There were two women in the world

329. Come and see: There were two women in the world who praised the Holy One, blessed be He, such as no men in the world did. Who are they? Deborah and Hannah. Hannah said, "There is none holy as Hashem; for there is none besides You" (I Shmuel 2:2) and all THE FOLLOWING verses. She thus opened the gate of Faith in the world, such as: "He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the beggar from the dunghill" (Ibid. 8). This is the gate of Faith, WHICH IS MALCHUT, WHICH IS CALLED A POOR ONE AND A BEGGAR WHEN THE GENERATION IS SINFUL. WHEN THEY REPENT, IT SAYS OF HER, "HE RAISES UP THE POOR OUT OF THE DUST." "To set among princes" (Ibid.): This is the upper Faith where the patriarchs abide: CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN. FOR who are the princes? They are the patriarchs, as written, "The nobles of the peoples are gathered together, the people of Elohim of Abraham" (Tehilim 47:10). THUS, FROM THE ASPECT OF THE FATHERS THEY ARE CALLED NOBLES.

330. Another explanation for: "To set among princes:" She prophesied of Samuel that he would equal Moses and Aaron, as written, "Moses and Aaron among His priests and Samuel among those who call on His name" (Tehilim 99:6). "And to make them inherit the throne of glory" (I Shmuel 2:8). What is "make them inherit?" It is Samuel, who made two kings, SAUL AND DAVID, inherit the glory of kingship. Another explanation for: "And to make them inherit the throne of glory" (Ibid.): It is the Holy One, blessed be He, who makes His servants inherit His throne. This is the meaning of: "And to make them inherit the throne of glory."

331. "The adversaries of Hashem will be broken in pieces" (Ibid. 10): Merivav (lit. 'adversaries') is spelled without Yud, THE MARK OF PLURAL. What does this teach us? HE ANSWERS, Merivav contains the letters Meriv Vav. This is the Holy King, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN CALLED VAV OF YUD HEI VAV HEI, THE CENTRAL COLUMN. The secret of wisdom was spoken here: when Judgments awaken and the rulers OF THE SIDE OF JUDGMENT overpower Mercy, THE CENTRAL COLUMN, Mercy is subdued BEFORE THE RULERS OF JUDGMENT. When the Holy One, blessed be He, is blessed by the source of the river, BINAH, Mercy, THE CENTRAL COLUMN, overpowers, and Judgments, WHICH ARE DRAWN FROM THE LEFT, are subdued. Hence, "the adversaries of Hashem will be broken in pieces." Meriv Vav, NAMELY JUDGMENTS, THE ADVERSARY (HEB. MERIV) OF THE VAV, THE CENTRAL COLUMN, WILL BE BROKEN IN PIECES BY THE ILLUMINATION OF BINAH.

332. "Out of heaven shall be thunder on him" (Ibid.): Who is "him?" HE ANSWERS, When dew, NAMELY THE ABUNDANCE OF Atika Kadisha, KETER, rests on him and fills his head, NAMELY THE FIRST THREE SFIROT CALLED HEAD, in the place called heaven, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN, then there shall be thunder, and the strength and might of severe Judgment will be broken. "And He shall give strength to His king" (Ibid.): This is the Holy One, blessed be He, ZEIR ANPIN. "And exalt the horn of His anointed" (Ibid.): This is the Congregation of Yisrael, NAMELY MALCHUT called ram's horn, as we explained. His anointed carries the same meaning as in the words: "The anointed of Elohim of Jacob" (II Shmuel 23:1), WHICH WAS SAID OF DAVID, THE ASPECT OF MALCHUT. It therefore says, "the horn of his anointed," which has already been explained.

333. When Deborah came to praise the Holy King, SHE SAID, "Hashem, when You did go out of Seir, when You did march out of the field of Edom" (Shoftim 5:4). This teaches us that the Holy One, blessed be He, invited all nations to receive the Torah, but they did not want it. HE ASKS, Was it not known to Him that they would not want it? WHEREFORE DID HE INVITE THEM? HE ANSWERS, So that they would have no excuse to say that they would have kept the Torah had the Holy One, blessed be He, given it to them. HE THEREFORE INVITED THEM. All the verses uttered by Deborah are in the secret of wisdom until she praised herself, as it says, "Until I Deborah arose, I arose a mother in Yisrael" (Ibid. 7). According to our explanation, the spirit of prophecy then quit her, and hence SHE SAID, "Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song" (Ibid. 13). SHE HAD TO AWAKE AGAIN THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY.

334. All this occurred when men were sinful and unworthy of the Holy Spirit resting on them. Surely, "if the whole Congregation of Yisrael sin..." (Vayikra 4:13). As we explained, they erred in their instructions. Yet IT SAYS, "And if the whole Congregation of Yisrael sin," while it should have said, 'And if the whole of Yisrael sin.' What is the meaning of "the Congregation of Yisrael?" THE WORD CONGREGATION IS REDUNDANT. HE ANSWERS, It REFERS TO the dwellers of Jerusalem, whence the Torah spreads to the whole people. If people erred there, so did the whole of Yisrael. According to what we learned, since there IN JERUSALEM they erred, the whole people erred, because everybody follows them. "And the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly" (Vayikra 4:13). The eyes of the assembly are the Sanhedrin, who are in charge over Yisrael.