21. Rabbi Shimon was sitting one day with his son Rabbi Elazar, and Rabbi Aba. Rabbi Elazar said, in the passage, "And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob..." (Shemot 6:3), why is "And I appeared" stated? It should state, 'And I spoke.' RABBI SHIMON said to him, Elazar my son, this is a very high secret.

22. Come and see, There are visible colors and invisible colors. And both are a high secret of the Faith, but people neither know it nor observe it. No one was worthy of the visible COLORS until the patriarchs came and understood them, THAT IS, CONCEIVED THEM. Of this it is written, "And I appeared," since they saw the visible colors.

23. And which colors appeared? They are of El Shadai, WHICH IS MALCHUT, which are the reflection of the supernal colors, WHICH ARE IN CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN. These are THE visible COLORS, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY CONTAIN CHOCHMAH. And the colors above, IN CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN, which are concealed since they are invisible, WHICH MEANS THEY DO NOT CONTAIN CHOCHMAH BUT ONLY THE LIGHT OF CHASSADIM, no person understood them TO PERCEIVE THEM THERE, IN ZEIR ANPIN, except for Moses. Of this it is written, "But by My name, Hashem, I was not known to them" (Ibid.), WHICH MEANS I did not appear to them in the superior colors IN CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN, WHICH IS CALLED YUD HEI VAV HEI. And if you claim that the patriarchs did not know THE NAME YUD HEI VAV HEI, WHICH IS CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN; THIS IS UTTERLY IMPOSSIBLE, FOR THE PATRIARCHS ARE A CHARIOT TO CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN. But rather, they knew it from those colors that were visible IN MALCHUT.

24. It is written, "And they who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and they who turn many to righteousness like the stars for ever and ever" (Daniel 12:3). HE ASKS, In "And they who are wise shall shine," who are the wise ones. HE ANSWERS, This refers to the wise one who will perceive on his own LOFTY things that people cannot utter by mouth BECAUSE OF THEIR GREAT HEIGHT. And these are called "wise ones." "Shall shine like the brightness of the firmament": HE ASKS, What is the firmament? HE ANSWERS, This is the firmament of Moses, which is situated in the center, NAMELY, ZEIR ANPIN, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE CENTRAL COLUMN THAT INCLUDES THE TWO COLUMNS AS WELL, THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT. And its brightness is concealed and not revealed IN CHOCHMAH THAT IS CALLED BRIGHTNESS, THOUGH ITS LIGHT IS GREAT. By means of its color THAT INCLUDES ALL THREE COLORS, it is situated over and shines on the firmament that does not illuminate, WHICH IS MALCHUT, in which the colors are visible, WHICH MEANS IT ILLUMINATES WITH CHOCHMAH WHICH IS CALLED SIGHT. And even though these colors are visible in it, they do not illuminate like the brightness of those of unrevealed colors, WHICH ARE THE COLORS OF ZEIR ANPIN THAT IS CALLED THE ILLUMINATING FIRMAMENT.

25. Come and see, There are four lights. Three of them are concealed, NAMELY, CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, and one, NAMELY, MALCHUT, is revealed. THEY ARE, (A) The shining light, WHICH IS CHESED AND THE RIGHT COLUMN. (B) the bright light, WHICH IS GVURAH AND THE LEFT COLUMN. And it shines like the brightness of the heaven for its clarity. THEREFORE IT IS REFERRED TO AS SHINING. (C) purple light, WHICH IS TIFERET AND THE CENTRAL COLUMN that receives all the lights, FOR THE CENTRAL COLUMN INCLUDES THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT. AND (D) the light that does not illuminate, WHICH IS MALCHUT, that looks to these THREE ABOVE MENTIONED LIGHTS and receives them. These lights are visible in it like a reflector, which is A PLATE OF POLISHED METAL placed against the sun, AND THE SUN IS SEEN IN IT. SO THE THREE LIGHTS OF ZEIR ANPIN THAT IS CALLED SUN ARE VISIBLE IN MALCHUT, AND IN THIS RESPECT MALCHUT IS CALLED A REFLECTOR THAT RECEIVES FROM THE SUN AND THE SUN IS SEEN IN IT.

26. And those three LIGHTS we mentioned ABOVE are concealed IN THEIR PLACE IN ZEIR ANPIN, and are situated over this FOURTH, visible LIGHT, WHICH IS MALCHUT. THAT IS TO SAY, THE THREE LIGHTS FLOW TO THE FOURTH LIGHT, WHERE THE THREE LIGHTS BECOME REVEALED AND SHINE WITH CHOCHMAH. This secret is the eye. Come and see, there are three colors in the eye, WHITE, RED AND GREEN, that are visible THROUGH THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH, AND were imprinted on it, NAMELY, ON THE FOURTH LIGHT WITHIN IT, WHICH IS THE BLACK OF THE EYE. None of them shines because they are placed in the light that does not shine, FOR THEIR MAIN SOURCE IS THE BLACK IN THE EYE, WHICH IS MALCHUT, WHICH IS THE MIRROR THAT DOES NOT ILLUMINATE. And these THREE COLORS THAT ARE IN THE EYE are like those THREE COLORS OF ZEIR ANPIN, which are hidden and are situated over them, THAT IS, THEY ARE THE ASPECTS OF THE THREE COLUMNS OF ZEIR ANPIN BUT ILLUMINATE AND APPEAR IN THE PLACE OF MALCHUT. And they are the ones that appeared to the patriarchs in order to know and perceive these hidden THREE IN ZEIR ANPIN that appeared from within those that did not illuminate, MEANING THE THREE IN MALCHUT. And those that are bright yet hidden, WHICH ARE THE THREE IN THE PLACE OF ZEIR ANPIN, were revealed to Moses in his firmament. And these are situated over AND POUR ABUNDANCE TO these THREE colors that are visible in the eye, MEANING THOSE THAT APPEARED TO THE PATRIARCHS.

