Behold, the Torah is hidden and revealed. The Holy One, blessed be He, is likewise hidden and revealed. In other words, that which is revealed to us is the garment and outer element, while that which is concealed from us is the inner element. Every person should stir himself to perceive the inner element, that which is concealed from him.
However, how can he attain that which is hidden from him? Through sincere prayer: by powerfully and firmly fixing his thoughts on the words of prayer. For the Holy One desires the prayers of the tzaddikim (Chullin 60b). Why? Because God “loves kindness,” and He wants to constantly provide an influx of bounty and blessings. Yet bounty cannot descend except by means of the vessel known as ANiY, as is said (Numbers 6:27), “and ANiY (I) will bless them.”
Every Jew fashions the aforementioned vessel when he prays in the manner that binds thought to speech. For each member of the Jewish people is called a tzaddik, as is said (Isaiah 60:21), “Your people are all tzaddikim.” And the tzaddik is referred to as ALePh, as connoted by “ALuPheinu (Our great ones) are acceptable” (Psalms 14:14) .
The Nun refers to speech. This is because speech is Malkhut (Kingship), as in “Malkhut is the mouth” (Tikkuney Zohar, Introduction, p.17a). Thus Malkhut is called NuN, as it is written (Psalms 72:17), “may his name yeNoN,” and Rashi explains: [yenon] connotes kingship.
And the Yod is formed by the thought that one attaches to speech, as explained above. This is because thought is referred to as Yod, as it is written (Exodus 15:1): “Then Moshe Yashir (will sing),” and Rashi comments: “Yod connotes thought.”
The vessel known as ANiY is thus completed. The bounty then descends, and God’s desire is fulfilled, since “He loves kindness.” This is the reason that the Blessed One desires their prayers.
2. And it is known that whoever receives pleasure from someone else is referred to as “feminine” vis-à-vis that other person. We see from this that when God receives pleasure from the prayers of the Jewish people, He becomes, as it were, feminine vis-à-vis them. This is as it is written (Numbers 28:8), “it is ISheH (a fire-offering), a pleasing aroma to God.” Through the pleasing aroma that God receives from the Jewish people’s prayers He becomes the aspect of IShaH (a woman). Thus “the woman shall court the man” (Jeremiah 31:21), and as a result the inner element becomes the outer element. {See above, Lesson #15, Or HaGanuz (Hidden Light), which likewise explains this matter.}
9
וְזֶהוּ פֵּרוּשׁ הַפָּסוּק:
This is also the explanation of the [opening] verse: {“When You taavor (pass through) water, Aniy (I) am with you.”}
When You taavor water—The word taAVoR connotes revelation, as it is written (Exodus 12:23), “Then God will AVaR (pass through) to strike Egypt,” which Onkelos renders as: “God will reveal Himself….” And water [in this verse] refers to nothing other than Torah (Bava Kama 82a). Thus, the explanation is: When you want the concealed elements of the Torah to be revealed to you.
לְשׁוֹן הַחֲבֵרִים כִּי תַעֲבֹר בַּמַּיִם אִתְּךָ אָנִי (ישעיהו מ״ג:ב׳):
“Ki Taavor Ba’Mayim (When You Pass through Water), I am with you.” (Isaiah 43:2)
דְּהִנֵּה הַתּוֹרָה סְתִים וְגַלְיָא, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא גַּם כֵּן סְתִים וְגַלְיָא. דְּהַיְנוּ מַה שֶּׁנִּגְלֶה לָנוּ הוּא הַלְּבוּשׁ וְחִיצוֹנִיּוּת, וּמַה שֶּׁנִּסְתָּר מִמֶּנּוּ הוּא הַפְּנִימִיּוּת. וְהִנֵּה, כָּל אָדָם צָרִיךְ לְזָרֵז אֶת עַצְמוֹ לְהַשִּׂיג הַפְּנִימִיּוּת, מַה שֶּׁנִּסְתָּר מִמֶּנּוּ.
