582. "Binding his foal to the vine, and his ass's colt to the choice vine" (Beresheet 49:11): Rabbi Chiya opened the discussion saying, "Hashem shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul" (Tehilim 121:7). HE ASKS, After saying, "Hashem shall preserve you from all evil," why add "He shall preserve your soul?" HE ANSWERS, "Hashem shall preserve you from all evil" in this world and "shall preserve your soul" in the world of Truth.
583. By "the keeping in this world" is meant that a man is protected from evil accusing demons, which go in the world to bring charges against people and cling to them. By "the keeping in the world of Truth" is meant that when a man passes away from this world, if he be meritorious, his soul ascends to be adorned in its place. But if he is not MERITORIOUS, several legions of demons appear before him and drag him into Gehenom, where he is delivered to the hands of Dumah, who hands him to the chief in charge over Gehenom. There are 13,000 chieftains with him, who all await the souls of the wicked.
584. Come and see, There are seven chambers in Gehenom, and seven gates. The soul of the wicked enters THERE. There are several fiends, spirits and gate keepers, and one chief in charge over each gate. The souls of the wicked are delivered to these chiefs by Dumah. Once they are delivered, THEY close the gates of burning fire.
585. There are double gates, which are opened and closed, the outer ones are open and the inner closed. Every Shabbat all of them are open. The wicked go out as far as the outer gates, where they meet other souls, which tarry there, BUT DO NOT ENTER GEHENOM. When Shabbat goes out, the herald comes out to each gate and says "The wicked shall return to Sheol" (Tehilim 9:18). Come and behold, the souls of the righteous are protected by the Holy One, blessed be He, from being delivered into the hands of the chieftain Dumah, as it is written, "Hashem shall preserve your going out and your coming in" (Tehilim 121:8) and "He shall preserve your soul."
586. "Binding his foal to the vine:" HE ASKS, What is a vine? HE SAYS, It is the Congregation of Yisrael, THE NUKVA, as it says, "You have brought a vine out of Egypt" (Tehilim 80:9) and "Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine" (Ibid. 128:3). Your wife is as the holy vine, THE SUPERNAL NUKVA. Rabbi Yosi said about the vine over which we say the benediction - 'Who created the fruit of the vine (Heb. bore peri hagefen)' - 'created' means "a tree yielding fruit" (Beresheet 1:12). 'The fruit of the vine' is a fruit tree, 'yielding fruit' is the male, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN, and the 'fruit tree' is a female, NAMELY THE NUKVA OF ZEIR ANPIN. Therefore, "who created the fruit of the vine" includes a male and a female together, MALE AND FEMALE.
587. "Binding his foal to the vine:" This is King Messiah, who will rule over the nations' armies, and over the hosts in charge of the idolatrous nations who derive their strength from them. King Messiah is destined to overpower them.
588. Because this vine, THE NUKVA, rules over the lower crowns, through which the idolatrous nations reign, and is victorious above, the children of Yisrael, who are called "the choice vine," will conquer and annihilate the other legions below, and King Messiah will overpower all of them. It is written "poor and riding upon an donkey, and upon a colt" (Zecharyah 9:9). The donkey and the colt are two crowns, through which the idolatrous nations rule. They are of the left side, the side of profanity. AND KING MESSIAH OVERCOMES THEM.
589. HE ASKS, Why DOES SCRIPTURE SAY ABOUT KING MESSIAH THAT he is poor? Can King Messiah be called poor? HE ANSWERS, Rabbi Shimon said it is so, because he has nothing of his own, SINCE IT IS THE NUKVA OF ZEIR ANPIN which is called King Messiah. But it is the holy moon above, THE NUKVA OF ZEIR ANPIN, which has no light of her own, save what she receives from the sun, ZEIR ANPIN. SHE IS THEREFORE CALLED POOR.
590. King Messiah, THE NUKVA, will have dominion and will be united in his place above. Then "behold, your king comes to you" (Zecharyah 9:9). It does not say what king, SINCE HE INCLUDES THE NUKVA ABOVE AND KING MESSIAH BELOW. Below he is poor because he is of the aspect of the moon, WHICH IS THE SUPERNAL NUKVA. FOR THE MESSIAH BELOW IS DRAWN FROM THE NUKVA, AND IS THEREFORE CALLED POOR LIKE HER. Above She is poor, THE NUKVA HERSELF, because She is the mirror which does not shine OF HER OWN, BUT FROM ZEIR ANPIN, AND IS THEREFORE CALLED bread of poverty. With all that, THE MESSIAH IS "riding upon an donkey, and upon a colt," which are the stronghold of the idolatrous nation, to subdue them. The Holy One, blessed be He, THE NUKVA, will be strengthened in His place ABOVE, AS THE VERSE, "BEHOLD, YOUR KING COMES TO YOU" INCLUDES THEM BOTH.
591. "He washes his garments in wine" (Beresheet 49:11) is like the verses, "Who is this that comes from Edom, with crimsoned garments from Botzra?" (Yeshayah 63:1) and "I have trodden the winepress alone" (Ibid. 3). The wine is the side of Gvurah OF ZEIR ANPIN, of strict Judgment upon the idolatrous nations. "And his clothes in the blood of grapes" (Beresheet 49:11) refers to the lower tree, THE NUKVA, the court of law called grapes. The wine is mingled with the blood of grapes in order to be clothed by both THE STRICT JUDGMENT OF ZEIR ANPIN AND THE JUDGMENT OF THE NUKVA, to crush beneath it all the other idolatrous nations and the Kings of the world.