Translation:Likutei Moharan/60
Pathach Rabbi Shim`on
Rabbi Shim`on opened [the discourse] and said: "`Eth la`asoth laShem..." [Simply read, "Time for Hashem to act," but which the Sages read midrashically as: It is time (for us) to act for Hashem, Ps. 119:126]: Why is it "time to act for Hashem"? Because "...heferu Toratekha/they have annulled your Torah." What is, "They have annulled your Torah?" The Supernal Torah [which is the secret of the Ze`ir Anpin], for it is nullified if it is not carried out with these repairs of it [which follow]; and this [verse] is said concerning the Atik Yomin/Ancient of Days. One verse states [Deut. 33:29], "Ashreikha Yisrael, mi khamokha/Fortunate are you, Yisrael; who is like you?" whereas another verse states [Ex. 15:11], "Mi khamokha ba'elim Hashem/Who is like You among the mighty, Hashem?" He called to Rabbi El`azar his son [whose soul was rooted in Chokhmah] and sat him in front of him, and Rabbi Abba [whose soul was rooted in Binah, he seated] from the other side [while R. Shimon's soul was rooted in Da`at] and said, "Anan klala dekhola/We are the embodiment of everything! `Ad kan it'taknu kayamin/Up until now the Pillars have been repaired." They were silent, heard a sound, and their knees [aRKuVatan] trembled [lit. kissed each other]. What was the sound? The voice of the supernal assembly assembling [namely, the meRKaVot of HK"BH]. [Zohar Nasso 128a]
1. Know that there are pathways of the Torah which contain very profound hitbonenut [contemplation; understanding; insight; discernment]; that it is impossible to come to this hitbonenut except by way of wealth. Just as with the simple teachings of the Torah, "Im ein kemach ein Torah/If there is no flour, there is no Torah" [Avot 3] — and in any case a person needs sustenance — so accordingly for this hitbonenut which is extremely great it is necessary for him to have very great riches; to have great hon/wealth without any lack in it whatsoever. For, one needs all the abundance of the world for this hitbonenut.
And the children of Yissakhar, who had this hitbonenut, in the aspect of, "Umibnei Yissakhar yod`ei vinah/And of the children of Yissachar, [people] knowing discernment..." [I Chron. 12:33], were not privileged to this except by way of wealth, as in, "Yissakhar chamor garem/Yissakhar is a {bony, strong} ass" [Gen. 49], and its Targum is: "rich in property." Therefore Moshe and all the prophets had very great riches in order to come thereby to this hitbonenut. And on account of there being this hitbonenut in the Torah therefore the Torah is called hon/wealth [see Eruvin 54b].
And similarly, whoever the Torah passed through their hands had very great riches: namely Moshe Rabeinu who brought the Torah to Yisrael had great riches as our rabbis z"l have said [see Nedarim 38a], and so too were Rebbi [Yehudah haNassi] who arranged and sealed the mishnayot and Rav Ashi who was the sealing of the Talmud and organized the whole Talmud as well, who also were extremely wealthy, as our rabbis of blessed memory have said (Gittin 59a; see B"M 85a), for on account of them arranging the entire Oral Torah and the Torah passing through their hands, therefore they were also wealthy, as mentioned, for one needs great riches for this hitbonenut.
And this is the aspect of, "Pesol lekha/Hew for yourself" (Ex. 34:1) — and our rabbis obm expounded, "hapesolet yihyu shelkha/the discards shall be yours (Yerushalmi Shekalim 5:2), for just as with simple teachings of the Torah, before one brings out a new peshat/basic meaning, one must first say prefaces and afterwards one throws away the introductions and comes to what [he] intends to say — for the essence is what one intends [to say], and all the words and introductions before are an aspect of pesolet which shed off and are discarded around the intended thing — likewise in hitbonenut of the Torah one needs to walk around first and go around in several turns until coming to the intended thing. And the essence is the intended thing, and all these turns are an aspect of pesolet and they are the aspect of riches, through which [people] come to the hitbonenut. And this is the aspect of, "Pesol lekha — hapesolet yihyeh shelkha:" that is where Moshe became rich from, for these discards of the Tablets are the aspect of surroundings, which fall down and are discarded around and around the hitbonenut; and they are the aspect of riches as mentioned, through which they come to the aforementioned hitbonenut.
And this is the letters of "ממון/MaMON" being acrostic for, "Misham Nit`asher Moshe/from there Moshe became rich" [Rashi on Ex. 34:1], and the Vav [= six]" is the aspect of the tablets from whence Moshe became rich, for the tablets were six long and six wide etc., as our rabbis z"l have said [B"B 14a].
2. And arriving at this prosperity is by means of the aspect of "tikunei `Atik/repairs of the `Atik/Ancient/Everlasting One," the aspect of "arikhut yamim/length of days/longevity," the aspect of zaken/elder, for arikhut yamim is needed in order to receive into it the riches of the hitbonenut.
And the arikhut yamim/length of days is namely that a person needs to see to it to lengthen and expand his days, because each and every day from the place where it begins for each person is definitely short initially; that is, in the beginning of the day the service that he needs to perform on that day is very hard upon him, for example to pray, study and so forth, and therefore the day initially is short, for he needs to begin little by little and then progressively broaden in his service. And the man needs to see to it to expand, widen and lengthen each and every hour which comes afterward, expanding and widening it with additional kedushah/sanctity/separation. And likewise when the second day comes, he should continually broaden with the addition of extra kedushah, and thus at each and every moment his days should widen with the adding of kedushah; and this is the aspect of arikhut yamim.
And Avraham, who merited to the aspect of zaken/elder, the aspect of arikhut yamim/length of days, by means of this merited riches, in the aspect of, "VeAvraham zaken ba bayamim vaShem berakh et-Avraham bakol/And Avraham was zaken/old, advanced in yamim/days/years, and Hashem blessed Avraham with everything" [Gen. 24:1]. And this is the aspect of, "Mizekenim etbonan/More than my elders [or, From eldes] I will discern" [Ps. 119:100], that through this aspect of zaken/elder he comes to the hitbonenut which comes via riches, which is drawn down into arikhut yamim/length of days, which is the aspect of zaken/elder as mentioned.
3. And the aspect of zaken, that is, to widen and lengthen his days by adding kedushah each moment, as mentioned, is via yir'ah/awe/fear, as the yir'ah brings additional kedushah each and every day, by which the days lengthen and widen, in the aspect of "yir'at Hashem tosif yamim/the fear of Hashem will increase days" [Prov. 10:27]. "Yir'at Hashem hi otzaro/The fear of Hashem is His storehouse" [Isa. 33:6], in the aspect of: He [God] made her [Eve] like a storehouse, as she is narrow on top and wide below" [Berakhot 61a], for at their beginnings the days are short and then they go and widen with additional kedushah via yir'ah as mentioned.
Hence by yir'ah/awe one merits arikhut yamim/length of days, which are the aspect of zaken/elder, the aspect of tikunei `Atik/repair of the Ancient One, by which one merits riches. For yir'ah guards against the opposite of wealth, namely poverty, which comes through the aspect of, "Sheker hachen vehevel hayofi/Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain" [Prov. 31:30]. For there are several kinds of chen/charm/grace of falsehood which people do, in how a person stands, eats, talks with people and likewise in other things, and each thing has a particular different chen. And all these deceptive chens come by means of hevel hayofi/the vanity of beauty, in the aspect of sheker hachen vehevel hayofi, that is, whoever does not guard from the beauty of women has craving for these deceptive chens. And yir'ah is the opposite of this, as it is written, "Sheker hachen vehevel hayofi, ishah yirat-Hashem hi tit'hallal/Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain; a woman who fears Hashem — she is to be praised."
And therefore Avraham and Yitzchak, when they came to places where there were no yir'ahs and as soon as they wanted to enter there they felt this by means of starting to feel — in accord with the extent of their great holiness — the beauty of women and thus they detected that there is no yir'ah there, so therefore they prohibited for themselves relations with their spouses as with his sister, as it is written, "Ki amarti rak ein yir'at Elohim bamakom hazeh/For I said, there just is no fear of God in this place" etc. [Gen. 20:11].
And afterwards Avraham repaired this and drew arikhut yamim/length of days, as it is written, "Vayagar Avraham be'eretz Pelishtim yamim rabim/And Avraham dwelled in the land of the Phillistines many [or vast] days" [ibid. 21:34], the aspect of, "Yir'at Hashem tosif yamim/The fear of Hashem will increase days," as mentioned. And afterwards the Pelishtim spoiled all the repairs which Avraham had accomplished, the aspect of "Vekhol habe'erot... sitmum Pelishtim/and all the wells... the Pelishtim closed them up" [ibid. 26:15]. And therefore when Yitzchak came there he also needed to proscribe his wife like his sister as above, until he drew arikhut yamim to there, which is the aspect of yir'ah which protects from this, as mentioned. And then she became permitted to him, as written, "Vayhi ka'asher arkhu-lo sham hayamim vayashkef Avimelekh/And it came to pass, as the days prolonged for him there, that Avimelekh peered out" etc. [ibid. :8]. And by his drawing down arikhut yamim, there he became privileged to riches, as written, "Vayizra` Yitzchak ba'aretz hahi vayimtza bashanah hahi me'ah she`arim/And Yitzchak sowed in that land and produced in that year a hundred-fold" etc. [ibid. :12] as mentioned.
For whoever does not have yir'ah is not protected from the aspect of hevel hayofi; thereby he comes to poverty, as written, "Al-tachmod yofyah bilvavekha/Do not desire her beauty in your hearts... ki ba`ad-ishah zonah `ad-kikar-lechem/for on account of a promiscuous woman a man is reduced to a loaf of bread" [Prov. 6:25-26]. For riches and the vanity of beauty are two opposites, for prosperity is from arikhut haneshimah/elongation of the breathing, and beauty is from interrupted breathing. For at the time of emission of the seminal droplet there needs to be an interruption of breathing for two reasons: one, so that the droplet does not cool off by breathing, which is the cold air which one receives each moment from outside, for it needs to exit with warmth in order that it be fit for conception; and the other, because the force of pressure is occupied in emitting and pushing out the droplet, therefore the interruption of breathing is obligatory, for the breath emits spirit and takes in spirit, and since the expelling power is occupied in pushing out the droplet it is impossible to exhale, and thus there is an interruption of breathing.
And this breath and vapor which enters before and remains there is clothed in the force of expulsion, and by means of it the droplet goes out. And in accord with the purity and cleanness of the breath so is the offspring made bright and vigorous, for if the breath is pure and clean then the droplet which goes out, in which this breath is enclothed, is also pure and clean, and then the offspring is also made bright and vigorous. But if there is turbidness inside the breath then the droplet becomes turbid as well, and this is, "Adam lahevel damah/Man is like a breath" [Ps. 144:4]. For in accord with the breath so is the makeup of the fetus, and this is the aspect of, "Akh hevel benei-adam/Mankind are but a breath" [Ps. 62:10], for the breath polishes/brightens and invigorates the offspring, as mentioned.
And therefore whoever desires women's beauty, hence he receives the aspect of interrupted breathing, and therefore he is in the opposite of riches, which is the aspect of lengthened breathing. For, all kinds of riches, that is, all kinds of grain, all the fruit trees and herbs, and all kinds of metals, they are only by means of geshamim/rains, and also all the treasures are by means of rains, as written, "Yiftach Hashem lekha eth-otzaro hatov... latheth metar-artzekha/Hashem will open up for you His good treasury... to give the rain of your land" etc. [Deut. 28:12]. And the rains are from the aspect of breathing, as they bring in and receive air [avir] from the outside, as written, "Minishmath-El yiten-karach verochav mayim bemutzak/From the breath of the Almighty is the giving of ice, and breadth of waters in flood" [Job 37:10]. And this is the aspect of "Hon `ashir kiryath `uzo/The rich man's wealth is his city of strength" [Prov. 18:11], that is, the richness is by means of the aspect of the breathing which is the cold [kar] air which one receives each moment from the outside, as mentioned. Thus, "kiryath `uzo/his city of strength [or, the calling-meeting-cooling-occurence-emission of His strength]," the aspect of "geshem mitroth `uzo/shower of the mighty rains of His strength" [Job. 37:6].
And this is what is written [Jer. 14:22], "Hayesh behavlei hagoyim magshimim/Are there any, among the vanities [lit. vapors, fig. vain idols] of the gentiles, who can cause rain?" For, "in the vapors of the gentiles," who are the aspect of interrupted breathing, the aspect of the aforementioned "hevel hayofi," there is no aspect of rain there, for rain is only by means of the breathing, as mentioned. And this is an aspect of, "Hon mehevel yim`at/Wealth gotten by vanity shall dwindle/Wealth shall be diminished by vanity" [Prov. 13:11]: by means of the aforementioned hevel the wealth is diminished. And this is the aspect of "vekar-ruach ish tevunah/and he that cools his spirit is a man of discernment" [Prov. 17:27]: by means of cool spirit, which is the cool wind of the breathing, thereby one merits to the aforementioned hitbonenut, which comes via riches, as mentioned.
And this is an aspect of, "Venishmat Shaddai tevinem/And the spirit of Shaddai [that] gives them discernment" [Job 32:8], for the essence of the hitbonenut is via breathing, the aspect of cool spirit as mentioned, for the main repair of the intellect is by way of the breathing, for the main thing for the intellect to be in its proper state so that he can lehitbonen/reach contemplative understanding is by means of the lipids that are in the body. For the intellect is like a lamp that burns, for it burns by way of the lipids that are drawn to it and they are like oil that is drawn to the lit wick. And when there are no lipids in the body the intellect cannot burn in the hitbonenut and from this come insane people, by the bodily moisture drying up, and by this the brain is spoiled, by it not having oils to light. And all the moisture and the lipids in the body are by means of the breathing, for, "Ilmale kanfei re'ah denashvin `al-liba havei liba oked kol-gufa/If not for the lobes of the lung which blow over the heart, the heart would incinerate the entire body" [Tikunei Zohar 27a]. Hence the essence of maintaining the oils and moisture in the body is by way of breathing, that the lung receives cool air from outside to cool the heart, and by way of breathing is the preservation of the intellect, that it should be able to light in the hitbonenut as mentioned.
And this is the aspect of, "Ner Hashem nishmat adam/The soul [the breath] of man is the lamp of Hashem" [Prov. 20:27], that the main sustenance and repair of the ner Hashem, which is the intellect, is by means of the breathing, as mentioned. Hence through yir'ah one merits to arikhut yamim/length of days and through this the wealth is drawn down, through which they come to the aforementioned hitbonenut.
4. And the completion of the yir'ah is in the aspect of three lines: the aspect of mora' shamayim/fear of Heaven, mora' rabakh/fear of your rav, and mora' av va'eim/fear of father and mother. And when there is a chakham hador/sage of the era who is privileged to worthy students and worthy children then the yir'ah is in completion, for: the yir'ah of the chakham and the rav of the era is the aspect of mora' shamayim, his students have yir'at harav in the aspect of mora' rabakh, and his children have mora' av va'eim, so that the yir'ah is complete through these three yir'ot.
And the aspect of the yir'ah of each of these three needs to be of threefold makeup. That is, fear of one's rav, which is mora' shamayim, needs to include all three brains, chokhmah, binah, and da`at (wisdom, discernment, and knowledge), for the fear of one's rav comes mainly by means of the hitbonenut of the greatness of the Creator, Yithbarakh Shemo, which he probes and seeks with his mental faculties. Hence the fear of his rav is by means of the intellect; therefore it is necessary that the yir'ah be filled with all three brains, with his chokhmah, binah and da`at; all of them should be filled with yir'at Hashem.
And yir'at hatalmid/the pupil's fear, that is, mora' rabakh which is by means of the learning which he receives from the rav, needs to be drawn into all parts of the learning, which is also an aspect of the three lines, that is, the aspect of oraita tlita'ah/the Threefold Torah [Shabbat 85a].
And yir'at haben/the son's fear, which is mora' av va'eim, one needs to draw it forth in the aspect of nachalat avot/paternal inheritance, the aspect of, "Bayit vahon nachalat avot/A home and riches are the inheritance from the fathers" [Prov. 19:14]. And it is necessary that the yir'ah spreads out on all parts of the wealth, which are the nachalath avoth as mentioned: "Le`olam yeshalesh adam ma`othav, shelish bifrakmatia, ushelish bekarka`, ushelish beyado/Always a man should apportion his money into three: one third in trade, one third in land, and one third in [cash in] his hand" [B"M 42a].
And these three components in wealth correspond to the three times that riches are mentioned in the Torah. For, riches are not mentioned in the entire Torah except these three times: regarding Sedom, as written, "Velo-tomar ani he`esharti et-Avram/So that you should not claim, 'I made Avraham wealthy'" [Gen. 14:23], and regarding Rachel and Leah, as written, "Ki khol-ha`osher asher hitzil Elohim/For all the wealth which God has delivered" etc. [ibid. 31:16], and regarding the shekalim, as written, "He`ashir lo-yarbeh/The rich person should not contribute more" [Ex. 30:15].
For, the one-third in trade corresponds to the wealth that is mentioned regarding Sedom, for about Sedom it is written, "Hanishkachim mini-ragel/those who caused the foot [of wayfarers] to be forgotten" [Job 28:4], for they wanted to abolish trade, which is an aspect of regel/foot, as written, "Semach Zevulun betze'tekha/Rejoice, Zevulun, in your going out" [Deut. 33:18], and therefore one must specifically have commerce; and this is: "one-third in trade."
And the "one-third in land" corresponds to the wealth that is mentioned with Rachel and Leah, for in truth the essence of wealth is only for the hitbonenut, but without this the wealth is only for women and those who have internalized wisdom to a lesser extent [katanei-da`at] like them. And this is their statement of, "Ki khol-ha`osher asher hitzil Elohim me'avinu lanu hu ulevaneinu/For all the wealth which God has taken away from our father is for us and for our children" [Gen. 31:16], that is, all the wealth is only for women and the katanei-da`at such as us. But you [Ya`akov] — "... ve`atah kol asher amar eleikha Elohim `aseh/and now whatever God has said to you, do," that is, you need the wealth for the sake of the hitbonenut of the greatness of Hashem. And corresponding to this is the aspect of one-third in land, the aspect of "ishah karka` `olam/woman is compared to the earth" [Sanhedrin 74b; Kli Yakar to Gen. 24:63].
And the one-third in [cash in] his hand corresponds to the wealth mentioned regarding Shekalim, as stated there: "lekhaper `al nafshoteikhem/to atone for your souls" [Ex. 30:15], the aspect of "asher beyado nefesh kol-chai veruach kol-basar-ish/in Whose hand is the soul of every living thing and the spirit of all human flesh" [Job 12:10].
5. And the revelation of the yir'ah is by means of barren women being visited/remembered with conception [pekidut `akarot], for yir'ah is revealed by means of giving birth, the aspect of, "ra`adah achazatam sham, chil kayoledah/trembling took hold of them there, pangs, as a woman giving birth" [Ps. 48:7], for by giving birth, bloods and strengths go out, which are the aspect of yir'ah/fear, and especially when a barren woman is visited, as the bloods and strengths had been stopped up until now, therefore afterwards when they go out the yir'ah is most revealed.
