Praise to David

Torah Twelve — יב תְּהִלָּה לְדָוִד "A Praise of David — I will exalt You, my G-d the King…" [Psalms 145:1]

"A Praise of David — I will exalt You, my G-d the King, and I will bless Your Name forever and ever." [Psalms 145:1] — The verse whose every word is decoded at the close of this Torah, mapping precisely onto the three stages of the Shechinah's elevation.

Ya'akov and Lavan — The Tzaddik and the Scholar Who Is a Jewish Demon What we observe — that in general (al pi harov) the learned ones quarrel with the Tzaddikim and speak about the Tzaddik insolent words — "brazen arrogance and contempt" — this is a great and intentional arrangement from Hashem Yisborach. For there is the aspect of Ya'akov and Lavan: Ya'akov — he is the Tzaddik who innovates new insights in Torah (mechadesh chidushin d'Oraysa) and studies his Torah for its own sake (lishmah). His goodness is concealed, guarded, and stored up for the future, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Tomorrow — to receive their reward" [Eruvin 22a]. And it is on account of his reward coming ultimately, at the end, that he is called יַעֲקֹב — Ya'akov — the language of עָקֵב — heel and end: his reward is at the end. 📗 Who Is Truly Called a Torah Scholar? Lavan — he is the Torah scholar who is a shed Yehudi [a Jewish demon] [see Zohar, Pinchas 253b] — whose Torah learning is for the purpose of self-aggrandizement and to quarrel and find fault with others. Such a Torah scholar — a carcass is preferable to him [Vayikra Rabbah 1; see Matnas Kehunah]. And this is known [וְזֶה יָדוּעַ]: one is not called a talmid chacham [Torah scholar] except through the Oral Torah — for one who knows how to learn Chumash alone is not called a talmid chacham. Only one who is fluent in Gemara and the halachic authorities (poskim) carries that title. But when he learns without da'as [without inner knowledge and God-awareness], he is called Lavan — named for the cunning and deceit that has entered into him — and he hates and pursues the Tzaddikim, both the Upper Tzaddik and the Lower Tzaddik. 🔵 The Shechinah Between Two Tzaddikim — Architectural Keystone For the Shechinah dwells between the two Tzaddikim — שְׁכִינְתָּא בֵּין תְּרֵין צַדִּיקַיָּא יָתְבָא — as stated in the Zohar [Vayeitzei 153b; Vayechi 245b]: "The righteous shall inherit the land" — "righteous" is written in the plural, implying two. These two Tzaddikim are: The Upper Tzaddik (Tzaddik Elyon) — the one who originated and innovated this particular teaching of Oral Torah. The Lower Tzaddik (Tzaddik Tachton) — the one who now learns those innovations.

And the Oral Torah itself is the Shechinah — as written in Patach Eliyahu: "Malchus Peh — the Sovereignty of the Mouth — and we call it the Oral Torah." This is the structural foundation of the entire Torah 12: the Shechinah-as-Oral-Torah must always dwell between two Tzaddikim — the one who originated and the one who receives. When an unworthy learner takes her in instead, she is in exile. The whole drama that follows is the story of her rescue. When the Shechinah — called Oral Torah — enters into the shed Yehudi Torah scholar, this is called the exile of the Shechinah. And then he has a mouth to speak insolently against the Tzaddik, and so on. The Kiss of Spirits — Neshikin But when a person learns in holiness and in purity [בִּקְדֻשָּׁה וּבְטָהֳרָה] — these are not mere adjectives but essential preconditions — any ruling or law that some Tanna or other Tzaddik innovated — through this, the quality of neshikin [kisses] is created [see Zohar, Pinchas 220: "that shadow came and kissed me"]. And neshikin is the aspect of attachment of spirit to spirit — הִתְדַּבְּקוּת רוּחָא בְּרוּחָא. For that ruling (psak din) — it is the speech of the Tanna. And speech is the life-force itself — as the verse states: "a living soul" [Genesis 2:7] — and its Aramaic translation is: a speaking spirit [רוּחַ מְמַלְּלָא — ruach memalela]. The speaking spirit — that is the living soul — comes from the Oral Torah, as the verse states: "Let the earth bring forth a living soul" [Genesis 1:24] — the earth-dimension brings forth life through the speaking spirit, which is Oral Torah. It follows: at the very moment the Tanna innovated a chidush and spoke it — that very speech itself is the Oral Torah he innovated, for from there is its source — "Let the earth bring forth a living soul." And so now, when we learn that chidush and bring the learning and the innovation into our mouth — we are found to be attaching the spirit of the Tzaddik who innovated it to our own ruach memalela — to the speaking spirit of the one now learning it. And this attachment of spirit to spirit is called neshikin — kisses [Zohar, Mishpatim 124b; Terumah 146; Pekudei 256b]. Thus: when one learns any halacha that the Tannayim innovated — the spirit of the Tanna becomes attached to the spirit of the learner, and it is as though he is kissing the Tanna himself.

