ביאור ע״פ נשא

1An explanation of [the verse] “Take a count (Nasso).”

2Now, it is written, “The Sanctuary, Ado-nai, that Your hands established.” And the Ramaz explains, [in] Parshas Pinchas, folio 221, that this means three hands: the great hand, the strong hand, the uplifted hand,

which are what establish the Sanctuary and the Mishkan, so that there can be a descent and drawing down of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, from the World of Atzilus (Emanation) to Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah; for this is the matter of the Mishkan and the Sanctuary, as is written in Sefer Shel Beinonim (Tanya), chapter 53.

3Yet in truth there is no comparison between them, that the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) should dwell in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, which are bounded and newly brought into being as something from nothing. And so too, for there to be a revelation from the Emanator, blessed be He, in Atzilus: for Atzilus too bears no comparison at all to the Emanator, the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He. All this is “Your hands established.”

And see what is written about this on [the verse] “The eyes of all look to You with hope,” etc., “You open Your hands”:

that is, one must make a vessel in the soul that can receive the revelation of the Infinite Light. And see what is written about this also in Torah Ohr, Parshas Mishpatim, in the discourse beginning “None shall miscarry or be barren,” on the matter of “the cup of salvations,” etc. (And see about this in Emek HaMelech, Shaar 6, end of chapter 66, and Shaar 14, chapter 85.)

And because the making of this vessel is through the level of Gevurah (restraint), as in the matter of “A person should always stir up his good inclination against his evil inclination,” therefore this is the matter of the three Levites.

And in the Gemara, the first chapter of Kesubos, folio 5, end of side a: Bar Kappara expounded: Greater are the works of the righteous than the work of heaven and earth; for of the work of heaven and earth it is written, “My hand, too, founded the earth, and My right hand spanned the heavens” (Isaiah, chapter 48),

that is, one hand for one work, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “He stretched out His left hand and created the earth; He stretched out His right hand and created the heavens”; whereas of the work of the hands of the righteous it is written, “The foundation for Your dwelling that You, Havayah, have made; the Sanctuary, Ado-nai, that Your hands established.”

That is, even in one work, namely the Holy Temple, it writes two hands. So Tosafos explain there; and it is also cited in Rashi’s commentary on the Chumash (Parshas Beshalach, 15:17).

And see the Maharsha on Kesubos there, in the Chiddushei Aggados, the explanation that in the work of heaven and earth the two hands, which are Chesed (kindness) and Gevurah, had not yet been joined together; rather, “The heavens are heavens unto Havayah,” etc.; but through the work of the righteous they join the two levels together, etc.;

and that this is why the Mishkan was made through Betzalel and Oholiav: for Betzalel is “in the shadow of E-l” (betzel E-l), “The kindness of E-l [endures] all the day,” and Oholiav, of the tribe of Dan, is from the level of Gevurah, etc.; that is, to join the attribute of Gevurah to Chesed and compassion, etc. See there.

4And his words accord with what is written in the Midrash Rabbah, Va’era, chapter 12, on [the verse] “Whatever Havayah desired He has done, in the heavens and on the earth,” etc. See there.

And the explanation of the matter: the heavens are the level of the encompassing [lights] (makifim), that is, the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin). And this is [the meaning of] “And My right hand spanned the heavens”: “Your right hand, Havayah, is glorious in power”; this is the power of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, which is without limit, etc.

But the level of earth, which is the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), “Your kingship is a kingship over all worlds” (as is written in the discourse beginning “And the number of the children of Israel shall be”), receives from the level of His left hand, in the manner of “He said to His world, ‘Enough!’” etc., so that everything should be in a state of limit and end.

(And see on the matter of “My hand, too,” etc., “and My right hand,” etc., in Chagigah, chapter 2, folio 12a; Menachos, folio 36, end of side b; the Midrash Rabbah, Bereishis, end of chapter 1; Bechukosai, chapter 36;

in Eichah, folio 68a, in the passage beginning “It once happened with Miriam the daughter of Nachtom”; the Zohar, Part I, folio 30a; Part II, folio 20a; Parshas Bo, folio 37a; Yisro, folio 83b; Part III, Pinchas, folio 247a.)

But through the work of the righteous they join the two hands; that is, they draw down the revelation of the light from the level of sovev kol almin into the level of memalei kol almin. And the vessel for this revelation is the matter of the Sanctuary of G‑d,

which is the vessel in which there is to be the revelation of the supernal holiness, sovev kol almin. And it is the level of Zion (see the Midrash Rabbah, beginning of Parshas Kedoshim; the Zohar, Part III, end of Parshas Haazinu, folio 296b; and Me’orei Or, the letter mem, end of section 89).

And this is [the meaning of] “Your hands established.” And this is also [the meaning of] what our Sages, of blessed memory, said (in Sanhedrin, chapter Chelek, folio 92a, and in Berachos, chapter 5, folio 33a): “Great is the Sanctuary, for it was placed between two letters, as it is said, ‘You have made, Havayah; the Sanctuary, Ado-nai,’” etc.

That is, it joins the two Names, Havayah [and] Ado-nai, which are sovev kol almin and memalei kol almin, which are the root of Chesed (kindness) and Gevurah (restraint), etc.

And in the Zohar, Part III, Shelach, folio 161b, it explains “the Sanctuary, Ado-nai” along the lines of “And now, let the power of Ado-nai be great,” etc. See there. And see what is written below, in Parshas Shelach, on [the verse] “And now, let the power be great.”

5Now, koach (“power”) is also twice yad (“hand”): that is, the joining of two levels of “hand” so that they become one, in the manner of “Your right hand, Havayah, is glorious in power (koach).”

And this is also the matter of “Great is knowledge (de’ah), for it was placed between two letters”; for “And I will meet with you there” (venoadti) has the letters of venodati (“and I will be known”), [showing] that the joining is through Daas (knowledge). And see what is written in the discourse beginning “In the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting.”

And this is also the matter of the three hands. Even though in the Gemara only two hands are mentioned, which are Chesed (kindness) and Gevurah (restraint), [there are three], because what joins the two levels together is Tiferes (beauty), the middle line, which joins Chesed and Gevurah so that they become one.

And it is the matter of Daas, which joins Chochmah (wisdom) and Binah (understanding), as in the matter of “This time [he] will be joined,” as [will be explained] below.

And this is because its root is above the two levels and rises up to Keser (the Crown) (and see what is written in Iggeres HaKodesh on [the verse] “And the work of charity shall be peace”).

That is: for the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) to be drawn down into the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), it must be through a drawing down from the very Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, which is above even the level of sovev kol almin, etc. And this is the matter of the uplifted hand.

And [it is] as in the matter of “For He is exalted, exalted,” etc. And see what is written in Torah Ohr, Parshas Beshalach, at the end of the discourse beginning “I will sing to Havayah”; and on Megillas Esther, at the end of the discourse beginning “To become intoxicated on Purim,” on “For a hand is on the throne of Yah,” etc. See there.

