Three watches

431. RABBI YEHUDA said TO RABBI CHIZKIYAH, If harm is probable, it is so AND WE SHOULD BE AFRAID, but it is not probable FOR WE SEE HERE NO BEASTS WHICH COULD HARM US. And after we enter the cave, WE ARE SAFE for no evil will follow to harm us. THEREFORE IT IS SAID, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS ARE BOLD AS A LION" (MISHLEI 28:1). They entered the cave. Rabbi Yehuda said, We shall divide the night into three watches. Each of us will stand guard at one watch of the night and we shall keep awake.

432. Rabbi Yehuda opened the discussion saying, "A Maskil of Eitan the Ezrachite" (Tehilim 89:1). This hymn was sung by the Patriarch Abraham when he strove to serve the Holy One, blessed be He, by doing kindness with the people of the world, in making them all acknowledge that the Holy One, blessed be He, reigns over the land. He is called Eitan (lit. 'strong') since he was strongly attached to the Holy One, blessed be He.

433. "I will sing the mercies (Heb. chassadim) of Hashem forever" (Tehilim 89:2): HE ASKS, Why does singing come from the side of the pious (Heb. chassidim) WHO ARE OF THE RIGHT COLUMN, SEEING THAT SINGING COMES FROM THE LEFT COLUMN? HE ANSWERS, Here the left is included within the right. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, tried Abraham and tested him. We learned that Isaac was 37 at the time OF THE BINDING. Why does it say that He tried Abraham? It should have said that He tried Isaac. The reason it says that He tried Abraham is to make him be of Judgment, properly included in Judgment, SINCE HE WAS WHOLLY OF THE ATTRIBUTE OF CHESED. In this way will he be perfected. Therefore, "I will sing the Mercies of Hashem forever," SINCE HE WAS ALREADY INCLUDED OF THE LEFT COLUMN, WHENCE SINGING COMES FROM.

434. Another explanation for: "I will sing the Mercies of Hashem forever." These are the mercies that the Holy One, blessed be He, does by the world. "With my mouth I will make known Your faithfulness to all generations" (Ibid.) refers to the kindness and truth He confers upon all. It is the faith in the Holy One, blessed be He, that Abraham spread in the world, and caused Him to be mentioned on the tongue of all creatures. Therefore "with my mouth I will make known Your faithfulness."

435. The Holy One, blessed be He, revealed to Abraham the secret of faith, WHICH IS THE NUKVA. When he knew it, ABRAHAM knew that the world was created and existed for his sake, FOR HE IS THE SECRET OF CHESED. Hence, "For I have said, 'The world is built by love (lit. 'Chesed')'" (Tehilim 89:3). For when the Holy One, blessed be He, created the universe, THE NUKVA, He saw the world could not endure, so He extended His right hand, WHICH IS CHESED, and it endured. If He had not extended His right upon it, it would not have existed since this world, THE SECRET OF THE NUKVA, was created by Judgment AND THEREFORE CANNOT EXIST WITHOUT CHESED, as we have already explained.

436. We have learned that the secret of: "In the beginning" (Beresheet 1:1) is that there are two principals in one. Though we said that it is the beginning from below upward, WHICH IS MALCHUT, "the beginning" also MEANS BEGINNING from above downward, WHICH IS CHOCHMAH; MEANING, BINAH RETURNED TO BE CHOCHMAH. We have explained the word "In (the letter Bet) the beginning" as in the house (Heb. bet) of the Holy of Holies, WHICH IS THE NUKVA, THE HOUSE of the beginning, WHICH IS CHOCHMAH. The word "IN THE BEGINNING" includes THE NUKVA AND CHOCHMAH as one.

