The secret of the Torah scroll

217. The reason of reading the Torah scroll on that day was already expounded. We learned that "So they read in the book, in the Torah scroll of Elohim distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading" (Nechemyah 8:8). We also explained that the mysteries of the verse divisions, the tonal accents, the Massoretic readings and all the small details, together with the supernal secrets, were given to Moses on Mount Sinai. HE ASKS: If the Torah was given to Moses together with all these details, and the Torah scroll given with these sanctities, why then is it lacking all those corrections and mysteries that were given to Moses inside the Torah?

218. HE ANSWERS: The secret of the matter is that when the holy throne, MALCHUT, is decorated by and incorporated in the Written Law, TIFERET, then all those punctuation marks, tonal accents and Massoretic points are impressed upon the holy throne FROM TIFERET and concealed therein. On the other hand the shapes (letters) of the Written Law, TIFERET, are brought into the Oral Law, MALCHUT, and cause her to conceive, as a woman conceiving from the male. So the high letters IN THE WRITTEN LAW remain alone in their sanctity as should be, WITHOUT ADDITIONAL SIGNS and are thus shown in synagogue. For the throne, MALCHUT, is blessed and adorned by the secret of the Written Law, and in it, IN MALCHUT, are put all those shapes, WHICH ARE ACCENTS AND MASSORETIC READINGS AS MENTIONED so it is sanctified by the Written Law. The bare letters alone ought to be seen.

219. Then everything is sanctified with most high sanctity as fit, most certainly and especially on this day, SHABBAT. On this day seven people are called up to publicly read the Torah. They correspond to seven voices, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT OF ZEIR ANPIN, which are the inner mystery of the Torah, ZEIR ANPIN. On festivals, only five people are called up in accordance with this principle, BECAUSE THE SEVEN SFIROT ARE PRINCIPALLY FIVE, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH AND HOD; YESOD IS THEIR INCLUSION FROM THE GIVING PART AND MALCHUT INCLUDES THEM ON THE RECEIVING PART. On Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) six people are called up, according to this higher mystery, VIZ. THE SIX SFIROT OF ZEIR ANPIN: CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN.

220. All these rules HE EXPLAINS, come from the same principle. The five people CALLED UP ON HOLIDAYS, correspond to the five grades CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH AND HOD, that are beneath the grade of the ancient light, BINAH AND THE FIRST THREE SFIROT, below IN ZEIR ANPIN. They are the secret of the Torah, FOR ZEIR ANPIN IS CALLED TORAH. The six people ON YOM KIPPUR correspond to the six directions, THAT IS, THE FIVE SFIROT AND YESOD THAT INCLUDES THEM. All comes from the same mystery. FOR THERE IS NO ADDITION TO THE PRINCIPAL FIVE SFIROT. The seven PEOPLE CALLED UP ON SHABBAT CORRESPOND TO the seven voices, FOR MALCHUT INCLUDEDS THEM TOO. All these combinations stem from the one secret, NAMELY THAT THEY ALLUDE TO THE SFIROT OF ZEIR ANPIN.

221. On the day of the new month, one person is added, WHO CORRESPONDS TO MALCHUT, to the three readers ON WEEKDAYS, THAT ALLUDE TO CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN, because at that time the sun, ZEIR ANPIN, shines upon the moon, MALCHUT. This is the secret of the Musaf (lit. 'additional prayer') OF THE NEW MONTH THAT SIGNIFIES THE SAID ADDITION. Upon reading the Torah only one voice and speech ought to be heard.

222. The holy nation should fix and prepare on that day, as well as other days WHEN the Torah scroll IS READ, a throne to become a reader's desk. That throne must have six steps, THE SIX SFIROT OF MALCHUT, leading to it and no more, as is written: "and there were six steps to the throne" (II Divrei Hayamim 9:18), WHICH ALLUDES TO MALCHUT. And there is also one step above, THAT REFERS TO CHOCHMAH OF MALCHUT - THE READER'S DESK, to put on it the Torah scroll and show it to everyone. BECAUSE THE READER'S DESK, THE SECRET OF CHOCHMAH OF MALCHUT, ENABLES THE TORAH SCROLL TO BE SEEN, THAT IS THE SECRET OF ZEIR ANPIN. FOR SIGHT IS AVALIABLE ONLY IN MALCHUT.

223. When the Torah scroll is put there, the whole people should make themselves ready down below, with awe and fear, quaking and trembling, and to meditate in their heart, as if there were standing now beneath Mount Sinai to receive the Torah. They should listen and lend their ears. For the people are not permitted to open their mouths even to discuss the Torah, not to mention other matters. But they are all in awe, as one who is speechless. And we already explained it in relation to the words: "and when he opened it, all the people stood up" (Nechemyah 8:5), and "and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the Torah" (Ibid. 3).

