Torah 30: A Field of Knives

Torah 30: A Field of Knives [This Torah draws on the Savay Divay Atuna narrative from Talmud Bavli, Bechoros 8b. Savay Divay Atuna refers to the Elders of Atuna, possibly the House of Athens or a bathhouse/study hall; explanations of the debate begin from Torah 23.] Rashi: Maishra disakina [a field of knives]—with what do they kill it (cut it down)? With the karna d’chamra [horn of the donkey].

And is there a horn for a donkey? And a maishra disakina—is there? They brought to him two eggs [baytza], they said to him: Which pair is white and which pair is black? He brought two cheeses, he said to them: Which is from a white goat and which is from a black goat? Maishra disakina [a field of knives]—with what do they kill it (cut it down)? [Savay Divay Atuna, Elders of Atuna; cf.

Bechoros 8b.] [In the language of our rabbi, of blessed memory] Attaining hasagos Elokus [conceptual understanding of the Divine] is impossible without many tzimtzumim [contractions], moving from the causer [aila] to the derivative [alul], from upper intellect to lower intellect.

As we observe empirically, one cannot grasp great intellect without it being clothed in the lower intellect. Like a teacher, when he wishes to explain a lofty concept to a student, he must dress it in a lower and small intellect, so that the student can understand it, i.e., he first presents to him the introductions and smaller concepts that surround it (first), in order to give him to understand through this the intended goal, which is the higher and great intellect (concept). Every person must earnestly seek a worthy moreh [teacher] who can clearly explain and make comprehensible such lofty and profound intellect—that is, hasagos Elokus.

This requires a truly exceptional rabbi, one who can convey profound concepts through simpler intellect [as above] so that those of lesser understanding can grasp them. The greater a person’s awareness of his own lowliness and distance from Hashem [the Name, G-d], blessed be He, the greater the teacher he requires. For example, when Israel was at a very low level in Egypt, immersed in forty-nine gates of impurity, they needed an exceptionally great rabbi and teacher, Moshe our rabbi, peace be upon him. The greater one’s lowliness and alienation, the more exceptional a teacher he needs, just as a gravely ill patient requires a highly skilled physician. Therefore, a person should not say, “It is enough for me to draw near to an honorable man who fears G-d, even if he is not exceptionally elevated, for if only I could be like him.” On the contrary, the more a person recognizes his own lowliness and distance from Hashem, blessed be He, the more he must seek an exceptionally great spiritual healer, a truly great rabbi [as above]. The greater his lowliness and alienation, the greater the teacher he requires [as above]. This is the aspect of se’arot [hairs, root: שער, linked to measure, shee’oora], where the illuminations of the mochin [intellects] emanate through the hairs. Thus, the upper intellect, which is hasagos Elokus, is clothed in the lower intellect. This corresponds to (Tikunay Zohar, Tikun 70, 113a) hair [sa’ara] in a circle [be’igula], the aspect of surroundings [sivuvim]—that is, preliminary concepts that encircle and lead to the intended goal [as above]. The essence is the intended goal, as our rabbis, of blessed memory, taught (Talmud Bavli, Yevamos 16a): They surrounded him with halachos [laws] until they reached the co-wife [tzura] of the daughter [bas].

Thus, all the halachos discussed earlier were not the main point but served as preparatory steps to reach the co-wife of the daughter, the true objective. This is also the aspect of (Tikunay Zohar, Tikun 70, 111a) black hair [sa’ara ukma], reflecting "Black I am and comely" (Song of Songs 1:5). The blackness gathers and contracts vision to see clearly, so the lower intellect, associated with blackness, contracts the beauty and splendor of the upper intellect. These hairs represent the measure [shee’oora, sharing root שער with sar (hair)] of the Torah’s letters (Tikunay Zohar, Tikun 70), for the mitzvot [commandments] embody the Creator’s wisdom, blessed be His name. Each mitzvah has specific measures and boundaries, determined by His wisdom. Why is one mitzvah commanded in a particular way? Because His wisdom, blessed be His name, decreed it so. Similarly, another mitzvah has its own form according to His wisdom. Each mitzvah contains letters, words, and concepts that are measures and boundaries, contracting His wisdom, blessed be His name. This is the clothing of the upper intellect in the lower intellect, through which one merits hasagos Elokus [as above].

