Daf 31a (דַּף ל״א ע״א)
Ya'akov-because there was in him no blemish (יַעֲקֹב בְּגִין דְּלָא הֲוָה בֵיהּ פְּסוֹלֶת)-it is said of his seed in exile: “So Yisrael dwelt in safety, alone, the eye of Ya'akov” (אִתְּמַר בְּזַרְעִיהּ בְּגָלוּתָא וַיִּשְׁכֹּן יִשְׂרָאֵל בֶּטַח בָּדָד עִין יַעֲקֹב) (Deuteronomy 33:28). It is said here: “in safety, alone” (אִתְּמַר הָכָא בֶטַח בָּדָד), and it is said there, at the going out of exile: “Hashem alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him” (וְאִתְּמַר הָתָם בְּמַפְּקָנוּ דְגָלוּתָא יְיָ׳ בָּדָד יַנְחֶנּוּ וְאֵין עִמּוֹ אֵל נֵכָר) (Deuteronomy 32:12). They were not mingled among his children with a mixture of converts (לָא אִתְעָרְבוּן בִּבְנוֹי עִרְבוּבְיָא דְגִיּוֹרִים). And because of this they do not accept converts in the days of Mashiach (וּבְגִין דָּא אֵין מְקַבְּלִים גֵּרִים לִימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ).
For about the seed of Ya'akov it is said: “A vine out of Egypt You did bring” (דַּעֲלַיְיהוּ דְזֶרַע יַעֲקֹב אִתְּמַר גֶּפֶן מִמִּצְרַיִם תַּסִּיעַ) (Psalms 80:9). As the vine does not receive grafting from another species (מַה גֶּפֶן לָא מְקַבְּלָא הַרְכָּבָה מִמִּין אָחֳרָא), so his seed are guardians of the sign of the covenant (כֵּן זַרְעִיהּ הֲווֹ נָטְרִין אוֹת בְּרִית), and they do not receive grafting from another species (וְלָא מְקַבְּלִין הַרְכָּבָה מִמִּין אָחֳרָא). And whoever guards the sign of the covenant is worthy of Molcho (וְכָל מָאן דְּנָטִיר אוֹת בְּרִית זָכֵי לְמַלְכוּ), like Yosef (כְּגַוְונָא דְיוֹסֵף). And Yisrael, because they guard the covenant, merited kingship (וְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּגִין דְּנָטְרִין בְּרִית זָכוּ לְמַלְכוּתָא). And it is said of them: “All Yisrael are the children of kings” (וְאִתְּמַר בְּהוֹן כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּנֵי מְלָכִים). And Moshe, because he guarded the sign of the covenant (וּמֹשֶׁה בְּגִין דְּנָטַר אוֹת בְּרִית), it is said of him: “And he was king in Yeshurun” (אִתְּמַר בֵּיהּ וַיְהִי בִישׁוּרוּן מֶלֶךְ) (Deuteronomy 33:5). Blessed is he who guards the covenant (זַכָּאָה אִיהוּ מָאן דְּנָטַר בְּרִית).
The Sixteenth Tikkun
תִּקּוּנָא שִׁיתְסַר
Bereshit-this is challah (בְּרֵאשִׁית דָּא חַלָּה). This is what is written: “The first of your kneading troughs, you shall set apart challah, a portion” (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב רֵאשִׁית עֲרִיסוֹתֵיכֶם חַלָּה תָּרִימוּ תְרוּמָה) (Numbers 15:20). And behold, they have established that Adam was the challah of the world (וְהָא אוּקְמוּהוּ דְאָדָם חַלָּתוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם הֲוָה). And from where do we know that challah is reshit? The verse proves it, as it is written: “The first of your kneading troughs, challah, you shall set apart as a portion for Hashem” (וּמְנָא לָן דְּחַלָּה אִיהוּ רֵאשִׁית, דִּקְרָא אוֹכַח הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב רֵאשִׁית עֲרִיסוֹתֵיכֶם חַלָּה תָּרִימוּ תְרוּמָה לַיְיָ׳). What is challah (מַאי חַלָּה)? Rather, they are the seven species (אֶלָּא שִׁבְעָה מִינִין אִינוּן): wheat, barley, vine, fig, pomegranate, land of olive oil, and honey, which is date honey (חִטָּה וּשְׂעוֹרָה וְגֶפֶן וּתְאֵנָה וְרִמּוֹן אֶרֶץ זֵית שֶׁמֶן וּדְבָשׁ, דְּהוּא דְבַשׁ תְּמָרִים).
Wheat is the tree from which Adam Kadma’ah ate (חִטָּה אִילָנָא אִיהוּ דְאָכִיל מִנֵּיהּ אָדָם קַדְמָאָה), and he did not remove challah from it (וְאִיהוּ לָא אַפִּיק מִתַּמָּן חַלָּה). And because of this the Heh did not rest upon him (וּבְגִין דָּא לָא חָל בֵּיהּ ה׳), and there dwelt upon him Chet and Tet (וְשַׁרְיָא בֵיהּ ח׳ ט׳), and caused him death (וְגָרִים לֵיהּ מוֹתָא). And challah is the Shekhinta (וְחַלָּה אִיהִי שְׁכִינְתָּא), comprised of these seven species (כְלִילָא מִשִּׁבְעָה מִינִין אִילֵין). And with her Adam Kadma’ah sinned (וּבָהּ חָב אָדָם קַדְמָאָה). This drop is Yod (טִפָּה דָא יו״ד). Dough must have challah removed from it (עִסָּה צָרִיךְ לְאַפָּקָא מִינָהּ חַלָּה). And immediately, the Heh rests upon that drop (וּמִיָּד חָל עַל הַהִיא טִפָּה), and gives him seed, included from both, which is Vav (וְיָהִיב לֵיהּ זֶרַע כְּלִיל מִתַּרְוַיְיהוּ דְאִיהוּ ו׳).
