Internal organs

399. Rabbi Elazar said to his father, We have already heard THE EXPOSITION OF the closed organs, NAMELY THE EXTERNAL LIMBS, in the secret of the sacrifice, but what is the secret of the other organs, THE INNER ONES? Rabbi Shimon said to Rabbi Elazar: Elazar, my son, all the other organs that are internal have a supreme secret.

400. Come and see, We have already learned about the heart: The heart is a burning fire, and if the Supernal King had not arranged for it the wings of the lung that bring to it a breeze from the wind that blows with the upper spices, NAMELY FROM THE FIRST THREE SFIROT OF ZEIR ANPIN, the heart would burn up the whole world in a single moment.

401. He began by quoting: "Then Hashem caused to rain upon S'dom and upon Amorah brimstone and fire" (Beresheet 19:24). Why did He burn them? Because at that time the wings of the lung did not blow a wind ON And the secret of these wings of the lung is the secret of the verse, "the wings of a dove covered with silver" (Tehilim 68:14). FOR DOVE, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT, OF WHICH THE ROOT IS FROM THE LEFT OF BINAH, FROM THE ASPECT OF THE HEART, HAS TO BE COVERED WITH SILVER, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF CHASSADIM. AND WHEN IT IS COVERED WITH SILVER IT IS THE SECRET OF THE ANGELS Raphael and Tzadkiel, WHICH COME FROM IT FOR THE HEALTH AND SALVATION OF THE WORLD. And it is said about them: "who makes the winds His messengers" (Tehilim 104:4), namely permanently to blow on the heart.

402. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). And in the first section, the Faithful Shepherd said TO RABBI SHIMON, Holy Luminary, everything that you have said is good, but the brain is water, the heart is fire, and the two of them are Mercy and Judgment. This, THE BRAIN, is the Throne of Mercy, while the other, THE HEART, is the Throne of Judgment. And the Holy One, blessed be He, is the King who arise from the Throne of Judgment which is the heart, and sits down on the Throne of Mercy which is the brain.

403. When iniquities multiply in the organs and in the arteries of the heart, which is the Throne of Judgment, it is said of the heart: "And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath" (Ester 7:7), which is the wine of the Torah. But when the wings of the lung blow on the heart, it is said: "Then the king's wrath was pacified" (Ibid. 10). For the two wings of the lung are THE SECRET OF THE VERSE, "And the Cherubs shall stretch out their wings on high, over spreading the covering with their wings" (Shemot 25:20). This is the covering of the heart.

404. And in what way was the king's wrath appeased? It was because "then he heard the voice" (Bemidbar 7:89), this being the voice of the Torah, the voice of the reading of Sh'ma, WHICH IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN, "and it spoke to him" (Ibid.), WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE REVELATION of CHOCHMAH THAT IS IN MALCHUT, WHICH IS CALLED 'SPEECH,' and this is in the prayer that is formulated in the mouth, which is "Adonai, open my lips; and my mouth shall rehearse Your praise" (Tehilim 51:17), WHICH IS MALCHUT.

405. And that wind that blows in the wings of the lung, carries the voice out through the trachea (Heb. kaneh), which is "Get (Heb. k'neh) wisdom, get understanding" (Mishlei 4:5). FOR THE VOICE, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, NAMELY VAV, IS THE SON OF YUD HEI, WHICH ARE CHOCHMAH AND BINAH. And about this it is said: "Thus says Adonai Elohim; Come from the four winds, O breath (Heb. ruach)" (Yechezkel 37:9). And the four are the four letters Yud Hei Vav Hei OF ZEIR ANPIN. And this is the wind that beats and palpitates in all the arteries of the heart, about which it is said: "Wherever the spirit (Heb. ruach) was minded to go, they went" (Yechezkel 1:12).

406. The Holy Luminary said TO THE FAITHFUL SHEPHERD: Certainly, O Faithful Shepherd, it is your level at which it is said: "Then the king's wrath was pacified (Heb. shachachah)," FOR THE LEVEL OF THE FAITHFUL SHEPHERD IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, THAT IS CALLED 'VOICE.' "Happy is the people that is in such a case (Heb. shecachah)" (Tehilim 144:15), SHACHACHAH having the numerical value of Moses. THE FAITHFUL SHEPHERD said to him, Blessed are you, Holy Luminary, FOR YOU ARE the candle that burns before the King and His Matron. "the candle of Hashem" (Mishlei 20:27) is your soul.