Behold, the Torah is hidden and revealed. The Holy One, blessed be He, is likewise hidden and revealed. In other words, that which is revealed to us is the garment and outer element, while that which is concealed from us is the inner element. Every person should stir himself to perceive the inner element, that which is concealed from him.
אַךְ אֵיךְ יוּכַל לְהַגִּיעַ אֶל הַנִּסְתָּר מִמֶּנּוּ – בִּתְפִלָּה לִשְׁמָהּ, שֶׁיְּקַשֵּׁר הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה אֶל הַדִּבּוּר שֶׁל הַתְּפִלָּה, בְּקֶשֶׁר אַמִּיץ וְחָזָק. כִּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא מִתְאַוֶּה לִתְפִלָּתָן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים (חולין ס:), וְלָמָּה, כִּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־ הוּא חָפֵץ חֶסֶד הוּא, וְרוֹצֶה תָּמִיד לְהַשְׁפִּיעַ הַשְׁפָּעוֹת וּבְרָכוֹת. וְאֵין הַשְׁפָּעָה יְכוֹלָה לֵירֵד, רַק עַל־יְדֵי כְּלִי הַנִּקְרָא אֲנִי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר ו): וַאֲנִי אֲבָרֲכֵם.
However, how can he attain that which is hidden from him? Through sincere prayer: by powerfully and firmly fixing his thoughts on the words of prayer. For the Holy One desires the prayers of the tzaddikim (Chullin 60b). Why? Because God “loves kindness,” and He wants to constantly provide an influx of bounty and blessings. Yet bounty cannot descend except by means of the vessel known as ANiY, as is said (Numbers 6:27), “and ANiY (I) will bless them.”
וְהַכְּלִי הַנַּ"ל נַעֲשֶׂה עַל־יְדֵי כָּל אֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, כְּשֶׁמִּתְפַּלֵּל בְּאֹפֶן שֶׁמְּקַשֵּׁר הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה לְהַדִּבּוּר. כִּי כָּל אֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל נִקְרָא צַדִּיק, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיהו ס׳:כ״א): וְעַמֵּךְ כֻּלָּם צַדִּיקִים. וְהַצַּדִּיק נִקְרָא אָלֶף, מִלָּשׁוֹן: אַלּוּפֵינוּ מְסֻבָּלִים (תהלים קמד).
Every Jew fashions the aforementioned vessel when he prays in the manner that binds thought to speech. For each member of the Jewish people is called a tzaddik, as is said (Isaiah 60:21), “Your people are all tzaddikim.” And the tzaddik is referred to as ALePh, as connoted by “ALuPheinu (Our great ones) are acceptable” (Psalms 14:14) .
וְהַנּוּן נִקְרָא דִּבּוּר, כִּי הַדִּבּוּר הוּא מַלְכוּת, עַל דֶּרֶךְ: מַלְכוּת – פֶּה, וּמַלְכוּת נִקְרָא נוּן, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (תהילים ע״ב:י״ז): יִנּוֹן שְׁמוֹ, וּפֵרֵשׁ רַשִׁ"י: לְשׁוֹן מַלְכוּת.
The Nun refers to speech. This is because speech is Malkhut (Kingship), as in “Malkhut is the mouth” (Tikkuney Zohar, Introduction, p.17a). Thus Malkhut is called NuN, as it is written (Psalms 72:17), “may his name yeNoN,” and Rashi explains: [yenon] connotes kingship.
וְהַיוּד נַעֲשֶׂה, עַל־יְדֵי הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה שֶׁמְּקַשֵּׁר לְהַדִּבּוּר כַּנַּ"ל, כִּי הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה נִקְרָא יוּ"ד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (שמות ט״ו:א׳): אָז יָשִׁיר מֹשֶׁה, וּפֵרֵשׁ רַשִׁ"י: יוּ"ד עַל שֵׁם הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה נֶאֶמְרָה.
And the Yod is formed by the thought that one attaches to speech, as explained above. This is because thought is referred to as Yod, as it is written (Exodus 15:1): “Then Moshe Yashir (will sing),” and Rashi comments: “Yod connotes thought.”
