The well

73. "And from thence they went to Be'er (Eng. 'well') that is the well" (Bemidbar 21:16). HE ASKS: What is the change - why does it first say, Be'erah (Eng. 'to the well') and immediately after that, Be'er (Eng. 'well')? HE RESPONDS: It is only that Be'erah IS HOW MALCHUT WAS CALLED after all the waters converged into the sea and flowed down TO THE AREA OF MALCHUT. MALCHUT IS CALLED Be'er when Isaac, WHO IS THE LEFT COLUMN OF ZEIR ANPIN, fills it up. SINCE THE BE'ER IS STILL ENACTED UPON BY ZEIR ANPIN, IT IS THEREFORE CALLED BE'ER WITHOUT HEI, INDICATING MASCULINE LANGUAGE. THEREFORE, "she (Heb. hi) is the well," is spelled, "he (Heb. hu) is the well," WITH THE VAV, INDICATING THAT IT IS MASCULINE LANGUAGE. The secret is as we explained. "But the Levite, he shall do the service" (Bemidbar 18:23), SINCE HE INDICATES THE LEFT SIDE OF ZEIR ANPIN.

74. Rabbi Aba said: Anyplace WHERE IT IS SPELLED "he" and pronounced "she," AS IT IS HERE AT THE WELL, IT INDICATES male and female combined, AND THE THREE LETTERS OF "HE" (HEI-VAV-ALEPH) is an overall high principal. Hei is female, MALCHUT, Vav is male, ZEIR ANPIN, and Aleph IS BINAH THAT IS inclusive of all, SINCE ZEIR ANPIN AND THE FEMALE EMERGE FROM HER. Aleph, WHICH IS BINAH, is the perfection of everything, SINCE ALL THE MOCHIN FLOW FROM HER. Happy are the children of Yisrael. Although they are down, they are grasped in the highest principle of all - THAT IS, IN THE THREE LETTERS OF HEI, VAV, ALEPH. Therefore, it is written: "it is He who made us, and we belong to Him" (Tehilim 100:3). The word lo is spelled with an Aleph INSTEAD OF A VAV, INDICATING, "AND NOT (HEB. LO) WE," as it is the inclusion of Vav-Hei, WHICH ARE ZEIR ANPIN AND THE FEMALE. And the Aleph includes everything.

75. Rabbi Shimon said: The spirit (also: 'wind') in the water is the Holy Spirit, MEANING THE SPIRIT OF MALCHUT THAT IS REFERRED TO AS 'HOLY SPIRIT' that blows in the beginning, as it says, "blow upon My garden" (Shir Hashirim 4:16). This MEANS THAT IT ELEVATES MAYIN NUKVIN (FEMALE WATERS), and then waters will flow, WHICH ARE THE UPPER MAYIN DUCHRIN (MALE WATERS) to fill her. This is what is written: "He causes His wind to blow: they run as water" (Tehilim 147:18). At first, "He causes His wind to blow," and then, "waters will flow." As long as He does not cause His wind to blow, the waters will not flow. What does this teach us? From this, it is apparent that in everything there is a requirement to arouse something FROM BELOW, THAT IS AN ASPECT OF FEMALE WATER, by action or speech, or to indicate and display some similarity to the act, AND THEN COMES THE AROUSAL FROM ABOVE. THEREFORE, until the wind does not blow, the water, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF ABUNDANT FLOW, does not flow towards the wind, WHICH IS MALCHUT.

76. "...That (lit. 'he') is the well," IS SPELLED, but we pronounce it as: "She is the well." ALSO, what changes so that it is written "Be'erah" at first and then, "Be'er?'' HE REPLIES: It is only because the female, THAT IS MALCHUT, was alone in the beginning AND THEREFORE IT WAS SAID IN FEMININE LANGUAGE, "BE'ERAH." When it says "he," it indicates the inclusion of both male and female, so it is called "Be'er" in the MASCULINE FORM. ALTHOUGH IT ALSO INCLUDES THE FEMALE, IT IS IN THE MASCULINE FORM, since all are called in the masculine form in the area where a male exists, even if he has WITH HIM a hundred females.

77. IT IS WRITTEN: "THAT IS THE WELL of which Hashem spoke to Moses saying, 'Gather the people together'" (Bemidbar 21:16). This is because that well was not missing from them. If you wonder how all of them could possibly draw from that one, it is because it divided into thirteen streams. This is SINCE MALCHUT DIVIDES INTO THIRTEEN, IN THE SECRET OF THE TWELVE, WHICH IT RECEIVES FROM THE TWELVE BOUNDARIES IN ZEIR ANPIN, AND ONE IS COMPOSED OF ALL OF THEM. The flowing spring in the well is filled and overflows in all directions. Then, at the time the children of Yisrael were singing and desired water, the children of YISRAEL would stand about her, OVER THE WELL, and sing. What did they say? '"Spring up, O well" (Ibid. 17), and raise your water to produce water for everyone to drink.' That is the way to praise this well, and THAT IS "the well that the princes dug out." They spoke words of truth. And so it is.

78. From here, we were taught that for whoever desires to arouse matters above, either by deed or speech, if that deed or speech is not performed properly, then nothing gets aroused. All the inhabitants of the world go to the synagogue to arouse something above, but few are those who know how to arouse. The Holy One, blessed be He, is near those who know how to call on Him and arouse properly. However, if they do not know how to call on Him, He is not near, as it is written: "Hashem is near to all those who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth" (Tehilim 145:18). What is, "in truth?'' That is that they know how to arouse the truthful thing appropriately, and it applies to all THINGS as well.

79. ABOUT THE WELL, Yisrael said these things which are matters of truth in order to arouse this well, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and to give drink to Yisrael. If they had not said these things, THE WELL would not have been aroused. Likewise, even the world's sorcerers who use evil things would not be awakened for them until they performed for them some veritable acts; they would not awaken if they did not say some truths in order to draw them in the manners they desire. Even if they had screamed all day long with other words and different acts, they would never have been capable of drawing them, and they would not have been awakened towards them.

80. Come and behold: it is written, "and called on the name of the Ba'al..." (I Melachim 18:26) What is the reason THAT THEY WERE NOT ANSWERED? HE RESPONDS: First, it was not within the Ba'al's authority TO BRING DOWN FIRE FROM HEAVEN. In addition, since the wording was not the right one among them, the Holy One, blessed be He, made them forget them. That is what is written: "and that You have turned their hearts back again"(Ibid. 37). Praised are the righteous who know how to call upon their Master properly.

81. Rabbi Shimon said: Here I wish to reveal something. Come and behold: anyone who is capable of preparing his deed as is proper and sets his speeches as is proper, definitely arouses the Holy One, blessed be He, to extend forth high matters that are upright. And if not, he is not propitious to them. If this is so, does not the whole world know how to prepare in an orderly manner the necessary performances and speeches? What then is the special value of them, the righteous? The righteous know the essence of words and actions, and they know how to direct their heart and desire more than those who are not as knowledgeable.

82. HE RESPONDS: It is only that those who are not as knowledgeable of the essence of actions, but simply know their orderly set up and nothing more, draw to themselves from behind the shoulders of the Holy One, blessed be He. THEIR PRAYER does not soar in the air, which is considered providence, MEANING TO SAY THAT IS THE PROVIDENCE OF THE FACE AND THEY ARE ONLY WORTHY OF THE ASPECT OF BEHIND THE SHOULDERS.

83. Those that are knowledgeable and direct the heart and desire extricate blessings from the area of the thought, WHICH IS CHOCHMAH. They emerge in all the branches and roots OF THE LEVELS in a straightforward manner as called for, until the higher and lower grades receive their blessings and the Holy Name is blessed through them. Happy is their lot, since the Holy One, blessed be He, is close to them and available to them. When they call on Him, He is ready for them, and at the time of their distress, He is with them. He honors them in this world and in the World to Come. This is what is written: "because he has set his delight upon Me, therefore will I deliver him: I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation" (Tehilim 91:14).