113. “In the meantime a voice sounded out etc.” Meanwhile, a voice sounded out as before, declaring: “Strong rocks, lofty hammers, behold the master of the colors, who is embroidered in images, standing on the platform [itztavna]. Come in and gather together.” At that moment they heard the sound of the branches of the trees, loud and strong, and they recited: “The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars” (Psalms 29:5). Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Abba fell on their faces, and a great fear fell upon them. They rose in haste and left, and they heard nothing. They emerged from the mountain and left. Itztavna means platform, since the Aramaic translation of “on the platform” (II Kings 11:14) is “on the astavna.”

Explanation: It was explained above (section #105#, last paragraph) that the reason they were unable “to drive the donkeys,” meaning that they were unable to raise more feminine waters, was because Rav Hamnuna Saba had already finished his task of assisting them. Consequently, the power of his donkeys was nullified, and they could not use them anymore in order to raise feminine waters and merit a higher level. Rabbi Elazar therefore stated above: “But we did not merit to observe and further know the secrets of the wisdom.”

The relationship between the attainment of brains and the nullification of the ability to raising feminine waters requires explanation. The idea is that once they had attained the height of yeḥida, which is the revelation of the soul of Benayahu Ben Yehoyada through Rav Hamnuna Saba, they experienced what has been explained with respect to the soul of Benayahu Ben Yehoyada. Once the partition of Ban had been nullified from them, the partition of Sag was nullified together with it. Therefore, they were unable to raise more feminine waters, and “left the donkeys” (section #105#, last paragraph; see there). It was explained there that the whole cessation of the illumination from the body of the Atik was in order to grant them the strength to distill the partition of Sag for themselves anew. Then the Ban would return to be Sag, at which point they would once again raise feminine waters, and would again go from strength to strength (Psalms 84:8); see there.

Now, Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Abba as well, from when they left the donkeys and walked until here, all these exploits to that stage were enough for them to distill new strength for raising feminine waters once again and to restore the Ban back to being Sag. It thus states: “A voice sounded out as before, declaring: Strong rocks, lofty hammers,” since they had endured all the great trials thus far and had mustered the strength to withstand them like strong rocks. They had also prevailed over all the obstacles, until they smashed them like a great hammer descending down from a great height.

They thereby caused: “Behold the master of the colors, who is embroidered in images, standing on the platform.” The Bina is called “master of the colors,” since she herself is without any color at all (but is totally mercy), and yet all the colors awaken and emerge from [Bina]. Through their endurance like a mighty rock against all those trials, the Bina was now embroidered with images afresh. This is why the Bina is called “the master of the colors, embroidered in images,” since [Bina] received the power to be established with a partition, upon which new levels and heights, called “images,” emerge, while she is “standing on the platform” [itztavna]; itztavna meaning a throne. Now the Bina has been established in the mystical meaning of the throne, as it was before. Therefore, “come in and gather together,” [for] it is time for you to enter your places in the holy [path], as you were earlier.

“At that hour they heard the sound of the branches of the trees, loud and strong, and they recited: The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars.” In other words, together with the voice informing them that the partition of the Bina and the throne had been established, they also heard a voice from the branches of the trees declaring: “The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars.” This was alluding to them that all the cedars that were obstructions on their way to the holy had already been broken. “They emerged from the mountain” because they had now mustered the strength to exit the mountain and make their way in the holy [path] as before.