Shlach Lecha: Verse 311
א"ר חִזְקִיָּה, הָכִי אוֹלִיפְנָא, כְּתִיב וַיֵּלֶךְ אִישׁ מִבֵּית לֵוִי וַיִּקַּח אֶת בַּת לֵוִי. וַיֵּלֶךְ אִישׁ: דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כד"א יְיָ' אִישׁ מִלְחָמָה. מִבֵּית לֵוִי: דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אֲתָר דְּחָכְמָה עִלָּאָה, וְהַהוּא זוֹהַר מִתְחַבְּרָן כַּחֲדָא, דְּלָא מִתְפָּרְשָׁן לְעָלְמִין. מִבֵּית לֵוִי: דְּאַשְׁרֵי לִוְיָתָן כָּל חִידוּ בְּעָלְמָא, הה"ד לִוְיָתָן זֶה יָצַרְתָּ לְשַׂחֶק בּוֹ. וַיִּקַּח אֶת בַּת לֵוִי, דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אֲתָר דִּנְהִירוּ דְּסִיהֲרָא נָהִיר.
Rabbi Chizkiyah said, This is how I learned it. It is written: "And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife the daughter of Levi" (Shemot 2:1). "And there went a man:'' That is the Holy One, blessed be He, THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN, as it says, "Hashem is a man of war" (Shemot 15:3). "The house of Levi" is the Holy One, blessed be He, WHO WENT FROM the area where supernal Chochmah and that bright radiance, WHICH IS SUPERNAL BINAH, join together and never separate. HE INTERPRETS "LEVI" AS DERIVED FROM ATTACHMENT, AS IN 'LIVYUT' (ENG. 'ACCOMPANIMENT'). ANOTHER EXPLANATION OF: "Of the house of Levi" is that the Leviathan, THAT IS YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, has inspired all enjoyment in the world AND HE INTERPRETS "LEVI" AS DERIVED FROM LEVIATHAN, as it is written: "There is the Leviathan, whom You have made to play therein" (Tehilim 104:26). "And took to wife the daughter of Levi:'' That is the Holy One, blessed be He, which is the place where the moon is bright, THAT BEING MALCHUT.
Shlach Lecha: Verse 312
וַתַּהַר הָאִשָּׁה וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן. הָאִשָּׁה וַדַּאי, כד"א לְזֹאת יִקָּרֵא אִשָּׁה. בְּקַדְמֵיתָא בַּת לֵוִי, הָכִי הוּא וַדַּאי. וְכִי בַּת לֵוִי בְּקַדְמֵיתָא, וְהַשְׁתָּא אִשָׁה. אֶלָּא הָכִי אוֹלִיפְנָא, אִתְּתָא עַד לָא אִזְדַּוְּוגַת, אִתְקְרִיאַת בַּת פְּלוֹנִי, בָּתַר דְּאִזְדַּוְּוגַת. אִתְקְרֵי אִשָׁה, וְהָכָא, בַּת וְאִשָּׁה, כֹּלָּא בְּחַד דַּרְגָּא הִיא.
"And the woman conceived, and bore a son" (Shemot 2:2). Surely, "the woman" IS MALCHUT, as it says, "she (Heb. zot) shall be called woman" (Beresheet 2:23) AND "ZOT" IS THE NAME OF MALCHUT. At first, SHE IS CALLED "the daughter of Levi" and certainly it is so. Why did he first CALL HER the daughter of Levi and now a woman? HE RESPONDS: This is what we have learned. Before she is married, a woman is referred to as the daughter of so-and-so, but after she is married, she is referred to as a woman. Here too, daughter and woman pertain to the same level, MEANING MALCHUT. HOWEVER, BEFORE HE TOOK HER IN MARRIAGE, SHE WAS REFERRED TO AS THE DAUGHTER OF LEVI, AND AFTER THAT, A WOMAN.
Shlach Lecha: Verse 313
וַתִּצְפְּנֵהוּ ג' יְרָחִים, אִלֵּין תְּלַת יַרְחִין דְּדִינָא קַשְׁיָא שַׁרְיָא בְּעָלְמָא. וּמַאי נִינְהוּ. תַּמּוּ"ז וְאָ"ב וְטֵבֵ"ת. מַאי קָא מַשְׁמַע לָן. דְּעַד דְּלָא נָחַת מֹשֶׁה לְעָלְמָא, שְׁכִיחַ הֲוָה הוּא לְעֵילָּא, וְעַל דָּא אִזְדַּוְּוגַת בֵּיהּ שְׁכִינְתָּא מִן יוֹמָא דְּאִתְיְלִיד. מִכָּאן אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, רוּחֵיהוֹן דְּצַדִּיקַיָּיא שְׁכִיחִין אִינּוּן לְעֵילָּא, עַד לָא יֶחֱתוּן לְעָלְמָא.
"She hid him three months" (Shemot 2:2): These are the three months when heavy Judgment rests in the world. Which ones are they? Tamuz, Av and Tevet. AND THEREFORE, THE SHECHINAH HID HIM. HE ASKS: What is it trying to tell us by this? HE REPLIES: IT LETS US KNOW that before Moses went down to the world, he was above. Therefore, the Shechinah joined him since the day he was born, AND PROTECTED HIM. From here, Rabbi Shimon took it to say that the spirits of the righteous are above before they descend into this world.
