Daf 148a (דַּף קמ״ח ע״א)

Who is Makom? (מַאן מָקוֹם). Rabbi Ḥiyya said (רִבִּי חִיָּיא אָמַר), this is the Makom we spoke of (דָּא הוּא מְקוֹמוֹ דְּקָאֲמָרָן), as it is written (Ecclesiastes 1): “And to its place it yearns to shine” (דִּכְתִיב: וְאֶל מְקוֹמוֹ שׁוֹאֵף [זוֹרֵחַ הוּא שָׁם]). “And he lay down there, for the sun had set” (Bereshit 28) (וַיָּלֶן שָׁם כִּי בָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ). As you say: “It yearns to shine there,” for it came to illuminate it (כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר: שׁוֹאֵף זוֹרֵחַ הוּא שָׁם, דְּהָא בְּגִין לְאַנְהָרָא לֵיהּ קָאָתְיָא). “And he took from the stones of the place” (וַיִּקַּח מֵאַבְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם) - it does not say the stones of the place, but “from the stones of the place” (אַבְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם לָא כְּתִיב, אֶלָּא מֵאַבְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם) - these are precious stones, good gems (אִלֵּין אִינוּן אַבְנֵי יְקָר, מַרְגְּלָאן טָבָאן), which are the twelve supernal stones (דְּאִינוּן תְּרֵיסַר אַבְנִין עִלָּאִין), as it is written: “twelve stones” (כְּמָה דִכְתִיב: שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה אֲבָנִים), and beneath these are a thousand and ten thousand engraved stones (וּתְחוֹת אִלֵּין תְּרֵיסַר אֶלֶף וְרִבְוָון, אַבְנֵי פְּסִילָן), and all of them are called stones (וְכֻלְּהוּ אִקְרוּן אַבְנִין). Therefore it says: “from the stones of the place” - not the stones, but from them (וּבְגִין כָּךְ: מֵאַבְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם, וְלָא אַבְנֵי [ס״א: הַמָּקוֹם]); this is the Makom we spoke of (דָּא הוּא מָקוֹם דְּקָאֲמַר). “And he placed [them] at his head” (Bereshit 28) (וַיָּשֶׂם מֵרַאֲשֹׁתָיו) - whose head? (מֵרַאֲשׁוֹתָיו דְּמַאן) Rather, from the heads of that Makom (אֶלָּא מֵרַאֲשׁוֹתָיו דְּהַהוּא מָקוֹם). What is “from his heads”? (מַהִי מֵרַאֲשׁוֹתָיו) - if you say like one who places beneath his head - no (אִי תֵימָא כְּמָאן דְּשַׁוִּי תְּחוֹת רֵישֵׁיהּ - לָא). Rather: “from his heads” - to the four directions of the world (אֶלָּא: מֵרַאֲשׁוֹתָיו לְאַרְבַּע [ס״א: רֵישִׁין] סִטְרִין דְּעָלְמָא): three stones to the side of the north (תְּלַת אַבְנִין לִסְטַר צָפוֹן), three to the west (וּתְלַת לִסְטַר מַעֲרָב), three to the south (וּתְלַת לִסְטַר דָּרוֹם), and three to the east (וּתְלַת לִסְטַר מִזְרָח), and that Makom is upon them to be established through them (וְהַהוּא מָקוֹם עֲלַיְיהוּ לְאִתְתַּקֵּנָא בְּהוּ). And then (וּכְדֵין): “And he lay down in that place” (Bereshit 28) (וַיִּשְׁכַּב בַּמָּקוֹם הַהוּא). Some say: he lay - twelve gems below, and all those levels that are upon this Makom - these are twenty-two (ס״א: וַיִּשְׁכַּב - י״ב מַרְגְּלָאן לְתַתָּא, וְכָל אִינוּן דַּרְגִּין דְּאִינוּן עַל הַאי מָקוֹם - הָא אִינוּן כ״ב). Once the bed was prepared, he lay in it (כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְתַּקַּן עַרְסָא, שָׁכִיב בֵּיהּ). Who lay in it? The sun (מַאן שָׁכִיב בֵּיהּ - שִׁמְשָׁא). And therefore it is written of Ya'akov (Bereshit 48): “And he sat upon the bed” (וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב בְּיַעֲקֹב: וַיֵּשֶׁב עַל הַמִּטָּה), for to him it was revealed, and not to another (דְּהָא לֵיהּ אִתְחֲזֵי וְלָא לְאָחֳרָא). And therefore it is written: “And he lay in that place” (וְעַל דָּא: וַיִּשְׁכַּב בַּמָּקוֹם הַהוּא), and for this reason it is written (Ecclesiastes 1): “And the sun rises and the sun sets” (וּבְגִין כָּךְ: וְזָרַח הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וּבָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ).