407. RABBI SHIMON said to THE FAITHFUL SHEPHERD, You have given AN EXPLANATION for the brain, the heart, and the wings of the lungs, but what about the two kidneys? The Faithful Shepherd replied, We learned about the wings of the lungs: "who makes the winds His messengers" (Tehilim 104:4), THIS BEING THE SECRET OF CHASSADIM, WHICH ARE CALLED 'WINDS.' The kidneys ARE "the flames of fire His ministers" (Ibid.), NAMELY JUDGMENTS, and the two wings of the lung with the two kidneys stand for the four living creatures of the Throne, WHERE THE WINGS OF THE LUNG ARE LION AND EAGLE, WHICH ARE CHASSADIM, AND THE TWO KIDNEYS ARE OX AND MAN, WHICH ARE GVUROT. And the Throne is the heart that is in the middle, WHICH IS THE THRONE OF JUDGMENT.

408. And so, too, does the brain have four living creatures, FOR THE BRAIN is the Throne of Mercy. And who might they be? They are sight, hearing, smell and speech. Sight is lion, NAMELY CHOCHMAH. Hearing is ox, NAMELY BINAH. Smell is eagle, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN, and each of them has four countenances and four wings. Speech is man, NAMELY MALCHUT. He is attached above, NAMELY TO THE MOUTH OF THE HEAD, and below IN THE BODY. For ABOUT the arms of the body, IT IS SAID: 'Our hands are spread forth as the eagles of the heavens.' Body is man, THAT IS TO SAY THAT HE IS IN THE ASPECT OF MALCHUT, WHICH CLINGS TO THE CENTRAL COLUMN, WHICH IS BODY. And ABOUT the legs IT IS WRITTEN: "and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot" (Yechezkel 1:7), WHICH INCLINE TO THE FACE OF OX, WHICH IS GVURAH. And about the body, WHICH IS MAN, it is said "the second chariot" (Beresheet 41:43), NAMELY THE CHARIOT OF MALCHUT, WHICH IS CALLED 'SECOND' (HEB. MISHNEH), but this can also be read as Mishnah, as in. 'we taught in the Mishnah' WHICH IS MALCHUT. End of Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Sheperd).

409. WHAT IS the spleen? The Holy Luminary, NAMELY RABBI SHIMON, began: "and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed" (Kohelet 4:1). Who are those who are oppressed? They are the children who are still in need of their mother when the Angel of Death takes them from the world. HE ASKS, And is it indeed the case that the Angel of Death kills them, that he oppresses THEM? AND REPLIES, Not really, for Scripture adds: "and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter" (Ibid.). Then who is that power THAT KILLS THEM? The answer to this is to be found in the verse: "Let there be lights (Heb. me'orot) in the firmament of heaven" (Beresheet 1:14). And the word "me'orot" is written in the abbreviated spelling without a Vav, AND CAN BE READ ME'EROT. The reference, therefore, is to Lilit, who is appointed over that oppressor, AS ME'EROT MEANT CURSE.

410. AND LILIT is called 'spleen,' and she goes to play with children, later KILLING THEM, and creates in them anger and tears and weeping over them. The spleen goes to its own kind, the liver, WHICH IS SAMAEL, WHO IS THE ANGEL OF DEATH. This, NAMELY THE LIVER, was created on the second day OF THE WORK OF CREATION, while the other, NAMELY THE SPLEEN, was created on the fourth day of the Work of Creation. And for this reason it is not a good omen TO COMMENCE SOMETHING on Mondays or on Wednesdays. Liver is death for adults; spleen is death for children.

411. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). And in the first section, said the Faithful Shepherd, that is certainly how it is, for the liver is the level of Esau, and Esau is Edom, NAMELY IS ALL BLOOD (HEB. DAM), and gathers in all blood whether clear or turbid, and does not differentiate between good and bad, BETWEEN IMPURE BLOOD AND PURE BLOOD, for it makes no distinction between them. But the heart, which is Yisrael, does distinguish between good and bad, between impure blood and pure blood, and takes only the clear and the clean of that blood, like one who picks food out of the waste matter.

