룻기 1:19의 차시두트

In the holy Zohar, regarding the verse “And the two of them went on” (Ruth 1:19): “The two hehs went.” To understand this, it seems to me as follows: Naomi represents the mystery of the upper holy ה (heh), the world of Binah, the pleasantness (noam) of the Yud — that is, the bond of delight among the supernal holy worlds. For the essential connection among the worlds is through the mystery of the ה. Ruth represents the lower holy ה, the mystery of Malkhut. This is the meaning of the teaching of our Sages: “Why was she called Ruth? Because from her descended David, who saturated the Holy One Blessed Be He with songs and praises.” For the lower ה corresponds to the Divine Name Adonai, whose full spelling numerically equals 671. The expanded letters themselves equal 606, which is the numerical value of Ruth (רות). What remains are the essential letters of the Name Adonai itself, which are in the mystery of David, as is known. Here, however, the expansion stands higher than the root letters of the Name. Thus “from her descended David.” Understand this well. Moab numerically equals 49, corresponding to the forty-nine gates of impurity, Heaven forbid. King David, who emerged from them, slew and purified the holy sparks from among them. This is the meaning of “He measured them with a line” — that he measured them with the line of truth, discerning and understanding within which of them there existed holy sparks requiring purification. He bound together and purified the forty-nine gates. Then “the two of them went” — the two hehs. For through his unification, purification, and rectification of the forty-nine gates, they became united in the mystery of the fiftieth gate from the fifty gates of understanding. Through this there was effected a union of the supernal fifty gates — the upper ה — with the fifty gates of the lower ה. Thus: “the two hehs went.” “Until they arrived at Bethlehem” — for the upper ה is the bond of the hidden, exalted, holy worlds, while the lower ה is the bond and unification of the lower holy worlds. Each one pours forth abundant goodness and blessing: the upper holy ה to the supernal worlds, and the lower ה to the lower worlds. Thus “the two hehs went until they arrived at Bethlehem.” This refers to the “two breads” and to the inwardness of bread, for the letter bet can signify both “two” and “innerness.” Bread (לחם) numerically equals three Divine Names Havayah, the mystery of the upper holy mazal. Twice “bread” equals six Havayah Names — the mystery of the upper and lower mazalot, namely Notzer and Nakeh. This is the mystery of the Two Loaves brought on the festival of Shavuot, and likewise the mystery of the double bread of Shabbat and festivals. The enlightened will understand all this.