The fragrance

187. While they were walking, they met a man with three branches of myrtle on his hand. They approached him and said to him: Why do you have them? He said: To give relief to the lost one, NAMELY THE ADDITIONAL NESHAMAH, WHICH IS LOST TO A MAN'S NEFESH BY THE END OF SHABBAT. Rabbi Elazar said: This is well, yet why three? ONE WOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH. He said to him: One for Abraham, one for Isaac, and one for Jacob, THE THREE COLUMNS - CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET. I bound them together and smelled them because of the verse: "Your oils are fragrant; for your flowing oil you are renowned" (Shir Hashirim 1:3). It is for this fragrance that the weakness of the Nefesh is sustained, and Faith, MALCHUT, is sustained, and blessings are drawn from above and from below. Rabbi Elazar said, 'Happy is the portion of Yisrael in this world and in the next.'

188. Come and behold: the world is sustained by this fragrance alone. From the fragrance SMELLED BELOW, another fragrance is made known ABOVE, THE SECRET OF THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH. When Shabbat leaves, the additional Nefesh MAN ATTAINS ON SHABBAT is gone, and man's Nefesh and Ruach remain isolated and sad. This fragrance comes, WHICH IS DRAWN BY THE ODOR OF THE MYRTLE, AND THE NEFESH AND RUACH are brought close to one another THROUGH IT, and they rejoice.

189. MAN'S Ruach therefore needs the other UPPER Ruach, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, in order to receive the fragrance, the SECRET OF THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH. When the smell is accepted, THE UPPER RUACH AND NEFESH, MALE AND FEMALE, AND ALSO MAN'S RUACH AND NEFESH, come near each other and rejoice. It is the same with the smell of the sacrifice. Through this smell, everything draws together, NAMELY ALL THE SFIROT OF ZEIR ANPIN, and all the candles are set ablaze, THE SFIROT OF MALCHUT, and rejoice.

190. Come and behold: There are two candles, one above and one below. When man lights the candle below and extinguishes the candle above, the smoke from the lower candle rises and kindles the upper candle. So it is with the smoke from the offering. The smoke rises FROM THE OFFERING AND CAUSES THE FLOWING OF THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH UP ABOVE, and lights the supernal candles, ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT. They are lit together, and all THE SFIROT draw near through this smell, since it is a sweet savor to Hashem. This has already been explained.

191. The smell of the sacrifice therefore sustains everything and sustains the world, and the sacrifice is by the priest, who sacrifices everything. For this reason, the seven days of consecration are completed by him, WHICH CORRELATE TO THE SEVEN SFIROT - CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT - so that everyone will be blessed by his service and joy, and blessings will abide above and below.