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Rashi explains: Tzohar - some say a precious stone, and some say a window.
Behold, it is known that "Around the wicked they walk" [Psalms 12], for the sitra achara [other side, the side of evil] surrounds the holiness, for G-d made one opposite the other. Particularly, one who has already been drawn after transgressions, G-d forbid, and has been drawn after the sitra achara, where his place is, G-d forbid, they surround him from every side. When he arouses his spirit to return to Him, it is very difficult for him to pray and to speak words before Him, for they surround him from every side, each according to his matter, as above. Because it is impossible for him to bring forth speech before G-d with awe, love, and proper vitality, therefore all the words and prayers that he speaks cannot break through the partitions and screens that separate them from ascending upward. They remain below, under the screens, until he merits and returns in truth, speaking words that are fitting to be accepted with awe and love from the depth of the heart, with great arousal. Then, the illuminating word breaks through all the partitions and screens that separate, and all the words that were placed below until now ascend with it.
But how can he merit this? The main thing is that everything depends on truth, to walk in the way of truth according to his level, for the seal of the Holy One, blessed be He, is truth [Shabbat 55a, Yoma 69b], and it is the foundation of everything, for truth is beginning, middle, end. Since he is at the level of truth, then, as if the light of the Name, blessed be He, Himself—whose seal is truth—clothes itself in him. Then it is said about him: "Hashem is my light and my salvation" [Psalms 27]. Since Hashem is light for him, he can find many openings to exit from the darkness and the exile where he is closed there, for in truth there are many openings there, as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said [Yoma 38b, Menachot 29b]: One who comes to become impure, they open for him; he has many openings (see Shabbat 104a, Tosafot s.v. eit). Since openings are found there, he could exit, but "The fool walks in darkness" [Ecclesiastes 2], and does not see the openings to exit. He is bound and tied there, and they do not allow him to exit until he merits to speak words of truth before Hashem. Then the words illuminate, and Hashem is light for him, as above. Then: "The opening of Your words illuminates, giving understanding to the simple" [Psalms 119], for the illuminating words—that is, words of truth as above—show him the opening. This is what it concludes: giving understanding to the simple, for the simple who are placed in darkness and do not see to exit, will understand and see the opening to exit from the darkness, as it is written [Isaiah 49]: "Saying to the prisoners, 'Go out,' to those who are in darkness, 'Show yourselves.'"
But the truth needs to be complete truth, clear and pure, without any blemish. The intelligent one who understands should pray all his days that he merit once in all the days of his life to speak one word of truth before Hashem as is fitting. There are several levels in this. One who merits aspects of true truth, then Hashem is light for him, and then he illuminates himself, for the light of Hashem clothes itself in him. But one who has not yet reached the supernal level of truth, and nevertheless he is at the level of truth—even though he does not illuminate himself, since he has not reached the correct truth—nevertheless, the truth helps so that another can illuminate through him. In this also, there are levels and matters; the intelligent one will understand them himself.
Behold, it is known that there are three worlds: the world of the angels, the spheres, and the physical. The Name, blessed be He, gives life and sustains them all with His will. One who merits truth, and Hashem is light for him, as if he sustains the world and gives abundance to all the three worlds.
"Make a tzohar for the ark," that is, you should speak words of truth that illuminate. Some [sages] say a precious stone, etc., and some [sages] say a window. This is what we said: there are two levels. One who is at the level of true truth illuminates himself—some [sages] say words of truth that are a precious stone that illuminates from itself. Some [sages] say that they [the words of truth] are [like] a window, but not at the level above, for another can illuminate through it, like through a window. For this is the difference between a precious stone and a window: the precious stone illuminates from itself, and the window does not illuminate from itself; only something else, like the sun and the like, can illuminate through it.
"And to a cubit" - for speech is called amah [cubit]. Amah, acronym for Aish [fire] Mayim [water], for speech is included from them; the hei is the five outlets of the mouth. "And to an amah that you speak words which you shall finish from above," from the language of "My soul is finished" [Psalms 84], that they will be longed for above, that they be words of truth that illuminate.
"And the door of the ark in its side you shall place." Tzidah [its side] is from the language of "Game in his mouth" [Genesis 25], and that is the evil inclination and the sitra achara. This is that you merit to make an opening in the sitra achara and the darkness that surround from every side—that is, you need to be careful to make an opening directed exactly in its side, that is, opposite the sitra achara that is called tzidah. For like the strengthening of the tzidah and the sitra achara, so according to this, exactly, you need to make the opening of the ark, that is, words of truth, as above. Understand well.
The main intention is that when he is sunk in the ultimate strengthening of the darkness and the klipah [shell, husk of impurity], and he is imprisoned and closed within the dark darkness that surrounds and encompasses him from all sides of sides in many encirclements—may the Merciful One save us—and he has no opening, remedy, or stratagem to exit from within the darkness, then the main advice is that he draw himself to the truth, look at the truth truly, and seek only the true truth. Opposite this, no darkness or encirclement will darken for him, for the truth is the Name, blessed be He, Himself, and it is the aspect of "Hashem is my light." Since Hashem is light for him, no darkness will darken him, and certainly he will merit to see the openings to exit from the darkness, in the aspect of "The opening of Your words illuminates, giving understanding to the simple," as above.
The main thing in his prayer, supplication, and request—even though it is impossible for him to speak any word in prayer and supplications from the greatness of the darkness and confusion that surrounds him very, very much from every side—nevertheless, in any case, he should see to speak the word in truth, in whatever low level he is. For example, he says: "Hashem, save" in truth, even though he cannot speak with enthusiasm and arousal as is fitting; nevertheless, he should say the word in truth, according to what he is. Through the word of truth, he will merit to see the openings that are within the darkness, and through this, he will merit to exit from darkness to light, and to pray as is fitting, as above [and see above all this in the Torah "The depths cover them" in sign 9]. Also, in this—that he merits to break through an opening to exit—he will merit also others with him, to arouse other wicked ones to repentance, to bring them out from the darkness and the exile where they are bound there.
