"You shall revere every man his mother, and his father"

26. "You shall fear every man his mother, and his father" (Vayikra 19:3). This chapter contains general principles of the whole Torah. IF THIS IS SO, WE NEED TO EXAMINE WHY one's fear of father and mother is adjacent to "My Shabbatot" (Ibid). HE ANSWERS: Rabbi Yosi said that it is actually all the same. He who has fear of this, NAMELY HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, observes the Shabbat.

27. "You shall revere every man his mother." HE QUESTIONS: Why does mother precede father, AS IT SAYS, "YOU SHALL REVERE EVERY MAN HIS MOTHER, AND HIS FATHER?" What is the reason? AND HE ANSWERS: As we explained, his mother is powerless TO INSTILL FEAR like his father. Therefore, THE VERSE leads with her fear first.

28. Rabbi Yitzchak said: It is written before, "You shall be holy" (Ibid. 2), MEANING that a man needs to sanctify together with his wife. Whose praise for the sanctity is considered paramount? We say it is the woman's, BECAUSE SHE IS NOT AS KNOWLEDGEABLE IN TORAH AND SANCTITY AS THE MAN. Hence, IT STARTS WITH MOTHER, SAYING, "You shall revere every man his mother, and his father."

29. Rabbi Yehuda said: "You shall revere every man his mother, and his father," PLACING THE MOTHER BEFORE THE FATHER; this is similar to THE VERSE, "in the day that Hashem Elohim made the earth and the heaven" (Beresheet 2:4). In another place, heaven precedes earth. The purpose is to show that both heaven and earth were created simultaneously. This is also the case here. He leads mother before father, and elsewhere he leads father before mother, to show that because both strove for him together, BOTH ARE EQUAL IN FEAR AND HONOR.

30. (A) "And keep My Shabbatot" (Vayikra 19:3), INDICATES TWO SHABBATOT, THE DAY OF SHABBAT, DENOTING ZEIR ANPIN, AND SHABBAT EVE, DENOTING MALCHUT. BOTH are equal and their weight is the same. THEREFORE, THE VERSE WROTE THEM AS ONE, as it is written: "You shall keep the Shabbat therefore; for it is holy to you" (Shemot 31:14); and, "Remember the Shabbat day, to keep it holy" (Shemot 20:8). ONE PLACE WRITES "KEEP" AND ONE PLACE "REMEMBER." Yet one verse deals with the father, DENOTING ZEIR ANPIN, INDICATED THROUGH "REMEMBERING." The other verse is from the mother, DENOTING MALCHUT, INDICATED by "KEEPING."

(B) It is written here: "You shall revere, every man, his mother and his father, and keep My Shabbatot." It is written elsewhere: "You shall keep My Shabbatot, and revere My sanctuary" (Vayikra 26:2). What is meant by, "My sanctuary?" It is according to the literal meaning, THE TEMPLE. Another way TO EXPLAIN, "My sanctuary" is that it refers to those who sanctify themselves at that time. Similarly, "and begin at My sanctuary" (Yechezkel 9:6), WHICH HAS BEEN EXPLAINED. Do not read it "at My sanctuary," but rather, 'at My sanctified.' And just as there ITS EXPLANATION is 'My sanctified ones,' here also IN THE VERSE, "AND REVERE MY SANCTUARY," ITS MEANING IS 'My sanctified ones,' MEANING THE PEOPLE WHO SANCTIFY THEMSELVES, who are the father and mother.

31. "You shall revere every man his mother, and his father." Rabbi Shimon said: It is written, "But you that did cleave to Hashem..." (Devarim 4:4). Fortunate is Yisrael that clings to the Holy One, blessed be He. Because it clings to Him, everything clings together, one with the other.

