261. "After these things, the word of Hashem came to Abraham..." (Beresheet 15:1). Rabbi Yehuda opened the discourse by quoting, "I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me" (Shir Hashirim 7:11). As has been explained, this means that awakening below results in awakening above. There can be no awakening from above until there is awakening from below. In addition, blessings from above rest in a place of substance, not in an empty space.

262. How do we know this? We know this from the wife of Ovadyahu, to whom Elisha said, "Tell me, what have you in the house" (II Melachim 4:2). He asked this because blessings from above do not rest on an empty table, AS WILL BE EXPLAINED ABOUT THE SHEWBREAD, or in an empty place, AS IS TOLD OF THE WIFE OF OVADYAHU. "And she said, 'Your handmaid has nothing in the house but a pot of oil'"(Ibid.). AND HE ASKS, What is a pot? AND HE SAYS, There is only enough oil IN THE POT to smear the little finger.

263. ELISHA said, You have relieved me. Because I did not know how the blessings of above would rest in an empty place. But now that you have some oil, this is the place where the blessings shall rest. How do we know this? Because it is written, "It is like the precious ointment..." (Tehilim 133:2). And how does the verse end? With the words, "for there Hashem has commanded the blessing, even life for evermore" (Ibid.). SO in this place, NAMELY IN THE OIL, there are blessings.

264. You might think that in the words, "like the dew of Chermon descending upon the mountains of Zion" (Ibid.), FOLLOWED BY THE WORDS "FOR THERE HASHEM HAS COMMANDED THE BLESSINGS," dew is mentioned rather than oil. DEW IS THEN THE PLACE FOR THE BLESSING AND NOT OIL. BUT, HE REPLIES, It is oil and it is dew, MEANING THAT THEY ARE THE SAME. BECAUSE this dew is what the Holy One, blessed be He, drew out of the supernal oil, which comes out of the right side.

265. These are two things - wine and oil - and they flow to two sides. Wine flows to the left and oil to the right. And from the right side all blessings come forth and descend to this world, and from there, the holy kingdom, WHICH REFERS TO THE KINGS OF YISRAEL, is anointed. Because oil is first prepared below, MEANING THAT SHE HAD THE POT OF OIL, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE AWAKENING FROM BELOW, then the oil was available from above, referring to the flowing of the blessings FROM ABOVE, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE AWAKENING FROM ABOVE, AS IT IS WRITTEN, "UPON HER SONS, WHO BROUGHT THE VESSELS TO HER; AND SHE POURED OUT" (II MELACHIM 4:5).

266. Come and behold, from the awakening of this oil above, it was poured on David and Solomon, so that their sons would be blessed. How do we know this? It is in the verse, "And the oil stopped (lit. 'stood')" (II Melachim 4:6). THIS IS ANALOGOUS TO WHAT IS written elsewhere, "A root of Jesse, that stands for a banner of the people..." (Yeshayah 11:10). BECAUSE THIS VERSE ALLUDES TO DAVID, SOLOMON, AND THEIR DESCENDANTS, WHO ARE FROM THE ROOT OF JESSE, THEN HERE AS WELL THE VERSE ALLUDES TO DAVID, SOLOMON, AND THEIR DESCENDANTS.

267. Come and behold, just as the table of the shewbread, from where all the blessings and replenishment of the world come, should not remain empty even for a moment, so that the blessings may not be removed from there, one should never recite blessings over an empty table. The blessings from above will not rest upon an empty table.

268. Come and behold, it is then written, "I am my beloved's, and his desire is towards me." First, "I am my beloved's," and then, "his desire is towards me." "I am my beloved's" to prepare a place for him at first BY THE AWAKENING FROM BELOW, and afterwards "his desire is towards me."

269. Another explanation for "I am my beloved's" is based on the understanding that the Shechinah does not reside among the wicked. As soon as a person desires to purify himself and come close to the Holy One, blessed be He, only then does the Shechinah rest upon him. Therefore it is written, "I am my beloved's" first, and then, "his desire is towards me." Because when a person comes to be purified, he is purified.

270. Come and behold, "After these things--" after Abraham pursued the kings, and the Holy One, blessed be He, killed them off, Abraham was wondering if "I have lost all the reward from bringing people to repent and return to the Holy One, blessed be He, and holding onto them to draw them nearer to Him - since now people were killed by me!" Immediately, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Fear not, Abraham, I am your shield, your reward shall be exceedingly great." You are receiving a reward for them, BECAUSE THEY WERE KILLED, because none of them shall ever be able to improve their behavior.