ראיתי והנה מנורת זהב כולה וגולה על ראשה…

1“I saw, and behold, a menorah all of gold, with its bowl upon its top, and its seven lamps upon it,” etc. Now, lamps are called souls, as it is written, “The soul of man is the lamp of Havayah”; and “its seven lamps” are the souls of the seven shepherds,

who are the ones who impart G‑dliness to the souls of Israel as a whole. For “no thought can grasp Him” except through the seven shepherds, as is explained elsewhere.

(And on the matter of the seven shepherds, see Midrash Rabbah, Nasso) (beginning of chapter 14), which brings it from the verse “And we will raise up against him seven shepherds” (in Micah, chapter 5[, verse] 4);

and in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, at the end of the section “If she be a wall”; and in the Midrash (Eichah, 66c) on the verse “He spread a net for my feet,” and there it is implied that it refers to the Time to Come.

And so it is in chapter 5 of Sukkah (folio 52b); and see there in Rashi’s commentary what he writes, “It seems to me,” etc.; and it is stated explicitly in Shir HaShirim Rabbah there.

And in connection with this one may note the matter of what is written on the verse “And He will wave His hand over the River,” etc., “and will strike it into seven streams,” which is the matter of the revelation of the seven lower [Sefiros] of Atik Yomin.

That is: of “the river that goes out of Eden” it is said, “and from there it divides,” etc.; but through “And He will wave His hand over the River,” etc.,

there will be below, too, a revelation of self-nullification (bittul) as there is above. And this is the matter of “and will strike it into seven streams,” in the manner of what is written, “And from the stream of Your delights You give them drink” (in Psalms, chapter 36):

that is, a stream drawn from the level of Eden itself, which is above the rank of a river, etc.; and in the manner of “nachal eisan” [a mighty stream], which was explained elsewhere [as] a stream drawn from the level of Eisan, etc.

And see what is written about this in the explanation on the verse “When you raise up,” etc.; and this is in the manner of “Beyond the River your fathers dwelt,” as is explained on the verse “If you walk in My statutes.” And the souls of Israel as a whole are called by the name “menorah,” “a menorah all of gold,” on account of “You are all fair, my beloved.”

Now, elsewhere in the Midrash they said that it refers to the Time to Come; this is in Midrash Rabbah, Emor, at the end of chapter 32: “Because in this world there is refuse in them,

but of the Time to Come, Zechariah said,” etc., “‘a menorah all of gold.’” And so it is in Shir HaShirim Rabbah on the verse “You are all fair, my beloved.”

And elsewhere they said (in Midrash Rabbah, Nasso, chapter 13): “Because Yirmeyahu says, ‘Rejected silver they have called them,’ and Yechezkel calls them dross, ‘Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me,’ etc.,

Zechariah came and said, ‘I saw, and behold, a menorah all of gold’: it is all of gold, to fulfill what is written, ‘You are all fair, my beloved.’”

From this it is implied that it refers also to the present time. For Yirmeyahu and Yechezkel certainly meant only the present time, and not the Time to Come; and if so, it was about this that Zechariah came and said, “a menorah all of gold,” etc.

2Now, one must understand: why, in truth, did Yirmeyahu and Yechezkel say so, while Zechariah said, “a menorah all of gold,” that is, “You are all fair”?

First, one must preface the matter of why the Community of Israel (Knesses Yisrael) is called a menorah. For just as the Menorah is “one hammered piece,” “of hammered work shall the Menorah be made,” so that through the hammering by which it is beaten it comes about that what was above [goes] below and what was below [goes] above, and everything is intermingled, the upper in the lower and the lower in the upper,

so “all Israel are guarantors (areivim) for one another,” meaning, intermingled (me’oravim) with one another. For “you are called adam (man)”:

just as a man has a head and a foot, and the head receives life-force (chayus) from the foot as well, for it needs it, so all Israel together are called one man, one stature.

3And as is explained about this on the verse “and the earth is My footstool,” in the discourse beginning “The heavens are My throne,” and in the discourse beginning “You are standing this day, all of you.” And this is “to its base, to its flower, it is hammered work”: “its base” (yerechah) — these are the lower ranks; and “its flower” — these are the upper levels

(in the manner of “Israel shall blossom and flower”: thus the flower is the level of Israel, “for you have striven with G‑d”; and see Midrash Rabbah at the end of Vayeshev, on the verse “And it was as though it flowered,” etc.; and also in the manner of [the teaching] that through love and awe “it flies upward,” etc.;

which is not so of the level of “its base.” And even so, it is written, “The curves of your thighs (yerechayich) are like jewels”; and see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “How beautiful are your steps in sandals,” that there is a superiority in the foot and in the thigh that is not in the head, as in the matter of Zevulun [coming] before Yissachar; and this is the matter of “one hammered piece”):

all of them are one hammered piece. And all of them receive from the seven upper lamps, which are the seven shepherds mentioned above, each and every one according to his rank and according to his own measure. (The matter of “of hammered work shall it be made” is mentioned in the Zohar, Part I, folio 74a, [and] Part II, 158a.)

4Summary. Lamps are called souls. The matter of Zechariah saying “a menorah all of gold,” and not as Yirmeyahu and Yechezkel [said]: according to one interpretation, it refers also to the present time.

The matter of “of hammered work shall it be made”: “its base” and “its flower.” “And Israel shall flower”; “the curves of your thighs”; Zevulun and Yissachar; head and foot. And all of them receive from “its seven lamps,”

which are the seven shepherds, whose root is very high, from the level of “Beyond the River,” etc.; “and will strike it into seven streams,” etc.; “the stream of Your delights”; and then there will not be “and from there it divides,” etc., as is explained elsewhere.

52. Now, the mitzvos too are called lamps, as it is written, “For a mitzvah is a lamp, and Torah is light.” And also, because the 248 positive commandments, which are the 248 limbs of the King, together with the two arms, are the numerical value of ner (lamp); as is explained about this in the discourse beginning “And it shall be to you as tzitzis.”

The explanation is: in the language of the Torah, the vessel inside which are the oil and the wick is called ner, as it is written, “the lamps of the arrangement, and all its vessels.” And the oil and wick themselves are also called ner, as it is written, “when he dresses the lamps,” which means the dressing of the oil and the wick.

6Now, the souls of Israel are called [lamps] on account of the vessel of the lamp, which is a receptacle to receive the oil and the wick. So the souls are vessels of reception to receive the mitzvos, which are the level of the oil and the wick, which are [what is] called “a mitzvah is a lamp.”

But “and Torah is light”: for the light is not called “light” except by taking hold of the oil and the wick; and according to the abundance of the oil and the wick, so does the light shine. For if the wick is of the choicest, the light will be great;

and likewise, if there is much oil, the light will continue for a longer time; and likewise, if there are many wicks, there will be an added abundance of light.

