904. We have studied, "Happy are you, O land, when your king is a free man, and your princes eat in due season" (Kohelet 10:17). Rabbi Yosi established this verse to refer to Moses at the time that he took the children of Yisrael out of Egypt and made them free people. "And your princes eat in due season" as it is written, "And you shall eat it in haste; it is Hashem's Pesach" (Shemot 12:11).

905. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said, Did I not say that the words of King Solomon are all inside the sanctuary of the King? What you said is all well, and it required for an argument to be based upon it, but this verse is above in the Supernal Sanctuary, WHICH IS MALCHUT.

906. We have studied, "Happy are you, O land, when your king is a free man." What land is this? It means just land, NAMELY MALCHUT, for we have learned that it is written, "He has cast down from heaven to earth (or, land) the beauty of Yisrael" (Eichah 2:1). Behold, this land is a secret among the crowns of the Holy King, NAMELY THE SFIROT, of which is written, "In the day that Hashem Elohim made the earth and the heavens" (Beresheet 2:4). FOR ELOHIM IS BINAH, HEAVEN IS ZEIR ANPIN AND EARTH IS MALCHUT. On this earth. All that is nourished is from that place called 'heavens,' because this earth is sustained only from the holy perfection called 'heavens.'

907. When the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to destroy His house below, NAMELY THE TEMPLE, and the terrestrial Holy Land, He first removed the celestial Holy Land, WHICH IS MALCHUT, lowered it from that level from which it was nourishing, which is the Holy Heavens, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN, and destroyed the terrestrial one. This is what is meant by, "He cast down from heavens (to) earth" (Eichah 2:1) first, and afterwards, "And remembered not His footstool" (Ibid.), WHICH IS THE TERRESTRIAL TEMPLE AND THE HOLY LAND CALLED 'HIS FOOTSTOOL.' We have learned that these are the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He. When He wants to judge the world, first He has a trial above and then verdict is carried below, as it is written, "Hashem shall punish the host of the high ones on high" and afterwards, "The kings of the earth upon the earth" (Yeshayah 24:21).

908. Rabbi Shimon said, "Happy are you, O land, when your king is a free man" REFERS TO ZEIR ANPIN, who sustains you with abundance without fear of another. From that supernal King all are sustained. "And your princes eat in due season" is as it is written, "In due time Jacob and Yisrael are told what El has performed" (Bemidbar 23:23), FOR THEY ARE THE PRINCES. "Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child" (Kohelet 10:16) is as it is written, "And I will give children to be their princes" (Yeshayah 3:4). Woe is unto the land if it nourishes from the left, WHICH IS CALLED 'CHILD.' "And your princes dine in the morning" (Ibid.), that is, in that darkness OF THE LEFT as long as that which should rule does not illuminate or rule, NAMELY THE CENTRAL COLUMN THAT UNITES RIGHT AND LEFT.

909. We have learned that Rabbi Shimon said, "And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end" (Shemot 26:28). This refers to holy and perfect Jacob, as we have established. It is written, "And Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents" (Beresheet 25:27). It is not written 'tent,' but rather "tents," WHICH MEANS two, for he is attached to this one and that one, NAMELY IN MALCHUT THAT IS ABOVE THE CHEST OF ZEIR ANPIN THAT IS CALLED 'LEAH' AND IN MALCHUT BELOW THE CHEST OF ZEIR ANPIN CALLED 'RACHEL.' It is also written here, "And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end," so that it is attached here and held there, TO LEAH AND RACHEL, MEANING THROUGHOUT THE STATURE OF ZEIR ANPIN FROM END TO END.

910. What is meant by 'a plain man?' It is translated into Aramaic as 'whole,' for he is whole in everything and completes both aspects, Atika Kadisha and Zeir Anpin. HE IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN WHO MEDIATES AND COMPLETES BOTH COLUMNS, RIGHT AND LEFT, THAT ARE IN BINAH THAT IS SOMETIMES CALLED 'ATIKA KADISHA,' AND THE TWO COLUMNS IN ZEIR ANPIN. This is because he completes Supernal Chesed and Supernal Gvurah, NAMELY THE TWO COLUMNS, RIGHT AND LEFT, THAT ARE IN BINAH, and he completes the one and the other, BINAH AND ZEIR ANPIN.

911. Rabbi Shimon said, I see that Chochmah includes everything and Supernal Chesed, THAT IS IN ZEIR ANPIN WHICH IS THE RIGHT COLUMN, emerges from Chochmah. Gvurah, which is strong Judgment, emerges from Binah. Jacob completes both sides, FOR HE MEDIATES BETWEEN CHESED AND GVURAH AND UNITES AND COMPLETES THEM. The Patriarchs, ABRAHAM AND ISAAC, NAMELY, CHESED AND GVURAH OF ZEIR ANPIN, include everything, and Jacob is the combination of the Patriarchs, BECAUSE HE COMBINES BOTH OF THEM.