Visions by vision, simile and dream

86. The Holy Luminary said further, Ssurely you are all that, as said, "If there be a prophet among you" (Bemidbar 12:6). For that reason, when supernal Ima, WHO IS BINAH, was revealed to you, you said, "I will now turn aside, and see this great sight (or: 'vision'), why the bush is not burnt" (Shemot 3:3). For since BINAH is Mercy, it says of it, "the bush is not burnt," THAT IS, THAT WHICH IS CALLED BUSH WILL NOT BURN.

87. There are five lights TO BINAH called sunrays, SINCE BINAH IS CALLED SUN, FROM CHESED to Hod. And from there, FROM BINAH, to Hod they used to shine on you, Faithful Shepherd. This gave Hod to Moses, to let it be known that all FIVE SFIROT, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH AND HOD gave to you since even Hod WAS GIVEN TO YOU. This is why the face of Moses is like the face of the sun, THAT IS, LIKE BINAH CALLED SUN. And these five SFIROT amount to the fifty gates of Binah SINCE EVERY SFIRAH COMPREHENDS TEN SFIROT.

88. And these five we mentioned, which are the five TIMES 'light' mentioned in the first day OF CREATION, WHICH IS CHESED, which correspond to the five fingers of the right hand, WHICH IS CHESED, appeared to you at the bush, since you are destined to bring out Abraham's descendants from exile, who is the grade of right, WHICH IS CHESED. From there Binah is complete Mercy, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SECRET OF the great hand, WHICH IS CHESED. But from the aspect of Gvurah, CALLED the strong hand, ITS FIVE SFIROT ARE THE SECRET OF five times 'firmament' MENTIONED in the second day OF THE WORKS OF CREATION that correspond to the five fingers of the left hand. But from your grade, WHICH IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN, IT SAYS, "and the children of Yisrael went out with a high hand" (Shemot 14:8) THAT CORRESPONDS TO THE BODY, WHICH IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN, INCLUDING the body, the two arms and two legs, which are FIVE ASPECTS corresponding to the five fingers IN THE HAND. THIS THE THREE HANDS ARE five, five, five, NAMELY five fingers of the right hand, five fingers of the left hand and the two arms, two legs and the body, which are five. TOGETHER they amount to Yud Hei (= 15). The Faithful Shepherd said to him, blessed are you to supernal Ima, BINAH. Yet these Yud Hei, THE THREE HANDS, CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, form for me the last Hei for the rod of Elohim, which is Vav, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN. NAMELY, YUD HEI, WHICH ARE CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, BUILD MALCHUT FOR ZEIR ANPIN. He said, surely it is so.

89. THE FAITHFUL SHEPHERD said to the Holy Luminary, I come to support your words as YOU SAID THAT VISION IS BINAH, YET a vision is to the right, since if you calculate THE NUMERICAL VALUE OF 'in a vision,' of which it says, "make Myself known to him in a vision (Heb. bemar'eh)" (Bemidbar 12:6), you shall find it is IN NUMERICAL VALUE 248 that is the same numerical value as Abraham, WHICH IS CHESED. THIS SEEING IN A VISION IS CHESED OF ZEIR ANPIN RATHER THAN FROM BINAH. The Holy Luminary said TO HIM, at first the vision appeared to you of which it says, "make Myself known to him in a vision," WHICH IS BINAH. Then you said, "I will now turn aside, and see this great sight (or: 'vision'), why the bush is not burnt," NAMELY BINAH, wherein the bush is mentioned five times. THEY CORRESPOND TO THE FIVE LIGHTS OF THE RIGHT IN BINAH THAT ILLUMINATE THE BUSH FIVE TIMES, WHICH ARE ITS FIVE JUDGMENTS THAT TURN INTO MERCY LIKE BINAH. THIS IS WHY THE BUSH DID NOT BURN. Now this vision is revealed to you again with the 248 positive precepts in the five books of the Torah, NAMELY THE FIVE LIGHTS OF CHESED OF ZEIR ANPIN CALLED TORAH. The Faithful Shepherd rose, kissed him and blessed him. WE SHOULD KNOW THERE ARE TWO MIRRORS (OR VISIONS), THE SHINING MIRROR THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN AND ALSO BINAH, AS HE SAYS HERE, AND THE NON-SHINING MIRROR THAT IS MALCHUT.

