34. "Pinchas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned My wrath away from the children of Yisrael..." (Bemidbar 25:11). Rabbi Yehuda began: "Recall, now, who that was innocent ever perished? or where were the upright cut off?" (Iyov 4:7). We learned there that whoever sees the rainbow in all its colors has to say the blessing: 'Blessed is He who remembers the covenant,' since this is the sign of a Holy Covenant that the Holy One, blessed be He, placed on earth that the waters of the flood will not cover it again. This is because, when the numbers of wicked people increase in the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, wants to destroy them, but then He recalls for them that oath that He swore to the land, as it is twice written 'not:' "I will not again curse...neither will I again smite any more..." (Beresheet 8:21). And TWICE 'NOT' constitutes an oath, as it is said: "as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth" (Yeshayah 54:9).

35. (A) Rabbi Yosi said: A rainbow comes to protect the world. It is like a queen wearing royal apparel who appears before the king every time he is about to hit his son because he has sinned against him. The king sees her and his anger with his son leaves him and he rejoices with her, as it is written: "and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant" (Beresheet 9:16). And this is why a rainbow appears in the world, only in the royal apparel of Malchut. THESE GARMENTS OF MALCHUT ARE: WHITE, RED AND GREEN, AND THEY SUGGEST THE THREE COLUMNS AS WILL BE EXPLAINED. When there is a righteous person in the world, he upholds the covenant and thus protects the world. But if there is no righteous person, then there is a rainbow to indicate that the world is about to perish but SURVIVES because of it.

(B) Rabbi Elazar said: This rainbow, NAMELY MALCHUT, has never worn anything except the apparel of the patriarchs, NAMELY, CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN, NAMELY green, red and white. The raiment of Abraham is green, and it was so colored when Ishmael issued from him. 'Red' is Isaac, who acquired this color when Esau issued from him. This red stretches down to the planet Mars - Ma'adim (from red - Heb. adom), which Esau is holding onto. White is the fine garment of Jacob, whose good countenance never changed, FOR HIS BED WAS PERFECT AND THERE WAS NO BLEMISH IN HIM.

(C) Rabbi Aba said: That is good, but the Holy Luminary, NAMELY RABBI SHIMON, said, 'White' is Abraham, who was purified ('whitened') in the white-hot heat of the fire BY NIMROD, WHO CAST HIM INTO UR (FIRE) OF THE CHALDEES. 'Red' is obviously Isaac, and 'green' is Jacob, who is between the other two colors, FOR GREEN INCLUDES WHITE AND RED. THIS GREEN STANDS FOR THE GREEN COLOR OF THE SUN. And about Jacob it is written, "Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale" (Yeshayah 29:22) because his whole bed was perfect. AND THE INTERPRETATION OF this is: "Jacob shall not now be ashamed" because he shall not be seen in red like Isaac, who fathered Esau. "neither shall his face now grow pale." This means that he shall not be seen in white like Abraham, who fathered Ishmael. Instead he took the colors WHITE AND RED and enveloped them to adorn himself in his ancestors. HE INCORPORATED WITHIN HIMSELF THE TWO PATRIARCHS ABRAHAM AND ISAAC, WHO ARE WHITE AND RED, AND THIS IS WHY HIS COLOR IS GREEN, WHICH INCLUDES WHITE AND RED. And the rainbow, NAMELY, MALCHUT, puts on these garments OF WHITE, RED, AND GREEN when it appears before the King, ZEIR ANPIN.

(D) Come and see: The secret of the Holy Covenant is the letter Yud that adorns itself with a supreme heavenly impression, NAMELY THE CORONA OF YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN and this is recorded forever in the everlasting covenant. And because Pinchas was zealous for the Covenant, that letter Yud was inserted into the spelling of his name. The Yud in the spelling of 'Pinchas' is a small one, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT, THE SECRET OF THE CORONA OF YESOD, FOR 'PINCHAS' HERE IS SPELLED WITH YUD, which is definitely the Covenant, which emanated from the upper holy Yud BECAUSE MALCHUT EMANATES FROM YUD OF YUD HEI VAV HEI IN THE SECRET OF THE FATHER ESTABLISHING HIS DAUGHTER. And this is why PINCHAS has a perfect existence before the Holy King and shall never perish from the world. And because of this he was without guilt at Peor. For he never lost himself from the world's holiness. "or where were the upright cut off?" this refers to Nadab and Abihu, who did not totally perish from the world BECAUSE THEIR SOULS INCARNATED IN PINCHAS, WHO CORRECTED THEM.

36. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). The Faithful Shepherd said to him: What you said is good, but since Elijah is Pinchas, who was zealous for the Covenant, one must establish new and important interpretations about him. This is because this portion in the Torah is named Pinchas after him, NAMELY ELIJAH, WHO WAS PINCHAS, of whom it is said, "I have been very (lit. 'zealously') zealous" (I Melachim 19:10). This refers to two forms of zealousness, one for the heavenly name of Shadai, YESOD of ZEIR ANPIN, and the other for the lower name of Shadai, METATRON CALLED 'SHADAI.' And this is why he made two oaths for the two of them and it is twice WRITTEN, 'Not, not.'

