168. And the gates of the heart, which are the eyes, are blocked off so that they should not view the evil spirits, that are Lilit. And thus they do not control the lights of the heart, which are angels, that spread throughout all the limbs as the branches of a tree in every direction. At that time all the lights are shut off in the heart, and they gather to it as doves into their dovecotes, as Noah and his wife and all the species who entered with him into the ark.
169. And the evil spirits that overcome all the parts of the body are like the waters of the flood, which prevailed over them fifteen cubits. This is because he had sinned in the matter of Yah (= 15), and Yah had left the body. THAT IS TO SAY, YUD-HEI HAD LEFT ELOHIM (ALEPH LAMED HEI YUD MEM), and He remained a mute (Heb. ILEM, ALEPH LAMED MEM), without sight, hearing, smell or speech. And the secret of the matter is to be found in the verse: "I was dumb (Heb. ilem) with silence (Heb. dumiyah)" (Tehilim 39:3). Dumiyah IS SPELLED DALET VAV MEM YUD HEI, WHICH CAN BE READ AS TWO WORDS: Silence (Heb. dom) of Yud Hei. IN OTHER WORDS, at that time OF THE FLOOD, the evil spirits prevailed for fifteen cubits over the body, and they ENCOMPASSED THE BODY as a furrow SURROUNDS THE DITCH OF the flower-bed.
170. Just as Noah sent the dove out on his mission, so also does the soul of man send out HIS SPIRIT on its mission, and for this reason a man must commit his spirit with the Matron, WHO IS MALCHUT, as it says: "Into Your hand I commit my spirit" (Tehilim 31:6). But if it is imprisoned by the powers of the Evil Inclination because of sins of the body, what does Scripture have to say? "Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, Hashem, the El of truth" (Ibid.) FOR THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, REDEEMS HIM FROM THEIR HAND.
171. And during the time that THE SOUL is guilty, what is said about his spirit? "They who join hands for wicked ends shall not go unpunished..." (Mishlei 11:21), for it goes from hand to hand in the camps of the Evil Inclination, which rest upon it in its sins and cast him out from place to place. It is this that is happening when A MAN sees himself IN HIS DREAM in another country or another kingdom, and sometimes in the refuse, all depending on his sins. But if he is righteous, then all of the camps of the Good Inclination, ABOUT WHOM IT IS SAID "Thus were their faces; and their wings were divided upwards" (Yechezkel 1:11) in order to accept his spirit, raise it upward to the place of the living creatures, THE BEARERS of the throne, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and there he sees a number of visions, likenesses and prophetic revelations. And this is why the sages taught "The dream is one-sixtieth of prophecy."
172. Furthermore: "Preserve my soul; for I am pious" (Tehilim 86:2). But so did the sages teach: 'An ignorant man cannot be pious.' For the Torah was given from the right side of the Holy One, blessed be He, which is Chesed. For this reason, one who engages in Torah is called 'pious,' and therefore I say to the Holy One, blessed be He: "Preserve my soul," and do not judge it according to the deeds of these ignorant ones, about whom it is said: 'An ignorant man cannot be pious.' And should you ask about the many ignorant people who act with piety, I would refer you to the teaching: 'Who is a pious man? He who behaves piously with his Maker,' like David, who is joining together, what did he join together? The heavenly Torah, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, with the Holy One, blessed be He, WHO IS MALCHUT, AND THIS IS WHAT IS MEANT BY 'BEHAVING PIOUSLY WITH HIS MAKER:' THAT HE UNITED THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, AND HIS SHECHINAH. This is why, "Preserve my soul; for I am pious."