224. Rabbi Shimon said that when the Torah scroll is brought out to be read in public, the heavenly gates of Mercy open and stir the love of above. Then one should thus pray:

225. Blessed be the name of the Master of the universe, blessed be Your crown and Your place. May Your good will be with Your people Yisrael for ever, and the redemption of Your right hand be shown to Your people in Your Temple. May You bestow on us the bounty of Your light, and accept our prayers in mercy. May it please You, that You shall lengthen our lives in goodness, and that I, Your servant, shall be remembered among the righteous, so as to have mercy upon me and safeguard me and all that is mine, and that of Your people Yisrael. You are that giver of nourishment and sustenance for all. You rule over all. You rule over kings, and the kingdom is Yours. I am the servant of the Holy One, blessed be He; before Him I bow, and before the majesty of His Torah at all times. Not upon man do I put my trust, nor upon angels do I rely, but only upon Elohim in heaven, that is the Elohim of truth, and Whose Torah is truth, and Whose prophets are true; that acts with much kindness and truth. In Him do I put my trust, and to His holy and precious name do I sing praises. May it beYour will to open my heart to Your Torah, and to grant me male children to do Your wish; and may You fill the proper requests of my heart, and the heart of all Your people Yisrael for good and life and peace. Amen.

226. Only one person is allowed to read the Torah, and everyone else are to listen in silence, to hear the words of his mouth, as if they were now receiving it on Mount Sinai. There should be one person standing next to the reader, VIZ. THAT WAS CALLED UP TO THE READING. And he must be silent so that only one speech is heard and not two. THERE SHOULD BE ONE WHO READS IN the holy tongue, not two, because if two read the Torah, it would diminish the secret of the Faith, and the majesty of the Torah is reduced. It is essential to have only one voice. THERE ALSO SHOULD BE one translator, in the secret of the shell and the fruit. BECAUSE THE TRANSLATOR IS CONSIDERED THE SHELL, AND THE READER IN THE HOLY TONGUE ALLUDES TO THE FRUIT. THERE IS NO FRUIT WITHOUT A SHELL.

227. All are silent and one reads, as is written: "And Elohim spoke all these words, saying" (Shemot 20:1). He is above ON THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN, and the people are below, as is written: "they took their positions at the base of the Mountain" (Shemot 19:17), and "And Moses went up to Elohim" (Ibid. 3). FOR THERE WAS ONE READER, AND ONE CALLED UP TO THE READING, ON THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN; AND ALL THE PEOPLE AT THE BASE OF THE MOUNTAIN LISTENED IN SILENCE. SO SHOULD IT BE WITH THE TORAH SCROLL.

228. The reader of the Torah should concentrate in his heart and will, upon that he reads, and realize he is the messenger of his Master in the orderly uttering of the verses before the whole people, for he is the likeness of the high one, LIKE THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, AT THE GIVING OF THE LAW. For that reason he who is summoned to read the Torah, should rehearse first at his home. And if he did not REHEARSE, he must not read. Whence do we know that? From what THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, said, before He uttered aloud the Torah to the holy people, as is written: "then He saw it, and related to: He established it, and searched it out" (Iyov 28:27), and then "to man He said, Behold, the fear of Hashem, that is wisdom..." (Ibid. 28). FOR BEFORE RECITING IT TO MAN, HE PREPARED AND RELATED TO HIMSELF EACH AND EVERY UTTERANCE. SO IT BEHOOVES EVERY READER TO DO.

229. The reader must not break the reading of the Portion of the Law, not even by one word, save at the places Moses indicated to the holy people. Also he must not read into the next portion of the following Shabbat.

230. The secret thereof is that when all the portions are read, as divided, each and every one is adorned with a crown and stands before the Holy One, blessed be He. When all the divided portions of the year are completely read, they all come adorned before the Holy One, blessed be He, and say: I am of this Shabbat, I am of that Shabbat.

231. At that time, the Holy One, blessed be He, calls Yofi'el, the supreme chief, and the fifty three Chariots under his command, CORRESPONDING TO THE FIFTY THREE PORTIONS OF THE TORAH. The Chariots were assigned to the service of the Torah, each Chariot to a certain portion of a certain Shabbat. Each one of them is at the service of its own weekly portion of the Torah, and we must not disarrange them and cause the Chariots to touch each other, even by a hairbreadth, or by one word, or even by one letter. Each portion ought to be as the Holy One, blessed be He, decreed, NAMELY IN THE SAME WAY THEY WERE ADORNED BEFORE HIM, and THE CHARIOTS SHOULD BE as appointed over the apportioned passages, each to its post.

