Three night watches

14. Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Yosi were sitting one night, studying the Torah, before midnight. During that time the rooster crowed, MEANING THAT MIDNIGHT HAD COME. They recited the blessing, "WHO GAVE THE ROOSTER UNDERSTANDING TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN DAY AND NIGHT." Rabbi Elazar wept and said: come and see, until now the Holy One, blessed be He, has shaken and struck three hundred and ninety firmaments, shed two tears into the great sea, and tearfully remembered His children.

15. For the night with its twelve hours is divided into three directions, RIGHT, LEFT AND CENTER. And if there are more THAN TWELVE hours to the night, they are considered to be day and not night, for only twelve hours belong to it, TO MALCHUT CALLED NIGHT. These twelve hours are divided into three directions and three hosts of holy angels are allotted to these three directions.

16. The first host is appointed to the first four hoursof the night to praise their Master, NAMELY, IN THE RIGHT COLUMN, WHICH IS CHESED. What do they say? they say "The earth is Hashem's, and the fullness thereof...for He has founded it upon the seas...who shall ascend the mountain of Hashem?...He that has clean hands, and a pure heart" (Tehilim 24:1-4). What is the reason for saying this? It is because the night spreads its wings over the world, and then all the inhabitants of the world taste death, and their souls leave the body to go up. And these angels stand and say ABOUT THE SOULS, "who shall ascend the mountain of Hashem?" "The mountain of Hashem" refers to the Temple Mount; "His holy place" refers to the men's section. As it is in the celestial TEMPLE, WHICH IS MALCHUT, so it is in the terrestrial TEMPLE .

17. Because in each firmament there are many chiefs and guards. When the souls leave, they want to go up, but if they are not worthy, they are rejected. Then the souls hover about the world and some troops of spirits take them and tell them some lies and some truths about what is to be in the near future. All this is as was explained.

18. And the souls of the righteous travel up and doors are opened before them, and they go up into that place which is called the mountain of Hashem which is like the secret of the terrestrial Temple Mount . Then they go up to that place, which is called His holy place. There all the souls appear before their Master. That place is like that TERRESTRIAL place, where Yisrael appear before the Holy One, blessed be He, in the men's (lit. 'Yisrael's') section. At the time when the souls are standing there, the joy of their master is to construct with them a place that is called Holy of Holies, where all their deeds and merits are recorded.

19. The second host is appointed to recite poetry, in the second four hours. But they recite poetry only for two hours before midnight when the Holy One, blessed be He, THAT IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN, enters the Garden of Eden.

20. And these ANGELS OF THE SECOND WATCH are the mourners of Zion AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE, for they bewail the destruction of the Temple. In the beginning of the second four hours, WHICH ARE THE SECRET OF THE LEFT COLUMN, WHICH THE OTHER SIDE MAINLY HOLDS TO, they open and say "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, and also wept, when we remembered Zion" (Tehilim 137:1). And it is they, who weep by the rivers of Babylon, together with Yisrael. This is the meaning of the verse "and also wept," FOR THE MEANING OF "ALSO" IS THAT WE ALSO WEPT LIKE THE ANGELS. And how do we know that they cried there? It is written: "Behold, the mighty ones shall cry outside" (Yeshayah 33:7). What is outside? It is Babylon, for all the angels escorted the Shechinah to Babylon, sat there and wept with Yisrael, and therefore they opened with this, "BY THE RIVERS OF BABYLON" and concluded with "remember, Hashem, against the children of Edom" (Tehilim 137:7).

21. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, awakens along with His grades, and strikes the firmaments so that twelve thousand worlds are shaken. He roars and weeps as the verse says, "Hashem shall roar from on high, and utter His voice from His holy habitation; He shall mightily roar because of His habitation" (Yirmeyah 25:30). He remembers Yisrael, THAT THEY ARE IN EXILE, and sheds two tears into the great sea. Then a flame is awakened from the north. One spirit from the north joins that flame, AND THE FLAME goes to hover about the world. Midnight comes then, and the flame goes to beat the wings of the rooster, and he crows. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, enters the Garden of Eden.

22. The Holy One, blessed be He, has no pleasure until He enters the Garden of Eden and enjoys Himself in the souls of the righteous. And the sign TO THIS UNION IS IN THE WORDS OF ESTER - WHO IS MALCHUT-TO THE KING - NAMELY, ZEIR ANPIN, "for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to be annihilated" (Ester 7:4). THIS IS THE SECRET OF THE DOMINION OF JUDGMENTS OF THE LEFT COLUMN. And the King said: "who is he, and where is he..." (Ibid. 5), AND SHE SAID: "THIS WICKED HAMAN" (IBID. 6), NAMELY, THE KLIPAH THAT IS DRAWN FROM THE LEFT COLUMN. And then "And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden..." (Ibid. 7), THAT IS, TO THE GARDEN OF EDEN.

23. When the Holy One, blessed be He, enters the Garden of Eden, all the trees of the Garden and all the souls of the righteous open and say "Lift up your heads, O you gates... Who is this king of glory... Lift up your heads, O you gates..." (Tehilim 24:7-8). And when the souls of the righteous that are on earth return to their bodies, then all those angels encourage them and say "Behold, bless Hashem, all you servants of Hashem" (Tehilim 134:1). We learned that the third host says this verse in the last four hours, WHICH ARE THE CENTRAL COLUMN.

24. And the third host recites poetry until the light of the morning rises and then all those stars and constellations praise their Master and all those archangels that govern by daytime, NAMELY THAT ARE DRAWN FROM ZEIR ANPIN, all praise their Master and recite poetry. This is as said, "when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of Elohim shouted for joy" (Iyov 38:7). THIS REFERS TO ALL THE ANGELS. BECAUSE AT NIGHT ONLY A PART OF THE ANGELS RECITE POETRY, MEANING THOSE WHO ARE DRAWN FROM MALCHUT. BUT DURING DAYTIME EVERYONE RECITES POETRY, EVEN THE ANGELS WHO ARE DRAWN FROM ZEIR ANPIN.

25. When the sun comes out, by day, all Yisrael sing below and the sun above. This is as written: "May they fear You as long as the sun" (Tehilim 72:5). When the sun drives its wheels, a pleasant voice begins to sing. What is it singing? It sings "Oh give thanks to Hashem, call upon His name... Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him..." (Tehilim 105:1-2). And Yisrael praise the Holy One, blessed be He, by day. This is the meaning of the verse "May they fear You as long as the sun." And though we established this scripture, Rabbi Elazar said: if the inhabitants of the world were not hard hearted and blindfolded, they would not have been able to bear the sweet voice of the wheel of the sun, when it drives and praises the Holy One, blessed be He. THIS IS THE MEANING OF "MAY THEY FEAR YOU AS LONG AS THE SUN."