"If you buy a Hebrew servant..."

2. "If you buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve, and in the seventh he shall go out free" (Shemot 21:2). RABBI SHIMON SAID TO THEM, friends, the time has come to reveal some hidden mysteries concerning incarnation. "If you buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve," NAMELY, the soul is required to incarnate, EITHER BECAUSE OF SINS, OR BECAUSE IT HAD NOT COMPLETELY FULFILLED DURING ITS LIFETIME THE TORAH AND THE PRECEPTS. IT IS FORCED TO COME BACK TO THIS WORLD AND DON A BODY, THAT IS, TO BE BORN AGAIN AND FINISH WHAT WAS IMPOSED ON IT FOR THE SEVENTY YEARS OF LIFE IN THIS WORLD. If it is of the aspect of THE ANGEL Metatron IN THE WORLD OF BRIYAH, which comprises six levels OF CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, AND YESOD, it is written of it, "six years he shall serve." It is required to incarnate only until IT FINISHES correcting the six levels, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, AND YESOD, of the same place whence it was taken, NAMELY METATRON.

3. But if the soul is from the aspect of the Shechinah, which is seventh, NAMELY MALCHUT OF ATZILUT THAT IS SEVENTH TO CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, AND YESOD, surely it is written OF IT, "and in the seventh he shall go out free." For no work pertains to a righteous man, WHO MERITS A SOUL FROM MALCHUT OF ATZILUT, AS HE IS OF THE ASPECT OF SHABBAT, TO WHICH NO WORK, NAMELY EXTRACTING MOCHIN, APPLIES. Since no work or enslavement are affixed to him, it says of the soul that originates there, "And in the seventh he shall go out free;" no enslavement binds it.

4. In the meanwhile, behold an old sage coming down to him. He said to him, Rabbi, if this is so, what about the addition of the soul that is derived from it, of which it says, "In it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant..." (Shemot 20:10)?

5. RABBI SHIMON said to him, old man, do you ask this?! Assuredly it was said of the soul of a righteous man, WHICH IS FROM ATZILUT, that though it had to come down to incarnate in all these, NAMELY, even in a manservant or a maidservant, or cattle, which are Wheels, NAMELY IN THE WORLD OF ASIYAH, or in any other living creatures whence human souls originate, it is written of it, "You shall not do any work." This is the meaning of, "you shall not compel him to work as a bondservant" (Vayikra 25:39), NAMELY you shall not compel a righteous man, who is Shabbat, to work as a bondservant, METATRON, who is a weekday.

6. Yet old man, Shabbat is an only daughter, NAMELY MALCHUT, and the soulmate of the righteous, who is ALSO Shabbat, NAMELY, ACCORDING TO THE VERSE, "AND IN THE SEVENTH HE SHALL GO OUT FREE." If this is so, what is the meaning of, "If he take another wife" (Shemot 21:10)? He said to him, a distinction should be made there. She is the secular part of Shabbat, AND THE VERSE, "IF HE TAKE ANOTHER WIFE," REFERS TO IT. For there is another KIND OF NON-HOLINESS that is not the secular part of Shabbat but of the impure handmaid. He said to him, so what is the secular part of Shabbat? He said to him, it is the maidservant IN BRIYAH, who is the body of the only daughter, as the only daughter, WHO IS MALCHUT OF ATZILUT, IS CLOTHED IN IT AS A SOUL IN A BODY. It is of it that it says, "If he take another wife."

7. Come and see, there is a soul called a maidservant, a soul that is called a handmaid and a soul that is called the King's daughter. EACH IS NAMED AFTER THE PLACE WHENCE IT ORIGINATES, OR WHERE IT INCARNATES. There is a man here, NAMELY, A MAN THAT SELLS HIS DAUGHTER FOR A MAIDSERVANT, of whom it says, "Hashem is a man of war" (Shemot 15:3), NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN OF ATZILUT, and a man, of whom it says, "And the man Gabriel" (Daniel 9:21) IN THE WORLD OF BRIYAH. THIS IS THE MEANING OF, "AND IF A MAN," THAT IS THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, "SELL HIS DAUGHTER TO BE A MAIDSERVANT" (SHEMOT 21:7), NAMELY, THE SOUL OF ATZILUT CALLED "THE ONLY ONE OF HER MOTHER" (SHIR HASHIRIM 6:9), TO INCARNATE IN THE WORLD OF BRIYAH, TO WHICH BELONGS THE ASPECT OF THE BODY OF THE SHECHINAH THAT IS CALLED A MAIDSERVANT.

