(ח) פָּתַח רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְאָמַר (שיר השירים ג) מִי (קע''ו ב) זֹאת עוֹלָה מִן הַמִּדְבָּר וְגו', מִי זֹאת, כְּלָלָא דִּתְרֵין קִדּוּשִׁין (קדישין) דִּתְרֵין עָלְמִין בְּחִבּוּרָא חֲדָא וְקִשּׁוּרָא חֲדָא. עוֹלָה מַמָּשׁ לְמֶהוֵי קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁין. דְּהָא קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁין מִ''י. וְאִתְחַבְּרָא בְּזֹא''ת. בְּגִין לְמֶהֱוֵי (זאת) עוֹלָה דְּאִיהִי קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁין. מִן הַמִּדְבָּר דְּהָא מִן הַמִּדְבָּר יָרְתָא לְמֶהֱוֵי כַלָּה וּלְמֵיעַל לְחֻפָּה. תּוּ מִן הַמִּדְבָּר אִיהִי עוֹלָה כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (שיר השירים ד) וּמִדְבָּרֵךְ נָאוֶה בְּהַהוּא מִדְבָּר
(8) 8. Rabbi Elazar opened the discussion by quoting, "Who is this coming up out of the wilderness?" (Song of Songs 3:6). "Who is this" is the joining of two kinds of holiness, of two worlds (Binah and Malchut), into one firm bond. "Coming up (Heb. עוֹלָה)," means that it actually comes up to become the Holy of Holies. Because "Who," מִ''י, (corresponding to Binah), is the Holy of Holies and has joined "this," זֹא''ת (corresponding to Malchut), so that she (Malchut) will be a burnt offering (Heb. עוֹלָה) which is the highest class of sacrifices (lit. "Holy of Holies'). "Out of the wilderness," means that this inherits it from the wilderness in order to become a bride and enter the bridal canopy. Furthermore she came out of the wilderness (Heb. מִּדְבָּר) as it is written, "And your speech (Heb. מִדְבָּרֵךְ) is comely" (Song of Songs 4:3)
(א) דִּלְחִישׁוּ בְּשִׂפְוָון אִיהִי עוֹלָה.
(ב) וְתָנִינָן מַאי דִכְתִיב, (שמואל א ד׳:ח׳) הָאֱלֹהִים הָאַדִּירִים הָאֵלֶּה אֵלֶּה הֵם הָאֱלהִים הַמַּכִּים אֶת מִצְרַיִם בְּכָל מַכָּה בַּמִּדְבָּר. וְכִי כָּל דְּעֲבַד לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בַּמִּדְבָּר הֲוָה, וְהָא בְּיִשּׁוּבָא הֲוָה. אֶלָּא בַּמִּדְבָּר, בְּדִבּוּרָא, כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (שיר השירים ד׳:ג׳) וּמִדְבָּרֵךְ נָאוֶה. וּכְתִיב, (תהילים ע״ה:ז׳) מִמִּדְבַּר הָרִים. אוּף הָכִי עוֹלָה מִן הַמִּדְבָּר, מִן הַמִּדְבָּר וַדַּאי. בְּהַהִיא מִלָּה דְּפוּמָא אִיהִי סַלְקָא וְאָעֳלַת בֵּין גַּדְפֵי דְּאִמָּא, וּלְבָתַר בְּדִבּוּרָא נַחְתָא וְשַׁרְיָא עַל רֵישַׁיְהוּ דְּעַמָּא קַדִּישָׁא.
(1) 1. meaning that she is "coming up" with the speech in a whisper.
(2) 2. And we have learned why it is written in scripture, "these mighty Elohim. These is Elohim that smote Egypt with all the plagues in the wilderness" (I Sam. 4:8). But is it possible that all the Holy One, blessed be He, brought about occurred only in the wilderness? Was it not in the place of habitation? But the phrase "in the wilderness" (Heb. בַּמִּדְבָּר) (refers to) by speech (Heb. בְּדִבּוּרָא). As it is written, "and your speech is comely," and, "from the desert (Heb. בַּמִּדְבָּר) peaks" (Ps. 75:7). Similarly "coming up out of the wilderness" (Song of Songs 3:6) means by the word that is uttered by the mouth, she (Malchut) is "coming up" and enters between the wings of the Mother, she (Binah). Afterwards, through speech, she (Malchut) descends and rests upon the leaders of the holy nation.
