15. That is what the scripture says, "Blow a Shofar at the new moon, at the covering on our feast day" (Ibid.), meaning the area to which the Shechinah ascended. Regarding this, it is said, 'Do not investigate into what is hidden from you.' The iniquities that are in concealment need to be judged there between himself and his Creator. About the iniquities he committed in public, it is written: "He that covers up his sins shall not prosper" (Mishlei 28:13). The Shechinah from the side of Keter is the hidden world and the sages of the Mishnah have explained that a person needs to connect HIS INIQUITIES to that place, WHICH IS KETER. At that time, a period of Mercy arrives and Judgment passes away. Therefore, he recommends to connect ONE'S INIQUITIES TO KETER, to free him from the testimony OF MALCHUT. However, the wicked is not acquitted.

16. Furthermore, the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah give CONSTANT testimony about the person AND NOT ONLY ON ROSH HASHANAH, AS MENTIONED. This is what is written: "I call heaven and earth to witnesses against you this day" (Devarim 4:26). Heaven is the one about which is written: "hear You (in) heaven" (I Melachim 8:32), THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN. Earth is the one about which is written, "and the earth is My footstool" (Yeshayah 66:1), THAT IS MALCHUT. In addition, the two witnesses are the Central Column, THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN, and the Righteous IS YESOD. They are Ayin and Dalet of Sh'ma and Echad (lit. 'one'), NAMELY AYIN FROM THE SPELLING OF SH'MA, AND DALET FROM ECHAD. THIS IS THE WITNESS (HEB. ED, AYIN-DALET) FROM THE ASPECT OF ZEIR ANPIN; there is another witness from, 'blessed is the Name of the glory of His Kingdom forever and ever (Heb. va'ed),' NAMELY ED FROM THE WORD 'VA'ED,' WHICH IS A WITNESS FROM THE ASPECT OF YESOD IN ZEIR ANPIN, WHICH IS INCLUDED IN MALCHUT.

17. "At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death" (Devarim 17:6). That is Samael, who is essentially dead: "they carried it between two on a pole" (Bemidbar 13:23). "But at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death" (Devarim 17:6), meaning he shall have no portion in the one El.

18. "If a false witness rise up against any man...and the judges shall make diligent inquiry...then shall you do to him as he had thought to have done to his brother" (Devarim 19:16-19). This precept is to examine the witnesses seven times before sentencing one to death. The seven examinations are seven that correspond to: "those seven...the eyes of Hashem, they rove to and fro through the whole earth" (Zecharyah 4:10). THEY ARE THE SECRET OF CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT. Regarding them, it is said: "and will chastise you seven times for your sins" (Vayikra 26:28).

19. The following precept is to do to a witness convicted of false testimony as he thought to do to his brother. If the two false witnesses, Samael and the serpent, come to give false testimony against Yisrael that they confused between Vav and Zayin, NAMELY BETWEEN ZEIR ANPIN THAT IS CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT, THAT IS ZAYIN. MEANING, THEY HAVE SINNED AND DISTANCED BY THEIR SIN THE VAV, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, FROM THE ZAYIN, WHICH IS MALCHUT, which are the letters of 'zu (Zayin Vav).' This is the meaning of, "This people which (Heb. zu) I have formed for Myself; they shall relate My praise" (Yeshayah 43:21), ALLUDING TO THE PEOPLE THAT UNITES THE ZAYIN WITH THE VAV.

20. The Vav will be united with the Zayin only by burning leavened bread, MEANING TO BURN THE KLIPOT THAT TAKE HOLD between the Vav and the Zayin - THAT IS, BETWEEN ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT. Even though according to the laws of the Torah IT IS PERMISSIBLE TO EAT to the end of the sixth hour of the day, the sages have decreed that you may eat to the end of the fourth hour, hold it in suspense during the fifth hour, and burn it at the beginning of the sixth. The sages of the Mishnah deduced from the testimony regarding the hours of the disposition of leaven THAT ACCORDING TO THE LAWS OF THE TORAH THE TIME TO BURN IS PAST THE SIXTH HOUR - AT THE SEVENTH HOUR, to the testimonial regarding the examination of witnesses about one who has killed someone, WHICH ALSO REQUIRE SEVEN EXAMINATIONS, AS MENTIONED ABOVE, and everything is explained in the Mishnah. It shall be fulfilled REGARDING SAMAEL AND THE SERPENT, "in the thing wherein they dealt proudly" (Shemot 18:11), WHICH MEANS, IN THE SAME THING THE EGYPTIANS PLANNED TO PUNISH YISRAEL, THEY WERE PUNISHED. That is the meaning of: "then shall you do to him, as he had thought" (Devarim 19:19).