437. By this house, the world, THE NUKVA, was created, MEANING, SHE IS BUILT AS A HOUSE FOR CHOCHMAH, BY RECEIVING FROM THE LEFT COLUMN AND THEREFORE LACKING IN CHASSADIM. Yet it exists only through the right, CHESED, FOR CHOCHMAH CANNOT EXIST WITHOUT CHESED. We have already explained that the word "Behibar'am (Eng. 'when they were created')" (Beresheet 2:4) has the same letters as 'BeAbraham' (Eng. 'in Abraham'), THE SECRET OF CHESED. Therefore it is written, "For I have said, 'The world is built by Chesed.'" The first building of the world, THE NUKVA, derived its existence from the light of the first day; NAMELY CHESED. Then on the second day, it was included within the left, WHICH IS GVURAH, and heaven, ZEIR ANPIN, was perfected by them, as it is written, "You do establish Your faithfulness in the heavens" (Tehilim 89:3). BY HEAVEN BEING ESTABLISHED BY THE TWO COLUMNS, CHESED AND GVURAH, FAITH, NAMELY THE NUKVA, IS MADE READY TO BE PERFECTED BY THE TWO COLUMNS, CHESED AND GVURAH.

438. Another explanation for: "You do establish Your faithfulness in the heavens" is that the heaven, ZEIR ANPIN, was established by Chassadim, and the secret of faith, THE NUKVA, was established by them, AS IT SAYS "THE WORLD IS BUILT BY CHESED." THUS, THE HEAVEN INSPIRED CHESED UPON THE NUKVA CALLED 'WORLD,' AND HENCE IT IS SAID, "YOU DO ESTABLISH YOUR FAITHFULNESS IN THE HEAVENS." For THE NUKVA cannot be established save by heaven, ZEIR ANPIN.

439. "I have made a Covenant with My chosen" (Ibid. 4). THE COVENANT is the secret of faith CONFERRED UPON DAVID. Another explanation is that THE COVENANT is the Righteous, YESOD, from whom blessings flow upon the lower beings. The holy living creatures, WHICH ARE ANGELS, are all blessed by the abundance poured upon the lower beings. Therefore it is written, "I have made a Covenant with My chosen," FOR HE WILL BE WORTHY OF THE COVENANT.

440. "I have sworn to David, My servant" (Tehilim 89:3). This oath is the secret of faith, WHICH IS THE NUKVA, which is always supported by the Righteous, YESOD. This oath is forever, so they will never be separated, save at the time of exile WHEN THEY WILL BE SEPARATED, when the abundance of blessings is withheld, the secret of faith cannot be perfected and there is no joy. At night, also, no joys come before the King.

441. Though joys do not awaken AT NIGHT, ANGELS stand and chant hymns outside the King's temple. At midnight, the awakening rises from below upward. The Holy One, blessed be He, then awakens all the celestial armies to weep, and strikes the firmament. There is trembling high and low.

442. He finds no pleasure save when there is awakening below to the Torah. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, and all the souls of the righteous listen joyfully to the sound, and He is pleased. Since the day the Temple was destroyed below, the Holy One, blessed be He, swore that He would not enter the celestial Jerusalem until Yisrael would enter the terrestrial Jerusalem, as it is written, "The Holy One in the midst of you; and I will not come into the city" (Hoshea 11:9), WHICH MEANS THAT "THE HOLY ONE IN THE MIDST OF YOU," NEVERTHELESS "I WILL NOT COME INTO THE CITY," WHICH IS THE CELESTIAL JERUSALEM, UNTIL YISRAEL SHALL ENTER THE TERRESTRIAL JERUSALEM.

443. All the singers stand outside THE TEMPLE and chant during the three watches of the night, WHICH CORRESPOND TO THE THREE COLUMNS, all singing certain praises. The hosts of heaven are all awakened by night and Yisrael by day. Sanctification is not recited above until the children of Yisrael recite it below, then all the heavenly hosts sanctify together the Holy Name. Hence, holy Yisrael is sanctified high and low. This is the secret of the verse, "You shall be holy: for I Hashem your Elohim am holy" (Vayikra 19:2).