(ג) הֵיךָ סַלְקָא בְּדִבּוּרָא. דְּהָא בְּשֵׁירוּתָא כַּד בַּר נָשׁ קָאִים בְּצַפְרָא אִית לֵיהּ לְבָרְכָא לְמָארֵיהּ. בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּפָקַח עֵינוֹי הֵיךְ מְבָרֵךְ. הָכִי הֲווּ עַבְדֵי חֲסִידֵי קַדְמָאֵי, נַטְלָא דְמַיָיא הֲווּ יַהֲבֵי קָמַייְהוּ, וּבְזִמְנָא דְּאִתְעָרוּ בְּלֵילְיָא אַסְחָן יְדַיְיהוּ. וְקָיְימֵי וְלָעָאן בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא וּמְבָרְכֵי עַל קְרִיאָתָהּ (וכו'). תַּרְנְגוֹלָא קָרֵי וּכְדֵין פַּלְגוּת לֵילְיָא מַמָּשׁ, וּכְדֵין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא (ס' ב) אִשְׁתַּכַּח עִם צַדִּיקַיָיא בְּגִנְתָא דְעֵדֶן, וְאַסִּיר לְבָרְכָא בִּידַיִן מְסוֹאָבוֹת וּמְזְהָמוֹת. (ומברכין). וְכֵן כָּל שַׁעֲתָא.
(ד) בְּגִין דִּבְשַׁעֲתָא דְּבַר נָשׁ נָאִים, רוּחֵיהּ פָּרְחָא מִנֵּיהּ. וּבְשַׁעֲתָא דְּרוּחֵיהּ פָּרְחָא מִנֵּיהּ, רוּחָא מְסָאָבָא זַמִּין וְשָׁרְיָא עַל יְדוֹי וּמְסָאַב לוֹן וְאַסִּיר לְבָרְכָא בְּהוּ בְּלָא נְטִילָה. וְאִי תֵימָא אִי הָכִי הָא בִּימָמָא דְּלָא נָאִים וְלָא פָּרַח רוּחֵיהּ מִנֵּיהּ וְלָא שַׁרְיָא עֲלֵיהּ רוּחָא מְסָאֲבָא וְכַד עָאל לְבֵית הַכִּסֵּא לָא יְבָרֵךְ וְלָא יִקְרָא בַּתּוֹרָה אֲפִלּוּ מִלָּה חָדָא עַד דְּיִסְחֵי יְדוֹי. וְאִי תֵימָא בְּגִין דִּמְלוּכְלָכִים אִנּוּן, לָאו הָכִי הוּא, בַּמֶּה אִתְלַכְלְכוּ. אֶלָּא וַוי לִבְנֵי עָלְמָא דְּלָא מַשְׁגִּיחִין וְלָא יַדְעִין בְּיִקְרָא דְמָארֵיהוֹן וְלָא יָדְעֵי עַל מַה קָּיְימָא עָלְמָא. רוּחָא חֲדָא אִית בְּכָל בֵּית הַכִּסֵּא דְּעָלְמָא דְּשַׁרְיָא תַּמָּן וְאִתְהַנִּי מֵהַהוּא לִכְלוּכָא וְטִנּוּפָא וּמִיָּד שָׁרֵי עַל אִנּוּן אֶצְבְּעָן דִּידוֹי דְּבַר נָשׁ.
(3) 3. How does she, Malchut, rise up through speech? Because when a person awakens in the morning - at the time that he opens his eyes - he should at first bless his Master. How is he to make the blessing? This is what the pious ones did: They prepared beside for themselves a vessel of water, and when they awoke at night, they washed their hands, rose up, and studied the Torah. And they blessed on their Torah recitation as well! When the cock crows and it is exactly midnight, then the Holy One, blessed be He, joins the Righteous in the Garden of Eden. It is forbidden to utter any blessing in the morning with unclean hands, as it is at any time of the day.
(4) 4. Because when a person falls asleep, his spirit departs from him. And when the spirit departs from him, the spirit of impurity comes forth, settles on his hands, and defiles them. So it is forbidden to utter any blessing without first washing. And if you might say, If it is so, then on a day when a person does not go to sleep and his spirit does not depart from him, the spirit of impurity does not defile his hands; nevertheless, when he enters the lavatory, he should not utter any blessing nor read the Torah - not even one word - until he washes his hands. And although you might say that it is because they are sullied, this is not so! Because how did they become soiled? Woe to those people who are not aware and do not pay heed to their Master's glory, and do not know what the world is based on. Because there is a certain spirit that dwells in every privy in the world, a spirit that enjoys dirt and excrement, and immediately settles on the fingers of the hands of that man.