"I went down into the garden of nuts"

Synopsis

Rabbi Eliezer begins by explaining and expounding upon the meaning of the title verse to Rabbi Akiva. The "garden," we learn, is the garden that comes out of Eden, and it signifies the Shechinah. The "nut," which has four sections, signifies the holy Chariot, and the phrase "I went down" signifies a penetration to the inner meaning. In answer to Rabbi Chiya's question regarding the symbolic significance of the (dirt of the) nut's shell, Rabbi Eliezer reveals its meaning through its connection with the almonds. Although the two types of almond, bitter and sweet, imply an allusion to severe Judgment and Holiness, every open allusion to almonds in the Torah describes only their aspect of Judgment. He then draws a comparison between the Hebrew words for 'almonds,' 'watched' and 'hasten,' which reinforces their aspect of Judgment.

Relevance

Much good is accomplished through our visual embrace of this passage. We draw the Shechinah into our lives. We crack open the shells known as Klipah that conceal sparks of Light. This action reveals the Divine Energy that has been concealed since the time of Creation. This revelation removes all manner of judgment, from the smallest to the most severe. In addition, our efforts illumine all the supernal secrets concealed inside the Torah so that the ultimate truth of the Creator is revealed to all humanity.

Chariot Cloud Eagle Eden Face Fire Fruit Head Klipot (Shells – Negativity) Lion Nuts Ox Rabbi Akiva Rivers Shechinah Shells (Klipot) Wind

259. Rabbi Akiva said to him, What is the meaning of the passage, "I went down into the garden of nuts" (Shir Hashirim 6:11)? He said to him, Come and behold. This garden comes out of Eden, and this is the Shechinah. Nut is the holy supernal Chariot, which is the four headwaters of the rivers that separates from the garden, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE FOUR FACES - NAMELY THE FACE OF A LION, THE FACE OF AN OX, THE FACE OF AN EAGLE, THE FACE OF A MAN. This nut has four holy heads inside, MEANING IN ITS FRUIT, AND IT ALSO HAS FOUR KLIPOT ('PEELS') THAT COVER THE FRUIT, WHICH ALLUDES TO THE FOUR KLIPOT: A STORM WIND; A GREAT CLOUD; A FIRE FLARING UP; AND A BRIGHTNESS, LIKE THE SUPERNAL CHARIOT. And when he said, "I went down," IN "I WENT DOWN INTO THE GARDEN OF NUTS," it is as we learned that so and so descended to the Chariot.

259. א"ל ר' עֲקִיבָא, מַהוּ דִּכְתִּיב, אֶל גִּנַּת אֱגוֹז יָרַדְתִּי. א"ל תָּא חֲזֵי, הַהוּא גִּנְתָּא נָפְקָא מֵעֵדֶן, וְדָא הִיא שְׁכִינְתָּא. אֱגוֹז: דָּא הִיא רְתִיכָא עִלָּאָה קַדִּישָׁא, דְּאִינּוּן אַרְבַּע רֵישִׁין דְּנַהֲרִין, דְּמִתְפָּרְשָׁן מִן גִּנְתָּא, כְּהַאי אֱגוֹזָא, דְּאִינּוּן אַרְבַּע רֵישִׁין קַדִּישִׁין לְגוֹ. וּמָאי דְּאָמַר יָרַדְתִּי, כְּמָה דִּתְנָן, יָרַד פְּלוֹנִי לַמֶּרְכָּבָה.

Assyrians Chariot East Head Nuts Rabbi Akiva Unity

260. Rabbi Akiva said to him, If so, he should have said, 'I went down into the nut,' WHICH IS THE CHARIOT. Why does it say, "I went down into the garden of nuts?" He said to him, Because THE GARDEN, WHICH IS MALCHUT, has all that is goodly in the nuts, FOR THEY GROW IN AND EMERGE FROM THIS GARDEN, WHICH IS MALCHUT. THEREFORE, HE MENTIONS THE GARDEN SPECIFICALLY. AND HE CONTINUES TO EXPLAIN HIS WORDS, AS TO WHY THE CHARIOT WAS ALLUDED TO IN THE NUT. Just as the nut is hidden and concealed from all sides IN ITS PEEL, so the Chariot that emerges from the garden, WHICH IS MALCHUT, is concealed from all sides. All these four heads in the nut are attached to each other on this side, MEANING IN THEIR CENTER, and separate on this side, OUTWARDLY. Thus, THE FOUR ASPECTS OF the Chariot attain each other in unity, in joy, in completeness, and they separate, each one to its individual aspect for which it was appointed. This is what is written, "That it is which compasses the whole land of Chavilah" (Beresheet 2:11). Likewise, "that is it which goes toward the east of Ashur" (Ibid. 14). It is the same with the rest of them.

