656. IT IS WRITTEN: "fine flour for a meal offering" (Bemidbar 28:5); that is, that this fine flour, WHICH IS MALCHUT, should be brought before the Supernal King for a meal offering between the two arms; THAT IS TO SAY THAT IT SHOULD BE COMPOSED OF THE TWO ARMS, WHICH ARE CHESED AND GVURAH, THE RIGHT SIDE AND THE LEFT SIDE.
657. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). And in the first composition, the Faithful Shepherd said: From this, FROM WHAT THE ZOHAR SAYS ABOUT "THE FINE FLOUR FOR A MEAL OFFERING" BEING BETWEEN THE TWO ARMS, it must be understood that these are hidden matters that have to be explained to the friends. It is said about Abraham and Isaac, who instituted the morning and afternoon prayers: "My hand also has laid the foundation of the earth" (Yeshayah 48:13), which refers to Isaac, WHO IS THE LEFT HAND OF ZEIR ANPIN, "and My right hand has spanned the heavens" (Ibid.) refers to Abraham, WHO IS THE RIGHT HAND OF ZEIR ANPIN. Their levels are Chesed and Fear, as it is said about them: "Hashem has sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His strength" (Yeshayah 62:8), which are the two arms to the King, which is Yud Hei Vav Hei, NAMELY, ZEIR ANPIN, the Central Column. And His fine flour is the lower Shechinah, NAMELY, MALCHUT, which is His light, THAT IS OF ZEIR ANPIN, and is clean fine flour from His sides, NAMELY, WHEN CLEAVING TO HIS RIGHT AND LEFT SIDES, without blemish of darkness, and without any implication of contaminated darkness. For such is the relationship of light to darkness, as clean grain is to chaff and straw. MALCHUT IS THEREFORE TERMED FINE FLOUR WHEN SHE IS WITHOUT ANY INTIMATION OF DARKNESS.
658. But in the iniquities of Yisrael, dark ones become mixed up with the luminous ones. And just as a man threshes the grain and then makes his selection OF THE WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF AND STRAW, like one picking out food from amongst rubbish, so it is with Yisrael that, when dark ones become intermingled with them, they have to make AND CORRECT their spirits. And the secret of the matter is contained in the verse: "The sacrifices of Elohim are a broken spirit" (Tehilim 51:19). For darkness - which is the Evil Inclination that covers the spirit as the chaff that covers the grain or as the cloud that covers the sun not allowing it to give light - is broken.
659. And in the time when darkness, which is the Evil Inclination, covers the Good Inclination, the latter, which is light, is like one who is imprisoned in the prison of the Evil Inclination. And so, too, when the Good Inclination is imprisoned in the domain of the Evil Inclination, the hosts of the Good Inclination are also imprisoned in the domain of the hosts of the Evil Inclination. And when a person breaks his spirit in all his limbs before Hashem, what does Scripture say? "That you may say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves" (Yeshayah 49:9).
660. But the Shechinah is pure fine flour, in which darkness and gloom can not become mixed up. And she is as a vine that rejects a graft of another sort, that is not of its type. And this fine flour dwells between the arms of the King, NAMELY CHESED AND GVURAH, "mingled with...beaten oil" (Bemidbar 28:5). End of Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd).