Gates of Righteousness

"And I will make you a great nation" etc., "and you shall be a blessing" Genesis 12:2. What is the meaning of "and you shall be a blessing"? It is as if to say: "In you, I shall draw down the Divine Presence Shekhinah|The indwelling Presence of God, associated with the tenth and final Sefirah, Malchut., which is the pool The Hebrew word for blessing, berakhah, is phonetically linked here to berekhah, meaning a pool or reservoir.." And she is the tenth Sefirah, which receives abundance from the nine shining mirrors Mirrors|Hebrew: aspaklaria, a term used in Kabbalah and the Talmud to describe the "lenses" through which prophets perceive divine light.. Even though He handed the "pool" over to Abraham, He did not hand over the "Gate" to him. Likewise for Isaac, because he contained the dross of Ishmael and Esau. But Jacob, in whom there was no dross, was given the Gate, as we have explained. And regarding what the Lord, may He be blessed, said to Abraham, "And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" Genesis 12:3—it is all explained by the fact that the seventy families of the world are attached to Abraham and Isaac through the language of "grafting" and "knitting together" The author uses a wordplay on hivrikh, to graft a vine, and berakhah, blessing.. If it were not for Abraham and Isaac, the seventy nations would have no hold in the Chariot Chariot|Hebrew: Merkavah, the divine structure of the spiritual realms..

And after

you know this, know that the gate
called Righteousness Hebrew: Tzedek, even though
Abraham inherited the Sefirah, he did not inherit the
gate until Jacob came. And about this gate
it was said regarding Abraham: "Who raised up righteousness from the east,
calling it to his feet?" Isaiah 41:2. And this is the secret of the "Gates of Righteousness" Psalm 118:19.

And know

that from the time Jacob knew the gate
and took the key, no
creature in the world may enter toward the Blessed Name, except
through Jacob and his sons—that is to say, until they convert
and are circumcised and enter "under the wings of the Shekhinah."
And through which gate shall they enter? Through the Gates of Righteousness. For this
reason, true converts are called "Converts of Righteousness" Converts of Righteousness|Hebrew: Gerei Tzedek, referring to sincere converts who fully join the Jewish faith..
That is to say, the converts enter the palace of the Blessed One
through the Gate of Righteousness. Guard this principle well: because
Abraham inherited the Sefirah of Righteousness, all
converts are named after him as "Converts of Righteousness." And the secret of
"And in you they shall be blessed" means they are literally "grafted" original: nivrikhu, a pun on nivrakhu (blessed) and hivrikh (grafted)..

And after

you know this, we must illuminate
a path before you regarding this Sefirah
called the Gate of the Lord original: Sha'ar Y-D-V-D. And let it be said that not every
man is worthy to enter through this gate as a permanent resident,
except for a temporary visit to enter and exit.
But one may not remain always as a permanent dweller inside—not even

Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob, nor all the prophets, merited
to remain inside always; they would enter and exit.
No one remained as a permanent dweller within
this gate except for our teacher Moses, peace be upon him, alone.
And regarding this it was said: "Go say to them: 'Return to your
tents,' but you, stand here with Me" Deuteronomy 5:27-28. And this is
what they meant when they said: "All the prophets looked through
a mirror that does not shine, but Moses looked through
a mirror that shines" A famous Talmudic distinction (Yevamot 49b) between the clarity of Moses’ prophecy and that of other prophets.. And the reason is
because he entered within this gate, and he entered
with permission and established his dwelling there. And the secret is: "Moses was not able
to enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud rested
upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle" Exodus 40:35.
But the Lord, may He be blessed, called him and he entered with permission. And regarding
this it is said: "And He called to Moses, and the Lord spoke to him
from the Tent of Meeting" Leviticus 1:1, and it is written, "But you, stand here with Me."
And once he established his dwelling there, he never ceased, and regarding this
it is said: "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth" Song of Songs 1:2. And because
Moses entered within the gate and established his
dwelling there, he was always seeing through the
shining mirror. But the other prophets, whose
dwelling was not permanent within the gate, would only look
momentarily from outside the gatehouse, and they would
see through the back of the tenth partition, which is the
mirror that does not shine. And this is the secret of: "Hear now My words: If there be a prophet among you..." etc.
"Not so with My servant Moses; in all My house he is trusted" Numbers 12:6-7.
"In all My house" literally, for he entered and established his dwelling
within the gate. Thus he was found trusted with all
the King's property, which are the chambers called the King's House.
"In all My house he is trusted."

And after

you know this, know that this attribute
called the Gates of
Righteousness, which Jacob inherited, he handed all
the keys for it into the hands of his sons. And this gate
has thirteen keys: twelve
for the twelve chambers, and the innermost key,
which completes the thirteen, he handed over its path
to Levi. And this is the secret of the Priestly Blessing, for from there
the blessings [flow].