32. Come and behold: when man sanctifies himself below - such as the friends who sanctify themselves on Shabbat IN THEIR MATING, at the same time when there is supernal mating - grace and blessing are set. Then everything joins together, the soul of Shabbat and the body BORN AND prepared on Shabbat. Hence the verse, "You shall revere every man his mother, and his father." They are one pair in body at that moment that he has been sanctified, MEANING THEY HAVE BROUGHT ABOUT WITH THEIR PAIRING A HOLY BODY. "...and keep My Shabbatot..." refers to the supernal Shabbat, DENOTING ZEIR ANPIN, and the lower Shabbat, DENOTING MALCHUT, who prepare the soul for the body from that supernal pairing, as FROM THE MATING OF ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT THE SOUL IS BORN. Therefore, "and keep My Shabbatot," POINTING TO two. It all cleaves together, the one with the other. Fortunate is the share of Yisrael.

33. Another explanation: "and keep My Shabbatot" is a warning to those who wait to mate from one Shabbat to another Shabbat. We established, as it is written, "to the eunuchs that keep My Shabbatot" (Yeshayah 56:4). Who are these "eunuchs?" These are the scholars that act like eunuchs all other days in order to toil in the Torah. They wait from Shabbat to Shabbat. This is the essence of the writing, "that keep My Shabbatot." The term, "KEEP," MEANS as it says, "but his father kept the matter in mind" (Beresheet 37:11), MEANING TO WAIT. For this reason, it is written, "and keep My Shabbatot." "You shall revere every man his mother, and his father" refers to THE FATHER AND MOTHER OF the body, "and keep My Shabbatot" refers to THE FATHER AND MOTHER OF the soul. THIS AMOUNTS TO TWO SHABBATOT, ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT. It all comes together, one with the other. Fortunate is the lot of Yisrael.

34. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). "You shall revere every man his mother, and his father, and keep My Shabbatot." These precepts are equal to each other, since respect for parents is equivalent to the honor for Shabbat. With regard to his father, it first talks of honor, as the verse said, "if then I am the father, where is My honor (Heb. kevodi)? And if I am a master, where is My fear?" (Malachi 1:6) The word Kevodi numerically equals 42 and consists of the ten sayings and 32 times Elohim WRITTEN in the acts of Creation.

35. In every place, "The wise shall inherit honor" (Mishlei 3:35). The sages explained that this "honor" refers to nothing but the Torah, DENOTING ZEIR ANPIN CALLED TORAH, as the 32 expressions of Elohim in the Torah are His honor. THE WORD KAVOD (LIT. 'HONOR' OR 'GLORY') NUMERICALLY EQUALS 32, THE SECRET OF WISDOM, AS EARLIER MENTIONED. These wise men of the Torah, who are the wise in Chochmah, inherit this honor, THE MOCHIN OF 32 ELOHIM. This is not so for the fools about whom it is written, "but fools shall get shame" (Ibid.). How do we know that someone ignorant in Torah is called a 'fool?' As it is written, "nor does a fool understand this" (Tehilim 92:7). The word, "this," refers to Torah, as it is written: "And this is the Torah which Moses set" (Devarim 4:44).

36. THE HOLY LUMINARY, RABBI SHIMON, SAID TO THE FAITHFUL SHEPHERD: Faithful Shepherd, because you are weak, I have begun this portion with these commandments, in order to be somewhat of a support to you. Be strong as the encampments of the Yeshivot come to you with the following commandment, the precept of instituting a king upon you on high. The Holy One, blessed be He, will appoint you king on high and below in His form, since upon the sages in the Yeshivah rests the supernal Shechinah, BINAH, and also the lower, MALCHUT, THE TWO HEI'S IN THE NAME YUD HEI VAV HEI. And the Holy One, blessed be He, WHO IS THE VAV, is the King in the center OF THE TWO HEI'S, held with the most high and that below, WITH BINAH AND MALCHUT. So you will be in His form, His son. Rise with the glory of the King.

