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[Preamble.] \"You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together\" [Devarim 22:10]. For it is brought in the words of Rabbeinu of blessed memory in the Torah teaching that begins \"Chadi Rabbi Shimon\" [Siman 61] that the essential sweetening of all the tzimtzumim [contractions/constrictions] and all the dinim [stern judgments] is through the seichel [intellect/wisdom-principle] that belongs to each and every tzimtzum. For each tzimtzum and judgment is drawn from a particular seichel — for \"all of them are clarified within thought\" [kulhu b'machshava isbariru]. And all these intelligences have no power to sweeten except when they receive from the all-encompassing seichel that encompasses all the intelligences and all the tzimtzumim in the world — which is the bechinas of the Even Sh'siyah [Foundation Stone], the Holy of Holies, through which all the tzimtzumim and all the dinim of the world are sweetened, etc. — see there all of this carefully.

Section 1. And this is the bechinas of the prohibition of animal kil'ayim — that it is forbidden to perform labor with two species of animal together. For all the labors in the world are the bechinas of tzimtzumim — for the essential craft of labor is to constrict the thing within this particular tzimtzum: to bring out a vessel for its purpose. And all these tzimtzumim of the thirty-nine melachos must be repaired and sweetened — to clarify them from the contamination of the serpent, from the sin of the first man. Through [the first man's sin] thirty-nine curses were pronounced — and from there the labor and toil of all the thirty-nine melachos descended: which is the bechinas of [Bereishis 3]: \"In the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread.\" And therefore every person must sanctify himself — to conduct his business dealings and his labor and work in great holiness for the sake of Hashem — in order to clarify all the occupations and labors that are all encompassed in the thirty-nine melachos and to clarify them all from the contamination of the serpent. And the essential sweetening and clarification of all the thirty-nine melachos — which are the bechinas of tzimtzumim — is through the seichel that belongs to each labor and tzimtzum. For within each and every labor there is some seichel — for there is no craft or labor that does not have within it some intellect and wisdom. And this seichel has a root above in the seichel of holiness. Therefore one must see to it to perform the labor and business dealings in great holiness — to connect the seichel that is within the labor to its root: that is, to the particular supernal seichel that belongs to that seichel and tzimtzum of that labor. For through this that tzimtzum is sweetened — for a din is sweetened only at its root: that is, through the particular seichel that belongs to it, which is its root. And this is the bechinas of what is written regarding Betzalel — who was the head of all the craftsmen who occupied themselves with the holy labor in the construction of the Mishkan: \"And I have filled him with a divine spirit of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, and in all manner of work,\" etc. [Shmos 31:3]. For Betzalel knew the wisdom, understanding, and knowledge that belonged to each and every labor — the bechinas of \"to devise skilful works, to work in all manner of work,\" etc. [ibid.]. For he knew how to devise thoughts — that is, the thought, wisdom, and seichel belonging to each and every labor. And through this the tzimtzum of that labor was sweetened. For Betzalel knew how to combine the letters through which heaven and earth were created — for the letters through which each thing was created are the bechinas of the seichel that belongs to each thing. For \"by the word of Hashem the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host\" [Tehillim 33:6]. And within each utterance there is wisdom and seichel — for speech is the revelation of da'as, as it is written: \"From His mouth come knowledge and understanding\" [Mishlei 2:6]. That is, the wisdom and seichel through which that thing came into being — as it is written [Tehillim 104]: \"All of them You made in wisdom.\" And Betzalel knew the letters through which heaven and earth were created — that is, the letters and the seichel that belongs to each and every thing from the creation of heaven and earth — all of which are the bechinas of tzimtzumim through which Hashem blessed be He contracted each thing until it came into being in this form and this image. And therefore he occupied himself with the labor of the Mishkan — for there all thirty-nine melachos were present. For \"all thirty-nine melachos we derive from the Mishkan\" [Shabbos 49b]. For the Mishkan is the bechinas of the Holy Temple, which is the bechinas of da'as, the bechinas of holiness — for the seichel is called kodesh [holy], as above. That is: there all the wisdoms and all the intelligences are encompassed, all receiving from the all-encompassing seichel — which is the Holy of Holies, the