Daf 159a (דַּף קנ״ט ע״א)

A good thought, the Holy One Blessed Be He joins to action (מַחֲשָׁבָה טוֹבָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְצָרְפָהּ לְמַעֲשֶׂה). Since you are His Son (בָּתַר דְּאַנְתְּ בְּרֵיהּ), for all that you think toward your Master (עַל כָּל דְּחָשַׁבְתְּ לְמָרָךְ), it shall be fulfilled through your hand (יְקוּיָּים עַל יָדָךְ), and you shall never depart from Him (וְלָא תָזוּז מִנֵּיהּ לְעָלְמִין), but you shall be in His likeness in everything (אֶלָּא תְּהֵא בְּדִיוּקְנֵיהּ בְּכֹלָּא). And you are in exile, hidden from the children of men (וְאַנְתְּ בְּגָלוּתָא גָּנִיז מִבְּנֵי נָשָׁא). And you, from this world, are the emissary of Kudsha Berikh Hu to speak these words before you (וְאַנְתְּ מֵעָלְמָא דָּא, שְׁלִיחָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְמֵימַר מִלִּין אִלֵּין קֳדָמָךְ), and I am commanded by Him (וַאֲנָא מְצוּוֶה מִנֵּיהּ), not to separate from you at any time or hour that you desire (דְּלָא לְמֵזַז מִינָךְ בְּכָל עֵת וּשְׁעָתָא דְּאַנְתְּ בָּעֵי). I and all the Tanna’in and Amora’in of the Academy (אָנָא וְכָל תַּנָּאִין וְאָמּוֹרָאִין דִּמְתִיבְתָּאן). Rise and fulfill the commandments of your Master (קוּם אַשְׁלִים פִּקּוּדִין דְּמָרָךְ).

He opened and said (פָּתַח וְאָמַר): “And they shall make (Exodus 25) an Ark of shittim wood” (וְעָשׂוּ אֲרוֹן עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים). The Sefer Torah is the central pillar (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, עַמּוּדָא דְּאֶמְצָעִיתָא). His Ark is the Shekhinta (אֲרוֹן דִּילֵיהּ, שְׁכִינְתָּא). “From within and from without you shall cover it” refers to Kudsha Berikh Hu in His Shekhinta (מִבַּיִת וּמִחוּץ תְּצַפֶּנּוּ, לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בִּשְׁכִינְתֵּיהּ), from outside and from within (מִלְבַּר וּמִלְגוֹ), and all is one (וְכֹלָּא חַד). Not so is the Ark of this world (מַה דְּלָאו הָכִי בְּאָרוֹן דְּהַאי עָלְמָא): the Orayta is inside from one kind (דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא מִלְּגוֹ מִין אֶחָד), and the Ark is of another kind (וְאָרוֹן מִין אַחֲרָא). This is of ink writing (דָּא בִּכְתִיבַת דְּיוֹ), and that is wood overlaid with gold (וְדָא עֵץ מְצוּפֶּה זָהָב). For surely, the Orayta is more beloved than all (דְּוַדַּאי אוֹרַיְיתָא חֲבִיבָא מִכֹּלָּא); as it is written (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב): “Gold and glass cannot compare with it” (לא יַעַרְכֶנָּה זָהָב וּזְכוּכִית) (Job 28).

And from another aspect-even in this world-see that all is one: ink and wood (וּמִסִּטְרָא אַחֲרָא אֲפִילּוּ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, אַחֲזֵי דְּכֹלָּא חַד, דְּיוֹ וְעֵץ), for the ink is from plants that were made in wood (דִּדְּיוֹ מִתַּפּוּחִים, דְּאִתְעָבִידּוּ בְּעֵץ אִינּוּן), and all the words written in ink are of wood (וְכָל מִילִין דְּדְיוֹ עֵץ אִינּוּן). Also, the ink is black outside and white inside (וְעוֹד, דְּיוֹ אוּכָם מִלְבַּר, וְחִוַּר מִלְּגוֹ). So are they-masters of the Orayta and sages (הָכִי אִינּוּן מָארֵי תּוֹרָה וַחֲכָמִים), black in this world which is the outer (אוּכָמִים בְּהַאי עָלְמָא דְּאִיהוּ לְבַר), and radiant in that world which is within (שְׁפִירִין בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, דְּאִיהוּ מִלְּגוֹ). And because of this, ink (וּבְגִין דָּא, דְּיוֹ), the tongue of “enough” (לִישָׁנָא דַּיוֹ), is to be like its Master (לְעֶבֶד לִהְיוֹת כְּרַבּוֹ). “Dai” (דַּיוֹ): Yod is His hand (יוֹ״ד יָדוֹ), Chokhmah, Tevunah, and Da’at (חָכְמָה וּתְבוּנָה וָדַעַת), which a person writes with his hand in ink (דְּכָתַּב בַּר נָשׁ בְּיָדוֹ בִּדְיוֹ). (Thus concludes Re‘aya Meheimna) (ע״כ רַעְיָא מְהֵימְנָא) (Pinchas 242a, commandment: “To offer a meal-offering”) (פִּנְחָס רמ״ב ע״א, פְּקוּדָא דָּא לְהַקְרִיב מִנְחָה).

