE SCALE GOES UP WHILE THE OTHER swings downward and roars. IT MAKES NOISE AS IT FALLS. And the sound is heard throughout the house. The signal was created by an old man who once stayed with me and arose at exactly midnight to study Torah.

370. Rabbi Aba said, Blessed be HASHEM, the Merciful, who has sent me over here. At midnight, the scale made a noise as it swung down, waking Rabbi Aba and Rabbi Ya'akov. They heard their landlord, who was sitting in a corner of the house with his two sons, say, "It is written, 'Midnight I will rise to give thanks to You because of Your righteous judgments'" (Tehilim 119:62). AND HE ASKED, "What did David see that caused him to say 'Midnight..." instead of "at midnight...?" AND HE REPLIES, Most certainly he was referring to the Holy One, blessed be He, CALLING HIM 'MIDNIGHT.'

371. AND HE ASKS, Is the Holy One, blessed be He, called so? HE ANSWERED, Yes! Because at midnight exactly, the Holy One, blessed be He, appears with His retinue, and enters the Garden of Eden to delight with the righteous.

372. Rabbi Aba said to Rabbi Ya'akov, "We shall surely join the Shechinah, so let us join THAT MAN AND HIS SONS." They came closer, sat with him, and said, Say whatever you have to say, for you have spoken well! THEY ASKED HIM, From where do you know all this? He responded, I have learned this from my grandfather.

373. And he continued, At the first hour of the night all the judgments down below are aroused, THE JUDGMENTS OF MALCHUT WHICH ARE NOT SWEETENED BY BINAH, and fly around the world. Exactly at midnight, however, when the Holy One, blessed be He, enters the Garden of Eden, WHICH IS THE NUKVA, these Judgments disappear and cease to exist.

374. And all the pathways of above - NAMELY THE WAYS BY WHICH BINAH SWEETENS THE NUKVA - only occur exactly at midnight. How do we know this? We know this from the verse about Abraham, "And he divided himself against them...(by) night" (Beresheet 14:15). But in Egypt, IT IS WRITTEN, "And it came to pass at midnight" (Shemot 12:29) BECAUSE THE NUKVA WAS THEN SWEETENED BY BINAH AND HER LIGHT WAS REVEALED. And David knew of this, WHICH IS WHY HE SAID, "MIDNIGHT."

375. AND HE ASKED, "How did DAVID know this?" AND HE ANSWERED, so said my grandfather. Because his Kingdom OF DAVID depended on this, ON THE ILLUMINATION OF THE MOCHIN OF MIDNIGHT, David therefore rose at midnight and chanted songs. And so he actually called the Holy One, blessed be He, "Midnight." He also said, "I will rise to give thanks to You..." Then, at that hour, all Judgments stem from here, MEANING ONLY FROM THE NUKVA WHICH IS SWEETENED AT MIDNIGHT, AS THE JUDGMENTS OF THE WORLD BELOW HAVE ALREADY DISAPPEARED. So the Judgments of Malchut are derived only from here, AND NOT FROM ITS UNSWEETENED ASPECT. Therefore, at that hour, David attached himself to it and rose up to chant songs. Rabbi Aba went forward and kissed him. He said, It is assuredly so! Blessed be the Merciful One, who has brought me here.

376. Come and behold, As we have already explained, "night" has always been the time of Judgment; it was discussed in the presence of Rabbi Shimon and is certainly so! The young son of the landlord then asked, "If so, then why is it written, 'Midnight'?" They explained to him, "It is as we have already stated, because the Kingdom of Heaven is awakened at midnight." The son said, I have heard that, but have another explanation! Rabbi Aba then said, Well then, speak up, my son! For your words shall be the voice of the candle, REFERRING TO THE VOICE OF RABBI SHIMON, WHO IS CALLED THE 'LUMINOUS LIGHT.'

377. THE YOUNG SON said, I heard that the night is the time when the Judgment of Malchut is in power. As a result, everywhere THE TERM 'NIGHT' APPEARS, it refers to Judgment. But when the term midnight appears, it is because Malchut is nourished from the two aspects - Judgment and Chesed. So, the first half of the night is the time of Judgment. During the second half, however, the face shines from the aspect of Chesed. This is why it is written, 'Midnight' - THE HALF OF CHESED.

378. Rabbi Aba stood up, placed his hands over his head, and blessed him. He said, I thought that Wisdom was found only among the righteous, who earned it THROUGH PIOUS DEEDS. But now I see that in the generation of Rabbi Shimon, even the young have merited the Supernal Wisdom because of him. Happy are you, Rabbi Shimon. Woe to the generation from which you shall depart. They sat until the morning studying Torah.

379. Rabbi Aba began the discussion with the verse, "Your people also shall be all righteous..." (Yeshayah 60:21). Our friends have already explained this passage. Why is it written, "Your people also shall be all righteous?" How can it be that all the nation of Yisrael is righteous, when there are many wicked people in Yisrael? Many are sinners and transgressors, who disobey the precepts of Torah!

380. But the meaning is found in the secret of the Mishnah. Happy are the people of Yisrael, who voluntarily offer a sacrifice to the Holy One, blessed be He. The sacrifice is the circumcision of their sons eight days after birth. When they are circumcised, they take part in the good portion of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, "The righteous are the foundation (Heb. yesod) of the world" (Mishlei 10:25). As they enter to this portion of the righteous, AS A RESULT OF THEIR CIRCUMCISION, they are the called "righteous." Therefore they are certainly all righteous, BECAUSE NOW THEY ARE ALL CIRCUMCISED, EVEN THE WICKED AMONG THEM. THEREFORE, IT IS WRITTEN, "YOUR PEOPLE ALSO SHALL BE ALL RIGHTEOUS..."

381. Therefore, "they shall inherit the land for ever" (Yeshayah 60:21). THIS ALLUDES TO THE SHECHINAH THAT IS CALLED "THE LAND." As it is written, "Open to me the gates of righteousness, I will go through them" (Tehilim 118:19) and "This is the gate of Hashem, through which the righteous shall enter" (Ibid. 20). These are those who are circumcised and are called "righteous." "The branch of my plantings" is a branch of the plantings that the Holy One, blessed be He, planted in the Garden of Eden. And this "land" is one of those plantings. THE "PLANTINGS" ARE THE TEN SFIROT OF THE GARDEN OF EDEN, AND MALCHUT OF THEM IS CALLED "THE LAND." Therefore, the children of Yisrael have a goodly portion in the World to Come. As it is written, "The righteous shall inherit the land" (Tehilim 37:29) - "they shall inherit the land forever." AND HE ASKED, "What is "forever?" AND HE SAID, Just as it is explained in our Mishnah and has been settled among the friends.