And the Wisdom of Solomon excelled

275. Rabbi Chiya said, "And I will lie with my fathers..." Rabbi Yitzchak opened the discussion with the verse, "What profit has a man of all his labor wherein he labors under the sun?" (Kohelet 1:3). We have studied several times the words of Solomon, and they do not seem to be understood, for all his words should be read with wisdom.

276. We studied the verse, "And Solomon's Wisdom excelled" (I Melachim 5:10). During the days of King Solomon, the moon, NAMELY THE NUKVA, was in her fullness. Hence it is written, "And Solomon's Wisdom excelled the Wisdom of all the children of the east country." Regarding this, we learned who the children of the east were. It has already been explained. Nevertheless, the wisdom of the children of the east is the Wisdom they inherited from Abraham.

277. We learned, It is written, "And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac" (Beresheet 35:5). HE ASKS, What was "all that he had" WHICH HE GAVE TO ISAAC? HE ANSWERS, It is supernal Wisdom, for he knew the name of the Holy One, blessed be He. This may be understood from the verse, "All that he had," for the supernal Wisdom is his, in the same way we learned of the daughter he had named Bakol (lit. 'in everything'), THE SECRET OF THE NUKVA.

278. "But to the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts" (Beresheet 35:6). He gave them certain knowledge from the lower crowns and settled them in the east country. From this, the children of the east country inherited Wisdom, NAMELY FROM THE LOWER CROWNS, as it is written, "The wisdom of all the children of the east country."

279. We learned that one day Rabbi Shimon came from Cappadocia to Lod. Rabbi Aba and Rabbi Yehuda came with him. Rabbi Aba was tired running after Rabbi Shimon who was mounted. He said, "They shall walk after Hashem, who shall roar like a lion" (Hoshea 11:10).

280. Rabbi Shimon dismounted and said to him: Indeed it is written, "Then I abode in the mountain forty days and forty nights" (Devarim 9:9). Surely wisdom does not settle upon man when he walks but when he just sits down. We have already explained why it says, "I abode (or: 'sat')" and now we should rest. They sat down.

281. Rabbi Aba said, It is written, "And Solomon's Wisdom excelled the Wisdom of all the children of the east country and all the Wisdom of Egypt." What is the Wisdom of Solomon, the Wisdom of Egypt and the Wisdom of the east country? He said to him, Come and behold, we have explained in several places in regard to the name of the moon, NAMELY THE NUKVA. When She is blessed by all THE SFIROT, it is written "excelled." THIS WAS SAID in the days of Solomon, THE NUKVA grew and was blessed and reached her fullness.

282. We have learned that a thousand mountains grow GRASS before her, and she swallows them in one bite; a thousand great rivers she has, which she swallows in one gulp.

283. Her nails reach 1,070 directions, her hands hold four and twenty directions. None escapes her to the RIGHT side and none escapes her to the LEFT side, BUT THROUGH THE MIDDLE. Many thousands of shields cling to her hairs.

284. A youth, whose height is from the top of the world to its bottom, NAMELY METATRON, WHOSE HEIGHT IS FROM THE HEAD OF BRIYAH TO THE BOTTOM OF ASIYAH, comes from between her legs, NETZACH AND HOD OF THE NUKVA, clothed in sixty clubs of fire, BY WHICH HE DRIVES AWAY THE EXTERNAL FORCES SO THEY WOULD NOT CLING TO THE LEGS OF THE NUKVA. In this way, he is in charge over the lower beings of the four sides. This is the youth, who holds 613 upper keys on the side of Ima. All the supernal keys dangle from the sharp sword girded about his waist.

285. This youth is called Chanoch the son of Yered in the Baraita, as it is written, "Train up (Heb. chanoch) a youth in the way he should go" (Mishlei 22:6). It may be said it is written in the Mishnah, not in the Baraita. Yet we explained it when studying the Mishnah and this has been explained. They all looked into the same thing. Under HIS SHADE, the beasts of the field shall find shelter; NAMELY THE ANGELS OF YETZIRAH we learned of, like Supernal Holy Yisrael - NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN, called 'the son of his mother,' BINAH. It is written, "For I was my father's son, tender and the only one in the sight of my mother" (Mishlei 4:3), and "Yisrael is My son, My firstborn" (Shemot 4:22), WHICH REFERS TO ZEIR ANPIN. Underneath ATZILUT, METATRON too is called the son of his mother, THE NUKVA, as it is written "Yisrael was a youth, then I loved him" (Hoshea 11:1), WHICH REFERS TO METATRON. He was named the son of Yered for several reasons, NAMELY, NOW TO SHAME HIM AND NOW TO RECOMMEND, as we have already explained. Yet come and behold, HERE WE SPEAK OF the very son of Yered (lit. 'descent'), for we have learned that the Shechinah descended to the earth by ten steps (Heb. yeridot), all of them explained by the friends. Underneath, several living creatures are standing; NAMELY THE ANGELS OF YETZIRAH, which are called the very beasts of the field.

