504. Happy is he who makes an effort in the last exile to know the Shechinah, to honor Her with all the precepts and to suffer for Her a number of exigencies, as they said: The wages of attending the bride lies in the crush AND THE SORROW. THAT IS TO SAY: ACCORDING TO THE SUFFERING SO IS THE REWARD. "And he lay down (Heb. vayishkav) in that place" (Beresheet 28:11). 'VAYISHKAV' CAN BE READ AS TWO WORDS: VEYESH, CAF BET, (MEANING: AND THERE ARE 22.) That is, if there are the 22 letters of the Torah, NAMELY THAT HE IS PERFECT IN TORAH, then the Shechinah lies with him.
504. זַכָּאָה אִיהוּ, מַאן דְּאִשְׁתְּדַּל בְּגָלוּתָא בַּתְרָאָה, לְמִנְדַּע לִשְׁכִינְתָּא, לְאוֹקִיר לָהּ בְּכָל פִּקוּדִין, וּלְמִסְבַּל בְּגִינָהּ כַּמָּה דוֹחֲקִין. כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמַר, אַגְרָא דְּכַלָּה דּוֹחֲקָא. וַיִּשְׁכַּב בַּמָּקוֹם הַהוּא, אִם יֵשׁ כ"ב אוֹתִיּוֹת דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, אִיהִי שְׁכִיבַת עִמֵּיהּ.
505. HE ASKS, What is the meaning of 'yesh' (Eng. 'there is')? HE ANSWERS THAT it refers to Chochmah, which is SUBSTANCE out of nothing, THAT IS TO SAY THAT IT IS DRAWN DOWN FROM KETER, WHICH IS CALLED 'NOTHING'. For in the place where the upper Shechinah is, WHICH IS BINAH, there is Chochmah, FOR CHOCHMAH IS REVEALED ONLY IN BINAH, and for it is said, "That I may cause those that love Me to inherit substance (Heb. yesh)" (Mishlei 8:21). FOR CHOCHMAH THAT IS IN BINAH ILLUMINATES ONLY IN CHESED, AND THOSE THAT CLEAVE TO CHESED ARE CALLED 'THE LOVERS OF HASHEM', AND IT IS ONLY THEY WHO CAN INHERIT YESH, WHICH IS CHOCHMAH, BECAUSE THEY HAVE CHESED. AND THIS IS THE MEANING OF: "but showing mercy to thousands of generations of those that love Me" (Shemot 20:6), NAMELY from the side of the love of Chesed, FOR THOUSANDS IS THE SECRET OF CHOCHMAH, AND HE SHOWS MERCY (CHESED) SO AS TO ATTIRE CHOCHMAH WITH CHASSADIM. And this yesh, which is Chochmah, is on the right, THAT IT ILLUMINATES ONLY WHEN ATTIRED IN CHESED OF THE RIGHT, as has been taught: He who wants to grow wise should turn to the south. And that is why IT IS WRITTEN: "That I may cause those that love Me to inherit substance (Heb. yesh)," SINCE THEY HAVE CHESED, WHICH IS THE RIGHT.
505. מַאן יֵ"שׁ. חָכְמָה מֵאַיִן. דִּבְאֲתָר דִּשְׁכִינְתָא עִלָּאָה תַּמָּן, חָכְמָה תַּמָּן. וּבְגִינָהּ אִתְּמַר, לְהַנְחִיל אוֹהֲבַי יֵשׁ. וְהַיְינוּ וְעֺשֶׂה חֶסֶד לַאֲלָפִים לְאוֹהֲבָי. מִסִּטְרָא דְּאַהֲבַת חֶסֶד. וְיֵשׁ דְּאִיהִי חָכְמָה לִימִינָא, דְּהָכִי אוּקְמוּהָ הָרוֹצֶה לְהַחְכִּים יַדְרִים. וּבְגִין דָּא, לְהַנְחִיל אוֹהֲבַי יֵשׁ.
506. Come and see into the hidden secrets, in the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He, for about the same quality over which people make an effort, and which they mention, it is said: With the same measure that a man metes out, so is it measured to him, FOR HE IS TREATED WITH THE SAME ATTRIBUTE THAT HE MENTIONS. And there are seventy aspects to the Torah BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF THE SEVENTY ATTRIBUTES, FOR THERE ARE THE SEVEN ATTRIBUTES: CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT, EACH OF WHICH IS COMPOSED OF TEN SFIROT, MAKING SEVENTY, THIS BEING THE SECRET OF: THERE ARE SEVENTY ASPECTS TO THE TORAH. Thus "in all places where I cause My name to be pronounced, I WILL COME TO YOU, AND I BLESS YOU" (Shemot 20:21). Should Scripture not have said: 'you cause My name to be pronounced, I WILL COME TO YOU AND BLESS YOU'? NO, FOR THE MEANING IS RATHER: With the same attribute that I uttered My name, with that very same attribute I will come to bless you. End of Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd).
