61. It is written, "Evening, and morning, and at noon" (Tehilim 55:18). We have established and learned this passage. These are the daily times of prayer, and the friends remarked about these three times THAT evening is the mirror that does not shine, WHICH IS MALCHUT. Morning is the mirror that shines, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, and noon is the place that is called darkness, WHICH IS GVURAH, and is attached to evening, WHICH IS MALCHUT. They stand one with the other, BECAUSE THE LEFT IS ATTACHED TO MALCHUT.
62. We learned that noon is the strength of the sun and is simply a flowery language, because that is the way that a black person is referred to as white, for a flowery language is used. Sometimes white is called black, as it is written, "For he had taken a Kushite (Eng. 'black') woman" (Bemidbar 12:1) and "Are you not as much mine as the children of the Kushite?" (Amos 9:7).
63. Evening refers to Arvit (Eng. 'the evening prayer') and the Other Side is mixed with the evening, since its light has darkened and ruled by night. Therefore, they made it optional. THE EVENING SERVICE does not have a set time, BECAUSE IT CORRESPONDS TO the portions and fats THAT WERE LEFT OVER FROM THE SACRIFICES and are consumed at this time, ALL NIGHT ON THE ALTAR. Many legions of spirits that go out and dominate the night are nourished from them, BECAUSE THE EXTERNALS ARE NOURISHED FROM THE LEFTOVERS OF THE OFFERING.
64. If you ask, Have we not learned that all these members of the spirit of impurity of the Other Side do not dominate in the Holy Land? And that the children of Yisrael arouse themselves in this, TO CHASE THEM AWAY, and it is forbidden to entice them to dwell in the Holy Land?
65. HE ANSWERS, During the night, that smoke OF THE PORTIONS AND FATS rises, but doesn't rise like THE SMOKE OF any other offering, for the smoke rises in a straight line. Yet here that smoke rises to a hole in the north, where the habitation of the evil spirits is, and since the smoke would rise and twist to that side, they would all be nourished and stand and enter their places. They would not go out FROM THERE to dominate the world.
66. There was one overseer there at that side over that hole in the north over all these groups of spirits, and his name was Sangirya. When that smoke would twist his way and ascend, this overseer, and sixty million other encampments, were all waiting to accept it and be nourished from it. They would stand in that hole, THAT IS IN THE NORTH, and enter through one entrance called 'keri.' This is the secret of that which is written, "And if you walk contrary (Heb. keri) to me" (Vayikra 26:21) and that which is written, "Then I will walk contrary to you also in fury" (Ibid. 28), MEANING with that anger that goes forth from the entrance CALLED 'keri.'
67. There are those who float around during the night, IF THEY ARE NOT BEING NOURISHED FROM THE SMOKE AS MENTIONED EARLIER. When the souls emerge from the entrance to appear above, they go out and accuse them, so they are not able to ascend and appear above, except for those holy supernal pious ones who split the firmaments and airs and ascend. These camps of spirits go forth and inform people with falsehoods, and appear to them in other FEMALE forms and seduce them until they discharge semen. They are called men who have nocturnal emission of semen (Heb. keri), because it causes those who go forth from the entrance called 'keri' TO BE CALLED MEN OF NOCTURNAL EMISSION.
68. During the time that the portions and fats were consumed ON THE ALTAR, that smoke would give them drink and nourish them, according to their stature and according to their needs. Therefore, they would not go forth and float over the Holy Land.
69. Evening (Heb. erev) is called so, as it is written, "And a mixed multitude (Heb. erev rav) went up also with them" (Shemot 12:38), WHICH MEANS A MIXTURE, because all these groups of spirits mingle according to the rule of the night. Therefore, they did not make the evening prayer obligatory, because there was nobody who could correct it like Jacob, who was the master of the tabernacle, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and corrected it properly.
70. Even though it is obligatory, the purpose of the prayer is to protect us from the fear of the nights and the fear of many kinds of Gehenom, because at that time the wicked are punished twice as much as during the day. Therefore, the children of Yisrael hasten to say, "But He was full of compassion" (Tehilim 78:38), for fear of Gehenom. On Shabbat, when there is neither fear of Gehenom nor fear of other Judgments, it is forbidden to awaken it, NAMELY TO SAY, "BUT HE WAS FULL OF COMPASSION," because it would look as though the Shabbat does not have the power to remove Judgment from the world. SO IT IS NECESSARY TO SAY, "AND HE IS COMPASSIONATE."