"Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall"

386. Rabbi Yehuda opened the discussion with the verse, "Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to Hashem" (Yeshayah 38:2). It has been derived from the verse that a man should pray near the wall, and nothing should intervene between him and the wall, in accordance with the verse, "Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall." HE ASKS, Why is he different than others who prayed, of whom it does not say that they turned their faces to the wall, but it sufficed to say that they "prayed to Hashem?" For whoever prays does so with proper intention, EVEN IF HE DOES NOT TURN HIS FACE TO THE WALL, as it says of Moses, "And Moses prayed to Hashem" (Bemidbar 11:2). "And Moses cried to Hashem" (Shemot, 17:4), but not that he "turned his face toward the wall." Why does it say of Hezekiah that he "turned his face toward the wall," then prayed?

387. HE ANSWERS, The secret of the matter is what we learned of Hezekiah that he was not married at the time. He had no wife, nor did he beget any children. It is therefore written, "And Isaiah...came to him, and said to him...'For you shall die, and not live'" (Yeshayah 38:1). We derived from it that "you shall die" in this world "and not live" in the World to Come. Why? Because he did not beget children.

388. Whoever does not strive to beget children in this world has no existence in the World to Come, nor any portion thereof. His soul is driven from the world, and cannot find rest in any place in the world. This is the punishment indicted in the Torah by the words, "They shall die childless" (Vayikra 20:20). For when he goes to the World to Come, he who has no children dies there AND IS CONSIDERED DEAD in this world and in the World to Come. It is therefore written, "For you shall die, and not live."

389. Moreover, the Shechinah did not rest upon him at all. From the words, "Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall," we learned that he made up his mind and decided to take a wife, so that the Shechinah, the secret of wall, would rest upon him, AS THE SHECHINAH IS CALLED WALL.

390. Hence it continues, "And prayed to Hashem." From this, we learned that whoever has sinned, and wishes to ask for forgiveness, should first fix his heart and thought upon purifying himself of that sin, and only then to pray, as it says, "Let us search and try our ways" (Eichah 3:40) first, then "turn back to Hashem" (Ibid.). Here too, since Hezekiah was conscious of his sin, it is written, "Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall," in resolution to be purified before the Shechinah CALLED WALL, for he sinned to that place.

391. Since all the females in the world are in the secret of the Shechinah, the Shechinah rests upon whomever has a wife, but not upon him who does not. Therefore, Hezekiah resolved to be purified before Her, and took upon himself to marry a wife. Then he "prayed to Hashem."

392. The wall is Master of all the earth, the Shechinah, as it says, "Behold, the Ark of the Covenant (of) the Master of all the earth" (Yehoshua 3:11). HENCE, THE ARK OF THE COVENANT IS THE SHECHINAH CALLED MASTER OF ALL THE EARTH, and also called wall, as in "a breaking down of walls" (Yeshayah 22:5), WHICH MEANS the crying of the wall. For it is Master OF ALL THE EARTH, while the Temple was destroyed, as it says, "Rachel weeping for her children" (Yirmeyah 31:14), which we have already explained. Therefore, "Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall."

393. Come and see, It is said in his prayer, "Remember now, O Hashem, I beseech You, how I have walked before You" (Yeshayah 38:3). Here, he hints that he kept the Holy Covenant not to defile it but to guard it well, as it says here, "I have walked before You" and elsewhere "walk before Me, and be perfect. And I will make My Covenant between Me and you" (Beresheet 17:1-2). AS "WALK" REFERS TO THE HOLY COVENANT, HERE TOO "I HAVE WALKED" MEANS that he kept well the Holy Covenant. "In truth and with a perfect heart" means that he was intent upon the secrets of faith comprised in Truth.

394. "And have done that which is good in Your sight" (Yeshayah 38:3) means that he did not interrupt his prayer between 'redemption (Ga'al Yisrael)' and the Amidah prayer, YESOD BEING CALLED REDEMPTION AND THE NUKVA, PRAYER. We have already explained, and the friends too, that he meant to declare the union in a proper manner. He "wept sore" for no gate resists tears AND REMAINS CLOSED. Redemption COMBINED WITH PRAYER is CALLED THE NUKVA, the redeeming angel, which may be found at every redemption in the world, as we have already explained.