קבלה אויף קהלת 7:12

My way of explaining this passage is different. Some of it I have dealt with in the commentary on Ra’ya Mehemna, where it is taught that “psalm” (tehillah) refers to Malkhut.¹³Zohar III, 227b. Cf. also III, 101a. In the Tikkunim it states that “prayer” refers to Malkhut with reference to the ten types of praise of which the Book of Psalms is composed.¹⁴Tikkunei Zohar, 2b. Cf. Zohar I, 23b. Cf. also n. 4 above. There is no contradiction [here] since “psalm” and “prayer” refer to Malkhut in its two aspects. When one prays out of distress and need, then [Malkhut] is called “prayer,” since [in this instance] she bears the prayers of Israel on high. That is the essence of “prayer,” as is explained in that place and elsewhere. When a miracle is wrought for a man and he feels a need to say words of praise, then [Malkhut] is a “psalm” in the mystery of the miracle, which stems from Yesod [and] which brings her to union with Tiferet, which is called “praise” (hallel). Hence she is called “psalm” (tehillah), from the word “light,” as it is written, When his lamp shone (be-hillo) upon my head (Job 29:3). For she brings life to man through the miracle which is Yesod [stemming from] the “Tree of Life,” which is Tiferet, which [in turn] derives life from Binah, which is [also] called “psalm.” [Binah] is also [called] the land of the living (Ps. 142:6). Life [comes] from [Binah] through the force of Ḥokhmah, as it is written, Wisdom (ḥokhmah) will give life to him who possesses it (Eccles. 7:12).

And why did he count Netsach and Hod [as] sixth and seventh although they are [actually] seventh and eighth [in the order of the Sefirot] as is known? [It is] because Rabbi Abba began to count the [divine] names from the name Jah [which is] from Chochmah, as is explained there. And the explanation is that the Righteous One is called El Chai by reason that life is going out of him [= the Righteous One], and he said ‘that all lives go out from him’, because the root of lives, they are above in Chochmah and Binah, as is written (Ecclesiastes 7:12): “Chochmah/Wisdom will enliven those who possess it”, and as we will explain in the Gate of the order of the special names [Gate XXI] with help of HaShem. And to this he said that the reason that Yesod is called by the name of El Chai, although the root of the lives are [further] above as it [the Sefira Yesod] is their spring according to their departure outwards [= further downwards, towards Malkut], and because of this he uses the expression “that go out” which is according to [their] departure.