104. Elijah and heads of the Yeshivot, LISTEN. It is indicated here that a prisoner cannot release himself from prison. For he, ZEIR ANPIN, is tied by the knot of the hand Tefilin and bound by the head Tefilin, when he has no son, NAMELY A MAN WHO WILL WORSHIP THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, NOT FOR THE SAKE OF RECEIVING A REWARD, WHO IS CALLED A SON TO THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, who will redeem him through the aspect of the son of Yud Hei. THAT IS, IF HE WHO PUTS ON TEFILIN IS NOT A CHARIOT TO THE SON OF YUD HEI, WHO IS ZEIR ANPIN, NAMELY, IF HE DOES NOT MEDITATE ON PLEASING HIS MAKER LIKE A SON WHO WORKS FOR HIS FATHER NOT TO RECEIVE A REWARD, THEN by that knot OF TEFILIN the Holy One, blessed be He, is a tied and bound brother, who has no permission to redeem himself, he being Dalet OF ECHAD, which is itself (or: is the bone) of Aleph and Chet OF ECHAD, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN. ZEIR ANPIN called it "bone of my bones" (Beresheet 2:23) in the skull where the head Tefilin is put, and called it "flesh of my flesh" (Ibid.) from the aspect of the heart.
105. Not in vain did the Holy One, blessed be He, say that 'whoever is occupied with the Torah and charity and prays with the congregation, I regard him as if he redeemed Me and My children from among the heathen.' HE ASKS, YET many people are occupied in the Torah and charity and pray with the congregation, yet the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah are not redeemed. AND HE ANSWERS that THE MEANING IS he should study Torah in order to unite the Shechinah with the Holy One, blessed be He, AND NOT FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE. As for charity, we have explained that a Chasid (Eng. 'pious man') is a man who acts with kindness (Chesed) with his Maker, WHICH MEANS THAT all the commandments he performs are done in order to redeem THROUGH THEIR MERIT the Shechinah FROM EXILE, AND NOT FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE. By that he acts with piety with the Holy One, blessed be He, AND IS CALLED PIOUS.
106. Whoever is charitable with the Shechinah, TO BRING HER OUT OF EXILE, is charitable with the Holy One, blessed be He, since when Yisrael sinned and the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to afflict them, Ima, NAMELY THE SHECHINAH, brooded over them AND STOPPED THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE FROM AFFLICTING THEM. This was so until they fell into bad ways. The Holy One, blessed be He then exiled the King's children, NAMELY YISRAEL, together with the Queen, WHO IS THE SHECHINAH, and swore He shall not return to His place until the Queen returns to Hers. THUS a man who is charitable with the Shechinah and repents, and in all Her Torah and precepts MEDITATES only on redeeming the Shechinah FROM EXILE, acts with piety towards his Maker and it is as if he redeemed Him and His Shechinah and His children FROM EXILE.
107. Elijah and all the heads of the Yeshivot said, Faithful Shepherd, you are that man, you are the son of the King and the Queen, whose worship to the Holy One, blessed be He is not EVEN that of one who is pious with his Maker, but that of a son who is obliged to gird himself and his strength to redeem his father and mother and risk his life for their sakes. For whoever is not the son of the King yet acts with kindness by the King and Queen, surely is regarded thus that he acts with kindness with his Maker. BUT YOU WHO ARE THE SON OF THE KING, FOR YOU IT IS A DUTY RATHER THAN KINDNESS.
108. The Faithful Shepherd rose and prostrated himself before the Holy One, blessed be He. He wept and said, may it please Him to regard me as a son, that my doings towards the Holy One, blessed be He and His Shechinah will be considered by them as those of a son who strives to do them for his father and mother, whom he loves more than he loves himself, his own Nefesh, Ruach and Neshamah. Whatever he has he regards as naught, so as to do with them his father's and mother's wishes and redeem them through them. And though I know everything is His domain AND I HAVE NOTHING TO OFFER HIM, yet the Merciful desires the heart OF MAN TO BE WILLING TO DO ANYTHING. At that time the Holy One, blessed be He came to him, kissed him, and He said, Faithful Shepherd, you are indeed My son and the son of the Shechinah. Sages and angels, kiss the son. They all rose and kissed him and accepted him as a Rabbi and king over them.