412. And after the heart, which is Jacob, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN, takes the clear blood which is at the top, and the liver, which is Esau, NAMELY SAMAEL, remains in the waste matter OF THE BLOOD, it is angered at it with the gall, which is Gehenom, which was created on the second day OF THE WORK OF CREATION, THE LIVER BEING the death of all the adults, while THE GALL is the wicked female OF SAMAEL, which is called 'a strange fire,' 'hard bondage,' and 'idolatry.'

413. And since the anger awakens from it, FROM THE GALL, towards the liver, the sages taught in the Mishnah: Anyone who is angry is as though he worshipped idols. And furthermore, any burning up and heat that comes with any of the illnesses of the parts of the body is only from the gall, FOR, AT THE TIME OF ILLNESS it engulfs the arteries of the liver in flames and wishes to burn up the whole body. It is like a storm in the sea and its waves reach up to the skies and want to break out of their limits and destroy the world. And this would indeed happen were it not for the Shechinah, which is for a sick person like the sand to the sea, surrounding it so that it should not break out. So, too, is the Shechinah enwrapping the body and assisting it, as it is written: "Hashem strengthens him upon the bed of sickness" (Tehilim 41:4).

414. And for this reason the sages of the Mishnah taught: One who visits a sick person should not sit at the head of the bed because the Shechinah is over his head, nor at the foot of the bed because the Angel of Death is at his feet. And this is not the case for every person, but just for ordinary people. In the case of the perfectly righteous, "Hashem strengthens him upon the bed of sickness," namely at his head, and the Shechinah enwraps his body up to his feet. And this is why it was said about Jacob: "He gathered up his feet into the bed" (Beresheet 49:33). This is the Shechinah, about which it is said: "And the earth is My footstool" (Yeshayah 66:1), AND THE SHECHINAH IS ALSO CALLED 'BED.' In the case of the thoroughly wicked person, the Angel of Death surrounds him on every side, and this is the Evil Inclination FOR THE ANGEL OF DEATH IS THE EVIL INCLINATION. For the Angel of Death surrounds him on every side and his sword IS THE GALL, and his face turns green with one drop of the three drops that THE GALL (HEB. MARAH) sprinkles on him, as it is written: "But her end is bitter (Heb. marah) as wormwood, sharp as a two edged sword" (Mishlei 5:4). Liver is male, WHICH IS SAMAEL, and the appendix of the liver is his female. End of Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Sheperd).

415. The stomach is one part in sixty of death and is called 'a deep sleep' SINCE 'THE STOMACH SLEEPS,' and is Asirta, which is the sixth stage of the Angel of Death. And because it came from afar it is from the side of death, but is not death itself. The hint is 'one sixtieth part of death.'

416. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). The Faithful Shepherd said, Since this body is of "the tree of knowledge of good and evil" (Beresheet 2:9), there is no part of the body that does not have in it both the Evil Inclination and the Good Inclination, THIS BEING THE CASE for ordinary people. In the case of the perfectly righteous, EACH PART DOES INDEED ALSO HAVE two inclinations, which are male and female, BUT both of them are good, being like the bride and the bridegroom. The utterly wicked have in each part of their bodies two Evil Inclinations, male and female, from the side of Samael and the Serpent.

417. And it follows from this that, in terms of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, IN THE CASE OF ORDINARY PEOPLE, there are in the stomach two levels: GOOD AND EVIL. And this indeed is what the sages taught: the stomach is asleep, and there is sleep that is one sixtieth part of death. And THERE IS ALSO sleep that is one sixtieth part of prophecy. And for this reason, the heads of the Yeshivah taught: 'IT IS WRITTEN, "and the dreams tell falsehood" (Zecharyah 10:2). Yet it is also written: "and speak to him in a dream" (Bemidbar 12:6). There is no contradiction here. In the former case it is through a demon, NAMELY THE OTHER SIDE FROM THE SIDE OF EVIL IN A MAN'S SLEEP. And in the latter case it is through an angel, WHICH IS FROM THE GOOD SIDE IN A MAN'S SLEEP. A dream through an angel is one-sixtieth part of prophecy. A dream through a demon, which is falsehood, is from the side of death, and is straw. Thus indeed was it taught: Just as wheat cannot be without straw, so there cannot be a dream without some nonsense.'

