הקדמה

96. “Furthermore, ‘he also went down, etc.”Furthermore, “he also went down and slew a lion” (II Samuel 23:20). In the early times, when this river extended its waters below, Israel were in a state of wholeness because they would sacrifice sacrifices and offerings to atone for their souls. Then an image of a lion would descend from above and they would see it on the altar crouching over its prey, eating the offerings like a mighty man. All of the dogs, that is, the accusers, would hide from it and would not come out to accuse.

Explanation: The Sages said regarding the fire from above, which would hover over the altar in the Temple, that it would crouch like a lion (Yoma 21b), as it would burn the offerings that the children of Israel offered upon it. This is the meaning of the statement: “In the early times, when this river drew its waters below, Israel were in a state of wholeness.” Before the illumination of the [Atik Yomin] was nullified, and when the supernal lights were drawn to Israel like a river whose waters extend from above to below ceaselessly, Israel were then in their full state of wholeness.

“Because they would sacrifice sacrifices and offerings to atone for their souls.” With the offerings that they would sacrifice, they would raise feminine waters for the supernal fusion on the partition, and masculine waters, which are the brains, would be drawn out. They thereby drew closer in great unification to their Father in heaven, and all the kelippot fled and distanced themselves from them. This is the mystical meaning of “to atone for their souls,” as the distancing of the kelippot from the souls is considered atonement [le-khapara]. This is like a garment that is stained and dirty with marks – by means of washing, we remove and cleanse [mekhaprim] all the stains from the garment.

This is why they are called “offerings [korbanot],” since they draw Israel near [makrivin] their Father in heaven. 1The root of "korbanot" is "karav, " which literally means "come close. " While korbanot is commonly translated as "ritual sacrifices, " the word in Hebrew actually means something more like "an act that brings one closer to the receiver of the korban (offering). " Since [the people of Israel] were in a state of wholeness and were raising feminine waters solely to bring satisfaction to their Maker, those feminine waters would ascend to Bina, where there is the light of giving and bestowal in the mystical meaning of a lion, which is a name for Ḥesed. [Through this process of raising feminine waters, ] the lion of Bina is considered to have received the good deeds and feminine waters that the children of Israel raised. The [people of Israel] saw how their feminine waters were [like] prey for this supernal Bina, and the light of giving of Bina was drawn forth in direct light over the feminine waters, and the direct light would hover over the prey, that is, the feminine waters, and consume it.

The meaning of the lion’s eating of the offering is that the essence of an offering is the feminine waters that ascend to strengthen the partition and to raise returning light, as stated. Since the amount of direct light is determined by the measure of the returning light that ascends from the partition, the direct light is considered to be nourished by the feminine waters, and [the direct light] increases and is sustained by [the feminine waters]. This is similar to an animal that is sustained and grows by the food it eats. Likewise, the whole vitality of a corporeal animal depends on the food it consumes, and upon the cessation [of this food, the animal] will die. In the same manner, the supernal light depends on the returning light that ascends from the partition. Upon the cessation of the returning light, [the direct light] is nullified from [manifesting in] the lower [level].

This is the meaning of the statement: “An image of a lion would descend from above.” That is, the light of Bina, which is drawn from above to below in the mystical meaning of direct light, is in the image of a lion, that is, the form of bestowal, like the nature of Bina. “They would see it on the altar crouching over its prey” – they saw the direct light enclothing and crouching within the returning light that ascends from the offering, which is its prey and nourishment, as stated.

“Eating the offerings like a mighty man.” It eats and grows from the offerings, like a mighty man. Since Israel was in a state of wholeness, the amount of bestowal, which is the raising of feminine waters and returning light, had great power from below upward. This is because the height of the returning light is determined by the size of the impact of the [direct light against the] partition, [measured by the amount] of startling and fright, [such that the partition accordingly] rebuffs the supernal light from below upward. And like the measure of the height of the ascent of returning light, so is the height of direct light that is drawn into [the returning light]. Therefore, if the height of returning light ascends with great power, it is considered that the lion is “eating the offerings like a mighty man,” in an upright form, with power, for it is through this power that [the lion's] height increases (all of this is described in my book, Introduction to the Wisdom of the Kabbalah, p. 4, section 14).

Thus [the Zohar] says: “All the dogs would hide from it and would not come out.” The kelippa [deriving from] receiving for oneself is called “a dog,” as the Zohar states on the verse: “The horseleech has two daughters: ‘Give, give’ [hav; hav]” (Proverbs 30:15), [which means] they howl like dogs, saying “give [hav] us the wealth of this world, and give [hav] us the wealth of the World to Come.” This is the strongest kelippa, and its grip is strongest opposite the light of yeḥida, in the mystical meaning of the verse: “Deliver my soul from the sword; my only one [yeḥidati] from the power of the dog” (Psalms 22:21). It is the corresponding opposite of the lion, which eats the aforementioned offerings.

Just as the lion, which is the mystical meaning of Ḥesed, is entirely [a state of] bestowal and no receiving at all – as the Sages said regarding the attribute of a pious individual [ḥasid], that “what is mine is yours and what is yours is yours” (Avot 5:10) – the kelippa of the dog is all receiving and no bestowal at all. This is as stated about the righteous ones among the nations of the world, that all the kindness [ḥesed] they perform, they do for themselves (see Baba Batra 10b), since they are connected to the kelippa of the dog.

This is why [the Zohar] states that when [the people of] Israel were in a state of wholeness and they merited the expression of a lion that eats its offerings, “all the dogs would hide from it and would not come out,” since [Israel] raised feminine waters with great power. They thereby gave power to the partition in Malkhut to rebuff the supernal light from it and above, with great power. As a result, the amount of returning light in the height was very high, in the mystical meaning of “eating the offerings like a mighty man.” Consequently, even those harsh kelippot, which are the dogs, all fled and hid, fearing that lion’s might, and they would not emerge from their hiding place.