תורה 12

4. And know! this is precisely as God intends it. The Holy One causes some great tzaddik to fall into the mouth of the learned individual—i.e., the learned individual speaks wickedly of the tzaddik. This is so that the tzaddik can then free the Oral Law, the Divine Presence, from being exiled in the mouth of the learned. He then elevates her to her Source, from level to level: first to the aspect of chibuk (embracing), afterwards to aspect of neshuk (kissing), and finally to the aspect of zivvug (intimacy).

As it is written (Song of Songs 2:1), “I am the rose of Sharon”—at first she is green like a rose (Zohar I, 221a). As [our Sages] taught: Esther was of a greenish complexion (Megillah 13a).

And this is the aspect of chibuk: “His right hand embraces me” (Song of Songs 2:6).

For joy comes from the heart, as is written (Psalms 4:8), “You put joy in my heart.” And the heart is Binah (understanding) (Tikkuney Zohar, Introduction). There, [one finds] the wine of joy (Zohar III, 127a) —the hidden world—corresponding to (Psalms 104:15), “Wine that makes the heart rejoice.”

Now, this tzaddik, [although] he has fallen into the mouth of the learned individual who speaks arrogantly against him, he understands that the things which the learned individual says of him are really permutations of the letters of the Oral Law. He also understands from which particular laws these words originate. He accepts [the scholar-demons arrogant words] joyously and with love, as our Sages taught: Those who are insulted… rejoice in their suffering and act out of love (Shabbat 88b).

And love, that the tzaddik accepts humiliation with love, is the aspect of chibuk: “His right hand embraces me.” By means of the joy that results from his rejoicing in the suffering, he elevates [the Divine Presence], the aspect of “I am the rose of Sharon,” to the aspect of heart, as in, “You put joy in my heart.” Then he is in the aspect of “rock of my heart” (Psalms 73:26), corresponding to the Oral Law, which is called a rock. As is brought in the Tikkuney Zohar (#21, p.43a): Had Moshe Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, not hit the rock, we would not have to labor so hard in the Oral Law.

This also corresponds to (Genesis 14:14), “And [Avraham] yarek (called out) et chanikhav (his trained servants).” Avraham is the aspect of right, corresponding to chibuk. The word “YaReK” alludes to the line of YaRoK (green) which is drawn from Binah and encircles the entire world (cf. Chagigah 12a). “ChaNiKhav” alludes to benevolences, as the Midrash comments: It is similar to ChaNiKhato (his surname) in that all of them were named Avraham after him (Bereishit Rabbah 43:2). In other words, this green line, which corresponds to “the rose of Sharon”/“Esther was of a greenish complexion,” is the elevation which the Divine Presence has through chibuk from the right.

{“In any case, she really is my sister; the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother. She [later] became my wife” (Genesis 20:12).} Now, [the Divine Presence] is essentially built up through Chokhmah (Wisdom). Then she is suitable for zivvug, as is written, “In any case, she really is my sister; the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother.” And then, “she became my wife”—for then [the Divine Presence] is suitable for intimacy. {As is brought in the Zohar (III, 100b): Rabbi Abba sent to Rabbi Shimon, saying, “When is the zivvug of Knesset Yisrael with the Holy King?” His reply was, “In any case, she really is ….” See there.}

We also find in a commentary to Sifra De’Tzniuta that neshikin is the result of Chokhmah. When the upper lips, which are the upper Netzach (Victory) and Hod (Splendor), are roused to the aspect of zivvug —to the binding of spirit with spirit—then the lower Netzach and Hod are roused to zivvug —to binding body with body.

Consequently, when the tzaddik applies his wisdom and determines from which sets of letters of the Oral Law these which the learned individual speaks against him originate, and the tzaddik studies these letter permutations and makes of them the letter permutations of law which they had been they were corrupted; then, when [the tzaddik] has this wisdom, this wisdom causes the Divine Presence to be in the aspect of “the rose of the valleys” (Song of Songs 2:1). This is the aspect of neshikin, as in (Songs 5:13), “his lips like roses.” It is the binding of spirit with spirit, which then gives rise to a zivvug of body with body.

For “the Divine Presence resides between two tzaddikim”: between the upper tzaddik—the Tanna who originated this teaching and now [continues to] fill it with an influx, and the lower tzaddik—who studies this teaching and raises <[the Divine Presence] in order to bring> feminine waters so that she will bind herself [with the Holy King].

And this is the meaning of “his lips like roses”—through the aspect of neshikin ; “they drip flowing myrrh” (Song of Songs 5:13) —[flowing] from side to side. In other words, a pleasant fragrance drips on the Divine Presence from both sides, from the upper tzaddik and from the lower tzaddik. And thus, “the DuDa’im (mandrakes) gave fragrance” (Songs 7:14). The two DoDim (beloveds), i.e., the two tzaddikim, “gave fragrance” [to the Divine Presence].