"And this is the offering"

384. "And this is the offering, which you shall take of them" (Shemot 25:3). Rabbi Elazar said, We have established this passage and we have already learned its secrets, THAT OFFERING IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT, AS MENTIONED. But the secret OF, "AND THIS IS THE OFFERING" I have learned this way and the passages are difficult. If they are interpreted according to the secret of below, MEANING ACCORDING TO THE LITERAL MEANING, they are conflicting, but if according to the secret of above, THAT OFFERING MEANS THE SHECHINAH, they are not clear. BECAUSE IT IS WRITTEN, "Speak to the children of Yisrael that they bring Me an offering" (Shemot 25:2) and this is understood, FOR THE PURPOSE IS THAT IT IS NOT BY THEM, BUT THEY HAVE TO BRING IT. AFTERWARDS IT IS SAID, "OF EVERY MAN WHOSE HEART PROMPTS HIM TO GIVE you shall take My offering" is difficult, FOR HERE IT SEEMS THAT THE OFFERING IS ALREADY IN THEIR POSSESSION AND OTHERS HAVE TO TAKE IT FROM THE CHILDREN OF YISRAEL. AND SO ALSO THE PASSAGE, "And this is the offering which you shall take of them" is difficult, FOR IT ALSO MEANS THAT THE OFFERING IS ALREADY IN THEIR POSSESSION. Everything is DIFFICULT for certain, both above and below, NAMELY, BOTH ACCORDING TO THE LITERAL MEANING AND THE HIDDEN. EVEN ACCORDING TO THE LITERAL MEANING IT IS DIFFICULT, FOR FIRST IT SAYS THAT THE CHILDREN OF YISRAEL SHOULD BRING, AND AFTERWARDS IT SAYS THAT YOU SHALL TAKE OF THEM.

385. HE ANSWERS, This is the explanation of, "That they bring Me an offering." Who? The children of Yisrael. "Of every man:" These are the supernal angels above, for MALCHUT is an offering (Heb. trumah) to them, MEANING A RAISING (HEB. HARAMAH), for they are constantly raising it before the supernal King, ZEIR ANPIN. They raise it to be united with the supernal King, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES THAT CARRY THE THRONE, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE FOUR ANGELS, MICHAEL, GABRIEL, URIEL AND RAPHAEL. When the children of Yisrael are righteous, they take THE SHECHINAH from above THE ANGELS, and bring Her down. This is the meaning of, "Of every man whose heart prompts him to give." Who are they? They are these four, NAMELY MICHAEL, GABRIEL, URIEL, AND RAPHAEL, who raised Her above. "WHOSE HEART PROMPTS HIM TO GIVE" MEANS that that heart, WHICH IS MALCHUT, favors them and that offering, WHICH IS THE SHECHINAH, is carried by them.

386. Even though THE SHECHINAH stands over them and dwells upon them, ON THE ANGELS, "you shall take" Her from them to lower Her down. And how? In this time, WE LOWER HER with good deeds, with prayers and beseeching, and by fulfilling the commandments of the Torah. At that time, WHEN THE TABERNACLE WAS BEING BUILT, it was through the colors, GOLD, SILVER... that appear below similar to above, MEANING LIKE THE SUPERNAL SFIROT, and other services. These colors draw below that offering, WHICH IS THE SHECHINAH, and the colors of below triumph over the colors of above, WHICH ARE THE SFIROT. The colors OF BELOW drew the colors OF ABOVE and they entered, these into those, and those OF BELOW became the body for those OF ABOVE. Referring to this, it is written, "You shall take of them."

387. Gold that is comprised in Gabriel is gold above, MEANING THE SFIRAH GVURAH, and Gabriel takes it below. This gold is divided below into seven types of gold, WHICH ARE GREENISH GOLD, THE GOLD OF OPHIR, SHEBA GOLD, PRECIOUS GOLD, PURE GOLD, BERYL GOLD. Silver is above, MEANING THE SFIRAH OF CHESED, and is comprised in Michael below and they dwell upon each other. Brass is above, NAMELY THE SFIRAH TIFERET, and it emerges from gold, FOR TIFERET EMERGES FROM GVURAH. Gold and fire pertains to the same mystery, AS BOTH ARE GVURAH, and the fire produced brass, and because of this power and strength, fiery serpents were spread that emerged from fire. Therefore, brass is red like fire, is comprised in Uriel and becomes a body for him.