And in accord with the birth, so is the revelation of the yir'ah. For when one barren woman is visited, the yir'ah is revealed, and when many barren women are visited, the yir'ah is revealed much more. And this is the aspect of, "chil kayoledah/trembling one who gives birth:" in accord with the birth so is the revelation of the yir'ah.
Therefore the birth of Yitzchak was on Rosh Hashanah, for he is the epitome of the extreme revelation of the yir'ah, the aspect of "the fear of Yitzchak." For when Sarah was visited many barren women became visited along with her, as our rabbis obm have said [Gen. R. 53]. And this is the aspect of, "Ki-yaladeti ben lizkunav/For I have borne a son in [lit. to] his old age" [Gen. 21:7], for by means of Yitzchak's birth, who is the revelation of the yir'ah, thereby arikhut yamim/longevity was drawn down, the aspect of elder, as mentioned, in the aspect of "Yir'at Hashem tosif yamim/The fear of Hashem will increase days," as mentioned.
6. And the visitation of barren women is accomplished by means of awakening mankind from their sleep, for there are mankind who sleep through their days: even though it appears to the world that they are serving Hashem and are involved in Torah and prayer, nonetheless all their devotions — Hashem Yithbarakh has no satisfaction from them, for their service remains down below and cannot get high and ascend up. For, the essence of life is the mental faculty, as written, "Hachokhmah techayeh et-ba`alei'ah/The wisdom preserves the life of him that has it" [Eccl. 7:12]. So when the service is with the mental faculty, one puts life into it so that it can go up. But when one falls in to the aspect of mochin de'katnut/constricted consciousness, the aspect of sleep, it [the mental faculty] cannot rise up.
And there are those who have fallen into the aspect of sleep by means of cravings and evil deeds. And there are those who are fine and decent people except that their downfall is through eating. For sometimes when the man eats a food that has not yet been refined into human food, thereby his brain falls into the aspect of sleep. For just as physically there are foods that induce sleep and there are foods that diminish sleep, likewise spiritually there are foods that have not been refined, which bring [a person] down into the aspect of sleep. But when one eats in kedushah/sanctity/separation and taharah/purity, then it is the aspect of, "lechem hapanim/showbread [lit. face bread, Ex. 25:30]. For, the intellect is the face, as written: "Chokhmat adam ta'ir panav/A man's wisdom illuminates his face" [Eccl. 8:1]; but when his eating is not with sanctity then he loses his face, that is, the mental faculty, and falls into the aspect of sleep.
For the main [purpose] of food is to give life to the heart, as written, "Vayochal... vayesht vayitav libo/And [Bo`az] ate and drank and his heart was merry [lit. made good]" [Ruth 3:7], as our rabbis z"l have said, "Pita sa`ada deliba/Bread strengthens the heart" [Gen. R. 48]. But when the food is not refined or when one does not eat in holiness then he brings badness to the heart, and by means of heart-badness his face is damaged, as written, "Madu`a paneikha ra`im/Why do you have a bad face? ...Ein zeh ki-im ro`a lev/This is nothing else but badness/sorrow of heart" [Neh. 2:2]. And conversely, seeking his face, that is, recovering his face, depends on proper condition of the heart, as written, "Lekha amar libi, bakeshu panai/On Your behalf my heart says, 'Seek My face'" [Ps. 27:8].
Hence sometimes by means of unrefined food, whereby the heart is damaged, thereby one loses his face and falls into the aspect of sleep and must be awakened from his sleep. But it is impossible to awaken him except when he has begun to rouse on his own, for there must be it`aruta dil'tata/awakening from below. However, when he has started to wake up by himself, if they had not awakened him he would have remained sleeping more. Therefore as soon as he is roused he must be shown his face and enclothed with his face that had departed from him during sleep. And this is the concept of being awakened from sleep.
And when we want to show him his face and awaken him from his sleep, we need to clothe his face for him in story tales. For there are seventy panim/faces/facets to the Torah [Bamidbar R. 13:16], and they are the aspect of "seventy ShaNim/years/differences," for each one is meShuNeh/different from the other. And it is necessary to enclothe specifically the face, for three reasons: One, for it is like healing a blind person: he must be enclosed so that he should not see the light suddenly, and one needs to restrict the light for him so that he should not be harmed by what he sees suddenly. Likewise for this person who was in sleep and darkness a long time, when one wants to show him his face and awaken him one must clothe his face for him in story tales in order that the sudden light should not harm him. And this is the aspect of, "Ani betzedek echezeh paneikha/I will behold Your face justly/temperately..." [Ps. 17:15]: tzedek/justness is the aspect of clothing, the aspect of "tzedek lavashti/I don righteousness" [Job 29:14]. And then: "...esbe`ah vehakitz temunatekha/I shall be satisfied, whilst awake, with Your image," for then he can see afterwards while awake, that is, when he has been roused and awakened from sleep, for the sudden light will no longer harm him.
And the second reason is that it is necessary to enclothe [his face] in order that the chitzonim [forces that are outside of holiness] should not take hold of him.
And the third reason is that the chitzonim which do have a grip on him will not release him, therefore it is necessary to enclothe his face in order to alter it so that they do not recognize him, in the aspect of "Meshaneh panav vateshalchehu/You change his face and send him away" [Job 14:20].
Now, there are several aspects in this enclothing the face. For sometimes his face is clothed in a story tale. And sometimes it is impossible to awaken him with his face and he needs to be shown a higher face. And sometimes one also enclothes [it] in words of Torah, that is, saying a high Torah that is impossible to convey as-is, so one clothes [it] in a Torah that is lower and lesser than it.
And this is the aspect of, "Hashem, pa`alekha bekerev shanim chayehu/Hashem, revive Your work in the midst of these years" [Hab. 3:2]: chayehu/revive it — Rashi explains, "awaken it." And this is, "pa`alekha"/Your work [lit. Your deeds], namely story tales — "bekerev shanim/within shanim/years/versions," namely the aspect of stories of the seventy facets, which are the seventy years, as mentioned. That is, one awakens him by means of story tales that are bekerev shanim/within the facets, that is, the stories of the seventy [Torah] facets, as mentioned.
But sometimes a person has fallen from all the seventy faces to the extent that it is impossible to awaken him with any face, other than by means of "sipurei ma`asiyot shel shanim qadmoniyot/story tales of ancient years/facets," as all the seventy faces, seventy years, receive life from there [i.e. from that which is more Primal than mortal life and experience]. And this is the aspect of the `Atik/the Ancient One, the aspect of zaken/elder, the aspect of hadrat panim/respected face, as all the seventy faces receive life and honor from there.
