Matt Vol 1, p267

R’ Shimon said: “It is written: Elohim understands her way, He knows her site (Job 28:33). This verse has various nuances², but Elohim היבן (hevin), understands, her way corresponds to what is said: ויבִן יהוה אלהים (Va-yven YHVH Elohim), YHVH Elohim fashioned, the side—namely, Oral Torah, who contains a way, as is said: who makes a way through the sea (Isaiah 43:16).³ So, Elohim understands her way.

“He knows her site. Who is her site? Written Torah, containing knowledge.⁴

“YHVH Elohim—a complete name, arraying Her with all, so it is called both Wisdom and Understanding, for it bore the complete name entirely—YHVH Elohim—consummating the two names.⁵

“הצלע (Ha-tsela), The side—the speculum that does not shine, as it is said: ובצלעי (Uv’tsal’i), At my stumbling, they rejoiced… (Ps. 35:15).⁶

“That He had taken from האדם (ha-adam), the human—for She issued from Written Torah.⁷

“Into a woman—to be joined to the flame of the left side, for Torah was given from the side of Power.⁸ לאשׁה (Le-ishah), into a woman—to be אשׁ ה’ (esh heh), fire of heh, bound together as one.⁹

“And He brought her to האדם (ha-adam), the human—for She should not be alone but rather embraced by, joined with the Written Torah. Once She joins with Him, He will nourish and adorn Her, providing Her with what She needs. From here we learn that when one offers his daughter in marriage, until she enters her husband’s domain her parents prepare and provide all she needs, but once she joins her husband, he nourishes her and provides her what she needs.¹⁰

“Come and see: At first is written, YHVH Elohim fashioned the side, for Father and Mother array Her. Afterward He brought Her to the Human, so that all is bound as one, joined to one another, and He provides Her with what She needs.¹¹

“Alternatively, Elohim understands her way. When the daughter resides in her mother’s house, she watches out every day for everything her daughter needs, as is written: Elohim understands her way.¹² Once she joins her husband, he provides her all she needs and arranges her affairs, as is written: He knows her site.

“Alternatively, this verse was spoken concerning supernal wisdom and likened to supernal secrets. The primordial point is totally unknown to anyone, but Elohim understands her way—this is called the world that is coming.¹³ He—hidden of all hidden, concealed of all concealed, called He, unknown by any name.¹⁴

“It is written: וייצר יהוה אלהים (Va-yitser YHVH Elohim), YHVH Elohim formed, the Human (Gen. 2:7). Here he was perfected consummately, on the right and on the left. We have already established that he encompassed the good impulse and the evil impulse.¹⁵ Why? The good impulse, for himself; the evil impulse, to arouse toward his female.¹⁶ Arousal always arises from the left side toward the female, linking itself with her, so she is called אשׁה (ishah), woman.

“Come and see the good impulse and the evil impulse, for the female is embraced by them, linked with them, though not until the evil impulse arouses toward her and they join one another. Once they do, the good impulse, who is joy, arouses, drawing her close to him. Above, genuine North, who is joy without the filth of evil impulse, holds Her first, as is written: His left hand beneath my head, and afterward, his right hand embracing me (Song of Songs 2:6).¹⁷ She is positioned between right and left, to be nourished, so: YHVH Elohim formed—a complete name, corresponding to two sides.

“The human (Gen, ibid.). We have already established that this implies male and female as one, not separated to be face-to-face.

“What is written? Dust of the earth (ibid.), now poised to be arrayed.¹⁸

“Come and see: When a woman is joined with her husband, she is called by his name: אישׁ אישׁה (ish ishshah), man, woman; צדיק צדק (tsaddiq tsedeq) righteous righteousness.¹⁹ He is עופר (ofer), fawn, and she is עפר (afar), dust. Then he is צבי (tsevi), hart, and she is צביה (tseviyyah), doe; צבי (tsevi), fairest of all lands (Ezekiel 20:6).

It is written: Do not plant אשׁרה (asherah) or any tree-like object beside the altar that you make for YHVH your God (Deut. 16:21). Beside the altar—Is it permitted above the altar or anywhere else? Rather we have established: אשׁר (Asher) is her husband, and she is named after him: אשׁרה (Asherah). So it is written: For Baal and Asherah (2 Kings 23:4).²⁰ So, Do not plant אשׁרה (Asherah)… beside the altar you make for YHVH, your God—over against the altar of YHVH, for the altar of YHVH is based on this, so do not plant another Asherah over against Her.²¹

Come and see: All the sun-worshippers are always called worshippers of Baal, and those who worship the moon are called worshippers of Asherah, so for Baal and Asherah, Asherah being named after her husband, Asher. If so, why was this name displaced? Because Asherah derives from the verse בְּאׇשְׁרִ֕י (Be-oshri). Happy am I! For the daughters will deem me happy (Gen. 30:13), while the other nations did not deem Her happy, substituting another in Her place.²² Further it is written: All who honoured her despise her (Lam. 1:8). So this name was displaced in order that those who worshipped by other nations not be empowered.²³ We call Her altar made of earth, as is written: altar of earth… (Ex. 20:22). So, dust of the earth.²⁴

He blew into his nostrils the breath of life (Gen. 2:7). The word is inclusive but
He blew into his nostrils the breath of life—into that dust, like a female impregnated by a male, for they join and this dust is filled with all.²⁵ With whom? Spirit and souls.

