"whoever is of a willing heart"

51. Come and see: when it is a time of goodwill before the Holy One, blessed be He, to unite the supernal Chariot with the lower Chariot so that they would become one, a voice issues from the uppermost holy place, which is called heaven, ZEIR ANPIN, and gathers all those who are holy down below, NAMELY, THE RIGHTEOUS IN THIS WORLD, all the holy ministers, MICHAEL, GABRIEL, URIEL AND RAPHAEL, and all the upper hosts, THE ANGELS, so that all would be ready together. This is the meaning of "And Moses gathered"-Moses is the secret of heaven, ZEIR ANPIN, "all the Congregation of the children of Yisrael" - these are the twelve upper holy hosts, WHICH ARE THE LOWER CHARIOT, UPON WHICH MALCHUT RIDES, AND THEY LIFT MALCHUT TO BE UNITED WITH ZEIR ANPIN.

52. "And he said to them." What did he say? "This is the thing... Take from among you an offering" (Shemot 35:4-5), which means, prepare yourself, all of you, to bear and carry upon you the honor of the holy throne, WHICH IS MALCHUT, to raise it, TO ZEIR ANPIN.

53. Allocate from among you the honored, the elevated ministers, MICHAEL, GABRIEL, URIEL AND RAPHAEL, to raise this offering, which is the secret of the holy throne, MALCHUT, to be united with the patriarchs, WHO ARE CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN. And it is not meet that the Matron, MALCHUT, come to her husband, unescorted by virgin maidens who come with her and conduct her to her husband, ZEIR ANPIN, as is said, "the virgins, her companions that follow her" (Tehilim 45:15). Wherefore all that? To bring her to join her husband, ZEIR ANPIN.

54. "Whoever is of a willing (Heb. nediv) heart" (Shemot 35:5) refers to the four hosts of high angels THAT COME FROM NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT OF MALCHUT; in them are included all the other hosts, NAMELY THE TWELVE HOSTS. SINCE EACH OF THE FOUR HOSTS CONSISTS OF THREE HOSTS, THEY ARE ALTOGETHER TWELVE. And those who come out of the high patriarchs, CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, are called nobles. As we stated, that it is written about the well, "that the nobles of (Heb. nedivei) the people delved" (Bemidbar 21:18). 'Nobles' refers to the fathers.

55. HE ASKS: It is written "he will bring it (Heb. yevi'eha)" (Shemot 35:5) and not "they will bring it"; AND SAYS, "he will bring it" WHICH IS IN THE SINGULAR, INDICATES the unifying of everything into one, THAT IS TO SAY THE MALE AND FEMALE PRINCIPLES. Also, it does not say 'he will bring (Heb. yavi)' but "he will bring it (Heb. yevie'ha)," TO INDICATE MALCHUT WHICH IS CALLED AN OFFERING, to be given to her husband honorably as is proper. "an offering to Hashem," the particle 'Et', before "an offering," comes to add all the other hosts of angels, so that everything should be united into one, to make twelve HOSTS into one, WHICH ARE "gold, and silver, and brass, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, and rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and acacia wood, and oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense" (Ibid. 5-8) WHICH ARE THE TWELVE KINDS. These are the highest twelve hosts, that are included in these four, which are called the holy living creatures. FOR EACH LIVING CREATURE CONSISTS OF THREE, SO TOGETHER THERE ARE TWELVE.

56. And all of them ascend to the holy throne, WHICH IS MALCHUT, to lift her up to be united with her husband, ZEIR ANPIN, so that all becomes one, and that he be with her in high glory. Then the supreme King sits on the holy throne, and wife is united with her husband, MALCHUT WITH ZEIR ANPIN, so that everything would be one. Then everyone rejoices.