Thus the main revelation of the light is through the oil and the wick. So the Torah is the commentary and explanation of the mitzvos: for example, on the mitzvah of Shabbos there is the tractate Shabbos,

and on the mitzvah of Pesach there is the tractate Pesachim. So, by way of analogy, the whole Torah is the light and the revelation of the mitzvah: how it is done.

7Now, as it is in the physical, so it is in the spiritual. For the mitzvos are the supernal will, blessed be He, and the supernal delight is clothed in them, as it is written, “a pleasing fragrance to Havayah.”

And our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “It is a satisfaction before Me that I spoke and My will was done.” For delight is drawn according to the will: in what a person wants, delight is drawn;

and conversely, from what is against his will he receives pain, which is the opposite of delight. And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “When you raise up the lamps.”

It follows that the level of will has within it the level of the clothing of delight (see what is written in the discourse beginning “And I was beside Him a nursling,” and in the discourse beginning “And when she came before the king”).

Therefore a person must do the mitzvah with joy, as it is written, “Because you did not serve Havayah your G‑d with joy and with gladness of heart, more than the abundance of all.”

For joy is the revelation of delight: when delight comes to be revealed, then joy is born and comes into being, in the revelation of the heart; and the more revelation of delight there is, the more he rejoices and is glad, as is explained about this in the discourse beginning “I will greatly rejoice in Havayah.”

8And “more than the abundance of all” does not mean [more] than all the delights of this world alone; for that is obvious, since all the delights of this world are nothing but refuse, from what fell in the breaking of the vessels.

And therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, said of Rabbi Akiva: when he was a hundred and twenty mil from the great city of Rome and heard the sound of the city tumultuous with gladness and great joy, Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Yehoshua wept,

but Rabbi Akiva laughed and said, “If for those who transgress His will it is so, for those who do His will, how much more so!” That is: if this delight is drawn even to those who transgress His will, etc.

As our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “There is no blade of grass below that has no mazal above,” etc.; and the mazal receives from the seventy princes, etc.,

who receive from the dregs of the Ofanim, the level of dregs and refuse; and from this they bestow all the delights of this world. And there is no comparison to the inner dimension of the life-force,

which is the radiance of the Shechinah revealed in Gan Eden, where “the righteous sit and delight in the radiance of the Shechinah”; so much so that they said, “Better that he be judged and come to the World to Come”: for all the sufferings of Gehinnom are worthwhile for him, so that afterward he will receive the supernal delight drawn from the radiance of the Shechinah.

And therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “If for those who transgress His will it is so”: if such great delight is drawn in the flow of the dregs and refuse, all the more so will great delight be drawn when the supernal delight from the radiance of the Shechinah is openly revealed in the Time to Come.

9Now, how great is the joy and the delight revealed from the radiance of the Shechinah even in the lower Gan Eden, so much so that they said, “Better that he be judged,” etc.;

all the more so in the upper Gan Eden, which is far, far above the lower Gan Eden, so much so that one must immerse in the River of Fire (Nehar Dinur) [to enter] the upper Gan Eden. And there are many kinds of Gan Eden, of great levels, up to the highest heights; and in all of them there is the level of a River of Fire between one and the next, up to the highest heights.

10And this is [the meaning of] what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Torah scholars have no rest, neither in this world nor in the World to Come, as it is said, ‘They go from strength to strength,’” etc.

And this is “and holy ones praise You every day, selah”: the “holy ones” are the souls, which have ascents “selah,” without limit or end, and take delight in a delight above delight, without end.

Therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Sanhedrin, folio 100, end of side a, and in the Mishnah at the end of Uktzin): “In the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will give each and every tzaddik 310 worlds as an inheritance, as it is said, ‘To cause those who love Me to inherit yesh (substance)’” (in Proverbs, chapter 8[, verse] 21).

For in order that he receive that delight, which is without end, since the soul, which is on the level of a created being, [brought into being as] something from nothing, has no power to receive that delight so that it be grasped and clothed [in it], to the point that they enjoy [it], etc.,

therefore there had to be 310 worlds, which conceal that supernal delight with concealment after concealment, through 310 worlds, so that it can be grasped and clothed in the power of the soul.

(This is the level of “Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding”: “acquire” (keneh) twice is the numerical value of 310, for these worlds are drawn from the level of Chochmah and Binah, etc. And they are above the level of this world, whose root begins from the level of the emotive attributes (middos), the first of which is Chesed, as it is written, “The world is built by kindness.”

Whereas the level of Chochmah and Binah is the matter of the two thousand years by which the Torah preceded the world, which is above the life-force of the worlds; and of this it is said, “Your thoughts are very deep,” etc., for they are on the level of depth, which has not come into revelation in the order of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus);

as is explained about this at length in the discourse beginning “I have come into My garden.” And from there the level of the 310 worlds is drawn to the World to Come. And this is the matter of the “worlds of longing” (almin dechisufin), which are drawn from the level of “current with the merchant,” etc.: kisufin is an expression of kosef (longing), in the manner of “My soul longs, indeed it pines,” etc.

Also, in the manner of the Chamber of the Holy of Holies, which corresponds to the first three [Sefiros] and is above the other chambers, which correspond to the seven lower [Sefiros], the Chamber of Love, etc. And this is the matter of “to cause those who love Me to inherit yesh”: that in truth, above, it is the yesh (being), and below is accounted as nothing; whereas from the level of the emotive attributes is drawn something from nothing, where the yesh is below, etc.

And on the matter of these 310 worlds, see the Zohar, Part I, Vayetze, folio 156, end of side b, on the verse “Therefore he shall lie (yishkav) with you”: yishkav is yesh [and] kaf-beis (22); that is, yesh is “acquire wisdom, acquire understanding,” drawn through the twenty-two letters of the Torah.)

(And folio 158, beginning of side a, on the verse “For there is a reward for your work”; Vayigash, folio 206a; Vayechi, 242b; Terumah, 166b; and in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 16, chapter 1, in the gloss; and in the Likkutei Torah [of the Arizal] on Habakkuk; and in the Ramaz, Parshas Beshalach, folio 45a; and in Emek HaMelech, Sha’ar 11, end of chapter 1, [and] Sha’ar 13, chapter 4.)

11Summary. The souls of Israel are called a lamp on account of the vessel that holds the oil; and the mitzvos are called “a mitzvah is a lamp” on account of the oil and the wick. And the Torah is the light that depends on the oil and the wick.

So it is in the spiritual: for the mitzvos are the supernal will, and the supernal delight is clothed in them. Therefore a person must do the mitzvos with joy, for joy is the revelation of delight.

And the joy must be “more than the abundance of all.” Rabbi Akiva laughed. “Better that he be judged.” And there are [levels of] Gan Eden, one above the other: “praise You, selah”; “they go from strength [to strength].” Therefore there must be 310 worlds, to be a vessel to receive the delight.