37. But Rabbi Yehuda said: Whoever sees a rainbow in shining colors must recite the blessing, 'Blessed be He who remembers the covenant.' In exile the rainbow does not shine in its colors properly BECAUSE IN EXILE MALCHUT DOES NOT RECEIVE PROPERLY, AS FITTING THE UNIFICATION OF THE THREE COLUMNS, STAND FOR THE RAINBOW'S THREE COLORS. Furthermore, sometimes it hardly shines and at other times it doesn't shine at all. Sometimes it is seen complete, and sometimes not. The rainbow's colors hint at the merits of the priests Levites, and Yisrael when they are in their beauty, since the rainbow is radiant in its three colors, THE SECRET OF THE THREE COLUMNS.

38. Rise up now, Rabbi Yosi of Galilee, and speak, for you said beautiful things in the previous discussion, that the rainbow only comes to protect the world. IT IS LIKE the king who, whenever his son sins, and he sees the queen, it takes away his anger with his son, as it is written: "and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant" (Beresheet 9:16). Therefore the rainbow only appears in order to protect the world FOR IT IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT, AS EXPLAINED ABOVE. It appears only in precious royal apparel, THE SECRET OF THE THREE COLORS. But when there is a righteous person in the world, he is the covenant, upholding of the covenant. THIS MEANS HE ESTABLISHES THE UNION BETWEEN ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT, THEREFORE THERE IS NO NEED TO AROUSE MALCHUT BY MEANS OF THE RAINBOW.

39. HE ASKS, but how can the Queen put on royal apparel, THE SECRET OF THE THREE COLUMNS, in exile? For in exile the Holy One, blessed be He, draws away from the Queen. AND HE ANSWERS, No, IN EXILE SHE DOES NOT WEAR ROYAL APPAREL, but is dressed in gloomy darkness, NAMELY IN BLACKNESS, and says: "Do not gaze upon me, because I am black" (Shir Hashirim 1:6). On the contrary, the rainbow that is viewed as appearing in exile is none other than THE ANGEL Metatron, who is called 'Shadai,' and he is "the eldest servant" OF ZEIR ANPIN "of his house, that ruled over all that he had" (Beresheet 24:2), while his sons, NAMELY THOSE WHO ATTAINED RUACH FROM THE ASPECT OF METATRON are called 'the servants of the Holy One, blessed be He.' The queen's sons, NAMELY THOSE WHO ATTAINED NEFESH FROM MALCHUT OF ATZILUT, ARE CALLED 'sons.' This is the reason WHY WE PRAY 'whether as sons or as servants.'

40. When the Temple was destroyed, so we are told, servants covered their heads in shame and men of action were weakened. This term 'men of action' is definitely derived from the name of 'Malchut,' about whom it is said: "Many daughters have done valiantly, but you have excelled them all" (Mishlei 31:29). THAT IS, EXCELLED REGARDING ACTION, FOR MALCHUT IS CALLED "ACTION." However, if there is a righteous person whose merits and actions are such as to enlighten Malchut and to strip her of the black of literal MEANING WITHOUT THE ESOTERIC MEANING, and adorn her with the garments of the shining colors of secrets of the Torah, what is written about him? "And I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant." "And I will look upon it" - this refers to the shining secrets of the Torah, for light is called 'a secret,' NAMELY THE NUMERICAL VALUE OF OR (ENG. 'LIGHT') IS THE SAME AS THAT OF RAZ (ENG. 'SECRET'). THUS, LIGHT SIGNIFIES ALL THE MYSTERIES OF THE TORAH, as it is said: "For the commandment is a lamp; and the Torah is light" (Mishlei 6:23). And about these secrets it was said: "and I will look upon it."

41. When HE LOOKS AT THE RAINBOW, NAMELY MALCHUT, his anger at his son leaves him; "Then the king's wrath was pacified" (Ester 7:10). And the King says to her, when she is in the Amidah prayer before Him, "What is your petition? and it shall be granted you: and what is your request..." (Ester 5:6). Then she asks for her redemption and that of her children, as it is said: "let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request" (Ester 7:3). But a rainbow that appears in the world at a time of exile is of the servant, NAMELY METATRON. THAT IS TO SAY, THE LIGHT OF THE HEAVENLY UNION IS CLOTHED IN METATRON, AND HE IS BEARER OF THE THREE COLORS OF THE RAINBOW, WHICH ARE THE THREE COLUMNS. And sometimes it appears complete, when His children act correctly, while at other times it is incomplete, when His children do not act correctly.

42. (THE BEGINNING IS MISSING) and those who make their acts worthy before the King and are zealous for His name, sanctifying it in public, as they sanctify it in heaven amongst the angels who are appointed over the other nations - each chieftain being known by the name of the nation. Yisrael, however, are known above by the name Yud Hei Vav Hei, which is the life to all titles.

43. And every name and appellation testifies about Him, ABOUT THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE. The name El testifies that He can overcome every other El, as it is said: "But as for me, I would seek to El" (Iyov 5:8). El is the master of every El. Elohim testifies that He is the Elohim of the Elohim. Adonai testifies that He is the Master (Heb. adon) over masters. And so it is with each name. And each angel has a proper name so each group OF ANGELS is known by the name of its king. Yisrael, however, is known to Him by the Yud Hei Vav Hei.