Shmini

Shmini: Verse 26

Rabbi Elazar opened the discussion with the verse: "And it came to pass on the eighth day" (Vayikra 9:1). HE ASKS: Why does the scripture mention the eighth day? For it has a reference to the verse: "And you shall not go out from the door of the Tent of Meeting for seven days...for seven days shall He consecrate you" (Vayikra 8:33). HE CONTINUES, ASKING: Why is it written "seven days" and not "in seven days?"

Shmini: Verse 27

Happy are the priests who are crowned with the crowns of the Holy King, WHO IS ZEIR ANPIN, HIS CROWNS ARE THE LIGHTS OF BINAH and are anointed with the holy anointing oil. Thereby, the supernal oil - WHICH IS THE ABUNDANCE OF CHOCHMAH, WHICH IS IN BINAH - is activated, and it moistens all the seven SFIROT (CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT), which are anointed with that holy oil OF BINAH. All those seven lamps - NAMELY THE SEVEN SFIROT - are lit from her and that holy oil, WHICH IS BINAH, which comprised all the seven. THEREFORE, IT IS SAID OF THEM: "FOR SEVEN DAYS SHALL HE CONSECRATE YOU," MEANING THAT SEVEN DAYS ARE THE SEVEN SFIROT, WHICH ARE INCLUDED WITHIN BINAH. THEY WILL CONSECRATE YOUR HANDS WITH THE HOLY OIL, AND BY THAT THEY PASS THE ABUNDANCE INTO THE SEVEN SFIROT OF ZEIR ANPIN - for all THOSE SEVEN SFIROT are included IN BINAH.

Shmini: Verse 29

Those seven, WHICH ARE BINAH WITH THE SIX DAYS INCLUDED WITHIN, AS IT IS MENTIONED ABOVE, were perfected and adorned and anointed by the priests in everything. When they reached the Congregation of Yisrael, WHICH IS MALCHUT, being the eighth DAY, WHICH COMES AFTER THE SEVEN DAYS - BINAH, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD - Aaron was ordered to offer a calf - which is the son of a cow, WHICH ALLUDES TO MALCHUT. This was to atone for the sin of that other 'calf' whom Aaron created, thereby sinning against the "cow" - WHICH IS MALCHUT, and which is the eighth DAY OF THOSE SEVEN DAYS MENTIONED ABOVE, FOR SHE IS CALLED 'the peaceable and faithful in Yisrael.' THEN, the priest is considered complete in all, in the eight different vestments of glory, complete in all the Sfirot above and below.

Gold from below upwards and silver from above downwardsPekudei: Verse 74

"Even the gold of the wave offering" (Shemot 38:24). HE ASKS why the term 'the gold of the wave offering' does not apply to silver? AND ANSWERS: Two are called thus, 'wave gold' and 'wave brass' but not 'wave silver'. Only these are so called, GOLD AND BRASS, for the term alludes to going upward. For what is down below, AMONG THE KLIPOT, is not wave gold, BECAUSE THE OTHER SIDE DRAWS CHOCHMAH OF THE LEFT FROM ABOVE DOWNWARD, AND IT IS NOT WAVED LIKE HOLINESS. Always wave MEANS lifting upward and not bringing downward. BUT SILVER IS CHASSADIM AND IT IS PERMITTED TO DRAW IT DOWNWARD, THEREFORE, IT IS NOT WRITTEN 'WAVE SILVER.'

Pekudei: Verse 75

This is the mystery of the reckoning, NAMELY, THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH CALLED 'RECKONING': All the grades and Chariots are waving, THAT IS, ILLUMINATING FROM BELOW UPWARD. This is 'wave gold'. This gold IS THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH - whenever it descends, its beauty and light are dimmed. But when the gold is waved, FROM BELOW UPWARD, it becomes good gold, in the mystery of its light. And all the gold, which is drawn down, is dross and refuse, NAMELY, A KLIPAH AND THE OTHER SIDE.

Pekudei: Verse 76

"And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation" (Ibid.). IT IS NOT WRITTEN 'WAVE SILVER' since SILVER, WHICH IS THE LIGHT OF CHASSADIM OF THE RIGHT COLUMN, in its descent, is also good. And though it is not waved FROM BELOW UPWARD, nevertheless it is good. But gold, THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH OF THE LEFT COLUMN, whatever of it that descends, is worsened. For that reason, THE GOLD needs to be waved, and raised, and SILVER needs spreading downward in all directions, because it is all for the good.

Pekudei: Verse 77

He opened the discussion and said: "For Hashem Elohim is a sun and shield..." (Tehilim 84:12). The sun is the Holy One, blessed be He, and the shield is the Holy One, blessed be He. HE EXPLAINS: The sun is the secret of the Holy Name Yud Hei Vav Hei, ZEIR ANPIN, where all the grades stand at ease. And the shield is the secret of the holy name Elohim, MALCHUT. This is the secret meaning of the verse, "I am your shield" (Beresheet 15:1), AS 'I' WHICH IS MALCHUT CALLED 'I', IS YOUR SHIELD. "A sun and a shield" are the secret of a whole name, WHICH INDICATES THAT ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT ARE UNITED. "Hashem will give grace and honor" (Tehilim 84:12), FOR ELOHIM WILL BE A SHIELD AND YUD HEI VAV HEI WILL GIVE GRACE AND HONOR, and so all will become one secret. NAMELY, THOUGH GRACE AND HONOR ARE DRAWN AT EASE, AND A SHIELD IS DRAWN VIGOROUSLY BY WHOEVER IS BESET BY ENEMIES, AND THEY MERGE INTO ONE PRINCIPLE, THE JOINING OF YUD HEI VAV HEI AND ELOHIM.

