414. It is written, "And Elohim said, 'Let there be light:' and there was light" (Beresheet 1:3). Rabbi Yosi said, This light was concealed and it is designated for the righteous in the World to Come. We have established this according to the words, "Light is sown for the righteous" (Tehilim 97:11). "For the righteous" certainly with no attributes, FOR IT ILLUMINATES TO THE RIGHTEOUS ABOVE AND TO THE RIGHTEOUS BELOW. That light did not serve a purpose in the world except for the first day, and afterwards was concealed and served no more.

415. Rabbi Yehuda said, Had it been concealed completely, the world could not exist even one moment, but rather it was concealed and sown like this seed THAT IS SOWN and it produced offspring and plants and fruit. The world is sustained from it. There is not even one day, from which nothing comes into the world to maintain everything, because the Holy One, blessed be He, sustains the world with it. A thread of that concealed light emerges wherever that people are occupied with Torah during the night, and it is drawn upon those that are occupied WITH TORAH. This is what is meant by, "Yet Hashem will command His steadfast love in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me" (Tehilim 42:9), as we have already established.

416. On the day the tabernacle was erected below, it is written, "And Moses was not able to enter into the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud rested on it" (Shemot 40:35). What is "the cloud?" HE ANSWERS, A thread emerged from the side of the primordial light with great joy and entered the tabernacle below, and from that day onward it did not appear again, but it does a service in the world, in renewing daily the work of creation.

417. Rabbi Yosi was occupied with Torah, and Rabbi Yitzchak and Rabbi Chizkiyah were with him. Rabbi Yitzchak said, Behold we see that the work of the tabernacle is similar to the work of the creation of heaven and earth. The friends have already commented about their secrets such a tiny bit that a man cannot eat with his mouth and stretch his hand to his mouth and swallow, MEANING THEY HAVE REVEALED SUCH A SMALL AMOUNT THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO TASTE IT AND BE SATISFIED WITH IT.

418. Rabbi Yosi said, Let us raise up these issues before the holy luminary that prepares sweet dishes, just like the most concealed Atika Kadisha does. He prepares such dishes that there is no room for another to come and add salt to them. One can eat and drink and fill his stomach with all the delicacies in the world and still leave over, MEANING THAT WHEN HE HEARS THEM HE UNDERSTANDS THEM CLEARLY ENOUGH, YET STILL IN ALL HE WILL LEAVE OVER SOME AND WILL NOT DRAW EVERYTHING THAT THEY CONTAIN. WHENEVER HE REVIEWS THEM, HE FINDS NEW IDEAS OF WHICH HE WAS NOT PREVIOUSLY AWARE. Here is fulfilled, "So he set it before them, and they ate, and left some of it over, according to the word of Hashem" (II Melachim 4:44).