THIS sword is suspended over the judges presiding in the fourth mansion and is alluded to in an old saying, "Let every judge when delivering judgment remember, that the sword is suspended above his own head." It is continually turning and when the Ophanim become fused together, two fiery rays proceed from it and going outside the mansion, station themselves before the gate thereof, taking the form of a man and a woman. At other times they appear as spirits or as superior angels. The male ray characterizes angels engaged on missions of mercy and goodness in the world, therefore need they the intense light of the male form; whereas, those angels who as to their form have been consumed, need the light of the female form, on their reappearance. The spirits presiding in these two lights become united at the time of prayer. The force that produces this union is the affection of Love and when it is effected the name of this mansion becomes changed from Beraqa into Ahabah (love), for in it is accomplished the union of all beings by their common love to the Supreme Being, of which scripture speaks, "There will I give thee my love" (Cant. vii. 12). Furthermore, when these two rays become blended, there spring forth and become manifested unnumbered myriads of angelic beings metaphorically named, Manchakes, Raisins and Pomegranates, whose plane of existence lies between the fifth mansion and the planet Venus. Thus it is written, "A man would give all his substance for Ahabah" (love) (Cant. viii. 7); that is, to draw to himself angels from this palace so named, but they would not be induced to leave it. This mansion is symbolized in the act of prayer, by prostration of the body, with extended hands indicative of the desire to become united by love with the Divine.
The sixth mansion is presided over by a spirit named Khute Hashne (threads of scarlet) and is occultly alluded to in the words, "Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet" (Cant. iv. 3). It is also termed, the mansion of aspiration and is that which angels of the lower spheres ardently desire to attain unto and become united with in spirit by the nesheqath rakhunutha (the kiss of love), who is in intimate relationship with all the lower spheres. Another reason why this mansion is so called, is, that everyone who succeeds in coming into relation with it attracts to himself divine energy from on high through the unitive power of love. In this mansion is Moses who died by a kiss of this love and it is therefore called by his name. Its presiding spirit is a spark of love and unifies the lights of the higher and lower spheres and makes them one, when sparks flashing out of it give rise and form to living creatures holy through goodness and love and are therefore called the GREAT HAYOTH and enter into union with those of the lower spheres similar to the husk and shell of a nut, as it is written, "Hayoth great and small" (Ps. civ. 25). It is for this reason it is termed Zanath Egoz (the garden of nuts) and is so referred to in scripture, "I went down into the garden of nuts" (Cant. vi. 11), i.e., into this mansion of love in order to unite the male and female principles. These Hayoth are divided into twelve, and trios of them are stationed at the four gateways, and on them are dependent all inferior spirits so that throughout the whole of the spheres concatenation of all the various grades and orders of beings, all dependent one upon the other and forming a grand family of spirits throughout the universe from which is formed a mighty angelic spirit who ascends on high to adore and worship the Supreme Spirit and become united with it. This union of spirits with the Divine is occultly alluded to in the words, "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth" (Cant. i. 2); that is, with the kiss of love expression of the universal ecstasy and the eternal delight experienced by every animated being in its union with the Divine, by which partially developed spirits become eventually perfect and spirits in darkness become illumined with the light proceeding from the eternal Spirit, supreme over all. And this is effected by prayer coming from a sincere and loving heart. Happy he who prays, so that these spheres and mansions and their indwelling spirits become united together in love and thus able to climb the ladder whose top rests on the throne of the Eternal. The mystery of this mansion of love is
alluded to in scripture, "And Jacob kissed Rachel" (Gen. xxiv. 11). Abraham, who is on the right hand of the Most High, is the president of this mansion. Ahabah, his great aim having been to confirm himself with the divine will, hence his words: "Behold, I know now that thou art beautiful" (Gen. xii. 11).
Now the beauty of a woman is her breast, the seat of love. Isaac, who is on the left hand, presides over the Beth Din or tribunal of Justice, whence are issued decrees and judgments. He attained to union with the Divine through the spirit of Zacouth (righteousness). The other prophets preside in the mansions of Nogah and Zohar and are mystically indicated in the words, "The joints of thy thighs are like jewels" (Cant. vii. I).
Joseph, the just and pillar of the world, presides in the beautiful mansion of Saphira which is of great beauty and splendor, notwithstanding the words of scripture that allude to it, "Under his feet" (Ex. xxiv. 10), that are written to enhance the divine glory. It is through this mansion that spirits, by means of the shining column of light, ascend into the seventh, the most mysterious of all, and here as radii in a circle converging to the centre; so in it spirits from all spheres ascend and form a vast united family in perfect and eternal union with the Divine, which is referred to and indicated in the words, "Jehovah is Alhim, Jehovah is Alhim" (I Kings, xviii. 39). Blessed in this life and in the world to come are they who are able to attain unto this union, symbolized by the bending of the knees in the act of prayer and adoration, together with prostration of the body, extension of the arms and hands and abasement of the face on the ground, these gestures indicating their desire to become conjoined and unified with the Supreme Spirit, the Soul of all souls, the infinite and eternal Being, primal fount of all light and blessing.
When this glorious union is accomplished and consummated, of worlds below with worlds on high, earth and heaven will become conjoined in the Divine life and then will judgment be changed into mercy and goodness and the Divine will be done on earth as it is in heaven, as it is written "And He said unto me, 'Oh Israel thou art my servant in whom I will be glorified'" (Is. xlix. 3). Happy the people whose "God is the Lord" (Ps. cxlix. 15).