Rabbi Yitzḥak was sitting one day near the cave of Afikuta (רִבִּי יִצְחָק הֲוָה יָתִיב יוֹמָא חַד קַמֵּי מְעַרְתָּא דְּאֲפִיקוּתָא), when a certain man passed by, and two sons were with him (אַעֲבַר חַד בַּר נָשׁ וּתְרֵין בְּנִין עִמֵּיהּ). And one said to the other: this is the intensity of the sun, it comes from the direction of the south (וְהֲוָה אָמַר חַד לְחַד, דָּא תּוּקְפָא דְּשִׁמְשָׁא, מִסִּטְרָא דְּדָרוֹם אִיהוּ). And the world is not sustained except by spirit, for spirit is the complete endurance of all sides (וְעַלְמָא לָא אִתְקְיַּים אֶלָּא עַל רוּחַ, בְּגִין דְּרוּחַ אִיהוּ קִיּוּמָא שְׁלִימוּ דְּכָל סִטְרִין), and were it not that it stands in wholeness, the world could not endure (וְאִלְמָלֵא דְּאִיהוּ קָיְימָא בִּשְׁלִימוּ, לָא יָכִיל עַלְמָא לְאִתְקַיָּימָא).

His younger brother said to him: were it not for Ya'akov, the world would not be sustained (אָמַר לֵיהּ אֲחוּהָ זְעֵירָא, אִלְמָלֵא יַעֲקֹב, לָא אִתְקְיַּים עַלְמָא). Come and see: at the time that his sons unified the supernal Union and said (Deuteronomy 6): “Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad,” this is supernal wholeness, to unify in one unity (תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּיִיחֲדוּ בְּנוֹי יִחוּדָא דִלְעֵילָא, וְאָמְרוּ: שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ יי אֶחָד, דָּא הוּא שְׁלִימוּ עִלָּאָה, לְאִתְיַחֲדָא בְּיִחוּדָא חַד). Then Ya'akov, their father, joined and took his place, and sat within it in a single union with the Patriarchs (כְּדֵין אִתְחַבַּר יַעֲקֹב אֲבוּהוֹן וְנָטִיל בֵּיתֵיהּ, וְיָתִיב בֵּיהּ בְּחִבּוּרָא חָדָא עִם אֲבָהָן), to unite male and female together (לְאִתְחַבְּרָא דְּכַר וְנוּקְבָא כְּחֲדָא).

Rabbi Yitzḥak said: I will join them and hear what they are saying (אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק: אֶשְׁתַּתַּף בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ, וְאֶשְׁמַע מַאי קָאַמְרֵי). He went after them (אֲזַל בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ). That man opened and said (פָּתַח הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ וְאָמַר): “Arise, Hashem, to Your resting place - You and the Ark of Your strength” (Psalms 132) (קוּמָה יי לִמְנוּחָתֶךָ אַתָּה וַאֲרוֹן עֻזֶּךָ). “Arise, Hashem, to Your resting place” - like one who says: let the King rise to His place of rest, His dwelling (קוּמָה יי לִמְנוּחָתֶךָ - כְּמַאן דְּאָמַר: יְקוּם מַלְכָּא לְבֵי נַיְיחָא דְּמַשְׁכְּנֵיהּ).