bechinas of the Even Sh'siyah, as above. For all the tzimtzumim and all the melachos are drawn from the Even Sh'siyah — for from it the world was founded, and from it were drawn all the tzimtzumim of all created things and of all the labors of the world. And therefore it is brought in the Shulchan Aruch: those women who have the custom not to spin wool after the [first of] Av — this is a custom, because the Even Sh'siyah was annulled [i.e., the Temple was destroyed]. For from the Even Sh'siyah all the melachos are drawn — which are the bechinas of tzimtzumim. For each and every tzimtzum receives from its seichel which is its root, and all receive from the all-encompassing seichel — which is the bechinas of the Holy of Holies, the bechinas of the Even Sh'siyah, from which the world was founded, as above. Section 2. And this is the bechinas of what is forbidden — to plow, to lead, and to perform labor with two animals together. For all the tzimtzumim — which are the bechinas of dinim — this is the bechinas of behemah [animal]: the absence of da'as. For mercy and chesed are the bechinas of da'as, while tzimtzum and din is the bechinas of diminished da'as — as is explained in the words of Rabbeinu of blessed memory many times. And one must clarify, sweeten, and elevate from animal to adam. This is the essential service of man in this world — for man is the seichel, which is the defining quality of adam. And he must clarify all the tzimtzumim and all the dinim — which are the bechinas of absence of da'as, the bechinas of behemah — to clarify them from animal to adam, from din to chesed. And one must clarify and sweeten each din and tzimtzum specifically through the seichel that belongs to it — which is its root. And this is the essential rectification of the thirty-nine melachos — which are the bechinas of tzimtzumim as above — to clarify them from the contamination of the serpent and to sweeten them in the bechinas of the thirty-nine labors of the Mishkan, as above. And therefore it is forbidden for a person to perform labor with two species of animal together. For then two species of tzimtzumim are intermingled together — which are the two species of animals, which are the essential grasp of the din and tzimtzum. For [the din] grips most strongly where da'as has been most diminished. And therefore behemah — which is the ultimate of diminishment and total absence of da'as — there the grip of din and tzimtzum is at its ultimate. And therefore it is impossible to clarify it except when it is specifically of its own kind — then it can be sweetened at its root through the channel that belongs to it: that is, through the seichel that belongs to it. But when two species are mixed together, the tzimtzumim are intermingled. And then it is impossible to elevate each one to its root — to the seichel that belongs to it alone in particularity — and then it is impossible to sweeten it. For the essential sweetening is through the particular seichel that belongs to it alone. And when they are not sweetened — because two species of animals have been mixed together, which are the ultimate tzimtzumim — then the contamination of the serpent takes hold, Heaven forbid, in that labor from the thirty-nine melachos that is performed with them. For the essential grasp [of the Sitra Achra] is from the mixture — which is the bechinas of the mixture of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Section 3. And this is the bechinas of what is brought in the holy Zohar on the verse \"You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together\" — \"for they are two kinds of evil\" [trei zinei bisha], etc. And at first glance this is difficult — for are not even two species of pure animals forbidden to perform labor with together, as is explained in the Shulchan Aruch? But in truth, according to what was explained above — that one must clarify and sweeten each and every tzimtzum specifically through the particular seichel that belongs to it. And when two species of animals are mixed together during some labor, the tzimtzumim are intermingled and it is impossible to sweeten each one through the seichel that belongs to it. And then the contamination of the serpent takes hold, Heaven forbid, from this mixture that has been intermingled during the occupation with the thirty-nine melachos — where their essential grip lies — in the bechinas of \"with pain you shall eat\" [Bereishis 3:17] and \"in the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread,\" etc.: which are the thirty-nine melachos, etc., as above. Therefore whenever two species of animals are mixed in a forbidden manner — that is, at the time of plowing and similar [labor] — even two species of pure animals — immediately the mixture of ox and donkey is aroused, Heaven forbid: the two kinds of evil. For when they combine together, Heaven forbid, the din is greatly strengthened, Heaven forbid. For this [mixture of ox and donkey] is aroused through the forbidden mixing of any two animal species — even pure ones. For since they are mixed and the tzimtzum of the thirty-nine