232. With the crowning of each portion, its words go up after the completion of the public reading, and are received by the Chariot in charge of that portion. That Chariot raises them before the Holy One, blessed be He, and these actual words stands before Him, and say 'I come of a certain portion that was read this way and that, in such and such a congregation', TO SHOW WHETHER THEY WERE READ CORRECTLY OR INCORRECTLY.

233. If the complete portion was properly read, its words mount and adorn the holy throne, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and a Chariot is assigned to serve it. Each Chariot is assigned to serve the portion of each Shabbat, MEANING TO ITS OWN PORTION. And all are decorated within the holy throne, which rises with them to be united above, WITH ZEIR ANPIN, so that all, THE PORTION, THE THRONE AND ZEIR ANPIN, become one. For that reason happy is the portion of him, who completes the reading of the weekly portion in a proper manner, according to the division fixed above.

234. The Torah is read twice on Shabbat, IN THE MORNING, AND at dusk (Minchah), when Judgment hangs over the world ON WEEKDAYS, before sunset. We should combine left and right, as the Torah was given from both sides, as is written: "from His right hand went a fiery law for them" (Devarim 33:2). FOR THE TORAH IS FIRE, WHICH ALLUDES TO THE LEFT, TOGETHER WITH HIS RIGHT HAND, NAMELY right and left. THEREFORE IT IS READ IN THE MORNING, WHICH ALLUDES TO THE RIGHT, AND AT DUSK, WHICH ALLUDES TO THE LEFT. For that reason ten verses or more are read in the Book of the Law at Minchah, but not a whole portion, because a whole portion exists only in the right, and the right prevails only before the time of Minchah, BUT AT MINCHAH IS THE LEFT. And this was already explained.

235. On the second and on the fifth days of the week we read the Torah, because the grades descend. FOR ON WEEKDAYS JACOB AND RACHEL TAKE THE DUTY OF THE GREAT MALE AND FEMALE, which are the whole of the Torah, WHOM THEY CLOTHE FROM THE CHEST DOWNWARD OF ZEIR ANPIN, JACOB CORRESPONDING TO THE TORAH LIKE ZEIR ANPIN. You may say that only the prophets extend downward, FOR JACOB CLOTHES ONLY NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, THE GRADES OF THE PROPHETS, BUT NOT OF THE TORAH, WHICH IS THE ASPECT OF CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET. THEREFORE WHY READ THE TORAH? HE REPLIES: assuredly this is so, THAT JACOB CLOTHES ONLY NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, but all of those who are below, THE NINE SFIROT OF JACOB, the Torah is comprised of them all. TO WIT, THE WHOLE OF JACOB CORRESPONDS TO CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, WHICH ARE THE TORAH, LIKE ZEIR ANPIN. And each of these three Sfirot is comprised of the other, AND SINCE THEY CONSIST OF ONE ANOTHER, EACH HAS IN IT CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET.

236. The secret of the matter is that these upper grades, THE SEVEN SFIROT OF ZEIR ANPIN are called one portion, NAMELY THE WEEKLY PORTION. From them emanate nine grades bound together, THE NINE SFIROT OF JACOB. This is why nine people are called to read the Torah; three on Shabbat's Minchah, CORRESPONDING TO CHOCHMAH, BINAH AND DA'AT OF JACOB, three on Monday, CORRESPONDING TO CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF JACOB, and three on Thursday, CORRESPONDING TO NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD OF JACOB. Altogether there are nine people. IT WAS ALREADY EXPLAINED THAT THE NINE SFIROT ARE INCLUDED THE ONE WITHIN THE OTHER, AND THUS EACH HAS CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET THAT ARE THE TORAH, EVEN NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD.

237. It is written in the book of Rav Yeba Saba (the elder) that, on Minchah of Shabbat, the mystery of the left is awakened, and the lower point, MALCHUT, receives from the left side the mystery of the Torah. At that time MALCHUT is going from the left, from which side we read THE TORAH. THAT IS TO SAY, THAT THOUGH MALCHUT HERSELF IS NOT CONSIDERED THE WRITTEN LAW, YET SINCE SHE RECEIVES THE ASPECT OF THE WRITTEN LAW FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF ZEIR ANPIN, WE READ THE TORAH.

238. For MALCHUT is based on the secret of the nine SFIROT, and therefore we call up nine PEOPLE, THAT IS, six PEOPLE - CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD OF MALCHUT - on weekdays, MONDAY AND THURSDAY, and three PEOPLE, THAT ARE HER FIRST THREE SFIROT, when the left awakens on Shabbat, AT MINCHAH OF SHABBAT; and we unite them into one. MALCHUT adorns herself with them on three sides, RIGHT, LEFT, AND CENTRAL, like the upper three sides, CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, that are included in the weekly portion, THAT WE READ IN THE MORNING. Happy is the portion of whoever is worthy of the preciousness of Shabbat, he is happy on both worlds, this world and the World to Come.