⚠️ The Shed Yehudi's Kisses — Kisses of an Enemy But regarding the shed Yehudi Torah scholar, when he learns Gemara or a halachic ruling — about him the verse says: "Plentiful are the kisses of an enemy" [Proverbs 27:6]. For the Tanna cannot tolerate the spirit of the shed Yehudi Torah scholar — for who could endure kissing a carcass? All the more so since a carcass is preferable to him! And even Tzaddikim who have already departed from this world — when we learn their Torah teachings in holiness and purity, through this their spirit attaches to our spirit, as our Sages said [Yevamos 97]: "Their lips move in the grave." This comes about through the quality of the kiss. 📜 Ya'akov and Rachel — The Tanna's Weeping And this is the aspect of: "And Ya'akov kissed Rachel, and he lifted his voice and wept" [Genesis 29:11]. Rashi explains: he foresaw through divine intuition that she would not enter the burial place with him. Rachel is the aspect of the Oral Torah — for she is like a sheep before her shearers [Isaiah 53:7] — for all shear from her and rule from her halachos, and these become garments, as the verse states: "Sheep are for your garments" [Proverbs 27:26], and as the verse: "A garment for us — be our leader!" [Isaiah 3:6]. When a worthy person learns the Torah of the Tanna — the Tanna kisses him and he kisses the Tanna, causing immense delight to the Tanna — as it is written: "his lips move in the grave." And this is the aspect of: Ya'akov — the Tanna — kissed Rachel — the Oral Torah he innovated — for he kissed and attached his spirit to the Holy Spirit within the Shechinah. "And he wept" — for he foresaw through his own divine intuition which he had breathed out of his mouth and embedded within the Oral Torah — and he saw that in this exile, learners in general are not worthy. Thus through their learning, the Holy Spirit of Rachel — the Oral Torah — will not enter his burial place — meaning, his lips will not move in the grave on account of the learning of the wicked. And furthermore — sometimes a scholar cites an innovation in his own name rather than in the name of the Tanna. Through this he does not enter with the Tanna into burial — for one who does not cite a teaching in the name of its originator breaks the chain of spiritual attachment [see Sanhedrin 90b]. Note: Saying a teaching in the name of its originator is not mere courtesy — it is the very mechanism of the spirit-to-spirit kiss. Without it, the kiss cannot occur.

Why Does the Oral Torah Not Immediately Bring the Scholar to Teshuvah? If it troubles you to ask: surely the moment the scholar learns the innovation of the Tzaddik, the Tanna's spirit attaches to his spirit — he should immediately be moved to return in teshuvah! So how does the Oral Torah permit the scholar to go on in his wickedness? The answer — from the verse: "And Ya'akov told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was the son of Rivkah" [Genesis 29:12]. Explanation: When the Tzaddik transmitted the Oral Torah, he transmitted it carrying both aspects — as described in the verse: "The righteous walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them" [Hoshea 14:10]. כִּי אֲחִי אָבִיהָ הוּא — וְכִי בֶן רִבְקָה הוּא "That he was her father's brother — and that he was the son of Rivkah"

"That he was her father's brother" — [literally: a brother in the manner of her father, i.e., Lavan's brother — the way of deceit] — this is the aspect of "transgressors stumble in them." The Torah can be entered through the doorway of cunning. "And that he was the son of Rivkah" — Rivkah the wholesome, the one of integrity — this is the aspect of "the righteous walk in them." The very same Torah has a pure, upright doorway for the worthy. These are not two different Torahs — they are the same transmission, carrying both potentials simultaneously. The learner determines which doorway he enters. "And not only that" [וְלא עוֹד] — "And she ran and told her father" [Genesis 29:12] — this aspect of "transgressors stumble in them" comes to the person more easily — it runs to him with greater speed. As our Sages said [Sotah 21b]: "I, Wisdom, dwell with cunning" — for when a person learns Torah, cunning enters him. And this: "she ran" — like a person who runs with speed and ease. "And told her father" — the Torah reveals cunning to the scholar. And this is: vataratz vataged l'aviha — that cunning comes to the person with ease and swiftness and speed, more readily than holiness. For holiness requires assistance from Above, as our Sages said [Avoda Zara 55]: "One who comes to purify himself — they assist him from Above." But cunning — it opens many doors of its own [see Shabbos 104] and comes to him with ease.