286. Under these living creatures are fastened the hairs of the moon, THE NUKVA, called the comets (Heb. shevet), a very scourge (Heb. shevet); MEANING, THEY ARE CONSIDERED THE SCOURGE WITH WHICH THE WORLD IS SENTENCED. THEY ARE DIVIDED INTO the accusers, the weighty, those of strict JUDGMENT, and the impudent. They are all called hairy. Her hands and feet hold on to it like a mighty lion holding its prey, of which it says "and tears in pieces, and none can deliver" (Michah 5:7).

287. Her nails are the ones who call to mind the sins of men, who write and record their transgression under strict judgment. Of this says the verse, "The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond" (Yirmeyah 17:1). What is the diamond? HE ANSWERS, That which imprints and carves the stone, and hews in it on all sides.

288. The filth of the nails REFERS TO those who do not cleave to the body of the King, THE CENTRAL COLUMN, BUT CLEAVE TO THE LEFT and suck from the side of defilement when the moon is diminished, MEANING, WHEN THE ABUNDANCE THEN DRAWN FROM THE NAILS PASSES TO THE SIDE OF DEFILEMENT, AND IS CONSIDERED THE FILTH OF THE NAILS.

289. Since King Solomon inherited the moon at her fullness, THE NUKVA IN GREATNESS, he ought to inherit her when she is defective. He therefore strove to know about the spirits and demons, in order to receive the moon, THE NUKVA, in all her aspects.

290. In the days of King Solomon, the moon shone from all the grades, as it is written, "And Solomon's Wisdom excelled (also: 'increased')," meaning that it was greater than the Wisdom of all the children of the east country SINCE IT WAS INCLUDED WITHIN THE NUKVA, AND ALSO THE WISDOM OF EGYPT WAS COMPRISED IN IT AND THE WISDOM OF THE CHILDREN OF THE EAST. This is a supernal secret, in accordance with the verse, "And these are the Kings that reigned in the land of Edom" (Beresheet 36:31). They were all called the children of the east country. None of them endured except he who was comprised of male and female, who was called Hadar. For it says, "And Hadar reigned in his place...AND HIS WIFE'S NAME..." (Ibid. 39). BUT NO WOMAN WAS MENTIONED IN RELATION TO THE OTHER KINGS.

291. We have learned that though the Nukva was maintained BY KING HADAR, she nevertheless did not illuminate wholly until the time of King Solomon, who was worthy of her, as we explained, for his mother was Bathsheba (lit. 'daughter of seven,') MEANING, THE NUKVA WAS CALLED IN HER GREATNESS DAUGHTER OF SEVEN, SINCE SHE INCLUDES CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT OF ZEIR ANPIN, BEING HIS MOTHER. HE WAS THEREFORE WORTHY OF INHERITING HER IN HER DAYS OF GREATNESS.

292. "And all the Wisdom of Egypt." This is the lower Wisdom called 'the maid behind the millstones.' The Wisdom of Solomon included everything, the Wisdom of the children of the east country together with the Wisdom of Egypt. Rabbi Aba said, Blessed be the Merciful One, that I have asked about it, and so merited all these words. Rabbi Shimon said, I have explained this subject, and we already interpreted it.

293. We learned, "What profit has a man of all his labor wherein he labors" (Kohelet 1:3). One may say that this is true also for laboring in the Torah. Yet it is said "wherein he labors under the sun," and the labor in the Torah is different by being above the sun, OF THE SUPERNAL ONES. Rabbi Chiya said, This is true also for the Torah (THE WORDS "WHAT PROFIT...") if it is done for the sake of people or to gain respect. Of this, it is said "under the sun," for this study of the Torah does not ascend. We learned that Rabbi Elazar said, Even if a man lives to a thousand years, on the day he departs from the world, it would seem to him as if he lived but one day.