444. Rabbi Yosi opened the discussion saying, "Whereupon are its foundations fastened?" (Iyov 38:6). The Holy One, blessed be He, said this TO JOB. For when He created the universe, THE NUKVA, He put it on pillars, the seven pillars of the world CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT, as it says "she has hewn out her seven pillars" (Mishlei 9:1). Upon what the pillars rest is unknown.

445. HE ANSWERS, It is a very deep and inscrutable secret that the world, THE NUKVA, was not created until He took a stone called "the foundation stone." The Holy One, blessed be He, took it and threw it into the abyss, where it was stuck upside down. From it the world, THE NUKVA, was planted. It is the central point of the world, where the Holy of Holies stands. It is alluded to by the verse, "who laid its corner stone" (Iyov 38:6), "a tried stone, a precious corner stone" (Yeshayah 28:16) as in "The stone which the builders rejected has become the head stone of the corner" (Tehilim 118:22). ALL THESE REFER TO THE SECRET OF THE FOUNDATION STONE.

446. Come and see, This stone was created from fire, wind and water. TO WIT, IT RECEIVES FROM THE THREE COLUMNS OF ZEIR ANPIN, and was hardened into one stone, standing upon the abyss. Sometimes, water flows from it and the deeps are filled. This stone stands as a sign in the middle of the universe. It is the stone which Jacob set and implanted for the world to expand and be established by. Hence the words, "And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar" (Beresheet 31:45).

447. "And this stone, which I have set for a pillar" (Beresheet 28:22). HE ASKS, How could this stone be put there by Jacob, if it was created in the beginning, when the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world? HE ANSWERS, He only put it there as a support for the high and low. Therefore it says, "Which I have set for a pillar," "I put" so it "shall be Elohim's house" (Ibid.), by putting here the upper storey; NAMELY, THAT HE DREW INTO IT THE SUPERNAL MOCHIN.

448. Come and see, This stone has seven eyes, as said, "Upon one stone are seven eyes" (Zecharyah 3:9). THE EYES ARE THE SECRET OF CHOCHMAH, AND WHEN CHOCHMAH IS REVEALED BY CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT OF THE NUKVA IT IS CALLED 'SEVEN EYES.' Why is it called a foundation (Heb. shetiyah) stone? Since the world was planted from it. The word 'shetiyah' contains the letters shat Yah (lit. 'Yah put'), for the Holy One, blessed be He, WHO IS BINAH CALLED YAH, has put it so that the world will be blessed by it, and indeed it is blessed by it.

449. Come and see when the sun sets, IN THE FIRST WATCH AT NIGHT, the Cherubs stand in this place, THE HOLY OF HOLIES, WHICH STANDS ON THE CENTRAL POINT, THE FOUNDATION STONE. They stand there by a miracle THROUGH THE LIGHTS OF BINAH, WHICH DO NOT BELONG TO IT, AND ARE THEREFORE CONSIDERED A MIRACLE. They beat their wings and spread them, and the sound of their wings' song is heard above. Then the angels, who chant at the beginning of the night, start to sing so that the Holy One, blessed be He, will be glorified above and below. What do the wings of the Cherubs chant? "Behold, bless Hashem, all you servants of Hashem... Lift up your hands in the sanctuary" (Tehilim 134:1-2). It is then time for the supernal angels to sing.

450. On the second watch, the Cherubs beat their wings above and the sound of their singing is heard. Then the angels of the second watch start to chant. What do the Cherubs' wings sing at that hour? "They who trust in Hashem shall be like Mount Zion..." (Tehilim 125:1). It is then time for the angels of the second watch to sing.

451. On the third watch, the Cherubs beat their wings and chant hymns. They sing, "Haleluyah! Give praise, O servants of Hashem... Blessed be the name of Hashem...From the rising of the sun..." (Tehilim 113:1-3). Then all the angels of the third watch sing.

452. All the stars and constellations in the firmament start to sing ON THE THIRD WATCH, as it is written, "when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of Elohim shouted for joy" (Iyov 38:7), and "praise Him, all you stars of light" (Tehilim 148:3), as all these stars of light play music upon the light; MEANING, THROUGH SINGING, LIGHT IS DRAWN.

