Kabbalah Keluaran 31:17: Sha'arei Orah, Sefer HaBahir & Tikkunei Zohar

Now that you are aware of this, know that wherever in Torah you find a count-Sefirah of seven, such as “seven years”¹⁹Deuteronomy 15:1 and elsewhere. or “seven times,”²⁰Leviticus 25:8 and elsewhere. it either refers to the secret of the Sefirot from Foundation-Yesod to Understanding-Binah or from Understanding-Binah to Foundation-Yesod. An example is the verse,²¹Exodus 31:17 “For six-Sheshet-ששת days did HaShem-יהו״ה make the heavens and the earth.” The verse specifies “six-Sheshet-ששת [days],” but does not say “in six-b’Sheshet-בששת [days].” Aside for those six (upper days), there are six mundane days (Chol-חול) that surround and encircle the quality of Foundation-Yesod, and are external to it, like external husks-Kelipot. They therefore are called the six mundane days (Chol-חול). In contrast, the six Sefirot from Understanding-Binah to the seventh, called Foundation-Yesod, are all holy (Kodesh-קודש) and not counted with the mundane (Chol-חול).

Consider the order of the Havdalah prayer we recite on the departure of Shabbat, and you will find that, in it, our sages hinted at these matters. You will discover that the six mundane days (Chol-חול) are outside the circle, as are the nations, and as is darkness. That is, in the words, “Who separates between the holy-Kodesh-קודש and the mundane-Chol-חול,” the one is inner and the other is external. Similarly, in the words, “Between Israel and the nations,” one is inner and the other is external. Similarly, in the words, “Between light and darkness,” one is inner and the other is external, and in the words, “Between the seventh day and the six days of action,” one is inner and the others are external.⁴¹See at length in Ginat Egoz of our author, Rabbi Yosef Gikatilla, translated as HaShem Is One, Vol. 2 (The Letters of Creation, Part I), in the section entitled The Three Letters Yod-Hey-Vav-יו״ד ה״א וא״ו, and in the section entitled The Twelve Tribes of Israel correspond to the Letters ה״ו ז״ח ט״י ל״נ ס״ע צ״ק. They stated,⁴²Talmud Bavli, Beitzah 16a “Shabbat was given to the Jewish people privately, and the nations of the world have no portion in it,⁴³See Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 58b and elsewhere. as it states,⁴⁴Exodus 31:17 “It is an eternal sign between Me and the children of Israel,” such that the nations of the world have no portion in it. This is why in the prayers of Shabbat it was established for us to recite,⁴⁵In the Amidah prayer “And You, HaShem-יהו״ה our God, did not give it [the Shabbat] to the nations of the world, nor did You, our King, grant it as an inheritance to idolators, nor may the uncircumcised participate in its rest – for You have given it with love to Your people Israel.” Similarly, it states,⁴⁶Deuteronomy 4:11 “Lest you raise your eyes to the heavens and see the sun, moon, and stars – all the hosts of the heavens – and be drawn astray and bow to them and worship them, which HaShem-יהו״ה your God has apportioned-Chalak-חלק to all the nations under the all the heavens.” The sign by which to remember this is the generation of the dispersion (Dor Haflagah) and the verse,⁴⁷Deuteronomy 32:8 “When the Supernal One gave the nations their inheritance, when He separated the children of man, He set the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel; For HaShem’s-יהו״ה portion-Chelek-חלק is His people.”⁴⁸See at greater length in Ginat Egoz by our author, Rabbi Yosef Gikatilla, translated as HaShem Is One, Vol. 1, The Gate of Intrinsic Being (Shaar HaHavayah) and on.

Similarly, in reference to Shabbat, which is the secret of the Lower Interpreter-HaMeilitz HaTachton-המליץ התחתון,¹⁵⁶The bond between the seven lower Sefirot, culminating with the seventh Sefirah of Foundation-Yesod from below, and the seventh Sefirah from above, which is Understanding-Binah, as mentioned in Gate Two. the verse states,¹⁵⁷Exodus 31:17 “It is a sign-Ot-אות between Me (Beinee-ביני) and the children of Israel forever.” Now, the masters of the received knowledge (Kabbalah) already hinted that the Sefirah of Understanding-Binah is like the tongue-Lashon-לשון in the mouth.¹⁵⁸Just as the word language in English, comes from the Latin word for tongue, and means a spoken language, so too, in the Holy Tongue (Biblical Hebrew) the word “tongue-Lashon-לשון” also means “spoken language,” which stems from Understanding-Binah, and therefore also shares the numerical value as the word “language-Safah-שפה-385” and is called the Upper Shechinah-שכינה-385. Also See the commentary of Rabbi Yitzchak of Acco to Sefer Yetzirah, Ch. 1; Pardes Rimonim, Shaar 23, Ch. 12 (“Lashon-לשון”). It indeed is truly so that it is like the tongue-Lashon-לשון in the mouth in several ways. Firstly, it is the secret of “The third verse [that reconciles contradictions].”¹⁵⁹See the introduction to Sifra in the thirteen principles of exegesis of Rabbi Yishmael (recited at the beginning of the morning prayers). That is, it is the third quality of Understanding-Binah that reconciles all contradictions, and mediates between the upper three Sefirot and the lower seven Sefirot, as mentioned. Secondly, it is what affects the bonding of the upper three Sefirot, and their emanation and bestowal of blessing upon the seven lower Sefirot. Thirdly, without Understanding-Binah, no one can enter into knowledge of the Singular Preexistent Intrinsic and Essential Being of He Who precedes the world. Now, our teacher Moshe, peace be upon him, who is the Trusted Interpreter (Meilitz HaNe’eman), grasped forty-nine of the fifty Gates of Understanding-Binah. This is as our sages, of blessed memory, said,¹⁶⁰Talmud Bavli, Rosh HaShanah 21b “Fifty Gates of Understanding were created in the world, and all were given to Moshe, except for one.”