Daf 155a (דַּף קנ״ה ע״א)

Come and see (וְתָא חֲזֵי), for so it is (דְּהָכָא הוּא): that supernal channel (דְּהָא רְתִיכָא עִלָּאָה), the Patriarchs and King David were connected through it (אֲבָהָן וְדָוִד מַלְכָּא דְּאִתְחַבַּר בְּהוּ). And all of them are four supernal channels (וְכֻלְּהוּ אַרְבַּע אִינוּן רְתִיכִין עִלָּאִין), the secret of the holy Name (רָזָא דִּשְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא). And therefore (וְעַל דָּא), Reuven, Shim'on, Levi—afterward Yehudah, who inherited Molcho (רְאוּבֵן שִׁמְעוֹן לֵוִי, לְבָתַר יְהוּדָה דְּיָרִית מַלְכוּ). And because of this, all are in this place (וְעַל דָּא כֻּלְּהוּ בְּאֲתַר דָּא). Some say: this follows what is written (נ״א: דָּא בָּתַר דָּא דִּכְתִיב): “This time I will thank Hashem…” (הַפַּעַם אוֹדֶה אֶת־יְיָ) (Bereshit 29); and it is written: “And she ceased from bearing” (וַתַּעֲמֹד מִלֶּדֶת), because here the four supports were completed (בְּגִין דְּהָכָא אִשְׁתַּכְלָלוּ אַרְבַּע סָמְכִין). “This time I will thank Hashem”—why did she say “I will thank Hashem” now, and not with all of them? (הַפַּעַם אוֹדֶה אֶת־יְיָ, מַאי טַעֲמָא אָמְרָה אוֹדֶה אֶת־יְיָ בְּהַאי וְלָאו בְּכֻלְּהוּ) Rather, from here: whenever Kenesset Yisrael is in exile, the holy Name is not complete (אֶלָּא מֵהָכָא: כָּל זִמְנָא דִּכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּגָלוּתָא, שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא לָאו שְׁלִים הוּא).

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי): even though three sons were born before Yehudah, the throne was not yet complete (אַף עַל גַּב דִּתְּלַת בְּנִין הֲווּ עַד דְּאוֹלִידַת לִיהוּדָה, לָא שְׁלִים כּוּרְסְיָיא). And for this reason: “This time I will thank Hashem”—and not with all of them (וּבְגִין כָּךְ: הַפַּעַם אוֹדֶה אֶת־יְיָ, וְלָא בְּכֻלְּהוּ). And about this it is written: “And she ceased from bearing” (וְעַל דָּא: וַתַּעֲמֹד מִלֶּדֶת). What is “she ceased”? (מַאי: וַתַּעֲמֹד) (Daf 186a) that the throne stood upon its supports (דְּקָיְימָא כּוּרְסְיָיא עַל סַמְכוֹהִי). Up to here: “And she stood” (וַתַּעֲמֹד עַד הָכָא); “And she stood” in a single Union (וַתַּעֲמֹד בְּיִחוּדָא חַד); from here downward is the world of separation (מִכָּאן וּלְתַתָּא עַלְמָא דְּפִירוּדָא אִיהוּ). And if you say: what of the two sons who were born afterward—is it the same pattern? (וְאִי תֵימָא: אִינוּן תְּרֵין בְּנִין דְּאוֹלִידַת לְבָתַר, כְּגַוְונָא דָּא) No (לָא), for those two were joined to these (דְּהָא אִינוּן תְּרֵין בְּאִלֵּין אִתְחַבְּרוּ), because the six directions of the world are as one (בְּגִין דְּשִׁית סִטְרִין דְּעָלְמָא כְּחֲדָא אִינוּן).

Come and see (וְתָא חֲזֵי): all twelve tribes (כֻּלְּהוּ תְּרֵיסַר שִׁבְטִין), are the rectifications of Kenesset Yisrael in this world (תִּקּוּנֵי דִכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּהַאי עַלְמָא נִינְהוּ), to repair the supernal light (לְאִתְתַּקְּנָא נְהוֹרָא עִלָּאָה), the blackness as it appears (אוּכְמָא כְּמָה דְאִתְחֲזֵי), and to return the root of all to its place (וְלְאַתָּבָא עִקָּרָא דְכֹלָּא לְאַתְרֵיהּ). All worlds exist in one pattern (כֻּלְּהוּ עָלְמִין כְּגַוְונָא חַד קָיְימֵי), and in this manner the lower world is completed (וּבְהַאי אִשְׁתַּכְלַל עַלְמָא תַּתָּאָה), in the likeness of the world above (כְּגַוְונָא דְעַלְמָא דִלְעֵילָא).

Yissakhar and Zevulun (יִשָּׂשכָר זְבוּלוּן), here are completed six sons (הָכָא אִשְׁתַּכְלָלוּ שִׁית בְּנִין), six directions of the world (שִׁית סִטְרִין דְעָלְמָא). In this manner (כְּגַוְונָא דָּא), the sons of the maidservants are four (בְּנֵי הַשְּׁפָחוֹת אִינוּן אַרְבָּע), and they are joined to these (וְאִתְחַבְּרוּ בְּאִלֵּין). And these are the four knots that are connected in them (וְאִלֵּין אַרְבַּע קִשְׁרִין דְמִתְחַבְּרָן בְּהוּ), and this has been established (וְאוּקְמוּהָ). And on this it is written: “And all their backs were inward” (וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב: וְכָל אֲחֹרֵיהֶם בָּיְתָה) (I Kings 7), even though they are sons of the maidservants (אַף עַל גַּב דִּבְנֵי שְׁפָחוֹת נִינְהוּ), they are inward (בָּיְתָה).

Rabbi Ḥizkiyah said (רִבִּי חִזְקִיָּה אָמַר): if so (אִי הָכִי), has it not been said (הָא אִתְּמָר): all that the lower world gives birth to is separation (כָּל מַה דְּאוֹלִיד עַלְמָא תַּתָּאָה, פִּירוּדָא אִיהוּ)? For behold, it is written: “And from there it separated” (דְּהָא כְּתִיב: וּמִשָּׁם יִפָּרֶד) (Bereshit 2). What would you say about Yosef and Binyamin? (מַה תֵּימָא בְּיוֹסֵף וּבִנְיָמִין) If you say that the world is one in these (אִי תֵימָא דְּעַלְמָא חַד בְּהַנֵּי)—it is not so (לָאו אִיהוּ). For they did not come from the upper world (דְּהָא לָא נָפְקוּ מֵעַלְמָא עִלָּאָה), and what the lower world gives birth to (וְעַלְמָא תַּתָּאָה מַה דְּאוֹלִידַת), it gives birth to below and not above (אוֹלִידַת לְתַתָּא וְלָא לְעֵילָא). If so, it is separation (וְאִי הָכִי, פִּירוּדָא אִיהוּ).