The Lord Called unto Moses

I Have Come into My Garden

27) However, happy are Israel, whom the Creator wishes to cleanse and whom He has chosen of all the peoples. Once He has chosen them, He wished to remove them from all the slanderers in the world. On the day when the tabernacle was built below, another tabernacle was established with it, above. When it writes only, “the tabernacle was established,” it is because it contains the tabernacle above, as well, meaning Malchut. And that day was the Creator’s day of joy.

28) When the tabernacle was established, it is written, “Moses could not enter the tent of meeting.” When the Creator saw it, He said, “And if the tabernacle was established by Moses and he was outside, He promptly called Moses.” He told him, “Moses, the housewarming is with a meal, ‘When any man of you brings an offering unto the Lord.’” For this reason, He began to speak with him of offerings, which is a meal “for a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto the Lord.” This is the meaning of what is written, “I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride,” and this verse concerns the offerings.

29) “I have come into my garden” refers to the upper Garden of Eden.” “My sister, my bride” is the assembly of Israel, Malchut, for on the day when the tabernacle was established, couplings were made in all the VAK de ZA, implied in the words, “I have come into my garden.” Couplings were made in the upper Garden of Eden of ZA and Malchut, since they were all blessed by the potion of the stream, Bina, and were each tied to one’s friend, as it is written, “I have gathered my myrrh with my perfume,” meaning that they all drank and were satiated by the spring of the stream, meaning Yesod of Bina.

30) “Eat, friends; drink, drink abundantly, O beloved.” All the degrees below in BYA and all the branches are blessed and nourished when these ZA and Malchut, implied in the words, “I have come into my garden,” are blessed above. They are blessed and perfumed by the scent of the offering.

31) When the assembly of Israel, Malchut, descended so as to instill her abode in the land, in the tabernacle, the Creator told her, Malchut, “I have come into my garden,” since blessings and joy were found in all the worlds and Malchut is perfumed so that blessings will emerge from her to all. This is because when these VAK de ZA, implied in the words, “I have come into my garden,” are blessed, all the worlds together are blessed below and above, and Israel are blessed by all.

It is written, “I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride,” meaning that the Creator mates with the assembly of Israel, Malchut, only when these VAK de ZA, implied in the words, “I have come into my garden,” are satiated by the potion of the ceaseless stream, Bina.

32) “My sister, my bride” means Malchut, ADNI. “I have gathered my myrrh” is Hesed, the degree of Abraham, of whom it was said, “I will go unto the mountain of myrrh,” Mount Moriah. “With my perfume” means Netzah, Aaron’s degree, of whom it is written, “Take also for yourself the finest of perfumes,” and they are a Zivug of the right arm, Hesed, with the right thigh, Netzah, as it is written, “In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” And there are two blessings in correspondence with them in the Eighteen Prayer: the first is Abraham's Defendant, which is Hesed, and the second is work, as it is written, “Do want,” which is Netzah.

33) “I have eaten my honeycomb” is Gevura, called “the fear of Isaac.” “With my honey” is Hod, the degree of David. This is the Zivug of the left arm, Gevura, with left thigh, Hod. “I have drunk my wine with my milk” is the Guf [body], Tifferet, and covenant is Yesod, Jacob, which is Tifferet, with Solomon, which is Yesod. Afterwards, “Eat, friends; drink, drink abundantly, O beloved,” which are twelve tribes in twelve blessings of the Eighteen Prayer with the addition of the Blessing of the Species, which is, “Let there be no hope for the accusers.” Hence, “I have eaten my honeycomb.” Who eats it? The one of whom it is said, “I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride.”

34) And some divide VAK de ZA differently. “I have gathered my myrrh with my perfume” are Guf and covenant, Tifferet and Yesod. “My honeycomb with my honey” are the right thigh with the left thigh, Netzah and Hod. “My wine with my milk” are the left arm with the right, Hesed and Gevura, where “My wine” is Gevura and “My milk” is Hesed.

Eat, Friends; Drink, Drink Abundantly, O Beloved

36) “Eat, friends; drink, drink abundantly, O beloved” are VAK de ZA. “Drink abundantly” means from the wine that satiates all, from the illumination of Hochma. When these VAK de ZA are blessed, all those below, meaning the angels and the souls in Beria, are blessed.

37) “Eat, friends” is above, and “Drink, drink abundantly, O beloved” is below. Above is a high place, where they are in unity and in joy, where they never part from one another, meaning upper AVI. They are the ones called “friends,” as it is written, “And a river comes out of Eden.” Eden is Aba and the river is Ima. They never part and they are always willing, united, and joyful. “Drink, drink abundantly, O beloved” means the beloved below, which are ZON, which bond for a time during the prayer, on Sabbaths and on good days, but not always, as do upper AVI.

38) It mentions eating in regards to the upper ones, AVI, and not drinking, since one who has skin bottles of wine needs to eat. And because there is the kept wine there, in upper AVI, it mentions eating in regards to them. But of the lower ones, ZON, which need watering, it mentions drinking because of all the planting that they need to water from the deep stream, Bina. Hence, it mentions eating in these and drinking in those. These—upper AVI—are called “friends,” and those, meaning ZON, are called “Beloved,”

Also, they clothe the Mocha Stimaa, called “kept wine,” which is why they have skin bottles of wine and they need only Hassadim. But the lower ones, ZON, which need a portion, need Hochma, and as long as they have no Hochma, the Hassadim in them are considered VAK without a Rosh. It mentions drinking in regards to them, “Drink, drink abundantly, O beloved” because they must receive Hochma from YESHSUT, which is called “a deep stream.” Otherwise, they are VAK without Rosh.

39) Beloved are in a state of love, but why are they below? Those who crave for each other and are not always together are called, “beloved,” meaning ZON, which are below AVI. And those who are always together and are not covered or separated from each other, meaning upper AVI, are called “friends.” Hence, these are beloved and those are friends. Friends are always willing and in unity, and beloved are passionate at times, but not always. And this, the eating and drinking that are mentioned in the text, are the perfection of everything, so that the assembly of Israel, Malchut, would be blessed, and then there is joy in all the worlds.

40) “Eat, friends,” in offerings, since they are the feast of the King, to sacrifice before Him. Also, the litigants enjoy them, all are perfumed, and joy is in everyone.

41) “Eat, friends,” when Divinity entered the tabernacle, when there were blessings and joy in all and Divinity entered the tabernacle as a bride under the Huppah [canopy], when Israel were completed below and united in the Creator in the land. It is written about that, “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.” At that time, upper and lower are perfumed.