And with this [the following] will be resolved: for seemingly the answer is still not sufficient, [namely] what Tosafos wrote in Kesubos there: “But in the work of the righteous, in one work, such as the Holy Temple, it writes two hands”; end of quote.

For one can raise a difficulty against this: it is explained in the Midrash Rabbah (Nasso, chapter 12, folio 249, column c) on [the verse] “On the day that Moshe finished setting up the Mishkan”:

“the Mishkan,” that it is equivalent to the world, etc. How so? It is written, “In the beginning G‑d created the heavens,” etc.,

and it is written, “Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain” (Psalms 104); and of the Mishkan it is written, “And you shall make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent,” etc. See there at length.

And since this is so, that the curtains of the Mishkan are like the level of heaven, and the other things in the Mishkan are like the things that are on earth (see there in the Midrash),

then, even though of the Mishkan it writes two hands, this is not two hands in one thing, but rather the two hands that are in the world, since in the Mishkan there is also heaven and the level of earth.

If so, the two hands of “Your hands,” written of the Sanctuary, are the right [hand] for the level of heaven, which is the curtains of the Mishkan, and the level of the left [hand] for the level of earth that is in the Mishkan.

6So in what way are the works of the righteous greater than the work of heaven and earth? Rather, perforce we must say that the main explanation is that in the Sanctuary the two levels of the hands, as it were, were truly joined and became one;

that is, the drawing down and revelation of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), which is called “right,” into the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), which is called “left,” as it is said, “You are mighty forever, Ado-nai.”

7And it is written, “They shall speak of the glory of Your kingship and tell of Your might”: for the level of His kingship (Malchus), which is the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), to come about is through gevuros (restraints) and contractions (tzimtzumim), etc.

But through the work of the righteous they draw down the revelation of the very Name Havayah into the Name Ado-nai, as it is written, “And Havayah is in His holy Temple (heichal)”: heichal has the numerical value of Ado-nai, etc. Therefore in the Sanctuary they would pronounce the Name as it is written, whereas in the provinces [they said it] by its substitute name.

And this joining of His two hands, as it were, is through the level of the uplifted hand, etc.; for this level is the drawing down of the revelation in the inner dimension (pnimiyus).

(And see further on the matter of “You will bring them,” etc., “the foundation for Your dwelling,” etc., in Kesubos, chapter 5, folio 62b; Bava Basra, chapter 8, folio 119b; in Avos, at the end of the chapter “The Sages taught”; the Jerusalem Talmud, Berachos, chapter 4, on the Mishnah “He should direct his heart toward the Holy of Holies”; the Midrash Rabbah, Tetzaveh, chapter 38, folio 134b;

Bamidbar, chapter 4, folio 217b; Nasso, chapter 12, folio 249c; in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, folio 25a, at the end of [the passage on] “Like the tower of David”; and in the Pesichta of Eichah, the passage beginning “Rabbi Yitzchak opened: ‘Because you did not serve’”; and in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, at the end of [the passage on] “He made its pillars of silver,” folio 22b;

the Zohar, Part I, Vayeshev, folio 183, end of side a; Parshas Pinchas, folio 221a. And on the matter of the three hands: Parshas Eikev, folio 272, end of side b, and in the Ramaz’s commentary there. And see what is written on [the verse] “Lift up your hands [in] holiness,” in the discourse beginning “Go out and gaze.”)

8Summary. The matter of “the Sanctuary, Ado-nai”: the Arizal, of blessed memory, explains that it is the matter of making the vessel to receive the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof); and this is through “Your hands.”

And in the Gemara it is also explained that in the making of the Sanctuary two hands, as it were, were joined, which are the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) and the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin). And the joining of Chesed (kindness) and Gevurah (restraint) is through the middle line, Daas (knowledge) [and] Tiferes (beauty), etc. And this is the matter of the three hands: the great hand, the strong hand, the uplifted hand.

92. Now, the three hands are three levels: contraction (tzimtzum), expansion and drawing down. (For contraction, expansion and drawing down are the three levels of the yud, hei and vav of the Name Havayah;

therefore they are what establish the Sanctuary of G‑d, which is the final hei of the Name Havayah. And this is also the matter of the three times “holy,” until it is drawn down to be “the whole earth is full of His glory,” as is written in the discourse beginning “Sing and rejoice,” and in the explanation on [the verse] “And I shall be sanctified.”

But the connection of the three levels mentioned above to the matter of the three hands may be explained according to what the Ramaz writes on Parshas Eikev there: that yad (“hand”) means the four letters of the Name Havayah and the filling of the Name Havayah, which is ten letters; and there are three fillings, [the Names] Av (72), Sag (63) [and] Mah (45); these are the three hands.

And it is known that the Name Av is in Chochmah (wisdom), which is the yud of the Name; the Name Sag in Binah (understanding), which is the first hei of the Name; and the Name Mah in Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes), which is the vav, etc.) And these are the very levels of the three Levites who carried the Mishkan: Gershon, Kehas and Merari.

Therefore, when Leah bore Levi, she said, “This time my husband will be joined to me, for I have borne him three sons”

(and see what is written about this in Parshas Vayechi, on [the verse] “Yehudah, you,” and in Parshas Vayetzei, in the discourse beginning “And Lavan had two daughters”); for Leah is the mother of the sons, who are the six extremities (vav ketzavos) of Atzilus: Reuven is Chesed (kindness), etc.;

and Leah is the level of thought, the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) of Binah, which is the mother and source of the six emotive attributes (middos), all of which spread forth and are born through thought. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “These are the accounts of the Mishkan,” on the meaning of “Who created these.”

10And this is [the meaning of] “the name of the elder (hagedolah) was Leah”: that is, the name of the great hei (hei gedolah), etc. And see the Midrash Rabbah, Vayetzei, chapter 70.

And the meaning of “my husband will be joined to me”: the matter is that the root of the essential coming into being of all the worlds, Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, is from the level of thought, that is, what arose in thought before Him, may He be blessed, [that] “there is no king without a people,”

as in the saying, “I shall reign.” From this one thought all the worlds descended in a chain (hishtalshelus) and were created, with all the details of the division of Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.

But in truth, that He should have a will, “I shall reign,” is also only as it is written, “Havayah reigns; He is clothed in majesty”:

that is, it is not like a king of flesh and blood, to whom will truly applies, etc.; whereas Above it is only the level of a garment, as was explained above.

11Therefore, in order that there be a drawing down of the supernal will, blessed be He, into this level of thought, Leah said and asked for this: “This time my husband will be joined to me,” that there be a real joining of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, with this thought.

And this is “my husband (ishi) will be joined,” along the lines of “On that day you will call [Me] ‘my husband’ (ishi).”

And see what is written about this at the end of the discourse beginning “And if a woman vows”; also, that Yaakov is “the middle bar” that “runs from end to end,” which is the joining and drawing down of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, into the worlds. (And see what is written about this in Parshas Tzav.)