And האדם (ha’adam), the human, became a living soul (ibid.)—now the human was arrayed enduringly, to adorn and nourish the living soul.²⁶

YHVH Elohim fashioned (ibid., 22). Here, too, with the complete name for Father and Mother adorned Her before She approached Her husband.

The side, as is said: I am black but beautiful (Song of Songs 1:5), the speculum that does not shine,²⁷ but Father and Mother adorned Her so that Her husband be pleased with Her.

And He brought her to the man (ibid.). From here we learn that the father and mother of the bride should bring her into the domain of the groom, as is said: I have given my daughter to this man (Deut. 22:16). From now on, her husband comes to her, for the house is hers, as is written: He came to her (Gen. 29:23), He came into Rachel also (ibid., 30). First, He brought her to the man, for up to this point the father and mother should act. Afterward, he should come to her, for the entire house is hers and he must obtain her permission.²⁸

We have aroused our awareness of this, as it is written: He approached the place and stayed there for the night (ibid. 28:11), first obtaining permission.²⁹ From here we learn that one who joins his wife should entreat her and sweeten her with words, or otherwise not spend the night with her, so that their desire be as one, with no coercion.

He stayed there for the night, for the sun had set (ibid.), showing that one is forbidden to engage in intercourse in the daytime.³⁰

He took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head (ibid.). Here we learn that if a king has golden beds and precious spreads in which to spend the night, and his consort prepares him a bed arranged with stones, he should leave his own and sleep in the one that she prepares, as is written: He lay down in that place (ibid.).

Come and see what is written here: The man said, ‘This one at last…’ (ibid. 2:23).³¹ Behold the fragrance of words, to draw low with her, draw her toward his desire, arouse passion together. See how sweet, how full of love: Bone of my bones, flesh of flesh showing her they are one, inseparable.

Now he begins praising her: This one shall be called Woman (ibid.). This one is unparalleled, glory of the house! All women compared with her are like an ape compared with humans.³² Certainly this one shall be called Woman, perfection of all, this one and no other, as is written: Many daughters have done virtuously, but you surpass them all (Proverbs 31:29).³³

Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife [and they become one flesh] (Gen. 2:24)—all to draw her in love, to cleave to her. Once he had aroused her with all these words, what is written? Now the serpent was slyer than any creature of the field… (ibid. 3:1). The evil impulse aroused to seize her, binding her with bodily desire, arousing in her other things in which evil impulse delights, until eventually what is written? The woman saw that the tree was good for eating and a delight to the eye,³⁴ and she took of its fruit and ate (ibid., 6)—receiving it willingly—and also gave to her husband beside her, for now she aroused desirously toward him, offering passionate love. This shows human beings how the act corresponds above.³⁵

R’ El’azar said: “If so, how can we demonstrate the evil impulse above, seizing the female?”

He replied, “We have already aroused our awareness of the mystery of left and right, corresponding to the good impulse and the evil impulse—good impulse on the right, evil impulse on the left—these above and those below.³⁶ The left above grasps the body to join with Her as one, as it said: His left hand beneath my head”… (Song of Songs 2:6).³⁷ So until here words are interpretable above and below. From here on, words with a residue of tar, interpretable by tiny children.³⁸ By this the Companions have already been aroused.

Notes:

Can also be translated: The women (daughters) will deem me fortunate. There is an interesting piece here. For, loosely translated to coax the actual meaning out of the sentence, we could say that the actual meaning is closer to: “I am grateful, for the women will approve of me”. She is proud and grateful to have fulfilled her duty to bear a son. This is how ingrained it was in those days. Nowadays we shudder at the thought that a woman would be so submissive to her biological fate/imperative that she would believe that her ultimate goal is to bear a male child! What could be a worse fate? Let me ask rather, what would be a better fate?

I believe that feminism did not intend to negate this imperative, but rather to expand on the possibilities—but by doing that, it, in the end, completely denigrated the process. I believe the focus was on the boys to include the male in the activity, otherwise he would be completely excluded and would have no interest in the child—as we see often with daughters. Who by the way is the only possible response to the previous question, and that would not be a better, but rather an equivalent fate. But by denying the male need for progeny—a son—we have also negated the need for any child… resulting in replacing that with the need for self-expression, often through becoming a corporate drone.

//
לְאַשֵּׁר—to approve, to confirm, to authorise (מְאַשֵּׁר)

Transitions into עשׁיר, ashir, with the defective א, the material version, with the two sides twisted around one another, and in this case, means wealth, richness (and abundance). It also has no simple form, only reflexive (to become rich) and hif’il, to “make” rich, or enrich. It, however, is also derived from the numeral ten, עֶשֶׂר eser, dropping the ‘sh’ to become ‘s’.

Footnotes

Footnotes