Parables That Lift the Shechinah

The verse says of Shlomo HaMelech that he spoke three thousand parables, and his songs were a thousand and five. The Noam Elimelech reads it as a description of how a tzaddik works. When the tzaddik wants to bring something about in the world, he likens it to a parable, so that through the parable the thing it stands for is set right. Shlomo's three thousand, alafim, are three alefs, which R' Elimelech ties to the Name Ehyeh: through those alefs everything needed is set right, and Shlomo set them right through his parables. Then came his songs. After Shlomo reached a great level, R' Elimelech teaches, and came to thank Hashem and sing to Him with songs and praises, he raised the Shechinah, the last hei of Hashem's Name, whose number is five, up to Chochmah, hinted in the alef, for alef has the letters of pele, the wonder of wisdom.