וְנִגְמָר הַכְּלִי הַנִּקְרָא "אֲנִי", וְהַשֶּׁפַע יוֹרֵד, וְנִשְׁלָם חֵפֶץ הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, כִּי חָפֵץ חֶסֶד הוּא, וּלְפִיכָךְ הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ מִתְאַוֶּה לִתְפִלָּתָן:
The vessel known as ANiY is thus completed. The bounty then descends, and God’s desire is fulfilled, since “He loves kindness.” This is the reason that the Blessed One desires their prayers.
וְיָדוּעַ הוּא, כִּי מִי שֶׁמְּקַבֵּל תַּעֲנוּג מֵאַחֵר, נִקְרָא נוּקְבָא, רוֹצֶה לוֹמַר לְגַבֵּהּ. וְנִמְצָא כְּשֶׁהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ מְקַבֵּל תַּעֲנוּג מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל מִתְּפִלָּתָן, כִּבְיָכוֹל נַעֲשֶׂה נוּקְבָא לְגַבֵּי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁכָּתוּב (במדבר כ״ח:ח׳): אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחוֹחַ לַה'; כִּי עַל יְדֵי רֵיחַ הַנִּיחוֹחַ שֶׁמְּקַבֵּל הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ מִתְּפִלּוֹת שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, נַעֲשֶׂה בְּסוֹד אִשָּׁה. וּנְקֵבָה תְּסוֹבֵב גָּבֶר (ירמיהו ל״א:כ״ב), אִם כֵּן מֵהַפְּנִימִיּוּת נַעֲשֶׂה חִיצוֹנִיּוֹת. (וְעַיֵּן לְעֵיל בְּהַתּוֹרָה "אוֹר הַגָּנוּז" (סִימָן טו), שָׁם מְבֹאָר גַּם כֵּן עִנְיָן זֶה).
2. And it is known that whoever receives pleasure from someone else is referred to as “feminine” vis-à-vis that other person. We see from this that when God receives pleasure from the prayers of the Jewish people, He becomes, as it were, feminine vis-à-vis them. This is as it is written (Numbers 28:8), “it is ISheH (a fire-offering), a pleasing aroma to God.” Through the pleasing aroma that God receives from the Jewish people’s prayers He becomes the aspect of IShaH (a woman). Thus “the woman shall court the man” (Jeremiah 31:21), and as a result the inner element becomes the outer element. {See above, Lesson #15, Or HaGanuz (Hidden Light), which likewise explains this matter.}
וְזֶהוּ פֵּרוּשׁ הַפָּסוּק:
This is also the explanation of the [opening] verse: {“When You taavor (pass through) water, Aniy (I) am with you.”}
כִּי תַעֲבֹר בְּמַיִם – וְתַעֲבֹר מִלְּשׁוֹן הִתְגַּלּוּת, כְּמָה שֶׁכָּתוּב (שמות י״ב:כ״ג): וְעָבַר ה' לִנְגֹּף אֶת מִצְרַיִם, וְתִרְגֵּם אוּנְקְלוֹס: וְיִתְגַּלֵּי ה' וְכוּ'. וְאֵין מַיִם אֶלָּא תּוֹרָה (בבא קמא יז). וְהַפֵּרוּשׁ הוּא, כְּשֶׁתִּרְצֶה שֶׁיִּתְגַּלֶּה לְךָ הַנִּסְתָּר מֵהַתּוֹרָה –
When You taavor water—The word taAVoR connotes revelation, as it is written (Exodus 12:23), “Then God will AVaR (pass through) to strike Egypt,” which Onkelos renders as: “God will reveal Himself….” And water [in this verse] refers to nothing other than Torah (Bava Kama 82a). Thus, the explanation is: When you want the concealed elements of the Torah to be revealed to you.
אִתְּךָ אָנִי, כְּלוֹמַר, תִּרְאֶה שֶׁתַּעֲשֶׂה הַכְּלִי שֶׁנִּקְרֵאת אֲנִי כַּנַּ"ל:
Aniy am with you—That is, make sure that you fashion the vessel known as ANiY, as explained above.