This is also the aspect of (Talmud Bavli, Bava Basra 16a): Abraham our father had a daughter [bas] named bakol [in all], referring to the pupil of the eye [bas ayin], the black part of the eye, which embodies the blackness that contracts and encompasses all great things before it. For example, a great mountain, when viewed through the pupil, is contained within it. The blackness of the eye contracts all great things, making them visible within it. Similarly, the lower intellect contracts and contains the great upper intellect, and it is included inside of it, and through this the great upper intellect is perceived and understood [as above]. This is the aspect of: "And Hashem appeared to him in the flame of fire" (Exodus 3:2), where Hashem, blessed be He, clothed hasagos Elokus in the pupil of the eye [bas ayin] (see Tikunay Zohar, Tikun 6; Tikun 11; Tikun 70, Bava Basra 141a).

This is also the aspect of “a daughter [bas] first, a beautiful sign for sons.” A daughter first represents the lower intellect, the preliminary step to the upper intellect, a beautiful sign for sons, where sons represent the upper intellect, as our sages, of blessed memory, taught (Talmud Bavli, Menachos 110a): "Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the end of the earth" (Isaiah 43:6). “Sons” are the exiles in Babylon, whose knowledge is settled like sons, while “daughters” are exiles in other lands, whose knowledge is unsettled like daughters. Thus, sons represent settled knowledge, the upper intellect, attained through the preliminary lower intellect [as above]. The daughter first is the lower intellect, a beautiful sign for sons, through which one attains the upper intellect, the aspect of sons [as above]. This beautiful sign marks and bounds the upper intellect through the Torah’s letter measures, reflecting “black I am and comely” [as above]. To come to this lower intellect is impossible without being a hater of gain [soanay betza], despising wealth with utmost hatred. For black hair [sa’ara ukma], representing the lower intellect, stems from the side of malchus [kingship].

Likewise, hating gain aligns with malchus (see Tikunay Zohar, Tikun 70). The lower intellect, an aspect of malchus, is the lower wisdom that governs each world, the intellect of leadership and malchus, contrasting with the intellect of hasagos Elokus. Therefore, in the days of Shmuel, when the generation’s leaders succumbed to greed, as it is written: "And they turned aside after gain" (I Samuel 8:3), they immediately blemished the malchus of holiness, as it is written: "For Me they rejected from reigning over them, and they asked for a king like all the nations". But in Solomon’s days, when silver was not valued (I Kings 10:21), the malchus of holiness was rectified and established (see Zohar Va’yechi 249a): "And Solomon sat on the throne of Hashem" (I Chronicles 29:23), ruling over upper and lower realms (Talmud Bavli, Megillah 11a). Thus, Solomon merited this lower intellect, as it is written: "And he was wiser than all men" (I Kings 5:5), and: "And the wisdom of Solomon was greater than all the children of the east". This intellect is the aspect of malchus [as above]. But through love of wealth, one falls to the blackness of the other side, aspects of: Saturn fool black [shabtay patya ukma] (Tikunay Zohar, Tikun 70), black bile, reflecting: "In sorrow you shall eat it" (Genesis 3:17). He falls into a circle [igula] and surroundings of the other side, as in: "Around the wicked walk" (Psalms 12:9), craving wealth, as in: "The people wandered and gathered" (Numbers 11:4) in foolishness (Zohar Beshalach 62b), the opposite of wisdom. One who possesses this wisdom must strive to infuse it with vitality to enliven the lower wisdom, each according to the lower wisdom he holds, corresponding to the lower wisdom governing each world. The primary source of vitality is the light of the faces [ohr hapanim [light of the faces]], as in: "In the light of the face of the king life" (Proverbs 16:15). Therefore, one must elevate the malchus, the aspect of lower wisdom, to ohr hapanim, which shines during the three festivals [shalosh regalim [three festivals]].