And this is [the meaning of] “this time”: specifically through the level of Levi.

As is written in the Midrash Rabbah, Vayetzei, chapter 71, on [the verse] “Therefore she called his name Levi”: “Levi: this one is destined to accompany (lalvos) the children to their Father in heaven.” And see about this in the Zohar, Part II, Shemos, folio 19a; Mishpatim, folio 104a.

According to this, the root of the level of Levi is Daas (knowledge), which is what joins Chochmah (wisdom) and Binah (understanding), and likewise Tiferes (beauty), which joins Chesed (kindness) and Gevurah (restraint).

And so there is an explanation in the Pardes, in Erchei HaKinuyim, under the entry “Levi,” based on the statement of the Zohar, Part III, Parshas Shelach (folio 174a), and in Parshas Shemos (folio 11, end of side b), explaining “And a man of the house of Levi went”: “the place of supernal Chochmah and that river are joined together as one and never part,” etc.; as it is written, “This Leviathan You formed,” etc. See there.

And in the Mikdash Melech on Parshas Shemos there, in the name of Rabbi Chaim Vital: that it accompanies constantly, etc.

12And as is written in Pri Etz Chaim, Shaar Kerias Shema, chapter 6: that the union of Chochmah (wisdom) and Binah (understanding) is constant and never ceases, for if it were to cease for one moment, all the worlds would cease [to exist].

For the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus) and the coming into being from nothing to something must be constant, as is written in Sefer Shel Beinonim, Part II; and not only from nothing to physical something, but even [to] spiritual [things].

And this is the matter of the union of Chochmah and Binah: for “Chochmah is found from nothing (ayin),” and Chochmah is koach mah (“the power of ‘what’”), self-nullification (bittul).

Therefore the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) rests only in Chochmah. (And see what is written about this in Parshas Va’eschanan, in the discourse beginning “And you shall love.”)

And even in Binah the Infinite Light rests only through being enclothed in Chochmah, and Chochmah is enclothed in Binah. That is, Binah is called “something” (yesh), and the union of Chochmah and Binah is the drawing down from nothing to something, etc.

13And this drawing down must be truly constant. And this union is through Chochmah (wisdom) and Binah (understanding): for the “something” of Binah is included and nullified in the “nothing” of Chochmah.

And there the “something” is not separate, G‑d forbid; but through this it is a source for the flow from nothing to actual something, as it is written, “And a river goes out from Eden,” etc., “and from there it divides,” etc.

Therefore the union of Chochmah and Binah is called “the house of Levi,” “my husband will be joined to me,” for “they never part”; which is not so with the union of Tiferes (beauty) and Malchus (sovereignty), which are joined [only] at times.

And it is, by way of analogy, [like this]: thought flows constantly from the intellect, and this is the level of “And a river goes out from Eden,” which goes out and flows constantly; whereas the drawing down into speech is at times: “a time to be silent and a time to speak” (and see what is written about this in the explanation on [the verse] “This mound is witness”).

But as for what is written, “This time [he] will be joined”: besides that “this time” may be explained [as] specifically through Levi, as the Pardes explains under the entry “Levi,” that he is the level of Daas (knowledge), which joins and unites Chochmah and Binah,

there is this further [point]: although the union of Chochmah and Binah is constant, the inner union of Chochmah and Binah is not constant; rather, for this there is need of an elevation of mayin nukvin (feminine waters), as is written in Pri Etz Chaim there and in chapter 11.

And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “And He placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to guard it,” with two letters hei: to draw down the light into the two letters hei of the Name.

And although even without this “a river goes out,” etc., constantly, “whose waters never cease,” this is only according to the measure allotted to give life to the worlds; but there must be “to work it,” to draw down an addition and increase of light, etc. And this is “This time [he] will be joined,” etc.;

and this is what was explained above on the meaning of “my husband will be joined”: that there be a drawing down of the supernal will, blessed be He, into this level of thought, etc. And this is the matter of the first verse of the Shema, to give over one’s soul (mesirus nefesh) in [the word] “One,” for specifically through this the inner union of Chochmah and Binah is drawn down.

14And this is also the service of the Levite, as it is written, “And the Levite, he (hu) shall perform the service.” “He” (hu) is Binah (understanding); that is, he joins and unites Chochmah (wisdom) and Binah.

And this matter is as is written in the Zohar, that Levi is related to Leviathan.

And the meaning of “This Leviathan You formed to play with” is explained in the Siddur, in the discourse on the blessing of the zimun; and also, laughter and delight (taanug) are drawn from the nullification of the “something” (bittul hayesh) (as is written elsewhere, in Parshas Pinchas, on [the verse] “Command the children of Israel”);

and the reason the nullification of the “something” is called Leviathan is, as mentioned above, that Levi and Leviathan are an expression of the joining and uniting of the “something” with the “nothing,” which is the matter of the union of Chochmah and Binah.

And likewise from below upward: that is, that the “something” is nullified in the “nothing”; and this is the level of Leviathan and “the fish of the sea.”

As is written elsewhere, in Parshas Beshalach, on [the verse] “Then Moshe sang,” on the matter of the difference between dry land and sea: that the creatures in the sea are not visible outside, etc., which is the level of the “something” truly nullified in the “nothing”; whereas with the creatures on dry land, the “something” is a separate thing, etc. And see there, that this is precisely the level of the Levites; that is, because Levi is the level of Leviathan.

15And this is also the level of Moshe, of whom it is said, “And what are we”; that is, because “I drew him out of the water.” And of this it is said, “And a man of the house of Levi went,” etc., “and she conceived and bore,” etc.: the meaning of “a man (ish) of the house of Levi” is as in the matter of “This time my husband (ishi) will be joined.”

And along these lines is the level of giving over one’s soul (mesirus nefesh) in [the word] “One”: to become nullified in the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He; and through this the inner union is drawn down from nothing to something, etc.

16Now, the purpose of the inner union of Abba and Imma (Chochmah and Binah) in the Shema, which is the matter of the union of yud-hei, is to draw down intellect (mochin) to Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes) and Nukva (Malchus), so that there be the union of vav-hei.

That is, that likewise in Z’eir Anpin and Nukva there be the union and joining mentioned above; and this is the drawing down from the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) into the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin) in Beriah, for Malchus is the source of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.

And this is what is written in the Zohar, Parshas Korach (folio 178b), on [the verse] “And the Levite, he shall perform the service”: “As it says, ‘For Havayah, He is Elokim’”: meaning, to join Z’eir Anpin and Nukva together, which are called Havayah [and] Elokim, as is written in the Mikdash Melech there. And the service of the Levite is to draw down this accompaniment and joining.

And this is also [the meaning of] what is written, “And a man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi”: she is the level of Malchus, which is called “a daughter of Levi” because Abba and Imma prepared her, etc. And in the Zohar, Mishpatim, at the beginning of folio 104a: “Levi is the joining of all.”

