239. It is written: "let no man go out of his place on the seventh day" (Shemot 16:30). HE ASKS: What is his place, AND ANSWERS: We learned that 'from his place' MEANS from within the place it is fit to walk in. THAT IS OUT OF MORE THAN TWO THOUSANDS CUBITS OUTSIDE THE CITY LIMITS. The secret of this matter is written in the verses, "blessed be the glory of Hashem from His place" (Yechezkel 3:12), which refers to a specified place, and "for the place on which you stand" (Shemot 3:5). For there is a known place above, MALCHUT, by the name of 'place', in which the high glory of above is made known, WHICH IS MALCHUT. Therefore a man who is adorned with the holy crown of above is warned, not to leave the place, for if he does, that is profanation of the Shabbat. NEITHER should he work with his hands, NOR walk with his feet over two thousand cubits out of city limits, for all these are profanation of the Shabbat.

240. "let no man go out of his place" refers to the holy place of glory, WHICH IS MALCHUT; for beyond it, lies the place of other Elohim. "Blessed be the glory of Hashem from His place": 'the glory of Hashem' is the glory above, BINAH; His place' is the lower glory, MALCHUT. This is the secret of the crown of Shabbat, and therefore "let no man go out of his place." Blessed be He for ever and ever.

241. It is written, "There is a place by me" (Shemot 33:21). The 'place by me' assuredly refers to a hidden and concealed place that is utterly unknown, BINAH. 'by me' INDICATES that this place which is not revealed and remains hidden, is the most high place, viz. the supernal hidden and concealed chamber, SUPERNAL BINAH. But this PLACE HERE is the lower place, MALCHUT, as we said. This place is extended above IN BINAH, and below IN MALCHUT. Therefore "let no man go out of his place on the seventh day."

242. It is written: "And you shall measure from outside the city limits on the east side two thousand cubits..." (Bemidbar 35:5). We already expounded on these high secrets. But two thousand cubits ARE MEASURED BECAUSE MALCHUT, THAT IS CALLED 'CITY', inherited two sides, RIGHT AND LEFT. FOR CHOCHMAH CLOTHED IN CHASSADIM AND CHASSADIM CLOTHED IN CHOCHMAH AMOUNT TO TWO THOUSANDS, BECAUSE THE SFIROT OF CHOCHMAH ARE BY THE THOUSANDS. AND MALCHUT is always adorned on both sides both above and below. You can tell that from the Shechinah that does not hover outside the boundary proper to Her, WHICH IS OUTSIDE THE TWO COLUMNS.

243. When Shabbat withdraws, it behooves Yisrael below to delay it, THAT IS, TO TAKE FROM THE WEEK DAYS AND ADD TO THE HOLY, because this is a great and high day, and on that day a great and precious visitor stays with it, THE ADDITIONAL SOUL. For that reason one should detain the guest and show that there is no hurry to press the holy guest BY ESCORTING HIM OUT. Then Yisrael commence with the hymn "And He being merciful, will forgive iniquity..." which is fit to be said on that night, since Judgment returns to its place, not like on Shabbat eve, when Judgment is gone and is not present.

244. While Yisrael start TO RECITE the prayer "and let the pleasantness" and the holy prayer, NAMELY "AND YOU ARE HOLY..." all the wicked in Gehenom open and say 'happy are you, holy nation of Yisrael, and you righteous, that keep the precepts of the Torah. Woe to the evil who were not worthy of observing the Torah'. Then Dumah makes haste, and a crier resounds: "the wicked shall be turned back to Sheol, all the nations that forget Elohim" (Tehilim 9:18). Then all those troops of demons torture them in Gehenom, and no one has pity for them. Happy are those who observe Shabbat in this world, and please the delight that hovers above, NAMELY, THE SUPERNAL SPIRIT, as mentioned.

245. Whoever fasts on Shabbat, two are stirred against him before the Holy One, blessed be He. One is the holy Supernal Spirit, that should have been pleased but was not. The other is a chief in charge of those who fast, by the name of Sangaryah. They rise to discuss him before the Holy King.

246. The spirit was gone since there was lack OF PLEASURE and delight, down below, and when that spirit is not perfected below, another upper spirit is not perfected. Since there is no perfection above and below, this man deserves to be cursed and punished. But if there was perfection at a different time, BY THAT SAME MAN, and the chief in charge of fasting is perfected among other chiefs in the upper pleasure, the verdict is remitted, that was sentenced by seventy high years, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT.

247. In the same manner, a king, rejoicing in his banquet with all the people rejoicing about him, when he saw a man sitting chained, he ordered that he would be set free, so that all shall be in gladness.

248. Afterwards, the same officers return who punish the men, and exact their due from the man that was the cause of diminution above and below, FOR HE DID NOT HAVE PLEASURE ON SHABBAT. How can he amend: by fasting on another day against his fast ON SHABBAT. What is the sense? For he who stopped pleasure on Shabbat, shall stop FOR THAT REASON pleasure on a weekday.