22. Rabbi Yitzchak opened the discussion with the verse: "And Hashem called to Moses, and spoke to him out of the tent of meeting, saying" (Vayikra 1:1). HE ASKS: Why is the word "called" (Heb. vaikra) SPELLED WITH a small Aleph? HE ANSWERS: The one who abides in the sanctuary, WHICH IS MALCHUT, is the one who called MOSES and invited Moses TO APPEAR BEFORE HER as one invites a guest. Here, IT IS WRITTEN with a small Aleph and in another verse, "Adam, Seth, Enosh" (Divrei Hayamim 1:1) is WRITTEN a big one, FOR A BIG ALEPH IS BINAH, which is the perfection of all. SMALL LETTERS ARE IN MALCHUT AND THE BIG ONES ARE IN BINAH.
23. Come and behold: there is a difference between Moses and Aaron. Which one is superior? HE ANSWERS: Moses is greater, FOR Moses is the King's best man and Aaron is the Queen's best man. This is like a king who gave his exalted queen a best man to attend to her and her house so that the companion would never appear before the king without the queen. Thus, it is written about Aaron: "Thus (lit. 'with this') (Heb. zot) shall Aaron come into the holy place" (Vayikra 16:3), THAT IS, WITH MALCHUT, CALLED 'ZOT,' AS HER BEST MAN.
24. Moses WAS the best man of the King. Therefore, he was invited to MALCHUT as a guest, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE SMALL ALEPH IN THE WORD VAYIKRA (LIT. 'CALLED'). Then "Hashem spoke to him." Aaron was the best man of the Queen, NAMELY MALCHUT, and all his discourse was for the purpose of the King making pleasing to the Queen, so that the King would be pleased with Her. AARON, who is the best man of the Queen, made a dwelling with Her to attend to her house. He was perfected for this after the supernal model, AS CHESED OF ZEIR ANPIN, and was called a "High Priest." Whence do we know that? It is written: "You shall be a priest forever, after the manner of Melchizedek," (Tehilim 110:4) MEANING THAT "A PRIEST FOREVER" IS CHESED, AND HIS DUTY IS TO BRING MALCHUT, WHICH IS CALLED 'MELCHIZEDEK,' TO PERFECTION.
25. Therefore, he took everything he needed from the residence of the King. And he had to purify all those coming to the house of the Queen, so that there would be none who were unclean among those who entered the sanctuary. Hence, it is written: "Then shall the priest command to take for him to be cleansed two clean, live birds" (Vayikra 14:4).
26. Rabbi Yehuda opened the discussion with the verse: "He who sits in the heavens laughs, Hashem has them in derision" (Tehilim 2:4). "He who sits in the heavens laughs" is "Isaac (lit. 'he will laugh')," who comes from the side of wine, that first smiles and laughs and then rages and bewilders. Hence, it says "who sits in the heavens," and it is not written, 'who sits (in) heaven,' FOR HEAVEN IS ZEIR ANPIN, WHICH INCLUDES CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD. WERE IT WRITTEN 'WHO SITS (IN) HEAVEN,' I WOULD SAY IT IS ZEIR ANPIN, BUT IT IS WRITTEN: "HE WHO SITS IN THE HEAVENS," THAT IS, IN ONE SIDE OF THE HEAVEN, WHICH IS GVURAH AND THE ATTRIBUTE OF ISAAC. Isaac laughs, THAT IS, laughs and illuminates, and therefore the Judgment illuminates and laughs upon the wicked.
27. Then it is written: "Then shall He speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in His burning anger" (Tehilim 2:5). Such is the way for the wicked. The Holy One, blessed be He, at first shines on them and shows them favor, as the wine sheds light at first, and then rages and kills. The Holy One, blessed be He, draws the wicked to Him, SO THEY WILL REPENT. If they turn to Him, all is well. If they do not turn to Him, He destroys them and removes them from the World to Come. They have no share in it and they are lost to everything. If they desire to be purified, they are helped. The Holy One, blessed be He, purifies them and brings them close to Him and calls peace upon them, as it is written: "Peace, peace, both for far and near says Hashem" (Yeshayah 57:19).