17And this drawing down is through “and you shall speak of them,” in words of Torah. And see what is written elsewhere on [the verse] “the service of the Levites under the hand of Isamar,” etc.: Isamar is an expression of itmar (“it was said”) in the Gemara; “Then those who fear Havayah spoke [with one another]”; “I am the Mishnah that speaks in your mouth.”

And through this the accompaniment and joining mentioned above are drawn down also into Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes) and Nukva (Malchus); that is, through first [having] self-sacrifice (mesirus nefesh) in [the word] “One” in the Shema, etc. (And see what is written in Parshas Acharei, in the discourse beginning “For on this day He shall make atonement,” on the meaning and matter of “and you shall speak of them,” etc.; see there at length.)

And this is “I drew him out of the water,” and as in the matter of “the fish of the sea that go onto dry land”: to draw down this self-nullification (bittul) also below; and this is through the Torah, etc.

And this is the matter of “the Sanctuary, Ado-nai, that Your hands established,” as is written on [the verse] “And you shall revere My Sanctuary,” that this is the level of the Torah.

And see the Likkutei Torah of the Arizal on Zechariah, on [the verse] “On that day there shall be”: that in the time to come the level of vav-hei, which are Z’eir Anpin and Nukva, will also be at the level of yud-hei, “two companions,” etc.

And this is what is written in the Zohar, Part I, Vayeshev, folio 183, end of side b: “for the Mother was joined with the Daughter and they became as one.”

And see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “Sing and rejoice, daughter [of Zion],” and see what is written on the Zohar, Parshas Shelach, folio 171a, on [the verse] “And it shall be on that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem,” etc. And see further on the matter of the Levites in the Zohar, Part II, Shemos, folio 18b.

18Now, in most places the implication is that the Levites are from the level of Gevurah (restraint), as is written in the Pardes there, under the entry “Levi.”

And in Me’orei Or, the letter lamed, section 14: “Levi, in Binah (understanding) or in Gevurah; and what seems closest to me: every right line is Kohen and every left line is Levi, etc.; and there are three kinds of gevuros, and therefore there are three families, Kehas, Gershon and Merari”; end of quote.

19And it is possible to reconcile the two views, that the Levites are from the level of Daas (knowledge) and also from the level of Gevurah (restraint): for Daas includes Chesed (kindness) and Gevurah, and in it are the five Chasadim and the five Gevuros.

And it may be said that the root of the Levites is from the crown of Gevurah (itra degevurah) within Daas. And so the Ramaz explains at the end of Parshas Korach, except that he, of blessed memory, explains this of the level of Kehas.

And see what is written on [the verse] “And Korach son of Yitzhar took,” and see what is written in the discourse beginning “I will rejoice greatly,” etc., “my soul shall exult,” etc.: that on Rosh HaShanah it is the level of “His left hand beneath my head,” etc.

And it will be further understood, regarding “This time [he] will be joined,” according to what is written in the Zohar, Part I, Chayei Sarah (folio 133a): “Once she has been placed,” etc.

And this is the matter of the three Levites, Kehas, Gershon and Merari: that through Gershon and Merari “she is placed between the two arms,” the great hand and the strong hand; and Kehas is the one who draws down the higher union. And this is “Your hands established.”

(And see further on the matter of “And the Levite, he shall perform the service” in the Zohar, Part III, folio 171a and folio 183b; Part II, folio 114a. And see further in the Zohar, Parshas Pinchas, folio 250b, on [the verse] “And a man of the house of Levi went,” etc.;

and see the Ramaz’s commentary at the end of Parshas Korach, and in Parshas Behaaloscha, on folio 151b, on [the verse] “Take the Levites,” etc.; and just before it, on folio 150, on [the verse] “I have surely built You a house of habitation,” concerning “the Sanctuary, Ado-nai, that Your hands established.” And see the Likkutei Torah of the Arizal at the beginning of Ezekiel, cited in Sefer Shel Beinonim, chapter fifty.)

20Summary. The three hands are contraction (tzimtzum), expansion and drawing down, for the building of the lower hei.

And this is the matter of “This time my husband will be joined”; “You will call [Me] ‘my husband’”: that it be drawn into the level of the great hei, Leah, the level of thought. And according to this, Levi is the level of Daas (knowledge), which joins Chochmah (wisdom) and Binah (understanding), nothing and something.

21“And He placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it,” and to draw down additional light; and this is through the nullification (bittul) of the “something” into the “nothing,” which is the matter of Levi, “to accompany the children to their Father in heaven.”

“This Leviathan You formed to play with,” and as in the matter of “the fish of the sea.” And through this the union of yud-hei is drawn down, and afterwards the level of vav-hei is drawn down; and this is through occupation in Torah.

And in most places the implication is that the Levites are from the left line, for the union and joining is aroused through the left line, as it is written, “His left hand beneath my head,” etc.; and this is the matter of Rosh HaShanah. (And see what is written in Parshas “These are the accounts of the Mishkan,” etc., [on] “the service of the Levites,” etc.)

223. Now, these three Levites carried the Mishkan in the wilderness. And the whole intent was this: the wilderness is the place and dwelling where the external forces draw their nurture; therefore no grain or plants grow there.

Therefore it was specifically there that they carried the Mishkan, [through] forty-two journeys, corresponding to the Name of forty-two [letters] of Ana Bechoach, in order to subdue them and to remove the concealing darkness; and through this there could afterwards be a revelation of G‑dliness, so that there be the level of “my husband will be joined to me.”

And they would draw down a revelation of G‑dliness, both from the Emanator, blessed be He, into Atzilus, and from Atzilus to Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah; for through their arousal they would arouse [a response] from Above as well, that He be enclothed in the thought “I shall reign,” etc. And see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “These are the accounts of the Mishkan.”

Now, it is known that there are world, year and soul (olam, shanah, nefesh), whose initials spell ashan (“smoke”); and if so, everything that exists in the world exists in particular in the soul of the person himself (and through the service in the soul the revelation will be drawn down in the world in the time to come);

that is, just as in the Mishkan there were, in general, three levels, the vessels of the Mishkan, the boards of the Mishkan and the curtains of the Mishkan, so these levels exist in a person’s soul.

The brain, the heart and the liver, etc., are like the vessels that were in the Mishkan, the ark and the ark-cover, the inner altar, the outer altar, etc. (and see what is written in the discourse beginning “And you shall draw water”); and the bones are the limbs and outer vessels, like the boards of the Mishkan.

And skin and flesh are the level of garments, as it is written, “With skin and flesh You clothed me,” and their root is from the level of the encompassing [lights] (makifim); and this is like the matter of the curtains over the Mishkan, linen and purple wool and tachash skins, etc.

(In another version: these three levels are lights, vessels and garments; for in the brain, heart and liver are enclothed nefesh, ruach and neshamah, which are lights, and this is the matter of the ark and the menorah, etc.;

and the bones and the outer limbs, and likewise the boards in the Mishkan, are vessels, etc.; and skin and flesh are garments, and likewise the curtains of the Mishkan. And it all comes to the same thing, for the lights are enclothed in the inner vessels.)

