Daf 26b (דַּף כ״ו ע״ב)

The Eleventh Tikkun

תִּקּוּנָא חַד סַר

“Bereshit: Created six” (בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא שִׁית), and what are they (וּמַאי נִיהוּ)? Six palaces corresponding to the six days of Creation (שִׁית הֵיכָלִין לָקֳבֵל שִׁית יוֹמֵי בְּרֵאשִׁית). Elohim is the supernal Imma upon them (אלהִים אִימָּא עִלָּאָה עֲלַיְיהוּ), for she is the seventh palace (דְּאִיהִי הֵיכָלָא שְׁבִיעָאָה). And just as the supernal Imma brought forth six (וּכְמָה דְאִימָּא עִלָּאָה אַפִּיקַת שִׁית), so the lower Imma brought forth six (הָכִי אִימָּא תַּתָּאָה אַפִּיקַת שִׁית). And what are they: “The heavens and the earth” (Bereshit 1:1) (וּמַאי נִיהוּ אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ). And these are the six vessels (וְאִינוּן שִׁית מָאנִין), of which it is said: “For in six days Hashem made the heavens and the earth” (Exodus 20:11) (דְּאִתְּמַר בְּהוֹן כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים עָשָׂה יְיָ אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ). And the lower palaces are vessels for the upper palaces (וְהֵיכָלִין תַּתָּאִין אִינוּן מָאנִין לְהֵיכָלִין עִלָּאִין). And when Yisrael would pray (וְכַד יִשְׂרָאֵל הֲווֹ מְצַלָּאן), all these palaces would open before them (כָּל הֵיכָלִין אִלֵּין הֲווֹ מִתְפַּתְּחָן לְגַבַּיְיהוּ).

But now, in exile, it is said of them: “All the gates are locked” (וּכְעַן בְּגָלוּתָא אִתְּמַר בְּהוֹן כָּל הַשְּׁעָרִים נִנְעֲלוּ). And the Shekhinta is outside of her palace (וּשְׁכִינְתָּא לְבָר מֵהֵיכָלָהּ), and Kudsha Berikh Hu outside of His palace (וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְבָר מֵהֵיכָלֵיהּ), and the angels appointed over the prayers are outside of their palaces (וּמַלְאָכַיָּא דִמְמַנָּן עַל צְלוֹתִין לְבָר מֵהֵיכָלֵיהוֹן). This is what is written: “Behold, their valiant ones cried outside” (Isaiah 33:7) (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב הֵן אֶרְאֶלָּם צָעֲקוּ חוּצָה). And there is no place for the prayers to enter above (וְלָא אִית לוֹן לִצְלוֹתִין אֲתַר לְאַעָלָא). This is “all the gates are locked” (וְדָא אִיהוּ כָּל הַשְּׁעָרִים נִנְעֲלוּ). But the gates of tears are not locked (אֲבָל שַׁעֲרֵי דִמְעָה לֹא נִנְעֲלוּ). And there is none to open for them these gates until the Master of Tears comes (וְלֵית מָאן דְּאַפְתַּח לוֹן לְאִלֵּין שְׁעָרִים עַד דְּיֵיתֵי מָארֵי דְּדִמְעָה). Of him it is said: “And she opened and saw the child, and behold, a lad weeping” (Exodus 2:6) (דְאִתְּמַר בֵּיהּ וַתִּפְתַּח וַתִּרְאֵהוּ אֶת הַיֶּלֶד וְהִנֵּה נַעַר בֹּכֶה). And no palace is opened except by him (וְלֵית הֵיכָלָא מִתְפַּתְּחָא אֶלָּא בֵיהּ). And this is: “And she opened” (וְדָא אִיהוּ וַתִּפְתַּח). “And she opened” - this palace opened for him (וַתִּפְתַּח דּאִתְפַתַּח הַאי הֵיכָלָא לְגַבֵּיהּ). By what is it opened? By tears (בְּמַאי אִתְפַּתַּח לֵיהּ בְּדִמְעָה). This is what is written: “And behold, a lad weeping” (Exodus 2:6) (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וְהִנֵּה נַעַר בֹּכֶה). And immediately: “And she had compassion on him” (Exodus 2:6) (וּמִיָּד וַתַּחְמֹל עָלָיו).