418. The stomach is the peeled gizzard, NAMELY IT IS LIKE THE PEELED GIZZARD OF A BIRD, and the sages taught: the gizzard grinds, for it takes everything and pulverizes THE FOOD, sending it to all the parts. If the parts are without iniquities, it is as the sages taught, that there are matters that delay the sacrifice, and the one who is sent by the Holy One, blessed be He, to receive His offering, THE PEELED STOMACH MUSCLE, does not descend to accept it. For there is A GIFT that the Holy One, blessed be He, receives through the lion, about which it is said: "and they four had the face of a lion, on the right side" (Yechezkel 1:10), and the Holy One, blessed be He, rides on him, and comes down with him to receive that gift. And there is a gift that He receives through the ox, about which it is said: "And they four had the face of an ox, on the left side" (Ibid.).

419. And there is a gift that He receives through the eagle, about which it is written: "the four also had the face of an eagle" (Yechezkel 1:10), and they are "two turtledoves or two young pigeons" (Vayikra 5:7). And there is a gift that He receives by man, about whom it is written: "If any man of you bring an offering to Hashem" (Vayikra 1:2), in the form of the same one about whom it is written: "As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man" (Yechezkel 1:10). THE EXPLANATION HERE IS THAT THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES ARE THE SECRET OF THE FOUR LETTERS YUD HEI VAV HEI, LION AND OX BEING YUD-HEI, AND EAGLE AND MAN BEING VAV-HEI. For Yud Hei Vav Hei descends on them to receive the sacrifice, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES.

420. And there are natural living creatures NAMELY ANGELS appointed over bodies that are of the four elements: FIRE, WIND, WATER AND EARTH, and they are pure. Corresponding to them are four living creatures of prey, NAMELY THE ANGELS OF DESTRUCTION, who, being impure, are appointed over the four galls, namely: white gall, red gall, green gall, and black gall, WHO ARE DEMONS, FOR ALL TEMPERATURE IN EVERY ILLNESS COMES FROM THE GALL.

421. And there are mental living creatures, NAMELY: THE FOUR ANGELS MICHAEL, GABRIEL, URIEL AND RAPHAEL, who surround the Throne, WHICH IS MALCHUT. And above them and higher than they are the divine living creatures from the side of holiness, NAMELY CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT OF ZEIR ANPIN. There are also the living creatures of the Other Side, and they are called other Elohim, while the divine living creatures of holiness are CALLED "living Elohim." And those divine living creatures of holiness are called "Elohim of divinity," and the Cause of all Causes, "El, Master over all works." A kind is drawn to its own kind and so, since there are other Elohim, it is said about them: "He that sacrifices to any Elohim, save to Hashem only, he shall be utterly destroyed" (Shemot 22:19). And this is so that the living Elohim should not be mingled with the other Elohim. End of Ra'aya Meheimna.

422. And the stomach takes and grinds and distributes in all directions below, NAMELY TO THE PARTS OF THE BODY, and from it are nourished the lower beings. And from those dregs all those spirits and other parties who take their nourishment at night drink below, from those parts and fats THAT ARE BURNT ON THE ALTAR AT NIGHT. And the remainder is taken by the other parts, the liver taking everything and sacrificing to the heart, as we have learned, and this is what is written: ."..the face of a lion, on the right side" (Yechezkel 1:10). Thus there appears on the altar a lion like image that devours the sacrifices. From here on all the other parts are in the secret of the body on the same pattern as above.

423. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). The Faithful Shepherd said TO RABBI SHIMON, Holy Luminary, it is certain that the omasum takes everything up to the sixth hour and bakes. For the gizzard, WHICH IS THE OMASUM (IS THIS THE CORRECT WORD?), is a baker. And the lung is a butler. The heart is the king, and these two, THE OMASUM AND THE LUNG, are certainly the baker and the butler who give to the king of the choicest of food and drinks, for he is the head of them all and the choicest of them all. And this is the meaning of what is written: "I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk" (Shir Hashirim 5:1). And the verse continues: "Eat, O dear ones, and drink; drink deep, loving companions" (Ibid.). THE COMPANIONS ARE the other parts of the body, WHICH ARE the hosts and camps of the king who distributes food to them by means of the chief baker, WHICH IS THE OMASUM, while the drink is by means of the chief butler, WHICH IS THE LUNG.