For the worlds are drawn from the seven lower [Sefiros]: “The world is built by kindness.” But the 310 worlds are drawn from “acquire wisdom, acquire understanding”; “Your thoughts are deep”; and in the manner of the Chamber of the Holy of Holies.

123. Now, about this the Torah said, “more than the abundance of all”: that is, more than all kinds of delight, up to the highest heights, that are grasped and clothed in the power of the soul on the level of the 310 worlds.

But the joy of the mitzvah itself is above the level of these 310 worlds, for it is not clothed in them.

For the mitzvos are the supernal will, blessed be He, in which is clothed the supernal delight, blessed be He, which is far, far above the bounds of being clothed; and it is the level of “No eye has seen, O G‑d, except You,” etc.

(For it is known that the 613 mitzvos of the Torah, together with the seven mitzvos of the Rabbis, are the 620 pillars of light that are drawn from the supernal Keser (the Crown), which is the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin); and it is what joins the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, to the emanated [levels]. And it has two levels:

the first is its upper level, in which the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, shines; and the second is its lower level, which shines into Chochmah and Binah. And this is the matter of the 310 worlds: that is, the lower half of the level of 620.

Whereas its upper level is above the level of being clothed in Chochmah and Binah; for the Chesed and Gevurah of Arich Anpin are clothed in Chochmah and Binah, which is not so of the first three [Sefiros], etc. And see what is written elsewhere on the verse “For my head is filled with dew.”

And this is the matter of “And from of old they have not heard, they have not given ear; no eye has seen, O G‑d, except You, what He will do for one who waits for Him”; and it is explained in Midrash Rabbah, Mishpatim) (end of chapter 30), that the world cannot hear what the reward given for the mitzvos is.

That is: it goes without saying that this world, which is bounded (from the earth to the firmament is [a journey of] five hundred years), and whose root of coming into being is from the Sefiros of the building, cannot now receive the revelation from the level of sovev kol almin (and see in Iggeres HaKodesh, on the verse “And He put on righteousness as a coat of mail,” what is written about this);

but even the level of the 310 worlds that the Holy One, blessed be He, will in the future give each tzaddik as an inheritance, whose root is from the level of Chochmah and Binah (and this is the matter of “with the yud the World to Come was created,” etc.),

cannot receive the revelation of the very essence of the mitzvah, which is the level of the 620 pillars of light, as mentioned above. And this is the matter of “more than the abundance of all.”

For the level of “all” (kol) is the fifty gates of Binah, and all this is only on the level of the 310 worlds, etc. It may further be said on the meaning of “more than the abundance of all,” and therefore it is said, “Because,” etc., “more than the abundance of all”:

that is, Yesod is called kol (all), for “all that is in heaven and on earth” [means] “that which holds fast to heaven and to earth,” etc.; and it is called kol, a term of general and collective expression (klalus), for it includes within itself all the six extremities (vav ketzavos). And as it is written, “Let the waters be gathered to one place,” which refers to the drawing of the flow from the Ten Sefiros to the level of Yesod,

like the drop that is drawn from the brain and all the limbs. And see the Zohar, Part I, 18a [and] b, on the matter of “Let [the waters] be gathered,” etc., which explains it as above; and folio 9a, on the verse “And nothing is hidden,” etc.

And Malchus, which receives, is called kallah (bride). And see Pri Etz Chaim, Sha’ar HaSukkos, chapter 2, on the verse “From all my teachers.” And therefore of the Patriarchs it is said, “bakol, mikol, kol.”

And “the abundance of all” (rov kol) is the multitude of the Yesods in the upper configurations (partzufim). But through the fulfillment of the mitzvos there will be drawn [a revelation] from the level of “No eye has seen,” which is the revelation of the inner dimension of the Yesod of Atik Yomin,

as is written in the Zohar, Part I (folio 4, end of side b), in the Ramaz’s commentary there: that it is the drawing down from entirely above the whole order of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus). Thus this is far, far above the level of “the abundance of all” mentioned above, which is the drawing down within the order of hishtalshelus. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “For the mountains may depart,” on “and My covenant of peace shall not be removed.”

And therefore it is said, “All flesh shall come to bow down before Me,” etc. The meaning of “all flesh” (kol basar) is the level of kol that shines into the level of basar (flesh),

as it is written, “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” And it will come to bow down and be nullified before the revelation that there will be in the Time to Come from the level of the inner dimension of the Yesod of Atik, etc. And on the matter of “more than the abundance of all,” see the discourse beginning “And you shall command” (the Zohar, Part I, 116a, 177a).

And this is [the meaning of] “One hour of teshuvah and good deeds in this world is better than all the life of the World to Come”: for the life of the World to Come, the 310 worlds, has its root in the lower half of the 620;

but through fulfilling the deed in this world one draws down the revelation of the supernal will itself, which the worlds cannot hear or receive, etc., as mentioned above.

13Now, as for the reason why through fulfilling the mitzvos one draws down, also from the level of yesh, the upper lights of Keser, which are above being clothed in Chochmah and Binah, it may be said: the 620 pillars of light are twice yesh.

It may be said that this is like the matter of “a G‑d of knowledges”: that from above looking down, above is the yesh and below is as nothing and naught, etc.;

and although in Atzilus these two levels are the higher unity (yichuda ila’ah) and the lower unity (yichuda tata’ah), they have a root and source higher too, in Arich Anpin. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “When you hearken to the voice.”

Therefore, through the mitzvos, whose purpose is the nullification (bittul) of the yesh into ayin, as is explained in the discourse beginning “You shall keep My Sabbaths”: through his making ayin out of yesh, he arouses and draws down the same from above, so that there will be drawn from the level of the true yesh into the level of ayin, that is, the worlds,

which are the level of ayin before Him, may He be blessed: there will be drawn into them the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, the level of the true yesh, besides whom there is nothing else. As is explained about this in the discourse beginning “And I was beside Him a nursling,” on “I delight in Your Torah.”

And it is not clothed in any bound of comprehension, but only when it is grasped and clothed in the level of the mitzvos themselves, which are His will, may He be blessed; and this will is a vessel for that supernal delight.

14Summary. The 310 worlds mentioned above are “the abundance of all,” for kol is the fiftieth gate, which joins Chochmah and Binah. But the mitzvos are drawn from the level of the supernal will, Keser, which is above Chochmah and Binah. And this is “No eye has seen.”

And in detail: in Keser there are 620 pillars of light, drawn down through the 613 mitzvos of the Torah and the seven mitzvos of the Rabbis; and the level of the 310 worlds is its lower level, which is clothed in Chochmah and Binah. Therefore “one hour of teshuvah and good deeds in this world is better than all the life of the World to Come.”

“Than all,” precisely: “more than the abundance of all.” “All the days of your life,” to include the days of Mashiach. For through the nullification of yesh into ayin one arouses and draws down the true yesh, etc.

