392. And while they were still sitting, the eagle came back to them, with one rose in its mouth, which it dropped in front of them, and flew away. They saw this and rejoiced. Rabbi Pinchas said, Did I not tell you that this eagle is on a mission from its Master? This rose (Heb. shoshanah) is an allusion to Shushan-Edut, as I said, and the Holy One, blessed be He, sent it to us.
393. He began again and said: "To the chief musician upon Shushan-Edut; A michtam (lit. 'writ') of David, to teach" (Tehilim 60:1). HE ASKS, Does this mean that Shushan is testimony (Heb. edut)? What is the testimony to which it testifies? AND HE ANSWERS, This Shushan is witness to the Work of Creation, and is witness to the Congregation of Yisrael, and is witness to the heavenly unity. And this is so because in a rose (Heb. shoshanah) there are thirteen petals, all of them on one root, and there are five strong petals on the outside, that cover this rose and protect it.
394. And it is all based on the secret of wisdom, for the thirteen leaves ALLUDE TO the thirteen attributes of Mercy that the Congregation of Yisrael, WHICH IS MALCHUT, inherits from above, FROM THE THIRTEEN ATTRIBUTES OF ARICH ANPIN. And all of them are attached to one root, which is one covenant, NAMELY YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, BY WHOSE MEANS MALCHUT RECEIVES THE THIRTEEN ATTRIBUTES OF MERCY OF ARICH ANPIN. AND THUS THE ROOT OF THE THIRTEEN LEAVES OF THE ROSE THAT ARE BENEATH THEM IS a pattern of the covenant, which is the foundation (Yesod) of everything. The five strong LEAVES that surround it are the fifty gates, NAMELY CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH AND HOD OF BINAH, EACH ONE OF WHICH IS COMPOSED OF TEN. And they are five hundred years that the Tree of Life, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, goes by, FOR IT RECEIVES THEM IN THE PLACE OF BINAH, WHOSE SFIROT ARE IN THE PRINCIPLE OF HUNDREDS, AND THEY ARE FIVE HUNDRED YEARS.
395. THE ROSE IS witness to the Work of Creation, for all the Works of Creation are words known with understanding and take part in the reckoning of Elohim of the Work of Creation, WHICH IS BINAH. And it is seen above and seen below. It is seen above, namely in the secret of the World to Come, WHICH IS BINAH, and seen below in the secret of the Congregation of Yisrael, WHICH IS MALCHUT.
396. The rose is witness to the Work of Creation, for it has all these signs, NAMELY THE THIRTEEN ATTRIBUTES OF MERCY AND THE FIVE SFIROT OF CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH AND HOD. For it is written: "In the beginning Elohim created..." (Beresheet 1:16): This is the rose, WHICH IS BINAH AND WHICH IS MALCHUT, BECAUSE IT IS SEEN ABOVE AND SEEN BELOW, AS ABOVE IN THE PRECEDING SECTION. The thirteen leaves are the thirteen words FROM "IN THE BEGINNING ELOHIM" (BERESHEET 1:1) until ."..AND A WIND FROM Elohim" (Ibid. 2), namely: ...1) the 2) heaven 3) and the 4) earth. 5) And the earth 6) was 7) without form 8) and void 9) and darkness was 10) on 11) the face of 12) the deep 13). And a wind... These, then, are the thirteen leaves of the rose THAT ALLUDE TO THE THIRTEEN ATTRIBUTES. The five stronger LEAVES that surround these thirteen are: 1) moved 2) over 3) the surface of 4) the waters. 5) And (Elohim) said; FROM THE WORD ELOHIM IN THE EXPRESSION "AND A WIND FROM ELOHIM" UNTIL "ELOHIM" IN "AND ELOHIM SAID." For there are five others THAT ALLUDE TO THE FIVE SFIROT: CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH AND HOD, AS EXPLAINED ABOVE. After this comes "Let there be light," this being the prime cause and the root of the rose, for all THE GRADES ARE INCLUDED IN AND attached to it.
397. THE ROSE IS witness to the unity, for the five strong leaves are the roots and the unity to which these thirteen leaves are attached. THE FIVE WORDS, "Hear, Yisrael, Hashem our Elohim; Hashem" (Devarim 6:4), PARALLEL the five leaves of the rose, while "one" is the prime cause and the root to which all of them are attached, FOR THE WORD ECHAD (ENG. 'ONE') IS a secret, having the numerical value of thirteen. And this is the King's signet ring.
398. Come and see: "Like the rose among the thorns" (Shir Hashirim 2:2), so are Yisrael among the idol worshipping nations and so is the Congregation of Yisrael, WHICH IS MALCHUT, among the many other ministers appointed OVER THE NATIONS. So long as the rose stands there closed, unopened, it has no fragrance and one does not lift it out and remove it from among the thorns. When the rose is open and gives off a fragrance, then one takes it out from among the thorns. And the Congregation of Yisrael will benefit from them, as it is said: "Open to me, my sister, my love" (Shir Hashirim 5:2). And the Holy One, blessed be He, only sent to us THE EAGLE, WHO BROUGHT THE ROSE SO THAT we should continue on our journey WITH THE SHECHINAH. End of Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Sheperd).