Jewish Mysticism
When God, blessed be he, unites with the righteous and pious, the patriarchs of the world and the mighty ones, he removes from himself all cognomens and the Tetragrammaton alone is exalted. Thus, the Tetragrammaton alone stands with Israel like a king who has removed all his garments and unites with his wife. This is the secret, “Turn back, O rebellious children, for I have united with you” (Jer. 3-22), and it says, “I will espouse you forever” (Hosea 2-21). “I will espouse you”–like a king who removes his garments and unites with his wife, so too the Tetragrammaton removes all cognomens and garments, and unites with Israel, with their pious (hasidim), ascetics (perushim), and the pure ones (tehorim). This is the secret, “I had taken off my robes, was I to son it again?” (Song of Songs 5-3).
Translated by Elliot Wolfson in “Eunuchs who Keep the Sabbath- Becoming Male and the Ascetic Ideal in Thirteenth Century Jewish Mysticism,” in Becoming Male in the Middle Ages, 151-185. Edited by J. J. Cohen and B. Wheeler. New York- Garland, 1997. Translated from Sha’are Orah, edited by Joseph Ben-Shlomo (Jerusalem- Mosad Bialik, 3rd edition, 1996).