237. "And Melchizedek king of Shalem brought forth bread and wine..." (Beresheet 14:18). Rabbi Shimon opened the discourse, saying, "In Shalem also is set his tabernacle" (Tehilim 76:3). Come and behold, When the Holy One, blessed be He, WHO IS THE SECRET OF BINAH, decided to create the world, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF ZEIR ANPIN THAT IS CALLED THE 'WORLD', He produced a flame from the Holy illumination. As wind blew wind, THE FLAME darkened and began to burn. And He took out from within an abyss a particular drop, which He joined with the flame. With them, He created the world, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN.

238. HE EXPLAINS THAT the flame rose and was crowned by the Left COLUMN OF BINAH. And the drop, WHICH IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN, rose and was crowned by the Right COLUMN OF BINAH. Then they became intertwined - THE RIGHT AND LEFT repeatedly exchanging places with each other. That which had descended now ascended and that which had ascended then descended.

239. BOTH COLUMNS - THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT OF BINAH - combined and a completed Ruach came forth. THIS REFERS TO ZEIR ANPIN, WHO IS CALLED RUACH AND EMANATES FROM THE UNION OF THE TWO COLUMNS. Two sides emerged as one, AND THE RUACH ITSELF was placed in the middle AS THE ASPECT OF THE CENTRAL COLUMN. HENCE, THE RESULT WAS THREE COLUMNS. And they were crowned by one another - THAT IS, ALL THREE COLUMNS OF ZEIR ANPIN WERE CROWNED BY ONE ANOTHER. Then there was perfection above, IN BINAH, and perfection below, IN ZEIR ANPIN. The grade was established, AND THE GRADE OF THE MOCHIN OF ZEIR ANPIN WAS COMPLETED!

240. The FIRST Hei OF YUD HEI VAV HEI, WHICH IS BINAH, was crowned by the Vav, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN. The Vav OF YUD HEI VAV HEI, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, in turn, was crowned by the Hei OF YUD HEI VAV HEI, WHICH IS BINAH. THEN the SECOND Hei OF THE YUD HEI VAV HEI, WHICH IS THE NUKVA OF ZEIR ANPIN TO THE VAV OF YUD HEI VAV HEI, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, rose and became perfectly attached TO HIM, BY RECEIVING FROM HIM THE MOCHIN OF BINAH. Thus, "And Melchizedek king of Shalem (lit. 'perfect');" and indeed he is a perfect king! THUS, IT IS WRITTEN ABOUT THE SECOND HEI, WHICH IS CALLED MELCHIZEDEK, "AND MELCHIZEDEK, KING OF SHALEM," BECAUSE NOW IT IS ASSUREDLY A PERFECT KING. THIS MEANS a king who rules perfectly. He askes, When is THE NUKVA OF ZEIR ANPIN considered to be a perfect king? AND HE ANSWERS, On Yom Kippur, WHEN MALCHUT RISES UP AND ENCLOTHES BINAH, AND when all faces shine - EVEN THE FACE OF THE NUKVA SHINES LIKE THE FACE OF BINAH!

241. "And Melchizedek (lit. 'king of justice')" can also be explained as a reference to the last world, NAMELY THE NUKVA OF ZEIR ANPIN, AND "King of Shalem" to the upper world, WHICH IS BINAH. They adorn one another, MEANING THAT THE LOWER WORLD WAS CROWNED BY THE UPPER WORLD, they are inseparable and the two worlds are as one. And even the lower world is entirely one WITH THE UPPER WORLD. WHY? BECAUSE AT THAT TIME THE NUKVA OF ZEIR ANPIN RISES TO CLOTHE BINAH, EVERY LOWER GRADE THAT RISES TO AN UPPER GRADE BECOMES COMPLETELY LIKE IT. THEREFORE, THESE TWO WORLDS, WHICH ARE THE NUKVA AND BINAH, BECOME AS IF THE SAME. "Brought forth bread and wine" indicates that both are included; BREAD ALLUDES TO THE LIGHT OF CHASSADIM FROM THE RIGHT; WINE ALLUDES TO THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH FROM THE LEFT. THEREFORE HE "BROUGHT FORTH BREAD AND WINE" TO INFORM US THAT BOTH OF THESE ILLUMINATIONS EXIST NOW IN MELCHIZEDEK, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE NUKVA AS SHE ENCLOTHES BINAH. "And he was the priest of the most high El," who served the world that corresponds to another world. "And he was the priest of the most high El" MEANS THAT THE LOWER WORLD SERVES THE UPPER WORLD WITH CHASSADIM. BECAUSE "the priest" is the right, REFERRING TO THE LIGHT OF CHASSADIM IN THE NUKVA, AND "the most high El" is the upper world, NAMELY BINAH. The priests, therefore, desire to bless the world.

