The Lord Called unto Moses

If His Offering Is a Burnt Offering

71) Man’s thought is the beginning of everything. Ways and paths extend from that thought to divert one’s ways in this world and in the next world, and from that thought emerges the filth of the evil inclination to harm oneself and all others. Also, transgressions, sins, and evil doing come from that thought, as well as idolatry, incest, and bloodshed. It is written about that, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts.”

72) And because the thought is the beginning of everything, it writes in the beginning, “If his offering is a burnt offering,” since the offering atones for the thought. And it writes, “From the cattle,” but not all cattle, only a male bull and not a cow, female. “A male without blemish, he shall bring it,” a male and not a female, since the male is considered higher than the female. It is so also with the flock: not a female from the sheep and from the goats.

73) Everything that comes to be a burnt offering is male and not female, since the burnt offering rises [“rises” is spelt the same as offering in Hebrew] over the heart, meaning on the thought, which is above the heart. It is known that the one who stands over the heart is the thought, since the thought, which is Hochma [wisdom], is regarded as male and the heart as female, Bina [understanding]—the heart understands—for she receives from Hochma. This is why a burnt offering rises up and they are all males, and this is why the writing begins with a burnt offering more than all other offerings, since the thought is the beginning of everything.

74) Thus, in the place of the thought above, he should have offered the burnt offering to the Sefira Hochma. Why is it offered to Yesod below? The beginning of everything is the thought, the Sefira Hochma, the beginning of ZA, and the end of the thought is a place called “morning.” This is the end of the perfuming body, the Nukva, Yesod, Sium de ZA, which is called a Guf [body].

Similarly, man’s thought is the beginning of everything. The end of that thought is when the act that he contemplated is done; then the thought is concluded. When is that? In the morning, as it is written, “Woe to those who scheme iniquity, who work out evil.” When? “On their beds. When morning comes, they do it.” The morning light implies Yesod, hence the thought in the burnt offering rises to the place of thought, which is Hochma, and the action of the offering approaches the conclusion of the thought, which is Yesod.

She Has Fallen; She Will Not Rise Again

If the portion had been said as comfort, we would have said, “She has falling; she will not fall again. Rise, O virgin of Israel.” Yet, a lamentation is said in this portion.

76) “She has fallen; she will not rise again—the virgin of Israel.” One who is angry at his wife and she leaves him, she will never return to him. Hence, woe unto the sons that have exiled with her.

77) Woe unto a generation where no shepherds are found and the flock wander and roam and do not know to which place they roam, neither to the right nor to the left. Certainly, this verse should be known, and it is all revealed to those who see in the way of Torah, in the way of truth.

78) In all of Israel’s exiles, He set a time and an end to all of them. And in all of them, Israel return to the Creator, and the virgin of Israel, Malchut, returns to her place at the set time. But now, in the last exile, it is not so. She will not return as in the other exiles. This verse teaches, “She has fallen; she will not rise again—the virgin of Israel,” and it does not say, “She has fallen and I will not raise her again.”

79) It is like a king who was angry with the queen and expelled her from her palace for a certain period of time. When that time was through, the queen would immediately come and return before the king. This was so once, twice, and thrice. But on the last time, she became remote from the king’s palace and the king expelled her from his palace for a long time. The king said, “This time is not as like the other times, when she came before me. Instead, I and all my household will go and seek her.”

80) When he reached her, he saw that she was lying in the dust. Who saw the glory of the queen at that time, and the king’s requests of her? Finally, the king held her in his arms, raised her, and brought her to his palace. And he swore to her that he would never part from her again and will never be far from her.

81) It is similar with the Creator: every time the assembly of Israel were in exile, she would come and return before the King. But now, in this exile, it is not so. Rather, the Creator will hold her by the hand and will raise her, appease her, and bring her back to His palace. Come and see that this is so, for it is written, “She has fallen; she will not rise again,” meaning on her own. This is why it is written, “In that day I will raise up the fallen tabernacle of David.”

“I will raise up the tabernacle of David.” Who is the tabernacle of David? It is the virgin of Israel. “Fallen” means that she fell. And this is the honor and praise of the virgin of Israel, that she will not rise again by herself, but rather the Creator will raise her.

82) This must certainly be the meaning of the thing. The Creator is destined to declare the assembly of Israel and said, “Shake yourself from the dust; arise, and sit up, O Jerusalem,” as one who holds his friend by the hand and says, “Get up, shake yourself off.” Similarly, the Creator will hold her and say, “Shake yourself from the dust; arise.”

83) Also, all those sons of the King’s palace begin to speak with her in these words, as it is written, “Arise, shine, for your light has come,” for the King is here. Certainly, at the time when the king makes peace with her, it is her glory and everyone’s delight. In all the other times, she came before the King and rose before Him, as it is written, “And she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king.” But this time, it was not so. Rather, the King will come to her and will appease her, and bring her back to His palace, as it is written, “Behold, your king will come unto you,” certainly, and not you to Him. He will come to you to appease you; He will come to you to raise you; He will come to you to complement you in everything; He will come to you to raise you to His palace, to bond with you in everlasting bonding, for all times, as it is written, “And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness.”