The Divine Plan — Rescuing the Shechinah Through Three Ascending Stages Know that this is intentionally arranged by Hashem Yisborach: the Holy Blessed One causes some great Tzaddik to fall into the mouth of the scholar — meaning, the scholar speaks evil about the Tzaddik — so that the Tzaddik can take the Oral Torah — the Shechinah — from the exile within the scholar's mouth, and raise her back to her root, from level to level: Stage 1 — Embrace חִבּוּק Chibuk — The Tzaddik accepts the shame with joy and love. The Shechinah turns green — the green rose, Binah — right hand embraces. Stage 2 — Kiss נְשִׁיקָה Neshikah — Through Chochmah/Wisdom, the Tzaddik deciphers the letter-combinations behind the slanders, reassembles the halacha — spirit-to-spirit attachment. Stage 3 — Union זִוּוּג Zivug — The Shechinah is enthroned between the Upper and Lower Tzaddik — body-to-body union — the shed Yehudi is slain. Stage 1 — Embrace: The Green Rose and the Joy of Suffering As in the verse: "I am the rose of the Sharon" [Song of Songs 2:1] — at first she is green like the chavatzeleth [rose-lily] [see Zohar, Vayechi 221], as our Sages said [Megillah 13b]: "Esther was greenish". And this green is the aspect of embrace — "his right hand embraces me" [Song of Songs 2:6]. For joy comes from the heart, as the verse states: "You have put joy in my heart" [Psalms 4:8]. And the heart is Binah [Patach Eliyahu] — where the wine that gladdens resides — the hidden, concealed world — in the aspect of: "and wine gladdens the heart" [Psalms 104:15]. The Tzaddik who falls into the mouth of the scholar — the scholar speaks insolently against him — and the Tzaddik understands that these words the scholar speaks are combinations of letters from the Oral Torah, and he understands from which halachos these speech-combinations were formed. He receives them with joy and love, as our Sages said [Shabbos 88b]: "Those who are shamed… rejoice in suffering and act from love." And the love with which the Tzaddik accepts the shame — this is the aspect of embrace, "his right hand embraces me." Through the joy he has in the suffering, he elevates to the aspect of "I am the rose of the Sharon" — to the aspect of the heart, as it is written: "You have put joy in my heart." And then he is in the aspect of "the Rock of my heart" [Psalms 73:26] — in the aspect of the Oral Torah, which is called tzur [rock], as brought in the Tikkunim [Tikkun 21, 43b]: "Had Moshe our Teacher, peace be upon him, not struck the rock, they would not have needed to toil so much in the Oral Torah." And this is the aspect of: "And he armed his disciples" [וַיָּרֶק אֶת חֲנִיכָיו] [Genesis 14:14]: 🔵 Va'yarek — The Green Ray from Binah Avraham — he is the aspect of Yamin [right], the aspect of embrace. וַיָּרֶק [va'yarek — he armed/invigorated] — this is the aspect of the green ray (קַו הַיָּרֹק — kav hayarok) that is drawn from Binah and encompasses the entire world [see Chagigah 12]. חֲנִיכָיו [chanichav — his disciples / initiated ones] — this is the aspect of Chasadim [kindnesses], as brought in the Midrash [Bereishis Rabbah 43] — the language of חֲנִיכָה [chanichah — initiation, dedication], for their names were like Avraham's name — imbued with his quality. Meaning: the green ray — from the aspect of "I am the rose", the aspect of Esther's greenness — this is the ascent of the Shechinah through the embrace of the right. The Shechinah, through the Tzaddik's joyful acceptance of shame, begins to rise — first to the level of embrace, glowing green with the budding life of Binah. Stage 2 — Kiss: Chochmah Elevates to Neshikah And the main building of the Shechinah comes through Chochmah [Wisdom]. When she is built through Chochmah, she is ready for union, as the verse states: "And she was truly my sister — daughter of my father but not of my mother — and she became my wife" [Genesis 20:12]. [The question of when the union of Knesses Yisrael with the Holy King can take place was asked by Rabbi Abba to Rabbi Shimon in the Zohar (Emor 100), and his answer was this very verse — "and she was truly my sister" — see there.] 🔵 The Kabbalistic Mechanism of the Kiss — From Sifra d'Tzniusa It is stated explicitly in the commentary on Sifra d'Tzniusa that neshikin — kisses — come about through Chochmah [Wisdom]:

