א -- Chapter 1

Know! precisely by means of the Torah are received all the prayers and all the requests that we request and pray. And the grace and the importance of Israel are raised and heightened before all who need, whether in spiritual [things or] whether in physical. Because now, in our many sins, the true grace and importance of Israel have fallen. Because now, the main portion of the importance and the grace is found by them. But by means of the Torah are raised the grace and the importance of Israel, for the Torah is called: "A lovely hind and a graceful doe (ya`ALat CheN);" for she bestows grace (ma`ALah CheN) on those who study her (Eruvin 54). And by means of this are received all the prayers and the requests:

For the Israelite man must always look at the intelligence of every thing, and tie himself to the wisdom and the intelligence that there is in every thing, in order that the intelligence that there is in every thing should enlighten him, to draw close to the Lord, blessed-be-He, by means of that thing. For the intelligence is a great light and shines for him in all his ways, as is written (Eccl. 8): "A man's wisdom makes his face shine."

And this is the concept of Ya`akov (Ya`AQoV), for Ya`akov merited to the firstborn status, which is beginning (reishit), which is the idea of wisdom (ChoKhMah). As is written (Ps. 111): "the beginning – wisdom (reishit chokhmah)." And this is like "For he has gone-behind-my-back (waYa`AQ’Veni) these two times." And the translation of Onkelos: "For he has outwitted me (weChaKMeni)," and this is the concept of sun. For the intelligence shines for him in all his ways like the sun. And this is like "But the path of the righteous is as the light of dawn, that shines more and more unto the perfect day." And this is the idea of CheIT [the letter ח] – a term [suggesting] life (ChIuT). For the wisdom and the intelligence are the life of every thing, as is written (Eccl. 7): "the wisdom preserves the life" etc.

However, since the light of the intelligence is very great, it is impossible to attain to it except by means of the concept of NuN [the letter נ] which is the idea of Kingship, as is written (Ps. 72): "May his name be continued (yiNoN shemo) as long as the sun," and Rashi explained [yiNoN as]: ‘A term for Kingship.’ And this is the idea of moon, because the moon, she has no light of her own, only what she receives from the sun (Zohar 3:238). And this is like Kingship, which has nothing of its own, except what it receives from the cheit, which is like wisdom, like sun as mentioned above, and is made "the light of the moon as the light of the sun:"

But whoever does not tie himself to the intelligence and the wisdom and the life, that there is in every thing – this is the concept of Esau who despised the firstborn status, as is written: "So Esau despised his birthright;" that is, the intelligence as mentioned above, like: "A fool has no delight in understanding, but only that his heart may lay itself bare." And this is like the Wicked Kingship, like the moon of the Other Side, of which is it said (Isa. 24): "Then the moon shall be confounded" etc.

And this is like the good inclination and the evil inclination, for the good inclination is called "poor and wise" (Eccl. 4), like Kingship, which is like the poor and lowly, that has nothing of her own except what she receives from Wisdom. And the evil inclination is called an old and foolish king (there), like the Kingship of the Other Side, which desires not wisdom and intelligence, like "a fool has no delight in understanding" etc. as mentioned above.

And it is necessary for everyone to give strength to the aspect of the Kingship of Holiness, to overcome the Kingship of the Other Side, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said (Berachot 5): "A man should always stir up the good inclination against the evil inclination." And through what does he give strength to the Kingship of Holiness? – through the Torah that he busies in with strength (as our rabbis of blessed memory said there): "A man should always stir up" etc. "If it [the evil inclination] leaves, good, and if not, let him busy in Torah"), and as our rabbis of blessed memory said (Kiddushin 30): "If this corrupt one encountered you, drag him to the house of study," for through the Torah one gives strength to the Kingship of Holiness.

And then the Kingship, which is like נ (nun), receives life from the Wisdom, which is like the ח (cheit), and the ח and the נ are connected and tied, and the light of the moon is made like the light of the sun, "and when one rises the other falls" (Rashi, Gen. 25:23), and then the Wicked Kingship falls and is anulled, as is written (Hos. 14): "For the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall in them." That is, through the ways of the Lord -- i.e. the Torah -- through this the righteous who are bonded to the Kingship of Holiness, they are strengthened and receive strength through this. "But the transgressors shall fall in them," like the Wicked Kingship, like the evil inclination, which falls and is suppressed through the Torah as mentioned above:

And through this are received all the prayers and requests, for the root of what that the requests are not received -- it is because the words have no grace, and do not enter into the heart of the one that they are requesting from, as if there is not in his heart a space that the words should enter into his heart, because the requester has no grace that the words should enter into the heart of the one that they are requesting from; but through the Torah, that through this the ח and the נ are connected as mentioned above and grace (חן, chen) is made, and therefore the Torah is called ya`alat chen (a graceful doe, Prov. 5), and then one merits that his words are words of grace, and then his words and requests are received, like one who speaks words of grace, that the words enter into the heart of the one who is being requested, i.e. the one that they are requesting from.

