Gates of Righteousness

And the tent is not spread in its proper order... therefore the Divine Presence Divine Presence|Hebrew: Shekhinah, the indwelling presence of God in the world, often associated with the feminine aspect of divinity and the Tenth Sefirah. does not rest upon something flawed. This is the secret of the verse: "A tent that shall not be taken down; not one of its stakes shall ever be removed, nor shall any of its cords be broken" Isaiah 33:20. We find that everyone who recites one hundred blessings Hebrew: Me'ah Berakhot; a traditional Jewish practice to recite at least 100 blessings daily. is as if they have spread the tent and fixed it upon one hundred sockets Sockets|Hebrew: Adanim, the silver bases that held the planks of the Tabernacle.. Then they are joined through the hundred blessings, because the hundred blessings correspond to the hundred sockets made from a hundred talents [of silver]. And all of them are bored through with a hole; thus, there are one hundred windows of light open toward the hundred blessings. Whoever knows this knows the secret of the "Gift" Gift|Hebrew: Trumah, the offering given to the priests, literally meaning "uplifting." and the secret of "Two from a Hundred" original: terumah mi-me'ah. A reference to the priestly portion; the author suggests the spiritual essence of the offering depends on the full count of 100.. For if there are not a hundred, there is no "Two" [Trumah] in its true sense.

And after we have explained this, know that this Gate is called everywhere in the Torah Lord Hebrew: Adonai, spelled Aleph-Dalet-Nun-Yod. and it is the palace of the Tetragrammaton The four-letter name of God, Y-H-V-H., may He be blessed. Therefore, He is always called by this name because the Name [Y-H-V-H] always dwells in this house; understand this well. And because the tenth Sefirah Sefirah|One of the ten divine attributes or emanations in Kabbalistic thought. corresponds to the Earth, its secret is "The man, the lord of the land" Genesis 42:30. Because the first man (Adam) caused the Presence to be removed from him below until Noah came and restored it for a short time and no more, it was then said: "Noah, Noah, a righteous man, perfect in his generations... Noah walked with God" Genesis 6:9. This is the secret of why he was called Noah, from the expression "The spirit of Elijah rested Hebrew: Nacha upon Elisha" 2 Kings 2:15. "And he called his name Noah, saying: 'This one shall comfort us'" Genesis 5:29. "And Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." "And Noah built an altar... and the Lord smelled the soothing aroma Hebrew: rei'ach ha-nichoch." "And the Lord said in His heart: 'I will not again [curse the ground]...'" Even though all this was done, the land was not truly blessed until Abraham came and established for them the sign of the places of blessings. "And he built there an altar to the Lord." "And he called upon the name of the Lord" Genesis 12:8. And Abraham our father, peace be upon him, prepared himself and made his "Right Side" Associated with the attribute of Chesed or Loving-kindness. a throne for the Chariot Chariot|Hebrew: Merkabah, the divine throne-chariot representing how God's presence is "carried" into the world by the righteous., and this attribute rested upon him. Therefore it is said: "And you shall be a blessing" Genesis 12:2. And when he entered the land... he established the places for the Divine Presence and began to call upon the name of the Lord by the name of the Land... for it is His portion. And regarding this, the Sages of blessed memory said: "And cause Your face to shine upon Your sanctuary that is desolate, for the sake of the Lord" Daniel 9:17. For the sake of whom?

For the sake of the one whom he called Lord. Abraham our father, peace be upon him, established this. And when you understand these matters, many "Gates of Light" A likely reference to the title of the work, Sha'arei Orah. will open before you, and you will know and gain insight from the source of the matter. You will see it in every place you find in the Torah where the name Y-H-V-H is written but pronounced as Adonai, for this is the secret of the Tenth Sefirah, which is a "mirror that does not shine" Mirror that does not shine|Hebrew: Aspaklaria she-einah me'irah, a term for the Sefirah of Malchut, which has no light of its own but reflects the light of the higher realms.. It requires illumination from that which is above it. Therefore, you will find that Abraham prepared a place for it, like one who takes hold of a thing. However, its permanent dwelling was not established on the ground until the "Fourth Leg" Fourth Leg|The fourth support of the Divine Throne, often associated with King David or the completion of the earthly Temple.. At that time, it was said: "This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it" Psalm 132:14. This is the secret of "For Your name is called upon Your city and upon Your people" Daniel 9:19, and understand this very well.

And after we have explained this matter to you, know that this attribute is called in the Song of Songs Bride. The secret is "As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels" Isaiah 61:10. "Come with me from Lebanon, my bride" Song of Songs 4:8. And "He is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber" Psalm 19:6.

Know and understand that this attribute is called everywhere Oral Torah Hebrew: Torah she-be'al peh, because she is the mate of the Written Torah, which is the "Script" and the "Taste." This is called among those who know "The Secret of the Moon." The reason for these two matters is the same: just as the moon has no light of its own, only from the sun, so the Oral Torah has no foundation except from the Written Torah. Therefore, the Oral Torah was not given at Sinai in writing—to avoid establishing a fixed place for it—except as it rests upon the Written Torah, because of the "Secret of the Kiss." This is the secret meaning of "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth" Song of Songs 1:2. It was written down later only as a decree, lest the Torah be forgotten from Israel due to the persecutions Hebrew: shmadot.

And here we hint at the beginning and the end... that in every place, "Speaking" Hebrew: Dibur is the secret of the Written Torah, and "Saying" Hebrew: Amirah is the secret of the Oral Torah. This is what is said throughout the entire Torah: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying..." One is nested in the other, and this one requires the "Gates of Justice."