And this is the aspect of "verav-chesed/and abundant in kindness" [Ex. 34:6]. For, one who teaches his student one halakhah/Torah conduct has acted kindly toward him, as our rabbis o"bm have said, "Kol hamone`a talmido mileshamesho, ki'ilu mone`a mimeno chesed/Whoever does not permit his student to attend on him, acts as if he deprived him of [an act of] kindness" [Ketubot 96a]. And attending on sages is the aspect of halakhot/Torah ways which a student receives from his rav. Hence what the rav teaches his student is an aspect of chesed/kindness. And therefore when one awakens him with some face from the seventy faces which he enclothes in the aspect of Hashem pa`alekha bekerev shanim chayehu" as mentioned, this is the aspect of ordinary kindness; but when he awakens him by means of sipurei ma`asiyot shel shanim qadmoniyot it is the aspect of "verav chesed/and utmost kindness," for all the faces and all the kindnesses receive from there.
7. And when one is involved in awakening people he needs to guard himself from students who are not worthy, in order that their badness should not cling to him, so that it should not harm him, as our rabbis o"bm have said, "Kol hamelamed latalmid she'eino hagun/Whoever teaches an unworthy student" etc.[1] Similarly our sages obm forbade writing on the hide of a non-kosher beast, as written, "Lema`an tihyeh Torat Hashem befikha/So that Hashem's Torah be in your mouth:" [Ex. 13:9] — from that which is permitted to [enter] your mouth [Shabbat 108a]. And teaching someone is like writing, for the tongue is the aspect of, "Leshoni `et sofer mahir/My tongue is the pen of a ready writer" [Ps. 45:2], for the heart of the student is engraved and written on, as written, "Katevem `al-luach libekha/Write them upon the table of your heart" [Prov. 3:3]. And therefore his words must not be written on the aspect of a non-kosher beast, that is, an unworthy student.
However, it is impossible for flesh and blood to guard itself so that unworthy students should not hear from him. And for this, he needs that his study should be, "lilmod ulelamed, velishmor vela`asot/to learn and to teach, and to keep and to do/make," that is, by means of his study with his student, it should be as if he made the person and as if he made the words of Torah, as our rabbis obm have said, "Whoever teaches someone else's son Torah, is as if he made him... and as if he made the words of Torah" [Num. 3:1 and Rashi; Sanh. 99b]. And when he studies with this intention, then Hashem Yithbarakh guards him so that his words should not be written in the memory of a student who is not worthy, but only be forgotten by him.
And when one is involved in awakening others by means of story tales, his conversations and stories also need to be in this aspect of study, that is, "lilmod vela`asot/to teach and to author/make" as mentioned. And this is the aspect of, "The conversations of Torah sages require study" [A"Z 19b], that is, whatever is needed in his studies is needed also in his conversations, which are the aspect of story tales, as mentioned. And this is, "Ve`alehu litrufah/And its leaf for healing" [Eze. 47:12]: "Its leaf" is the aspect of the Torah sage's conversation, as our rabbis obm have said, "Ve`alehu lo-yibol/And its leaf shall not whither" [Ps. 2]: even the conversation of a Torah sage" etc. [A"Z ibid.].
And this is, "liTRuFaH": leHaTiR PeH/to permit-release-open the mouth, that is, the aspect of "from that which is permitted to your mouth." For when his conversations are in the aspect of, "Torah sages' conversations require study," that is, lilmod ulelamed, lishmor vela`asot as mentioned, then he will be protected from unworthy students, which is the aspect of "from that which is permitted for your mouth" as mentioned, from whence we learn that we do not write etc. as mentioned.
8. And this is the aspect of what our rabbis obm taught regarding the verse, "Ve`alehu litrufah/And its leaf for healing: lehatir peh ilemim/to permit-release the mouth of the mute... ul'hatir peh `akarot/and to open the mouth of barren women" [Sanh. 100], for by awakening people from their sleep by way of story tales, which is the aspect of, "ve`alehu litrufah" etc. as mentioned, thereby is accomplished the aspect of "releasing the mouth of the mute," for previously when they were in the aspect of sleep and were not hearing the sage's rousing and his words were not heard by their ears, for [Zohar II 186b], "Zaka'ah man demallel `al udna deshama`/Fortunate is he who speaks to an ear that hears!" — but these were like deaf people and did not hear whatsoever, and on account of this it was impossible for them to speak, for, "a regular deaf person can neither hear nor speak" [Terumot I:2; Chagigah 2b], that is, on account of his deafness he cannot talk. And now, when the sage wakes him up and he hears his words, then he can talk. And this is the aspect of, "lehatir peh ilemim," and this is the aspect of, "Petach pikha le'ilem/Open your mouth for the mute" [Prov. 31:8].
And by means of this is the aspect of, "ul'hatir peh `akarot/and to open the mouth of barren women," for this speech, which had been so constricted within them for such a long time that they were [like] the deaf and the mute, now that this speech emerges, it emerges with great force, in the aspect of [Ps. 103:20], "giborei koach `osei devaro/those who are mighty of strength, that fulfill His word;" and this strength enters into the vessels of procreation, in the aspect of [Gen. 49:3], "Kochi vereishit oni/My strength and the first of my virility'" that is, the BaTChanei hador/guarantors of the epoch, who are the aspect of the procreative organs, they receive this power, in the aspect of, "Vekavei Hashem yachalifu koach/Those who trust in Hashem will have renewed strength/The pillars of Hashem will wax strong" [Isa. 40:31]. And therefore the kelayot/kidneys/testicles are called BaTuChot/guarantors/inward parts [see Ps. 51:8 and commentaries; Job 38:36; cf. "testicles"], for the kelayot are procreative organs. [Translator's note: Chazal believed that the seed originates in the brain, takes physical shape through the various organs, especially the kidneys, and is then emitted. In Aramaic, כליא/Kolia, denotes either a testicle or a kidney, and its etymology denotes something "round-shaped;" cf. גל/gal/round. Chazal may have had a concept of kelayot as relating to the entire uro-genital tract. Furthermore, the adrenal glands which sit upon the kidneys are known to secrete sex hormones.] And when the batchanei hador receive this power of speech they receive it lawfully and justfully; each according to his bitachon/trust receives this power.
And this is the aspect of, "Petach pikha le'ilem, el-din kol-benei chalof/Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are appointed to destruction" [Prov. 31:8], the aspect of, "kavei Hashem yachalifu koach/The pillars of Hashem will grow strong," as by means of "petach pikha" etc., the power of speech goes out to the procreative instruments which are the batchanim/guarantors, which receive it lawfully and justfully, as mentioned.
