182. Rabbi Yisa and Rabbi Chizkiyah were traveling from Cappadocia to Lod. A Jew who had a load of BIRDS CALLED Katfira was with them on a donkey. While they were traveling, Rabbi Yisa said to Rabbi Chizkiyah, Open your mouth and say something of those good words of Torah that you speak everyday before the holy luminary, RABBI SHIMON.
183. He opened the discussion saying, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace" (Mishlei 3:17). "Her ways are ways of pleasantness" refers to roads of Torah, because whoever goes in the way of the Torah, the Holy One, blessed be He, causes the pleasantness of the Shechinah to dwell upon him and never be removed from him. "And all her paths are peace" ARE THE PATHS OF THE TORAH, because all the paths of the Torah are peace. He has peace above, peace below, he has peace in this world, peace in the World to Come.
184. Yisrael said, There is a coin in the box, MEANING THERE IS AN INNER MEANING TO THIS PASSAGE. He said to him, How do you know this? He said to him, I heard it from my father and I learned here in this passage a good thing.
185. He opened the discussion saying, This passage has two manners and two aspects. You read in it of ways and paths. You read in it of pleasantness and peace. What are ways and paths? What are pleasantness and peace?
186. HE ANSWERS, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness" resembles the words, "Who places a way in the sea" (Yeshayah 43:16), for any "way" in the Torah is a road open to all, like a way that is open to everyone. Similarly, her ways are the ways that are open by MEANS OF the Patriarchs, WHO ARE CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, who carved in the great sea, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and entered it. These are the roads that open to all sides and all directions in the world.
187. And this pleasantness THE VERSE SPEAKS OF is the pleasantness that emanates from the World to Come, WHICH IS BINAH, and illuminates on all the lights, WHICH ARE MALE AND FEMALE, and they spread in every direction, NAMELY TO RIGHT AND LEFT. The Patriarchs, WHO ARE CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN, nourish on the goodness and the light of the World to Come that is called pleasantness. Another explanation is that the World to Come is called pleasantness because when the World to Come is roused TO BESTOW, all goodness, all joy, all the lights and all the freedom of the world are awakened. Therefore THE WORLD TO COME, WHICH IS BINAH, is called pleasantness.
188. Therefore we have learned, the wicked who are in Gehenom all have joy and rest on Shabbat, once Shabbat enters. At the end of Shabbat, we have to arouse the supernal joy over us in order to be delivered from the punishment of the wicked, who, from that moment onwards, are punished. We have to awaken, saying: "And let the pleasantness of Hashem our Elohim be upon us" (Tehilim 90:17), for this DRAWS AGAIN the supernal pleasantness, WHICH IS THE MOCHIN OF BINAH, which is general joy. Therefore, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace."
189. HE ASKS, What is "her paths"? HE ANSWERS, These are the paths and courses that emerge from above, FROM ABA AND IMA. A single covenant called peace receives them, WHICH IS YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, household peace, and brings them to the great sea, WHICH IS MALCHUT, when in full strength, and thus it grants it peace. Hence it says, "And all her paths are peace." AND THIS EXPLAINS THE MEANING OF PATHS AND PEACE. Rabbi Yisa and Rabbi Chizkiyah came and kissed him. They said, All these lofty words were hidden by you, yet we were not aware of it. They went. When they reached a field and saw that the wild animals were dead, they said, most certainly there is an animal pestilence in this place.