Pekudei: Verse 78

"He withholds no goodness from these who walk upright" (Ibid.). This is the secret of the verse, "And from the wicked their light is withheld" (Iyov 38:15). THEREFORE, IT IS SAID THAT FROM THOSE WHO WALK UPRIGHT NO GOOD THING WILL HE WITHHOLD, referring to the first light, WHICH IS CHESED, of which it is written, "And Elohim saw the light, that it was good" (Beresheet 1:4). And the Holy One, blessed be He hid and covered it, as explained, from the wicked He concealed and withheld it in this world and in the World to Come. But it is written of the righteous, "no good thing will He withhold from those who walk upright." This refers to the primordial light, as it is written, "And Elohim saw the light, that it was good."

Pekudei: Verse 79

Therefore, it, THE FIRST LIGHT, needs not go up FROM BELOW and be waved, but rather to spread and be revealed, unlike the other one of the left, GOLD, AS DISCUSSED. For that reason GOLD is called 'wave', and not 'SILVER', and that is why IT IS WRITTEN, "and the silver of...the congregation was a hundred talents" (Shemot 38:25) AND NOT 'THE WAVE SILVER.'

"whoever is of a willing heart"Rabbi Shimon speaks first of the raising of Malchut to be united with Zeir Anpin, the uniting of the supernal Chariot and the lower Chariot. We hear of the upper ministers and the patriarchs who have the honor to bear the holy chair, Malchut. "Whoever is of a willing heart" refers to the four hosts of high angels in which are included the twelve hosts. The four hosts are called the holy animals and the twelve hosts are the offerings. All these Chariots are called "whoever is of a willing heart." Rabbi Yehuda speaks of how a man is blessed with happiness when a poor man comes to him; he is as honored as if he created his soul. Rabbi Aba then talks about the verse: "Since the day that I brought forth my people Yisrael out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Yisrael to build a house...that my name might be there, but I chose David," saying that God does not choose a city until he has a good leader for the people. We hear a discussion on "Happy is he who has the El of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in Hashem his Elohim." The righteous put their trust in God, and are content to break themselves for His sake, therefore they merit miracles and many signs. "Whoever is of a willing heart" refers to he whose heart is willing to draw the Shechinah into himself.

Vayak'hel: Verse 52

"And he said to them." What did he say? "This is the thing... Take from among you an offering" (Shemot 35:4-5), which means, prepare yourself, all of you, to bear and carry upon you the honor of the holy throne, WHICH IS MALCHUT, to raise it, TO ZEIR ANPIN.

Vayak'hel: Verse 53

Allocate from among you the honored, the elevated ministers, MICHAEL, GABRIEL, URIEL AND RAPHAEL, to raise this offering, which is the secret of the holy throne, MALCHUT, to be united with the patriarchs, WHO ARE CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN. And it is not meet that the Matron, MALCHUT, come to her husband, unescorted by virgin maidens who come with her and conduct her to her husband, ZEIR ANPIN, as is said, "the virgins, her companions that follow her" (Tehilim 45:15). Wherefore all that? To bring her to join her husband, ZEIR ANPIN.

Vayak'hel: Verse 54

"Whoever is of a willing (Heb. nediv) heart" (Shemot 35:5) refers to the four hosts of high angels THAT COME FROM NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT OF MALCHUT; in them are included all the other hosts, NAMELY THE TWELVE HOSTS. SINCE EACH OF THE FOUR HOSTS CONSISTS OF THREE HOSTS, THEY ARE ALTOGETHER TWELVE. And those who come out of the high patriarchs, CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, are called nobles. As we stated, that it is written about the well, "that the nobles of (Heb. nedivei) the people delved" (Bemidbar 21:18). 'Nobles' refers to the fathers.

Vayak'hel: Verse 55

HE ASKS: It is written "he will bring it (Heb. yevi'eha)" (Shemot 35:5) and not "they will bring it"; AND SAYS, "he will bring it" WHICH IS IN THE SINGULAR, INDICATES the unifying of everything into one, THAT IS TO SAY THE MALE AND FEMALE PRINCIPLES. Also, it does not say 'he will bring (Heb. yavi)' but "he will bring it (Heb. yevie'ha)," TO INDICATE MALCHUT WHICH IS CALLED AN OFFERING, to be given to her husband honorably as is proper. "an offering to Hashem," the particle 'Et', before "an offering," comes to add all the other hosts of angels, so that everything should be united into one, to make twelve HOSTS into one, WHICH ARE "gold, and silver, and brass, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, and rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and acacia wood, and oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense" (Ibid. 5-8) WHICH ARE THE TWELVE KINDS. These are the highest twelve hosts, that are included in these four, which are called the holy living creatures. FOR EACH LIVING CREATURE CONSISTS OF THREE, SO TOGETHER THERE ARE TWELVE.