48. The third SETTING REGARDING THE SHABBAT TABLE IS to eat three meals on Shabbat, as was explained by the sages of the Mishnah. One of them said: 'Let my lot be with those who eat on three meals on Shabbat,' which complete the seven blessings in the Amidah prayer by bringing them to a total of ten. The secret of delight (Heb. oneg, Ayin Nun Gimel) is THE SECRET MEANING OF: "and a river went out of Eden to water that garden" (Beresheet 2:10). FOR EDEN MEANS DELIGHT, AND THE GARDEN IS MALCHUT, THE SECRET MEANING OF SHABBAT. ALSO, ONEG IS THE INITIALS OF EDEN, NAHAR (ENG. 'RIVER') AND GAN (ENG. 'GARDEN'). Whoever can but does not observe them, for him the oneg turns into a plague (Heb. nega) of leprosy, AS THEY ARE SPELLED WITH THE SAME LETTERS. In order that he should not come to this, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: 'Borrow on Me and I will pay,' AND IT IS WRITTEN: "then shall you delight yourself in Hashem" (Yeshayah 58:14).
49. The fourth SETTING is to light the table with a lamp, as was decreed by ancient sages that a table should be at the north and the lamp at the south, for the table of the Holy One, blessed be He, MALCHUT, needs to be that way. The fifth SETTING is the wine cup of 'vaychulu,' MEANING THE KIDDUSH CUP. The numerical value of 'kos (Eng. 'cup')' is that of Elohim, THAT IS, 86. 'Vaychulu' is 72 IN NUMERICAL VALUE, which the holy Bride, MALCHUT, includes, NAMELY, THE NAME ELOHIM AND THE NAME OF AYIN BET (72). The cup, WHICH IS MALCHUT, filled with the wine, MEANING THE ABUNDNBCE OF THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH, of the Torah, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN CALLED TORAH, needs to bear testimony to the act of Creation, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF BINAH, BECAUSE THE ABUNDANCE OF THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH IS CONSIDERED A TESTIMONY (HEB. EDUT), BASED ON EDEN, AND BINAH IS THE SOURCE THAT POURS IT. THAT IS THE REASON WHY ONE SHOULD TESTIFY TO THE ACT OF CREATION.
50. The sixth SETTING is to have words of Torah at one's table, because that is how the sages of the Mishnah decreed about 'three who ate on the same table yet have not spoken on it words of Torah...' The secret meaning is that they have decreed that the table should be to the north and that the Torah was given from the right. THEREFORE, IT BEHOOVES ONE TO SAY WORDS OF TORAH AT THE TABLE in order to join the right, which is Mercy, with the left, which is Judgment. The Torah is Yud Hei Vav Hei, ZEIR ANPIN, WHICH WAS GIVEN from the right, and the table is Adonai, MALCHUT, which is from the left, WHICH IS AT THE NORTH. THEREFORE, one needs to join them, BECAUSE THE LEFT WITHOUT THE RIGHT CONFERS HARSH JUDGMENTS. Since that table is at the left side, the sages of the Mishnah have explained that a person's sustenance is as difficult to obtain as the splitting of the Red Sea. Therefore, one needs to invite him a Torah scholar, who will study Torah.
51. The seventh SETTING is to stay a long time at the table for the poor TO COME. Whoever stays long at the table will have his days and years extended. For that reason: "charity delivers from death" (Mishlei 10:2). Since a poor man is like a dead man, whom he revives WITH CHARITY, the Holy One, blessed be He, also revives him.
52. Furthermore, an esoteric explanation is that all the poor people originate from the part of the letter Dalet, about which it is said: "I was brought low (Heb. daloti), and He saved me" (Tehilim 116:6). The pronunciation of the letter Dalet in 'Echad' (lit. 'one') should be prolonged. That is meant by the verse: "that he may prolong his days in his kingdom" (Devarim 17:20). Therefore, it behooves one to stay long at the table, which is Dalet (=four), because it has the four legs of the table. In honor of that letter Dalet, one should stay long at the table for the sake of the poor.