The essence of ohr hapanim is joy [simchah [joy]], as it is written: "A joyful heart makes a good face" (Proverbs 15:30). The primary source of joy is the mitzvot, as it is written: "The precepts of Hashem are upright, rejoicing the heart" (Psalms 19:9). The heart of joy is in the heart, as it is written: "You have put joy in my heart" (Psalms 4:8). The heart of the entire year is the shalosh regalim, as in: "These are the appointed times of Hashem" (Aileh Moaaday Y-H-V-H, Leviticus 23:4), with initial letters אמי [eemee (my mother, signifying the source of understanding)] (Zohar, Patah Eliyahu, Introduction to Tikunay Zohar). The joy of all mitzvot performed throughout the year gathers in the heart, the shalosh regalim, making them days of joy, as it is written: "And you shall rejoice in your festival" (Deuteronomy 16:14). Through this joy, the faces are illuminated, reflecting: A joyful heart makes good faces. For this, we were commanded: "Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the face of Hashem your G-d", to receive ohr hapanim. This is the aspect of (Talmud Bavli, Sukkah 27b): A person must greet his rabbi’s face during the festival to receive ohr hapanim and enliven the malchus. This is: "Righteousness before Him walks" (Psalms 85:14), where righteousness is holy malchus, led to ohr hapanim through: "And sets for way his steps"—three times a year, receiving ohr hapanim [as above]. This is also: "The upright shall dwell before Your face" (Psalms 140:14), where “upright” refers to "The precepts of Hashem are upright, rejoicing the heart", which settle, illuminate, and arrange ohr hapanim [as above]. Sometimes, Heaven forbid, the malchus of holiness, the aspect of lower wisdom, falls into the exile of four kingdoms [arba malchuyos (four exiles: Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome)]. The malchus is the aspect of ד [dalet (letter dalet, symbolizing the poverty of malchus)] for it has nothing of its own (Zohar Va’yechi 238a), relying on branches of the upper intellect that extend to it.