Rabbi Yosi opened and said (פָּתַח רַבִּי יוֹסִי וְאָמַר), regarding those supernal secrets of the Mishkan it is written (בְּאִינּוּן רָזִין עִלָּאִין דְּמַשְׁכְּנָא כְּתִיב): “And see, and make, according to their pattern...” (וּרְאֵה וַעֲשֵׂה בְּתַבְנִיתָם וְגוֹ') (Exodus 25), and it is written: “And you shall raise the Mishkan according to its ordinance…” (וּכְתִיב וַהֲקֵמֹתָ אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן כְּמִשְׁפָּטוֹ וְגוֹ') (Exodus 26).

We learned that Kudsha Berikh Hu said to Moshe (אוֹלִיפְנָא דְּאָמַר לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה): all the arrangements and all the likenesses of the Mishkan (כָּל תִּקּוּנִין, וְכָל דִּיוּקְנִין דְּמַשְׁכְּנָא), each and every one as is fitting (כָּל חַד וְחַד כַּדְקָא חֲזִי לֵיהּ), that he saw Metatron (דְּחָמָא לֵיהּ לִמְטַטְרוֹ״ן), who serves the High Priest within (דְּקָא מְשַׁמֵּשׁ לְכַהֲנָא רַבָּא לְגוֹ). And if you should say (וְאִי תֵּימָא), was not the Mishkan above established until the day that the Mishkan below was established? (וְהָא לָא אִתְּקַם מַשְׁכְּנָא לְעֵילָּא, עַד יוֹמָא דְּאִתְּקַם מַשְׁכְּנָא לְתַתָּא), and that youth above did not minister (וְלָא שִׁמֵּשׁ הַהוּא נַעַר דִּלְעֵילָּא), until the day they ministered below (עַד יוֹמָא דְּשִׁמְשׁוּ לְתַתָּא), in this other Mishkan (בְּהַאי מַשְׁכְּנָא אַחֲרָא). But certainly it is so (אֶלָּא וַדַּאי הָכִי הוּא), for the Mishkan was not established above (דְּהָא מַשְׁכְּנָא לָא אִתְּקַם לְעֵילָּא), until the Mishkan below was established (עַד דְּאִתְּקַם מַשְׁכְּנָא לְתַתָּא).

But Moshe saw the vision of the entire Mishkan (אֲבָל חָמָא מֹשֶׁה חֵיזוּ דְּכָל מַשְׁכְּנָא), and it was not arranged in its establishment (וְלָא הֲוָה מִתְסַדֵּר בְּקִיּוּמֵיהּ), until the Mishkan was established below (עַד דְּאִתְּקַם מַשְׁכְּנָא לְתַתָּא), and he saw Metatron minister afterward (וְחָמָא לֵיהּ לִמְטַטְרוֹ״ן מְשַׁמֵּשׁ לְבָתַר), not that he was ministering then (לָאו דְּהֲוָה אִיהוּ מְשַׁמֵּשׁ), but that he would minister afterward (אֶלָּא דְּהֲוָה מְשַׁמֵּשׁ לְבָתַר), and not at that time (וְלָאו בְּהַהוּא זִמְנָא). Kudsha Berikh Hu said to Moshe (אָמַר לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה): “See the Mishkan, and see the youth-everything is delayed until it is established here below” (חָמֵי מַשְׁכְּנָא, וְחָמֵי נַעַר, כֹּלָּא מִתְעַכָּב עַד דְּיִתְקָם הָכָא לְתַתָּא). And if you should say (וְאִי תֵּימָא), if so, then Metatron is the one who ministers (אִי הָכִי, מְטַטְרוֹן אִיהוּ דְּקָא מְשַׁמֵּשׁ).