53. In relation to it the sages explained that the Holy One, blessed be He, sought a comely virtue for Yisrael, and found only the virtue of poverty. A difficulty was raised here, since the ancient sages explained that the number of different deaths is equivalent to the numerical value of the word 'totzaot (lit. 'modes')' (=903) (Tehilim 68:21), and that an empty pocket is the most difficult. How could it be said He found no better virtue for Yisrael than poverty?
54. He RESPONDS, It is only because about each nation and people, IT IS SAID, "and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their Elohim, and look upward" (Yeshayah 8:21). However, the children of Yisrael are in the Covenant with the Holy One, blessed be He, also with this virtue and do not deny His existence. Hence they shall be redeemed by this virtue. This is the meaning of: "and the afflicted people You shall save" (II Shmuel 22:28). 'Ani (Eng.. 'poor')' is derived from 'inui (Eng. 'suffering'),' since even when one has wealth but suffers from illnesses and afflictions, he is considered poor. Or he is distressed FOR HIS WEALTH and is afflicted every day. This is surely true for one who is poorer than him, MEANING THAT HE LACKS EVEN ENOUGH TO FULFILL HIS NEEDS and must wander from place to place, WHO IS MOST CERTAINLY CONSIDERED POOR.
55. There is another kind of poor man, who lost his mind like Job, about whom, it is said: "Job has spoken without knowledge" (Iyov 34:35). So too is the Dalet, which is the Shechinah; when Aleph and Chet OF ECHAD were gone from it, which is the Central Pillar called Da'at (knowledge), IT IS POOR. And one, WHO IS WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE, does not incur iniquity by speaking IMPROPERLY. Furthermore, Aleph Chet is the Torah that is comprised of the 613 commandments. This is the meaning of: "this is My name (Heb. shmi) forever, and this is My memorial (Heb. zichri) to all generations" (Shemot 3:15). Shmi plus Yud-Hei IS NUMERICALLY 365, and zichri plus Vav-Hei is NUMERICALLY 248. Therefore it has been explained that one is poor only in Torah and commandments. This is because the other poor people suffer BUT ARE NOT POOR. The letter Dalet of Adonai, WHICH IS MALCHUT, is also poor without Yud Hei Vav Hei. SIMILARLY, THE DALET OF ECHAD, WHICH IS MALCHUT, IS POOR WITHOUT ALEPH AND CHET OF ECHAD THAT IS THE 613 COMMANDMENTS OF THE TORAH THAT ARE CHASSADIM.
56. The eighth SETTING is the fingerbowl water that was instituted due to the salt of S'dom that is blinding to the eyes. Why is it considered obligatory? HE ANSWERS: According to the esoteric interpretation, deadly poison rests on dirty hands, with which one makes a blessing, and on a cup, over which one makes a blessing without cleanliness, and it is considered defiled. Just as a cup from which people drank is considered unclean for a blessing until it is cleansed by rinsing it inside and out, the hands all the more so. Hence fingerbowl water is obligatory. The secret of this is in the verse: "You shall therefore sanctify yourself" (Vayikra 26:2), which refers to the washing of hands before the meal. "And you shall be holy" (Ibid.) refers to fingerbowl water. "For I am holy" (Ibid.), refers to fragrant ointment, WHICH WAS USED TO ANOINT THE HANDS AFTER FINGERBOWL WATER. THESE THREE THINGS correspond to "Holy, holy, holy." "You shall therefore sanctify yourself" so that it shall be known that you are children of the Holy One, blessed be He. That is what is meant by: "You are the children of Hashem your Elohim" (Devarim 14:1).
57. The ninth SETTING is the cup of blessing. As has been explained by the sages of the Mishnah, ten things were said about this cup of blessing, which are: decorating, wrapping, washing, rinsing, unmixed wine, full cup, receiving it with both hands and leaving it with the right, raising it from the surface a handbreadth, looking at it, and sending it as a gift to the members of his household. Now we have only four, which are washing, rinsing, unmixed wine, and a full cup. Some say the wine should be taken unmixed from the cask, BUT IN THE CUP, WATER MAY BE ADDED TO IT. Some say that unmixed (lit. living) wine means the cup should be whole, AND NOT THAT IT MAY NOT BE DILUTED, because its breaking is its death. THEREFORE, WHEN IT IS WHOLE, IT IS CONSIDERED LIVING. THE OTHER ITEMS ARE EXPLAINED BEFORE US.