It is also composed of four worlds, as each world contains an aspect of malchus, the lower wisdom that governs that world [as above]. All the wisdoms of the nations lie beneath this lower wisdom, drawing from it. When they draw excessively, Heaven forbid, they prevail, and the arba malchuyos of the other side, the four exiles, gain dominance. Who can bear the great cry and scream when the malchus, the lower wisdom, falls among them, Heaven forbid, as in: "The cry of a ruler among fools" (Ecclesiastes 9:17)? This is the scream [za’aka (cry, alternate meaning of aruga (garden bed, root: ערג))] when the governance, the malchus of lower wisdom, falls among fools who seek to become wise, drawing true wisdom into their foolish wisdoms [as above]. There is also a greater cry, where Hashem, blessed be He, as it were, roars, as in: "He shall roar, roar over His habitation" (Jeremiah 25:30), over His habitation (Zohar Acharai 74a), the malchus fallen in the exiles of the four kingdoms. One must strive to cut and separate the malchus from these four exiles and elevate it from there. The main elevation is through chesed [lovingkindness], as in: "And established in lovingkindness throne" (Isaiah 16:5), and: "Sow for yourselves for lovingkindness" (Hosea 10:12). Through chesed, one reaps and cuts the ד [dalet] of malchus, separating and elevating it to ohr hapanim. And therefore, Abraham was a man of chesed, and he always strove to perform chesed to elevate malchus from them. Therefore, he pursued the four kings to subdue them, for they are the aspect of the arba malchuyos (four kingdoms) of the other side, for Abraham despised wealth, rejecting Sodom’s riches, as it is written: "If from a thread to a sandal strap, and so on, and you shall not say, I have made Abram rich" (Genesis 14:23). Abraham rectified the morning prayer [shacharis] (Talmud Bavli, Berachos 26b), the aspect of blackness [shachrus, linked to shacharis], which is the aspect of the lower intellect, the aspect of the lower wisdom, which is the aspect of blackness [as above]. One merits to rectify this through hating gain [as above]. And therefore, from Abraham came Yitzchak and Yishmael, Yaakov and Esav, who are the aspect of (Haggadah of Pesach): “corresponding four sons the Torah spoke; one wise, and one wicked, and one simple, and one who does not know to ask,” who correspond with the four kingdoms of holiness (see Kavanos of the Haggadah), as is known. Yitzchak is the aspect of the wise son, named for laughter and joy, as in: "A wise son gladdens a father" (Proverbs 10:1). Esav is the wicked son. Yaakov is the simple son, as it is written: "And Yaakov was a simple man" (Genesis 25:27). Yishmael is the son who does not know to ask, for he repented, as our rabbis, of blessed memory, said (Talmud Bavli, Bava Basra 16b). Repentance is primarily in the aspect of not knowing to ask, seeking forgiveness from Hashem, blessed be He, for the unknown, as in: "What I have not stolen, then I shall return" (Psalms 69:5). Thus, Abraham rectified shacharis, acronym חכם רשע תם שאינו [chacham, rasha, tam, she’ayno (wise, wicked, simple, who does not know)], corresponding to the arba malchuyos [as above]. And this is: "And Shmuel cut Agag" (I Samuel 15:33), for Agag represents the arba malchuyos of the other side, as it is written: "The first of nations, Amalek" (Numbers 24:20). Rashi explains: “And he cut him into four”—meaning he separated the ד [dalet], the malchus of holiness, which has nothing of its own [as above], from Agag, the generality of the four kingdoms of the other side. He elevated the malchus of holiness through the shalosh regalim. The word “and he cut” [va’yeShasSeF (cut, root: שסף)] has initial letters שבועות סוכות פסח [Shavuos Sukos Pesach (Shavuot, Sukkot, Pesach)], for the vitality comes from ohr hapanim in the shalosh regalim [as above], as in: "And it was at the turn of the year, at the time the kings go out" (II Samuel 11:1). “Turn of the year” refers to the shalosh regalim (regalim – feet, is the same word as raglayim – feet), days of judgment and repentance, as our sages, of blessed memory, said (Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 16a): On Pesach, they are judged on produce, on Shavuot, and so on. Then, the kings go out, extracting the malchus of holiness from the arba malchuyos and elevating it to ohr hapanim in the shalosh regalim [as above]. And therefore each festival has four aspects: on Pesach they are four cups; on Shavuos, it is the Mishnah’s order, four times in each person’s hand, as our rabbis, of blessed memory, said (Talmud Bavli, Eruvin 54b), “How is the order of the Mishna etc.”; on Sukos, it is the four species—all corresponding to the ד [dalet] (4) mentioned above, the aspect of malchus, which must be elevated to ohr hapanim through the joy of mitzvot gathered in the festivals (regalim – same word as raglayim – feet) [as above]. The main revelation of chesed [lovingkindness] mentioned above, through which the ד [dalet, letter dalet, with a numerical value of 4 in gematria, symbolizing malchus and its connection to the four exiles, arba malchuyos] is reaped, cut, and separated from the four exiles of the nations [arba malchuyos], is through tochachah [rebuke]. For through the opening of the mouth of the rebuker, wisdom [chochmah [wisdom]] is revealed, and through this wisdom, chesed is revealed. For the primary revelation of chesed comes through chochmah, for G-d is the illumination of wisdom (Zohar Lech Lecha 94a; see Zohar Tzav 31a), as it is written: "Her mouth she opened in wisdom and the Torah of lovingkindness [chesed] on her tongue" (Proverbs 31:26). And this is: "Let the tzadik [righteous person] smite me with lovingkindness [chesed] and rebuke [tochachah] me" (Psalms 141:5)—that is, through tochachah, chesed is revealed. And we must accept their tochachah (rebuke), even though their tochachah sometimes comes by way of denigration, that they denigrate us.

