Daf 30a (דַּף ל ע״א)

And for that one whom She protects (וּלְמָאן דְּאִיהִי אֲגִינַת עֲלֵיהּ), it is said of him: “You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day” (לֹא תִירָא מִפַּחַד לָיְלָה מֵחֵץ יָעוּף יוֹמָם) (Psalms 91:5). “With His wing He shall cover you” (בְּאֶבְרָתוֹ יָסֶךְ לָךְ)-this is a limb from the living creature (דָּא אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי), the Tzaddik (צַדִּיק). “And under His wings you shall trust” (וְתַחַת כְּנָפָיו תֶּחְסֶּה)-these are Heh Heh (אִינוּן ה״ה). For the letter Zayin, this is His wing (דְּאָת ז׳ אִיהוּ אֶבְרָתוֹ), which includes Yod Vav (כָּלוּל י״ו): His body is Vav (גּוּפָא דִילֵיהּ ו׳), His head is Yod (רֵישָׁא דִילֵיהּ י׳), His wings are Heh Heh (גַּדְפוֹי ה״ה). And because of this: “And under His wings you shall trust” (וּבְגִין דָּא וְתַחַת כְּנָפָיו תֶּחְסֶּה). “His truth shall be your shield and buckler” (צִנָּה וְסוֹחֵרָה אֲמִתּוֹ) (Psalms 91:4). “Shield and buckler” are the Upper Shekhinta and the Lower Shekhinta (צִנָּה וְסוֹחֵרָה שְׁכִינְתָּא עִלָּאָה וְתַתָּאָה). “His truth” is the Middle Pillar (אֲמִתּוֹ דָא עַמּוּדָא דְאֶמְצָעִיתָא). His head is Supernal Chokhmah (רֵישָׁא דִילֵיהּ חָכְמָה עִלָּאָה). The Tzaddik is in His image and in His likeness (צַדִּיק אִיהוּ בְצַלְמוֹ כִּדְמוּתוֹ). Blessed is he who guards the covenant of circumcision (זַכָּאָה אִיהוּ מָאן דְּנָטִיר בְּרִית מִילָה). And the Orayta, which is the Middle Pillar (וְאוֹרַיְּיתָא דְאִיהוּ עַמּוּדָא דְאֶמְצָעִיתָא), both of them protect him (דְּתַרְוַיְיהוּ מְגִינִין עֲלֵיהּ): one in this world (חַד בְּעָלְמָא דָא), and one in the World to Come (וְחַד בְּעָלְמָא דְאָתֵי).

The Fourteenth Tikkun

תִּקּוּנָא אַרְבְּעֵיסַר

Bereshit (בְּרֵאשִׁית), about it is said: “The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of Hashem your Elohim; you shall not cook a kid in its mother’s milk” (עֲלָהּ אִתְּמַר רֵאשִׁית בִּכּוּרֵי אַדְמָתְךָ תָּבִיא בֵּית יְיָ׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ לֹא תְבַשֵּׁל גְּדִי בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֹ) (Exodus 23:19). Come and see (תָּא חֲזִי), Supernal Chokhmah-about her it is said: “Sanctify to Me every firstborn” (חָכְמָה עִלָּאָה עֲלָהּ אִתְּמַר קַדֶּשׁ לִי כָל בְּכוֹר) (Exodus 13:20). For all the firstfruits are called by her name (דְּכָל בִּכּוּרִים עַל שְׁמָהּ אִתְקְרִיאוּ), and the Shekhinta from there is called Bechorah (וּשְׁכִינְתָּא מִתַּמָּן אִתְקְרִיאַת בְּכוֹרָה). Chokhmah indeed-about her it is said: “The first of all the firstfruits of everything” (חָכְמָה וַדַּאי עֲלָהּ אִתְּמַר רֵאשִׁית כָּל בִּכּוּרֵי כֹל) (Ezekiel 44:30). And her firstborn son, the first of all, this is Vav, the Middle Pillar (וּבְרָא בּוּכְרָא דִילָהּ קַדְמָאָה דְכֹלָּא דָא ו׳ עַמּוּדָא דְאֶמְצָעִיתָא). “The firstfruits of your land”-two true supports (בִּכּוּרֵי אַדְמָתְךָ תְּרֵי סַמְכֵי קְשׁוֹט). What is “your land”? (מַאי אַדְמָתְךָ). The Lower Shekhinta (שְׁכִינְתָּא תַּתָּאָה). And these are all the firstfruits of Kol [All], from the side of the Tzaddik [Righteous One], who is Kol [All] (וְאִנּוּן כָּל בִּכּוּרֵי כֹל מִסִּטְרָא דְצַדִּיק דְּאִיהוּ כֹּל). And the Shekhinta is the land in which grow and sprout the trees (וּשְׁכִינְתָּא אִיהִי אַרְעָא דְבֵיהּ גָּדְלִין וְצָמְחִין אִלָּנִין). About her it is said: “A righteous shoot” (דַּעֲלָהּ אִתְּמַר צֶמַח צַדִּיק) (Jeremiah 23:5), for he is a fruit tree, the great and mighty tree, the Middle Pillar (דְּאִיהוּ עִץ פְּרִי, אִילָנָא רְבָא וּתְקִיף עַמּוּדָא דְאֶמְצָעִיתָא).

