Daf 174a (דַּף קע״ד ע״א)

Further, hear, O Holy Luminary (תּוּ שְׁמַעְנָא בּוּצִינָא קַדִּישָׁא), how much glory upon glory (דְּכַמָּה יְקָר עַל יְקָר), and crown upon crown (וַעֲטָרָה עַל עֲטָרָה), they crown the father of that man there (מְעַטְּרָן לַאֲבוּהָ דְּהַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ תַּמָּן), at the time when Kudsha Berikh Hu says (בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּאָמַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא), “Assemble to hear a new interpretation and new words of Orayta from the name of so-and-so son of so-and-so” (אִתְכְּנָשִי לְמִשְׁמַע חִדּוּשָׁא וּמִלִּין חַדְתִּין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דִּפְלוֹנִי בַּר פְּלוֹנִי). How many kiss upon his head (כַּמָה אִינּוּן דְּנַשְׁקִין עַל רֵישֵׁיהּ). How many Righteous crown him (כַּמָה צַדִּיקַיָּיא מְעַטְּרִין לֵיהּ), when they descend (כַּד נַחְתִּין). Blessed is the portion of all those who toil in Orayta, on the day of Shabbat more than all other days (זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהוֹן דְּכָל אִינּוּן דְּמִשְׁתַּדְּלִין בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, יוֹמָא דְּשַׁבְּתָא מִשְּׁאַר יוֹמִין). (Until here) (עַד כָּאן).

Ra‘aya Meheimna

The first of your kneading you shall set apart as ḥallah…’” (Numbers 15) (רֵאשִׁית עֲרִיסוֹתֵיכֶם חַלָּה תָּרִימוּ וְגוֹ׳). This command is to separate ḥallah for the Kohen (פִּקּוּדָא דָּא לְהַפְרִישׁ חַלָּה לַכֹּהֵן). Ḥallah - thus is its measure: forty-three eggs and one fifth of an egg, one part from five (חַלָּ״ה הָכִי חוּשְׁבָּנֵיהּ, מ״ג בֵּיצִּים, וְחוֹמֶשׁ בֵּיצָּה, חַד מֵחֲמֵשׁ). And there is another fifth, one from fifty, which is Nun (וְאִית חוֹמֶשׁ חַד מִן חַמְשִׁין, דְּאִיהוּ ן׳). And this is the sign Magen, which is Mikha’el, Gavri’el, Nuri’el (וְדָא סִימַן מָגֵ״ן, דְּאִיהוּ מִיכָאֵ״ל גַּבְרִיאֵ״ל נוּרִיאֵ״ל). Ḥallah - this is Shekhinta (חַלָּה, שְׁכִינְתָּא). For in the place where these angels are, there the Patriarchs are (דִּבַאֲתָר דְּאִלֵּין מַלְאֲכִין תַּמָּן, אֲבָהָן תַּמָּן). And in the place of the Patriarchs, there Shekhinta is (וּבְאַתְרָא דַּאֲבָהָן תַּמָּן, שְׁכִינְתָּא תַּמָּן). And in her it is said Vayekhal; in her we pray (וּבָה וַיְחַל, בָּהּ צַּלֵּינָא). As it is written: “And Moshe besought the face of Hashem his Elohim” (Exodus 32) (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, וַיְחַל מֹשֶׁה אֶת פְּנֵי יְיָ אֱלֹהָיו). And it is written: “Adonai, my Master, You have begun to show Your servant” (Deuteronomy 3) (אֲדֹנָי יְדוִֹד אַתָּה הַחִלּוֹתָ לְהַרְאוֹת אֶת עַבְדְּךָ). And in her is the merit of the Patriarchs (וּבָהּ חָלָה זְכוּת אָבוֹת). And in her the merit of the Patriarchs ceases for the wicked (וּבָהּ תָּמָה זְכוּת אָבוֹת לָרְשָׁעִים). For they receive their reward in this world (דַּהֲווֹ מְקַבְּלִים אַגְרַיְיהוּ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא). From the side of the right, where is Yod, which is chokhmah, is the service of the Name YHVH (דְּמִסִטְרָא דִּימִינָא, דְּתַמָּן י׳ דְּאִיהוּ חָכְמָה, שֵׁרוּתָא דִּשְׁמָא דַּיְדוָֹד), which shows merit for her children from the right (דְּאִיהוּ אַחְזֵי זְכוּתָא עַל בְּנָהָא מִימִינָא), where are 248 positive commandments (דְּתַמָּן רמ״ח פִּקוּדִין דַּעֲשֵׂה).