Even so, we must receive their tochachah in order to obtain through it the chesed [as above]. For when their tochachah comes by way of denigration, we must judge them favorably, for no person is held accountable for their pain. For they suffer great pain from us, because even what is good with us is evil to the tzadikim. And as our rabbis, of blessed memory, said (Talmud Bavli, Yevamos 103a): All the goodness of the wicked is evil to the tzadikim—that is, our mundane activities and secular talk are certainly evil to them. But even our good deeds—that is, the prayer [tefilah [prayer]], which we consider only good—are evil to the tzadikim, in the aspect of: "And my prayer is against their evils" (Psalms 141:5. The beginning of the verse was brought in the previous paragraph, it speaks of how He accepts the rebuke of the righteous). For our tefilah confuses them. Because all the jumbled thoughts [irbuv hada’as] and all the confusions [bilbulim] and all the foolishness that we sometimes have, all come on his mind precisely at the time of tefilah (prayer). And all are heard to him then, at the hour that he stands to pray, in the aspect of: "Who can utter the mighty acts of Hashem, make heard all His praise (tiheelusoa)" (Psalms 106:2). ‘His praise’ (tiheelusoa), is in the language of: "And in His angels He puts folly [taholah which is the same Hebrew letters as: tiheelah - praise]" (Job 4:18)—that is, being mixed up and confusions [bilbulim] that come precisely at the time of tefilah and praise [as above]. And it is in two aspects; either they come to be rectified, because they see that he prays with proper intention, so they come to be rectified, for now is the time they can be rectified, as they contain holy sparks that need rectification. Or in a different aspect, because he is not worthy to pray, they come to confuse him from his tefilah. In any case, whether this way or that, precisely at the time of tefilah, all the confusions and distractions of the person arise, and they are heard by him then. And for this reason, the confusions and distractions are called tuhulah, because they come precisely at the time of tefilah and praise [tehilah - same letters], [as above]. And all these prayers with all the confusions come to the tzadikim. For the tzadikim are the aspect of Messiah, to whom all the prayers come to be elevated, in the aspect of: "And (for) My praise I will restrain (echtum) (Myself) for you" (Isaiah 48:9). All the praises come to the aspect of Moshiach, who is the aspect of nose [chotem (same root as echtum [nose]], in the aspect of: "The spirit of our nose, the Moshiach of Hashem" (Lamentations 4:20). For Moshiach smells and judges (as our rabbis, of blessed memory, said, Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 93b), in the aspect of: "And he shall smell in the fear of Hashem" (Isaiah 11:3)—that is, in prayers that are the aspect of: "Fear of Hashem, she praises herself" (Proverbs 31:30). For he smells and feels in the prayers that he receives from them, each one and every one according to what he is, for all the confusions of each one are within the tefilah [as above]. It follows that the tzadikim suffer pain through our prayers that confuse them [as above]. And for this reason, we must receive their tochachah, even though they despise us [as above].

