161. Rabbi Shimon said: The earlier teachers had difficulties with this passage, but the truth is that the Holy One, blessed be He, performed strange miracles and signs with these bones into which He breathed life. Come and see: "Remember, I beseech You, that You have fashioned me like clay; and will You bring me back to dust" (Iyov 10:9). And then, in the next verses: "Have You not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? You have clothed me with skin and flesh, and have knit me together with bones and sinews." When a person has rotted in the dust, and the time of the resurrection of the dead has arrived, the Holy One, blessed be He, will re-make him from the remaining bone THAT DOES NOT ROT, make it like dough and as cheese from milk and as flowing as a stream of pure clear milk. For the bone will be refined, BECOMING VERY THIN, and polished as milk, curdled, and fashioned into a shape, like curdled cheese. After this structure is done He will create anew the skin, veins and bones.
162. Hence "Have You not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? You have clothed me with skin and flesh:" all the verbs are in fact in the future tense. Not 'Have You not poured me out,' but 'Will You not pour me out.' Not 'Have You not clothed me with skin and flesh,' but 'Will You not clothe me with skin and flesh....' This is because the reference throughout is to a future time, THAT OF THE RESURRECTION.
163. And what is written afterwards? "You have granted me life and favor" (Iyov 10:12). This is the spirit of life. But you may say: But it is written "have granted" IN THE PAST TENSE and not 'will grant.' HE ANSWERS THAT he said: "You have granted me life and favor," for in that world You have given me the spirit of life. But, the verse continues, "and Your providence," namely that of the King's Matron, MALCHUT, "has preserved my spirit," namely guards my spirit in that world. And why DOES HE REFER TO MALCHUT AS "Your providence?" BECAUSE You will in the future visit her first. THEREFORE, HE REFERS TO HER AS HIS ASSIGNED ORDER AND COMMAND.
164. And the secret of this matter is that all the souls of the righteous are hidden and concealed under the King's throne, WHICH IS MALCHUT, WHICH IS CALLED 'A THRONE,' and it protects them so that they can be returned to their place, as it is written: "and Your providence has preserved my spirit." What is "Your providence (Heb. pkudatcha)?" It is as in the verse: "and let another take his possessions (Heb. pkudato)" (Tehilim 109:8). "Your providence" refers to the King's Matron, NAMELY MALCHUT, for all the spirits are pledges in her hands, as it is written: "Into Your hand I commit (Heb. afkid) my spirit" (Tehilim 31:6), and she protects them. Thus IS IT WRITTEN "has preserved my spirit," (Iyov 10:12) for she preserves it.
165. David said something similar: "Preserve my soul; for I am pious" (Tehilim 86:2). "Preserve" refers to the King's Matron, for she has preserved my soul because I am pious. And as a general rule, whenever scripture is vague AND DOES NOT EXPLICITLY STATE HASHEM, the reference is to the Matron WHO IS MALCHUT. As for example, in the verse: "And He called to Moses" (Shemot 24:16), WHERE HASHEM IS NOT MENTIONED BY NAME, or "He said: If you will diligently hearken to the voice of Hashem your Elohim" (Shemot 15:26), WHERE THE SPEAKER AGAIN IS NOT NAMED AND THE REFERENCE IS TO MALCHUT.
166. Rabbi Pinchas cried and said, And did I not tell you that IN MY DREAM the Shechinah had given me great offerings and gifts? THE MEANING WAS THESE SAYINGS OF RABBI SHIMON. Happy is my portion that I have merited seeing you and hearing this. He said to him: WHAT YOU HAVE SAID CONCERNING that time OF THE RESURRECTION is correct regarding the one bone THAT DOES NOT ROT, but what happens to the other bones that are there? He said to him: They will all be included in the flow of that bone and will be incorporated with it and they will all be made into one dough, out of which MAN will be formed, as they said in the verse: "and make strong (Heb. yachlitz) your bones" (Yeshayah 58:11). What is the meaning of yachlitz? It is as in the verse: "He has withdrawn (Heb. chalatz) Himself from them" (Hoshea 5:6). In other words, they will all be withdrawn from their place and incorporated in this bone, making one dough, and then "you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water" (Yeshayah 58.11).
167. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). The Faithful Shepherd said, Woe to those people whose hearts are blocked off and whose eyes are closed, for they do not know that when the night comes the gates of Gehenom are opened, which is CALLED 'gall,' and the odors that spread from it rise up to the brain. And a number of forces of the Evil Inclination spread throughout the parts of the body. And the gates of the Garden of Eden which are the eyes of the heart are blocked off and not opened, for all the lights that are in the eyes issue forth from the heart.