Chapter Eleven (פֶּרֶק אֶחָד עָשָׂר)

And behold, the Holy One Blessed Be He hinted to this second Yod (וְהִנֵּה רָמַז הקב״ה לַיוֹ״ד הַזֹּאת הַשֵּׁנִית), which was joined to Chokhmah (הַדְּבוּקָה בַּחָכְמָה), to flow through its lower tip which entered into Chokhmah, as stated (לְהַשְׁפִּיעַ דֶּרֶךְ קוֹצָהּ הַתַּחְתּוֹן הַנִּכְנָס בַּחָכְמָה כְּאָמּוּר). And she flowed into the sphere of Binah which is within Chokhmah (וְהִשְׁפִּיעָה בִּכְדוּר הַבִּינָה שֶׁבַּחָכְמָה), and illuminated it and beautified it (וְהֵאִירָה בָּהּ וְשִׁפְּרָה), in order to give it strength to go out from there (לְמַעַן תֵּת לָהּ כֹּחַ לָצֵאת מִשָּׁם), and also to gather and absorb within herself the other Sefirot that were with her in Chokhmah (וְגַם לֶאֱסֹף וּלְקַלֵּט בְּקִרְבָּהּ הַסְּפִירוֹת הָאֲחֵרוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ עִמָּהּ בַּחָכְמָה). And so it was (וַיְהִי כֵן). And the Binah went out from within the Chokhmah (וְיָצְאָה הַבִּינָה מִקֶּרֶב הַחָכְמָה), and absorbed within herself all the other Sefirot (וְקָלְטָה בְּקִרְבָּה כָּל שְׁאָר הַסְּפִירוֹת). And since this vessel of Binah is refined and luminous (וּלְפִי שֶׁכְּלִי זֶה שֶׁל בִּינָה הוּא מְעוּלֶה וּבָהִיר), with the color of sapphire and brilliance (מִצֶּבַע סַפִּירִי וּבָהִיר), very close to the color of Chokhmah (קָרוֹב מְאֹד לְצֶבַע הַחָכְמָה), so that there is almost no difference between it and the vessel of Chokhmah (עַד שֶׁכִּמְעַט אֵין הֶפְרֵשׁ בֵּינוֹ וּבֵין כְּלִי הַחָכְמָה), therefore she did not want to sit beneath the feet of Chokhmah (לָכֵן לֹא רָצְתָה לָשֶׁבֶת תַּחַת רַגְלֵי חָכְמָה). And she went and sat behind him (וְהָלְכָה וְיָשְׁבָה לוֹ לַאֲחוֹרָיו), that is, to his left side (דְּהַיְנוּ לִצַּד שְׂמֹאלוֹ), for every right side is considered the front (לְפִי שֶׁכָּל יָמִין הוּא פָּנִים), and every left is considered the back (וְכָל שְׂמֹאל הוּא אָחוֹר). And since the Supernal Light flows and greatly increases in the vessel of Chokhmah (וּלְפִי שֶׁהָאוֹר הָעֶלְיוֹן נִשְׁפָּע וּמִתְרַבֶּה מְאֹד בִּכְלִי הַחָכְמָה), aside from the fact that the vessel itself is luminous light (מִלְּבַד מַה שֶּׁהַכְּלִי בְּעַצְמוֹ הוּא אוֹר בָּהִיר), therefore even through its backside it gives strength and praise (לָכֵן אֲפִלּוּ דֶרֶךְ אֲחוֹרָיו נוֹתֵן כֹּחַ וּשְׁבָח), to the face of the vessel of Binah (אֶל פְּנֵי כְּלִי הַבִּינָה). And this is what Scripture hinted in saying (וְהַיְנוּ מַה שֶּׁרָמַז הַכָּתוּב בְּאוֹמְרוֹ): “And the wise one, from the back, will praise her” (וְחָכָם בְּאָחוֹר יְשַׁבְּחֶנָּה) (Proverbs 31).