And this is the idea of TaW (ת), i.e. through that the cheit and the nun were joined and tied and the aspect of chen (grace) is made, through this is made the idea of TaW [ת = נ + ח], which is a term for engraving and impression, as is written (Eze. 9): "and mark a sign (v’hiTWita TaW)," for through the grace is engraved and impressed a place in the heart of the requested one to receive the request, for through the grace are received his words. It is found, that the aspect of the chen engraved a place in the heart of the one whom they are requesting from, in order that his words should enter into his heart, and his request be received; and the engraving and the impression are like taw as mentioned above. And this is [the meaning of] (Eccl. 9): "The words of wise men are heard in quiet (נחת, NaChaT)." נחת specifically, i.e. like the חן (chen) mentioned above and the ת (Taw) mentioned above:

And therefore Ya`akov, who is the idea of intelligence as mentioned above, therefore he merited to grace, as is written (Gen 33): "Because God has dealt graciously with me" etc. And therefore he blessed the tribes with grace, as is written (there): "The children which God has graciously given" etc. And Binyamin was not then, and therefore Yosef blessed him with grace, as is written (there, 43): "God be gracious unto you, my son."

And specifically Yosef was able to bless him with grace, for Yosef was more made up from the aspect of Ya`akov, as is written (there, 37): "These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph," for he was the essence of his generations, for "Ya`akov and Yosef are counted as one." And therefore it is said of Yosef (Deut. 33): "His firstling bullock, majesty is his." "Firstling" is like the intelligence as mentioned above, and this is [why it is said] "`his bullock’ is a term for gazing," for one must look at the intelligence that there is in every thing as mentioned above. And this is [why]: "`majesty is his,’ Onkelos translated `radiance is his,’ a term for light," for the intelligence shines for him in every thing; even in a place that was darkness and gloom, the intelligence shines for him, when one merits to look at the intelligence that exists there in every thing, and makes him near to the Lord, blessed-be-He:

The wave is the evil inclination. That sinks a ship (SeFiNta) – it is the grace and importance, [as in] the phrase "SaFuN and important" for the evil inclination wants to sink and subdue, God forbid, the aspect of the grace and the importance of Israel, the aspect of the Kingship of Holiness. And appears with a white fringe of fire at its crest, for initially the evil inclination clothes itself in mitzvot and misleads the man as if urging him to do a mitzvah. And this is the idea of "white fringe of fire," a white fire; even so, it is a harmful angel. And they strike it with clubs on which is engraven "I am that I am" etc., i.e. the root of the suppression of the evil inclination is through the Torah, which is entirely the names of the Holy One, blessed-be-He. And the Torah is like waw (ו=6), for the Tablets -- six [cubits] is their length and six is their width (Baba Batra 14). And this is the idea of the club, i.e. sticks, that are engraven on it "I am" etc., i.e. names, standing for the Torah, which is like waw. And the waw is the form of a stick, and she (the Torah) is entirely names of the Lord, blessed-be-He, i.e. that the Torah of Holiness, she suppresses the evil inclination, which wants to make the man really insane, God forbid, for a sinner is insane, as our rabbis of blessed memory said (Sotah 3): No man commits a sin, unless a spirit of folly is entered into him. And as with the insane ones, [that] they must strike them and place on them (holy) names -- just like that, the Torah that they busy in is like sticks and names, that in this they strike and suppress the evil inclination, and drive out from the man the insanity and the spirit of folly that is entered into him, as in and they strike it with clubs on which is engraven names etc. as mentioned above:

And this is [the explanation of]: "Happy are the perfect of way." Happy (ashrei) is a term for gazing. "Perfect of way (TMimei darekh)" is like (Gen 25): "Ya`akov [was] a wholesome (TaM) man," who is the idea of the intelligence as mentioned above. I.e. to merit to look at the intelligence that there is in every thing – which is the idea of Ya`akov the wholesome man – this they merit through the Torah.

And this is [the idea of]: "who walk in the Torah of the LORD," for through his learning Torah with strength, through this he gives strength to the Kingship of Holiness, like nun, to receive from the intelligence, which is like cheit, and then is made grace (chen), and his words are received as mentioned above, and then is raised the grace and the importance of Israel, and all the prayers and requests are received: (:^>