When the upper lips are awakened — which are Netzach and Hod of the Upper [realm] — for the union of hispashtus rucha b'rucha [spirit-to-spirit attachment] — then the lower Netzach and Hod are awakened for the bodily union — itdabkuta gufa b'gufa [body-to-body attachment]. The precise sequence: the upper kiss (spirit-to-spirit, through Chochmah) is what triggers the lower union (body-to-body). Kiss precedes and enables union. This is not mere metaphor — it is the precise kabbalistic mechanism by which the Shechinah is raised from the level of embrace to the level of full union between the two Tzaddikim. Thus: when the Tzaddik understands with his wisdom from which combinations of Oral Torah letters these slanders the scholar speaks against him were formed — and the Tzaddik learns those letter-combinations and reassembles from them the halachic formulation that had previously become disrupted — when he has attained this wisdom: Through that wisdom, the Shechinah rises from the aspect of "the lily of the valleys" [Song of Songs 2:1] into the aspect of neshikin — the aspect of "his lips are lilies" [Song of Songs 5:13] — the aspect of spirit-to-spirit attachment. Stage 3 — Union: The Shechinah Between the Two Tzaddikim And then the bodily union (zivug gufa b'gufa) is awakened — the Shechinah dwells between the two Tzaddikim: between the Upper Tzaddik — the Tanna who originated this Torah and now flows influence into it from above — and the Lower Tzaddik who learns that Torah and raises up the Shechinah with mayim nukvin [feminine waters] so that she may be attached in full union. And this is: "His lips are lilies, dripping flowing myrrh" [Song of Songs 5:13] — oiver [flowing] carries the meaning of from side to side — good fragrance drips to the Shechinah from both sides: from the Upper Tzaddik and from the Lower Tzaddik. And this: "The mandrakes gave their fragrance" [Song of Songs 7:14] — the two beloved ones [דּוֹדִים — dodim] — the two Tzaddikim — gave fragrance. The Allegory of Hurmiz bar Lilitta — Decoded in Full And this is what Rabbah bar bar Chanah said: 📜 The Story — Rashbam's Literal Text "I myself saw Hurmiz bar Lilitta, who was running on the parapet of the wall of Mechuza. A horseman riding a horse beneath him ran and could not catch him. Once, he was saddled on two mules standing on two bridges of the Donag, and leaped from this one to that one and from that one to this one. He held two cups of wine in his hands and poured from this one to that one, and not even a single drop fell to the ground. And that day it was: 'they rise up to the sky, they descend to the depths' — and yet still not a drop fell to the earth. The government heard and killed him." Rashbam's explanation, term by term: Hurmiz — a demon, as stated in Sanhedrin: from the waist down he is Hurmiz. On the parapet of the wall — running on the top edge of the city wall, on its teeth. This episode — was to demonstrate the righteousness of the Holy Blessed One, who has mercy on His creatures and does not permit these [demons] to cause harm — and also that one should not walk alone at night. The horseman ran beneath him — according to his simplicity, he ran after him; the horseman did not intend to pursue — the demon simply ran faster. Saddled — saddled with saddle and riding-gear on the mules. Two bridges of the Donag — that river's name; the two bridges were far apart, and the demon leaped from mule to mule between them. Two full cups of wine — both of them together, simultaneously, this inside that — while leaping, and not even one drop spilled. Though that day it was stormy — sailors on ships rode the waves to the heights of heaven and to the depths from the wind's force — and even so, not a drop fell to the earth. The government heard and killed him — the king of the demons killed him because it is not the way of a demon to reveal itself to humans — so they killed him for revealing their secret. Some say: the Emperor's court, who feared the demon would seize his throne — for this demon was born of a man who had relations with a demoness and lived among humans. "I myself saw Hurmiz bar Lilitta" — Rabbeinu Shmuel explained: a demon — bar Lilitta. Rabbeinu's explanation — decoded:

