19. The Faithful Shepherd rose and began to speak: 'Aaron the priest, rise from your sleep to slaughter oxen and sheep and goats and lambs and fowl, and all the varieties needed for the King's feast. The shew-bread (lit. 'the bread of faces'), that is TWELVE, corresponding to the two tablets of Torah, "written on both their sides (lit. 'from this and this' (Heb. zeh))" (Shemot 32:15). Zeh IN NUMERICAL VALUE is the twelve faces, which are THE TWELVE LETTERS IN THREE TIMES YUD HEI VAV HEI IN THE VERSES: "Hashem bless you, and keep you; Hashem make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; Hashem lift up His countenance to you, and give you peace" (Bemidbar 6:24-25). The second zeh CORRESPONDS TO THE THREE TIMES ADONAI, WHICH CONTAIN IN THEM TWELVE LETTERS. They are the twelve living creatures about which it says, "and they four had the face of a lion, on the right side; and the four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle" (Yechezkel 1:10). THESE ARE THREE LIVING CREATURES, LION, OX, AND EAGLE, and it says about them: "And every one had four faces" (Ibid. 6). THAT IS, IN EACH CREATURE OF THE THREE, THERE ARE FOUR FACES OF THE LION, OX, EAGLE, AND MAN, AND THREE TIMES FOUR AMOUNTS TO TWELVE LIVING CREATURES. That is the meaning of, "And one (Heb. zeh) cried to another (Heb. zeh), and said" (Yeshayah 6:3), THAT IS, THE TWELVE FACES OF YUD HEI VAV HEI TO THE TWELVE CREATURES OF ADONAI. They also correspond to the 24 books in the Torah, THAT IS, THE 24 BOOKS IN THE BIBLE. This is the meaning of: "this (Heb. zeh) is the table that is before Hashem" (Yechezkel 41:22), BECAUSE A TABLE IS MALCHUT. "Zeh" IS THE TWELVE CREATURES THAT ARE IN ADONAI, WHICH IS MALCHUT. "THAT IS BEFORE HASHEM" REFERS TO THE TWELVE FACES IN YUD HEI VAV HEI. The vessels on the King's table are the sages of Mishnah, versed in prayer, which THE SAGES composed to correspond to the sacrifices.

20. He opened the discussion with the verse: "and you shall make a table of acacia wood" (Shemot 25:23). Come and behold: those present at the King's feast had goodly and comely customs to show they were members of the King's table. One was that the eldest would wash his hands FIRST. When they entered to sit for the meal, the oldest would sit at the head of the table. The second would be below him, and the third below the second. These are called the 'three beds,' BECAUSE THEIR CUSTOM WAS EACH TO RECLINE ON A BED, to correspond to the three Patriarchs, and to the priests, the Levites and Yisrael THAT ARE CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET. From here on, they had no special order, rather whoever came first was seated.

21. The second CUSTOM is that the house owner breaks the bread so that he may apportion it generously. He first completes THE BLESSING OVER THE BREAD, and then breaks it. The sages of the Mishnah have set it so that none of those reclining at the feast table are permitted to taste until the giver of the blessing has tasted first. The one who apportions is not permitted to taste until all present have finished saying Amen. And if he wishes to delegate honor BY GIVING TO ANOTHER TO BREAK THE BREAD, he may do so. In addition, it had been stated that the guest blessed THE BLESSING AFTER THE MEAL so he will bless the landlord.

22. In an esoteric interpretation, the landlord who breaks the bread is the central pillar, which is the Central Column, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN. On Shabbat, he needs to apportion from two loaves of challah bread, which are Hei-Hei OF YUD HEI VAV HEI. The house owner is Vav OF YUD HEI VAV HEI between THE TWO HEI'S. In order not appear a glutton, he may apportion to each one a piece the size of an egg. What is the size of an egg? It is Yud OF YUD HEI VAV HEI and Yud OF ADONAI, which are the dots of the Holy Name called crumbs the size of an olive, THAT IS, YUD OF YUD HEI VAV HEI IS THE SIZE OF AN EGG AND YUD OF ADONAI IS THE SIZE OF AN OLIVE. These CRUMBS correspond to drops of sperm. THEREFORE, poverty chases whoever belittles and disposes these crumbs in an inappropriate place, and he will constantly wander around. This is what is written: "he wanders abroad for bread, saying, where is it" (Iyov 15:23). Bread means Torah, and this verse implies that he cries out, looking for someone who will have mercy on him, but will find no one TO PITY HIM.

23. Crumbs the size of an olive belong to the Righteous YESOD, who presses these olives, WHICH ARE THE SFIROT, EXTRACTING OIL FROM THEM, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF ABUNDANCE. The guest (Heb. ore'ach) blesses, NAMELY THE RIGHTEOUS, as it is written: "but the path (Heb. orach) of just men is like the gleam of sunlight" (Mishlei 4:18), AND, "blessings are upon the head of the just" (Mishlei 10:6), the life of the world. Therefore, the guest, WHO IS THE RIGHTEOUS, NAMELY YESOD, makes the blessing.

24. As he was speaking, the Holy Luminary came to him, TO THE FAITHFUL SHEPHERD and said: Faithful Shepherd, one day I went along with the friends to an inn. There was a child there who rose and by himself prepared for us a lamplight and a table, as if he were twenty years old. Yet he was approximately five years old. He set that table up with different dishes and drinks and said, The sages have decreed that the house-owner breaks the bread and the guest makes the blessing. Yet, "I am young and you are very old; therefore, I was afraid and dared not declare my opinion to you" (Iyov 32:6), until I obtain permission from you. They said to him: Speak up my son, angel of Hashem.

25. He said to us: 'Do you wish for delicacies without warring for them, or food by means of war?' That is how the sages of the Mishnah decreed that the mealtime is a time of war. If you desire to battle over it, let no one eat. He who has won the battle shall eat first and apportion to the rest. The friends said to him: You are still small, my son, and you have yet to learn how mighty men wage war with a sword, with waving the sword, with a spear, with a bow and arrows, with a sling and stones.