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.

58. He EXPLAINS WHAT A WHOLE CUP IS. A cup, according to wisdom, is MALCHUT THAT IS CALLED Elohim (Aleph Lamed Hei Yud Mem), when it is full with Yud Hei. WHEN IT IS IN SMALLNESS, MALCHUT IS CONSIDERED MUTE (HEB. ILEM, ALEPH LAMED MEM) WITHOUT YUD HEI. And they are whole, MEANING THAT BOTH NAMES, THE CUP AND ELOHIM, ARE COMPLETE THIS WAY. HOWEVER, a cup (Heb. kos) without Vav is like kes (Caf Samech) instead of kise (Eng. 'throne,' Caf Samech Aleph), which would be defective and lacking without Aleph. Therefore, KES INSTEAD OF KISE is lacking without Vav, and is defective. The Throne does amount numerically to kos, SINCE HAKISE (ENG. 'THE THRONE') IS ALSO A NAME OF MALCHUT, AS IS KOS.

59. The cup is MALCHUT, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF Hei (=five) OF YUD HEI VAV HEI. Ten items are needed that correspond to Yud (=ten) TO MULTIPLY TEN BY FIVE AND DRAW THE FIFTY GATES OF BINAH. They are: 1) crowning that indicates the secret of the corona, meaning the crown of Tiferet, WHICH IS MALCHUT OF YESOD. This is the secret of the crowning, of which the sages of blessed memory said that he used to crown it by placing scholars around it, that is, the corona of the member of the Covenant, IN ORDER TO JOIN WITH IT MALCHUT OF YESOD, WHICH INDICATES THE UNION OF YESOD AND MALCHUT, TO GIVE BIRTH TO SOULS, THE SECRET OF SCHOLARS. 2) Wrapping INDICATES the verse: "a prayer of the poor when he faints (or: 'wraps')" (Tehilim 102:1) because all these blessings and prayers are covered together, MEANING THEY ARE DELAYED IN BEING RECEIVED until the prayer of the poor rises. THE PRAYER OF THE POOR IS THE CORRECTION OF MALCHUT FROM THE SIDE OF DALET OF ECHAD, WHICH IS CALLED POOR. THE WRAPPING INDICATES THIS CORRECTION.

60. 3) and 4) are washing and rinsing, which are like: "and cleanse it, and hallow it" (Vayikra 16:19). Cleansing is from the right, WHICH IS Chesed, and the hallowing is from the left, WHICH IS Gvurah. The cup of blessing IS CALLED Malchut from the part of Binah that is called Elohim, and called a wreath from the part of Keter. 5) IT IS CALLED unmixed (living) from the aspect of Yesod that is also called peace, as it is written: "'neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed,' said Hashem that has mercy on you" (Yeshayah 54:10). RATHER, IT WILL BE ALIVE FOREVER. THEREFORE, MALCHUT IS CALLED LIVING FROM THIS ASPECT. 6) Full is from the aspect of Tiferet, MEANING WHEN IT RECEIVES FROM TIFERET THAT IS ABOVE THE CHEST, IT IS WHOLE AND FULL. 7) Accepting it with both hands, THAT INDICATE THE TWO HEIS OF YUD HEI VAV HEI, in WHICH THE UPPER HEI, WHICH IS BINAH, IS CHESED, AND THE LOWER HEI IS MALCHUT, IS GVURAH.

61. Leaving it with the right hand, because the upper Hei IS Chesed, and the second Hei IS Gvurah. THEREFORE, HE SHOULD GIVE IT WITH THE RIGHT HAND, WITH THE FIRST HEI. 8) Lifting it off the surface a handbreadth. THE HANDBREATH INDICATES the secret of the letter Yud, because Hei is raised by Yud, MEANING THAT ONE SHOULD RAISE THE FIVE SFIROT OF MALCHUT FROM HER PLACE, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE SURFACE, MULTIPLY HER BY YUD, AND MEDITATE ON HER RECEIVING THE FIFTY GATES OF BINAH. 9) Looking at it with the eyes, which are the secret OF THE UNIFICATION of Yud-Aleph-Hei-Dalet-Vav-Nun-Hei-Yud, NAMELY, THE COMBINATION OF YUD HEI VAV HEI AND ADONAI. ONE SHOULD MEDITATE THAT Yud Hei Vav Hei, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, shines in the pupil of the eye, WHICH IS ADONAI. Yud Hei Vav Hei SHINES IN THE THREE COLORS OF THE EYES, WHITE, RED AND GREEN, WHICH ARE CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN. Adonai shines in the two eyelids, as well as the two pupils OF THE EYE AND THE HAIR OF THE EYELASHES. 10) Sending it as a gift to the members of the household. ONE'S HOUSE is Binah, regarding which it is written: 'Let Moses rejoice in the gift of his portion.' This is BECAUSE MOSES MERITED BINAH AND ONE NEEDS TO ATTACH THE CUP, WHICH IS MALCHUT, TO THE LIGHTS OF BINAH.