90. THE FAITHFUL SHEPHERD said to him, Holy Luminary, this vision is at times preceded by the letter Hei, "the great vision (Heb. hamar'eh)," and at times by the letter Bet, "make Myself known to him in a vision (Heb. bemar'eh)"; at times by Mem, "from what appeared (Heb. mimar'eh) to be his loins downward" (Yechezkel 1:27), at times with Caf, "the appearance (Heb. kemar'eh) of a man above" (Ibid. 26); sometimes by Vav, "And the sight (Heb. umar'eh) of the glory of Hashem" (Shemot 24:17), and, "after the sight (Heb. lemar'eh). Yet it did not need an additional letter at all except Bet of 'bemar'eh.' But surely this mirror comprehends ten Sfirot, and each letter indicates its Sfirah, namely 'kemar'eh' with Caf indicates Keter, and so on; the rest of the letters shows each its own Sfirah. And there is no need to speak here at length; a hint would be sufficient to the wise.

91. How many apparitions it has, how many similes and visions, all known through the eye of the mind of the heart, WHICH IS MALCHUT, of which it says, 'a knowing heart,' and, 'an understanding heart,' and the words OF THE VERSE, "and used similes by means of the prophets" (Hoshea 12:11). Simile is only by means of the mind of the heart, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and is unlike the imaging of the eye. This is what is meant by, "To whom then will you liken Me, that I should be his equal" (Yeshayah 40:25), and, "To whom then will you liken El" (Ibid. 18). There are sights like those of the stargazers, WHICH ARE FROM THE OTHER SIDE. But a prophetic apparition is like a nightly apparition, WHICH IS MALCHUT CALLED NIGHT, BUT NOT OF SFIROT HIGHER THAN HER.

92. Similes and apparitions are like deducing one thing from another or likening one thing to another, but a vision that is in the mind's eye is like a light that shines on the pupil of the eye, WHICH IS MALCHUT, since the pupil is black, as it is written, "I am black" (Shir Hashirim 1:5), REFERRING TO THE PUPIL OF THE EYE, "but comely" (Ibid.) with the white light in the eye that shines ON THE PUPIL OF THE EYE. This pupil of the eyes is called "the commandment is a lamp" (Mishlei 6:23), and the light that shines within it from inside NAMELY THE WHITE, is, "and Torah is light" (Ibid.), THAT IS, ZEIR ANPIN THAT IS CALLED TORAH.

93. The Holy Luminary said, That is what I said, that now through the Torah the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah were revealed to you. That is WHAT IS MEANT BY, "make Myself known to him in a vision" (Bemidbar 12:6). The vision is supernal Ima. "Make Myself known," MEANS IT IS KNOWN to you through knowledge (Da'at), WHICH IS the son of Yud Hei, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN THAT IS VAV OF YUD HEI VAV HEI. "And speak to him in a dream" (Bemidbar 12:6) refers to last Hei, WHICH IS THE SHECHINAH.

94. The dream is with the eyes shut, NAMELY MALCHUT, for which reason it is called the non-shining mirror. Prophecy is a vision with open eyes, since the three colors of the eye correspond to the three patriarchs CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET in which the only daughter, WHICH IS MALCHUT, NAMELY THE PUPIL OF THE EYE, shines. The two sides of the eyes are Netzach and Hod, and the vision OF PROPHECY is seen only through them, NETZACH AND HOD. When they are open it is a waking vision and when they are shut it is a vision in a dream.

95. The Faithful Shepherd said to him, blessed are you to the Holy One, blessed be He. Rise and complete the precepts so the supernal vision, WHICH IS BINAH, shall shine with them, WITH THE PRECEPTS towards the Holy One, blessed be He. The Holy Luminary said to him, Yud is the pupil of the eye, NAMELY MALCHUT, OF WHICH IT SAYS, "For the commandment is a lamp; and Torah is light," SINCE THE COMMANDMENT IS A LAMP REFERS TO MALCHUT AND THE TORAH IS LIGHT REFERS TO ZEIR ANPIN. SHE IS Hei Vav AS VAV shines on her, ON THE PUPIL OF THE EYE, five SFIROT, WHICH ARE the three colors in the eye, CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, and the two sides of the eye, NETZACH AND HOD. And five TIMES 'light' shine on THE PUPIL OF THE EYE from within, SINCE THEY ARE FROM supernal Hei, WHICH IS BINAH, which is the light of the (Hei) vision.