🔮 Hurmiz bar Lilitta = The Shed Yehudi Scholar Bar Lilitta — son of the night — as brought in the Midrash [Shocher Tov, Psalms 19]: "How did Moshe know the difference between day and night when he was in the heavens?" — the answer given: when he learned Oral Torah with them, he knew it was night. Thus the Oral Torah is associated with night — and this is bar Lilitta: the scholar's essential existence comes from Oral Torah, which is of the night. Image in the Story What It Represents Running on the parapet of the wall of Mechuza The shed Yehudi scholar pursues the Tzaddik of the generation, who is compared to a city wall — as our Sages said [Bava Basra 7b]: "A Torah scholar does not need guarding" — see there. A horseman riding a horse beneath him ran — according to his simplicity The Tanna who originated this Torah and interpreted it beautifully, bringing the hidden to light — even he is "pursued" in a sense. But according to his simplicity (Rashbam) — for the shed Yehudi scholar does not consciously intend to pursue the Tanna; this pursuit happens automatically, on its own. Riding a horse beneath him The scholar, through learning the Tanna's Torah, returns the soul of the Tanna into the Tanna's body — returning soul to body is like a horse being ridden: the horse is secondary to the rider [see Zohar, Pinchas 228b]. From beneath — for those below, through their learning, cause the Tanna's soul to be "mounted on its horse," as the verse says: "his lips move in the grave." And could not catch him The Tanna cannot bear the kiss of the shed Yehudi — since a carcass is preferable to him — and "plentiful are the kisses of an enemy" — the Tanna flees from him. Two mules on two bridges of wax, leaping from this to that The Tanna's oscillation between lishmah and shelo lishmah — see the full explanation below. Two cups of wine — pouring from this to that — not a drop fell The two aspects of wine / Oral Torah — the full embrace, chibuk — complete and without loss. That day: they rise up to the sky, they descend to the depths The Shechinah sitting between the two Tzaddikim — Upper Tzaddik = "rise to the sky"; Lower Tzaddik = "descend to the depths." The government heard and killed him The Tzaddik hears and understands the Oral Torah within the slanders — and through this, the shed Yehudi is slain. See full explanation below. 🔵 The Two Wax Bridges — Lishmah and Shelo Lishmah "Once, he was saddled on two mules standing on two bridges of the Donag, leaping from this one to that one and from that one to this one": For sometimes the Tanna falls into some infinitely subtle error — in order that through this he draws to the world two forms of life-force (תַּרְתֵּי חִיּוּתָא — tartei chiyusa): Spiritual life-force: "In her right hand — length of days" [Proverbs 3:16]. Material life-force: "In her left hand — wealth and honor." The Tanna, on account of his immense attachment to the spiritual life-force, does not release himself from it at all, not even for a moment. But because he must draw material life to the world, he is caused to fall into learning shelo lishmah [not for its own sake]. Then they take from him the lishmah-quality — and he leaps from lishmah to shelo lishmah. And because of his holiness and his separation, he leaps back from shelo lishmah to lishmah — for the shelo lishmah state is to him like a bridge of wax (גֶּשֶׁר שֶׁל דּוֹנַג) — wax cannot hold steady — one cannot stand on it — he leaps off it immediately, back into lishmah. And from lishmah — because of the world's necessity — he is again caused to leap off that bridge [which is also, for him, like a wax bridge in this forced