388. Blue dwells in both brass and gold, WHICH INCLUDES THE JUDGMENTS IN TIFERET WHICH IS BRASS AND IN GVURAH WHICH IS GOLD. It prevails on two sides; THEREFORE, blue is severe IN JUDGMENTS, and none can rule to transform it into life. IF HE SEES THE COLOR BLUE IN HIS DREAM, it is the seat of Judgment where severe Judgment dwells. It is THE ANGEL Boel, as it is written, "And an El who has indignation every day" (Tehilim 7:12). When people repent in complete repentance, his name returns to Raphael, because remedy is prepared for them from that severe Judgment.

389. Purple is gold and silver, WHICH ARE GVURAH AND CHESED, that returned to be combined together, WHICH ARE Michael and Gabriel that are combined and fitted together. It is written, "He makes peace in His high places" (Iyov 25:2). Because they are fitted together, they become one body, WHICH IS PURPLE. AND IT CORRESPONDS TO THE SFIRAH NETZACH, BECAUSE IN NETZACH, GVURAH AND CHESED RULE TOGETHER.

390. Scarlet is above IN THE SFIRAH HOD and comprised BELOW in Uriel, as we said earlier, THAT THE ONE BECOMES A BODY FOR THE OTHER so as to be attached to blue and purple, WHICH ARE MALCHUT AND NETZACH. Linen is above IN THE SFIRAH OF YESOD and is comprised, AS WE SAID, in the secret of Raphael. AND THE ONE BECOMES A BODY FOR THE OTHER, so as to be attached to silver and gold, WHICH ARE CHESED AND GVURAH.

391. Until here is the secret of the seven pillars of above, WHICH ARE CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD, AS MENTIONED EARLIER, within seven pillars of below, WHICH ARE GOLD AND SILVER AND BRASS, ETC. shell within shell, MEANING THAT THEY ARE COVERED BY EACH OTHER AND THOSE OF BELOW BECOME A COVERING OVER THESE OF ABOVE as a protection. We have established that these seven PILLARS are inner side of the inner, MEANING THAT THEY ARE ALL INTERNAL, and goats' hair is a cover to the inner, MEANING THAT IT IS EXTERNAL.

392. "And rams' skins dyed red" (Shemot 25:5): These are the protecting angels, WHO PROTECT AGAINST THE OTHER SIDE and have eyes that blaze flames of fire, as it is written, "And his eyes like torches of fire" (Daniel 10:6). They are called 'firmaments' and are outside, within the covering (Heb. Klipah). "And badgers' skins" (Shemot 25:5): These are inside in the holy side and they are joined in Holiness, yet are not attached as we said.

393. "And acacia wood" (Ibid.): We have established that they are attending Serafim, as it is written, "Serafim stood above him" (Yeshayah 6:2), FOR THEY ARE IN THE WORLD BRIYAH. HE QUESTIONS, What is the meaning of, "above him?" HE ANSWERS, It is above that covering, MEANING THAT NO KLIPAH DOMINATES THEM BY BEING ABOVE THEM, AND THE JUDGMENTS DO NOT BLEMISH ABOVE THE PLACE OF THEIR EXISTENCE, SO THEY ARE IN THE SECRET OF ACACIA WOOD. If you ask whether this passage refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, and THAT "ABOVE HIM" MEANS ABOVE THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, IT IS NOT SO. For we have learned, "I saw Hashem" (Ibid. 1). The particle 'Et (Eng. 'the')' is exact, WHICH MEANS THAT HE SAW MALCHUT THAT IS CALLED 'ET.' Similar to this, it is written in this passage, "And His train filled the temple" (Ibid.). 'Et (the)' is exact, in that it came to include that Klipah, MEANING THAT HIS TRAIN FILLS AND ANNULS THAT KLIPAH THAT CORRESPONDS TO MALCHUT THAT IS CALLED 'ET.' Since it said AND MENTIONED the secret of that Klipah, it wrote, "Serafim stood above him" MEANING above that Klipah.