However, it appears [amnam lik’ora], how is it possible for him to rebuke each one and every one? For all the prayers [tefilos] come together, of the proper and of those that are not proper, and how does he know which tefilah came from this one or that one in order to rebuke him? But he knows this through the boldness [azus [boldness]] and the Torah of each one and every one, whether his tefilah was a proper tefilah or not. For there are two types of boldness [ki yesh shnay minay azus]. For there is azus of holiness, through which it is impossible to receive the Torah except by this azus of holiness, as our rabbis, of blessed memory, said (Avot chapter 2): “Not the bashful learns.” And as our rabbis, of blessed memory, said (Talmud Bavli, Beitzah 25b): “Why was the Torah given to Israel? Because they are bold.” And as our rabbis, of blessed memory, said (Avot chapter 5): “Be bold as the leopard.” And for this, the Torah is called strength, as it is written: "Hashem strength to His people gives" (Psalms 29:11), and as Rashi explained, and likewise in Zevachim 116a. For it is impossible to come to the Torah except through azus of holiness. In contrast, there is azus from the other side, from which come other Torahs, which are their Torahs, the aspect of idols [pesilim (idols, root: פסל)]. For everyone who has in him azus, it is known that the feet of his fathers did not stand at Mount Sinai (Talmud Bavli, Nedarim 20a). And he has a Torah from the other side, called pesilim, which is the opposite of our holy Torah, in the aspect of: "Carve for yourself" [pesol lekha (carve for yourself, root: פסל)]]. For it is called refuse [pesoles (refuse, root: פסל)] on account of the future, as our rabbis, of blessed memory, said (Talmud Bavli, Pesachim 50a): Light that is precious in this world will be cheap and light in the world to come, which is the aspect of pesoles, cheap and light and floating above. But his Torah is pesoles even in this world, and on account of this, they are called pesilim, as it is written: "You shall not make for yourself an idol" [pesel] (Exodus 20:4). And one who has azus from the other side receives their Torah, the aspect of pesilim [as above]. And by means of the boldness [v’al yeday ha’azus shehatzadik ro’eh] that the tzadik sees in each one and every one, according to what it is—whether he has azus of holiness or the opposite—by means of this, he knows if his tefilah was a proper tefilah or not. For the tefilah also is by means of azus. For it is impossible to stand and pray before Hashem, blessed be He, except by means of azus. For each one and every one, according to what he estimates in his heart the greatness of the Creator, blessed be His name, as it is written: "Known in the gates her husband" (Proverbs 31:26), each one according to what he estimates in his heart (Zohar Vayera 103a). And each one and every one, according to the value he estimates in his heart of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be His name, how is it possible for him to stand and pray before Him? And in particular, the tefilah that is wonders—that is, the arrangement of the arrays, for the arrays obligate such, and every star and constellation is fixed in its watch and its array according to what the Creator, blessed be His name, arranged them to be fixed and arranged such and such. And he comes in his tefilah and wants to arrange the arrays and to do wonders. Therefore, at the time of tefilah, one needs to remove the shame, as it is written: "In You our fathers trusted, and so on, they trusted and were not ashamed" (Psalms 22:5). For by means of the shame that he is ashamed from Him, blessed be He, it is impossible to pray, only by means of azus [as above]. And this is the aspect of: "You are the G-d who does wonder [v’zeh bechinat at Ha’El oseh fele], You have made known among the peoples Your strength" (Psalms 77:15), that Hashem, blessed be He, does wonders by means of the tefilos of Israel, which are by means of aspects of azus [as above]. By means of this, He makes known to the nations the azus of holiness of Israel, that they have such azus to pray and do wonders [as above]. When the nations see the wonders performed in the world through the tefilos of Israel, through this they know how great is the azus of holiness of Israel, that they have such azus to pray and perform wonders [as above]. And this is the garden bed of the knife [v’zeh maishra disakina]—that is, the aspect of lower wisdom mentioned above, the aspect of malchus mentioned above, in the aspect of: "Accustom [hehasken (accustom, root: הסכן)] have I accustomed" (Numbers 22:30), language of learning [as its Targum: hemelaf, alifna], in the aspect of: "Sword avenging" (Leviticus 26:37), which is the aspect of malchus mentioned above. Garden bed [maishra], Rashi explained: Garden bed [aruga], that is, the aspect of: Cry of a ruler and so on, as it is written: "As a deer longs [ta’arog (longs, root: ערג, linked to za’aka (cry))]" (Psalms 42:2).