154. And this is the matter of the blessings over the mitzvos: “Who (asher) has sanctified us with His mitzvos.” Asher is from the expression “Happy (ashrei) are those who dwell in Your house,” which is an expression of praise and acclaim for something praiseworthy and acclaimed,

that is, the praiseworthy supernal delight. And “He has sanctified us” with this delight, which is on the level of holy (kadosh) and set apart; for kadosh is an expression of separation. And therefore the angels say “holy” three times.

16And this is [the meaning of] what they say, “Havayah of Hosts”: that is, that He is above the bounds of being clothed. And this is “He has sanctified us”: and [this] is drawn down to us “with His mitzvos.”

For through the fulfillment of the mitzvos, which are His will, may He be blessed, in which that supernal delight is clothed — even though the revelation of this delight is not drawn down below — do we not hold [as law] that “taking by means of another thing is called taking”?

It is like one who finds a treasure of silver and gold, closed and locked in a chest: when he stretches out his hand to take the chest, the treasure of silver and gold is also in his hand.

17Now, this power, that the supernal delight be clothed in the fulfillment of the mitzvos, which are His will, may He be blessed, was given to Israel specifically. Which is not so of the angels, who asked, “Place Your majesty upon the heavens,”

and it was not given to them. For Israel “arose in [G‑d’s] thought,” being the level of the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the worlds, but the angels are from the level of the outer dimension (chitzoniyus);

and therefore they have no power to draw down the supernal delight by doing the mitzvos, but only Israel (and see what is written on this matter in the discourse beginning “Remember the Shabbos day,” in Torah Ohr, Parshas Yisro; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “Those who come, [Yaakov] shall take root”).

Therefore the souls specifically are called a lamp: the level of a receptacle to receive the oil and the wick, the level of “a mitzvah is a lamp,” so that that supernal delight will be drawn into them and through them.

And this is why we bless, “Who has sanctified us (kideshanu) with His mitzvos”: kideshanu is as in “Behold, you are betrothed (mekudeshes) to me.” For the blessing is the acknowledgment that He gave this power to Israel specifically, to draw down that supernal delight through the fulfillment of His mitzvos, may He be blessed; and in this He sanctified us and set us apart to Himself, may He be blessed, more than the angels.

And this is through the drawing down by the seven shepherds, Aharon among them, of whom it is said, “When you raise up the lamps”: for he is the one who raises up the souls “toward the face of the Menorah,” etc.

(The matter of “the face of the Menorah” may be explained as the inner configuration (partzuf) of Malchus, which is called Knesses Yisrael, the inner dimension of speech, and is called thought: “Israel arose in thought”; and the outer configuration is the level of speech, from which the angels have their root. And see what is written about this in the explanation on the verse “She is one, my dove.”

And therefore it is the level of a menorah, a vessel to receive the oil and the wick into it: which is the supernal union and the drawing of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), into the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), as is written in the Mikdash Melech, Parshas Pinchas) (folio 219a), on “the wick is held fast,” etc.

And this is “Who has sanctified us,” etc., literally as in “betrothed to me.” And the oil is drawn from the intellect (mochin) of Abba, and its root is from the level of “like the good oil upon the head,” the Gulgalta (skull) of Arich Anpin, from which the mitzvos have their root. And see the Zohar, Part III, Emor (folio 88b).

The explanation of the matter: the meaning of “head” is as it is written, “and Havayah at their head” (in Micah, end of chapter 2).

Now, it is written, “Lift up your hands [toward] holiness (kodesh) and bless Havayah”: that one draws down blessing into the Name Havayah, that is, from the essence of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, which is the level of the supernal kodesh, which is above the level of kadosh with a vav.

And this is the meaning of “the Holy One (HaKadosh), blessed (baruch) be He”: that the level of kadosh with a vav is blessed from the level of the supernal kodesh; and this is through the fulfillment of the mitzvos. For this is the matter of “a mitzvah is a lamp,” the 248 limbs.

18And the two arms are “Lift up your hands,” that is, accepting the yoke (kabbalas ol) of the Kingdom of Heaven in the first two verses, “Hear, O Israel” and “Blessed be the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever,”

as is explained elsewhere, in the discourse beginning “Go forth and gaze.” And this blessing and drawing down is the level of “like the good oil upon the head”; for the oil is called “oil of holy (kodesh) anointing,” and from there the blessing is drawn into the Name Havayah, which is called “head.”

19And this is [the meaning of]: “When Israel answer ‘Amen, yehei shmei rabba mevarach,’ the Holy One, blessed be He, nods His head.” And afterward, “running down upon the beard”: these are the laws of the Torah. For the thirteen principles by which the Torah is expounded are the thirteen tikkunim of the beard (tikkunei dikna).

Also, zakan (beard; zaken, an elder) means “one who has acquired (kanah) wisdom,” like the matter mentioned above in the explanation of “acquire wisdom, acquire understanding.” And the twice [said] “the beard, the beard” is the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, which “runs down over the edge of his middos” (his garments, and also his attributes), to shine into the level of memalei kol almin, etc.

20And all this is the matter of the oil and the wick that are drawn into the lamp; and all this is the explanation of the lamp of the soul and the lamp of the mitzvos.

And to understand the explanation of “and Torah is light”: it is that “the Torah comes forth from Chochmah,” and in Chochmah there is the revelation of delight; as is known, when some point of wisdom occurs to a person, he is filled with joy and delight.

And so the Torah, which is the level of Chochmah, has in it the level of the revelation of the supernal delight, blessed be He; and in it and through it is revealed the supernal delight that is clothed in the mitzvos, which are the level of will, where the delight is clothed in concealment; and through the Torah that delight is revealed.

Therefore the Torah is likened to light, which illuminates the oil and the wick, and is called by the name “light” through its taking hold of the oil and the wick.

21And so the Torah, which is the commentary and explanation of the mitzvah, is the revelation of the illumination that is hidden and treasured away in the mitzvos; and in it and through it the supernal delight is drawn from concealment into revelation.

And this is in the manner of the 310 worlds drawn from Chochmah and Binah, in which is the revelation of the supernal delight, etc. Also, because the main revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) as an inner light is only in Chochmah, as it is written, “Havayah, with wisdom,” as is explained elsewhere; and see in the Ramaz, Parshas Pekudei (folio 220b): the meaning of “light” is the Chochmah of Chochmah, etc.

And as to the matter of the wick: according to what is written in Me’orei Or, the letter peh, section 30, that it is on the level of the Name Ban; and so it is written in Torah Ohr, in the explanation on the verse “For You are my lamp.”

It may be said that this also applies to the souls of Israel.

For although their being called a lamp is because the souls “arose in thought,” and therefore they are a vessel to receive the oil and the light, as mentioned above, even so, the Torah was given to them only through [the soul’s] being clothed in the body and the animal soul, to refine the Name Ban, etc.

And this is the matter of the wick, on which specifically the light of the Torah depends, etc. But according to what is written above in the name of the Mikdash Melech, Parshas Pinchas, folio 219, the wick is Yesod, etc., which draws the oil.