453. When morning rises, Yisrael follow them with their singing and the Holy One, blessed be He, is glorified from below and from above. Yisrael sing below by day and the supernal angels at night. Then the Holy Name is perfected on all sides.

454. All the supernal angels and Yisrael below are strengthened by the stone we referred to. It rises above to be adorned by the fathers by day. By night, the Holy One, blessed be He, ZEIR ANPIN, comes to the Garden of Eden to be delighted by the righteous.

455. Happy are those who are established in their existence and study the Torah at night, since the Holy One, blessed be He, and all the righteous in the Garden of Eden listen to the voices of men who study the Torah, as it is written, "You that dwell in the gardens, the companions hearken for your voice, cause me to hear it" (Shir Hashirim 8:13).

456. Come and see, This stone is a precious stone, FOR IT WAS SWEETENED BY BINAH AND IS GOODLY AND WORTHY OF RECEIVING MOCHIN. This is the secret of the verse, "And you shall set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones" (Shemot 28:17). They are the arrangements of the precious stone, the setting of the goodly stone; MEANING, THEY ARE THE SECRET OF THE MOCHIN OF THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH RECEIVED IN MALCHUT ACCORDING TO THE SECRET OF THREE TIMES FOUR WHICH AMOUNT TO TWELVE. For there is another stone, NAMELY MALCHUT THAT WAS NOT SWEETENED IN BINAH, of which it is written, "And I shall remove the heart of stone." "And I will put my spirit within you" (Yechezkel 36:26), WHICH MEANS THAT AS LONG AS THE HEART OF STONE IS NOT REMOVED, THE SPIRIT OF HASHEM DOES NOT DWELL IN US, SINCE IT IS NOT SWEETENED BY BINAH. IT IS ALSO CALLED "a tried stone, a precious cornerstone" (Yeshayah 28:16).

457. In regard to this secret, it is written "tablets of stone" (Shemot 31:18), for this is where the stones were hewn, FROM THE PRECIOUS STONE. They are therefore named after this stone. This is the secret of the verse, "From thence the shepherd, the stone of Yisrael" (Beresheet 49:24), as we learned, THAT THIS TOO IS THE SECRET OF THE PRECIOUS STONE.

458. Rabbi Chizkiyah opened the discussion saying, "And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Yisrael, twelve" (Shemot 28:21). These are the supernal precious stones called the stones of the place, as it is written, "And he took of the stones of that place" (Beresheet 28:11), as has been explained. THESE ARE THE SFIROT OF THE NUKVA, AND THE NUKVA IS CALLED PLACE. "And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Yisrael" as there are twelve tribes below, so there above, IN THE NUKVA, twelve tribes which are twelve precious stones. It is also written, "There the tribes go up, the tribes of Yah, for a testimony unto Yisrael" (Tehilim 122:4). This is the secret of the supernal Yisrael; NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN WHICH POURS THESE TWELVE UNTO THE NUKVA. They are all there "to give thanks to the name of Hashem" (Ibid.), WHICH IS THE NUKVA CALLED THE NAME OF HASHEM. Therefore it is written, "And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Yisrael."

459. Just as there are twelve hours in the day, THE TWELVE OF ZEIR ANPIN, so there are twelve hours at night, THE TWELVE OF THE NUKVA. The daytime ones are above, and the nightly below, THE TWELVE OF ZEIR ANPIN BEING ABOVE AND THOSE OF THE NUKVA BELOW, MEANING, THEY RECEIVE FROM THE TWELVE OF ZEIR ANPIN WHICH ARE ABOVE. The ones correspond to the others. The twelve nightly hours are divided into three parts, THE THREE WATCHES WE MENTIONED. Numerous legions are stationed beneath them over various grades, all of them in charge by night. They first receive their food, AND THEN CHANT HYMNS, AS IT IS WRITTEN, "SHE RISES ALSO WHILE IT IS YET NIGHT, AND GIVES FOOD TO HER HOUSEHOLD..." (MISHLEI 31:15).