And to understand all these levels in [divine] service: it is stated in the Midrash and in the Zohar, Terumah, folio 170a, on [the verse] “And you shall make the boards for the Mishkan of acacia wood, standing,” etc.: “Seraphim standing above Him,” etc.

And the meaning of “standing” is along the lines of the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, in Berachos, chapter 3, folio 22a, on [the verse] “And you shall make them known to your children,” etc., “the day that you stood before Havayah your G‑d at Chorev”;

and they explained: just as there [it was] in dread and awe, so here [it must be] in dread and awe. Thus the level of standing is dread and awe.

And the matter is as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Sotah, chapter 7, folio 39a): “‘Standing’ means nothing but silence, as it is said, ‘And I waited, for they did not speak; for they stood and answered no more’” (in Job, chapter 32, [verse] 16).

This silence is the level of self-nullification (bittul): that out of dread and awe one stands and is silent from all his own desires.

And this is the matter of the nullification of will: “And beside You I desire nothing on earth,” that is, that at any rate he should have no other will that is not for G‑d, may He be blessed.

And this is the beginning of the service: “With this shall Aharon come into the Sanctuary,” that is, the start of the service is at the level of the lower awe (yirah tata’ah), and from this is drawn the level of standing mentioned above. And see on the matter of “standing” in the Zohar, Part III, at the beginning of Parshas Va’eschanan, and in Parshas Tetzaveh, folio 183a.

Only afterwards [comes] “And I will grant you to walk among those who stand”; and this is the level of the curtains in the Mishkan, which were over the standing boards; for the curtains were of blue wool (techeles) and purple wool, and techeles is an expression of the soul’s expiring (kelos hanefesh) in the level of love.

23And “tachash skins”: Targum Onkelos [renders it] sasgona, for it rejoices (sas) in many colors (gavnin), as is stated in Shabbos, chapter 2, folio 28a; that is, six colors, which are the six supernal attributes (middos) that come after the level of “acacia wood, standing”; and this is the level of “And I will grant you to walk among those who stand.”

24Now, the ark and the ark-cover are the inner vessels, for the Torah lay in the ark, and “the Torah comes forth from Chochmah (wisdom)”; and the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, as an inner light is specifically in Chochmah.

That is: the Infinite Light, blessed be He, is the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), and the light and revelation cannot be at the level of inner light except only at the level of Chochmah alone.

Only, in the ark it was covered, and its revelation was in the menorah, as it is written, “and the Torah is light” (for it is written, “and the Torah of kindness is on her tongue,” and it is written, “from His right hand, a fiery law,” etc.; and see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “And Moshe assembled”).

And “through Chochmah they are refined”: for through the Torah all the refinements (beirurim) are accomplished, through the positive and the prohibitive commandments: to refine the good and raise it up through the positive commandments, and to eradicate the evil through the prohibitive commandments. And the main refinement is specifically through the inner vessels,

that is, the altar, on which they would bring the offerings, while the waste was pushed outside; and this is what is written, “And he shall take the ashes out,” for they would take them outside, that is, to give a place for the external forces to draw nurture from the waste

(and even in the waste itself there is still a refinement, and this is what is written first, “And he shall lift up the ashes,” etc., and afterwards “And he shall take the ashes out”; and the matter of the lifting of the ashes is explained elsewhere); but the inner core of the 288 sparks was refined and absorbed into G‑dliness.

Therefore the sons of Kehas carried the inner vessels, for [Kehas] is from the expression “and to him shall be the gathering (yikhas) of peoples,” an expression of gathering, as Rashi explains; that is, in him and through him the 288 sparks are gathered and assembled, to be absorbed above.

Therefore [Kehas] is called “the uplifted hand,” for he lifts and raises the sparks from the very lowest depths up to the very highest heights.

And likewise in a person, the main refinement is in the inner vessels, the brain, the heart and the liver: for the food enters the stomach and is refined there, and then the waste is pushed outside, and the choicest part rises to the liver and heart and becomes blood there, and from the heart it rises to the brain and there becomes life-force (chayus) for the soul

(and see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “I sleep, but my heart is awake,” and see the Zohar, Part III, Parshas Shelach, folio 161b); and when he prays and studies with the strength of this life-force, the life-force is absorbed into G‑dliness.

25Summary. The matter that the three families of Levites carried the Mishkan: that there is the level of the Mishkan in the soul: the inner organs, the brain, heart and liver, are like the vessels of the Mishkan; the bones are the level of the boards of the Mishkan; skin and flesh are like the curtains.

And the matter of the bones, the level of the standing boards, is the level of awe and self-nullification (bittul); and the curtains are the level of “walking among those who stand”; and the brain, heart, etc., [are] occupation in Torah: “through Chochmah (wisdom) they are refined.”

264. And this is also the matter of the myrrh (mor) that was in the incense, “myrrh and cassia,” etc. (For the incense upon the inner altar is also a level of refinement, as is known, that the eleven spices of the incense were to raise up and refine from the eleven crowns of impurity. And see the Zohar, Part II, at the end of Parshas Vayakhel (folio 219a): “Come and see: what is the difference between prayer and the act of the incense,” etc.;

and in Zohar HaRakia there; and in the Ramaz at the end of Parshas Bo (on folio 40b), on the matter of the elevation and refinement that come through the incense; and in Parshas Korach (folio 177b); and in the Zohar, Part III, Parshas Tzav (folio 30b).

And see what is written in the discourse beginning “This is the dedication of the altar,” and in the discourse beginning “And you shall draw water,” and in the discourse beginning “See, the fragrance of my son.”)

Now, from here on begins also the introduction to the explanation of the matter of Merari. The main [place where] myrrh is written in the Torah is regarding the anointing oil: “And you, take for yourself choice spices: pure myrrh (mor deror), five hundred [shekels].”

And the matter is this: myrrh is a spice made from the congealed blood of a certain animal; so the Geonim explain. And the Ramban wrote that others asked how the blood of an impure animal could enter into the incense and the holy oil; and see there what he answered; and see the Tur, Orach Chaim (section 216).

And it is along the lines of “the blood is transformed and becomes milk”: that is, what is refined and the evil transformed to good through iskafya and is’hapcha (subduing and transforming); and then from this there becomes the level of “a pleasing fragrance” (re’ach nicho’ach), that is, an elevation of mayin nukvin (feminine waters) to draw down the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, into supernal Chochmah (wisdom);

and just as a fragrance restores the soul, so that it shines in the intellect (mochin), Chochmah and Binah (understanding), with greater intensity, so too, through the elevation of mayin nukvin from the refinements accomplished below through a person’s service in iskafya and is’hapcha, it rises as a fragrance, so that through this there be nicho’ach, gratification (nachas ruach), and a drawing down from His essence and being, may He be blessed, into the level of Chochmah and Binah.