27. And it is a secret, THAT HE WHO WISHES TO SEE THE THREE CONCEALED IN ZEIR ANPIN, IS TOLD, Close your eyes, MEANING THAT HE SHOULD NOT DRAW CHOCHMAH WHICH IS CALLED EYES, and turn the EYE balls TOWARDS THREE PLACES-CHOLAM, SHURUK AND CHIRIK- THAT DRAW THE THREE COLUMNS OF CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET AS MENTIONED. In this way, the THREE colors IN ZEIR ANPIN will appear that illuminate WITH CHASSADIM and shine FROM THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE LEFT COLUMN. YET THEY ARE HIDDEN AND COVERED, since permission is given to see only with closed eyes these THREE hidden superior COLORS IN ZEIR ANPIN that are situated over AND POUR ABUNDANCE TO these three colors that are visible IN MALCHUT that do not shine.

28. And of this we learned that Moses merited the illuminating mirror, THE THREE COLUMNS OF ZEIR ANPIN, AS MENTIONED, that are placed over AND ILLUMINATE the MIRROR THAT does not illuminate. Other people WERE WORTHY of the mirror, which does not illuminate ONLY, WHICH IS MALCHUT. But the patriarchs saw from within these three colors that appear IN MALCHUT those hidden THREE COLORS that are situated over them AND SHINE ON THEM, WHICH ARE THE THREE COLUMNS OF ZEIR ANPIN, which THREE VISIBLE IN MALCHUT do not shine. SO WE CONCLUDE THAT ALSO THE PATRIARCHS CONCEIVED CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN, THOUGH NOT FROM THEIR PLACE IN ZEIR ANPIN, BUT ONLY FROM CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET THAT ARE RECEIVED IN MALCHUT AND APPEAR THERE. Therefore it is written, "And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, by the name of El Shadai", that is, by the THREE colors that are visible IN MALCHUT THAT IS CALLED EL SHADAI.

29. "But by My name, Hashem, I was not known to them": These are the supernal colors that are hidden yet illuminate, THE SECRET OF CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN THAT IS CALLED YUD HEI VAV HEI that Moses merited to observe. And this is the secret reason why the eye is SOMETIMES closed and SOMETIMES, IF IT IS OPEN, IS visible. IF IT IS closed, it sees the illuminating mirror, WHICH IS CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN, AND IF IT IS open, it sees the mirror that does not illuminate, WHICH IS MALCHUT, AS MENTIONED. Therefore, THE VERSE SAYS, "And I appeared" in the mirror that does not illuminate, which is revealed, AS THE THREE COLORS ARE VISIBLE IN IT. Sight is mentioned in relation to it. BUT in relation to the illuminating mirror, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, which is concealed, THAT IS, SIGHT DOES NOT PERTAIN TO IT, knowledge is mentioned, as it is written, "BUT BY MY NAME, HASHEM, I was not known." AND IT DOES NOT SAY 'I DID NOT APPEAR,' SINCE SIGHT APPLIES ONLY TO MALCHUT. Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Aba approached and kissed the hands OF RABBI SHIMON. Rabbi Aba wept and said, Woe, when you are gone from the world and the world will remain orphaned from you. Who will be able to illuminate THEN the words of Torah?

30. Rabbi Aba opened the discussion saying, "And thus (Heb. koh) shall you say so to him, a hearty greeting (lit. 'to the living')! Peace be both to you, and peace to your house, and peace to all that you have" (I Shmuel 25:6). HE ASKS, IT IS WRITTEN, "And you shall say koh to the living," WHICH MEANS THAT RICHES AND HONOR BEFIT A LIVING MAN, THAT IS, A RIGHTEOUS MAN. Did not David know Naval TO BE EVIL, to have said of him, "koh to the living?" HE ANSWERS, That day was the holy day of Rosh Hashanah (the New Year) and the Holy One, blessed be He, was sitting in judgment over the world. For the Holy One, blessed be He, he said, "And you shall say koh to the living" in order to attach 'koh' WHICH IS MALCHUT, to the 'living,' WHICH IS YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, from which all life comes. "Peace be both to you." HE ASKS, What is "both to you?" IT SHOULD SAY 'YOU,' AND SO WHY IS THERE 'VAV (BOTH)?' HE ANSWERS, "both to you" refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, in order to connect the link of Faith, WHICH IS MALCHUT, WHICH IS CALLED "YOU" TO ZEIR ANPIN THAT IS CALLED VAV as is proper. THEREFORE, "BOTH TO YOU" IS SPELLED WITH A VAV.