169. 'Bless (Et) Hashem:' 'Et' is concise, FOR IT ALLUDES TO MALCHUT, WHICH IS CALLED 'ET (ENG. 'THE').' As we have established ABOVE, 'ET (THE)' is the Shabbat at the entrance of the Shabbat, NAMELY SHABBAT EVE, WHICH IS THE ASPECT OF MALCHUT. Blessed be the blessed Hashem, BLESSED is the source of blessings from the source of life, and the place from which all waterings go forth to water everything, NAMELY YESOD OF BINAH. It is the source THAT PROVIDES in the secret of the sign of the Covenant, NAMELY IN YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, which we call 'the blessed,' for it is the fountain of the well. YESOD IS THE FOUNTAIN OF MALCHUT THAT IS CALLED 'WELL.' When THE BLESSINGS reach there TO YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, the well certainly becomes filled, for the water never stops flowing, NAMELY CHASSADIM THAT ARE CALLED 'WATER.'
170. Therefore, it does not say, 'Blessed be (Et) Hashem who is blessed,' but rather 'Blessed be Hashem.' If the flow from the upper source, YESOD OF BINAH, would not reach there, TO YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, then the well would not become filled at all, WHICH IS MALCHUT, BECAUSE MALCHUT CAN RECEIVE ONLY FROM YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN. Therefore, WE SAY 'who is Blessed,' THAT IS YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN. Why is He Blessed? It is because it fills and waters 'forever and ever.' Forever and ever is the Shabbat of the entrance of Shabbat, NAMELY MALCHUT, and we bring the blessings to the place called 'Blessed,' THAT IS YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN. When they arrive there, they are all DRAWN forever and ever, WHICH IS MALCHUT. This is the meaning of, 'Blessed be Hashem who is blessed' until here, MEANING UNTIL YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN THAT IS CALLED 'BLESSED,' reach the blessing of the upper world, WHICH IS BINAH, and they are all drawn to 'forever (lit. 'for the world') and ever,' WHICH IS MALCHUT, so it would become blessed and watered and to be filled properly, full on all sides.
171. NOW THE ZOHAR EXPLAINS THE SECRET OF EVERY WORD OF, 'BLESSED BE HASHEM WHO IS BLESSED' INDIVIDUALLY, AND SAYS, 'Blessed' is the upper source, WHICH IS YESOD OF BINAH, from which all the blessings emerge. When the moon is full, we call it ALSO BLESSED, in relation to those below, but this 'blessed' is the upper source as we have said. 'Hashem' is the center of all the upper sides, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN, WHICH IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN. 'Who is blessed' is household peace, WHICH IS YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN THAT IS CALLED 'PEACE,' the fountain of the well, to fill and water everything. 'Forever and ever' is the lower world that needs to be blessed and the oil and greatness, MEANING THE BOUNTY, that is drawn by 'Blessed be Hashem' and 'who is blessed.' It is all FOR THE BENEFIT OF 'forever and ever,' WHICH IS MALCHUT.
172. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the entire nation to make this blessing at the commencement of the Shabbat. We must start at the beginning with this blessing with the desire of the heart and joy, so that this Shabbat of the commencement of the Shabbat, WHICH IS SHABBAT EVE, NAMELY MALCHUT, is blessed by the Holy Nation properly with this blessing.
173. When the children of Yisrael begin to bless, a voice goes through all the firmaments that become sanctified with the holiness of the commencement of the Shabbat. Happy are you, the Holy Nation, that you bless and sanctify below, in order that many holy supernal camps become blessed and become sanctified above. Happy are they in this world and happy are they in the World to Come. Yisrael do not make this blessing until they become adorned with the crowns of the holy souls, as we have said. Happy is the nation that merits in this world, so that they merit in the World to Come.
174. That night is the time for Sages to perform marital duties, when they become adorned with these holy souls. Even though we have already established this, it is all one. In every place this subject is found about the Sages, sometimes in one way and sometimes in another way, it all amounts to the same thing, and we have already established this subject. When they all become adorned with new holy souls and spirits, that are additional TO THOSE OF THE WEEK DAYS, it is their time to perform marital duties, in order to draw upon this union a flow of holiness, in supernal rest. This should produce holy children, as is proper.
175. This secret was given to the Sages. At midnight of this night, OF SHABBAT, the Holy One, blessed be He, desires to enter the Garden of Eden. This secret is that the Holy One, blessed be He, enters the Lower Garden of Eden, WHICH IS IN THE WORLD ASIYAH, on the weekdays to amuse Himself with the righteous who dwell there. On Shabbat and on the eve of Shabbat, the Holy One, blessed be He, enters the Upper Garden of Eden, WHICH IS IN THE WORLD BRIYAH, in the secret of the Supernal Source, WHICH IS BINAH. BECAUSE THE THREE WORLDS, BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH, ARE AS BINAH, TIFERET, AND MALCHUT, AND BRIYAH IS AS BINAH.
176. During the weekdays, all the souls of the righteous dwell in the terrestrial Garden of Eden. When the day becomes sanctified at the commencement of the Shabbat, all these camps of holy angels that are appointed in the Lower Garden of Eden elevate these souls that dwell in the Lower Garden of Eden, to bring them to that firmament that stands over the Garden of Eden. FOR SINCE THEY ARE FROM THE WORLD OF ASIYAH, THEY HAVE NO PERMISSION TO RISE HIGHER THAN THIS. Holy Chariots that surround the Throne of Glory of the King, WHICH IS BRIYAH, come from there and elevate all these souls to the Upper Garden of Eden, WHICH IS IN BRIYAH.
177. When these spirits ascend TO THE UPPER GARDEN OF EDEN, other holy spirits descend TO THIS WORLD, to become adorned with the Holy People. These ascend TO THE UPPER GARDEN OF EDEN, and those descend TO BECOME ADORNED WITH THE HOLY PEOPLE, MEANING JUST AS THERE IS ELEVATION TO THE SOULS THAT ARE IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN, SO IS THERE AN ELEVATION FOR THE HOLY PEOPLE, FOR THEY BECOME ADORNED WITH AN ADDITIONAL SOUL.
178. And if you ask, But then during the Shabbat day, is the terrestrial Garden of Eden empty of the souls of the righteous? It is not so. Rather souls go and souls come, souls ascend and souls descend, souls go from the Garden and other souls come into the Garden. All these souls of the righteous, who cleanse themselves TO PURIFY THEMSELVES during the weekdays and have still not entered THE LOWER GARDEN of Eden, will enter the LOWER Garden OF EDEN at the moment that these souls leave THE GARDEN OF EDEN TO THE UPPER GARDEN OF EDEN. The Garden does not remain empty, and it is like the shewbread on the day it is taken, THAT THEY PLACE OTHERS IN THEIR PLACE.