460. At midnight, there are two settings on the one side and two settings on the other side. A Supernal Spirit comes out from between them. Then, all the trees in the Garden of Eden start to sing and the Holy One, blessed be He, enters the Garden of Eden. This is described in the verse, "Then shall the trees of the wood sing for joy at the presence of Hashem, because He comes to judge the earth" (I Divrei Hayamim 16:33), as it is written, "With righteousness shall He judge the poor" (Yeshayah 11:4). For justice, ZEIR ANPIN comes in between them and the Garden of Eden is filled with it.

461. And a northern wind is stirred in the world and joy abounds, FOR AFTER THE BALANCING OF THE CENTRAL COLUMN, NORTH IS CLOTHED BY SOUTH, AND CHOCHMAH BY CHASSADIM. THEN THERE IS JOY IN THE ILLUMINATION OF THE NORTH, THE LEFT COLUMN. HE EXPLAINS, The wind, THE CENTRAL COLUMN, blows at the perfumes, THE SECRET OF THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH, THROUGH WHICH THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH IS CLOTHED BY PERFUMES OF CHASSADIM WITHIN THE SPIRIT, and THE PERFUMES raise scent from below upward, and the righteous are adorned with their crowns, MEANING THAT THEY RECEIVE MOCHIN, and enjoy the splendor of the shining mirror, ZEIR ANPIN.

462. Happy are the righteous who attain that supernal light and the light of the mirror which shines to all sides, RIGHT AND LEFT. Each of the righteous receives his appropriate share, according to his deeds in this world. Some of them are in shame before the light since their neighbor has received more to illuminate. This has already been explained.

463. The watches in the night ARE from the setting of night, several accusers are awakened to roam about the world and the ports OF LIGHTS are closed. THIS IS THE FIRST WATCH. Afterwards, DURING THE SECOND WATCH, all sorts OF EMISSARIES OF JUDGMENT ARE ROUSED as we explained, THAT THE SECOND WATCH PERTAINS TO THE LEFT COLUMN, THE NORTH WIND, FOR AS LONG AS IT IS NOT CONNECTED WITH THE SOUTH WIND, WHICH IS OF THE RIGHT, MANY JUDGMENTS WILL COME FROM IT. At midnight IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SECOND WATCH, the northern wind descends from above downward and holds on to night, WHICH IS THE NUKVA, until the end of the second watch.

464. Then, AT THE THIRD WATCH, the south side, CHESED, is aroused TO BE ATTACHED TO THE NORTH THROUGH THE CENTRAL COLUMN until morning. When morning comes, SOUTH AND NORTH ARE ALREADY ATTACHED TO THE NUKVA. Then Yisrael come below with their prayer and request and raise Her above TO ZEIR ANPIN until She ascends to be concealed among THE LIGHTS OF ZEIR ANPIN. TO WIT, SHE REDUCED HERSELF AND BECAME NULL TO THE GRADE OF ZEIR ANPIN, then receives blessings from the King's head.

465. She is blessed from the dew that flows UNTO ZEIR ANPIN from above. The dew is divided TO ILLUMINATE on several sides, BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT. AND THOUGH THE DEW ITSELF IS BUT THE LIGHT OF CHESED, myriads of grades are sustained by it, which will raise the dead in the future. This is the meaning of the verse, "Awake and sing, you that dwell in dust: for your dew is as the dew on herbs (lit. 'of lights')" (Yeshayah 26:19); MEANING, the dew from the supernal lights which shine above.

466. While they were sitting, midnight arrived. Rabbi Yehuda said to Rabbi Yosi, Now that the north wind is awakened at midnight, it is time when the Holy One, blessed be He, longs for the voices of the righteous in this world who are occupied in the Torah. The Holy One, blessed be He, now listens to them. Let us not stop from studying the Torah in this place.