time, and the ‘hands of a man’ emerge, which are Gedulah¹ and Gevurah, and they receive their gift.

footnotes: ¹ Ḥesed

It is this that is written: (Ez. 1:8) *And the hands of a ‘man’*¹ *from beneath their wings... *What is ‘man’? He of whom it is stated: (Is. 44:13) ... like the glory¹ of a man...

footnotes: ¹ adam ¹ tipheret

And they accept the present from them, and they give it to the King. And if the gift is not fitting, it is handed to ‘the dog’, and they expel their request [Var. for them] to the outside.

For there are those for whom the gates do not open, and it is stated of them: (Deut. 24:11) *Outside you shall stand... *And the King speaks with them outside, and grants them their request outside, and then they go away.

For not everyone enters the house of the King, rather only those who are ‘masters of the house’, of whom it is stated: (Dan. 1:4) *Children in whom there was no blemish... *– not in their prayers, and not in their souls, ... and of handsome appearance – in all their deeds, ... and who understand all wisdom – and are beautiful to behold, for about them it is stated: (Song. 2:14) ... show me your appearance, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet and your appearance beautiful.

(Dan. 1:4) ... andwho areerudite in knowledge, and who understand science¹ * *– who know in wisdom and understanding¹ and knowledge, for one does not expound the ‘act of creation’,² unless he is ‘wise in wisdom’¹, and ‘understands with understanding’¹, and ‘knows with knowledge’¹.

footnotes: ¹ mad’a ¹ te-vunah ² See Mishnah Ḥagigah 2:1 ¹ ḥokhmah ¹ binah ¹ da’at

... and who have strength¹² **– this is the Higher Shekhinah, Who is theko-aḥ¹¹ letters of the act of creation, to stand through all of them, in the ‘standing’ of prayer.

footnotes: ¹ ko-aḥ ² 28 ¹ 28 ¹ power

These shall enter the chamber of the King, for they are completely righteous.

Ordinary people are granted their requests outside, and they do not enter within.

The wicked are rejected from there, and they are not granted their requests, rather, it is stated of them: (Is. 1:12) Who asked this of you, trampling my courts?

And these are the wicked, who disrespect the King with their prayers, for they ignore hearing the prayer, and they interrupt prayer with mundane conversation.

These then exit.

And then others enter, who are ‘masters of the neck’, who bless the blessed Holy One, upon the food and drink of sacrifices, of the offerings which they recite every day, reciting: (Num. 28:2) *Command the Children of Israel and say unto them: My offering, My bread, for My fires, My sweet savour... *which they are offering to the blessed Holy One and His Shekhinah, in the many sacrifices of prayer. And these are they who have pleasure, through the ‘delight¹ of the Sabbath’, and bless the blessed Holy One. The blessed Holy One grants them their request, while others, who eat without prayer, are rejected from there, and they are given over to the hand of many harmful angels, who are damaging forces.

footnotes: ¹ ’oneg

These then exit.

Now the ‘masters of voices and speech’, – in hymns and praises and thanksgiving of prayer – are knocking, and the ‘masters of voices’, who call to the blessed Holy One in the recital of the Shm’a: (Deut. 6:4) Hear O Israel...– twice: morning and evening.

Meanwhile, the ‘masters of feet’ are knocking at the entrance – the masters of the ‘standing’¹ of prayer – of whom it is stated: (Dan. 1:4) ... and who have the strength to stand, in the chamber of the King...

footnotes: ¹ ’amidah

*The King...*unspecified – this is the blessed Holy One,¹ ... the chamber of the King– this is ADNY, of which it is stated: ADNY! Open my lips... (Ps. 51:17) * *ADNY² amounts to the numeric-value of HeYKHaL³². And it is stated: (Hab. 2:20) ... and Ha-Shem in His holy chamber, let the whole Earth be silent³² before Him.

footnotes: ¹ See Esther Rabbah 3:10 ² 65 ³ chamber ² 65 ³ HaS ² 65

Worthy is he who merits entering the chamber of the blessed Holy One, to behold the King and the Queen.

Worthy is the mouth [which is the ‘chamber’ of YQV”Q] in which resides prayer – which is ADNY, to Whom they say: (Ps. 51:17) “*ADNY! Open my lips...” *And worthy are the lips that are gates to the chamber, like those of whom it is stated: (Ps. 118:19) Open for me the gates of righteousness...

For when his mouth opens in prayer with the Shekhinah, then Y”Y answers immediately. It is this that is written: (Is. 58:9) Then¹ shall you call, and Y”Y will answer... AZ¹² – eight letters: YQV”Q EQY”Q. ... and Y”Y will answer...– He and His court of judgement, and this is: YQV”Q ADNY: Y-A-Q-D-V-N-Q-Y.

footnotes: ¹ az ¹ then ² 8

Corresponding to these eight letters, are the [letters] [Var. angelic-beasts] of the ‘ḥashmal’¹, which are angelic-beasts of fire, – there is a time they are ‘silent’¹, and there is a time they are ‘speaking’¹. Sitting in prayer they are speaking, standing in prayer, they are silent.

footnotes: ¹ electrum ¹ ḥash ¹ mal

[Var. Here belongs the sections “and when a man prays” on p. 34]

And come and see: If a person elevates, in his thought, through his prayer, the Shekhinah, or through each and any precept that he performs, [Var. And come see: through prayer which elevates the Shekhinah, or through any precept which elevates the Shekhinah] then as soon as he knocks at the entrance of the chamber of the King, whether he be prophet, or seer, or sage, or a righteous person or a pious person, then, as soon as he calls at the gate, if the Shekhinah has ascended there, then shall YQVQ immediately answer. And He does not wait for any servant or any appointee, to open for him, but He Himself actually opens for him, from the affection and love that He has towards Her, like a groom towards a bride.

But if the Shekhinah has not ascended, in that prayer or precept, then the blessed Holy One does not consider it sufficient, to open His chamber for him, and even by means of an agent.