And furthermore: “And she opened” - when Yisrael open with repentance and with weeping (וְעוֹד וַתִּפְתַּח כַּד יִשְׂרָאֵל פָּתְחִין בִּתְיוּבְתָּא בְּבִכְיָה), immediately “And she had compassion on him” (מִיָּד וַתַּחְמֹל עָלָיו). And this is: “With weeping they shall come” (Jeremiah 31:8) (וְדָא אִיהוּ בִּבְכִי יָבֹאוּ). By the merit of their weeping they shall be gathered from exile (בִּזְכוּת בִּכְיָה דִילֵיהּ יִתְכַּנְשׁוּן מִן גָּלוּתָא). There is a palace of tears (דְּאִית הֵיכָלָא דְּדִמְעָה), which has no permission to open except by tears (דְלֵית לָהּ רְשׁוּ לְמִפְתַּח אֶלָּא בְדִמְעָה). And there is a palace of melody (וְאִית הֵיכָלָא דְנִגּוּנָא), which has no permission to open except by melody (דְלֵית לָהּ רְשׁוּ לְמִפְתַּח אֶלָּא בְנִגּוּנָא). And for this reason David drew near to that palace with melody (וּבְגִין דָּא דָּוִד מִתְקָרֵב לְהַהוּא הֵיכָלָא בְנִגּוּנָא). This is what is written: “And it was, when the minstrel played” (2 Kings 3:15) (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וְהָיָה כְּנַגֵּן הַמְנַגֵּן). And there is a palace of light (וְאִית הֵיכָלָא דִנְהוֹרָא), which does not open except to a man who engages in the light of Orayta (דְלָא מִתְפַּתְּחָא אֶלָּא לְבַר נַשׁ דַּהֲוָה מִתְעַסֵּק בִּנְהוֹרָא דְאוֹרַיְיתָא). And there is a palace of prophecy (וְאִית הֵיכָלָא דִנְבוּאָה), which does not open except to a man who is wise, mighty, and wealthy (דְלָא מִתְפַּתְּחָא אֶלָּא לְבַר נַשׁ דַּהֲוָה חָכָם גִּבּוֹר וְעָשִׁיר).

And there is a palace of awe (וְאִית הֵיכָלָא דְיִרְאָה), which is called the palace of Yirah (דְאִתְקְרֵי הֵיכַל הַיִּרְאָה), which does not open except to one in whom is awe (דְלָא מִתְפַּתְּחָא אֶלָּא לְמָאן דְּאִית בֵּיהּ דְּחִילוּ). And there is a palace of the poor (וְאִית הֵיכָלָא דַעֲנִיִּים), which does not open except to the poor, who wrap themselves before Hashem in prayer, with the wrapping of the mitzvah of tzitzit and tefillin (דְלָא מִתְפַּתְּחָא אֶלָּא לַעֲנִיִּים דַּהֲווֹ מִתְעַטְּפִין קֳדָם ייָ בִּצְלוֹתָא בְעִטּוּפָא דְמִצְוָה דְצִיצִית וּתְפִלִּין). Of them it is said: “A prayer of the afflicted, when he faints” (Psalms 102:1) (וַעֲלַיְיהוּ אִתְּמַר תְּפִלָּה לְעָנִי כִּי יַעֲטֹף). And there is the gate of the Tzaddikim (וְאִית תַּרְעָא דְצַדִּיקַיָּא), which does not open except to the Tzaddikim (דְלָא מִתְפַּתְּחָא אֶלָּא לְצַדִּיקַיָּא). This is what is written: “This is the gate of Hashem, the righteous shall enter it” (Psalms 118:20) (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב זֶה הַשַּׁעַר לַיְיָ צַדִּיקִים יָבֹאוּ בוֹ). And this is the gate of the Tzaddik, life of the worlds (וְהַאי אִיהוּ תַרְעָא דְצַדִּיק חַי עָלְמִין), of which it is said: “I have not seen a righteous man forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psalms 37:25) (דְאִתְּמַר בֵּיהּ וְלֹא רָאִיתִי צַדִּיק נֶעֱזָב וְזַרְעוֹ מְבַקֶּשׁ לָחֶם).

