The sanctuaries of the female souls

195. They passed his sentence and all the members of the Yeshivah left. I begged for permission, since the son of Yochai asked this question. Therefore, I was shown what I did not know before. Oh, Rabbi, I was shown six sanctuaries with a variety of delights and pleasures, in the place where the dividing curtain was unfurled in the Garden, since from that curtain and further on, no males can enter at all.

196. In one sanctuary, Batyah the daughter of Pharaoh dwells, and many tens of thousands of virtuous women are with her. Each and every one of them occupies her place of brightness and pleasures very comfortably. Three times daily, a proclamation resounds, Here comes the image of Moses, the faithful prophet. Batyah goes out to her specified partition and observes Moses's image, bows before him and says, Praised is my part that I brought up this light. That is her SPECIAL pleasure more than all the others.

197. Batyah returns to the women and they deal in the precepts of the Torah. All are in the form they were in this world, in a robe of light similar to the robes of the men, except that they are not quite as bright AS THE ROBES OF THE MEN. They study in that world the precepts of the Torah and their explanations that they did not deserve to fulfill in this world. All those women that dwell IN THE SAME SANCTUARY with Batyah, daughter of Pharaoh, are referred to as serene women, since they were not troubled at all in the pains of Gehenom.

198. In another sanctuary dwells Serah, the daughter of Asher, and thousands and thousands of women are with her. Three times daily, they proclaim in her presence, Here comes the image of Joseph the righteous. She is gladdened and goes out to her special partition, and sees a light in the image of Joseph. And she is glad and bows to him, saying, Praised is that day when I told your news to my grandfather. She then returns to the rest of the women, and they deal in the praises of the world's Master and give thanks to His name. How varied are the areas of happiness that each and every woman has. Then they return to deal with the precepts of the Torah and their reasons.

199. In another sanctuary dwells Jochebed, the mother of Moses, the faithful prophet, and several thousand and ten thousands are with her. In this sanctuary, there are no proclamations at all. However, three times daily, she thanks and praises the Master of Universe, she and all women with her. They also sing the song of the sea daily and she begins, on her own here: "And Miriam the prophetess...took a timbrel in her hand..." (Shemot 15:20). All the righteous in the Garden of Eden listen to her pleasant voice and many holy angels join her to thank and praise the Holy Name.

200. In another sanctuary dwells Deborah, the prophetess. Likewise, all the women with her thank and chant the song that she composed in this world. Oh, Rabbi. Oh, Rabbi. Who observed the happiness of the righteous men and of the righteous women that serve the Holy One, blessed be He? In the inner sanctums of these temples, there exist four concealed sanctuaries of the holy Matriarchs that were not given to be divulged, and nobody ever saw them. Every day, they are themselves separate as I said to you and the men also ARE SEPARATE.

201. Every night they get together, since the time of coupling is at midnight, both in this world and that world. The coupling of that world is accomplished by the adherence of one soul to the other, light with light. The coupling in this world is body to body. Everything is as it should be, one kind with similar kind, a match with its equal, body to body, THAT IS IN THIS WORLD. In the other world, it is light with light. The sanctuaries of the four Matriarchs are referred to as the Sanctuaries of trusting daughters and I did not have enough merit to observe them. Praised is the lot of the righteous, males and females, that follow the straight path in this world and merit all the pleasures in the World to Come.

202. Oh, Rabbi. Oh, Rabbi. If you weren't the son of Yochai, it would not have been passed on to divulge this to you. The union in that world produces more fruit than the coupling in this world. When they pair up in the pairing in that world with their combined desire and when the souls cling one to another, they produce fruit. And lights emerge and candles are produced. These are the souls of those that get converted, and all those SOULS THAT WERE BORN FROM THESE CONNECTIONS enter a sanctuary.

203. When a foreigner gets converted, a soul flies from that sanctuary and enters under the wings of the Shechinah. AND THE SHECHINAH kisses it, since it is the fruit of righteous SOULS, and dispatches it into that proselyte and dwells within him. From that time on, he is referred to as a proselyte of righteousness. This is the secret meaning of what is written: "The fruit of is a Tree of Life" (Mishlei 11:30). Just as a Tree of Life, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, produces souls, so too the righteous have similar fruits by producing souls.

204. The head of the Yeshivah said, it is written: "But Sarai was barren; she had no child" (Beresheet 11:30). HE ASKED, From what it says, "But Sarai was barren," we understand that she had no child. Why write "she had no child?'' This is what the head of the Yeshivah said, She wasn't giving birth to children. However, she did give birth to souls with the cleaving desire of these two righteous ones. They were producing souls for the proselytes during all the time that they were in Haran, as the just were producing in the Garden of Eden, as it is written: "And the souls that they have acquired (lit. 'made') in Haran" (Beresheet 12:5). They definitely made souls.

205. Rabbi Shimon rejoiced. That man said to him, Oh, Rabbi. What should I say to you? Every new moon, Shabbat, holidays and appointed days, the males go up to be seen in the presence of the Holy King, males and not females, as you indicated: "All your males shall appear" (Shemot 23:17). When they return, they come back with a variety of new topics, and they repeat them to the head of the Yeshivah.