422. Rabbi Shimon said to him, Faithful Servant, with your eyes you are not able to see the inhabitants of the world to come, nor angels, certainly not the Holy One, blessed be He, nor His Shechinah, but with the wisdom of your heart you can see everything, the inhabitants of the world to come, angels, the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Shechinah. Therefore, Solomon, about whom it is written, "For he was wiser than all men" (I Melachim 5:11), said, "for my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge" (Kohelet 1:16), NAMELY, THROUGH HIS MIND'S EYES.
423. But when it comes to prophecy, a prophet cannot see through his mind's eyes but with his eyes alone, as it is written, "I, Hashem, make Myself known to him in a vision" (Bemidbar 12:6) - that is, a sight by night or a vision by day, both by eye. The TWO eyes serve as two agents of the heart that mediate BETWEEN THE EVIL INCLINATION OF THE HEART AND MAN and serve it, and it is their king. For this reason, the wise man WHO PERCEIVES WITH HIS HEART'S EYES is better than the prophet WHO SEES WITH HIS EYES. And similarly, the two ears are two agents of the heart.
424. For this reason, the sages have declared that a heart sees, hears, understands, knows, "and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom" (Shemot 31:6). So we see that wisdom, understanding, and knowledge are in the heart, with which heaven, earth, and the deeps were made. Also it says, "And I have filled him with the spirit of Elohim, in wisdom, and in understanding and in knowledge" (Ibid. 3). Such is not so with eyes.
425. Faithful servant, one who possesses such a heart that sees more than a prophet, surely your thoughts which are endless can see Him who is endless - that which you could not perceive with eyes. As it is written, "and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen" (Shemot 33:23).
426. The foolish-hearted people are dead, blind with the Klipot OF THE BODY. With you these do not matter and do not act as an obstruction between you and the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah, members of the world to come, and angels. He will come to you through the windows of the eyes, ears, nostrils and mouth, as a king who enters a secret compartment to speak with his son. Such is the prayer of Yisrael - 'you may search all the inward parts of the belly, examine the kidneys and heart, and nothing is hidden from you.'
427. Thus spoke Solomon, "he looks in at the windows" (Shir Hashirim 2:9). These are the windows of the eyes, ears, nostrils and mouth. Through these seven openings does the soul ascend with seven types of spice. And so does prayer rise with these seven types of spice, which are, "Nard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices" (Shir Hashirim 4:14). At the time the prayer so rises, "perfumed with myrrh..." (Shir Hashirim 3:6), the Holy One, blessed be He, asks about it: "Who is this coming out of the wilderness like columns of smoke, perfumed with myrrh...?" Assuredly, "Who (Heb. mi) is this," indeed, from the side of mi that represents Binah which incorporates the seven types of spice - WHICH ARE CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT THAT ILLUMINATE IN THE SECRET OF FRAGRANCE OF THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH.
428. The Sh'ma reading is composed of the fifty gates OF BINAH, consisting of 25 plus 25 letters, 25 FROM THE MORNING SH'MA AND 25 FROM THE EVENING SH'MA. It is composed of the seven blessings, in the morning, two before and one following; in the evening, two before and two following. They are THE SEVEN SFIROT, "the greatness, and the power (Gvurah) and the glory (Tiferet) and the victory (Netzach) and the majesty (Hod): FOR ALL THAT IS IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH, (DENOTES YESOD)...Yours is the kingdom" (I Divrei Hayamim 29:11), denoting Malchut; she consists of three spices; "perfumed with myrrh," denotes Keter, "frankincense" denotes Chochmah, and the "powders of the merchant" denotes Binah. Come and complete the precepts of your Master.