But now, in exile, it is said of it: “The righteous perishes” (Isaiah 57:1) (וּכְעַן בְּגָלוּתָא אִתְּמַר בֵּיהּ הַצַּדִּיק אָבָד). What is “perishes”? Perishes from the Matronita (מַאי אָבָד, אָבַד לְמַטְרוֹנִיתָא). And it is said of it: “And the river shall be ruined and dried up” (Isaiah 19:5) (וְאִתְּמַר בֵּיהּ וְנָהָר יֶחרַב וְיָבֵשׁ): “Ruined” in the First House (יֶחרַב בְּבַיִת רִאשׁוֹן), “Dried up” in the Second House (וְיָבֵשׁ בְּבַיִת שֵׁנִי). And because it has nothing of its own (וּבְגִין דְּלֵית לֵיהּ מִדִּילֵיהּ), the poor cry out in the life of blessings of prayer towards the Life of the Worlds (עֲנִיִּין צָוְוחִין בְּחַי בִּרְכָאָן דִּצְלוֹתָא לְגַבֵּי חַי עָלְמִין). And behold, the spring of all blessings is removed from there, and there is none to give them (וְהָא אִסְתַּלַּק מִתַּמָּן נְבִיעוּ דְכָל בִּרְכָאָן, וְלֵית מָאן דִּיְהִיב לוֹן). And the other gates are closed, and the gate of the Tzaddik is ruined and dried, like a poor man who is ruined and dried (וְתַרְעִין אָחֳרָנִין סְתִימִין, וְתַרְעָא דְצַדִּיק חֲרֵבָא וִיבֵשָׁה, כְּמָה דְעָנִי חָרֵב וְיָבֵשׁ). And the secret of the matter: “Let the waters be gathered together under the heavens into one place, and let the dry land appear” (Bereshit 1:9) (וְרָזָא דְמִלָּה יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם אֶל מָקוֹם אֶחָד וְתֵרָאֶה הַיַּבָּשָׁה).

And there is no gate open except the gate of tears (וְלֵית תַּרְעָא פְּתִיחָא אֶלָּא תַרְעָא דְדִמְעָה). And what is it? The “daughter of the eye” (וּמַאי אִיהִי בַּת עַיִן), for tears issue from it (דְּדִמְעָה מִינָהּ נַפְקָא). Of her it is said: “Keep me as the apple of the eye” (Psalms 17:8) (וַעֲלָהּ אִתְּמַר שָׁמְרֵנִי כְּאִישׁוֹן בַּת עָיִן). And in her: “And behold, a lad weeping” (Exodus 2:6) (וּבָהּ וְהִנֵּה נַעַר בֹּכֶה), before Kudsha Berikh Hu, who has compassion upon him in exile (לְגַבֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דִירַחַם עֲלֵיהּ בְּגָלוּתָא). This is what is written: “You shall arise and have compassion upon Zion” (Psalms 102:14) (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב אַתָּה תָקוּם תְּרַחֵם צִיּוֹן). For she is the flame of fire that appeared to Moshe in the bush (בְּגִין דְּאִיהִי לַבַּת אֵשׁ דְּאִתְחַזְיָיא לְמֹשֶׁה בַּסְּנֶה), as it is written: “And the angel of Hashem appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of the bush” (Exodus 3:2) (דִכְתִיב וַיֵּרָא מַלְאַךְ יְיָ אֵלָיו בְּלַבַּת אֵשׁ מִתּוֹךְ הַסְּנֶה). She is the daughter (אִיהִי בַת) from Bereshit (מִן בְּרֵאשִׁית). And this is Bereshit (וְדָא בְּרֵאשִׁית).