"Who is she that looks out like the dawn"

1. "And Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Yisrael that they bring Me an offering, of every man whose heart prompts him... '" (Shemot 25:1-2). Rabbi Chiya opened the discussion saying, "For Yah has chosen Jacob to Himself, Yisrael for His peculiar possession" (Tehilim 135:4). How beloved are the children of Yisrael before the Holy One, blessed be He, who desires them, and wants to be attached to them and connect Himself with them to make them a single nation in the world, as it is written, "And what one nation in the earth is like Your people Yisrael?" (II Shmuel 7:23). They wanted Him and were attached to Him, as it says, "For Yah has chosen Jacob to Himself" and, "For Hashem's portion is His people" (Devarim 32:9). He gave ministers and officers to the other nations and took Yisrael to His part.

2. Rabbi Shimon opened the discussion saying, "Who is she that looks out like the dawn, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?" (Shir Hashirim 6:10). "Who (Heb. mi) is she (Heb. zot)?" Mi zot is the secret of two worlds that unite, which are a world and a world. THIS IS, AS IT IS WRITTEN, "FOREVER AND EVER (LIT. 'FROM THE WORLD TO THE WORLD')" (I DIVREI HAYAMIM 16:36), WHICH ARE BINAH AND MALCHUT. 'Who' is the supernal level above, the beginning of all things which may be examined, and is named 'Mi,' WHICH IS BINAH, as it says, "Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who created these" (Yeshayah 40:26). "She (Heb. zot)" is a lower level below, which is the lower world, THAT IS TO SAY MALCHUT. They are two worlds joined by one connection, by one tie, together - THROUGH THE ELEVATION OF MALCHUT INTO BINAH, WHICH IS HOW SHE ATTAINED THE MOCHIN OF BINAH.

3. "That looks out:" THAT IS, when both of them are attached as one, MALCHUT "looks out like the dawn," when the dawn wants to illuminate, and she is "fair as the moon" in which the sun's light, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, illuminates. Then She is "clear as the sun," as clear as the sun's light when the moon is full; THAT IS, WHEN MALCHUT IS FACE-TO-FACE WITH ZEIR ANPIN WHICH IS CALLED 'SUN.' "Terrible as an army with banners:" This is when She is strong to protect all, being at that point furnished with perfection and power to perform great feats.

4. And MALCHUT receives strength - THAT IS, MOCHIN - from the supernal word, WHICH IS BINAH, by means of Jacob, the whole man, who united them together. BY ELEVATING MAYIN NUKVIN ('FEMALE WATERS'), HE HAS ELEVATED MALCHUT INTO BINAH AND THEY GOT CONNECTED ONE WITH THE OTHER. He connected them together above, SO THAT BINAH RECEIVED THE SHAPE OF MALCHUT, AND IS THE SECRET OF LEAH. He also connected them together below, SO THAT MALCHUT ACQUIRED THE SHAPE OF BINAH, AND IS THE SECRET OF RACHEL. And the twelve holy tribes came out from there in the likeness of above; IN OTHER WORDS, AS THE TWELVE ASPECTS THAT EXIST IN THE UPPER MALCHUT. Jacob, who was whole, brought love into the two worlds, as we have stated THAT HE WEDDED TWO SISTERS - LEAH AND RACHEL - WHO ARE THE SECRET OF THE TWO WORLDS OF BINAH AND MALCHUT. Other men who do such a thing merely commit sexual misconduct both above and below and cause antagonism in both worlds and engender separation BETWEEN ZEIR ANPIN AND LEAH AND BETWEEN ZEIR ANPIN AND RACHEL, SINCE HE UNITES WITH LEAH FROM THE CHEST ABOVE AND WITH RACHEL FROM THE CHEST BELOW. It is written, "Neither shall you take a wife to her sister, as her rival" (Vayikra 18:18), so that they became RIVALS AND full of hatred toward each other.

5. If you say, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF, "Rachel envied her sister" (Beresheet 30:1)? THE TEXT TALKS ABOUT THE TWO WORLDS, LEAH AND RACHEL, WHO ARE THE ASPECT OF BINAH AND MALCHUT, WHO ARE INCLUDED TOGETHER. WHAT KIND OF JEALOUSY IS THERE HERE? HE REPLIES, It is surely so, for the whole desire of the lower world, RACHEL, is to be in the semblance of the upper world, LEAH, WHO IS BINAH, and to inherit its position. In other places, IT STATES, 'When scholars compete, Wisdom mounts,' so THERE IS ALSO envy between scholars, since there are books and then there are books, ABA AND IMA, FROM WHOM CHOCHMAH IS DRAWN. THEREFORE, BY COMPETITION BETWEEN THESE SCHOLARS, they draw an enormous amount of Wisdom.

6. Notwithstanding all this, Jacob could not even succeed in bringing perfect harmony between them as would be desirable, but other men caused enmity and separation through incest both above and below. In this secret is included the secret of nakedness, THAT IS the nakedness of the Mother and the Daughter, WHICH ARE BINAH AND MALCHUT, and everything, BOTH THE TWO SISTERS AND THE MOTHER AND HER DAUGHTER pertain to the same secret. This is because 'who (Heb. mi)' and 'she (Heb. zot)' are considered sisters, as they are united in love and sisterly affection and in the connection of intention. They are ALSO called 'Mother and Daughter,' BECAUSE BINAH IS CALLED 'MOTHER' AND MALCHUT IS HER DAUGHTER. He who uncovers their nakedness, THAT IS TO SAY, THE JUDGMENTS THAT ARE IN THEM, shall have no portion in the World to Come, WHICH IS BINAH, and shall have no portion in the Faith, WHICH IS MALCHUT.

7. Come and see, "For Yah has chosen Jacob to Himself" is the supernal secret above, FOR HE CLEAVED ABOVE TO ABA AND IMA IN THEIR LIGHT OF CHASSADIM, WHICH ARE TERMED 'YAH (YUD-HEI).' Since he has completed EVERYTHING and is now named Yisrael, he is His peculiar possession, WHICH IS MALCHUT CALLED 'PECULIAR POSSESSION,' FOR THEN he takes everything in all the aspects, THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT. He takes above, IN ABA AND IMA WHO ILLUMINATE CHASSADIM, and he takes below, IN YISRAEL SABA AND TEVUNAH WHO ILLUMINATE CHOCHMAH. And he attains perfection in everything, BOTH IN CHOCHMAH AND IN THE CHASSADIM.