242. Come and behold, this lower world, WHICH IS THE NUKVA, receives blessings when it is attached to the high priest, NAMELY TO THE RIGHT COLUMN OF BINAH THAT IS CALLED "THE HIGH PRIEST." "And blessed him" MEANS THAT AFTER THE NUKVA HAD RECEIVED THE BLESSINGS FROM THE HIGH PRIEST; SHE BLESSED ABRAHAM. AS IT IS WRITTEN, "and he said, Blessed be Abraham of the most high El" (Beresheet 14:19), as it is surely so! The same applies to the priest below IN THIS WORLD. HE SHOULD tie knots, NAMELY TO MEDITATE AS IS EXPLAINED HERE, to bless this place, NAMELY THE NUKVA OF ZEIR ANPIN, so that SHE may be attached to CHASSADIM OF the right SIDE OF BINAH. Thus both worlds, THE NUKVA AND BINAH, are united as one!

243. "Blessed be Abraham." The secret behind this is that this blessing contains the meditations that we should have whenever we say a blessing. "Blessed be Abraham" is similar to the words "Blessed are You," which we recite IN EVERY BLESSING; "of the most high El," WHICH APPEARS HERE, IS SIMILAR TO WHAT WE RECITE IN EVERY BLESSING, "Hashem our Elohim;" "possessor of heaven and earth" IS SIMILAR TO WHAT WE RECITE IN EVERY BLESSING, "the king of the world." So this phrase is the secret of all the blessings. "And he blessed him, AND SAID, BLESSED BE ABRAHAM," WHICH IS THE DIRECTION OF THE MEDITATION from below upward. "Blessed be the most high El, WHO HAD DELIVERED THE ENEMIES TO YOUR HANDS" IS THE DIRECTION OF THE MEDITATION from above downward. "And he gave him a tithe of everything" MEANS THAT HE GAVE THE NUKVA A TITHE in order to be attached to that place, where the tie has been made with the world below. THIS IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT, WHICH FINISHES THE ILLUMINATION OF THE NUKVA, SO AS NOT TO GIVE HOLD TO THE EXTERNALS, AS THE SECRET OF THE TITHE IS THE CONCLUSION OF HER ILLUMINATION.

244. As they were walking, they met Rabbi Yesa and a Jew who was with him. The Jew quoted the verse, "Of David, To you, Hashem, do I lift up my soul" (Tehilim 25:1), AND HE ASKED WHY IS IT WRITTEN "Of David" rather than "A psalm of David" or "To David a psalm?"

245. AND HE ANSWERS, It is written 'Of David' because it was meant for his own grade. And the praise that he recited was for his own sake. "To you Hashem, do I lift up my soul" MEANS "To you, Hashem" upward. "My soul (Nefesh)." Who is meant by "my Nefesh?" David is meant. David is the first grade, as we have stated; NAMELY HE IS MALCHUT, WHICH IS THE FIRST GRADE FROM BELOW UPWARD. "Do I lift up" MEANS to elevate, as it is written, "I will lift up my eyes to the hills" (Tehilim 121:1) - because, during his entire life, David was always striving to raise his grade TO THAT OF BINAH, to adorn it BY BINAH above and to attach it there in a true and everlasting bond, as it should properly be!

246. Similarly, "Of David, bless Hashem, my soul (Nefesh)" (Tehilim 103:1) was also said for the sake of his own grade. And what did he say? "Bless Hashem, my soul (Nefesh)." In this case, the particle Et before "Hashem" MEANS to be attached with bonds to the upper GRADE - BINAH. And what is meant by "and all that is within me?" It refers to the other beasts of the fields, NAMELY THE SFIROT OF THE NUKVA, that are called "all that is within me (lit. 'entrails')." As it is written, "and my bowels yearned for him" (Shir Hashirim 5:5). Another explanation of the words "bless ...my soul" is that he said it for the sake of his own grade. "Hashem" is the full perfection of everything - the inclusion of everything. THIS MEANS THAT ET IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT; HASHEM (YUD HEI VAV HEI) IS THE SECRET OF ZEIR ANPIN. SO ET HASHEM ALLUDES TO THE COMPLETE UNISON OF ZEIR ANPIN WITH HIS NUKVA.