Three who reject the Shechinah

24. There are three kinds of people who expel the Shechinah away from the world and prevent the dwelling of the Holy One, Blessed be He, from inhabiting this world; and then people cry out IN PRAYER but their voices are not heard. They are, 1) One who lies with a menstruating woman, for there is no stronger impurity in the world like the impurity of the menstruation. The impurity of the menstruating woman is more severe than all the impurities of the world. He WHO DOES SO becomes impure and all who are close to him become impure with him. Wherever they go, the Shechinah is repelled by them.

25. And in addition, he brings bad sicknesses upon himself and on the children that he will beget. As soon as a person comes near to a menstruating woman, that impurity leaps onto him and remains STUCK in all his limbs. The children that he begets at that moment draw on the Spirit of Impurity. And all his days he will be in impurity, because the edifice and foundation of the baby is greater and stronger than all the impurities of the world. And as soon as a man comes near to a menstruating woman, her impurity leaps on him, as is written, "And her menstrual flow be upon him" (Vayikra 15:24).

26. 2) One who lies with a daughter of a strange El, A GENTILE WOMAN, who inserts the sign of the holy Covenant into another domain, as written, "And has married the daughter of a strange El" (Malachi 2:11). We have learned that there is no jealousy before the Holy One, blessed be He, like the zeal for the Covenant, which is the Covenant of the Holy Name and the secret of the Faith. It is written, "And the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moab" (Bemidbar 25:1), and immediately, "the anger of Hashem was kindled against Yisrael" (Ibid. 3).

27. The leaders of the people who know this and do not protest are punished first, as is written, "Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them up before Hashem against the sun" (Ibid. 4). Rabbi Aba said, What is meant by, "against the sun?" It means against the Covenant that is called 'sun,' of which it is said, "For Hashem Elohim is a sun and shield" (Tehilim 84:12). "A sun and shield" is the Holy Covenant. In the same way that the sun shines and illuminates the world, the Holy Covenant shines and illuminates the body of man. In the same way that a shield protects the man, so does the Holy Covenant protect the man. And there is no injury that can approach one who protects it. This is, "against the sun."

28. The leaders of the people are punished in every generation if they know of this sin and are not zealous in guarding against it. It is incumbent upon them to be zealous in upholding this responsibility, for the Holy One, blessed be He, in this Covenant against all who would bring this holiness in another domain. About this, it is written, "You shall have no other Elohim before Me, do not bow down to them and do not worship them, for I Hashem your Elohim am a zealous El" (Shemot 20:3-5). And it is all the same zeal, EITHER ONE WHO LIES WITH A GENTILE WOMAN OR ONE WHO WORSHIPS IDOLS. Therefore, the Shechinah is repelled by him. One who is false to the Holy Covenant that is sealed in the flesh of a man acts as though he is false to the Holy Name, because one who is false with the seal of the King, WHICH IS THE HOLY COVENANT, is false to the King himself. Therefore, he does not have any part with the Elohim of Yisrael, unless it is through the power of constant repentance.

29. Rabbi Yosi opened the discussion saying: "And when they forgot Hashem their Elohim" (I Shmuel 12:9), and "And they forsook Hashem" (Shoftim 2:13). AND HE ASKS, What is, "And when they forgot," and "And they forsook?" AND HE ANSWERS, They repelled from themselves the Holy Covenant, they circumcised but did not uncover until Deborah came and offered this, BY INTRODUCING PRIAH ('UNCOVERING OF THE CORONA') throughout Yisrael, as it says, "In time of tumultuous strife (Heb. pra'ot) in Yisrael, when the people willingly offered themselves; praise Hashem" (Shoftim 5:2).

30. 3) One who slays his children, meaning the embryo that his wife conceived, BY HAVING INTERCOURSE WITH HER ON THE NINETIETH DAY OF CONCEPTION (WHICH HE SLAYS THE EMBRYO and causes it to be killed in her belly) OR DOES SOME ACTION THAT CAUSES HER TO ABORT THE EMBRYO. He thus demolishes the building of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His craft. There are people who slay a person, and such a one slays his children.

31. The three evils done, AS EXPLAINED, the whole world cannot bear. Therefore, the world deteriorates little by little, although it is not known HOW IT COMES ABOUT. The Holy One, blessed be He, removes Himself from the world, and destruction and famine and death come to the world. These are THE THREE EVILS, he slays his children; he demolishes the structure of the King, NAMELY, HE STOPS CONCEPTION WHICH IS THE STRUCTURE OF THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE; and he repels the Shechinah, who roves in the world but can find no rest. For these evils, the Holy Spirit weeps and the world is judged. Woe to that man, woe to him, better that he was not created in the world.

32. Fortunate are the children of Yisrael. Even though they were exiled in Egypt, they were guarded against all these three, from the impurity of menstruation; from daughters of foreign deities; and from killing the children. They attempted ACTIONS in public to awaken the state of being fruitful and multiplying. AS HE SAYS FURTHER, Even though it was decreed that "every son that is born you shall cast into the river" (Shemot 1:22), there was not found among them a person who would kill an embryo in the stomach of a woman, all the more so after BIRTH. Through this merit, Yisrael went out of exile.

33. THEY GUARDED THEMSELVES IN EGYPT from the impurity of menstruation; for Rabbi Chiya taught: What is the verse, "And he made the laver of brass, and its pedestal of brass, of the mirrors of the women assembling" (Shemot 38:8)? Why did the women merit this, TO BRING THE MIRRORS TO THE TABERNACLE? Because they guarded themselves in the exile in Egypt, so that after they became purified from the impurity of their menstruation, they came and adorned themselves and looked in the mirror at their husbands, and aroused them to be fruitful and multiplying. SO THEY WERE GUARDED AGAINST THE IMPURITY OF MENSTRUATION IN THE EXILE OF EGYPT.

34. THEY WERE GUARDED IN EGYPT "from the daughter of a foreign El," MEANING FOREIGN WOMEN, as is written, "All the hosts of Hashem left" (Shemot 12:41), and, "The tribes of Yah, as a testimony to Yisrael" (Tehilim 122:4). Assuredly, FOR THERE IS NO MIXTURE OF A FOREIGN NATION, AS WRITTEN, "These are the names of the children of Israel" (Shemot 1:1). "The tribes of the children of Yisrael" (Yehoshea 4:5), "Speak to the children of Yisrael." ALL THIS POINTS OUT THAT THERE IS NO FOREIGN MIXTURE IN THEM.

35. You may ask why it is written, "And he was the son of an Egyptian man..." (Vayikra 24:10-11). AND HE ANSWERS, Certainly there was one, and the verse made him known, as written, "And he was the son of a Egyptian man...and his mother's name was Shelomit, the daughter of Divri, of the tribe of Dan." THEY WERE OBSERVANT IN EGYPT TO FULFILL being fruitful and multiplying, as it is written, "And the children of Yisrael were fruitful and increased abundantly..." (Shemot 1:7). Assuredly, the children of Yisrael were guarded IN EGYPT from all these, THE IMPURITY OF MENSTRUATION, FOREIGN WOMEN, AND FROM KILLING CHILDREN. Therefore, the children of Yisrael came INTO EGYPT, and the children of Yisrael went out TO FREEDOM. It is written, "And these are the names of the children of Israel who came..." BECAUSE "CAME" SIGNIFIES NOT TO SETTLE, BUT RATHER THAT THEY WOULD GO OUT FROM THERE. AND THIS IS THROUGH THE MERIT OF OBSERVING THE THREE THINGS MENTIONED ABOVE.