Kabbalah Library

180. “Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks [Shavuot] to the Lord your God.” Why does it write Shavuot [weeks] and not how many weeks? Where it is written simply “weeks,” the name makes them be from the seven weeks, since it is written, “You shall count seven weeks for yourself.” So why is it written only “weeks” if there are seven weeks in them? It should have written simply “weeks,” to include the seven weeks of above and the seven weeks of below, for all are included in the fiftieth day, since wherever the seven weeks above awaken, the seven weeks below awaken with them.

However, until Solomon came and attained the fiftieth gate and the moon was in its fullest, they were not revealed, meaning that these two times seven weeks that are incorporated in the fiftieth gate were not detailed. Rather, they were simply called “weeks.” Since Solomon came, he made them into details, as it is written, “seven days and seven days,” it is a detail, that those fourteen days that are revealed at the fiftieth gate were detailed.

181. On the rest of the times, besides the time of Solomon, they are not fourteen days in specific, but simply weeks, since no other person besides Solomon needs to make them into a detail, as those days below do not shine in wholeness from the seven days of above until Solomon came. At that time, the moon was standing in its fullest in those seven days. But here, it is merely the Feast of Weeks, which does not detail them because the seven lower days were incorporated in the seven upper days and do not shine there as during the days of Solomon.

182. The following commandment is to offer two loaves of bread, which are the two Shechinot [pl. of Shechina] of above, which is Bina, and of below, which is Malchut. They connect together and the lower ones that receive from Malchut as though they receive from Bina, since they are connected. Corresponding to them are the two loaves of bread on Shabbat, meaning the second bread, which is twofold food, from above and from below, from Bina and from Malchut. This is why it is written, “And it came to pass on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one.”

“Two omers for each one” also implies Bina and Malchut that unite in one place, the voice of Jacob, ZA, who inherits above and below, Bina and Malchut, two loaves of bread tougher, since the Sabbath above and below are together, where Malchut rises and clothes Bina, and they are connected together. Everything together is called “Sabbath,” and this is the two breads.

183. The following commandment is to set up bread and incense, to offer an Omer. It is written, “And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the Lord. And its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil.” Also, on Shavuot, to offer two loaves of bread. And similarly, on all the good days, to offer an additional offering, since certainly, on each day of the festivals, we should make the offering of the day, as on regular days, and we should offer its additional offering, the additional light that there is on that festival. It is like the addition of the Ketuba [marriage contract] and the gifts that the groom gives to the bride. So is Queen Sabbath, Malchut, who is a bride on Sabbaths and on all the good days, she needs an addition, which are the additional offerings and gifts, which are gifts of priesthood.

184. On Shavuot—which is the giving of the Torah, when the two tablets of the Torah were given, which are Bina and Malchut, from the side of the tree of life, ZA—we must offer the two loaves of bread for them. They are Bina and Malchut, the two letters Hey in the name HaVaYaH, since they are the bread of Torah, of ZA, of which it is written, “Come, eat of my bread,” and they are the two letters Hey, Hey, from the grace, “Who brings forth bread from the earth,” since the Hey of the earth is the bottom Hey, and the Hey of “who brings forth” is the first Hey, Bina.

185. The two loaves of bread are food for man, Yod-He-Vav-He, which is Adam (45) in Gematria, ZA, who consists of two letters Hey. It is written, “This is the law [Torah] of man [Adam],” that the Torah, ZA, HaVaYaH filled with MA (45), which is Adam [man] in Gematria. It is also written, “Should a man from among you make an offering to the Lord,” which is food for man. However, the barley Omer is food for beast, which are holy animals from which we must offer, as it is written, “From the beast, from the cattle, and from the flock you shall sacrifice your offerings.” “From the beast” are rams that gore one another in the Mishnah, in the interpretations of the Torah, meaning the sages who fight one another in the explanations of the Mishnah. “From the cattle” are bulls that gore one another more forcefully, in the Mishnah. “From the flock are the rest of the people, whose offering is a prayer. It is written about them, “And you are my flock, the flock of my pasture, you are men.” “The flock of my pasture” are those who learn only the literal Torah. “You are men” are disciples of Kabbalah, who are adhered to ZA, HaVaYaH filled with MA, which is Adam [man] in Gematria.

186. Disciples of Kabbalah and virtuous ones who adhere to the qualities of ZA are from the side of the tree of life, ZA, called Adam. The rest of the people are from the side of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which are prohibition and permission, which is Angel Matat, a Merkava [chariot/structure] to Malchut, who is called Mishnah. It incorporates the four holy animals. For this reason, from the beast, their food is the sheaf of barley bread, as it is written, “He measured out six measures of barley and put it on her,” which is the oral Torah of the six volumes of the Mishnah. However, those who are from the tree of life, disciples of Kabbalah, are men, for their Torah is the bread of the Creator, the food of ZA, who is called Adam [man], as it is written, “Come, eat of my bread,” which is the two loaves of bread. All the Tanaaim and Amoraim rejoiced and said, “Who can stand against Sinai, against Moses,” who is called Sinai.