From the side of the final Heh, which is on the left of Gevurah (מִסִּטְרָא דְּאָת ה׳ בַּתְרָאָה, דְּאִיהִי לִשְׂמָאלָא דִּגְבוּרָה), there are the negative commandments, which are 365 (דְּתַמָּן לֹא תַּעֲשֶׂה, דְּאִינּוּן שס״ה), where the utterly wicked are judged (דְּתַמָּן נִדוֹנִין רְשָׁעִים גְּמוּרִים). There the merit of the Patriarchs ceases for them (תָּמָה לוֹן זְכוּת אָבוֹת), and the Name YHVH is reversed to HVHY (וְאִתְהַפָּךְ לוֹן שֵׁם יְהוָֹ״ה, הוה״י). And we learn this from Haman the wicked, as it is written: “Yet all this is worth nothing to me” (Esther 5) (וְאוֹלִיפְנָא מֵהָמָן הָרָשָׁע, וְכָל זֶה אֵינֶנּוּ שׁוֹה לִי). (Until here, Ra‘aya Meheimna) (ע״כ רעיא מהימנא).

“As it is written: ‘And Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: Speak to the children of Yisrael… and they shall make for themselves tzitzit on the corners of their garments for their generations…’” (Numbers 15) (במדבר ט״ו וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵאמֹר דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹ׳ וְעָשׂוּ לָהֶם צִיצִית עַל כַּנְפֵי בִגְדֵיהֶם לְדוֹרוֹתָם וְגוֹ׳). Rabbi Ḥizkiyah opened: “And he showed me Yehoshua the high priest…” (Zechariah 3) (רִבִּי חִזְקִיָּה פָּתַח, וַיַּרְאֵנִי אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל וְגוֹ׳). How fortunate are Yisrael (כַמָה זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל), that Kudsha Berikh Hu desires their honor above all the peoples of the world (דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בָּעֵי בִּיקָרֵהוֹן עַל כָּל בְּנֵי עָלְמָא), and gave them the holy Orayta (וְיָהַב לוֹן אוֹרַיְיתָא קַדִּישָׁא), and gave them faithful prophets (וְיָהַב לוֹן נְבִיאֵי מְהֵימְנֵי), who spoke to them in the Orayta, in the path of truth (דִּמְדַבְּרֵי לְהוּ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, בְּאֹרַח קְשׁוֹט).

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי): all the prophets whom Kudsha Berikh Hu established for Yisrael (כָּל נְבִיאֵי וּנְבִיאֵי דְּאוֹקִים קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל), all of them Kudsha Berikh Hu was revealed upon them in supernal holy degrees (כֻּלְּהוּ אִתְגְּלֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָלַיְיהוּ, בְּדַרְגִּין עִלָּאִין קַדִּישִׁין), and they beheld the radiance of the holy glory of the King from a supernal place (וְחָמוּ זִיו יְקָרָא קַדִּישָׁא דְּמַלְכָּא מֵאֲתָר עִלָּאָה). But they were not as near as Moshe (אֲבָל לָא קָרִיב כְּמֹשֶׁה), who was nearer to the King than all (דְּהֲוָה קָרִיב לְמַלְכָּא יַתִּיר מִכֹּלָּא). For fortunate is his portion more than all the people of the world (דְּהָא זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהּ יַתִּיר מִכָּל בְּנֵי עָלְמָא), for upon him it is written: “Mouth to mouth I speak with him, in vision and not in riddles” (Numbers 12) (דְּעָלֵיהּ כְּתִיב, פֶּה אֶל פֶּה אֲדַבֶּר בּוֹ וּמַרְאֶה וְלֹא בְחִידוֹת). And the rest of the prophets beheld from a distant place (וּשְׁאַר נְבִיאֵי, הֲווֹ חָמָאן מֵאֲתָר רְחִיקָא), as it is said: “From afar Hashem appeared to me” (Jeremiah 31) (כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמֵר מֵרָחוֹק יְיָ נִרְאָה לִי).