And this is in the manner of what is written, “Like the good oil,” etc., “like the dew of Hermon that comes down upon the mountains of Zion,” etc.: the level of Zion is the attribute of “the tzaddik [who] is the foundation of the world,” etc.; and in it and through it the good oil is drawn, etc.

22Summary. And this is “Who (asher) has sanctified us”: delight, “Happy (ashrecha) are you, Israel”; kideshanu: kodesh, separation. And this is “with His mitzvos”: taking by means of another thing.

For the angels asked, “Who (asher) place Your majesty” — the level of asher mentioned above — and it was not given to them: because their root is from speech, they are not a lamp and a vessel for the drawing down mentioned above; only the souls, because they arose in thought, are a lamp.

23And the meaning of “like the good oil upon the head” is in the manner of “and Havayah at their head.” And it is written, “Lift up your hands [toward] holiness and bless Havayah.”

“Your hands” are the two arms, which are accepting the yoke (kabbalas ol) of the Kingdom of Heaven; with the 248 positive commandments they are ner. “And bless” is the meaning of “the Holy One, blessed be He”; and this is “like the good oil upon the head,” “oil of holy anointing.”

And afterward, “upon the beard”: “one who has acquired wisdom”; “acquire wisdom, acquire understanding”; the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. And the Torah is light, for it is Chochmah, in which is the revelation of delight.

245. However, all this is the level of the Torah and mitzvos as they are above, in their supernal source: that the mitzvos are themselves His will, may He be blessed, which is above Chochmah, and the Torah is the level of Chochmah, which is the commentary and explanation of the mitzvah, and its rank is below the rank of the mitzvah.

But in order for a person to draw down upon his soul, from above to below, so that the revelation of the level of Torah and mitzvah be drawn into the person’s soul,

it is written, “Wisdom gives life to its possessors” (in Ecclesiastes, chapter 7[, verse] 12): “wisdom” is the Torah; “gives life to its possessors”: “its possessors” are the mitzvos, which are the possessors of the Torah. And as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Great is study, for it leads to action.”

And the explanation of this matter is according to the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: “Why does [the section of] Shema precede ‘And it shall be, if you will hearken’? So that one first accept upon himself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, and afterward accept upon himself the yoke of the mitzvos.”

(See what is written in the explanation on the verse “And I shall be sanctified among the children of Israel,” the explanation of the threefold “holy,” from which it is understood that the level of the first “holy” is the matter of accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, and the two [times] “holy” after it are Torah and mitzvos.

And see in the Siddur, in the Gate of the Shema, in the discourse beginning “To understand the difference between the Shema and the Shemoneh Esreh,” for there too it is explained that through the Shema, which is accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, one draws down the level of the union of yud-hei of the Name Havayah, drawing this union from the first source, from the very Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), through “with all your might,” etc.; and through Torah and mitzvos one draws down the union of vav-hei.

And see what is written on the verse “These are the accounts of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of the Testimony.” One may further say, on the matter of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven coming before the yoke of the mitzvos, along the lines of what was explained in the discourse beginning “Go forth and gaze,” on the meaning of “they tied on them two crowns, one corresponding to ‘we will do’ and one corresponding to ‘we will hear.’”

For the explanation of the word nishma (“we will hear”) is to be nullified to the word of Torah that speaks in his mouth, which is His will, may He be blessed, as though he hears the Shechinah speaking from within his throat; as it is written, “Let my tongue respond with Your word,” etc.

And they put before this the level of naaseh (“we will do”): to be nullified to the Master of the will, who is the Infinite Light, blessed be He, alone, in Himself; for through this self-nullification (bittul) the level of nishma is drawn down, a drawing down from above to below, for “spirit draws spirit and brings down spirit.”

Thus far the words explained there. And along these lines one may explain the difference between accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, which is to be nullified to the Master of the will, and the yoke of the mitzvos, which is to be nullified to His will, may He be blessed, clothed in Torah and mitzvos.

And corresponding to this, two crowns are drawn down, which are the level of sovev kol almin and what is above sovev kol almin, “the Master of wonders,” “He is exalted, exalted,” etc.; and in the language of the Kabbalah they are called Atik Yomin and Arich Anpin. Now, in the level of the crown that comes through nishma there are also the 620 pillars of light drawn down through the mitzvos, from which the 310 worlds are drawn for the tzaddikim.

But through accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven there is drawn down [a level] in the manner of the crown that corresponds to naaseh; for this crown is drawn from the very Malchus of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), which is drawn to be a crown and diadem upon the head. And therefore it is drawn specifically through accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, etc., and it is drawn afterward into the level of venishma.

And to connect this with what was said first, that through accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven the union of yud-hei is drawn down, and through the yoke of the mitzvos the union of vav-hei is drawn down,

it may be said: as it is written, “with the crown with which his mother crowned him” — this is the Community of Israel — “on the day of his wedding” — this is the giving of the Torah. Thus the crown and the diadem are the source of the union that comes through Torah and mitzvos; and so too [they are] the source of the union of yud-hei.

If so, the two levels mentioned above, the union of yud-hei and the union of vav-hei, have their root drawn through the revelation of the two levels of crowns mentioned above. And see what is written in Torah Ohr, in the discourse beginning “For with You is the source of life,” and in the discourse beginning “Therefore say to the children of Israel,” and in the explanation at its end.)

And the matter is: accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven is the first section, “Hear, O Israel, Havayah is our G‑d, Havayah is one.” Shema is a term of understanding, as it says in the blessing Ahavas Olam, “And put into our hearts understanding, to understand and to discern.”

“To understand” one thing from another, and “to discern” with the eyes of sight a thing that comes into being from nothing to something, etc. And this contemplation is the matter of “and its bowl upon its top.”

For the Menorah, “its seven lamps upon it,” is the level of the seven attributes (middos), “Yours, Havayah, are the greatness and the might,” etc., the level of love and awe, etc.

25Now, the fulfillment of “And you shall love” comes through contemplating “one,” the level of the higher unity (yichuda ila’ah): how “all before Him is as nothing,” and they are truly nullified in existence, except that “in His goodness He renews each day” something truly from nothing;

and therefore He is truly one, “in the heavens above and on the earth below; there is nothing else.”

And through this “And you shall love” comes to be. And this is the level of accepting the yoke (kabbalas ol) of the Kingdom of Heaven: that Havayah be truly on the level of “your G‑d,” etc., as is explained elsewhere. And whoever prolongs “one” on this level draws down the revelation of this love with surpassing strength.

And this is the matter of “and its bowl upon its top (roshah),” from which “its seven lamps” are drawn. (For roshah is as it is written, “and Havayah at their head,” as mentioned above; and it is as it is written, “and I will dwell within them”: it does not say “within it” but “within them.” And this too is the matter of “Yisrael: li rosh” (“a head for Me”).