For as He is in Himself, it says in the Tikkunei Zohar: “Wise, but not with a known wisdom; understanding, but not,” etc.

Therefore, in order that there be a drawing down of the light into Chochmah and Binah, so that He be called by the name “Wise” (with a known wisdom, which is the Chochmah of Atzilus, as is written elsewhere, in the discourse beginning “Behold, [they are] one people,” etc., in Parshas Noach), it must be through the incense, the level of fragrance and elevation from below upward, the myrrh, etc.

Through this they become bound and restore the soul, so that the light of His essence and being be revealed, to add lights in Atzilus.

And this is [why it is called] ketores, an expression of binding (kishur): “the bond of faith.” For the Targum of “and she tied a scarlet [thread] on his hand” is vekatres al yedeih. And this is along the lines of what is written, “and his soul is bound up with his soul.”

And so too of Yehonasan and David it is said, “And the soul of Yehonasan was bound up with the soul of David, and Yonasan loved him as his own soul” (in I Samuel, chapter 18, [verse] 1).

And this is along the lines of what is written, “Because he has desired Me,” etc. And see the Midrash Rabbah, Vayishlach, chapter 80: “with three expressions of love,” etc.: “with cleaving, with desire, and with delight,” etc. See there.

And this is the matter of “and the hakshurim were Yaakov’s”: the meaning of hakshurim (“the bound ones”) is that the holiness of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, was absorbed and bound into their very core, like a peg that will not be moved

(see about this in the Zohar, Part I, Vayetzei, folio 162b; and see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “And if a woman vows,” and see what is written on [the verse] “And I shall be sanctified among the children of Israel,” and in the discourse beginning “And you shall love,” etc.).

And the pure myrrh in the anointing oil is to draw down from above to below: that is, for there to be a drawing down and revelation from Chochmah below, this is through the second myrrh, which is in the anointing oil; [for] oil is the level of Chochmah (and see what is written in the discourse beginning “I have come into My garden,” etc., “I have gathered My myrrh,” etc.;

and see the Ramaz’s commentary on the Zohar, Parshas Emor, folio 89a): that the anointing oil is from Mocha Stima’ah (the hidden brain);

and that this is what is written in the Raaya Mehemna, Parshas Behar, folio 109b: that it is from the left side, of which it is said, “And you shall sanctify the Levites”;

that is, from the level of the Gevurah (restraint) of Atik, which is enclothed in Mocha Stima’ah, from which is drawn the level of “And you shall sanctify the Levites,” as the Ramaz writes further, in Parshas Tisa, in his commentary on the Raaya Mehemna there, folio 188, at the beginning of side a.

And this is the matter of what is written, “Oil and incense gladden the heart” (in Proverbs, chapter 27, [verse] 9), as is explained in the Zohar, Part III, Vayikra (folio 8a), and in Parshas Tzav (folio 34a and folio 30b), and in Parshas Acharei (folio 58, end of side b).

And the meaning of “heart” is as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “‘And on the day of the gladness of his heart’: this is the building of the Holy Temple.”

And the meaning of mor deror is an expression of freedom (cheirus), along the lines of “engraved (charus) on the tablets”; and in Emek HaMelech it is explained that this is the Yesod (foundation) of Abba shining in Binah. And see the Pardes, under the entry “Mar,” and see the Zohar, Part I, at the end of Parshas Lech Lecha (folio 95b and folio 96, end of side a).

And all the refinements mentioned above were accomplished through the forty-two journeys, “and they journeyed… and they encamped.”

For journeying and encamping are the level of “running and returning” (ratzo veshov), and Above, in their root, they are the level of “reaching and not reaching” (mati velo mati).

And specifically through running and returning the flow and the refinements are drawn down, like the lulav, which specifically requires waving (and so too with the two loaves upon the two lambs: “he moves them forward and back, up and down”),

which is also the level of running and returning, and specifically through this the drawing down takes place, etc. (See what is written in the explanation on [the verse] “And the Jews accepted.”)

Now, the sons of Merari carried the boards, which are “acacia wood, standing,” the level of the lower awe.

And it is known in the kavanah (mystical intention) of the Name Havayah: awe at the beginning and awe at the end; for the four letters of the Name are “awe and love, love and awe”: the higher awe is the level of Chochmah, which is above even the two levels of love,

27and the lower awe is below love. And this is “Chochmah at the beginning, Chochmah at the end.” And Merari is “the strong hand,” “His left hand beneath my head,” which joins the level of the lower awe to the level of the higher awe; therefore they carried the boards.

And therefore he is called Merari, on account of the two times myrrh (mor) mentioned above; for he joins these two myrrhs together.

That is, the myrrh in the incense, which is the level of [elevation] from below upward, the elevation of mayin nukvin (feminine waters); and through this there is afterwards revealed the myrrh in the anointing oil, the revelation of the Chochmah (wisdom) of Atzilus, the level of “holy anointing oil,” the higher awe, the higher self-nullification (bittul) (and see what is written on [the verse] “For You are my lamp” in Torah Ohr, Parshas Miketz).

28Summary. (The matter of the incense is elevation from below upward, the level of fragrance, and in it was myrrh; and through this, afterwards, [comes] the anointing oil, from above downward, and in it was pure myrrh, the radiance of Atik shining in Mocha Stima’ah (the hidden brain), for there to be a drawing down; and likewise the Yesod (foundation) of Abba shining in Binah (understanding).

And this is “Oil and incense gladden the heart.” And the level of Merari is that he joins the two levels of myrrh mentioned above, of the incense and of the oil.)

295. And the sons of Gershon carried the curtains of the Mishkan, which are the level of the encompassing [lights] (makifim); and of them it is said, “By the word of Aharon and his sons,” etc.;

for the curtains were of blue wool, etc., corresponding to the six emotive attributes (middos). Now, to understand why the root of the emotive attributes is in the level of the encompassing [lights]:

the matter is that, although the emotive attributes are born from the intellect, for through contemplating the greatness of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, [as] the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin) and the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), through this the emotive attributes are born, so that there is the soul’s expiring (kelos hanefesh), nevertheless the root and source of the emotive attributes is above the intellect, that is, from the will in the soul, which is above the intellect, Chochmah (wisdom) and Binah (understanding).

And so too Above: the emotive attributes of Z’eir Anpin are born from Chochmah and Binah, yet their root and source is from the Chesed (kindness), Gevurah (restraint) and Tiferes (beauty) of Arich Anpin, which are the attributes within the will, which is called Keser (the Crown);

and they are what the Zohar calls “mountains of darkness” (turei chashucha), for the emotive attributes are called “mountains,” and the attributes within the will are called “mountains of darkness” because they are above the intellect and are not grasped.

(Therefore the root of the emotive attributes is from the level of the encompassing [lights]: “and his right hand embraces me.”