57. Come and see, here the count starts with gold, and then silver, because that reckoning is from below UPWARD, FOR GVURAH, THAT IS GOLD, PRECEDE SILVER THAT IS CHESED. But when counting by the reckoning of the supernal Chariot, the counting starts from the right side first, WHICH IS SILVER, and then left, WHICH IS GOLD. Whence do we derive this? It is written: "The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine" (Chagai 2:8); first silver and then gold, BECAUSE IT RELATES TO THE HIGHER. With the lower Chariot, WHICH IS MALCHUT, it starts with left and then the right, as is written: "gold, and silver, and brass," first gold and then silver.

58. And all these Chariots are called "whoever (lit. 'all who') is of a willing heart" (Shemot 35:5). "All," IN THE VERSE "ALL WHO IS OF A WILLING HEART" includes all the other Chariots, WHICH ARE TWELVE. What is heart? It is the secret of the verse "but he that is of a merry heart has a continual feast" (Mishlei 15:15), which refers to the heart of all, and is the holy throne, MALCHUT. Therefore they are called heart. "All who is of a willing heart" is as we stated that the four legions include everything, FOR EACH CONSISTS OF THREE, AND TOGETHER THEY ARE TWELVE, and all are named after the meaning of "all who is of a willing heart." "A heave-offering to Hashem" (Shemot 35:5) is the holy throne. And since they heaved it up and raised itTO ZEIR ANPIN, it is called "an offering to Hashem."

59. For that reason, when Ezekiel saw the secret of the living creatures, that were raising MALCHUT TO UNION, he did not see what they were raising, THAT IS-MALCHUT THAT IS RIDING UPON THEM, because she went to the highest King, ZEIR ANPIN, hidden and secretly, within the supreme glory.

60. "And every wise hearted man among you" (Shemot 35:10) refers to the sixty sources, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD WITHIN ZEIR ANPIN, EACH CONTAINING TEN, that water the world, WHICH IS MALCHUT. From them it is watered. "shall come" (Ibid.) - why is it written? AND HE ANSWERS: For they shall come to receive from the treasury of life, WHICH IS BINAH. Afterwards they will do what the Holy One, blessed be He, BINAH, commands them - to cause enjoyment to the world.

61. "Take from among you an offering to Hashem." Rabbi Yehuda opened the discussion with the verse "Is it not to share your bread with the hungry..." (Yeshayah 58:7). Come and see, blessed is a man's portion when a poor man approaches him. Since he is a poor man, he is a gift that the Holy One, blessed be He, sent him. Blessed is the portion of he who welcomes this gift cordially.

62. Come and see, whoever pities the poor man and refreshes him, the Holy One, blessed be He, honors him as if he created him. This is why Abraham, who pitied all the inhabitants of the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, treated him as if he created them. Such is the meaning of the verse "and all the souls that they had acquired in Charan" (Beresheet 12:5).

63. Although we talked about THE VERSE "Is it not to share (Heb. paros)" (Yeshayah 58:7), yet what does it mean? It means to spread over a tablecloth bread and food to eat. There is another interpretation for this verse. The word "paros" also means "to break," and so pieces of bread should be broken before him, that he would not feel ashamed. And one should break it before him generously. The word "your bread" (Ibid.) is used and not just "bread," for "your bread" TEACHES US THAT THE BREAD SHOULD BE yours, from your own money and not by theft, oppression or robbery. Otherwise, it is no merit; on the contrary, woe to him, when his sin is brought up. Similarly "Take from among you an offering" means to take and give from your own, not from theft, plunder or robbery, as was already explained.

64. Rabbi Chiya, Rabbi Yitzchak and Rabbi Yosi were walking on the way. While they were walking, they were met by Rabbi Aba. Rabbi Chiya said: assuredly the Shechinah is with us. When he reached them, Rabbi Aba said, it is written: "Since the day that I brought forth My people Yisrael out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Yisrael to build a house...that My name might be there, but I chose David..." (I Melachim, 8:16). There is a contradiction between the beginning and end of this verse, for it is written: "I chose no city...I chose David." (Ibid.) They do not agree with each other, for it should have been said 'I chose Jerusalem.'