The grasses and herbs, which are the disciples of the sages, from there sprout in the garden (עִשְׂבִּין וְדִשְׁאִין דְּאִינוּן תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים מִתַּמָּן צָמְחִין בְּגַן), because she is the Orayta of the mouth (בְּגִין דְּאִיהִי אוֹרַיְּיתָא דִבְעַל פֶּה). And who waters and satiates in her the trees and grasses and herbs? The fountain of gardens (וּמָאן אַשְׁקֵי וְרַוִי בָהּ אִלָּנִין וְעִשְׂבִּין וְדִשְׁאִין, מַעְיָן גַּנִּים), which is Chokhmah, the first of all the firstfruits of everything (דְּאִיהִי חָכְמָה רֵאשִׁית כָּל בִּכּוּרֵי כֹל). And from where does the fountain of waters come forth? From the House of Hashem (וּמֵאַיִן נַפְקָא מַעֲיָנָא דְמַיָּא, מִבֵּית יְיָ׳). This is what is written: “And a fountain shall come forth from the House of Hashem” (וּמַעְיָן מִבֵּית יְיָ׳ יֵצֵא) (Joel 4:18). And because of this: “The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the House of Hashem your Elohim” (וּבְגִין דָּא רֵאשִׁית בִּכּוּרֵי אַדְמָתְךָ תָּבִיא בֵּית יְיָ׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ) (Exodus 23:19). And so also the first of lambs and rams-this is what is written: “The first of the fleece of your sheep you shall give him” (וְכֵן רֵאשִׁית דְּעָאנֵי וְאִמְּרֵי, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וְרֵאשִׁית גֵּז צֹאנְךָ תִּתֶּן לוֹ) (Deuteronomy 18:4). And adjacent to it, “The first of the firstfruits of your land…”-“You shall not cook a kid in its mother’s milk” (וּסְמִיךְ לֵיהּ לְרֵאשִׁית בִּכּוּרֵי אַדְמָתְךָ וְכוּ׳ לֹא תְבַשֵּׁל גְּדִי בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֹ) (Exodus 23:19). What is this with that (מַאי הַאי לְגַבֵּי הַאי)?

Rabbi Shimon arose on his feet (קָם רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן עַל רַגְלוֹי), opened with a loud voice and said (פָּתַח בְּקָלָא סַגִּיא וְאָמַר): Eliyahu, Eliyahu (אֵלִיָּהוּ אֵלִיָּהוּ), descend here with the permission of your Master (נְחֵית הָכָא בִרְשׁוּתָא דְמָארָךְ), and enlighten the eyes of these elders in this matter (וְאַנְהִיר עִינֵהוּ דְאִלֵּין סָבִין בְּהַאי מִלָּה), that they not come to eat meat in milk (דְּלָא יֵתוּן לְמֵיכַל בָּשָׂר בֶּחָלָב).

Meanwhile, behold Eliyahu was descending and did not delay (אַדְהָכִי הָא אֵלִיָּהוּ קָא נָחִית וְלָא אִתְעַכַּב). He said, “Holy Luminary” (אָמַר בּוֹצִינָא קַדִּישָׁא), this secret is indeed the secret of “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together” (וְהָא רָזָא דָא וַדַּאי אִיהוּ רָזָא דְלֹא תַחֲרוֹשׁ בְּשׁוֹר וּבַחֲמוֹר יַחְדָּיו) (Deuteronomy 22:6). When the firstborn, who is Yisrael, the Middle Pillar (כַּד בּוּכְרָא דְאִיהוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עַמּוּדָא דְאֶמְצָעִיתָא), does not come to the House of Hashem (לָא אַתְיָין לֵיהּ לְבֵית יְיָ׳), milk is mingled with meat (חָלָב אִתְעָרַב בְּבִשְׂרָא), and they cause the mingling of ox with donkey (וְגָרְמִין לְאִתְעָרְבָא שׁוֹר בַּחֲמוֹר), and this is a mixture, a kind not of its own kind (וְדָא אִיהוּ כִּלְאַיִם מִין דְּלַאו בְּמִינֵיהּ).

Rabbi Shimon said (אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן): Eliyahu, Eliyahu (אֵלִיָּהוּ אֵלִיָּהוּ), behold, the ox is from the side of purity (וְהָא שׁוֹר אִיהוּ מִסִּטְרָא דְּדַכְיוּ), and the donkey is from the side of defilement (וַחֲמוֹר מִסִּטְרָא דִמְסָאֲבוּ). This is the mixture of good and evil (דָא אִיהוּ כִּלְאַיִם טַב וּבִישׁ). But milk is from the side of purity (אֲבָל חָלָב אִיהוּ מִסִּטְרָא דְּדַכְיוּ), and meat is from the side of purity (וּבִשְׂרָא מִסִּטְרָא דְּדַכְיוּ). He said to him: Indeed it is so (אָמַר לֵיהּ וַדַּאי הָכִי הוּא), but this secret is made known in this verse: “Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind” (אֲבָל הַאי רָזָא אִשְׁתְּמוֹדָע בִּקְרָא דָא, תּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה לְמִינָהּ) (Bereshit 1:24). For although they are from the side of purity (דְּאַף עַל גַּב דְּאִינוּן מִסִּטְרָא דְּדַכְיוּ), all of them are male and female, and they are pairs (כֻּלְּהוּ אִינוּן דְּכַר וְנוּקְבָא, וְאִינוּן זוּגִין). And whoever takes from that which is not of its own kind (וּמָאן דְּנָטִיל מִמַּה דְּלַאו אִיהוּ מִינֵיהּ), that offspring which is composed of both-about him it is said (הַהוּא בַּר דְּאִתְרְכִיב מִתַּרְוַיְיהוּ, עֲלֵיהּ אִתְּמַר): “You shall not cook a kid in its mother’s milk” (לֹא תְבַשֵּׁל גְּדִי בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֹ) (Exodus 23:19).