394. "Oil for the light" (Shemot 25:6): This is the oil of supernal greatness that comes from above, FROM ABA AND IMA. There are two kinds of oil and they are two LEVELS. One is above, IN ABA AND IMA, and is called 'Oil of the light' and one below is called 'oil for the light.' Oil of the light is supernal, THAT THE OIL is assuredly always in it and never stops. It is always full with holy oil, and all the blessings and all the lights and all the candles are all blessed and illuminate from there. "Oil for the light" IS MALCHUT that is sometimes full and sometimes not.

395. Also, IT CAN BE EXPLAINED, for we have learned that it is written, "And Elohim made the two great luminaries... " (Beresheet 1:16), even though the friends have established it and it is so. Yet these two great luminaries are the oil of the light and oil for the light, which are the Upper World, ZEIR ANPIN, and the Lower World, MALCHUT, for the one is male and the other female. Every time male and female come together, they are referred to in the masculine form. The Upper World is called 'great' and, because of it, the attached Lower World is included in it and is also called 'great.' THEREFORE, IT IS WRITTEN, "THE TWO GREAT LUMINARIES."

396. When they are separated from each other, each one individually is referred to in a proper way for it; this one is called 'great' and this one is called 'small.' The early sages said that a person should rather be a tail to lions than a head to foxes, because when MALCHUT stood among the lions, WHICH ARE THE SFIROT OF ATZILUT, She is named entirely as the lions, as the tail of a lion is yet a lion inseparably. If MALCHUT is among the foxes, WHICH ARE THE SFIROT OF BRIYAH, MEANING AFTER SHE WAS LESSENED AND DESCENDED TO BRIYAH, even though She is the head OF THE FOX, the head of the fox is yet a fox inseparably and is called 'a fox,' BECAUSE SHE BECOMES CROWN OF BRIYAH.

397. This is the secret OF, 'OIL OF THE LIGHT,' because WHEN ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT SAT TOGETHER at first, they were called 'the two great luminaries,' even though MALCHUT was the tail to the above, ZEIR ANPIN. When MALCHUT separated from the above, to be the head to the foxes so to speak, she is called 'small.' According to this secret, the oil of the light never stops and abides in the Upper level to dominate by day, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN. "Oil for the light:" HIS LIGHT is interrupted and is called 'small,' and dominates at night, MEANING MALCHUT.

398. IT IS WRITTEN, "SPICES FOR THE ANOINTING OIL, AND FOR THE SWEET INCENSE" (SHEMOT 25:6), MEANING five KINDS OF spices are put into the oil and FIVE INTO the incense, even though it is one. THAT IS, IT SEEMS FROM THE PASSAGE THAT THERE IS ONE KIND OF SPICE FOR THE ANOINTING OIL AND FOR THE SWEET INCENSE, YET STILL IN ALL there are two DISTINCTIVE KINDS OF SPICES, FIVE KINDS FOR THE OIL, WHICH ARE THE BEST SPICES, PURE MYRRH, SWEET CINNAMON, SWEET CALAMUS, AND CASSIA. THE FIVE KINDS FOR INCENSE ARE STORAX, ONYCHA, GALBANUM, SWEET SPICES, AND PURE FRANKINCENSE, AND THE SWEET SPICES COMPRISE THEM ALL BUT ARE NOT COUNTED. And it is all one, FOR THEY UNITE AND BECOME ONE. "Onyx stones... " (Shemot 25:7): there are altogether thirteen, MEANING TWELVE STONES TO BE SET AND THE ONYX STONES EQUAL THIRTEEN. They are the adornments of the tabernacle, WHICH IS MALCHUT, THAT BECOME ADORNED IN THE SECRET OF THIRTEEN, WHICH RECEIVES FROM THE TWELVE ACRONYMS OF YUD HEI VAV HEI OF ZEIR ANPIN WITH THE INCLUSION.

