238. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). (THIS IS THE CONTINUATION OF RABBI SHIMON'S WORDS, PARAGRAPH 208) But 'coming upon' means words of appeasement. When the groom comes to the bride, the groom does not unite with the bride without words of appeasement, and afterwards he spends the night with her. This is the meaning of "because the sun was set" (Beresheet 38:11).

239. The Faithful Shepherd said: If this is so, what is the meaning of "because the sun was set (Heb. ki va)," which is here explained homiletically, THAT 'KI VA' IS derived from extinguishing (Heb. kviyah), and so "because the sun was set" MEANS WHEN THE LIGHT OF THE SUN WAS EXTINGUISHED. However, what we can learn from this is that whoever unites with the wife must extinguish the lights at night, and that the sages do not advocate sexual intercourse by the light of day, but only by night, with modesty. When, therefore, does one stay overnight? SCRIPTURE SAYS: When the sun has set, namely after the light of the sun has turned away from the world.

240. For this reason, just as one has to cover oneself up from the sun, so does one have to cover oneself from the angels who are from the Good Inclination on the right in a number of camps, AS WELL AS FROM THE ANGELS WHO ARE from the Evil Inclination that goes on the left in a number of camps. And so it was that after the morning had dawned, Jacob spoke when he saw the angels, FOR AT NIGHT HE DID NOT SEE THEM. And there was no one with Jacob, the plain man, WHO IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN except for the camps of the King and the Queen, WHO ARE CALLED 'THE DAYTIME ANGELS' AND 'THE NIGHTTIME ANGELS.' This is why "And he called the name of that place Machanaim (lit. 'two camps')" (Beresheet 32:3). About the daytime angels, WHO ARE OF ZEIR ANPIN, WHO IS CALLED 'DAY,' it is written: "And when Jacob saw them, he said: This is Elohim's camp" (Ibid.), FOR ZEIR ANPIN IS CALLED 'THIS.' And when the nighttime angels came, NAMELY THOSE OF MALCHUT WHO IS CALLED 'NIGHT,' who gathered around him to protect him, it is said: "And he called the name of that place Machanaim (lit. 'two camps')." AND THERE IS NO DIFFICULTY HERE, FOR THE VERSE "WHEN JACOB SAW THEM" IS WRITTEN ABOUT THE TIME AFTER HE HAD RETURNED FROM LABAN, FOR 'THE TORAH IS NOT IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.'

241. THE AUTHOR HERE WISHES TO RECONCILE WHAT HE SAID INITIALLY ON "AND HE LIGHTED ON A CERTAIN PLACE," THAT "THERE IS NO 'COMING UPON' THAT IS NOT PRAYER" AND WHAT HE SAID LATER, NAMELY THAT 'COMING UPON' MEANS APPEASEMENT WHEN A GROOM COMES TO A BRIDE...ACCORDING TO WHICH "AND HE LIGHTED ON A CERTAIN PLACE" MEANS THE UNITY OF BRIDE AND GROOM. AND THIS IS WHAT HE SAYS: Since prayer is a bride, NAMELY MALCHUT, as it is said: "Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, with me from Lebanon" (Shir Hashirim 4:8), THUS MALCHUT is here called "with me" (Heb. iti). And in the written Torah, it is said about her: "Behold, there is a place by Me (Heb. iti)" (Shemot 33:21). HENCE 'A PLACE' IS MALCHUT, AS IS 'WITH ME.' And since MALCHUT is called 'a place' in this world, it is said about her: "And he lighted on a certain place, and tarried there all night" (Beresheet 28:11).

242. And for this reason, she says: "O that I were in the wilderness, in a lodging place of wayfaring men" (Yirmeyah 9:1), for then she would have been independent, without those who turn her sin downwards, and without her groom. And whenever a man prays, the Holy One, blessed be He, precedes him and protects her. And the secret of the matter is to be found in the verse: "And the man (Heb. ish) wondering at her" (Beresheet 24:21), for whenever the word Ish (Eng. 'man') is used the reference is to the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written: "Hashem is a man (Heb. ish) of war" (Shemot 15:3). "And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rivkah (Resh Bet Kof Hei) came out" (Beresheet 24:15), just as "and his arrow (Heb. habarak, Hei Bet Resh Kof) shall go forth like the lightning" (Zecharyah 9:14).

243. You might argue that the sages taught that in a gathering of ten the Shechinah is preceding to come among them, but does not come for a single one until he sits down, AND WHAT DID I SAY? THAT WHENEVER A MAN PRAYS, THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, PRECEDES AND RECEIVES HIM, NAMELY, EVEN A SINGLE PERSON. HE ANSWERS THAT THE EXPLANATION IS AS FOLLOWS: In the case of ten, there is Yud (= 10) before Hei; THAT IS TO SAY, IF THERE IS YUD HEI, THE MOCHIN OF CHOCHMAH AND BINAH, FOR THE YUD INCLUDES THE HEI ALSO, THEN THE SHECHINAH, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF HEI, COMES. In the case of one, who is Vav: IF THE VAV IS ALONE WITHOUT YUD HEI, until he sits down AND RECEIVES THE MOCHIN OF YUD HEI the second Hei OF YUD HEI VAV HEI does not come to him. And the secret of the matter is that the Hei THAT IS MALCHUT does not come to a place where Yud Hei are not. Whoever wishes to unite the letters YUD HEI AND VAV HEI must pray with supplications and entreaties, this being the reason for the verse: "And I besought Hashem at that time, SAYING "ADONAI ELOHIM, YOU HAVE BEGUN..." (Devarim 3:23-24), for Adonai, which is the Shechinah, is sought with entreaties, and mercy is sought from the Holy One, blessed be He. And up to here IS THE EXPLANATION FOR ARVIT.