224. Come and see, on that day OF ROSH HASHANAH the moon is gathered, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and does not shine until the tenth day of the month, when all of Yisrael return in complete repentance and supernal Ima, BINAH, again shines upon it. On that day, YOM KIPPUR, MALCHUT receives the illuminations of Ima, BINAH, and joy abounds everywhere. Hence it is written, "for it is a day of atonement (Heb. YOM KIPPUR)" (Vayikra 23:28). It should have said 'Yom Kippur' in the singular; what is the meaning of Yom Kippurim IN THE PLURAL? This is because AT THAT TIME two lights shine together: the supernal luminary, BINAH, shines upon the lower luminary, MALCHUT. On that day, MALCHUT shines with supernal light, WHICH IS BINAH, instead of from the light of the sun, ZEIR ANPIN. Hence it is written, "at the full moon (also: 'the covering') on our feast day" (Tehilim 81:4), BECAUSE MALCHUT DOES NOT SHINE UNTIL YOM KIPPUR.
225. Rabbi Aba sent a question to Rabbi Shimon, saying, When does the union of the Congregation of Yisrael, MALCHUT, with the Holy King, ZEIR ANPIN occur? He sent to him, "And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother. And she became my wife" (Beresheet 20:12). Rabbi Aba trembled and raised his voice in crying. He said, Rabbi, Rabbi, holy luminary, woe, woe to the world when you shall depart from it. Woe to that generation, which will be in the world when you shall leave them and they shall be orphaned from you. Rabbi Chiya said to Rabbi Aba, What does this VERSE he sent you mean?
226. RABBI ABA said TO HIM, Surely the King does not unite with the Matron, NAMELY, ZEIR ANPIN WITH MALCHUT, save when she shines from supernal Aba, WHEN CHOCHMAH OF IMA IS CLOTHED IN CHASSADIM OF ABA. When she shines from him, she is called holiness, since she receives it from the abode of SUPERNAL Aba, AS ABA IS THE SECRET OF HOLINESS. Then MALE AND FEMALE mate together. For the King is called holiness, as it is written, "Yisrael is holiness to Hashem" (Yirmeyah 2:3), receiving from the place called holiness. Then ZEIR ANPIN SAYS, "my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother," because that name, HOLINESS, is from Aba's house, and not from my mother's house, NOT FROM BINAH. Therefore, "And she became my wife," to unite as one during that time but on no other time, THAT IS, when she receives from the house of Aba, but not when she receives from the house of Ima. Yom Kippur proves that, as intercourse is forbidden on it, since then there is no mating OF ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT, as on YOM KIPPUR she receives from the house of Ima and not from the house of Aba. Rabbi Chiya said, Indeed. Happy is the generation amongst whom dwells Rabbi Shimon. Happy are those who daily stand before him.
227. (A) Rabbi Aba said, Adam was created on Rosh Hashanah and stood on trial before his Master FOR EATING OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL. He repented and the Holy One, blessed be He, accepted him. He said to him, 'Adam, you shall serve as a symbol for your descendants for generations, who are sentenced on that day. If they shall repent, I shall accept them, rise from the throne of Judgment and sit on the throne of Mercy and have pity on them.' David used to say, "I love Hashem who hears my voice and my supplications" (Tehilim 116:1). Hence it is written, "But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared" (Tehilim 130:4), and, "For with You is the fountain of life. In Your light we see light" (Tehilim 36:10).
(B) Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). It is a commandment to be afflicted on Yom Kippur, to subjugate body and soul by means of the five afflictions, the five grades of Yom Kippur, WHICH ARE CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH AND HOD, for the prosecutor comes to impart their sins as we learned. And they are all, ALL OF YISRAEL, repenting wholly before their Father, as we learned in different places. End of Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd).
228. "Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement (Heb. Yom Kippur); it shall be a holy gathering to you" (Vayikra 23:27). Rabbi Chiya opened with, "Of David. A maskil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered" (Tehilim 32:1). We learned that the book of Tehilim is recited by ten kinds of songs: by the chief musician, by Maskil (Eng. 'understanding'), by Michtam (Eng. 'poem'), by a psalm, by a song, by "Blessed," by prayer, by acknowledgment, by Halleluyah. The highest is Halleluyah, as we already explained.
229. The location of Maskil is known AS YESOD OF BINAH. What is that THAT IS CALLED Maskil? It is that water which makes wise those who drink from it, NAMELY, IT BESTOWS CHOCHMAH. The place called Maskil is as in, "He who considers (Heb. maskil) his words shall find good" (Mishlei 16:20). IF MASKIL BESTOWS ON SOMETHING, THERE WILL BE GOOD IN IT, WHICH IS THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH CLOTHED IN CHASSADIM. Since it is so called, forgiveness and the greatest freedom come from it, SINCE FORGIVENESS AND FREEDOM ARE BESTOWED FROM CHOCHMAH IN BINAH. This is the secret of, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered," SINCE HIS TRANSGRESSION IS FORGIVEN BY THE PLENTY OF CHOCHMAH.
230. HE ASKS, What is MEANT BY, "whose sin is covered," AND HE ANSWERS, It was explained that the sin he committed before the Holy One, blessed be He, is covered from people, and he confessed it before the Holy One, blessed be He. Yet come and see, when a man sins, sinning once, twice and thrice, and does not repent, his sins become public, BECAUSE they are made known above and made known below. Criers walk before him and announce, Get away from around so and so. He is chided by his Master, chided above and chided below. Woe to him for blemishing his Master's image. Woe to him, who has no fear for his Master's glory. The Holy One, blessed be He, reveals his iniquity above. This is the meaning of, "The heaven shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him" (Iyov 20:27). When a man walks the path of his Master and busies himself with His service, and happens to sin, everyone covers it, the higher and lower beings. This is called, "whose sin is covered."
231. Rabbi Aba said to him, You have not yet reached the crux of the matter. You spoke well, and whatever the friends said IS fine. But if this is so, it should have said, 'covered sin.' Why does it say, "whose sin is covered (or: 'covering')?"
232. RABBI ABA ANSWERS, There are two matters of wisdom here, IN THE VERSE, "SIN COVERING," as follows. The one, as we learned that from the good deeds man performs in this world a costly garment is made in that world for him to wear. When man does good deeds, yet the evil deeds overpower him, and the Holy One, blessed be He, sees that his evil deeds are more numerous THAN HIS GOOD DEEDS, THEN he is evil, because he is guilty before his Master, SINCE THERE ARE MORE MISDEEDS THAN GOOD DEEDS. He repines and regrets the good deeds he already performed. Then he is entirely lost, from this world and the World to Come. HE ASKS, What does the Holy One, blessed be He, do from the good deeds the sinner accomplished before?
233. HE ANSWERS, Even though the wicked man is lost the good deeds and merits he committed are not lost. For there is a righteous man who walks the ways of the supernal King and has made garments from his GOOD deeds, but before completing HIS GARMENTS he departed FROM THE WORLD. The Holy One, blessed be He, completes him HIS GARMENTS from the GOOD deeds the evil sinner has committed and perfects his garment for him to put in that world. This is the meaning of, THE EVIL "may prepare it, but the just shall put it on" (Iyov 27:17). The evil man made it and the righteous man covers himself with what he made. This is the meaning of, "whose sin is a covering;" THE COVERING, NAMELY HIS GARMENT, COMES FROM THE SINNER. Hence it is not written that it is covered, but that is it a covering, BECAUSE IT REFERS TO A GARMENT.