And one must see to it that one's speech organs be interrelated with his procreative organs in order that they be able to receive the power of speech, as mentioned, so that they should not be in the aspect of, "Karov atah befihem verachok mikiliyoteihem/You are near in their mouths but far from their kiliyot/thoughts-kidneys" [Jer. 12:2; Chazal viewed the kidneys (adrenals?) as a source of etzah/advice/motivation]. And therefore the speech organs and procreative organs have the same structure, for these are full of sinews and nerves as those are, for they are one aspect, for by means of the power of speech, procreation is accomplished, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of, "Ve`alehu litrufah/And its leaf for healing: lehatir peh ilemim/to permit/release the mouth of the mute... ul'hatir peh `akarot/and to open the mouth of barren women," for they are interdependent, as mentioned.
And this is the aspect of the kissing relations and the bodily relations, as the kissing relations precede the bodily relations, as brought in the [kabbalistic] texts. For by means of the power of speech, the aspect of "lehatir peh ilemim," which is an aspect of the kissing relations, thereby the bodily relations come about, the aspect of "lehatir peh `akarot," as mentioned.
And this is the aspect of the breaking of an earthware vessel which is broken when couples make their ties, to teach that now the tie has been made, which is for the sake of procreation, which is the aspect of bitachon/trust, the aspect of kelayot/kidneys, which are procreative vessels, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of, "Batach bah lev ba`alah/Her husband's heart trusts in her" [Prov. 31:11]: by means of this, the aspect of bitachon/trust of the sitra achra/Other Side is annulled and broken, and it is for this that we break the earthware vessel, in the aspect of, "Vativtechu be`oshek venaloz/You trusted in fraud and corruption... ushvarah keshever nevel yotzrim/and He shall break it as a potter's vessel is broken... velo yimmatze vimkhitato cheres/so that a sherd shall not be found among its pieces" etc. [Isa. 30:12-14]. For, the trust of holiness which is accomplished by this tying, as mentioned, is the opposite of the trust of the sitra achra, which is in the aspect of breaking the earthware vessel, as mentioned. And it also hints to them that if they do not conduct themselves in holiness but betray, God forbid, the aspect of trust, the aspect of procreation, then they will be in the aspect of breaking the earthware vessel, which comes about by trust in an unfaithful person, as mentioned [Prov. 25:19]. And this is, "Al tivtechu be'aluf, mishokhevet cheikekha shemor pitchei pikha/Do not put confidence in an AluF/familiar friend; from she that lies in your bosom guard the openings of your mouth" [Mic. 7:5], that is, [then] it is impossible for confidence, that is, the procreative vessels, to be adjacent to the speech, which is the aspect of ALuF/taught/trained/accustomed, which is acrostic for "Lehatir Peh Ilemim/To open the mouth of the mute." And this is, "Mishokhevet cheikekha/From she that lies in your bosom..." — that is, so that procreation comes about from this, the aspect of, "Veshokhva vecheikekha/Let her lie in your bosom" [I Kings 1:2 — David did not "know" her, ibid. :4] — this is not possible except by way of, "...Shemor pitchei pikha/Guard the openings of your mouth," as mentioned.
And this is, "Yiten be`afar pihu, ulai yesh tikvah/Let him place his mouth in the dust; perhaps there is hope" [Lam. 3:29]. `Afar/dust is the aspect of absence of speech, as written, "Ume`afar tishach imratekha/And your speech will be low out of the dust [Isa. 29:4]. That is, the aspect of speech must be placed in, "Lehatir peh ilemim," as mentioned, and thereby the power of speech comes to KoVei Hashem/ Hashem's "pillars," who are the procreative vessels, as mentioned. And this is: "perhaps there is tiKVah/hope:" in order that speech reaches the KoVei Hashem as mentioned. And this is, "Vehayah zar`akha ka`afar ha'aretz/Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth" [Gen. 28:14], for procreation depends on the aforementioned aspect of, "Yiten be`afar pihu/Let him place his mouth in the dust."
And this is the aspect of, "Verabim miyeshnei admat-`afar yakitzu/And many of them that sleep in the dust-earth shall awake..." [Dan. 12:3], that is, they will awaken and stir them up, as mentioned. And this is, "miyeshnei admat-afar/of those that sleep in the dust-earth," of the aspect of absence of speech as mentioned, and this is: "...eleh lechayei `olam/these, to everlasting life," that is, the aspect of speech, as written, "Vayhi ha'adam lenefesh chayah/And man became a living lifeforce," the Targum of which is, "leruach memallela/a talking spirit," that is, the aspect of "lehatir peh ilemim/opening the mouth of the mute;" "...ve'eleh lacharafot/And these to reproaches," etc., that is, the aspect of, "Cherpah shavra libi/Reproach has broken my heart" [Ps. 69:21], the aspect of forgetting; breaking of the heart, which is the aspect of breaking of the Tablets, as written, "Luach libekha/The tablet of your heart" [Prov. 7:3]. And by the breaking of the tablets comes forgetfulness, as our rabbis z"l have said, "Ilmale lo-nishtabru luchot harishonot, lo-hayta shikhecha/If the first Tablets had not been broken there would not have been any forgetfulness [of Torah in Yisrael]" [`Eruvin 54]. That is, those who are not worthy to receive, who are the aspect of the hide of a non-kosher beast — it is forgotten by them, as mentioned.
9. And this is the aspect of shofar/horn, for shofar is the aspect of awakening from sleep, as brought in the [kabbalistic] books, that the shofar alludes to the aspect of, "`Uru yeshenim mitardematkhem/Wake up, sleepers, from your sleep" [Mishneh Torah: Teshuvah 3:7]. And thereby it is the aspect of, "Ul'hatir peh `akarot" as mentioned.