8. For this reason, if the soul that requires incarnation is the daughter of the Holy One, blessed be He, NAMELY, DRAWN FROM MALCHUT OF ATZILUT, it must not be thought of that it would be sold to a foreign body OF THE KLIPAH, where the Evil Inclination of the aspect of Samael rules. Heaven forbid ONE WOULD SAY SO, for it is written, "I am Hashem, that is My name; and My glory will I not give to another" (Yeshayah 42:8), which is the Evil Inclination. FOR IF THE SOUL IS FROM ATZILUT, EVEN THOUGH IT INCARNATES INTO THE WORLD OF BRIYAH, NO WORK OR ENSLAVEMENT TO THE KLIPOT APPLIES TO IT, AS MENTIONED.

9. And if you ask whether the body where the King's daughter abides, WHICH IS CALLED A MAIDSERVANT, is sold to the lower crowns of impurity, heaven forbid! It says of it, "The land shall not be sold forever; for the land is Mine" (Vayikra 25:23). The body of the King's daughter is Metatron, and the body is the Shechinah's maidservant, WHICH THE SHECHINAH DONS. And though the King's daughter's soul is trapped there, incarnating there, it is written of it, "And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do."

10. Also, "And if a man sell" refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, and "his daughter" is Yisrael, who are from the aspect of the only daughter. THAT IS, SINCE THEY ARE DRAWN FROM MALCHUT, they are called His daughter. And if you argue that they will go out IN THE FUTURE like those WHO LEFT EGYPT, WHO WERE from the aspect of the servant Metatron, who were fleeing Egypt, IT SAYS OF IT, "She shall not go out as the menservants do." This is the meaning of, "For you shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight" (Yeshayah 52:12).

11. Come and see, when a man is born, he is given a Nefesh of the animal element from the side of purity, from those that are called the holy Wheels, NAMELY FROM THE WORLD OF ASIYAH. If he gains further merit, he is given a Ruach from the aspect of the holy living creatures, NAMELY FROM THE WORLD OF YETZIRAH. If he merits further, he is given a Neshamah from the part of the throne, NAMELY FROM THE WORLD OF BRIYAH. These three are the maidservant, the manservant and the handmaid of the King's daughter. THEY ARE NESHAMAH, RUACH AND NEFESH FROM THE EXPANDING OF MALCHUT THROUGH BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH. THE MAIDSERVANT IS THE NESHAMAH OF BRIYAH, THE MANSERVANT THE RUACH OF YETZIRAH AND THE HANDMAID IS THE NEFESH OF ASIYAH.

12. If he gains further merit, he is given a Nefesh of the path of Atzilut, from the part of the only daughter called the King's daughter, NAMELY MALCHUT OF ATZILUT. If he is more meritorious, he is given Ruach of Atzilut from the side of the Central Pillar THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN and he is called a child of the Holy One, blessed be He. That is the meaning of, "You are the children of Hashem your Elohim" (Devarim 14:1). If he has more merit he is given a Neshamah from the aspect of Aba and Ima, WHICH ARE BINAH, as written, "and breathed into his nostrils the breath (lit. 'NESHAMAH') of life" (Beresheet 2:7). What is life? It is Yah, WHICH ARE ABA AND IMA, of whom it says, "Let everything that has breath (lit. 'NESHAMAH') praise Yah (Yud Hei)" (Tehilim 150:6). With them, the name of Yud Hei Vav Hei is completed. FOR RUACH AND NEFESH OF ATZILUT ARE VAV HEI AND NESHAMAH OF ATZILUT IS YUD HEI, THUS FORMING TOGETHER YUD HEI VAV HEI.

13. If he has more merit, he is given Yud Hei Vav Hei fully spelled THUS, Yud Vav Dalet, Hei ALEPH, Vav ALEPH Vav, Hei ALEPH, which is the secret of man, WHICH NUMERICAL VALUE IS 45, in the upper way of Atzilut. THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN WHEN HE IS A GARMENT TO SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA, WHICH ARE THE SECRET OF CHOCHMAH, WHICH IS SPELLED WITH THE SAME LETTERS AS THOSE OF 'THE POWER OF (HEB. KO'ACH) MEM HEI.' And he is named after the image of his Master, and it says of him, "And have dominion over the fish of the sea..." (Beresheet 1:28). He has power throughout the firmaments, over all the Wheels, Seraphim and living creatures, and over all the hosts and legions above and below. Hence, when one merits the Nefesh of the aspect of the only daughter, it says of him, "She shall not go out as the menservants do."