With what do they kill it, Rashi explained: With what do they cut it—that is, with what do they cut and separate the malchus mentioned above in order to save it from this cry [za’aka] in the aspect of: Cut him into four [as above]. And he replied to them, with the horn of the donkey [v’heshiv lahem b’karna dechamra]—that is, by means of tochachah, through which the chesed is revealed, and with this they reap and cut in the aspects of: "Sow for yourselves for lovingkindness [chesed]" (Hosea 10:12) [as above]. Horn [karna] is the aspect of the voice of the rebuker, in the aspect of the horn of the shofar, in the aspect of: "Raise like the shofar your voice and declare to My people their transgression" (Isaiah 58:1)—that is, tochachah mentioned above. Donkey [chamra] is the aspect of: "Issachar is a strong donkey [chamor ga’rem (strong donkey)]" (Genesis 49:14), in the aspect of: "And from the children of Issachar, knowers of understanding for the times" (I Chronicles 12:33). For by means of the tochachah, they elevate it to the shalosh regalim [three festivals], which is the aspect of understanding for the times [as above]. They brought to him two eggs [baytza], language of prayer [tzlota] and request [ba’usa], aspects of tefilos. And this is: This white and this black [v’zehu hay dechivarta v’hay de’ukma]—that is, that you say that by means of tochachah they elevate the malchus [as above]. Is it not so, how is it possible to rebuke? For is it not that the tefilos come together, and how does he know to rebuke according to the tefilah, for he does not know which tefilah is proper or the opposite? And this is: This white and this black [chivarta and ukma]—that is, which tefilah is from a proper person or the opposite. He brought to them two cheeses, in the aspect of: "And like cheese you curdle me" (Job 10:10)—that is, aspects of the two Torahs mentioned above, which are aspects of cheap and light, aspects of refuse [pesoles (refuse, root: פסל)], in the aspects of: "Carve for yourself" [pesol lekha] and: "You shall not make for yourself an idol" [pesel] [as above]. And he said to them: This of white goat and this of black [ukma] goat—that is, the two boldnesses [azus] mentioned above, which are azus of holiness and azus of the other side, from which the two Torahs mentioned above arise. And according to the azus, one can know the tefilos [as above], that by means of this he can rebuke them [as above]. That by means of this, they cut and separate the aspects of the malchus and save it from the cry [za’aka] of the ruler and elevate it to the aspects of ohr hapanim [light of the faces] that illuminates in the festivals [as above]. [Unfinished Section] This Torah began [zos hatorah hischil] with the verse: "And it was at the end" (Genesis 41:1), and so on, but he did not finish explaining this verse according to this Torah. And he said afterward that if he wanted to complete the explanation of the verse, he would need to say another Torah like this to explain the verse.

[Additional Teaching] From the voice of a person [mikol shel adam], one can know the aspects of his malchus. For there are no two voices equal, for the voice of each one and every one is different from his fellow.

And therefore, one can recognize the person by his voice, as we see empirically, for according to the aspects of the person, so is his voice. And by means of the voice, one can recognize the aspects of his malchus, for there is: "Voice of answering strength, and voice of answering weakness" (Exodus 32:18), according to the aspect of the malchus of each one. And therefore, Saul, who was pursuing David because he saw in him that he would be king, we find there in the Scripture, when Saul and David met together, Saul said to David: "Is this your voice, my son David" (I Samuel 24:17). That Saul understood by the voice that it is strong in the aspects of malchus, and Saul wondered at the voice of David, for he understood that it is the voice of a king, literally. And therefore, Saul wanted to lift his voice—that is, to elevate his voice above the voice of David, but he was not able. And this is: "And Saul lifted up his voice and wept"—that is, he wanted to lift and elevate his voice [as above], but the voice was wept, in the aspects of: “And wept,” that the voice was wept, a low voice of weeping. Therefore, Saul said then to David: "I know that you shall surely be king", for he knew this by means of the voice [as above].