And this is the aspect of, "Teki`ah/sustained shofar blast, shevarim/[three short] broken blasts, teru`ah/[nine of the very short] tremulous/shouting blasting:" TeKi`Ah is the aspect of the absence of speech, the aspect of, "TaKa`ta lazar kapeikha: Nokashta be'imrei fikha/[If...] you have struck hands for a stranger: You are trapped in the words of your mouth" [Prov. 6:1-2]. TeRu`Ah is the aspect of speech, the aspect of, "Siftei tzadik yiR`U rabbim/The lips of a righteous tzadik/righteous man will feed many" [ibid. 10:21]. SheVaRim is the aspect of bitachon/confidence, the aspect of, "SiVRo `al-Hashem Elohav/Whose hope is in Hashem his God" [Ps. 146:5], the aspect of procreative organs, as written, "Ha'ani aShBiR velo olid/Shall I bring to the birth [lit. cause to break out], and not cause to give birth?" [Isa. 66:9]. For by means of the shofar, which is an aspect of the awakening from sleep, thereby it is the aspect of "lehatir peh ilemim... ul'hatir peh `akarot," as mentioned. That is, the power of speech which emerges forcefully out of these who have awakened from their sleep, who initially were in the aspect of absence of speech, for they were like deaf and mute people, as mentioned. And now when they wake up to Hashem Yithbarakh from their sleep, to the extent that they hear the rousing of the true sage — then they begin to speak, as mentioned.
And this speech goes into the procreative organs, which are the aspect of batchanei hador/guarantors of the era, as mentioned. And thereby the visitation of barren women is accomplished, which is the aspect of Rosh Hashanah, which is when Sarah etc. were visited, as mentioned. And all this is the aspect of the shofar which we blast on Rosh Hashanah, the aspect of, "teki`ah, teru`ah, shevarim," as mentioned [i.e. speech-absence, speech, and confidence-procreation]. And by means of the visitation of barren women, the fear/awe is revealed, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of the shofar, as written, "Im-yitaka` shofar be`ir ve`am lo-yecheradu/Shall the horn be blown in town, and the people not tremble?" etc. And this is the aspect of shofar, which is narrow below and wide above, which is the aspect of, "Min hameitzar karati Y-h, `anani vamerchav Y-h,/From my strait I called Y-h; He answered me with expanse Y-h" [Ps. 118:5] as brought, for by means of shofar is the revelation of fear, as mentioned, by means of which they merit arikhut yamim/length of days, that is, to widen and lengthen one's days with additional extra holiness at all times, which is the aspect of "narrow above and wide below," the aspect of, "Yir'at Hashem hi otzaro/The fear of Hashem is His treasure house," the aspect of "He made her like a treasure house" etc. as mentioned.
And this is the aspect of tikunei `Atik/repairs of the Ancient One, which is the aspect of the arikhut yamim/length of days/longevity mentioned earlier, the aspect of the zakan/beard, as mentioned. For the beard is also narrow above and wide below, as brought in the kavanoth, that tikunei dikna/proper states of the beard are aspect of, "Min hametzar karati... `Anani vamerkhav" etc., as initially it was narrow and then progressively widens, namely as mentioned. For the beard is the aspect of arikhut yamim mentioned earlier, namely, that one lengthens and widens his days at all times with additional holiness, as mentioned, which one merits through fear as mentioned, which is all aspect of shofar as mentioned. Hence by means of the shofar, which is the aspect of awakening from sleep, and whereby the visitation of barren women is accomplished, as mentioned — thereby the fear is revealed, as mentioned, and fear suppresses the vanity of beauty as mentioned. And this is the aspect of the breaths of the shofar, for they are an aspect of "hevel hayofi/the vapors of beauty," for "shofar" is a term for beauty, the aspect of "shipru ma`aseikhem/improve your deeds," [Midrash Rabbah Emor 29], that is, by means of the shofar's hevels/breaths, the hevel/vanity of beauty is subdued, for the shofar is the aspect of the revelation of the awe, as mentioned.
And this the explanation of: Rabbi Yochanan said, "Throughout all of that tzaddik's [Choni Ham`agel's] days... he asked, 'Is there someone who sleeps for seventy shanim/years?' One day he was going along the road and he saw a man planting a charuva/carob tree. He said to him, 'Doesn't a carob not bear until seventy years? Is it plain to you that you will live seventy years and eat from it? He said to him, 'I found the world with [lit. in] carobs; just as my forefathers planted for me so too do I plant for my descendants. He [Choni] sat down to wrap bread [i.e. have a meal], became drowsy and fell asleep. A grotto formed around him and concealed him from every being [lit. no creature knew] and he slept seventy years. Ki kam it`ar/When he got up and awoke, he saw a man eating from that carob, and said to him, 'Do you know who planted that carob?' He said to him, 'My father's father.' He said, 'Surely I have slept seventy years.' He saw his she-donkey which had given birth to hinnies and more hinnies" etc. [Ta`anit 23a]
For, Choni Ham`agel was exceedingly great, as they stated in this passage, that "when he went to the study hall, he would answer all the questions that the rabbis had," for no facet of the Torah was hidden from him. Thus he asked, "Is there somebody who sleeps seventy years?" That is, how is it possible to fall into the aspect of sleep from all the seventy faces? For although it is possible to fall from one face or more, is it nonetheless possible to fall from all of them?
"He saw this man planting a carob and said to him, '...Is it plain to you that you will live seventy years and eat from it?" Charuv/Carob is the aspect of zaken/elder, the aspect of `Atik/the Ancient One, for the carob is the "beroshim" [Isa. 55:13 and Metzudat Tziyon; Kil'ayim 6:5], which is the aspect of Mordekhai, as our rabbis obm have said: "Tachat hana`atzutz ya`aleh verosh/Instead of the thorn, the berosh shall come up" [Isa. 55:13] — this is Mordekhai [Megillah 10b]. Now, Mordekhai is the aspect of rav chesed/abundant in kindness, for they are numerically equivalent [מרדכי=רב חסד=274], which is the aspect of `Atik. That is, [Choni] saw someone involving himself with sipurei ma`asiyot shel shanim qadmoniyot/story tales of ancient years, which are the aspect of `Atik as mentioned, and asked him, "Is it plain to you that you will live seventy years?" "Live" is the aspect of arousal from sleep, the aspect of speech, as mentioned. That is: Have you tried to awaken [people] by means of story tales of bekerev shanim/that are within the realm of shanim [i.e. within the 70 years and 70 Torah facets; i.e. within the realm of human experience]?
"...And eat from it?" That is, the aspect of, "From that which is permitted for your mouth," that is, that his words should be heard; that his students be worthy. (That is, he asked him: How do you involve yourself in such sublime story tales of ancient years? — for perhaps students will hear who are unworthy, who are not in the aspect of, "From that which is permitted for your mouth," as mentioned. Have you already tried and tested to arouse by way of story tales from within the years, which are within the seventy years, which are the seventy faces of the Torah, and did you succeed in arousing them from their sleep thereby, your words having reached worthy students who are the aspect of, "From that which is permitted to your mouth," the aspect of "...ve'akhlet minaihu/and eat from it," as mentioned? To the extent that now you want to delve further in story tales that are loftier, which are story tales of ancient years?! So how are you not afraid to tell such lofty story tales, lest unworthy students hear [them]?)