424. And the liver is on the right side of man, wherefore: "And they four had the face of a lion on the right side," namely to the right of the king, which is the heart. The spleen is to the left, and they are of the Other Side. FOR THE LIVER IS SAMAEL. AND THE SPLEEN IS LILIT, AS EXPLAINED ABOVE. "And the face of an ox on the left side," refers to the pouring out of wine mixed with water before the king, FOR WINE IS OF THE LEFT SIDE. And the lion devouring THE SACRIFICES is the liver, who collects together the food, NAMELY THE PRAYER IN THE STEAD OF THE SACRIFICES, before the king, which is the heart. IT IS, THEREFORE, ON THE RIGHT, FOR EATING COMES FROM THE RIGHT AND WINE FROM THE LEFT. AND ALL THIS REFERS TO THE TIME OF EXILE.

425. But there is a difficulty here. If the liver is Esau, how does it arrange food for the heart, WHICH IS JACOB? HE ANSWERS, the heart is certainly like Isaac, NAMELY THE LEFT COLUMN, and the liver is Esau, who hunts venison, then says to him, "Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison" (Beresheet 27:31). This refers to the prayers of the poor who are sent away AND ARE NOT ACCEPTED ON HIGH. And Isaac suffers trouble and anguish because they do not know how to direct the prayer. This is why ESAU did not say 'eat of my venison' but "eat of his son's venison," NAMELY OF YISRAEL, AS IT IS WRITTEN: "Yisrael is My son, My firstborn" (Shemot 4:22). Likewise, Yisrael in exile have no food except through the nations of the world.

426. But when they are in the land of Yisrael, their food is through the Shechinah, and the two wings of the lung will give drink to the nation OF YISRAEL, FOR THEY ARE the chief butler, AS ABOVE. And the two kidneys, which are the chief baker, cook the seed that descends from the brain and cook the water that they receive from the wings of the lung. And after the king, which is the heart, has eaten, it is said of its two kidneys: "Eat, O dear ones" (Shir Hashirim 5:1), and of the two wings of the lung: "and drink; drink deep, loving companions" (Ibid.).

427. For the heart is the Throne of Judgment, and the four living creatures that are its messengers are the two wings of the lung and the two kidneys, NAMELY, CHESED, GVURAH, NETZACH AND HOD, for the wings of the lung ARE THE SECRET OF "Thus were their faces: and their wings were divided upwards" (Yechezkel 1:11) to welcome the King, which is "the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Hashem" (Yeshayah 11:2), for it is He who sits on the Throne, which is the heart, WHICH IS THE THRONE OF JUDGMENT, and all the pulse beats follow after it as soldiers after their king.

428. And the wind that blows from the wings of the lung blows through the two nostrils of the nose, and it is cold and chilled on the left and warm on the right. And from the point of view of the brain, which is the Throne of Mercy, the cold wind is to the right, which is Chesed, and the warm is to the left, which is Gvurah, for that is where the heart is. And the brain is tempered between the two of them, THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT, and so the heart is blended of cold and hot, NAMELY BY MEANS OF THE WIND OF THE WINGS OF THE LUNG THAT BLOWS ON IT, and the brain also IS BLENDED OF COLD AND HOT, FOR THE BRAIN AND THE HEART receive from each other.

429. And the spleen, with its camps, which are the bondmen and bondwoman, takes the dregs of everything. And Solomon said about them: "I acquired menservants and maidservants" (Kohelet 2:7). The two kidneys are called 'fire offerings,' named after the heavenly fire offerings, about which it is said: "the offerings of Hashem made by fire, and His dues shall they eat" (Devarim 18:1).

430. And in the trachea there are six cartilage rings, about which it is said: "Ascribe to Hashem, O you mighty" (Tehilim 29:1), for ascending through them is the voice that subdivides into the six voices of the Shechinah, while the seventh ascends to the mouth, which is the Throne. And the six cartilage rings of the trachea are like the six steps of the King's Throne, WHICH IS THE MOUTH, and the trachea is a ladder with "the angels of Elohim ascending and descending on it" (Beresheet 28:12), FOR THE ANGELS OF ELOHIM are the vapors that ascend from the heart, while the spirits of air descend into the heart to cool its heat, so that it should not burn the body up.

431. And when the breath descends, it does so in a number of breaths, like a king with his soldiers. And the wings of the lung welcome the breath which is as a king over them, as I have noted: "Thus were their faces; and their wings were divided upward," THIS BEING IN ORDER TO WELCOME THE KING OVER THEM, AND ALSO: "And the Cherubs shall stretch out their wings on high" (Shemot 25:20).