Rabbi Ḥizkiyah said (אָמַר רִבִּי חִזְקִיָּה), thus we have learned (הָכִי אוֹלִיפְנָא): it is written, “And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took a daughter of Levi” (Exodus 2) (כְּתִיב וַיֵּלֶךְ אִישׁ מִבֵּית לֵוִי וַיִּקַּח אֶת בַּת לֵוִי). “And there went a man” - this is Kudsha Berikh Hu, as it is said: “Hashem is a man of war” (Exodus 15) (וַיֵּלֶךְ אִישׁ: דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר יְיָ אִישׁ מִלְחָמָה). “Of the house of Levi” - this is Kudsha Berikh Hu, the place of supernal Chokhmah (מִבֵּית לֵוִי: דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אֲתָר דְּחָכְמָה עִלָּאָה). And that radiance - some say: river (ס״א נהר) - they are joined together as one, never to be separated (וְהַהוּא זוֹהַר [ס״א נהר] מִתְחַבְּרָן כַּחֲדָא, דְּלָא מִתְפָּרְשָׁן לְעָלְמִין). “Of the house of Levi” - that is Leviathan, singular in the world (מִבֵּית לֵוִי: דְּאַשְׁרֵי לִוְיָתָן [ס״א כל חידו] בִּלְחוֹדוֹי בְּעָלְמָא). As it is written: “This Leviathan which You created to play with it” (Psalm 104) (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב לִוְיָתָן זֶה יָצַרְתָּ לְשַׂחֶק בּוֹ). “And took a daughter of Levi” - this is Kudsha Berikh Hu, the place of the radiance of the moon’s light (וַיִּקַּח אֶת בַּת לֵוִי, דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אֲתָר דִּנְהִירוּ דְּסִיהֲרָא נָהִיר).

“And the woman conceived and bore a son” (Exodus 2) (וַתַּהַר הָאִשָּׁה וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן). “The woman” - indeed, as it is said: “Therefore shall she be called woman” (Bereshit 2) (הָאִשָּׁה וַדַּאי, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר לְזֹאת יִקָּרֵא אִשָּׁה). At first, “the daughter of Levi” - so it surely is (בְּקַדְמִיתָא בַּת לֵוִי, הָכִי הוּא וַדַּאי). And why at first “the daughter of Levi,” and now “the woman”? (וְכִי בַּת לֵוִי בְּקַדְמִיתָא, וְהַשְׁתָּא אִשָּׁה). Rather, thus we have learned (אֶלָּא הָכִי אוֹלִיפְנָא): a female before she is joined in Zivug is called “the daughter of so-and-so” (אִתְּתָא עַד לָא אִזְדַּוְּוגַת, אִתְקְרִיאַת בַּת פְּלוֹנִי). After she is joined in Zivug she is called “woman” (בָּתַר דְּאִזְדַּוְּוגַת. אִתְקְרֵי אִשָּׁה). And here “daughter” and “woman” are all one degree (וְהָכָא, בַּת וְאִשָּׁה, כֹּלָּא בְּחַד דַּרְגָּא הוּא).

“And she hid him three months” (Exodus 2) (וַתִּצְפְּנֵהוּ ג׳ יְרָחִים). These are the three months when harsh judgment rests upon the world (אִלֵּין תְּלַת יַרְחִין דְּדִינָא קַשְׁיָא שַׁרְיָא בְּעָלְמָא). And what are they? Tammuz, Av, and Tevet (וּמַאי נִינְהוּ. תַּמּוּ״ז וְאָ״ב וְטֵבֵ״ת). What does this teach us? (מַאי קָא מַשְׁמַע לָן). That before Moshe descended to the world, he existed above (דְּעַד דְּלָא נָחַת מֹשֶׁה לְעָלְמָא, שְׁכִיחַ הֲוָה הוּא לְעֵילָּא). And for this reason Shekhinta was united with him from the day he was born (וְעַל דָּא אִזְדַּוְּוגַת בֵּיהּ שְׁכִינְתָּא מִן יוֹמָא דְּאִתְיְלִיד). From here Rabbi Shim‘on said (מִכָּאן אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן): the spirits of the Righteous exist above before they descend into the world (רוּחֵיהוֹן דְּצַדִּיקַיָּיא שְׁכִיחִין אִינּוּן לְעֵילָּא, עַד לָא יֶחתוּן לְעָלְמָא).