1. Rabbi Chizkiyah opened the discussion with the verse, "As the Rose among the thorns" (Shir Hashirim 2:2). HE ASKS: What is the Rose? AND HE REPLIES: It is the Congregation of Yisrael, WHICH IS MALCHUT. Because there is a Rose; and there is a Rose. Just as the Rose among the thorns is tinged with red and white, so is the Congregation of Yisrael affected by the qualities of Judgment and Mercy. Just as the Rose has thirteen petals, so the Congregation of Yisrael is surrounded by the thirteen attributes of Mercy. Thus, between the first mention of the name Elohim, WHICH APPEARS IN THE PASSAGE, "IN THE BEGINNING ELOHIM CREATED" (BERESHEET 1:1) TO THE SECOND MENTION OF ELOHIM, THERE ARE THIRTEEN WORDS IN THE VERSE, WHICH TRANSLATE AS "THE, HEAVEN, AND THE, EARTH, AND THE EARTH, WAS, WITHOUT FORM, AND VOID, AND DARKNESS, WAS UPON, THE FACE, OF THE DEEP, AND A WIND" (IBID. 2). These words surround and guard the Congregation of Yisrael.