432. If the parts of man are meritorious in keeping the precepts of the Supernal King, who is the Holy Spirit, He descends on the ladder, which is the throat, with a number of holy spirits, about which it is said: "Who makes the winds His messengers" (Tehilim 104:4). They rise, to accept the vapors that are in the heart, about which it is said: "the flames of fire His ministers" (Ibid.). And it is also said about them: "The voice of Hashem hews out flames of fire" (Tehilim 29:7), because the heart is Adonai, from whom ascend the flames of fire into the mouth, which is Yud Hei Vav Hei. For a number of spirits of holiness descend with Him, that is from the four letters Yud Hei Vav Hei, concerning which it is said: "Thus says Adonai Elohim; Come from the four winds, O breath (or: 'spirit')" (Yechezkel 37:9).

433. The trachea (Heb. kaneh) is "Get (Heb. k'neh) wisdom, get understanding (Heb. Binah)" (Mishlei 4:5), for they are to the right OF THE TRACHEA, which is Chesed, THIS BEING THE SECRET OF "GET WISDOM," and to the left OF THE TRACHEA, which is Gvurah, THIS BEING THE SECRET OF "GET UNDERSTANDING." Tiferet is in the middle OF THE TRACHEA, and is a ladder AND THE SECRET OF DA'AT. And the body has SIX EXTREMITIES, NAMELY: The two arms WHICH ARE CHESED AND GVURAH, the torso and the member of covenant WHICH ARE TIFERET AND YESOD, and the two legs WHICH ARE NETZACH AND HOD. AND THE SIX EXTREMITIES OF THE BODY parallel the six cartilage rings of the trachea.

434. And when Yud Hei Vav Hei descends to the heart, to Adonai, Judgment joins with Mercy in the heart, making: Yud-Aleph-Hei-Dalet-Vav Nun-Hei-Yud. And when Adonai ascends to the mouth at "Adonai, open my lips" (Tehilim 51:17) to welcome Yud Hei Vav Hei in the mouth, the two names become there one union, namely: Yud-Aleph-Hei-Dalet-Vav-Nun- Hei-Yud, just as they were combined in the heart. For this reason the sages of the Mishnah taught: 'No one whose inside does not correspond to his exterior may enter the study house,' namely who does not have in his mouth the same as in his heart. FOR JUST AS THERE IS A UNIFICATION OF YUD HEI VAV HEI AND ADONAI IN THE HEART, THERE WILL ALSO BE A UNIFICATION OF YUD HEI VAV HEI AND ADONAI IN THE MOUTH. End of Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd).

435. The six cartilage rings of the trachea are joined together, and they are called "O you mighty (Heb. elim)" (Tehilim 29:1). And they give forth a wind to blow over the world, and they come from the side of Gvurah, and when they join together they are like a Shofar, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF BINAH, and they are called 'Shofar,' which is the secret of the Shofar (lit. 'horn') of Isaac's ram (Heb. ayil). AND THEY ARE "the rams (Heb. eilim) of the breed of Bashan" (Devarim 32:14), as it is written: "Ascribe to Hashem, O you mighty (elim)" (Tehilim 29:1), for they are the elim of Isaac that bring forth breath and voice. And that voice goes out and meets with rain clouds and is heard by people outside. It is thus written: "but the thunder of His mighty deeds who can understand?" (Iyov 26:14), for they certainly come from the side of Gvurah. And for this reason: "the El of glory makes to thunder, Hashem is upon many waters" (Tehilim 29:3). It is not written: "The El of glory thunders" but "The El of glory makes to thunder," THE MEANING OF WHICH IS THAT HE ACTIVATES OTHERS TO DO THE THUNDERING, namely through the mighty. And there is none that recognizes the praise of this voice, which is why it is written, "who can understand?"

436. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). And in the first section, the Faithful Shepherd started by saying, Woe to those people whose hearts are closed and whose eyes are unseeing, who do not know the parts of their own body, according to what they are arranged. For the trachea is composed of three forces: a) Vapor; (Heb. hevel, Hei-Bet-Lamed) which is a flame; (Heb. lahav, Lamed-Hei-Bet) a flaming fire that issues from the heart and which is divided into seven vapors or vanities as mentioned by Kohelet; b) Air, which enters it from outside; c) Water of the wings of the lung, which are attached to the trachea. And from these three, that is from water, wind, and fire, is voice made, and each one is subdivided into seven, and they are seven flames, seven airs, and seven brooks.

437. And when the flames of the heart meet with the rain clouds, which are the wings of the lung, by way of the trachea of the lung, the result is: "but the thunder of His mighty deeds who can understand?" For therein the heart understands with Binah, which is in the heart on the left, which is Gvurah. And Chesed is to the right, which is the water of the wings of the lung, and Chochmah, which is brain, is there. THAT IS TO SAY THAT CHESED AND GVURAH ASCEND AND BECOME CHOCHMAH AND BINAH. And from it comes "a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon" (Shir Hashirim 4:15), which is the whiteness (Heb. lavnunit) of the brain that flows through the trachea of the lung, after the clouds of Binah have ascended to the brain.

438. And the secret of the matter is in the verse: "Who is this coming out of the wilderness like columns of smoke...?" (Shir Hashirim 3:6), for this is the smoke of the arrangement on the altar that rises from the heart to the brain, which cannot be moved from its place by all the winds in the world. THE LETTERS OF THE WORD Chochmah (Chet Caf Mem Hei) form the two words Koach (Caf Chet) and Mah (MEM HEI), BECAUSE IT IS Koach (Eng. 'strength') in the heart and Mah (Eng. 'what') in the brain. The trachea is Tiferet and incorporates six Sfirot: CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD, which are the six steps to the Throne, which is Ima, so that Chochmah will descend to it from the brain to the heart, for with it the heart understands. For this reason IT IS WRITTEN: "Get (Heb. k'neh) wisdom (Heb. Chochmah), get understanding (Heb. Binah)," for Aba, WHICH IS CHOCHMAH, descends in it, and Aba ascends in it. And this is a ladder on which two ascend and two descend, FOR ABA AND IMA ARE INCORPORATED IN EACH OTHER AND DESCEND FROM THE BRAIN TO THE HEART, AND ASCEND FROM THE HEART TO THE BRAIN. End of Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd).

439. The esophagus, that swallows the food, which enters from there all the body parts, is the level of offerings by fire. These offerings by fire draw near immediately, swallowing and taking everything from the upper fire that includes the offerings by fire. And this is the secret of the verse: "the offerings of Hashem made by fire, and His dues shall they eat" (Devarim 18:1). These OFFERINGS BY devour and swallow, but the others do not eat that way.

440. And all the people of the world on the outside know not how they eat nor do they know their secret, but the levels that are inside do know and they take from them. For the esophagus cannot be examined from the outside, for it cannot be recognized, but on the inside it can be known and taken until it enters the mill and is pulverized and cooked. And the liver takes everything, as we had learned, but from those offerings by fire issue forth levels that take before the liver. And what are they? They are the molar TEETH, which eat and grind the sacrifices. Therefore, since the destruction of the Temple, it is written: "and the grinders cease because they are few" (Kohelet 12:3). These are the first to grind.

441. Once it has been ground, those who exercise control over them swallow and receive it, and they are called 'the esophagus.' Why IS THE ESOPHAGUS (HEB. VESHET, VAV SHIN TET) SO CALLED? Because the shape of the Vav OF 'VESHET' is like a bowed over esophagus. Afterwards it wanders about (Heb. shat, Shin Tet), to drink wine and water, as it is written: "The people went about and gathered" (Bemidbar 11:8) food to eat and to drink wine and water, namely the libation of wine and the libation of water.

442. Those Serafim with their flames enter through the esophagus and are drawn into the lung, where they take a drink, and they are called 'lung,' in one union WITH THE LUNG and everything is absorbed into them. And each one of them takes as befits him. And since the destruction of the Temple, "and the grinders ceased because they were few, all of them." For their form and their food have been diminished, and there is no day that passes without a curse. Rabbi Shimon lifted up his voice and said: Woe to Jerusalem the holy city. Woe to the people that has lost all this goodness, and the image of ministers, mighty men, and officials has been reduced. The friends cried about this and said, Alas, Rabbi, when you depart from the world, who will reveal to us such deep and hidden secrets that have not been heard from the days of King Solomon until now? Happy is the generation that hears such matters! Happy is the generation amongst whom you are! Woe to the generation that will be orphaned without you!