"And the door of the ark in its side you shall place," that you make an opening in those who are from the side—that is, who are from another side, and not from the side of holiness, only from the sitra achara. He will make an opening to arouse their hearts, to return them to exit from the darkness. "Lower, second, and third," that is, the three worlds, as above; "you shall make it," for you will sustain them in truth, as above.
There are included in the above matters high matters in the matter of prayer for each one according to his level. In this matter is included the matter of stars and constellations, how they are made in the aspect of prayer, and he gives abundance to every thing. The matter of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said [Bereishit Rabbah Parashah 10]: There is no grass that does not have a star, etc., for he influences everything with his true words. The matter of the nuschaos [versions] of prayer, for there are twelve gates, as is known, and one needs to raise his prayer to the gate of his tribe, for if it arrives at the gate of another tribe, it cannot ascend [Numbers 24]. "A way of a star from Jacob, and a tribe arises from Israel"—and arises, there is no standing except prayer [Berachot 6b]. That is a tribe from Israel that needs to raise his prayer to the gate of his tribe. That is a way of a star from Jacob, as above. Through this, a union is made above, and way is the aspect of union, from the language of "For all flesh has corrupted its way" [Genesis 6]. That is that Abba Binyamin was distressed all his days about his prayer, that it should be adjacent to his bed [Berachot 5b], for "A man to the tribe of his fathers you shall send"—that one needs to send the prayer to the tribe of his fathers, that is, to his tribe, as above. That is that it should be adjacent to my bed, to his tribe. And on my bed that it should be placed between north and south, for our Sages, of blessed memory, said [Bava Batra 25b]: One who wants to become wise should turn south, to become rich should turn north. In every matter, the middle is good, as is known, for good is Torah with derech eretz [way of the land] [Avot chapter 2] [that is, wisdom and wealth]. That is between north and south, that it should be in the middle between them, the prayer that is the aspect of his bed, as above [that is, between wisdom and wealth, which are the aspect of north and south, as above: one who wants to become wise should turn south and to become rich should turn north].
"And the door of the ark in its side you shall place," that you pray words of truth, that they ascend to their place, to the gate of his tribe in its side you shall place, that you place the door of the ark—that is, words of truth of the prayer—in its side, in her side, in the gate of his tribe that reaches him. The matter is deep [see all this in sign 9 above].
Related to above, to what is written there that in truth there are many openings there, as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said: One who comes to become impure, they open for him; he has many openings. Since openings are found there [that is, the openings through which he fell], he could exit, but the fool walks in darkness, etc.; see there.
When I heard from his holy mouth all the above matter, I spoke with him, of blessed memory, that apparently it is difficult on this, for behold, our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said there [Menachot 29b]: Why was this world created with hei? Because it resembles an exedra [Rashi explains: which is open from below] that anyone who wants to exit may exit [Rashi explains: anyone who wants to exit from it to bad culture exits]. What is the reason its leg is suspended? If he repents, they bring him in [and Rashi explains: they bring him in, through the upper opening between the leg that is inside to its roof]. And let him enter through this [lower opening]? It does not help the matter, etc. [and Rashi explains: and let him enter through this lower opening through which he exited? It does not help the matter, for one who comes to purify needs help because of the evil inclination; therefore, they make for him help, an extra opening]. It turns out explained here that it is impossible to exit from the impurity and to return in repentance through the opening through which he fell there, as explained well in the Gemara and Rashi's explanation above. Apparently, this contradicts what is written above, that they can exit from the impurity through the openings that are in the impurity itself, as above.
He said: You have asked well. He answered casually, that there are inner matters in this. For if he merits to see the openings that are there, he can exit through the openings of the fall of his fellow, for the descent and fall of this one is the aspect of ascent of that one; understand. That is, sometimes what is considered a fall and descent for his fellow, who is at a higher level, is considered for him an aspect of ascent, relative to his low level. Therefore, even though it is impossible to ascend through the openings through which he himself fell there—only through a higher opening, as explained in the Gemara above—nevertheless, if he merited to see the openings that are in the impurity itself, he could ascend from there through the openings of his fellow who is higher than him, who fell through them, for the descent and fall of his fellow is considered for him ascent, as above.
But it is impossible to merit to see the openings that are there, and to ascend from there through them, except through the truth, through accustoming himself to speak in his prayer the word in truth according to what he is—even though the darkness, hindrances, and confusions surround and encompass him from every side and from sides of sides, and confuse him very, very much until he cannot pray at all. Nevertheless, in any case, he should see to speak the word in truth in whatever level he is, as above. So he should see to draw himself always to the truth truly, as above. Through this, he will merit that the Name, blessed be He, Himself will illuminate for him, and he will see the openings that are there, and he will merit to exit from darkness to great light, as above.
He said to me then that through this advice, one can be a truly worthy man all the days of his life, for always, however he is, one can revive himself and hold himself through this—through the truth that is the light of the Name, blessed be He, Himself—for "Even all darkness does not darken from You" [Psalms 139]. For there is no impurity and sitra achara in the world that does not have openings there to exit from there; only that one does not see them because of the greatness of the darkness that is there. But through the truth, the Name, blessed be He, Himself illuminates for him, and he merits to see and to find an opening of hope also in the depth of his fall, to exit from gloom to light and to draw near to Him, blessed be He, in truth always.
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