melachos cannot be sweetened, the thirty-nine melachos of the Sitra Achra are thereby aroused, Heaven forbid — which are the thirty-nine curses, which are the contamination of the serpent: which is the bechinas of the mixture of the two kinds of evil — the ox and the donkey — which are Esav and Yishmael, as is known. And therefore the Torah encompassed the prohibition of animal kil'ayim with ox and donkey — even though in truth all two-species combinations are forbidden, even two pure species. For the Torah hinted to us the damage that is caused through animal kil'ayim even of pure species — for the ox and donkey are thereby intermingled, Heaven forbid: the two kinds of evil, etc., as above. Section 4. And this is [the meaning of] what our father Yaakov sent to Esav: \"I have had ox and donkey, flock,\" etc. [Bereishis 32:6]. For Yaakov was \"beauty\" [shufra] — a reflection of the beauty of the first man [Adam HaRishon]. And he is the essential rectification of the sin of the first man, as is brought. And Esav is the contamination of the serpent — whose essential power is when he combines together with Yishmael: which is the bechinas of the mixture of ox and donkey, as above. And therefore when Yaakov took the blessings from [Esav] and Esav sought to avenge himself, Heaven forbid — therefore [Esav] went to Yishmael and took his daughter [in marriage]: in order to combine with Yishmael — which is the combination of ox and donkey — so that through this he could overpower [Yaakov], Heaven forbid. And therefore when Yaakov emerged from Lavan's house to face Esav, he sent him [the message]: \"I have had ox and donkey\" specifically. Meaning: I have merited to clarify and rectify the contamination of the serpent — to the point that even the ox and the donkey have been clarified and sweetened with me. For with me each and every herd is separate and I clarify each species on its own through the seichel that belongs to it. And all the intelligences that belong to each and every thing are all encompassed in the Torah — which encompasses all the intelligences, receiving from the supernal wisdom, from the all-encompassing seichel, from the Holy of Holies, from the Even Sh'siyah. Through this comes the essential sweetening, in the bechinas of the Luchos HaEven [Tablets of Stone] — as is explained there in the Torah teaching mentioned, see there. And this is the juxtaposition: \"With Lavan I sojourned [garti] and I have tarried until now — and I have had ox and donkey.\" For our Sages of blessed memory said: \"With Lavan I sojourned — and I observed the 613 commandments.\" That is: through the 613 commandments — which are the totality of the Torah that encompasses all the intelligences and all the sweetenings of all the tzimtzumim of the world — through this: \"I have had ox and donkey, flock and manservant and maidservant\" — for he merited to clarify and sweeten each species on its own through the particular seichel that belongs to it, encompassed within the holy Torah, as above. And therefore [Yaakov's message] began with ox and donkey — as it is written: \"I have had ox and donkey,\" etc. For there lies the essential clarification, as above. And therefore when Yaakov sent the gift to Esav — from each and every species of animal — he placed [each species] in the hand of his servants: each herd on its own, to inform Esav that he does not transgress, Heaven forbid, the prohibition of animal kil'ayim — and that with him each species is clarified on its own. For through this each and every species of animal is sweetened through the seichel that belongs to it. And through this the contamination of the serpent is nullified — from which come the grips of Esav and Yishmael. Therefore certainly Esav would be subdued before him. And this is what is written regarding Shabbos: \"so that your ox and your donkey may rest\" [Shmos 23:12] — \"your ox and your donkey\" specifically. For Shabbos is the bechinas of the all-encompassing seichel, the bechinas of the Holy of Holies, the bechinas of the Even Sh'siyah. For Shabbos is ra'avah d'ra'avin [will of wills], the bechinas of the Holy of Holies — as it is written: \"for it is holy to you.\" For on Shabbos the Torah was given — which flows from the supernal wisdom, from the all-encompassing seichel, as above. And therefore on Shabbos all the thirty-nine melachos are nullified. And therefore whenever [the Torah] warned them about the labor of the Mishkan, it first warned them about Shabbos — for the essential rectification and purification of the thirty-nine melachos — which is the bechinas of the labor of the Mishkan — is through Shabbos, which is the Holy of Holies, where all the intelligences and all the tzimtzumim are encompassed, and there all the melachos are nullified within their supernal root. And therefore the Torah warned about resting one's animal on Shabbos — and encompassed them all as ox and donkey. For on Shabbos one must give rest to the animal from all labor, so that through this the labor and tzimtzum — which is the bechinas of behemah — should be sweetened through the