"she eats, and wipes her mouth"

93. We learned that when the PRIMORDIAL serpent begins to be revealed, the supports, NETZACH AND HOD, and the edifices, THE MOCHIN, are gone and removed FROM MALCHUT, and the fierce serpent comes and injects filth, the Temple is considered defiled. What is the Temple? It is as we learned, "and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession" (Vayikra 14:34), and, "Now the serpent was craftier... And he said to the woman" (Beresheet 3:1), the actual woman, to which the place of the Temple is attached, WHICH IS MALCHUT. Hence, "because he has defiled the sanctuary of Hashem" (Bemidbar 19:20), by his sins, because THROUGH HIS SINS the fierce serpent is revealed.

94. What are his sins? They are the evil tongue. For because of evil tongue, the PRIMORDIAL serpent appears both above and below, as it is written, "And Hashem sent venomous (Heb. Seraphim) serpents among the people" (Bemidbar 21:6). It is not spelled as 'sorfim (Eng. 'burning')' or 'serufim (Eng. 'burnt'),' but rather Seraphim. Who are the Seraphim? HE ANSWERS, IT ALLUDES TO THE PRIMORDIAL SERPENT. THE REASON IT SAYS SERPENTS IN THE PLURAL IS THAT IT RESEMBLES the words, "the heads of the sea monsters" (Tehilim 74:13), two of them, one attached above and another attached below IN THIS WORLD. It is also written, "Seraphim stood above Him" (Yeshayah 6:2), above Him assuredly, NAMELY as in the verse, "to present themselves before (lit. 'above') Hashem" (Iyov 1:6), WHICH MEANS AGAINST HASHEM. FOR THE SONS OF ELOHIM ARE JUDGMENTS, AND HASHEM IS MERCY. HERE TOO, "ABOVE HIM" IS LIKE 'AGAINST HIM.' Then everything is closed, AS ALL THE LIGHTS ARE SHUT, and there is none to open, SINCE THEN THE SERPENT COMES AND INJECTS FILTH IN THE ROOT OF THE SOUL OF THE SINNER IN MALCHUT, WHICH IS CONSIDERED ADULTERY. Hence it is written, "Likewise the way of an adulterous woman; she eats, and wipes her mouth, and says, I have done nothing wrong" (Mishlei 30:20). What is adulterous? Actual ADULTEROUS surely, OF WHICH IT IS SAID, "she eats, and wipes her mouth, and says, I have done nothing wrong."

95. Rabbi Chiya said, In the name of Rabbi Yitzchak, by universal will, NAMELY THE SUPERNAL WILL, the serpent abides below only because he abides above. And he does not abide above except when he abides below due to the sins of the world, as we learned that everything is interdependent.