16. Rabbi Shimon opened with, "From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, glory to the righteous. BUT I SAID, MY LEANNESS, MY LEANNESS, WOE TO ME! TRAITORS HAVE DEALT TREACHEROUSLY..." (Yeshayah 24:16). Woe to people, that they do not care and are not occupied with the glory of their Master, nor do they behold the supernal holiness, to be sanctified in this world so as to be holy in the World to Come. "The uttermost part of the earth" refers to the supernal covering, NAMELY MALCHUT. "We heard songs," as in, "who gives songs in the night" (Iyov 35:10), that is, the songs and praises of the Congregation of Yisrael, MALCHUT, before the Holy One, blessed be He, WHO IS ZEIR ANPIN, at night. "In the night" MEANS when she is ready and present to praise the Holy One, blessed be He, and takes pleasure in the righteous in the Garden of Eden.
17. When IS SHE READY TO PRAISE THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE? It is from midnight onward. Then, "we heard songs," namely praises. "Songs (Heb. zemirot)" MEANS as in, "nor prune (Heb. tizmor)" (Vayikra 25:4), and ALSO, "so the song of the tyrant shall be brought low" (Yeshayah 25:5), which refers to pulling out all the tyrants from their places. For when the night comes, many tyrannical litigants are present in the world, walking and roaming the world to bring accusations. From midnight onward, a spirit is roused, which pulls them all from their places and removes them so they shall not have power. "We heard songs" refers to the praises of the Congregation of Yisrael TO THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, at night. What is the reason for all that? It is "glory to the righteous," WHICH MEANS MALCHUT WISHES to unite in a single union with the Holy One, blessed be He, and be sanctified with him in the same holiness. "Glory" is derived from desire, while the righteous is Yesod.
18. "But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe to me." "MY LEANNESS (HEB. RAZI)" is a supernal mystery, BECAUSE 'RAZ' MEANS A SECRET. THE SECOND SECRET is TO DRAW a Holy Spirit. THAT IS, THE UNION OF THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, WITH HIS SHECHINAH AT MIDNIGHT IS A SUPERNAL MYSTERY. IF PEOPLE BELOW ARE THEN SANCTIFIED IN THEIR MATING, AND MEDITATE ON IT, THEY DRAW A HOLY SPIRIT. But "woe to me" for the generation and for the world; "traitors have dealt treacherously," for they are all false to Him, THAT IS, THEY DENY THE SUPERNAL PROVIDENCE; they are false to themselves BY NOT SANCTIFYING THEMSELVES DURING MATING. Not only are they false to themselves, but the children they beget would be false because of their falsity DURING MATING, WHICH WAS WITHOUT SUPERNAL HOLINESS, and they are blemished above and below.
19. When Isaiah saw this, he gathered all those who fear sin and taught them the holy way of being sanctified with the holiness of the King DURING MATING so their children would be holy. Once they were sanctified, the children they begot were named after Him. This is the meaning of, "Behold, I and the children whom Hashem has given me are for signs and for portents in Yisrael" (Yeshayah 8:18), which means they are separated from the other nations.
20. Another explanation for, "From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs" is that when Yisrael entered the land with the Holy Ark of the Covenant before them, Yisrael heard from one side in the land praises and joy and the voice of lofty singers that sing in the land. Then, "glory to the righteous," as the praises at that time were directed to Moses, SINCE GLORY IS A WORD OF PRAISE AND GLORIFICATION, AND THE RIGHTEOUS IS MOSES. Wherever the ark dwelt in the land, they would hear a voice saying, "And this is the Torah which Moses set before the children of Yisrael" (Devarim 4:44). But, "woe to me, traitors have dealt treacherously," since Yisrael will betray the Holy One, blessed be He, and be pulled out of the land once. Since falsehood has taken hold in their midst they shall be torn out a second time FROM THE LAND until their iniquities shall be made good in another land.