506. תָּא חֲזֵי בְּרָזִין סְתִימִין, בְּמִדּוֹת דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, הַהִיא מִדָּה דְּמִשְׁתַּדְּלִין בָּהּ, וְדַכְרִין בָּהּ, עָלָהּ אִתְּמַר, בַּמִּדָּה שֶׁאָדָם מוֹדֵד בָּהּ מוֹדְדִין לוֹ. וְשַׁבְעִין אַנְפִּין לְאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְהַאי אִיהוּ בְּכָל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אַזְכִּיר אֶת שְׁמִי, תַּזְכִּיר אֶת שְׁמִי מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ. אֶלָּא בְּהַהִיא מִדָּה דְּאַזְכִּיר אֶת שְׁמִי, בְּהַהִיא מִדָּה אָבֺא אֵלֶיךָ וּבֵרַכְתִּיךָ. (עד כאן רעיא מהימנא)
507. "According to the lot shall their inheritance be divided between many and few" (Bemidbar 26:56). Rabbi Yehuda began by quoting: "I know that, whatever the Elohim does, it shall be forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it" (Kohelet 3:14). This was said by King Solomon, whose wisdom exceeded that of all the inhabitants of the world. I, MYSELF, did not know that whatever Elohim does, it shall be forever, UNTIL he said: "I know." FOR HE KNEW what no one else knows.
507. עַל פִּי הַגּוֹרָל תֵּחָלֵק נַחֲלָתוֹ בֵּין רַב לִמְעָט. ר' יְהוּדָה פָּתַח וְאָמַר, יָדַעְתִּי כִּי כָּל אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה הָאֱלֹהִים הוּא יִהְיֶה לְעוֹלָם עָלָיו אֵין לְהוֹסִיף וּמִמֶּנּוּ אֵין לִגְרוֹעַ וְגוֹ'. שְׁלֹמֺה מַלְכָּא, דְּחָכְמָתֵיהּ יַתִּיר עַל כָּל בְּנֵי עָלְמָא, לָא יְדַעְנָא כִּי כָּל אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה הָאֱלֹהִים הוּא יִהְיֶה לְעוֹלָם, וְאִיהוּ אָמַר יָדַעְתִּי, מַה דְּלָא יָדַע ב"נ אַחֲרָא.
508. HE ANSWERS: the explanation of this is that of course King Solomon's wisdom was greater than that of other men, and he knew what was not known to other people. Come and see, Any other craftsman in the world, when he has something to make, looks at it and considers it once and twice and then makes it. Later he adds to it or takes away from it. With the Holy One, blessed be He, it is not like that: He brings true craftsmanship out of chaos, that has no substance at all, and it is perfected properly, in actuality, and He does not need to add or take anything away from it. That is why it is written: "And Elohim saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Beresheet 1:31). AND IT WAS ABOUT THIS THAT SOLOMON SAID, "I KNOW THAT WHATEVER ELOHIM DOES, IT SHALL BE FOREVER; NOTHING CAN BE ADDED TO IT, NOR ANYTHING TAKEN FROM IT."
508. אֶלָּא וַדַּאי שְׁלֹמֺה מַלְכָּא חָכְמָתֵיהּ סַלְּקָא עַל כָּל בְּנֵי עָלְמָא, וּמַה דְּאִיהוּ יָדַע לָא יַדְעֵי כָּל שְׁאַר בְּנֵי עָלְמָא. ת"ח, שְׁאַר אוּמָנֵי דְּעָלְמָא, כַּד אִיהוּ עָבֵיד עֲבִידְתָא, אַשְׁגַּח בֵּיהּ, וְאִסְתָּכַּל זִמְנָא וּתְרֵין זִמְנִין וְעָבֵיד לֵיהּ, וּלְבָתַר אוֹסִיף עָלֵיהּ, אוֹ גָּרַע מִנֵּיהּ. וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לָאו הָכִי, אַפִּיק עֲבִידְתָּא לַאֲמִּתוֹ מִתֺּהוּ, דְּלֵית בָּהּ מַמָּשׁוּת כְּלָל, וְאִיהוּ מַמָּשׁ אִתְתְּקַּן כַּדְּקָא יָאוּת, וְלָא אִצְטְרִיךְ לְאוֹסָפָא וּלְאַגְרְעָא מִנֵּיהּ. בְּגִין כַּךְ כְּתִיב, וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וְהִנֵּה טוֹב מְאֺד.