| Behold, the morning meal of Shabbat, the AR"IZ"L arranged to parallel Abraham our father, and it is the meal of Ancient Holiness. For Abraham our father, peace be upon him, understood the matter of Antiquity as is hinted in the phrase, "And Abraham was old," (Genesis 24:1), as we have spoken about in several places. And we find regarding Abraham our father, peace be upon him, who made a party on the day he weaned (הגמל) Isaac. And there is in sources that on the 5+3 day (ה״ג) he circumcised (מל) - the eighth day. This is from the perspective that he merited that from him would emerge the root of the beginning of the holiness of Israel who would be attached to the Ancient through the perspective of the holiness of the brit. And Isaac was the first who was circumcised on the eighth day, which teaches that he was attached to the Ancient Holiness, for one who is circumcised at eight days does not yet have his own mental capacity. And in the holy Zohar there is a saying, "Once one is cut they are called righteous," (Section 2 23a). Therefore, Abraham our father, peace be upon him, made a drinking feast which hints at the good wine, the ancient wine. Therefore "a great party" is written, for the word, "great," hints at the Infinity as is hinted by the Long Face, which has infinite length. For in regards to Hashem the blessed, it would not be applicable to call God, "long," if God had a measurement or amount, for it would be possible to find something a thousand thousands long like God which, compared to it, God would be called "small" and "short". Similarly, they said (Chullin 142a) regarding the length of days [promised for honoring parents or chasing away a mother bird], "for a world that is entirely long," which is the World-to-Come which is also infinite. |
| And so too Abraham our father, peace be upon him, who was the chariot for the trait of kindness, and was called, "Great," as is known from the verse, "Greatness and might are yours, Hashem," (1 Chronicles 29:11). So too, "The great, the mighty, the awesome," (Deuteronomy 10:17) are the three characteristics - kindness, might, and splendor - of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as is know. And in respect to Hashem the blessed, greatness is also God's infiniteness, for if not compared to something greater God would be small. This is what reaches until Antiquity [ie that which is infinite]. |
| And this is what is written in Genesis Rabbah (53:10) regarding the great feast: the Great one of Universes was there. And the "Great one of Universes" is a description of the Infiniteness, which is that God arrives at infiniteness as we explained. For awe is within limits and boundaries, which is not the case for love which extends without a boundary. |
| This is why the daytime kiddush is called, "The Great Kiddush". Meaning to say, "great," for this characteristic is in its expansiveness and is called "great" as we explained. |
| And good wine is the emergence of good that is in the by products of love, as was explained. And the completion of the emergence as was recounted above, which is all the way to the Ancient. And this is the ancient wine and old wine whose tasted remains in one's mouth after drinking, for when one reaches the root of antiquity it is a thing which has no border, boundary, or stopping point at all. |
| But the Shabbat evening meal is parallel to Isaac of father, peace be upon him, from the aspect of awe, which is the beginning of the entrance of Shabbat where Israel accepts upon themselves the holiness of the Shabbat. And the beginning needs to be with the awakening from the perspective of the souls of Israel. And awakening is awe as is stated, "What Hashem your God asks of you: but to be in awe," (Deuteronomy 10:12). That is what the is written, "Create an opening for me like the point of a needle," (Zohar section 3 95a). And at the moment Shabbat enters we need to recount it orally with kiddush on wine with words of praise to Hashem the blessed over the wine. Therefore in the evening we say it on wine with a cup (כוס) for the gematria of cup (כוס) is the same as God (א-להים). Which is the Name [of God relating to] strength which hints to limits like the cup which is a vessel that limits the wine to the measure of the cup. And limiting hints to awe and the characteristic of fear, as is known. However, on the day of Shabbat which is the meal of Abraham our father, whose characteristic is love, and love comes from above from the direction of Hashem the blessed. As we have from our Rabbi, Rabbi Ber, the memory of a righteous and holy one is for a blessing, that awe comes from the direction of people and after comes the great love from above, on its own and by itself from the aspect of a gift. For it is the way of a person to pursue [a woman, ie love] and love is a matter of expansion. Therefore the kiddush of the day is called, "The Great Kiddush," even though in it we do no recounting of Shabbat. Since it is from the perspective of Hashem the blessed from the Ancient that Israel merits the level of love and kindness in its expansion. |
