109. There is another explanation OF THE VERSE, "And Jacob went out from Beer-Sheva, and went toward Charan." Rabbi Aba opened the discussion with the verse, "Happy are they who maintain justice, and do righteousness at all times" (Tehilim 106:3). "Happy are they who maintain justice," happy are Yisrael to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the true Torah to study day and night. And whoever is occupied in studying the Torah attains freedom from everything, but especially freedom from death, which has no power over him. He who studies the Torah and attaches himself to it, holds the Tree of Life. If he relaxes his hold on the Tree of Life, the Tree of Death dwells upon him and seizes him. This is the meaning of the verse, "If you relax in the day of adversity, your strength is narrow" (Mishlei 24:10). The word "relax" means relaxing one's hold on the Torah.
110. "...In the day of adversity, your strength (Heb. kochechah) is narrow." HE ASKS, What is the meaning of, "your strength is narrow?" AND HE ANSWERS, The strength (ko'ach) of koh, WHICH TWO SEGMENTS CONSTITUTE KOCHECHAH (?), is narrow. IF HE RELAXES HIS HOLD ON THE TORAH, THEN THE STRENGTH OF THE SHECHINAH, CALLED 'KOH,' IS NARROW, AND SHE DOES NOT PROTECT HIM. This is because THE SHECHINAH is always within the right, and always protects man when he walks the paths of the Torah. She pushes the evil out so it will not come near the man to denounce him. But when a man deviates from the ways of the Torah and relaxes his hold on it, then the strength of koh, THE SHECHINAH, is narrow, because the evil, the left, has power over that man and pushes koh, THE SHECHINAH, out until the place becomes narrow with hardship.
111. Another explanation of the verse, "your strength is narrow," is that when a man holds on to the ways of the Torah, he is beloved above and below. He becomes the beloved of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, "and Hashem loved him" (II Shmuel 2:24). But when a man deviates from the ways of the Torah, then the strength is narrow (Heb. tzar) of koh, THE SHECHINAH. SHE becomes his enemy (Heb. tzar), and he becomes hers. And that evil, THE EVIL INCLINATION, rules over him and becomes his accuser in this world and the World to Come.
112. Come and behold, this evil, the Evil Inclination, reigns in the world in many ways and has much power in the world. It is the tyrant serpent by which Adam sinned and by which people in the world fail. They draw it upon themselves, until it takes their souls from them.
113. Come and behold, when that EVIL INCLINATION reigns, it reigns over the body, because as soon as it takes control over the body, the soul leaves it. For once the body is defiled, the soul leaves it and ascends. But the Evil Inclination has no power TO REMOVE A MAN'S SOUL until it receives permission to do so. Many that come from the side OF THE EVIL INCLINATION rule over the world. We learned that all the deeds done in the world rule over them THROUGH TEMPTATIONS. It has ministers and servants whose service pertains to worldly deeds, WHO TEMPT MEN TO DO EVIL.
114. Therefore, it is the end of the left. It has been explained that there is the end of the right and the end of the left. This end of the left is "the End of all Flesh" (Beresheet 6:13), and not the end of all spirit. The secret IS THAT THERE ARE TWO ENDS. One is the End of all Flesh, NAMELY, THE ONE IN CHARGE OF THE BODY. The other is the end of all spirit, THE ONE IN CHARGE OVER A MAN'S SPIRIT. Therefore, THE END OF ALL SPIRIT is internal AND THE END OF ALL FLESH is external. The INTERNAL one is holy and the EXTERNAL one is defiled. This has already been explained.
115. Come and behold, WITHIN THE RIGHT SIDE, THE SOUTH, there is a deep mystery of the faith, the mystery of the male world, ZEIR ANPIN, and the female world, THE NUKVA OF ZEIR ANPIN. And the holiest and deepest secrets of the faith, THE NUKVA, come from here. All life and freedom, goodness and lights are from here. All benedictions and spreading of alms and loving love - everything comes from this side, THE RIGHT SIDE. This is the secret of the south.
116. From the north side, the grades spread until the dross of gold reaches down TO BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH of the unholy side. The unholy filth grasps THE MALE above and THE FEMALE below. Here, male and female join together. They are both the rider ON THE SERPENT and the serpent itself, which is the secret of the male and female. This is the secret of Azazel, WHICH INCLUDES THE MALE AND FEMALE OF DEFILEMENT.
117. From here the grades are divided, and several aspects come into the world. They emanate from here and rule over the world. All of them are aspects of defilement and are ministers in charge of the world. Come and behold, when Esau was born into the world, he was red as a rose - AS THE RED COLOR ALLUDES TO THE LEFT - and hairy as a goat - WHICH ALLUDES TO DEFILEMENT, AS IT IS WRITTEN, "AND GOATS SHALL HOP ABOUT THERE" (YESHAYAH 13:21). From here came all the chiefs and powerful officials who rule over the world. This has already been explained.
118. Come and behold, "Happy are they who maintain justice" (Tehilim 106:3). THAT IS, happy are those who preserve the faith of the Holy One, blessed be He, because He is called 'Justice,' and it behooves man to maintain justice and keep himself from turning the other way. This is because the Holy One, blessed be He, is Justice, and all His ways are just.