nullification of the labor of Shabbos. And through this they ascend and are included within the bechinas of Shabbos, which is nicha l'kula [rest for all] — where all the melachos and all the tzimtzumim are completely nullified and all are sweetened there. Until one merits to draw the holiness of Shabbos also upon the six weekdays — to sanctify all the thirty-nine melachos. For through the holiness of Shabbos — the bechinas of the Holy of Holies, etc., as above — through this all are sweetened and clarified in the bechinas of the thirty-nine labors of the Mishkan, as above. And therefore the Torah encompassed all the animals as ox and donkey — for there lies the essential clarification from the contamination of the serpent, which are Esav and Yishmael, who are the bechinas of ox and donkey, the two kinds of evil. And through the holiness of Shabbos — through giving rest from the thirty-nine melachos even to the animal on Shabbos — through this the grip of the Sitra Achra is nullified even from ox and donkey. And then the ox and donkey are included within the holiness of Shabbos in the bechinas of \"so that your ox and your donkey may rest — as you\" [Devarim 5:14]. \"As you\" [kamocha] specifically — that the animal should be included within adam: that each and every tzimtzum — which is behemah — should be sweetened through the seichel that belongs to it, which is the bechinas of adam, as above. Section 5. And therefore when our father Yaakov fled from before Esav it is written: \"And he encountered the place and lodged there,\" etc. \"And he took from the stones of the place and placed them at his head,\" etc. [Bereishis 28:11]. And then all the stones were included and became one stone — for they were all included within the Even Sh'siyah upon which Yaakov lay. Which is the bechinas of the sweetening of all the tzimtzumim through their inclusion within the Even Sh'siyah, as above. And as all of this is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned — see there. Therefore this occurred at the time when he was fleeing from Esav — for the essential subduing of Esav is through this, as above. And therefore [the passage] is juxtaposed: \"and he encountered the place,\" etc., alongside Esav's going to Yishmael. As it is written: \"And it was when Esav saw that Yitzchak had blessed Yaakov\" etc. [Bereishis 28:6]. And then [Esav] became jealous and wished to overpower him and avenge himself. And therefore he went to Yishmael — so that the two kinds of evil should combine together, Heaven forbid: ox and donkey, as above. And this is: \"and Esav went to Yishmael,\" etc. [ibid. 9]. And then: \"And Yaakov went out from Be'er Sheva and went toward Charan, and he encountered the place\" — which is the Even Sh'siyah — \"and he took from the stones of the place and placed them at his head,\" etc. — and they were all included within one stone: that is, within the Even Sh'siyah. Which is the bechinas of the sweetening of all the tzimtzumim of the world through the particular intelligences that belong to them — for all receive from the all-encompassing seichel from the Even Sh'siyah. Through this comes the essential sweetening, both in general and in particular, as is explained there. And through this sweetening — through all the tzimtzumim being included within the Even Sh'siyah — Esav and Yishmael were thereby subdued: ox and donkey, whose grip comes from the dinim when the tzimtzumim are not sweetened through the mixture and kil'ayim, Heaven forbid, as above. And therefore before Yaakov came to that place, to the Even Sh'siyah, he had previously occupied himself with Torah for fourteen years in the house of Ever — as our Sages of blessed memory derived from the verse: \"and he lay in that place\" — in that place he lay [and not earlier], etc. For specifically through having occupied himself with Torah previously in the house of Ever — through this specifically: \"and he lay in that place.\" Through this specifically he merited to come to that place — which is the Even Sh'siyah — and merited to include all the tzimtzumim within their root in the Even Sh'siyah: which is the bechinas of all the stones that became one stone, as above. And through this all the dinim were sweetened and the grip of Esav and Yishmael was nullified, as above. For to be included within the Even Sh'siyah is impossible except through the Torah — which flows from the supernal wisdom — for through it specifically can one ascend and be included within the Even Sh'siyah: the bechinas of the Holy of Holies — which is the bechinas of the Luchos HaEven, as is explained there in the Torah teaching mentioned, see there. Section 6. And therefore Hashem blessed be He brought all the animals and beasts before man [Adam HaRishon] to see what he would name each one — and \"whatever the man called each living soul, that was its name\" [Bereishis 2:19]. For the name and vitality of each animal and beast is the life-force drawn from their root — which belongs to each particular species. And all are drawn from man [adam] — who is da'as, who encompasses all the