37. The Faithful Shepherd rose, raised his hands upwards, TO KETER, and said: 'May it be Your will, the cause of all causes, who rises from cause to cause, so there is no cause ABOVE YOU. You are above any cause. MAY IT BE YOUR WILL to give me strength to do Your will within your levels,' being Aba and Ima, MEANING CHOCHMAH AND BINAH. 'And I am their son,' SINCE THE FAITHFUL SHEPHERD IS MOSES, REFERRING TO DA'AT, BEING THE OFFSPRING OF CHOCHMAH AND BINAH. With your unity, the two are one. You have equated the fear of Aba and Ima to the fear of You, in as much as You are in the middle, AS CHOCHMAH AND BINAH ARE RIGHT AND LEFT WITH KETER ABOVE THEM IN THE MIDDLE. They are one, not two, without any sharing. Even though they, ABA AND IMA, are one through your partnership, you are one without any other participant. For this it is written about you, "and there is no Elohim with Me" (Devarim 32:39).

38. Give me strength to stir myself first to honor You, and then afterwards in honor of my father and mother in Heaven, AS THEY ARE ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT, regarding whom the verse has been explained, "He who robs his father or his mother, and says, 'It is no transgression;' he is a companion of a destroyer" (Mishlei 28:24). The sages of the Mishnah have established that his father is none other than the Holy One, blessed be He, ZEIR ANPIN, and his mother is none other than the Congregation of Yisrael, BEING MALCHUT. Your honor refers to Aba, NAMELY, CHOCHMAH, included in his ten Sfirot from below upward, AS CHOCHMAH DOES NOT GLOW FROM BELOW UPWARD. And both of them, CHOCHMAH AND BINAH, are the throne and bench beneath you for your glory.

39. So they set and proclaimed that the junior respect the senior above him. Aba, being Chochmah, since there is only one father for us all, may serve under You and You shall be a supernal crown over his head. There is no crown above You, nor any other deity. Ima, NAMELY BINAH, NEEDS to serve Aba, as she is beneath him, and is his throne beneath him.

40. "And...said..." (Beresheet 1). ABA appears in every saying, as many as 32 TIMES ELOHIM, WHERE IT SAID, "and it was so." And she, IMA, carried out what He said at once. Because she did His commandments without any delay in the 32 paths OF CHOCHMAH, ILLUMINATING THE 32 ELOHIM IN BINAH, with them were created everything in the acts of Creation. She is called 'glory,' AS THE WORD NUMERICALLY EQUALS 32, AS IT IS WRITTEN: "and in His temple everyone speaks of His glory" (Tehilim 29:9). ALSO, "Blessed be the glory of Hashem from His place" (Yechezkel 3:12); also, 'Where is the place of His Glory to adorn Him.' ALL THESE REFER TO BINAH, CALLED 'GLORY.'

41. The Aramaic translation of the honor of his father is 'yakra.' "The Torah of Hashem is perfect" (Tehilim 19:8), about which is written: "She is more precious (Heb. yekarah) than rubies" (Mishlei 3:15). Hence, THE TORAH, BEING THE SECRET OF ZEIR ANPIN, CALLED 'PRECIOUS,' IS THE HONOR OF THE FATHER. Yisrael, called 'children,' ARE comprised of son and daughter from the aspect of Tiferet and Malchut. It is for these, son and daughter, the precious ones of the father and mother, BEING CHOCHMAH AND BINAH, to do the command OF ABA, and the commandments OF ABA AND IMA are the positive precepts. The sages of the Mishnah have established the concept of being commanded and keeping it. Hence, "will we do and obey" (Shemot 24:7), since that is the honor of Aba and Ima. They command the son to do, and he does at once without any delay.