And see what is written on this matter in the explanation on [the verse] “Set me as a seal,” and see what is written in the discourse beginning “To understand the explanation of the matter that the Patriarchs are the Chariot,” in Parshas Yisro.)

Now, although the root of the emotive attributes of Z’eir Anpin is from the Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes of Arich Anpin, nevertheless there is no comparison between them; as Avraham, who was from the level of the Chesed of Z’eir Anpin, said of himself, “and I am dust and ashes”: that is, that in relation to the source of Chesed he is like the relation of the ash that remains of the wood after it is burned to the very substance of the wood, which bears no comparison at all;

and such is the relation of the Chesed of Z’eir Anpin to the Chesed of Arich Anpin; for the Chesed of Arich Anpin is only the level of the source and root of the emotive attributes, not actual attributes.

(As, by way of analogy, the sweetness of the apple, which is drawn from the mazal that strikes it and tells it, “Grow”: in the mazal there is nothing of the measure and nature of physical sweetness, but there it is, by way of analogy, spiritual pleasantness and sweetness, and through the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus) it becomes physical sweetness. So, by way of analogy, the emotive attributes of Atzilus bear no comparison to the attributes within Keser, which are only the source and root of the attributes.

And this is the matter of “Father of mercies” (Av HaRachamim): that He is the source and root of the attribute of mercy; whereas “the merciful Father” (Av HaRachaman) means that He is merciful with the actual attribute of mercy, and this is in the Ten Sefiros of Atzilus.

Therefore “Father of mercies” is said in the Musaf prayer, and likewise in Ne’ilah of Yom Kippur. And see what is written on the matter of “Father of mercies” in the explanation on [the verse] “I am black, yet comely,” and in the discourse beginning “For on this day He shall make atonement.”)

Now, to join the emotive attributes of Z’eir Anpin to their root and source is through “the great hand”; and this was the level of Aharon, the Kohen Gadol, who is from the level of the Chesed of Arich Anpin, which is called “the great hand.”

Therefore Aharon died and was buried on Hor HaHar (“the mountain of the mountain”), for the attributes of Z’eir Anpin are called “mountains,” and their source, the attributes of Arich Anpin, is called “the mountain of the mountain”; and there is the root of the beard: “the beard of Aharon.” And therefore he was able to draw down the attributes of Arich Anpin to be enclothed in the attributes of Z’eir Anpin.

Therefore his name is Aharon: alef, har (“mountain”), nun; that is, the attributes within Keser, for alef has the letters of pele (“wonder”), etc.; and afterwards, when he bestows and draws them down below, to be enclothed and revealed in Z’eir Anpin, this is the final nun, which indicates expansion and a long drawing down from above to below (and see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “After Havayah your G‑d you shall walk,” etc., “and to Him you shall cleave”).

Therefore it is said of Gershon, “by the word of Aharon”: for Gershon was named so because he drives out (megaresh) the external forces.

And it is said, “Your right hand, Havayah, shatters the enemy”: that it drives out the evil attributes, whose nurture is from the attributes of Z’eir Anpin; but when the attributes that are above the intellect are revealed, they are driven out and have no nurture, etc.

And all this is specifically from the level of the right, which is not so from the level of Gevurah, for “the head of Eisav is in the bosom of Yitzchak.”

Therefore it is said of him, “by the word of Aharon”: for through Aharon there was this revelation, drawing down and expansion below into Z’eir Anpin from Arich Anpin: “the right hand of Havayah,” for “there is no left in this Ancient One,” etc., and “Your right hand, Havayah, shatters,” etc.

And this is gerash (“drive out”), and afterwards vav-nun: for vav indicates drawing down below, and nun indicates drawing down further below.

30Therefore, in the carrying of the Mishkan, each one carried according to his level. And Gershon, “by the word of Aharon,” would join and draw down the revelation of the attributes of Arich Anpin into Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes);

and afterwards he could draw down and bestow below the revelation of the level of “Your right hand, Havayah, shatters the enemy,” through the forty-two journeys, in their journeying and encamping; for when this light of Chesed (kindness) of the Infinite One was revealed, the external forces were then driven out.

Therefore the sons of Gershon carried the curtains of the Mishkan, which are encompassing [lights], and were made of blue wool, etc., which correspond to the emotive attributes whose root and source is from Arich Anpin, the attributes within the will, the level of the encompassing [lights]; for there it does not apply to speak of a revealed attribute, but only of the level of an encompassing [light], the root and source of the attributes below in Z’eir Anpin, etc.

(And see the Zohar, Vayikra, folio 7, end of side b: “according to His measures (al pi middosav), certainly, as it says, ‘By the word of (al pi) Aharon and his sons shall be,’” etc.)

And see what is written on the meaning of “that runs down according to His measures (middosav)” below, at the end of the discourse beginning “When you light the lamps”; and see above, in Parshas Bamidbar, at the end of the discourse beginning “And [He] spoke,” etc., “Lift up,” etc., in what is written there on the level of Aharon the Kohen, who brings the supernal will “to my mother’s house,” etc.

And see what is written on the matter of the three hands at the end of the discourse beginning “A person is obligated to become intoxicated on Purim,” on the matter of “For a hand is on the throne,” etc.

And see the Pardes, Shaar 21, chapter 12, and in Erchei HaKinuyim, under the entry “Yad”: three times yad (14) is the Name of forty-two [letters]; and so it is in Etz Chaim, at the end of Shaar Kisei HaKavod.

And this is the matter of the forty-two journeys, as is written elsewhere, in the explanation on [the verse] “These are the journeys of the children of Israel”; and see the Raaya Mehemna, Parshas Eikev (folio 272, end of side b); and see what is written in the discourse beginning “Go out and gaze,” on the meaning of “Lift up your hands [in] holiness,” etc.

And see what is written in the explanation on [the verse] “And the kohen shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits”: that the waving of the lambs of Atzeres is also the ascent of the attributes of Z’eir Anpin into the Chesed, Gevurah (restraint) and Tiferes (beauty) of Arich Anpin; and nevertheless the two loaves, which are the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, are higher than the two lambs. See there.

31And from this it will be understood here too: although the sons of Gershon carried the curtains, nevertheless the sons of Kehas, who carried the vessels, the ark in which were the tablets, etc., are a higher level; and this is the matter of “the uplifted hand.”

And it may also be said that the three hands mentioned above are also the Chesed (kindness), Gevurah (restraint) and Tiferes (beauty) of Atik Yomin: for Merari, “I have gathered My myrrh,” the myrrh in the anointing oil, is the Gevurah of Atik Yomin, which is enclothed in Mocha Stima’ah (the hidden brain); and the great hand, it may be said, is the Chesed of Atik, which is enclothed in Gulgalta (the skull); and the uplifted hand is the Tiferes of Atik Yomin and the Daas (knowledge) of Atik Yomin, etc.;

and from there is the root of the Torah, as the Ramaz writes at the beginning of Parshas Korach. See what is written on the Zohar, Vayeshev, folio 181, on [the verse] “and he shall be very high”: “from the side of Yaakov.”

