269. He opened the discussion again, saying, "A perverse man sows strife: and a complainer separates close friends (also: 'chief')" (Mishlei 16:28). As we said, "a perverse man sows strife" means that evil men cause a blemish above, FOR STRIFE MEANS A BLEMISH. "And a complainer separates a chief" means that he separates the chief of the world, the Holy One, blessed be He.

270. Another explanation for: "A perverse man sows strife (Heb. madon)" (Ibid): What is "sows?" It means he sows strife by the plants, MALE AND FEMALE; NAMELY, HE CAUSES THEM to nourish from the side of Judgment, THE LEFT SIDE OF BINAH, WHICH IS JUDGMENT. STRIFE MEANS JUDGMENT. "And a complainer separates close friends:" As we said, an evil man causes a blemish above. "Separates" alludes to a lack of union BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE, for he separates the Queen from the King and the King from the Queen. Hence, it is not considered one, because one is only when ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT are together in a union. Woe to the wicked who cause a separation above. Happy are the righteous who preserve the upper establishment, NAMELY THE UNION OF MALE AND FEMALE, and happy are the repentants who return everything to its place.

271. We learned that where the repentants stand, the wholly righteous may not. What is the reason thereof? HE ANSWERS, THE REPENTANTS are placed in the high place where the garden's potion is; NAMELY, BINAH WHICH WATERS THE GARDEN, MALCHUT. This is repentance, AS EXPLAINED ABOVE, THE RETURNING OF MALCHUT TO BINAH. They are therefore called repentants (lit. 'men of return'). THE WHOLLY RIGHTEOUS are placed in a different place called the Righteous, YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN.

272. THE PENITENTS therefore dwell in an elevated place, BINAH, and THE WHOLLY RIGHTEOUS in a small place, NAMELY YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN. What is the reason thereof? THE PENITENTS return the water, ABUNDANCE, to its place from the supernal place of the deep river, BINAH, to the place called Righteous, YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN. The wholly righteous draw that abundance from where they dwell, NAMELY YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, to this world. THE PENITENTS are therefore high and the wholly righteous are lower. Happy is the portion of the repentant sinner WHO DRAWS ABUNDANCE FROM BINAH INTO YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN. Happy is the portion of the righteous to whom the world owes its existence, FOR THEY DRAW ABUNDANCE FROM YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN INTO THIS WORLD.

273. It is written, "Then it shall be, because he has sinned, and is guilty" (Vayikra 5:23). It is written before "Or have found that which was lost, and have lied concerning it..." (Ibid. 22), FOR THE SINNER CAUSES A BLEMISH ABOVE. The Holy One, blessed be He, is therefore gone from everything, as if the Holy One, blessed be He, were nonexistent, because the Congregation of Yisrael, MALCHUT, was separated from her place. Hence, it says, "Faithfulness is perished" (Yirmeyah 7:28). What is faithfulness? It is the Congregation of Yisrael, as written, "And Your faithfulness every night" (Tehilim 92:3), NIGHT BEING MALCHUT. "Faithfulness is perished" resembles the words: "Why does the land perish" (Yirmeyah 9:11). It is all the same, FOR MALCHUT IS CALLED BOTH FAITHFULNESS AND LAND. We explained that it is written as a transitive verb, "perish (also: 'lose')," WHICH MEANS THAT MALCHUT LOST HER SPOUSE, YESOD. It is not written as a passive verb, WHICH WOULD MEAN SHE HERSELF WAS LOST. It is likewise written, "The righteous perishes (also: 'loses')" (Yeshayah 57:1). It is not written that he is lost, but that he loses, WHICH MEANS HE LOST HIS SPOUSE, MALCHUT. Therefore, it is written, "Faithfulness has lost" and it is also written, "He shall restore that which he took violently away...or the thing (lost object) which he has deceitfully acquired" (Vayikra 5:23). MALCHUT THAT HAS BEEN DEFECTED BY HIS SIN IS CONSIDERED A LOST OBJECT AND IT IS NECESSARY TO RETURN THAT LOST OBJECT TO THE RIGHTEOUS, THAT IS, YESOD, WHO LOST HER.