READING: BETWEEN AFTER MIDNINGHT AND DAWN WEDNESDAY

Baal HaSulam. Study of the Ten Sefirot. Vol. 1. Part 3. Chapter 6, item 4

Who Is This

169) Rabbi Elazar opened and said, “Who is it rising from the desert?” “Who is it” is the whole of two sanctities, two worlds, Bina and Malchut in one bonding and in one connection. “Rising” means that she is actually rising to be the holy of holies, since MI, Bina, the holy of holies, connected with this, Malchut, so that Malchut will be rising, which is the holy of holies. “From the desert,” since she inherited this from the desert, to be a bride and to enter the Huppah [wedding canopy].

It is written, “Who is it rising from the desert, clinging to her beloved?” This is about the end of correction, when the bride rises to the Huppah. The Zohar refers “Who is it” to Bina, who is called MI [“who”], and to Malchut, who is called “this” [or “it”]. It says that at that time, “Who is it” will be included as one, two sanctities included.

This is so because prior to the end of correction, only Bina is called “holy,” and Malchut that rises to Bina is sanctified only in the holiness of Bina. But at the end of correction, Malchut herself will be holy, too, like Bina, and “Who is it rising” will be an inclusion of two sanctities, two worlds, Bina and Malchut, in one bonding and in one connection.

A connection is the bundle of life, the end of the Malchut and the screen that raises reflected light and connects all the Sefirot as one. At that time, it will end in Yod, forever equal to Bina. This is called “one connection” and “one bonding,” since the level of light of Malchut will be connected to the level of Bina, actually as one, for then Malchut herself will be rising to be the actual holy of holies, like the Bina.

Actually rising, like a burnt offering, which is the holy of holies. This is because MI, AVI, the holy of holies, connected “this,” Malchut, so that Malchut will be discerned in the form of “rising,” which is the holy of holies, for then a bonding of MI with “this” was done to make “this” herself the holy of holies. And since this is so, it is impossible for any diminution to be in Malchut, since her own sanctity is the holy of holies, like the Bina. This is why it is written, “Death will be swallowed up forever.”

Also, it was said that she inherited it from the desert, to be a bride and to enter the Huppah. The desert is the place of the serpent, the Seraph [type of angel] and the scorpion, and the keepers of the Torah are regarded as the makers of the Torah. It follows that this great coupling of the end of correction was done specifically from the desert.

170) She rises from the desert, as it is written, “And your desert is comely.” She rises in that desert of lip-whispering. Midbar [desert] means Dibur [speech], as it is written, “These mighty gods? These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert.” But was everything that the Creator did to them in the desert, and not in a settled place?

In the desert means in speech, as it is written, “And your desert is comely.” And it is written, “From the desert shall lift.” So is “Rising from the desert,” indeed, “From the desert,” meaning with that speech of the mouth, Malchut rises and enters between the mother’s wings, Bina. Afterwards, through speech, Malchut descends and stays over the heads of the holy people.

Explanation: Prior to the end of correction, while Malchut is called “tree of knowledge of good and evil,” her entire correction is done through the MAN by which the righteous raise Malchut to Bina. Through this ascent, Malchut becomes as holy as Bina for the time being. These MAN are a prayer in whisper, since Malchut, speech, cannot be in a state of speaking only goodness without any evil, except when the voice in the speech is from Bina, which is a unification of voice and speech, a coupling of ZON in Gadlut, since ZA receives the voice of Ima and gives in the speech of the Malchut. At that time, the speech is all good without any bad at all, and she receives the Mochin of holiness.

Indeed, without this mitigation from the voice of Bina, the voice of Malchut, the first nine, there is a grip for the shells in Malchut and she cannot receive from the holiness. Hence, the ascent of MAN is considered that the righteous raise in prayer, which are in whisper of the lips, speech without a voice, as it is written, “Only her lips move but her voice is not heard.” This is because then there is no grip to the MAN that they raise and they can raise the Malchut to Bina, too, so she receives the voice from Bina. At that time, she becomes a holy structure and receives Mochin in a coupling of voice and speech, and the sanctity of her speech stays over the heads of the righteous who corrected them.

This is why it was said, “She rises from the desert, as it is written, ‘And your desert is comely,’” since the bride is now destined for the great coupling, to enter the Huppah through the raising of MAN of the righteous, as it is written, “And your desert is comely,” when they extend the voice from Ima into the speech, to Malchut. By that, the desert of the Malchut becomes as comely and as beautiful as Bina because all those Zivugim that were made before one by one have now gathered into the great coupling, to admit her into the Huppah.

And in that desert of the lip-whispering, she rises through the MAN that they raised previously by the whisper of the lips, in a speech without a voice, since her voice is still in the first nine and the voice of Ima was extended into her. Thus, of all those good deeds, now the great coupling to enter the Huppah has been made, since now her own voice has become good without any bad at all, too, and she becomes holy of holies like Ima.

The speech in the whisper is regarded as the speaking of the mouth. That is, without the adding of the palate, throat, teeth, and tongue, but only through the outlet of the lips and the mouth, to be as it is written, “Her voice is not heard.” Malchut rises by that speech of the mouth, that so is the way of raising MAN, and then she enters between the mother’s wings and rises between the wings of Bina. This means that she receives the voice of the wings of Ima into her speech, and then, in the speech that she receives, she descends and stays over the heads of the holy people. It is so because once she receives the voice of the quality of mercy from Ima, she becomes as holy as her and her holiness returns to those who corrected her, and they, too, are called “holy people,” like her, since her speech is now holy, like Ima.