65. But when it pleases the Holy One, blessed be He, to build a city, He looks first at the leader who heads the people of the city, and then builds the city and brings the people thither. This is to say, "I chose no city," until I saw that David will be a good shepherd for Yisrael. For the city and its citizens all depend on the shepherd, the leader of the city. If the shepherd is good, then it is well for him, well for the city, well for the people, but if the shepherd is bad, woe to him, woe to the city, woe to the people. And now the Holy One, blessed be He, looked at the world and it occurred to Him to build it, He first raised David. This was said in, "And I chose David My servant."

66. I heard a new idea. He opened the discussion and said, "Happy is he who has the El of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in Hashem his Elohim" (Tehilim 146:5). HE ASKS: Why say "El of Jacob" and not "El of Abraham" or "El of Isaac," AND ANSWERS: Because Jacob did not put his trust in his father, nor in his mother, when he fled his brother, and walked alone without money, as was written: "for with my staff I passed over this Jordan" (Beresheet 32:11). And he put his trust in the Holy One, blessed be He, as is written: "If Elohim will be with me, and will keep me..." (Beresheet 28:20), and everything he asked from the Holy One, blessed be He, was given him.

67. "Whose hope (Heb. sivro) is in Hashem his Elohim" (Tehilim 146:5). HE ASKS: IT IS WRITTEN, his hope, not his Faith nor his trust, AND ANSWERS: Do not pronounce it "sivro" with the letter Sin but "shivro" with the letter Shin, which implies breaking. For the righteous are content to break themselves, and to be broken to pieces, and all for the sake of Hashem his Elohim. As much was written: "But for Your sake are we killed all the day long" (Tehilim 44:23), and "Because for Your sake we have borne insult" (Tehilim 69:8).

68. The same happened to Jacob, as is written: "Now when Jacob saw that there was corn (Heb. shever, also: 'trouble') in Egypt" (Beresheet 42:1). For Jacob saw the calamity of exile awaiting him in Egypt and put his trust in the Holy One, blessed be He. And the children of Jacob also suffered the trouble of exile, yet they did not waver from the Faith of their fathers, and the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, was constantly on their lips.

69. That is why it is written about Moses, "And they shall say to me, what is His name?" (Shemot 3:13), FOR THE LAST LETTERS OF THE WORDS OF THE VERSE FORM YUD HEI VAV HEI, A NAME THAT WAS CONSTANTLY ON THEIR LIPS. Since they have known it, they never forgot it, and suffered the trouble of exile for the sake of the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore they merited many miracles and signs.

70. And you, lofty saints, who suffer the breaking of the body in wandering from place to place for the sake of the Holy One, blessed be He, you are doubly worthy of miracles and redemption, and deserve life in the World to Come. They walked together.

71. He opened and said "Take from among you an offering to Hashem: whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it..." (Shemot 35:5). Come and see, when a man wills himself to worship his Master, the will first reaches the heart, which is the basis and foundation of the entire body. Then that goodwill is diffused in all the members of the body; and the will of the members of the body and the will of the heart combine, and draw to themselves the splendor of the Shechinah to rest on them. Such a man becomes the portion of the Holy One, blessed be He. This is implied in "Take from among you an offering," that is, drawing to receive upon you that offering, WHICH IS THE SHECHINAH, so that THIS MAN would be a portion to Hashem.

72. And if you say that this is beyond man's power, come and see what is written: "whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it (her), an offering of Hashem" (Ibid.). "Whoever is of a willing heart," assuredly refers to he whose heart is willing to draw the Shechinah to himself. This is the meaning of "bring her," for though She is highly elevated, he will "bring her," draw Her to reside with him!

73. And when She comes to reside with him, how many blessings and how much wealth does She bring with Her, that is, "gold, and silver, and brass (Shemot 35:5)." He would not need any of the wealth of the world, which is for other people. But you, exalted saints, "Take from among you an offering to Hashem," MEANING THAT THEY WILL GIVE NEW INTERPRETATIONS OF THE TORAH TO RAISE THE SHECHINAH. Rabbi Chiya said, whoever started to raise Her, let him continue.