As soon as he had blessed them, he ascended to his place.
Rabbi Shim’on arose first, he opened a discourse and said: ‘Tanna! Tanna! Guard yourself, for the sling is with you – and this is the Shekhinah, and through it are thrown three stones, which are the three higher drops of the brain, which are Y-Y-Y י־י־י, and are included in Ḥokhmah, in Tevunah (Binah) and in Da’at.’
He said to him: ‘Rabbi! (Num. 24:21)... you place your nest in the rock (sel)’a, for the bow is with you, which is the sign of the covenant. Guard yourself from its arrows which are three: V-V-V ו־ו־ו, which numerically add up to 18∞ḥaiy, and this is ‘the life-force∞ḥaiy (=18) of the worlds.’