And in the bowl was the oil, the level of “like the good oil upon the head,” etc., as mentioned above. Above, this level was explained regarding the drawing down that comes through the mitzvos; and likewise [it applies] regarding the drawing down that comes through accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven,

that is, the matter of “Lift up your hands,” which are “Hear, O Israel” and “Blessed be the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever”; and through this one draws down from the level of the supernal kodesh, the level of “oil of holy anointing,” so that there be “and bless Havayah.” And in the Zohar, Part II, Terumah, 158a: “the head of the Menorah is Binah,” etc.; that is, the contemplation in “Hear, O Israel.”)

Now, from “And you shall love” until “and upon your gates” there are forty-two words, corresponding to the Name of forty-two [letters] of Ana Bechoach Gedulas, which is the matter of ascent, etc. And it has seven verses, and in each one six words, in the manner of “with two he covered,” etc., “and with two he flew.”

And this is the matter of “to its flower”; and this is the matter of “its seven lamps,” the seven attributes (middos) mentioned above, which are the seven verses of Ana Bechoach, etc.

And Rashi explains vegulah (“and its bowl”) as in “upper springs (gulos illiyos)” (in Joshua 15), an expression of a flowing spring; for Binah is called “the river that goes out of Eden,” as is explained in the discourse beginning “If you walk in My statutes.”

And see what is written in Torah Ohr, Parshas Bereishis, in the discourse beginning “To understand the matter of the blessings,” on the meaning of “Day to day pours forth speech.” And there is the level of “rivers of oil” (Micah, chapter 6[, verse] 7).

And in the Gemara: “thirteen rivers of pure balsam.” It may also be said that vegulah is from the matter of Gulgalta (the skull), along the lines of what is said in the Midrash Rabbah at the end of Koheles, on the verse “and the golden bowl (gulas hazahav) be crushed”: “this is the skull (gulgoles),”

which is the level of “great love” (ahavah rabbah) and of the will that is above intellect, as is explained in the discourse beginning “Lift up the head,” etc., “by their skulls.” And there are more interpretations of vegulah, and they will be explained below, G‑d willing.

26Summary. All this is the matter of the mitzvos as they are above, where they are above the Torah: they are the level of “oil for the light,” and “Torah is light.”

But drawing the revelation into the G‑dly soul is through the Torah, for “wisdom gives life to its possessors”: through it he will come to accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, which comes before the yoke of the mitzvos.

And accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven draws down from the first source, so that it be drawn into the level of yud-hei of the Name Havayah; and through Torah and mitzvos one draws down from there into the level of vav-hei, so that the Name be whole. Also, the matter of “we will do” coming before “we will hear,” through which two crowns are drawn down.

And accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven is the matter of “Hear, O Israel,” and this is “and its bowl upon its top”; and from “And you shall love” until “and upon your gates” are “its seven lamps.” The meaning of “and its bowl upon its top” is in the manner of “like the good oil upon the head,” “Lift up your hands [toward] holiness and bless,” etc., as mentioned above.

276. But for the revelation of this love to be implanted in a person’s heart and soul, so that there be “and with all your soul,” it is through the level of “and two olives upon it, one on the right of the bowl and one on its left.”

The matter is: olives have the oil absorbed within them, except that it comes out only through crushing in the olive press.

And so, by way of analogy, there must be the level of crushing in a person’s soul. And this is from what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “One may stand to pray only out of heaviness of head (koved rosh).”

The meaning of “head” is the level of “Yisrael: li rosh” (“a head for Me”); and the level of heaviness of head is as it is written, “For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me” (in Psalms 38:5).

And from this also follows what is written, “and for your transgressions your mother was sent away”: the level of exile, in which the Shechinah descends below, into the chambers of nogah, etc.

And this too is the matter of heaviness of head: for the Shechinah, the source of all the souls of Israel, is called “head,” as mentioned above from the verse “and Havayah at their head.”

28And this is the matter of “The Shechinah — what expression does it use? ‘My head is heavy upon Me,’” etc. And this is “for our iniquities have increased above [our] head” [in Ezra, chapter 9]. And see Midrash Rabbah, at the beginning of Parshas Bo, on the verse “A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but a fool’s anger is heavier than both,” etc.

For in truth no heaviness at all, G‑d forbid, applies above, since all the worlds were created without toil and without effort, but by an utterance; and our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “With one utterance it could have been created,” etc.; but only “a fool’s anger” is accounted a level of heaviness above,

as it is written, “You have wearied Havayah with your words,” etc. And this is what is called heaviness of head.

29And this is also the meaning of “and its bowl (gulah) upon its top,” as is explained in Midrash Rabbah, at the end of Parshas Emor, end of chapter 32: “One said, gulah is an expression of exile (golus),” etc.: that is, that G‑dliness is hidden and the world appears as a yesh, a separate thing, etc.

And one must feel the pain and bitterness of this, and lower and subdue the physicality and coarseness of the body, so that it will not be on the level of a yesh, a separate thing

(see what is written on this matter in the discourse beginning “When you raise up the lamps,” and in the discourse beginning “And you shall command,” on “crushed for the light”; and see Sefer Shel Beinonim, chapter 29; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “Binding to the vine”; and see the Zohar, Part III, Shelach, 168a, [and] Korach, 178a, on “And the Levi shall serve”).

And therefore they instituted in the blessing of the Shema, “Our Father, merciful Father,” and likewise in the first blessing, “In Your abundant mercy, have mercy on us”: to arouse abundant mercy upon the physicality of the body.

And by this his heart will be subdued, and he will come to recite the Shema, “And you shall love … with all your soul,” through contemplating “one,” the level of His unity, may He be blessed. For without the level of crushing and pounding the body, contemplation will not have an effect in the soul to come from concealment into revelation, so that there truly be “And you shall love … with all your soul.”

30And how will there be an arousal of abundant mercy upon the physicality of the body? We first say, “The King who alone is exalted from of old.”

The meaning of “the King” is that from the level of King, that is, the attribute of His Kingship (Malchus), may He be blessed, all the creatures and all the worlds live and endure, as it is written, “Your kingship is a kingship over all worlds”; and this is only on the level of a radiance and an illumination, etc.

But He alone, may He be blessed, is “exalted,” for He is not within the bounds of being clothed so as to be memalei kol almin. And He is the One “elevated above the days of the world”: that is, the six extremities, up and down, east and west, etc.; and He is elevated above them, for He is not within the bounds of place.

For “there is no comparison to You”; rather, He, may He be blessed, is sovev kol almin: above and below are equal before Him, may He be blessed. “If I make my bed in the netherworld, behold, You are there”; “even darkness is not dark for You … darkness is as light.”