But certainly it is his Mishkan [Tabernacle] (אֶלָּא וַדַּאי מַשְׁכְּנָא דִּילֵיהּ אִיהוּ), and Micha’el the great Kohen is the one who ministers inside that Mishkan of Metatron (וּמִיכָאֵל כַּהֲנָא רַבָּא, אִיהוּ דְּקָא מְשַׁמֵּשׁ גּוֹ הַהוּא מַשְׁכְּנָא דִּמְטַטְרוֹן). In the same way that the great upper Kohen ministers above (כְּגַוְונָא דִּמְשַׁמֵּשׁ כַּהֲנָא רַבָּא עִלָּאָה לְעֵילָּא), within another concealed Mishkan that is not revealed (גּוֹ מַשְׁכְּנָא אַחֲרָא סְתִימָא דְּלָא אִתְגַּלְיָיא), in the secret of the world to come (בְּרָזָא דְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי). There are two Mishkanin (תְּרֵין מַשְׁכְּנִין אִינּוּן): one is the concealed supernal one (חַד אִיהוּ סְתִימָא עִלָּאָה), and one is this Mishkan of Metatron (וְחַד הַאי מַשְׁכְּנָא דִּמְטַטְרוֹן). There are two Kohanim (תְּרֵי כַּהֲנֵי אִינּוּן): one is the primordial light (חַד אוֹר קַדְמָאָה), and one is Micha’el the great Kohen below (וְחַד מִיכָאֵל כַּהֲנָא רַבָּא לְתַתָּא). From here come the hidden secrets of the House of the Mishkan, from the mouth of the Lamp (מִכָּאן רָזִין סְתִימִין דְּבֵי מַשְׁכְּנָא, מִפּוּמָא דְּבוּצִינָא). The supernal Mishkan is built on twelve precious stones (מַשְׁכְּנָא עִלָּאָה, אִתְּבְּנֵי עַל תְּרֵיסַר מַרְגְּלִיטִין), shining above (שַׁיְיפִין עִלָּאִין), right and left, left and right (יְמִינָא וּשְׂמָאלָא, שְׂמָאלָא וִימִינָא).

Three names are crowned as one (תְּלַת שְׁמָהָן אִינּוּן כְּלִילָן כַּחֲדָא), and this one enters into that, and that one enters into this (וְדָא עָיֵיל בְּדָא, וְדָא עָיֵיל בְּדָא). E-l-first, and is arranged at the right (אֵ״ל, קַדְמָאָה וְאִתְסָדַר בִּימִינָא). Alef, it is the first that is (א, אִיהוּ קַדְמָאָה דְּאִיהִי), for she is the right side (דְּאִיהִי יְמִינָא), and it is revealed and formed in the secret of the right (וְאַגְּלִים וְאִתְצַיָּיר בְּרָזָא דִּימִינָא), and when it enters and ministers inside (וְכַד עָיֵיל וְקָא מְשַׁמֵּשׁ לְגוֹ), it joins with Lamed (אִתְאַחָד בַּהֲדֵיהּ ל), and it is called by its secret-E-l (וְאִקְרֵי בְּרָזָא דִּילֵיהּ אֵ״ל), for the Lamed comes from the secret of above, from the Holy of Holies (דְּהָא ל' מֵרָזָא דִּלְעֵילָּא גּוֹ קֹדֶשׁ הַקָּדָשִׁים נָפַק).

Not that it is revealed there (לָאו דְּתַמָּן אַגְּלִים), but truly when it is revealed, it is like the other letters (אֶלָּא וַדַּאי כַּד נָפַק אַגְּלִים, כִּשְׁאַר אַתְּוָון), for when they emerged from the secret of the world to come (דְּכַד נָפְקוּ מֵרָזָא דְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי), they became revealed and were formed (אַגְּלִימוּ וְאִתְצַיָּירוּ). So too this Lamed, though it is a secret from above (אוּף הָכִי הַאי ל', אַף עַל גַּב דְּאִיהוּ רָזָא דִּלְעֵילָּא), is not revealed until it emerges outward (לָא אַגְּלִים, עַד דְּנָפַק לְבַר), and then it is E-l (וּכְדֵין אֵ״ל). And this is the Secret of the right (וְדָא רָזָא דִּימִינָא).