32And one may further say, on the matter of the three hands mentioned above, which are the three Levites: it is explained elsewhere, in the Siddur, in the explanation on [the verse] “After Havayah your G‑d you shall walk,” the matter of “and the four hands (yados) shall be yours,” etc.: that is, that there are twice right and twice left.

And this is what is written, “His left hand beneath my head (lerashi),” and it is written, “His left hand beneath my head (roshi).”

The first left is when the recipient pushes [himself] away and lowers himself through bitterness (merirus); and nevertheless it is called “His left hand,” for the matter is that the person takes, as it were, the left hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, “beneath my head”: that is, he contemplates in the mind that is in his head his distance from G‑d, and through this his heart becomes broken and crushed.

And this is the matter of “After Havayah,” and afterwards “you shall walk,” which is the attribute of love, the level of running (ratzo), the level of “the right hand draws near.”

And this itself is the matter of Merari, which is the level of “His left hand,” and the level of Gershon, which is the level of the right, as mentioned above. But after the running comes the level of returning (shov), in the manner of “And the people saw, and they trembled, and they stood from afar.”

33And this is the matter of the second left, that is, the left of the giver: this level of “the left hand pushes away” is not a matter of actual distancing, but rather for there to be the level of returning (shov) to the One.

As in the matter of “And his sister stood from afar,” which is from the level of Chochmah (wisdom): “Say to Chochmah, ‘You are my sister.’”

And the twice left is the matter of Merari, twice mar (“bitter”), that is, the two levels of left mentioned above; and the two levels mentioned above are all called “acacia wood, standing”: the lower awe and the higher awe, all of which is called standing and self-nullification (bittul), as it is written, “and they stood from afar.” And see what is written on [the verse] “You are standing … before Havayah.”

34And the twice right is the matter of the sons of Gershon, who carried the curtains: ahavas olam and ahavah rabbah. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “Who has counted the dust of Yaakov,” on the matter of “and unite our hearts.”

And the sons of Kehas, who carried the ark: this is in the matter of what is written there on the meaning of “and to His voice you shall listen,” etc.; also as is written in the discourse beginning “Remember and keep,” on the matter of the elevation of the level of the Torah, which is called “man” (adam), to bind and join it to the essence of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), the level of “for He is not a man,” etc. See there.

And along these lines is the matter of the carrying of the ark. And if so, the level of yad is the matter of “and the fifth to Pharaoh”: the level of the revelation of Atik within Binah (understanding), etc.

And see Me’orei Or, the letter yud, section 27, where it is explained that the twice right and left are Abba and Imma (Chochmah and Binah) and Z’eir Anpin and Nukva; and if so, this is the matter of the four hands, etc., and the fifth, as mentioned above.

35Summary. The matter of the sons of Gershon, who carried the curtains: that they join the emotive attributes (middos) that are below the intellect to the attributes that are above the intellect; and this is “by the word of Aharon.” And through this he drives out the evil attributes, through “that runs down according to the measures” of the Holy One, blessed be He.

One may further say, on the matter of the three hands, along the lines of “and the four hands (yados) shall be yours”: that they are twice right and twice left, in the verse “His left hand beneath my head, and his right hand embraces me,” for the verse is said twice in the Song of Songs.

And this is the matter of the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, for the sons of Gershon join the two levels of left. And the fifth is the level that is above right and left, where there is no division of Chesed (kindness) and Gevurah (restraint): this is the matter of the sons of Kehas, who carried the ark, which is the Holy of Holies.

366. Now, of the sons of Kehas “lifting the head” is said, and of the sons of Gershon it is said, “Lift up… they too”; and of the sons of Merari “lifting the head” is not said.

And it is explained in the Midrash Rabbah on Shir HaShirim that this is why “they too” is said: lest you say that they are lesser than the sons of Kehas; rather, [Kehas comes first] because of the honor of the Torah, of which it is said, “She is more precious than pearls (peninim), and all your desires cannot compare to her” (in Proverbs, chapter 3).

And the matter is that the peninim, which are gems (margaliyos), are a precious thing, by way of analogy, and the Torah is more precious than every precious thing.

As is written in the Midrash Rabbah, Vayikra, at the beginning of chapter 2: “Ten things are called precious: the Torah, prophecy,” etc., “and wealth,” etc. See there. If so, the Torah is the first of all precious things.

37And it is preciousness upon preciousness. And the matter is this: by way of analogy, precious stones are set in the crown and diadem made for a king, because of their preciousness and importance;

and the main [reason for] their preciousness is the wonder that a stone, which is inanimate, should shine; therefore they are more precious than gold and fine gold.

38And so, by way of analogy, is the matter of the physical mitzvos, whose root reaches into the level of Keser (the Crown), as is known, that the 613 mitzvos of the Torah and the seven mitzvos of the Rabbis are the 620 pillars of light.

That is, because they are performed with physical things that are from kelipas nogah, into which sparks fell from a very high place; and when they are refined through the performance of the mitzvos, they rise to become the level of a crown and diadem. And see what is written on [the verse] “When Pharaoh sent the people.”

And this is because it is a wonder, that from the level of physical action there should become a level of self-nullification (bittul) and a vessel for the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He.

Yet even so, the mitzvos are only at the level of an encompassing [light], and the revelation does not shine at the level of actual inner light; just as the crown and the diadem are only at the level of something encompassing.

But the Torah shines at the level of actual inner light, and its root is also from the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of Keser, which is Mocha Stima’ah (the hidden brain), above the level of the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) of Keser, which is Gulgalta (the skull).

39Therefore she is “more precious than pearls (peninim),” for she is from the level of the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of Keser, which is above the rank of the pearls, which reach [only] the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) of the crown and diadem. And this is the matter of preciousness upon preciousness.

For yekar (“precious”) has the numerical value of yesh, and this is the matter of the 310 worlds. But keser is twice 310, that is, inner and outer dimensions, etc.; and the Torah, which is from the level of the inner dimension, is more precious than [the] precious, etc.

40Now, the sons of Gershon, who carried the curtains, which are what still shines at the level of the encompassing, like the drawing down that comes through the mitzvos, etc.: therefore “lifting the head” is said of them, for “lifting the head” is the elevation to the level of Keser (the Crown), as is written in the Pardes, under the entry “Nasa.”

Yet even so, “they too” is said of them, because this level still shines at the level of the encompassing;

but the main “lifting the head” is said of the sons of Kehas, who carried the tablets, of which it is said, “She is more precious than pearls,” for it shines at the level of the inner dimension (pnimiyus), etc.

41And also, according to what was written above, the sons of Gershon raise the emotive attributes (middos) to the level of the attributes above the intellect, which are the seven lower [Sefiros] of Arich Anpin; but the sons of Kehas carried the Torah, which is from the level of Chochmah (wisdom) within Keser (the Crown), etc.

And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “The festival day of Rosh HaShanah that falls on Shabbos,” etc.