13. In explaining the words, "appeared to him," Rabbi Aba said that before Abraham was circumcised, he was blocked FROM RECEIVING THE SUPERNAL LIGHTS. As soon as he was circumcised, everything appeared, INCLUDING ALL THE LIGHTS, AS HIS COVER WAS REMOVED. And the Shechinah rested upon him in full perfection, as should properly be. Come and behold. IT IS WRITTEN, "And he sat in the tent door." "He" refers to the upper world, TO BINAH, that rests upon the lower world, WHICH IS THE NUKVA. HE ASKS, When DOES BINAH REST UPON THE NUKVA? AND HE REPLIES, THIS IS WHY THE VERSE CONCLUDES WITH "in the heat of the day" - when the passion of a certain righteous, WHO IS THE YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, is aroused to rest IN THE LOWER WORLD, WHICH IS THE NUKVA. THAT IS, WHEN THERE IS A MATING BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE, THEN THE MOCHIN OF BINAH DWELL WITHIN THE NUKVA.

14. Immediately AFTER THE MATING OF MALE AND FEMALE WAS COMPLETED, IT IS WRITTEN, "And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him..." (Beresheet 18: 2) AND HE ASKS, Who are these three men? AND HE SAYS, They are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - OR CHESED, GVURAH, AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN THAT ARE NAMED ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB. AND HE SAW THEM standing over that grade, WHICH IS THE NUKVA, and from them the Nukva draws sustenance and nourishment.

15. And then, "when he saw them, he ran to meet them," because the passionate desire of the lower grade, WHICH IS THE NUKVA, is to cleave to CHESED, GVURAH, AND TIFERET. And Her joy is to be drawn toward them. SO, ACCORDINGLY, "HE RAN TO MEET THEM" IS SAID ABOUT THE NUKVA THAT WANTED TO CLING TO THEM. THE VERSE CONTINUES, "and bowed himself toward the ground," to become and be formed into a throne for them - SO THAT THE NUKVA BECOMES A THRONE FOR CHESED, GVURAH, AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN, SO THAT THEY MAY REST UPON HER, AS A PERSON SITS ON A CHAIR.

16. Come and behold, The Holy One, blessed be He, made King David, WHO IS THE SECRET OF THE NUKVA, one of the legs of the supernal throne, like the patriarchs. AND HE ASKS, Even though She is a throne for THE PATRIARCHS, HOW CAN IT BE SAID THAT SHE WAS SET AT THE SAME LEVEL WITH THE PATRIARCHS TO COMPLETE THE FOURTH LEG OF THE THRONE? AND HE ANSWERS, This is so only when She is united with them for the purpose of being a leg of the supernal throne. King David received the kingdom of Yisrael in Hebron for seven years for this reason - to be united with CHESED, GVURAH, AND TIFERET. This has already been explained.

17. Tosefta (addendum). Of the verse, "And Hashem appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre" (Beresheet 18:1), HE ASKS, Why by the terebinths of Mamre and not in any other place? AND HE REPLIES, Because Mamre gave him good advice about being circumcised. When the Holy One, blessed be He, told Abraham to circumcise himself, Abraham consulted his friends. Aner told him, You are more than ninety years old, and you shall pain yourself.

18. Mamre, HOWEVER, said to him, Do not forget the day when the Chaldeans threw you into the furnace of fire and famine took over the world, as it is written, "And there was a famine in the land, and Abraham went down into Egypt" (Beresheet 12: 10). And you smote all those kings that YOUR MEN pursued. And the Holy One, blessed be He, saved you from them all, so that nobody could do you any harm. So rise and fulfill the precept of your Master. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to MAMRE, You advised him to perform the circumcision. By your life! I shall reveal Myself to him only in your chamber. This is why it is written, "by the terebinths of Mamre."

19. Midrash Hane'elam (Homiletical interpretations on the obscure). The sages began their interpretation of this passage WITH THE VERSE, "Your oils are fragrant. For your flowing oil you are renowned" (Shir Hashirim 1:3). Our sages have taught that when the soul of a human being rises from earth to heaven, REFERRING TO THE TIME WHEN A PERSON SLEEPS AT NIGHT, it stands in the Divine Illumination. The Holy One, blessed be He, visits it.

20. Come and listen, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said: When the soul of a righteous person stands in the place where the Shechinah of His blessed Glory rests - MEANING THAT IT IS WORTHY OF RECEIVING THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF 'STANDING UPRIGHT,' and is worthy of sitting by Her, TO RECEIVE THE GARMENT OF CHASSADIM, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF 'SITTING' - The Holy One, blessed be He, WHO IS ZEIR ANPIN, calls upon the patriarchs, WHO ARE CHESED, GVURAH, AND TIFERET, HIS THREE COLUMNS. And He says to them, Go and visit so-and-so, the righteous person who has come, and welcome him in peace in My Name. THIS MEANS THAT THE THREE COLUMNS SHOULD PASS ON THE ILLUMINATION OF THE MATING, WHICH IS CALLED PEACE. THE WORDS "IN MY NAME" REFER TO THE NUKVA. And they claim it is not proper for a father to go and visit his child, but rather the child should seek after his father to see him.

21. The Holy One, blessed be He, then calls upon Jacob and says to him, You, who suffered the sorrow of RAISING children, go and welcome so-and-so, the righteous person who has come here, and I shall go along with you, as it is written, "those who seek your face Jacob, Selah" (Tehilim 24:6). It does not say "seek" in the singular, but in the plural, BECAUSE IT REFERS TO THE SOULS OF THE RIGHTEOUS WHO JACOB WELCOMES AS THEY SEEK HIS "WELCOME." Rabbi Chiya said, This we understand from the first part of the verse. as it is written, "This is the generation of them that seek him," WHICH TEACHES US THAT THE INTENTION OF THE VERSE ALLUDES TO THE SOULS OF THE RIGHTEOUS, NAMELY THE SEEKERS, THE LEADERS OF THE GENERATION.

22. Rabbi Ya'akov said in the name of Rabbi Chiya, Jacob, the Patriarch, is the Throne of Glory. And the teachings of Elijah also state, Jacob the Patriarch is a Throne by himself, as it is written, "Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob" (Vayikra 26:42). The Holy One, blessed be He, established a covenant with Jacob alone, more than THE COVENANT HE ESTABLISHED with all his fathers. He made him a Throne of Glory FOR HIS DIVINE PRESENCE TO REST UPON, distinguishing him from his predecessors. AND THE REASON IS THAT HIS FOREFATHERS, WHO ARE ABRAHAM AND ISAAC, ARE NOT ABLE TO SHINE WITHOUT HIM. THEREFORE, HE IN HIMSELF INCLUDES THEIR LIGHTS AS WELL AS HIS OWN, AND THUS BECOMES A THRONE TO HIMSELF.