399. Let us return to the original subject. We have learned that there are seven kinds of gold. And if you ask, Gold is Judgment, MEANING GVURAH, and silver is Mercy, WHICH IS CHESED, yet gold has risen above it, MEANING THAT THE JUDGMENT HAS BEEN SWEETENED SO MUCH THAT GVURAH IS MORE VALUABLE THAN CHESED. It is not so and assuredly gold is more important than all of them. Yet gold is mentioned in the ordinary meaning, AND NOT THAT IT HAS RISEN MORE THAN CHESED THOUGH SWEETENING. That is supernal Gold, MEANING BINAH BECAUSE OF THE GVURAH THAT IS IN IT, which is the seventh of all kinds of gold. This is the gold that lights and glistens before the eyes. THE SIX LOWER KINDS OF SILVER ARE IN ZEIR ANPIN AND, BECAUSE OF this, when it emerges to the world, one who acquires it hides it by him. From that, all types of gold emerge and are drawn.

400. When is something that is called 'gold' so called? It is when it is lit by the shining light and rises in glory of fear, WHICH ARE THE JUDGMENTS OF THE LEFT COLUMN THAT WERE SWEETENED AND BECAME THE CAUSES OF THE DRAWING OF CHOCHMAH AND THE FEAR WAS TURNED TO BE REST AND GLORY. It abides in supernal joy, to make the lower ones rejoice WITH ITS LIGHT. When it is in Judgment, MEANING UNDER THE DOMINATION OF THE LEFT ONLY, MEANING when it is changed from the color GOLD to the color blue or black or red, then it is under severe Judgment. But gold is in joy and is found when the fear ascends to joy, AS MENTIONED ABOVE, and with the arousing of joy.

401. Silver is lower THAN GOLD, FOR IT IS the secret of the right arm OF ZEIR ANPIN, THAT IS CHESED, because the supernal Head is of gold, THAT IS BINAH AS MENTIONED, as it is written, "You are this head of gold" (Daniel 2:38) and "its breast and its arms of silver" (Ibid. 32). When the silver is complete, it is included in the gold. This is the secret of, "Apples of gold in ornaments of silver" (Mishlei 25:11). So we find that when the silver reverts to gold, MEANING THAT THE SILVER ORNAMENTS BECOME GOLD, its place is perfected. Therefore, SINCE THE GOLD IS BINAH, there are seven types of gold, BECAUSE BINAH COMPRISES THE LOWER SEVEN SFIROT.

402. Brass comes from gold and changes TO BECOME inferior to it, because it is the left arm, NAMELY GVURAH, and blue is the left thigh, NAMELY HOD. Scarlet is the right thigh, NAMELY NETZACH, and is combined in the left. And linen is the river that is drawn and flows, WHICH IS YESOD AND IS CALLED 'LINEN (HEB. SHESH),' because it takes AND COMBINES IN ITSELF all the six (Heb. shishah) extremities. It is similar below, IN MALCHUT, AND ALSO ALLUDES TO HER SFIROT. We have already established it and learned it. AND THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WAS EXPLAINED ABOVE.

403. There are here seven of Jubilee, WHICH IS BINAH THAT INCLUDES THE SIX SIDES OF ZEIR ANPIN, WHICH ARE GOLD, SILVER, BRASS, BLUE, PURPLE, AND SCARLET. These are the seven of Sabbatical year, WHICH IS MALCHUT THAT ALSO INCLUDES THESE SEVEN KINDS THAT CORRESPOND TO BINAH AND THE SIX SIDES, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD, AS MENTIONED. Even though they are six, EXCEPT FOR BINAH, they are thirteen with the seventh, WHICH IS BINAH, NAMELY CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN AND CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD OF MALCHUT WHICH ARE TWELVE, AND BINAH HERSELF, which is the head over them, equals thirteen. The head that is placed on the whole body below, IN MALCHUT, and the head that stands over all the limbs of the body OF ZEIR ANPIN, is of gold. What is the difference BETWEEN THE HEAD THAT IS ON ZEIR ANPIN AND THE HEAD OF MALCHUT? IT IS because the supernal Gold THAT IS ON ZEIR ANPIN is in a concealed secret, and its name is pure (lit. 'closed') gold, BECAUSE IT IS closed and concealed from everything. Therefore, it is called 'closed,' for it is closed to the eye, that cannot take hold of it. BUT the lower gold THAT IS IN MALCHUT is more revealed and is named greenish gold. THE END OF THIS PARAGRAPH IS MISSING AND IS FOUND IN THE NEW ZOHAR.