And the secret of the matter: “Behold, for you it is seed” (וְרָזָא דְמִלָּה הֵ״א לָכֶם זֶרַע) (Bereshit 47:27). And because of this, challah is indeed the mitzvah appointed to the woman (וּבְגִין דָּא חַלָּה וַדַּאי אִיהִי פִּקּוּדָא דְאִתְמַנִּי לְאִתְּתָא). Because of her, Adam, who was the challah of the world, died (דִּבְגִינָהּ מֵת אָדָם דְּאִיהוּ חַלָּתוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם). She must therefore separate challah (צְרִיכָה אִיהִי לְאַפְרָשָׁא חַלָּה), and remove it from her dough (וּלְאַפָּקָא לָהּ מֵעִסָּתָהּ), which is her drop (דְּאִיהִי טִפָּה דִילָהּ), to return it to man (לְהַחֲזִירָה עַל הָאָדָם). She is the flame of his candle (אִיהִי אַטְפַת שָׁרְגָּא דִילֵיהּ). Of him it is said: “The candle of Hashem is the soul of man” (דְּאִתְּמַר בֵּיהּ נֵר יְיָ׳ נִשְׁמַת אָדָם) (Proverbs 20:27). She must kindle it on the eve of Shabbat (צְרִיכָה לְאוֹקָדָא לֵיהּ בְּלֵיל שַׁבָּת), with the awakening of the flames of the fire of love toward her husband (בְּאִתְעָרוּ דְשַׁלְהוֹבִין דְאֶשָּׁא דִרְחִימוּ לְגַבֵּי בַעֲלָהּ).
And the secret of the matter: “Many waters cannot quench love” (וְרָזָא דְמִלָּה מַיִם רַבִּים לֹא יוּכְלוּ לְכַבּוֹת אֶת הָאַהֲבָה) (Song of Songs 8:7). And the awakening of the warmth of the eve of Shabbat is from his wife (וְאִתְעָרוּ דְחַמִּימוּתָא דְלֵיל שַׁבָּת, מֵאִתְּתֵיהּ), and it must be with love and awe (צְרִיכָה בִרְחִימוּ וּדְחִילוּ). And this is: “When a woman conceives and gives birth to a male” (וְדָא אִיהוּ אִשָּׁה כִּי תַזְרִיעַ וְיָלְדָה זָכָר) (Leviticus 12:2). She is the shedding of the blood of man (אִיהִי שְׁפִיכַת דָּמִים דְּאָדָם), the flow of her blood (אִזְדְּרִיקַת דָּמָהּ). And because of this she must guard herself from the blood of nidah (וְעַל דָּא צְרִיכָה לְנַטְרָא לֵיהּ מִדַּם נִדָּה). And because of this, concerning these three matters women are careful: in nidah, and in challah, and in the lighting of the candle (וּבְגִין דָּא עַל תְּלַת מִלִּין אִלֵּין נָשִׁים זְהִירוֹת, בַּנִּדָּה וּבַחַלָּה וּבְהַדְלָקַת הַנֵּר).
Until here, the secret of wheat, from which comes challah (עַד כַּאן רָזָא דְחִטָּה, דְמִתַּמָּן חַלָּה). “Wheat” (chitah) is the secret of the twenty-two letters of the Orayta (חִטָּ״ה אִיהוּ רָזָא דְעֶשְׂרִין וּתְרֵין אַתְוָון דְּאוֹרַיְּיתָא).
The Seventeenth Tikkun
תִּקּוּנָא שִׁבְעֵיסַר
Bereshit (בְּרֵאשִׁית), about it is said: “The first of the tithe of your grain” (עֲלָהּ אִתְּמַר רֵאשִׁית מַעֲשַׂר דְּגָנְךָ) (Deuteronomy 18:4). And this is Malkhut, which is the tithe (וְדָא מַלְכוּת דְּאִיהוּ מַעֲשֵׂר), and she is the tenth of the ten Sefirot (וְאִיהִי עֲשִׂירִית לְעֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת). And because of her tithes are taken (וּבְגִינָהּ מְעַשְּׂרִין). And chaff and straw, which are the garments of wheat (וּמוֹץ וְתֶבֶן דְּאִינוּן לְבוּשִׁין דְּחִטָּה), in this world are exempt from tithes (בְּהַאי עָלְמָא פְּטוּרִין מִמַּעֲשֵׂר). And whoever desires to separate tithe from wheat must cleanse it from chaff and straw, which are Chet and Tet (וּמָאן דְּבָעִי לְאַפָּקָא מַעֲשֵׂר מֵחִטָּה, בָעִי לְנַקְיֵיהּ מִן מוֹץ וְתֶבֶן דְּאִינוּן ח״ט). And what remains is Heh, purified (וְאִשְׁתְּאָרַת אִיהִי ה׳ נְקִיָּה). At that time, the drop, which is Yod, shall be cast into her (בְּהַהוּא זִמְנָא יְהֵא זָרִיק בָּהּ טִפָּה דְאִיהִי יו״ד). And in this manner, in the Zivug of a man (וּכְגַוְונָא דָא בְּזִווּגָא דְבַר נַשׁ), he must cleanse the drop from sin, which is the evil inclination (צָרִיךְ לְנַקָּאָה טִפָּה מֵחֵט״א דְּאִיהוּ יֵצֶר הָרָע), to be seed purified in the Heh (לְמֶהֱוִי זַרְעָא נְקִיָּה בְּה׳). This is what is written: “Behold, for you it is seed” (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב הֵ״א לָכֶם זֶרַע) (Bereshit 47:27).