171) How does Malchut rise in speech? In the beginning, when a person rises in the morning, he should bless his Master when he opens his eyes. How does he bless? This is what the first Hassidim [pious] would do. They would place a vessel with water before them, and when they awoke at night, they would wash their hands, stand and engage in Torah, and bless for reading in it. When the rooster called, it is actually midnight, and the Creator is with the righteous in the Garden of Eden. Also, it is forbidden to bless in the morning with impure and filthy hands, and so it is every hour.

Explanation: Since the beginning of Malchut’s correction should be with whispering of the lips, why do we bless out loud immediately upon waking up from sleep? It should have been a blessing in whisper, to first extend the voice from Ima, which is raising the Malchut by speaking with the voice of Ima.

The first Hassidim corrected that correction in a practical manner, since the ascent of the MAN is either in action or in speech. Hence, since during one’s sleep, the spirit of holiness departs and the spirit of impurity of the primordial serpent is over him, since slumber is one sixtieth of death, and death is from the impurity of the primordial serpent, hence upon waking up from slumber, that evil spirit did not entirely retire from him. It is still present on the tips of his fingers, since anything that is holiest, the Sitra Achra [other side] clings to it most, and the fingers are the holiest in the body, for there is the place of instilling of Hochma [wisdom], as it is written, “And all the wise-hearted women spun with their hands.” Hence, the Sitra Achra of death does not retire from there even after the awakening, and it needs an action, the washing of hands.

Two vessels must be prepared: 1) A higher vessel, called Natla [washing cup], and 2) A lower vessel to receive the filth. The higher vessel, called Natla, indicates the vessel of Bina, for the Sitra Achra flees from the light of Bina. It follows that the washing of fingers with the waters of Bina chases the Sitra Achra away from there, purifies the Malchut from the evil in her, and she remains good. Then it is possible to engage in Torah and to bless for the Torah in a way that the act of washing the hands is similar to raising MAN by the whispering of the lips to the wings of the mother.

And when the rooster calls, it is actually midnight, as it is written, “The greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night,” since the holy Shechina [Divinity] in the vessel of Malchut has diminished into the lesser light and clothed in the shells, as it is written, “And her legs go down to death.” This means the tree of good and bad: If one is rewarded, it is good. If he is not rewarded, it is bad.

Thus, there are two halves in Malchut, good and bad: a half in which he has been rewarded and a half in which he has not been rewarded. Hence, her governance, too, which is the night, was divided after her into two halves, as well: 1) The first half of the night, as in “Not rewarded, it is bad,” as it is written, “You appoint darkness and it becomes night, in which all the beasts of the forest prowl about.” 2) The second half of the night—rewarded, it is good.

The first correction for the good half is done at the very point of midnight, since then Malchut receives the voice of Bina, when Malchut rises and is mitigated inside Malchut of Ima and the judgment inside Malchut becomes a holy judgment, from the side of good, without any bad. The meaning is that this judgment falls and stays over the Sitra Achra and becomes mercy over Israel.

After midnight, a flame comes out of Isaac’s pillar and strikes the rooster, who is called Gever [a man], such as another man, superior one, above him, Isaac, Bina. The flame of Isaac’s pillar is the judgment of Bina, Angel Gabriel, a rooster, a man, the quality of Gevura, which serves a higher man than him, Malchut of Atzilut, the lesser light. The judgment of Bina strikes under the wings of Gabriel, and then the Malchut receives the voice of Bina through him.

When Gabriel calls, all the roosters of this world call and another flame comes out of him, reaching them under their wings, and they call. This is so because when Gabriel sounds the voice of Bina to the upper Gever, Malchut, the flame comes out of Gabriel and reaches all the roosters of this world, which are the judgments in the space of this world, and they all call out only by the voice that was sweetened with the quality of mercy from Bina.

Thus, the voice, which is the judgment of Malchut, no longer dominates the second half of the night. Its place is taken by the voice of Bina, to which the calling of the roosters of this world indicates. This is why it was said here that when the rooster calls, it is the actual midnight, since the rooster indicates that the voice of Bina has already been accepted into Malchut, at which time it is the actual point of midnight, from which the half of the night begins, good without any bad.

And once Malchut receives the voice of Bina, the righteous raise MAN through the Torah, when they engage after midnight and raise her to the rejoicing Gevura of upper Ima, as it is written, “She rises while it is still night,” for then she appears in all her splendor and grandeur. This is the way of the holy Malchut, to appear only at night, and “She goes by day and appears by night, and dispenses food in the morning.”

She appears only in the Garden of Eden, to those righteous who correct her so, with the engagement of their Torah, who study after midnight. You find that then the Creator is with the righteous in the Garden of Eden, since then the holy Shechina is corrected in the Garden of Eden, while she is watered from a stream of pleasantness, Hochma, and plays with the righteous, who are included in her in MAN.

“It is forbidden to bless in the morning with impure and filthy hands, and so it is every hour.” This is so because that spirit of impurity of the primordial serpent remains on one’s fingers even after he has risen from his sleep, and this filth is removed only by washing with a vessel. So it is every hour, and not necessarily after sleep. Rather, every filth and dirt is a place of holding for the Sitra Achra, and it is forbidden to bless unless after washing in water.

172) This is so because when one is asleep, his spirit departs from him, and when the spirit departs from him, the spirit of impurity is prepared for him and stays on his hand, and defiles them. Then, it is forbidden to bless in them without washing the hands. But on a day when he does not sleep and the spirit does not depart from him, and the spirit of impurity does not stay over him, yet when he walks into the lavatory, he will not bless or read even a single word in the Torah before he washes his hands. But not because they are dirty, for with what did they become dirty?

173) Rather, woe unto those people who do not notice and do not know the glory of their Master, and do not know on what the world stands. There is a spirit in every lavatory in the world, which is present there and enjoys that disgust and feces, and immediately stays over those fingers of a person.