הקדמה

79. “And if you say, if, etc.”And if you say: If so, that Shabbat is Malkhut, what is the meaning of the verse: “You shall keep My Sabbaths” (Leviticus 19:30), which are two? He answers: the Shabbat of Shabbat eve, which is Malkhut, and the Shabbat of the actual Shabbat day, which is Ze’er Anpin, which illuminates the Shabbat that is Malkhut. They cannot be separated, as they are united face-to-face and are called “two Sabbaths.”

Explanation: His question is as follows: According to the initial explanation, that the two Malkhuts, the fourth [day] and seventh [day], are each whole in themselves, the verse “My Sabbaths” is properly understood, as there are two [Malkhuts], the fourth and seventh. However, once you have said that [the first three days] are not [fully] completed through the fourth [day], but only after [the fourth] is incorporated in the seventh, then [that implies] they are [really] only one Shabbat. Why, then, does the verse state “My Sabbaths,” two, [which implies two separate Sabbaths]? He answers that it is referring to the aspects of Ze’er Anpin and Nukba that illuminate the holiness of the Shabbat. The day of Shabbat is the male, while the eve of Shabbat is the female. These are the two Sabbaths included in “My Sabbaths,” as they are actually one, without separation. Accordingly, the Ze’er Anpin is also called “Shabbat.” Understand this.