context] and back to shelo lishmah. And from shelo lishmah he leaps back to lishmah. And so: from this to that and from that to this — perpetually. Through this oscillation, his Torah contains the aspect of "transgressors stumble in them" — through the momentary shelo lishmah slippage. This is the remedy [tikkun] for the world's need for material sustenance. "With two cups of wine in his hands" — for there are two aspects of wine — two aspects of Oral Torah: The first: "the wine of the kingdom was abundant" [Esther 1:7] — the aspect of Malchus [Sovereignty] — the Oral Torah itself, Malchus Peh. The second: the aspect of Binah — the heart — the joy of the heart — "and wine gladdens the heart" [Psalms 104:15] — this too is wine. "And pouring from this one to that one" — drawing the green ray from this one — in the aspect of "and he armed his disciples" [va'yarek es chanichav] as above. This is the embrace — that he accepts the pursuit with love and rejoices in suffering. Through this the Shechinah — the Oral Torah — is in the aspect of embrace, in the aspect of "I am the rose" — green like the chavatzeleth — so that the embrace is complete and full. "And not even a drop fell to the ground" — meaning: the embrace is so complete, and the joy in suffering so wholehearted, that nothing is lost — not a drop of the divine wine spills. The Shechinah is fully held, fully contained between the two Tzaddikim, despite the storm. "And that day it was: they rise up to the sky, they descend to the depths" — the Shechinah was sitting between the two Tzaddikim: "They rise up to the sky" — this is the aspect of the Upper Tzaddik — the Tanna above. "They descend to the depths" — this is the aspect of the Lower Tzaddik — the learner below. This is the aspect of neshikin — the aspect of "dripping flowing myrrh" — as above. And through what is the quality of neshikin — "dripping flowing myrrh" — created? Through Chochmah [Wisdom], as above. And this: "The government heard and killed him": 🔮 "The Government Heard and Killed Him" — The Slaying of the Shed Yehudi

Shim'as malchusa — "the government heard" — the Tzaddik understands and hears the Oral Torah — called Malchus Peh [Sovereignty of the Mouth] — and understands its letter-combinations from what emerges from the shed Yehudi scholar. He hears and understands at the very moment of hearing the insults and blasphemies coming from the mouth of the shed Yehudi scholar — he hears the Oral Torah within them. "And killed him" — through this understanding and elevation: For the essential life-force of the kelippos [husks / forces of impurity] and the demons comes only from the sparks of the Shechinah — specifically from the sparks that are scattered and imprisoned within them. As long as the Shechinah is not complete — as long as she has some deficiency — they [the forces of impurity] draw life from those scattered sparks and continue to exist. But when the Shechinah is elevated to the aspect of Chochmah — where her primary structure is built — and through this she is built completely and in full: The sparks are reclaimed. The kelippos lose their source of life. The shed Yehudi is slain. The Verse "Tehillah l'David" — Word by Word And this is the full explanation of the verse: "A Praise of David — I will exalt You, my G-d the King, and I will bless Your Name" [Psalms 145:1]. Each phrase maps precisely onto the stages above: תְּהִלָּה לְדָוִד "A Praise of David" תְּהִלָּה — Tehillah — the language of mixing and confusion [עִרְבּוּב], as the verse states: "And He puts confusion (תָּהֳלָה) among His angels" [Job 4:18]. This is the Shechinah — the Oral Torah — at the moment she falls and is mixed into other letter-combinations in the mouth of the shed Yehudi scholar — the exile of the Shechinah. לְדָוִד — David — the aspect of the Oral Torah — Malchus Peh — the Sovereignty of the Mouth. The Psalm begins by naming the very problem: the Shechinah in her fallen, confused, exiled state — tehillah as mixture. The rest of the verse describes her healing and elevation. אֲרוֹמִמְךָ אֱלֹקַי הַמֶּלֶךְ "I will exalt You, my G-d — the King" אֲרוֹמִמְךָ — "I will exalt You" — the elevation of the Shechinah — through אֱלֹקַי — through my G-d — the aspect of "the kindness of G-d all day long" [Psalms 52:3] — Chesed El. This is the elevation corresponding to Stage 1 — Embrace: the Tzaddik accepts the shame with love — with the quality of Chesed — and through this love, the Shechinah begins her ascent. It is specifically the Chesed quality of joyful acceptance that performs this exaltation. הַמֶּלֶךְ — "the King" — elevation to the aspect of Binah — the heart: "the heart in the soul is like a king in battle" [Sefer Yetzirah, chapter 6]. This is the level reached through the embrace — the warm, green, joyful level of Binah, the hidden wine, the heart that holds joy. וַאֲבָרְכָה שִׁמְךָ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד "And I will bless Your Name forever and ever" וַאֲבָרְכָה שִׁמְךָ — "And I will bless Your Name" — after the embrace and the joy and the heart — then the Shechinah rises further: to the aspect of Chochmah [Wisdom], as above. Chochmah is called baruch [blessed] on account of רִבּוּי דְּבִרְכָאָן — ribui d'virkaan — the abundance of blessings that flow from it. For Chochmah is the source of all blessing [see Zohar, Terumah 162; Ha'azinu 289; Tikkun 70; Bachya, Vayechi; Parshas Beshalach]. This is Stage 2 — the Kiss: through Chochmah, the upper lips awaken, spirit attaches to spirit, the letter-combinations of the slanders are decoded and the halacha is restored — and from there, Stage 3 — the Union follows, as the Shechinah sits complete between the two Tzaddikim forever and ever.

The three phrases of the verse = the three stages of elevation: Exaltation through Chesed (Embrace) → the King / Binah (heart) → Blessing / Chochmah (Kiss → Union). All as above. ✦ 🗺️ Translator's Summary — Torah 12 The following is prepared by the translator to aid study. It is not part of Rabbeinu's original text. The Tanna originates Torah — his speech IS the Oral Torah / Shechinah / Malchus Peh Worthy learner studies it in holiness and purity, in the Tanna's name → Neshikin: spirits kiss — lips move in the grave Shed Yehudi studies it → Shechinah in exile — letter-combinations become slanders against the Tzaddik ↓ (G-d's plan in the right column:) The Holy Blessed One causes the Tzaddik to "fall" into the scholar's mouth — so the Tzaddik can rescue the Shechinah from exile Stage 1: Embrace Accept shame with Chesed and joy → Green rose → Binah/heart → Arommimcha Elokai Stage 2: Kiss Chochmah decodes the letter-combinations → Spirit-to-spirit → Va'avarchah shimcha Stage 3: Union Shechinah between Upper & Lower Tzaddik → shed Yehudi slain → L'olam va'ed Key wordplays and roots in this Torah: • תְּהִלָּה (tehillah — praise) = תָּהֳלָה (taholah — confusion/mixture) [Job 4:18] — the Shechinah in exile • יַעֲקֹב (Ya'akov) = עָקֵב (akev — heel/end) — reward at the very end • לָבָן (Lavan) = cunning — the shed Yehudi scholar who learns without da'as • רוּחַ מְמַלְּלָא (ruach memalela) = living soul = speech = Oral Torah itself • וַיְסַפֵּר (vayesaper — he told) from סַפִּיר (sapphire / luminosity) — the Tanna's spirit illuminates • חֲנִיכָיו (chanichav) = חֲנִיכָה (dedication/initiation) = Chasadim — names like Avraham's • קַו הַיָּרֹק (kav hayarok) = the green ray from Binah = the rising Shechinah through embrace • גֶּשֶׁר שֶׁל דּוֹנַג (gesher shel donag — wax bridge) = shelo lishmah / lishmah oscillation — too unstable to stand on • תַּרְתֵּי חִיּוּתָא (tartei chiyusa — two life-forces) = spiritual (right hand — length of days) and material (left hand — wealth and honor) • הַמֶּלֶךְ (ha'melech — the King) = Binah = the heart in the soul is as the king in battle [Sefer Yetzirah] • וַאֲבָרְכָה שִׁמְךָ (va'avarchah shimcha) = Chochmah — source of all blessing — ribui d'virkaan Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman ✦ Translation prepared with awe and love for the holy Torah of Rabbeinu. Expanded edition — no word omitted, no concept compressed.