He said to him, ‘I found the world with [lit. in] carobs (or, I caused the world in carobs to be forgotten: `Alma becharuva eshkachteih),’ that is, even though I tell story tales of ancient years which are the aspect of carobs, as mentioned, I can bring the aspect of forgetting, so that the unworthy students will forget it, as mentioned. [That is, as explained above, that the tzaddik who involves himself in arousing the world from sleep by means of story tales, Hashem Yithbarakh protects him so that his words will be forgotten from the heart of unworthy students, as mentioned.] ‘Just as my forefathers planted for me so too do I plant for my descendants.’ That is, just as they begot me by means of the aforementioned story tales, in the aspect of, "Lehatir peh ilemim... lehatir peh `akarot," as mentioned, ‘so too I plant for my descendants,’ that is, our children as well are born by these same means, as mentioned. (Explanation: He said to him that he must tell such story tales for the sake of barren women's conception, for: just as my fathers were involved with story tales and thereby drew down procreation, the aspect of barren women's conception, as mentioned, by which means they bore me, so too I need to bear my descendants by means of this. For procreation is mainly drawn down by means of story tales, as mentioned. And this is: Just as my forefathers planted for me so too do I plant for my descendants.)
He sat down to wrap bread [i.e. have a meal], became drowsy and fell asleep. That is, he ate a meal, and by eating he became drowsy and fell asleep. That is, he fell into the aspect of sleep, relative to his level, by eating, as mentioned above, that sometimes through eating, a person can fall into the aspect of sleep, as mentioned. Meshunita/A grotto [<shen, tooth] hadra `aleh/formed around him/came back, that is, the aspect of the turns and the imaginations which return and surround about during sleep; and no creature knew, for the world does not recognize someone who is in the aspect of sleep, for it appears to them that he is involved in Torah and devotions while in truth is all the aspect of sleep, as mentioned. When he got up and awoke, that is, the aspect of awaking from below, he saw a man eating from this carob, that is, he saw him involved in the aforementioned story tales, and eating from them — that is, from the aspect of, "From what is permitted for your mouth."
And said to him, 'Do you know who planted that carob?' — that is: From what time is this story tale? For it is possible for someone to tell a story which has already taken place but actually was no more than four years ago. He said to him, ‘My father's father,’ that is, the aspect of zaken/elder, the aspect of `Atik/the Ancient One. That is, he answered him that the story tales which he is involved in are story tales from ancient years, which are the aspect of zaken/elder, the aspect of `Atik/the Ancient One, as mentioned. He said, 'Surely I have slept seventy years,' that is, surely he has fallen to the aspect of sleeping from all the seventy faces, which are the aspect of seventy years, as mentioned.
He saw his she-donkey, which had given birth to hinnies and more hinnies, that is, the aspect of wealth, the aspect of, "Yissakhar is a {bony, strong} ass," for thereby great riches are drawn down, as mentioned. For by means of the aforementioned story tales, by means of which one rouses from sleep, as mentioned, thereby "to open the mouth of the mute... to open the mouth of barren women," as thereby the awe is revealed, and by means of awe, arikhut yamim/length of days/longevity is drawn down, the aspect of zaken/elder, the aspect of tikunei `Atik/repairs of the Ancient One, as mentioned; and thus the riches are drawn into the arikhut yamim, as mentioned.
And this is, Rabbi Shim`on opened [the discourse] and said: "`Et la`asot laShem..." [This is] the Supernal Torah, which is nullified if it is not carried out with these repairs of it; and this [verse] is said concerning the Atik Yomin/Ancient of Days: that is, the Supernal Torah, which is the aspect of the aforementioned hitbonenut/contemplation/understanding, which is nullified and cannot be carried out if it is not accomplished by means of the aforementioned tikkunim, which are the aspect of Tikunei `Atik/Repairs of the Ancient One, the aspect of the aforementioned arikhut yamim. One verse states [Deut. 33:29], "Ashreikha Yisrael, mi khamokha/Fortunate are you, Yisrael; who is like you?" This is the aspect of arousal from below, which is the praise of Yisrael who awaken from below, the aspect of "Ashreikha Yisrael, mi khamokha." And afterwards it is the arousal from above, as mentioned, which is the aspect of, "Mi khamokha ba'elim Hashem/Who is like You among the mighty, Hashem?" He called to Rabbi El`azar his son... and to Rabbi Abba... and said, "Anan klala dekhola/We are the embodiment of everything! That is, the aspect of the completion of the yir'ah/fear, which is by means of the aspect of the three pillars, mentioned above, the aspect of fear of Heaven, fear of one's teacher, and fear of father and mother. Hence by means of Rabbi Shimon, his son Rabbi El`azar and his student Rabbi Abba, the fear is made complete, whereby arikhut yamim comes about, the aspect of tikunei `Atik/repairs of the `Atik. They were silent and heard a sound, that is, those who were in the aspect of keeping silent, the aspect of the mute, and were unable to speak because of the sleep, as mentioned, heard a sound, that is, the aspect of awakening from sleep, the aspect of, "Fortunate is he who speaks to an ear that hears," as mentioned. And their knees [aRKuVatan] trembled [lit. kissed each other]: this is the aspect of procreating, the aspect of bodily relations, for by means of awakening from sleep, which is the aspect of, "To open the mouth of the mute," thereby is the "opening the mouth of barren women," as mentioned, which is the very aspect of the kissing relations which precede the bodily relations, as mentioned. What was the sound? The voice of the supernal assembly assembling. That is, the aspect of story tales in which they clothe the faces of the Torah, as mentioned. For the clothing is the aspect of kanaf/cover: "Velo-yikanef `od moreikha/Yet your Teacher shall no longer hide himself" [Isa. 30:22]. And by means of this clothing, one rouses [people] from sleep and they begin to talk, in the aspect of, "Uva`al kenafayim yagid davar/And that which has wings shall speak the word" [Eccl. 10:20].
- ↑ will fall into Gehinom, says R. Yehudah in the name of Rav; is as if he throws a stone to Merculis, i.e. commits idolatry. Mercurius, a Roman divinity, is identified with the Greek Hermes, the patron deity of wayfarers. Worship of this deity consisted in the setting up of stones, two beside each other and one above them, cf. A.Z. 49b, and sometimes simply in throwing stones at the figure; cf. Sanh. 60B" (Soncino), Chullin 133a