42. O Supernal cause OF ALL CAUSES, KETER, I wish to strive for your honor, to establish the attributes of Aba and Ima, BEING CHOCHMAH AND BINAH, for your honor's sake. Help me to arrange everything properly. You will arrange for me and for all masters of the Yeshivot above and below. And the camps on high and the low angels will be arranged and ready for your honor, KETER, and for the honor of Aba and Ima, CHOCHMAH AND BINAH, to serve as a stool under His feet, to do the bidding OF ABA AND IMA in all His precepts, and to fear Him in all the negative precepts.

43. This is the meaning of, "You shall revere every man his mother, and his father," adjacent to, "and keep My Shabbatot," and in another verse, "and keep My commandments" (Vayikra 26:3). From the standpoint of the positive precepts such as honor, the father precedes mother. That is Yud-Hei, INDICATING ABA FIRST, AS POSITIVE PRECEPTS ARE FROM ABA'S ASPECT. Now from the side of the negative precepts, REPRESENTING FEAR, mother precedes father. This points to Hei-Yud, WHERE IMA, HEI, PRECEDES ABA, WHO IS YUD. This is the essence of, "It is the glory of Elohim to conceal a thing" (Mishlei 25:2). For those who do not strive for this honor, NAMELY, THE precepts, this thing is to be concealed from them.

44. About them is said: "but fools shall get shame" (Mishlei 3:35). This refers to the unlearned, for they do not work for the glory of Torah. How can they say, 'Our Father, who is in heaven, hear our voice, have pity and compassion upon us, and accept our prayer.' THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, replies to them: "if then I am the father, where is My honor?" (Malachi 1:6) THE MEANING IS, 'where are your efforts on behalf of Torah and observance of My precepts?' For if someone does not know the precepts of his Master, how can he worship Him?

45. The exception is one who hears from the scholars and performs, EVEN THOUGH HE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND ON HIS OWN. This is like the verse, "will we do and obey," MEANING HE LISTENS TO THE SCHOLARS AND PERFORMS. Nonetheless, there is a difference for the person that does not receive it from his Master, but only from His messenger. What is the difference between one and the other? It is written that Moses received the Torah from Sinai, and later passed it to Joshua. 'I, THE FAITHFUL SHEPHERD, received and transmitted to them all.' So for he who receives from someone else, IT IS SIMILAR to when the moon and stars receive their light from the sun, and with this reception they are fulfilled. In the case of one who receives, it is possible that this bounty may depart from him, as we see regarding the sun and moon that their light departs at night, since the sun illuminates only by day, and the moon only at night.

46. You may say that the light of the moon is from the sun; even though ITS LIGHT is gathered, it glows by the moon and stars. HENCE, THE SUN SHINES ALSO AT NIGHT. AND HE ANSWERS: From another standpoint, we see at an eclipse of the moon and sun that their light has departed and they remain like a body without soul. This is due to the fact that there is a master over them that darkens their light. The essence of the light however, is that place from where it flows, which light never stops. There is no other deity above it that will cut off its light.

47. O cause of causes, in as much as you are there, IN TORAH, there is no interruption to the flow of the light of Torah. May it please your never to move away from my father and mother, NAMELY TORAH AND PRECEPTS, ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT, and also not from His children, NAMELY, YISRAEL. And so for he who strains himself for the sake of the Torah, which is precious, THE TORAH will be lasting within him and will not ever be cut off from him. This is not true for he who does not busy himself with it. Even though he observes the precepts of the sages, MEANING THAT HE OBEYS THE SCHOLARS AND OBSERVES AS WE MENTIONED, he serves them. He is then a servant not a son. But if he is a trustful SERVANT, his Master causes him to be in control of all that is His.

48. But one who does not toil in Torah does not serve the sages as to obey them regarding precepts, to fulfill, "will we do and obey." He sins and transgresses the negative precepts. He is considered AND IS LIKENED TO the idolatrous nations of the world, the children of Samael and the serpent, of whom it says, "but fools shall get shame" (Mishlei 3:35) as they refused to receive the Torah. He who does not possess Torah lacks any honor, as it says about them, "the wise shall inherit honor" (Ibid.).