Explanation (פֵּרוּשׁ): “Wise one,” meaning the Kli [Vessel] of Chokhmah (חָכָם, דְּאִיהוּ כְּלִי הַחָכְמָה), through his Achorayim [Backside] (דֶרֶךְ אֲחוֹרָיו), gives praise to the Kli [Vessel] of Binah (הוּא מַשְׁבִּיחַ כְּלִי הַבִּינָה), which is the letter Heh (שֶׁהִיא הֵ״י). And in the word Yeshabchenah [He Shall Praise Her] (וּבִמִלַּת יְשַׁבְּחֶנָּה), are contained the letters “Shach Binah [Bow to Binah]” (יֵשׁ בָּהּ אוֹתִיּוֹת ״שַׁ״ח בִּינָה״), for the intention is to allude that the Kli [Vessel] of Chokhmah (שֶׁהַכַּוָּנָה לְרַמֵּז שֶׁכְּלִי הַחָכְמָה), shach [bows low] and bends itself (שַׁ״ח וּמַרְכִּין אֶת עַצְמוֹ), in order to give praise to the Kli [Vessel] of Binah (כְּדֵי לָתֵת שֶׁבַח אֶל כְּלִי הַבִּינָה). In the manner of what our Rabbis of blessed memory said (עַל דֶּרֶךְ מַה שֶּׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז״ל): “If your wife is short, bend down and whisper to her” (Bava Metzia 59a) (בְּלָשׁוֹן: ״אִתְּתָךְ גּוּצָא גַּחֵין וְלַחֵישׁ לָהּ״). And the Kli [Vessel] of Chokhmah was required to lower itself in this praise (וְהוּצְרַךְ כְּלִי הַחָכְמָה לְהַרְכִּין עַצְמוֹ בַּשֶּׁבַח הַזֶּה), for the Kli [Vessel] of Binah sat beneath it, at the backside of its feet (לְפִי שֶׁכְּלִי הַבִּינָה יָשַׁב לָהּ תַּחְתָּיו לְצַד אָחוֹר מְרַגְּלוֹתֶיהָ). And this is what was said (וְזֶהוּ מַה שֶּׁנֶּאֱמַר): “And it came to pass at midnight, and the man trembled and turned himself, and behold, a woman was lying at his feet” (Ruth 3:8) (״וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה וַיֶּחֱרַד הָאִישׁ וַיֵּלָפֵת וְהִנֵּה אִשָּׁה שֹׁכֶבֶת מַרְגְּלוֹתָיו״). To allude to midnight, at which the time of favor, “the pleasantness of Hashem,” is revealed (לְרַמֵּז לַחֲצוֹת הַלַּיְלָה בָּהּ מִתְגַּלֶּה עֵת רָצוֹן ״נֹעַם י״י״), she is Leah, the covered and clothed one, from the feet of Imma (הִיא לֵאָה הַמְּכֻסָּה וּמְלֻבֶּשֶׁת מִרַגְלֵי אִמָּא). And because she is always the Ohr [Light] of Binah (וּמִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא תָּמִיד אוֹר הַבִּינָה), she is called the half of the night (נִקְרֵאת חֲצִיֵי הַלַּיְלָה), to exclude the first half, which is the Tree of Death, Malkhut, whose feet descend to death (לְאַפּוּקֵי הַחֲצִי הָרִאשׁוֹנָה שֶׁהִיא אִילָנָא דְמוֹתָא מַלְכוּת שֶׁרַגְלֶיהָ יוֹרְדוֹת מָוֶת). “And the man trembled”—this is Ze'ir Anpin (״וַיֶּחֱרַד הָאִישׁ״ זֶה ז״א), “and turned himself,” by the power of the weeping of Rachel (״וַיֵּלָפֵת״ מִכֹּחַ בְּכִיָּתָא דְרָחֵל), who descends wondrously beneath his feet (שֶׁהִיא תֵּרֵד פְּלָאִים תַּחַת רַגְלָיו), and she is not with him face to face (וְאֵינָהּ עִמּוֹ פָּנִים בְּפָנִים). And also here, that which occurred to the children occurred to the fathers (וְגַם כָּאן מַה שֶׁאֵרַע לַבָּנִים אֵרַע לָאֲבוֹת), the World of Tohu is called night (עוֹלַם הַתֹּהוּ נִקְרָא לַיְלָה), and Binah also is called night, as mentioned (וְגַם בִּינָה נִקְרֵאת לַיְלָה כְּנִזְכָּר), “and the man trembled”—this is Chokhmah (״וַיֶּחֱרַד הָאִישׁ״ זֶהוּ חָכְמָה), “and turned himself,” by the power of the abundance of influx (״וַיֵּלָפֵת״ מִכֹּחַ רִיבּוּי הַשֶּׁפַע), which causes the Shevirah of the Kelim (הַגּוֹרֵם שְׁבִירַת הַכֵּלִים), and he gave to Binah a place at the Achorayim [Backside], beneath his feet (וְנָתַן לַבִּינָה מָקוֹם מִצַּד אָחוֹר תַּחַת מְרַגְּלוֹתָיו), and he bestows upon her indirectly, according to her capacity (וּמַשְׁפִּיעַ בָּהּ עַל־יֵד כְּפִי יְכוֹלְתָּהּ), so that her Kli [Vessel] should not be broken (שֶׁלֹּא יִשָּׁבֵר הַכֵּלִי שֶׁלָּהּ). And why does she merit (וְלָמָּה הִיא זוֹכָה) more than the Sefirot that are above him (יוֹתֵר מִן הַסְּפִירוֹת שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מִמֶּנּוּ), because she is female and Dinim [Judgments] are aroused from her (מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא נְקֵיבָה וְדִינִין מִתְעָרִין מִינָהּ). “El Hashem, and He illumined us” (Psalms 118:27) (״אֵל י״י וַיָּאֵר לָנוּ״), in the mysteries of Atik Yomin (בְּרָזֵי עַתִּיק יוֹמַיָּיא), Ya'akov shall exult, Yisrael shall rejoice (יָגֵל יַעֲקֹב יִשְׂמַח יִשְׂרָאֵל).