551. "Behold I send an angel before you..." (Shemot 23:20). Rabbi Yitzchak commenced the discussion with: "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth..." (Shir Hashirim 1:2) The Congregation of Yisrael, MEANING THE SHECHINAH says, "Let him kiss me." HE ASKS, What is the reason for writing "Let him kiss me?" It should say, 'Let him love me.' Wherefore "Let him kiss me?" HE ANSWERS, We learnt that kisses are the clinging of one spirit with another, so therefore a kiss is by mouth, as the mouth emits and is the source of the breath (also: 'spirit') so a kiss is with the mouth with love, spirits clinging one to another that do not part.
551. הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שׁוֹלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ לְפָנֶיךָ וְגוֹ.' רַבִּי יִצְחָק פָּתַח, יִשָּׁקֵנִי מִנְּשִׁיקוֹת פִּיהוּ וְגוֹ' אָמְרָה כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, יִשָּׁקֵנִי מִנְּשִׁיקוֹת פִּיהוּ. מַאי טַעֲמָא יִשָּׁקֵנִי, יֶאֱהָבֵנִי מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, אֲמַאי יִשָּׁקֵנִי. אֶלָּא הָכִי תָּנֵינָן, מַאי נְשִׁיקוֹת אַדְבְּקוּתָא דְּרוּחָא בְּרוּחָא. דִּבְגִינֵי כַּךְ נְשִׁיקָה בַּפֶּה, דְּהָא פּוּמָא אַפְקוּתָא וּמְקוֹרָא דְּרוּחָא הוּא, וְעַל דָּא נְשִׁיקִין בְּפוּמָא, בַּחֲבִיבוּתָא, וְדַבְקִין רוּחָא בְּרוּחָא, דְּלָא מִתְפָּרְשָׁן דָּא מִן דָּא.
552. And so, one whose soul departs through a kiss, it joins another spirit, MEANING THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, a spirit never to part from him. This is what is meant by a kiss. So The Congregation of Yisrael said "Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth" in order that one spirit clings to the other and never part.
552. וְעַל דָּא מַאן דְּנָפִיק נִשְׁמָתֵיהּ בִּנְשִׁיקָה, מִתְדְּבַּק בְּרוּחָא אַחֲרָא. בְּרוּחָא דְּלָא מִתְפְּרַשׁ מִנֵּיהּ. וְהַיְינוּ אִקְרֵי נְשִׁיקָה. וְעַל דָּא אָמְרָה כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, יִשָּׁקֵנִי מִנְּשִׁיקוֹת פִּיהוּ, לְאַדְבְּקָא רוּחָא בְּרוּחָא, דְּלָא יִתְפְּרִישׁ דָּא מִן דָּא.
553. "For your loves are better than wine" (Ibid.). Why mention here wine? Does it not write, "But they also reel through wine" (Yeshayah 28:7), and "Do not drink wine or strong drink, you, nor your sons with you" (Vayikra 10:9), so why mention wine here? Rabbi Chiya said, It is of the wine of the Torah, MEANING THE MOCHIN OF ZEIR ANPIN CALLED TORAH AND THE MOCHIN OF THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH ARE CALLED WINE. Rabbi Chizkiyah said, Hence it is written, "And wine that makes glad the heart of man" (Tehilim 104:15), AND THIS REFERS TO WINE OF TORAH. And so it is written, "for your loves are better than wine," AS THEY ARE BETTER for joy of the heart; more than wine that makes me happier than everything else.
553. כִּי טוֹבִים דּוֹדֶיךָ מִיָּיִן, מַאי בָּעֵי הָכָא יַיִן, וְהָא כְּתִיב וְגַם אֵלֶּה בְּיַיִן שָׁגוּ וְגוֹ,' וּכְתִיב יַיִן וְשֵׁכָר אַל תֵּשְׁתְּ אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ, מַאי טַעֲמָא הָכָא יַיִן. רַבִּי חִיָּיא אָמַר, מִיֵּינָהּ דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא. רַבִּי חִזְקִיָּה אָמַר, דָּא דִּכְתִּיב וְיַיִן יְשַׂמַּח לְבַב אֱנוֹשׁ, וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב, כִּי טוֹבִים דּוֹדֶיךָ מִיָּיִן, לְחֶדְוָותָא דְּלִבָּא. מִיָּיִן, דְּחַדֵּי לִי יַתִּיר מִכֹּלָּא.
554. Rabbi Yehuda said, it is written, "And Jacob kissed Rachel, and raised his voice, and wept" (Beresheet 29:11). HE ASKS, Why did he cry? HE ANSWERS, When his spirit clung to her, his heart could not hold out, so he wept. One may inquire about: "and kissed him, and they wept" (Beresheet 33:4). HE ANSWERS, As we learned, why are there dots over the word "and kissed him?" It is because his spirit did not cling to him at all. About this is written, "but the kisses of an enemy are profuse (also: 'deceptive')" (Mishlei 27:6). What is meant by "but the kisses of an enemy are profuse?" But one who kisses with love, spirits cling one to another, clinging with love. One who does not kiss with love, there is no clinging but deception. What is meant by "deceptive?" It is coarseness, as the spirit does not cling with that kiss and it does not cling at all. So therefore it is written, "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth," which is the clinging of spirit to spirit.
554. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אָמַר, כְּתִיב, וַיִּשַּׁק יַעֲקֹב לְרָחֵל וְיִשָּׂא אֶת קוֹלוֹ וַיֵּבְךְּ, אֲמַאי קָא בָּכָה. אֶלָּא בְּאִתְדַּבְּקוּתָא דְּרוּחָא בָּהּ, לָא יָכִיל לִבָּא לְמִסְבַּל, וּבָכָה. וְאִי תֵּימָא, הָא כְּתִיב, וַיִּשָּׁקֵהוּ וַיִּבְכּוּ. תָּנֵינָן, אֲמַאי נָקוּד וַיִּשָּׁקֵהוּ, אֶלָּא דְּלָא אִתְדָּבַּק בֵּיהּ רוּחָא כְּלָל, וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב, וְנַעְתָּרוֹת נְשִׁיקוֹת שׂוֹנֵא. מַאי וְנַעְתָּרוֹת נְשִׁיקוֹת שׂוֹנֵא. אֶלָּא מַאן דְּנָשִׁיק בַּחֲבִיבוּתָא, מִתְדָּבַק רוּחֵיהּ בְּרוּחֵיהּ, בִּדְבֵיקוּתָא דַּחֲבִיבוּתָא וּמַאן דְּלָא נָשִׁיק בַּחֲבִיבוּתָא, לָאו בִּדְבֵיקוּתָא הוּא, אֶלָּא וְנַעְתָּרוֹת. מַאי נַעְתָּרוֹת. גַּסּוּתָא, דְּלָא דָּבִיק רוּחֵיהּ בְּהַהוּא נְשִׁיקָה. וְלָא אִתְדָּבַּק בֵּיהּ כְּלָל. וּבְגִינֵי כַּךְ כְּתִיב, יִשָּׁקֵנִי מִנְּשִׁיקוֹת פִּיהוּ, דְּהוּא דְּבֵקוּתָא רוּחָא בְּרוּחָא.