260. א"ל ר' עֲקִיבָא, אִי הָכִי, הֲוָה לֵיהּ לְמֵימַר, לָאֱגוֹז יָרַדְתִּי, מַהוּ אֶל גִּנַּת אֱגוֹז יָרַדְתִּי. א"ל, מִשּׁוּם דְּהִיא שְׁבָחָא דֶּאֱגוֹזָא. מָה אֱגוֹזָא, טְמִירָא וּסְתִימָא מִכָּל סִטְרוֹי, כַּךְ רְתִיכָא דְּנָפְקָא מִגִּנְתָּא, סְתִימָא מִכָּל סִטְרוֹי. מַה אִינּוּן אַרְבַּע קְרִישִׁין דִּי בֶּאֱגוֹזָא, מִתְחַבְּרָן בְּהַאי גִּיסָא, וּמִתְפָּרְשָׁן מֵהַאי גִּיסָא. כַּךְ רְתִיכָא, מִתְחַבְּרָן בְּאַחֲדוּתָא בְּחֶדְוָותָא בִּשְׁלֵימוּתָא, וּמִתְפְּרַשׁ כָּל חַד בְּעִבְרוֹי, עַל מַה דְּאִתְמָנֵי הה"ד, הוּא הַסּוֹבֵב אֶת כָּל אֶרֶץ הַחֲוִילָה הוּא הַהוֹלֵךְ קִדְמַת אַשּׁוּר, וְכֵן כּוּלָּם.

Almond Almond (Aaron's Staff) Judgment Klipot (Shells – Negativity) Rabbi Akiva Shells (Klipot) Torah

Aaron Almond Almond (Aaron's Staff) Almond Tree Daniel Evil Holiness (Kedushah) Jeremiah Judgment Kedushah (Holiness) Rabbi Akiva Rod Torah Tree Wisdom

262. Come and behold, Some almonds are bitter BECAUSE OF THEIR PEELS, and some are sweet, implying that some are of Severe Judgment, TO WHICH THE BITTER ALMONDS ALLUDE, and some serve HOLINESS, TO WHICH THE SWEET ALMONDS ALLUDE. But we see that every open allusion TO THEM in the Torah is about Judgment, AND DOES NOT DISCUSS THE GOOD IN THEM - THE SWEET ONES. And so it is in Jeremiah, who was shown the Judgment THAT IS IN THEM as is written, "I see a rod of an almond tree (Heb. shaked)" (Yirmeyah 1:11). What is the meaning of shaked? Actual almonds - "AND IT WAS SAID TO HIM, 'FOR I WILL HASTEN (HEB. SHOKED) MY WORD TO PERFORM IT'" (IBID. 12), MEANING TO UPROOT, CRUSH, DESTROY AND DEMOLISH... It is written by the rod of Aaron, "And yielded almonds" (Bemidbar 17:23), AND IT BECAME A SIGN TO THE REBELLIOUS PEOPLE. SO WE SEE THAT THE TORAH SPEAKS ONLY OF THEIR ASPECT OF JUDGMENT. And from the word itself, THAT THEY ARE CALLED 'ALMONDS' (HEB. SHKEDIM) it is understood that it refers to Severe Judgment, as is written, "And Hashem watched (Heb. yishkod) over the evil" (Daniel 9:14). And, "I will hasten My word," and so all of them. SO IT IS CLEAR THAT THE WORD "SHAKED" REFERS TO SEVERE JUDGMENT. Rabbi Akiva said to him, It seems that one could gain much wisdom from everything the Holy One, blessed be He, does, as is written, "Whatever Hashem has done is for His own purpose" (Mishlei 16:4). Rabbi Elazar says, We learn it from these words, "And Elohim saw everything that He had made and, behold, it was very good" (Beresheet 1:31). That is the meaning of "very" - IT IS GOOD to learn supernal Wisdom from it.

262. תָּא חֲזֵי, שְׁקֵדִים, מִנְּהוֹן מְרִירָן, וּמִנְהוֹן מְתִיקָן, וּרְמִיזָא אִית לוֹן, אִית מָארֵי דְּדִינָא קַשְׁיָא, וְאִית מָארֵי דְּשֵׁירוּתָא, אֲבָל כָּל רְמִיזָא דְּגַלֵּי בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא חָזִינָן דְּדִינָא הֲוֵי, וְהָכִי הוּא לְיִרְמִיָּהוּ, אַחְזוּ לֵיהּ בְּדִינָא, דִּכְתִיב, מַקֵּל שָׁקֵד אֲנִי רוֹאֶה. מַאי שָׁקֵד. שְׁקֵדִים מַמָּשׁ. וְכֵן בְּמַטֶּה אַהֲרֹן, וַיִּגְמוֹל שְׁקֵדִים. וּמִן תֵּיבוּתָא מַמָּשׁ, אִשְׁתְּמַע, דְּהוּא דִּינָא קַשְׁיָא. דִּכְתִּיב, וַיּשְׁקוֹד ה' עַל הָרָעָה. וְכֵן שׁוֹקֵד אֲנִי עַל דְּבָרִי, וְכֵן כּוּלָּם. אָמַר לֵיהּ ר' עֲקִיבָא, מַשְׁמַע כָּל מַה דְּעָבֵד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, לְמֵילַף מִנֵיהּ חָכְמְתָא סַגִּיאָה, דִּכְתִּיב כָּל פָּעַל ה' לַמַעֲנֵהוּ. ר' אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר מֵהָכָא, דִּכְתִּיב, וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וְהִנֵּה טוֹב מְאֹד. מַהוּ מְאֹד. לְמֵילָף מִנֵּיהּ חָכְמְתָא עִלָּאָה.