572. "And He said to Moses, Come up to Hashem..." (Shemot 24:1). HE ASKS, "And he said?" Who said this? HE ANSWERS, The Shechinah. "Come up to Hashem" as it says, "And Moses went up to the Elohim" (Shemot 19:3). What was all this? It was IN ORDER to establish with them a covenant as they completed the uncovering of the membrane. This did not happen when leaving Egypt where they were circumcised but did not complete the uncovering of the membrane. Now it was done and were complete with the sign of the circumcision, as it is written, "There he made for them a statute and an ordinance" (Shemot 15:25), MEANING THE CIRCUMCISION AND THE UNCOVERING OF THE CORONA. "...And there He tested them..." with the holy sign that revealed itself in them. Now the bond was ratified through Moses, as it is written, "And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people" (Shemot 24:8).

573. Rabbi Yitzchak said, Referring to the verse, "and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar," the verse does not say "at the altar," AS THE ALTAR HINTS AT MALCHUT, WHEREAS ENACTMENT OF THE COVENANT IS IN YESOD, but the verse writes "on the altar," for an exact purpose, AS ON THE ALTAR HINTS TO YESOD THAT IS ABOVE MALCHUT. "...And bow down afar off..." What is meant by "afar off?" HE ANSWERS, It is as the verse, "Hashem appeared to me from afar" (Yirmeyah 31:2), and "And his sister stood afar off" (Shemot 2:4). Rabbi Aba taught, the moon BEING MALCHUT, remained in its diminished state, AND SO IT IS SAID, "AND BOW DOWN AFAR OFF." At that moment, Yisrael merited more of the holy share and the implementation of the Holy Covenant with the Holy One, blessed be He.

574. "And He said to Moses, Come up to Hashem." HE ASKS, What is the reason for all this? HE ANSWERS, The Shechinah said to him, go up BECAUSE I and the children of Yisrael will together gain perfection through you, something that did not exist until this time. Then the verse writes, "And Moses took half of the blood..." dividing it in two AS IS DONE IN MAKING A COVENANT. Half of the blood he sprinkled on the people, "and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar," as we explained, THAT ON THE ALTAR INDICATES YESOD. And the verse writes, "Behold the blood of the covenant, which Hashem has made with you." "...And put it in basins (Heb. aganot)..." Aganot is written minus a Vav, similar to the verse, "Your navel is like a round goblet (Heb. agan) that never lacks blended wine..." (Shir Hashirim 7:4). AGANOT IS MALCHUT, BEING A ROUND GOBLET, AND HENCE IT IS WRITTEN MINUS VAV. SO THE HALF OF BLOOD THAT HE SPRINKLED ON THE PEOPLE, MADE A BOND WITH THE SHECHINAH CALLED 'AGANOT' AND THUS THE SHECHINAH AND YISRAEL WERE PERFECTED TOGETHER THROUGH MOSES.

575. "And Moses alone shall come near Hashem" (Shemot 24:2). Fortunate is Moses' lot that he alone merited what no other man did. Yisrael was now meriting what they did not merit until now. At that moment they lived in a supernal holy existence. At that time they were informed that in their midst shall be the sanctuary, as the verse writes, "And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them" (Shemot 25:8).

576. "And they saw the Elohim of Yisrael: and there was under His feet a kind of paved work of sapphire stone..." (Shemot 24:10): Rabbi Yehuda commenced, "This, your stature is like a palm tree" (Shir Hashirim 7:9). How beloved is the Congregation of Yisrael before the Holy One, blessed be He, that she never moves away from Him; like this palm tree where the male never departs from the female, one not growing without the other, so the Congregation of Yisrael never moves apart from the Holy One, blessed be He.

577. Come and see, when Nadab and Abihu plus the seventy elders saw, the Torah writes, "And they saw the Elohim of Yisrael;" for the Shechinah appeared to them. Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Yosi said, "Et (Eng. 'the');" THE VERSE WRITES "THE ELOHIM" is written for a specific reason. "Et" TELLS US that it was from a distance. "Et" includes the inner part, MEANING THEY SAW WHAT WAS IN THE INTERNAL PART OF THE SHECHINAH.

578. Rabbi Yitzchak said, it is written, "This is the same living creature that I saw by the river Kevar" (Yechezkel 10:15). What is this living creature? Rabbi Yosi quoted Rabbi Chiya, "a small living creature, DENOTING MALCHUT." Is there such a small living creature? HE ANSWERS, Yes, there is a small living creature, DENOTING MALCHUT and a supernal living creature, WHICH IS IN CHESED, GVURAH, AND TIFERET, FROM THE CHEST UP OF ZEIR ANPIN and also a very small living creature, DENOTING A CREATURE FROM THE WORLD OF YETZIRAH.

579. "And they saw the Elohim of Yisrael." "ET ('THE')" in the verse is therefore a specific reason as we said. "and there was under His feet a kind of paved work of sapphire stone," having the appearance of a gem with the like of which the Holy One, blessed be He, will build the sanctuary, as it is written, "and lay your foundations with sapphires" (Yeshayah 54:11).