The Lord Called unto Moses

Tell Me, You Whom My Soul Loves

287) The assembly of Israel, Malchut, said these verses to the holy King, ZA. “Tell me, you whom my soul loves.” “Whom my soul loves” does not mean that my soul loves, but the one who loves my soul, as it is written, “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?” And to the holy King, it was said, “You whom my soul loves ... Where do you pasture your flock?”

288) As long as the assembly of Israel is with the Creator, the Creator is in wholeness and willingly pastures Himself and to others. To Himself means that He nurtures Himself by sucking the milk of upper Ima. He receives the abundance of Bina and from that nursing that He sucks, He waters all the others and nurtures them.

When the assembly of Israel is with the Creator, the Creator is in wholeness and joy, and there are blessings in Him, which come out from Him to all the others, to all the worlds. And any time when the assembly of Israel is not with the Creator, the blessings are devoid of Him and of all the others.

289) Any place where there are no male and female, there are no blessings on it. Hence, the Creator sobs and weeps, as it is written, “He will roar mightily against His fold.” He says, “Woe, for I have destroyed My house and burned My palace.”

290) When the assembly of Israel went into exile, she said before Him, “Tell me, you whom my soul loves, You, whom my soul loves, You, whom the whole of the love of my soul is in You, how will You nourish Yourself from the depth of the river whose flow never stops?” meaning from Bina, “How will you nourish Yourself with the illumination of the high Eden?” meaning Hochma, “Where do you make it lie down at noon? How will you nurture all the others that are always fed by You?”

291) “I was fed by You each day. I was watered, and I watered all the lower worlds, and Israel were fed by me. And now, why should I be like one who veils herself? How will I be covered without blessings? And when those blessings are needed, they will not find them in my possession. How will I stand beside the flock of your friends? How will I stand beside them and not pasture and nourish them?” “The flock of your friends” are Israel, the children of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They are the holy Merkava [chariot/assembly],” meaning HGT de ZA, “And for which You call them ‘Your friends’?”

292) The Creator said to the assembly of Israel, “Leave what is Mine,” meaning do not speak of what ZA misses, “For Mine is a secret thing, which is not known. But if you know not,” what concerns you, here is an advice for you, “O fairest among women,” as it is written, “You are fair, my love,” the name of the assembly of Israel. “Go forth by the footsteps of the flock,” the righteous who are trampled by the heels, for everyone tramples them with their feet. And because of them, you will be given the strength to persist. “And feed your goats by the tents of the shepherds,” which are the children who are learning, and for which the world exists. They are the ones who give the assembly of Israel strength in exile. “The tents of the shepherds” are the houses of their teacher, the Temple, where the Torah is always present.

293) Another interpretation to “If you know not, O fairest among women” is that when righteous are in the world and those children who are learning are present and engage in Torah, the assembly of Israel can exist with them in exile. If there are not enough of them, she and they cannot exist in the world. And if righteous are present, they are caught first, and die to atone for their contemporaries. If not, those kids [young goats] for which the world exists are caught first, and the Creator takes them from the world, even though there is no sin in them. Moreover, He removes the assembly of Israel from Himself and she goes out to exile.

If the Anointed Priest Should Sin

Another interpretation: “If the anointed priest,” the Creator, “Should sin,” He will be absent from the assembly of Israel and from the world, for He will not give them blessings according to their needs because of the iniquities of the people.

295) “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants.” Why does it write, “Isaac,” without a Vav [“and”]? Indeed, wherever the left is included in the right, it is considered right. This is so because this right is established to always contain the left in it. Hence, it does not divide by writing “And Isaac,” since the Vav [“and”] would divide between Abraham and Isaac, so as to include Isaac, who is left, in Abraham, who is right. This is why it is written, “Abraham, Isaac,” as one inclusion. And then, “And Israel,” which is another inclusion, since he grips them both with his wings. Through the concealment, called “wings,” which stem from the Masach de Hirik in the middle line, called “Israel,” he unites the two lines—right and left—Abraham and Isaac, and includes them together, and he is complete in everything.

296) “To whom You swore by Yourself” is the oath that the Creator had sworn the patriarchs in the patriarchs above, HGT de ZA. “By Yourself” means in those above, those who are in You, meaning he swore in HGT. “And said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants ... which I have spoken.’” Should it not have said, “Which You have spoken”? After all, Moses said it, so he should have said, “Which You have spoken.” However, it was the Creator who said it to the patriarchs once and twice. Thus, He already told them. Moreover, “Which I have spoken” means that I wanted in the will of My soul, so there is no need to say that He already told them because saying means wanting.

297) “And they shall inherit it forever” [“forever” also means “world”]. This refers to the upper world, ZA, to which the land, Malchut, grips and by which it is nourished. If this land is expelled to exile and is not gripped to ZA, why is it the fault of the people? This is why it is written, “And they shall inherit it forever,” meaning that Malchut will unite with ZA forever and will not go to exile. By that, he explains that if the anointed priest, ZA, sins, it will remove the unification from Malchut, who will go into exile, and it is the fault of the people.

298) “If the anointed priest should sin” is the priest below, who was set up for work at the Temple. If there is sin in him, it is certainly the fault of the people, and the people are blamed for it, for woe unto those who rely on his work. It is the same with an emissary of the public; if there is a sin in him, woe unto those who rely on him. It is even more so with the priest, since the whole of Israel, upper and lower, wait and are anxious to be blessed by him.

299) When the priest begins to aim intentions and to offer the high sacrifice, meaning to offer the unification of Malchut in ZA, all are in blessing and joy. The right—Hesed—begins to awaken, and the left—Din—is included in the right, all grip and connect to each other, and all are blessed together. Thus, through the priest, upper and lower are blessed. Therefore, if he should sin, an offering must be sacrificed for him so his iniquity will be pardoned.

300) A man’s sin is pardoned by the priest when he offers a sacrifice for him. But when he himself sins, who sacrifices for him and who will pardon him? If he offers for himself, since he has been corrupted, he is not worthy of the upper and lower being blessed for him, since if the lower ones are not blessed by him, it is all the more so with the upper ones. But no, it is written, “That he may make atonement for himself and for his household,” so why does he need another to atone for him because he sinned? He can atone for himself, as it is written, “He may make atonement for himself.”

301) It is known in which place the high priest is tied, in Hochma, and in which place another priest—the one called “secondary”—is tied: it is known that it is in Hesed. Hence, first, another priest offers the sacrifice of the high priest, called “the anointed priest,” and elevates him up to that place that is tied in him—Hesed de ZA. And after the priest raises the offering up to that place—Hesed—the high priest is no longer detained from rising to his place, Hochma, so his sin will be atoned. This is why another priest offers his sacrifice for him, and since another makes the offering, and it is not sufficient through him because he can only rise as high as Hesed—while the high priest reaches Hochma—afterwards the high priest himself makes an offering. Then all those upper ones join to atone for his sin, and the holy King agrees with them. Similarly, when one who prays errs, another will stand in for him.