21. The following precept is to accept the ruling of the Great Sanhedrin on them, which is Binah, which, from the aspect of Chesed, is called Elohim-- the great Sanhedrin, SINCE GREAT IS CHESED. It is great in judgment, WHICH IS THE LEFT, and great in finding merit, WHICH IS THE RIGHT. THIS MEANS THAT WHEN THE LEFT SIDE OF BINAH IS INCLUDED WITHIN THE RIGHT, WHICH IS CHESED, BOTH ARE CONSIDERED GREAT, as we learned in relation to the precept, "you may appoint (lit. 'appoint you shall appoint') a king over you" (Devarim 17:15), in which "appoint" is above IN BINAH, and "you shall appoint" is below, IN MALCHUT. In the same way one must accept upon himself the Great Sanhedrin FROM THE ASPECT OF BINAH, although he accepted upon himself the Small Sanhedrin FROM THE ASPECT OF MALCHUT. The small court consists of three from the aspect of the lower Shechinah - WHICH IS MALCHUT. The great court consists of those in the Great Sanhedrin OF 72 MEMBERS, SEVENTY SANHEDRIN JUDGES AND TWO SCRIBES.

22. The Holy Luminary, RABBI SHIMON, said TO THE FAITHFUL SHEPHERD: The Great Sanhedrin consisted of seventy members, and you are the greatest of them all, as it is written: "every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge" (Shemot 18:22), which relates to the Great Sanhedrin and the Small Sanhedrin, ABOUT WHICH IT IS SAID, "GREAT MATTER" AND "SMALL MATTER." The Great Sanhedrin are from the aspect of the supernal Shechinah, WHICH IS BINAH, and the Small Sanhedrin are from the aspect of the lower Shechinah, WHICH IS MALCHUT.

23. Moses is the best man of the King, ZEIR ANPIN; Aaron is the best man of the Queen. Together with them there are 72 members to the Sanhedrin, MEANING WITH THE SEVENTY SANHEDRIN JUDGES OVER WHOM MOSES AND AARON PRESIDE, which have the same number as Chesed, WHICH HAS THE NUMERICAL VALUE OF 72. Hence, THEY ARE CONSIDERED the Great Sanhedrin, SINCE CHESED IS CALLED GREAT, AS MENTIONED ABOVE. The Small Sanhedrin are from the aspect of the left, THAT IS MALCHUT, WHICH IS ERECTED FROM THE LEFT, ABOUT WHICH IT IS WRITTEN: "and the lesser light to rule the night" (Beresheet 1:16).

24. Due to this, Tiferet IS CONSIDERED "the greater light to rule the day" (Ibid.), BECAUSE it says about it, "Hashem will command His steadfast love (Heb. Chesed) in the daytime" (Tehilim 42:9). SINCE IT IS CHESED, IT IS CALLED THE GREATER LIGHT. "And the lesser light to rule the night" means: "and in the night His song shall be with me" (Ibid.), that is, the song of the Levites, which is Yesod IN MALCHUT, ACCORDING TO THE MEANING OF THE WORDS: "the son of Jesse lives on the ground" (I Shmuel 20:31), IN WHICH 'LIVES' REFERS TO YESOD, AND THE GROUND IS MALCHUT. He has composed ten types of songs in Tehilim, MEANING 'BLESSED,' 'A SONG,' 'A POEM,' ETC. The Righteous is to the left, MEANING YESOD IN MALCHUT, AND THE LEFT, "the lesser light" is the Shechinah that was taken from the left.