And therefore, “In Your abundant mercy, have mercy on us”: also on the level of physicality, that it not appear as a yesh, a thing by itself and separate, because it has descended into the concealment of the ranks, with the hiding of the Face and concealment after concealment. For this applies only on the level of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus) and the concealment of the ranks, where there is spiritual and physical;

but on the level of sovev kol almin, spiritual and physical are equal. It is like the analogy of a circle that encompasses above and below: its upper part is very high and its lower part is very low, and it encompasses the level of below as well.

And so it is written, “and underneath are the everlasting arms”; and it is written, “and His right hand embraces me,” like a person who embraces his fellow, who embraces and encompasses also his back and his outer side. And therefore, because He is “elevated above the days of the world,” there can be “In Your abundant mercy, have mercy on us.”

And therefore it is called “great mercy,” for it is drawn down and spreads also far, far below, even into this physical world (and see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “And now, let the power of Ado-nai be great,” etc.). And in the second blessing we also say, “Our Father, merciful Father,” etc., “and may we not be ashamed,” etc., “forever and ever.”

For, by way of analogy, when a person does some foolish thing, and afterward, suddenly, he sees a person who is watching him,

then great shame falls upon him: even though, had he done this thing while alone in his house, there would have been no great disgrace in it, nevertheless, when he sees that others see him, he is greatly ashamed.

31So too, by way of analogy: now the physical heavens and earth hide and conceal the light of G‑d, until the world appears as a yesh, a thing by itself.

But of the Time to Come it is written, “and the heavens shall be rolled up (venigolu) like a scroll”; and the heavens and the earth will no longer be in a state of concealment and hiding of the Face, but [there will be] “the new heavens and the new earth that I am making.”

And then the power of shame will be great, when the light of Havayah is openly revealed. And likewise when the soul separates from the body, in Gan Eden, when it merits “to behold the pleasantness of Havayah” in the revelation of the radiance of the Shechinah: then he will be ashamed and humiliated.

And it is for this that we ask, that we not be ashamed forever and ever. (Now, as for the reason there must be an arousal of mercy — that through it specifically the level of “like the good oil” is drawn down and revealed —

it is that the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy have an outer dimension (chitzoniyus) and an inner dimension (pnimiyus): the outer dimension is likened to hairs and is called the thirteen tikkunim of the beard (tikkunei dikna), and the inner dimension is the level of “like the good oil,” etc., “running down upon the beard,” as is written in the Idra Rabba) (131a).

And therefore through the arousal of mercy specifically the level of “like the good oil” is drawn down, for through the arousal of mercy it comes about that the inner dimension of the great mercy is revealed.

And as for the arousal of mercy being called by the name of crushing and pounding the body, like the analogy of crushing the olives, the matter will be understood according to what is written elsewhere, in the discourse beginning “The voice of my beloved,” on the reason the maror is in the middle line:

because the level of mercy applies only where something is lacking and bitter for him, and therefore the attribute of mercy is drawn upon him.

And so too here: in order that one arouse and draw down the revelation of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, this is specifically through heaviness of head, and that he taste bitterness in his soul over his distance from G‑d, so that he feel keenly how he is lacking, and that “it is evil and bitter, the forsaking of Havayah.” And this is the matter of the crushing and pounding: that his heart be broken within him.

And therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Whoever has no understanding (de’ah), it is forbidden to have mercy on him.” And see Sefer Shel Beinonim, chapter 29, that through this he will benefit his soul, etc., with sensory sight.

For the level of sight is drawn from the revelation of the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah), which is the level of the oil that is drawn out specifically through crushing, as mentioned above. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “When you raise up,” on the matter of “for eye to eye … seen,” etc.

32Summary. But for the love and awe to be in his heart, it is through crushing and pounding the body and the arousal of mercy in the two [blessings] before it, so that there be the level of a vessel of rectification (tikkun).

And this is heaviness of head: “my iniquities have gone over my head”; and likewise above, “My head is heavy upon Me”; and gulah is an expression of exile, etc. And how is mercy aroused? We first say, “The King who alone is exalted.”

And therefore, “In Your abundant mercy, have mercy,” also upon the physicality; and therefore it is called “great mercy.” And in Ahavas Olam one also says, “Our Father, merciful Father,” etc.

And the meaning of “and may we not be ashamed forever and ever.” And through this one draws down the level of “like the good oil,” etc. And the reason the arousal of mercy is called crushing is in the manner of the maror in the middle line, etc.

337. Now, in the level of crushing and pounding the coarseness of the body, which is from the level of the olives, there are two olives, “one on the right of the bowl and one on its left”: “right and left you shall spread out.” “The right draws near,” which is the level of love; and “the left pushes away,” which is the level of awe.

For there is the level of an olive that yields oil — this self-nullification (bittul) and this submission — in order to come to the level of “And you shall love … with all your heart”; and this is the level of ratzo (running forth).

And there is the level of an olive [through which] to come to the level of awe, and this is the level of shov (returning). And see what is written in the explanation on the verse “Thus shall you bless,” on the matter of “and they are exacting with themselves to the size of an olive”

(and in the Midrash, Shemos Rabbah, chapter 15: “the two sons of oil” are Moshe and Aharon; and see in Bereishis Rabbah, at the end of [Parshas] Im Bechukosai, chapter 36; and see the Zohar, Part II, Va’era, folio 27a, on the verse “This is Aharon and Moshe,” and in the Mikdash Melech there, in the name of Otzros Chaim; and in the Ramaz, Parshas Emor, folio 102, end of side b, it is [cited] from Otzros Chaim, etc.; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “The voice of my beloved,” on “leaping … skipping”).

And this is the level of “and you shall speak of them”: “of them” specifically; that is, as it is written above, “these words which I (Anochi) command you,” Anochi itself,

that is, that speech in words of Torah be the level of self-nullification, and “My words which I have put in your mouth,” literally “My words”: the binding of thought with thought, speech with speech, etc.

34Now, in Midrash Rabbah, at the end of Emor, it also explains there “and its bowl (gulah) upon its top” as an expression of redemption (ge’ulah): that is, from the level of heaviness of head mentioned above, which precedes prayer, there will be drawn the level of “and ge’ulah upon its top.” And this is the matter of joining redemption to prayer.

And the added alef, through which the level of gulah becomes the level of ge’ulah, is in the manner of the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, “Do not read mah (what) but me’ah (a hundred)”: it is the drawing down of sovev kol almin, the level of alef, which is pele (wonder), that is drawn into Malchus: “I will exalt You, my G‑d the King.”

35And this is through the hundred blessings. And so this level is the matter of redemption; as in the Exodus from Egypt, through the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, revealing Himself to them, through which “He redeemed them.”

(And see what is written in the discourse beginning “Your cheeks are comely with rows,” on the meaning of the verse “Thus says Havayah of Hosts,” etc., “I am the first and I am the last”; see there.)

And the matter of this level in the soul, in divine service, is the going out of the innermost point of the heart, which was in a state of exile and captivity within the desires of the animal soul, and now goes out and rises up to cleave to Him with an intense longing, as is written in Iggeres HaKodesh, section 4.