intelligences. For man was created from the place of the Temple [Beis HaMikdosh] — so that he would be encompassed within the Even Sh'siyah. Therefore he knows all the particular intelligences that belong to each animal and beast — which are their names and their vitality. For he must clarify them: to elevate each and every species to its root, so that they all become encompassed within the Even Sh'siyah. And this is the bechinas of the korbanos [sacrificial offerings] that were [brought] in the Holy Temple — for through this the animals were encompassed within the Holy Temple, within the Even Sh'siyah, as above. Section 7. And therefore all the animals and beasts were compelled to enter Noach's Ark. For Noach's Ark is the bechinas of Yom Kippur — as is brought in the Tikkunim — which is the bechinas of the Even Sh'siyah, the Holy of Holies. For on Yom Kippur the Kohen Gadol entered there. And therefore at the time of the severe judgment of the Flood, all the animals and beasts were compelled to enter Noach's Ark — which is the bechinas of the Holy of Holies — so that each and every tzimtzum would be sweetened through its seichel, as above. And therefore they entered specifically each according to its kind. Those that remained faithful to their own species and did not transgress the prohibition of animal kil'ayim — for it is impossible to enter Noach's Ark, into the bechinas of the Holy of Holies, the bechinas of the Even Sh'siyah, except when one guards against kil'ayim — that each species be on its own. For then each one is sweetened through the seichel that belongs to it, which receives from the Even Sh'siyah, as above. For even when one merits to sweeten the tzimtzumim through the all-encompassing seichel itself — as is explained there in the Torah teaching mentioned — it is impossible to be encompassed there except each according to its kind. For one must be encompassed there through the tzimtzum and channel that flows from there, from the Even Sh'siyah. And therefore it is forbidden to mix the species — for then it is impossible to be encompassed there and to receive sweetening from there, neither in general nor in particular, as above. And therefore all the animals and beasts, etc., entered Noach's Ark — those that remained faithful to their species specifically. And through this all the tzimtzumim and all the severe dinim that were in the world then were sweetened there. And through this they merited to emerge from there to their families — as it is written: \"to their families they went out from the Ark\" [Bereishis 8:19]. For each species emerged again from the Ark — which is the bechinas of the Even Sh'siyah, from which all the tzimtzumim are drawn, as above. And therefore Noach offered sacrifices from them — for the korbanos are the bechinas of the sweetening of the tzimtzumim through the intelligences that belong to them, as above. For Noach clarifies and rectifies and sweetens all the thirty-nine melachos from the contamination of the serpent — as it is written: \"This one will comfort us from our deeds and from the toil of our hands from the ground,\" etc. [Bereishis 5:29]. For Noach is the bechinas of the holiness of Shabbos, as is brought — the bechinas of nicha l'ila'in nicha l'tata'in [rest for those above, rest for those below], etc. And therefore through him all the tzimtzumim — which are the bechinas of the thirty-nine melachos, the bechinas of all species of animals each according to its kind — were sweetened and clarified. For all were sweetened and clarified through Noach's Ark, which is the bechinas of Yom Kippur, the bechinas of the Even Sh'siyah — where all the dinim and all the tzimtzumim of the world are sweetened: through the all-encompassing seichel which is the bechinas of the Holy of Holies, from which come all the sweetenings, as above. Section 8. And therefore the letters of the Torah must each stand on their own — and if one letter is attached to another, [the Torah scroll] is invalid [pasul]. For each and every letter is the bechinas of a seichel that receives from the all-encompassing seichel through the channel that belongs to it. And through this it has the power to sweeten the tzimtzum that belongs to it. And therefore each letter must stand on its own — and it is forbidden for the letters of the Torah to be attached one to another. So as not to mix the tzimtzumim and the intelligences — for then it is impossible to sweeten them, as above. And therefore a person is permitted to plow, lead, etc. with all of them [i.e., with any animal combined with himself] — for man is the all-encompassing seichel that sweetens all the tzimtzumim and dinim that are the bechinas of behemah, as above. And therefore man has no mixing or intermingling with the animals — on the contrary: man is the seichel that is their sweetening. And therefore man does not carry the prohibition of kil'ayim in relation to animals — and is permitted with all of them to perform labor, to plow, to lead. For man does not intermingle or combine with the animal at all — for he is their seichel and their sweetening, as above.