186. THE FAITHFUL SHEPHERD SAID, Rabbi Elazar, Rise up and say some new interpretations before the Shechinah, so that you may be of help (Heb. ezer) to your father, as your name requires, FOR THE LETTERS OF 'ELAZAR' MAKE UP THE TWO WORDS 'ezer' 'El,' NAMELY 'El' from the right, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF CHESED, AND 'Ezer' from the left, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF GVURAH. This is what is written: "I will make him a help (Heb. ezer) to match him" (Beresheet 2:18), FOR MALCHUT, WHICH IS BUILT UP FROM THE LEFT, IS REFERRED TO AS A HELPMATE FOR HIM. In what way DOES IT BECOME A HELP TO HIM? With good seed (Heb. ZERA), which are the letters of 'ezer' in a different order.
187. And let Rabbi Yosi rise up with you, for he is a perfect throne for his Master, for the numerical value of Yosi is the same as that of the throne (Heb. hakisse) and that of Elohim. And let Rabbi Yehuda rise up with him, for in him are THE TWO WORDS Hod and Yah, THE LATTER OF WHICH INSTRUCTS US ABOUT THE FIRST STAGE OF MALCHUT, WHICH IS THEN THE FIRST THREE SFIROT. In him are contained THE LETTERS Yud Hei Vav Hei plus Dalet. THAT INDICATES ZEIR ANPIN, CALLED YUD HEI VAV HEI, AND MALCHUT, CALLED DALET, PRIOR TO HER BEING JOINED IN A MATING WITH YUD HEI VAV HEI. IT IS THE SECRET OF the Dalet (= 4) living creatures, ABOUT WHOM IT IS SAID: "Thus were their faces; and their wings were divided" (Yechezkel 1:11). THIS REFERS TO all of them, FOR THEY DO NOT YET HAVE THE UNITY OF RIGHT AND LEFT OR ARE READY to receive THE CENTRAL COLUMN THAT WILL UNITE THEM. THEREFORE, THEY ARE THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES, FOR AFTER THE UNIFICATION OF RIGHT AND LEFT, THEY ARE CONSIDERED AS THREE LIVING CREATURES, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE THREE COLUMNS, EACH ONE OF WHICH HAS FOUR COUNTENANCES. And from him, FROM JUDAH, CAME David, who gave thanks to the Holy One, blessed be He, at the level of thanksgivings (Heb. hodaot), which is from the side of Hod. And let Rabbi Elai rise up with him, for the numerical value of the letters of Elai is 112, the same as that of Yud-Bet-Kof, WHICH, IN A DIFFERENT ORDER, SPELL BAKI (LIT. 'ERUDITE'), FOR HE IS erudite in the Halachah.
188. And let Rabbi Yudai rise up with him, for the numerical value of the letters of Yudai is the same as that of El, and he is like the angels, Michael and the others, who have the letters of 'El' in their names. It is as IN THE MEANING OF the expression: "It is in the power (Heb. EL) of my hand" (Beresheet 31:29), WHERE THE WORD CONNOTES STRENGTH. And the secret of 'EL' (Aleph-Lamed) is as follows: the Aleph is the likeness of a man, FOR THE LETTER HAS THE FORM OF A BODY WITH TWO ARMS, and the Lamed is the secret of the three living creatures, EACH ONE OF which is with four countenances, and THE THREE LIVING CREATURES are intimated in the three Yuds that amount to Lamed, which are at the beginning of the three recited Yud Hei Vav Hei's which are 'Hashem reigns, Hashem reigned, Hashem will reign forever.' IN OTHER WORDS: THE THREE YUDS AT THE HEAD OF EACH YUD HEI VAV HEI HINT AT THE THREE LIVING CREATURES, EACH OF WHICH HAS FOUR COUNTENANCES, FOR IN EACH NAME ARE THE FOUR LETTERS OF YUD HEI VAV HEI. AND THIS IS THE SECRET OF THE LETTER LAMED OF 'EL.' And let Rabbi Aba rise up with them, for the numerical value of his name is four, NAMELY the four living creatures.
189. Rabbi Shimon is like a tree, and Rabbi Elazar his son and his friends, the five that we have just mentioned, are like large branches COMING OUT of the tree, similar to arms and legs, WHERE ARMS ARE CHESED AND GVURAH, AND LEGS ARE NETZACH AND HOD.