36Summary. There are two levels of olives: one that yields oil, to come to the level of love and ratzo; and there is an olive that draws down the level of awe and shov, the level of “and you shall speak of them.” And the matter that from the level of vegulah comes the joining of redemption to prayer.

378. And all this is the first section of the Shema, which is the level of accepting the yoke (kabbalas ol) of the Kingdom of Heaven, so that afterward he will accept upon himself the yoke of the mitzvos. The meaning of “the yoke of the mitzvos” is that the mitzvos are a yoke upon a person, to fulfill the commands of the King.

For although the mitzvos are the supernal will, blessed be He, and supernal delight is drawn from them, nevertheless one must fulfill them because they are the decrees of the King, in a state of self-nullification as well, as is explained in the discourse beginning “And now, let the power be great.”

That is: just as in accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven there are two levels, so in accepting the yoke of the mitzvos there are two levels. And this is the matter of “awe and love” [and] “love and awe.”

38Now, it is written, “seven and seven pipes”: twice seven, for each lamp has two pipes, which pour and draw [oil] into the lamps. The first pipe is oil from the level of the two olives; and the second pipe is what is written, “which empty the gold out of themselves,” and this is the level of the joy of the mitzvah.

For gold is the level of joy and gladness, as it is written, “Out of the north comes gold.” And of the joy of the mitzvah it is written, “And I will give the rain of your land in its season, the early rain,” etc.,

so that the acceptance of the mitzvos be with gladness, with rejoicing, in “the pleasantness of Havayah.” And this is what is said in [the blessing] Emes Veyatziv: “and established, and pleasant, and good, and beautiful.”

And therefore in the second section of the Shema “with all your might” is not written as in the first section. For in the first section it is from below upward, and therefore it says, “with all your might”;

but in the second section it is specifically for there to be the revelation of the delight and the joy of the mitzvah in fulfilling the mitzvos, without the bounds of the soul: to rejoice and exult in G‑d because it is pleasant and good, etc.

39And this is [the meaning of] “and wisdom gives life,” etc.: that the Torah, which is the level of Chochmah, the level of self-nullification (bittul) in the first section of the Shema, “and you shall speak of them,” leads to the revelation of the joy and the delight in the second section, which is the joy of the mitzvah, etc.

And therefore, although the mitzvos in their root are above the Torah and are called “its possessors,” for the supernal will is above Chochmah, nevertheless, below, “wisdom gives life” to the mitzvos, so that there be the level of the joy of the mitzvah and the revelation of the supernal delight in the fulfillment of the mitzvah.

(Accordingly, the meaning of “gives life” is as in “to give life through them to the soul of every living being,” where the meaning is reviving of the soul and delight; and as is explained in the discourse beginning “And you shall know this day,” regarding the meaning of “And the righteous shall live by his faith.”

One may further say, on the matter of “wisdom gives life” to the mitzvos, which are called “its possessors”: for in the Gemara, at the beginning of chapter 6 of Berachos, it is implied that the section “And it shall be, if you will diligently hearken to My mitzvos” is still not called “doing the will of the Omnipresent (Makom)” as is fitting; and the reason is explained elsewhere: because “with all your might” is not said in it.

If so, then through the level of “with all your might” in the first section of the Shema, which is accepting the yoke (kabbalas ol) of the Kingdom of Heaven, an added superiority is drawn into the fulfillment of the mitzvos, so that it be called “doing the will of the Omnipresent.”

And this is the matter of the wisdom that is in it, and through it the level of “with all your might” is drawn, as mentioned above in the matter of “and its bowl upon its top”: it “gives life to its possessors,” which are the mitzvos. And the explanation of the matter is as is explained elsewhere: that in the mitzvos there are two levels. The first is what is drawn on the level of an encompassing light (Or Makif), and is called garments (levushim).

The second is what is drawn and shines from this encompassing level into the inner light (Or Pnimi), on the level of the inner dimension (pnimiyus). And on account of this drawing down, which is inward, it is called “doing the will of the Omnipresent”: for they draw the revelation inward, into the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), which is called Makom, “the place of the world,” etc.

And this is through “and wisdom gives life”: life-force (chayus) means that it is drawn in revelation, to shine on the level of the inner dimension, as in “for the blood is the soul,” etc. It may also be said [that this is] along the lines of what is written, “For a mitzvah is a lamp,” etc., “and the way of life.”

Thus “the way of life” is above the mitzvah itself, and of this it is said, “and wisdom gives life to its possessors.” And from all this will be understood what is said in Midrash Rabbah, Nasso, chapter 13) (folio 252d), on the verse “You are all fair, my beloved”: “Because Yirmeyahu says, ‘Rejected silver,’ etc., Zechariah came and said, ‘a menorah all of gold,’” etc.

And it may be said [that this is] according to what is said in Midrash Rabbah, Parshas Terumah: “‘And this is the offering … gold’: this is Babylon, as it is said, ‘the head of gold.’”

40And at first glance this is puzzling: “the head of gold” is the Keser (the Crown) of kelipah (the husk), for it refers to Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed the Holy Temple; so what has it to do with the gold of the offering?

But [it is] as is said in Midrash Rabbah, at the end of Parshas Metzora: “In Jerusalem you did not keep the mitzvah of zivah,” etc., until: “Of that hour it says, ‘You are all fair, my beloved,’” etc.

And this is along the lines of what is explained elsewhere on the verse “For Israel is a youth,” etc., “and from Egypt I called My son”: like the analogy of a young son, who, as long as his father shows him his love, etc., grows haughty in his soul, etc.;

but if his father rebukes him and pushes him out of his house, etc., then the son’s love for his father is aroused and revealed.

41And he cries out in the bitterness of his soul, etc. And this is [the meaning]: because “Israel is a youth,” therefore through Egypt “I called My son”; and “Pharaoh drew near (hikriv),” etc.

And this is why it was specifically through the exile of Babylon that a menorah of gold was made; and as it is written, “My soul thirsts for You,” etc., “in a parched land,” specifically,

as is explained elsewhere, in the discourse beginning “To understand the matter of the second day of Yom Tov.” And also as is explained on the verse “When Pharaoh sent out,” etc. Therefore, through this they refined “the head of gold” and became a menorah of gold.

Yet nevertheless, this level refers mainly to the Time to Come, when they will say to Yitzchak, “For you are our father,” like the superiority of gold, etc.

42Summary. And all this is accepting the yoke (kabbalas ol) of the Kingdom of Heaven; and afterward there must be the yoke of the mitzvos, a “yoke” specifically. “Seven and seven pipes”: for each lamp, two pipes. One draws the oil from the level of the two olives, to come to the level of ratzo and shov; and the second pipe draws the gold,

and this is the joy of the mitzvah. And this is [the meaning of]: “and wisdom,” which brings [one] to accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, “gives life to its possessors,” which are the mitzvos.