The Lord Called unto Moses

Israel Provide for Their Father in Heaven

This is why it is called, “A sweet savor unto the Lord.” The savor is illumination of Hochma from the left. This is for His servants. The sweetness is illumination of Hassadim from the right, and this is for the Creator. This is why the King’s meal was delayed because of His servants’ meal. For this reason, we learned that Israel provide for their father in heaven, since He does not eat before he sets up the meal for His servants, and only the souls of the righteous eat from the King’s meal.

It is written that the scent is to His servants, meaning illumination of Hochma, called “scent,” and sweet is to the Creator, meaning Hassadim, which are called “sweet [savor].” This is why the King’s meal was delayed because of His servants’ meal. Had He received the Hassadim, meaning His meal, before He set up the meal of illumination of Hochma for His servants, His Hassadim would have been without any Hochma at all; they would be VAK without a Rosh. This is why He first waits to correct and extend the meal of illumination of Hochma for His servants, and then His meal of Hassadim is included “by the way” with the illumination of Hochma that He extended for His servants, and the Hassadim become GAR.

It turns out that Israel, who are His servants, provide for their Father in Heaven. It is because of them that His meal is complete with GAR, although His own meal of Hassadim is not for Himself, but to bestow upon the lower ones.

It is written that the souls of the righteous eat from the King’s meal. This is so because if His servants receive the discernment of scent, illumination of Hochma, who receives the Hassadim from the meal of the Creator? The souls of the righteous, which extend from ZA, are the ones who receive the Hassadim from ZA. But the ordinary Israel receive from the illumination of Hochma that is mingled with Hassadim, meaning scent, since they are dependent upon Malchut.

How Good and How Pleasant

100a) “How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together, as well” is as it is written, “And if a man shall take his sister ... and see her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness: it is a shameful thing.” The “man” is the Creator. “Shall take his sister” refers to the assembly of Israel. Why is this so? Because “It is a shameful thing.” Hence, How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together, as well,” meaning the Creator, as well as the assembly of Israel. “As well” includes Israel below, for when the assembly of Israel is in unity, in Zivug Panim be Panim [face-to-face] with the Creator, Israel below are joyfully present in the Creator. This is why it writes, “Together, as well.” “Together, as well” comes to join the Tzadik, meaning Yesod, with the assembly of Israel, who are one Zivug. This is why it says, “Together, as well,” since Yachad [together] comes from the word, Echad [one].

There are two states in Malchut:

1. 
   When ZA elevates her from his Chazeh and above, clothes the left line of Bina, and extends Hochma, while ZA himself clothes the right line of Bina and extends Hassadim. This was Malchut’s state on the fourth day of creation. At that time, ZA and Malchut were called “the two great lights,” since she was as big as ZA. They are also regarded as brother and sister because they are both at the same degree, one is right and the other is left. In this discernment, they are also regarded as adhered to one another because all the discernments on a single degree are regarded as adhered to one another, where adhering means equivalence. However, at that time Malchut was in darkness and posterior, since left without right bestows Hochma without Hassadim and Hochma without Hassadim cannot shine.
   
2. 
   The first state continues until the Creator, the middle line, told her, “Go and diminish yourself.” This means that ZA, the middle line, will evoke the Zivug of the light of Hassadim over his Masach de Hirik, which diminishes the left line. Then Malchut had nothing more to cling to and descended from there. She returned and was built anew by AVI and ZA from the Chazeh downwards, until she became worthy of the second state—the Zivug of ZA and Malchut PBP [Panim be Panim]. This decline of Malchut from the Chazeh and above—the degree of ZA—into a Nukva that is separated from him, from the Chazeh downwards, is called “sawing off,” since the Dvekut [adhesion] that Malchut had with ZA because they were at the same degree has already been cut off, for she divided from ZA into a separate degree of her own.
   

And yet, all this relates only to the illumination of Malchut to the lower ones, and not at all with respect to herself.