Adir BaMurom — Chapter 6: The World of Nikudim — The Primordial Kings; The Breaking of the Vessels

Know: this parasha truly encompasses the roots of governance — therefore he said: "it is testimony to the faithfulness of all." And I will explain to you the secret of this faith. For it is written: "a G‑d of faithfulness and without iniquity" [Deuteronomy 32:4]. For the Holy Blessed One governs His world through many deep cycles — all in faithfulness — to give to each one according to his deeds literally. And it flows from the very beginning. For there the Holy Blessed One placed in the world the side of holiness and the side of impurity — one opposite the other — and between them all matters of the world: for one or the other to rule according to deeds. But the intention is to conduct things in a governance so deep that it is impossible to attain — except for Him alone. And through it ultimately all evil will return to good — and the rule will be holiness alone. And this is our holy faith — we, the children of Israel — that there is no emanator but One — He alone made everything. And there He placed the spreading of the holy sefiros — and corresponding to them He made the gradations of evil — and He alone governs — the single Master — to return all evil to be subjugated to serve His holiness — and none does anything except according to His will.

And even though things appear harsh and strange — that the path of the wicked is successful while the righteous dwell in lowliness — yet everything is conducted with faithful governance to restore each matter to its clarity — and all good will be exalted alone without any admixture of evil. And nothing in the world is done for the harm of creatures — but everything is for their good from the single Emanator, blessed be He, who has none other.

And the knowledge of this faith depends on the knowledge of the law which the Emanator established to arrange His governance thereby. And this is the knowledge of the FIRST ORDER OF EXISTENCE — how He brought His existents into being — how He brought His holy sefiros into being — and how He brought into being and gave place to evil. And there we see and know how this side or that side strengthens — and where things lean and where they go. For then all the circumstances circling in the world from then until its end will not be wondrous in our eyes. And all depends on the existence of the SEFIROS OF NIKUDIM [the sefiros of the primordial points] — as explained in the words of the Ari, of blessed memory. For the occurrence of the BREAKING and its rectification is the root of all governance from beginning to end. And one who knows this with true knowledge — it will be easy for him to understand the matters of governance — and he will see them all as straight for those who understand — nothing strange in them.

And know: the beginning of existence is in the secret of Malchus — and it spread in its gradations — and in reaching the Nikudim the Sitra Achra was given a preparation — and many compositions were composed there. But the power of holiness did not cease — for only this preparation was given to evil. Afterwards holiness came in its full force — and this is the TIKKUN OF BE"N IN MA"H. And all this you will yet see explicitly explained below. And this is precisely the secret of: "Who keeps His faith to those asleep in the dust." For the dead below are an allusion to the broken vessels above. And just as the faith was kept in them above — namely the faith of holiness which is itself Malchus through which the existence of all existents is — until all the kingdoms of Edom were reigned and broken and were built again — so too it will be below.

Know: the root of all the matters of the existence of ABiY"A in all their particulars — all of it flows from the matter of the Breaking of the primordial Kings and their rectification. For this was a great act performed to give a preparation for the worlds to exist — so that from them this world could go out in the manner it now is — where the essential thing is the human being and all the rest of creation are branches from him.

The beginning of the thought was that the human being should exist as a being of FREE CHOICE — with reward and punishment according to his deeds — so that ultimately he should receive from G‑d the complete good without any shame. And since He wished to make this human being with this free choice — many things needed to be arranged and prepared for this. For there must be the evil inclination [Yetzer HaRa] in the world that can rule over a person. Yet also at times the person rules over the evil inclination — and this causes one kind of action in the root. And at times the evil inclination rules over the person — and then it causes another kind of action in the root. And thus there are TWO TIMES — for the human being, for the evil inclination, and for the luminaries which are their root — a time of the rule of good and a time of the rule of evil.

And furthermore these two modes of rule are not just two aspects alone — for within each there is more and less. For both in good and in evil there is a time of great rule and a time of small rule. And the modes of rule are thus many kinds — and each one has its own operation in all of creation. And there is also the matter of TESHUVAH — that even after a person sins he can rectify it. And even after the Sitra Achra strengthened and prevailed, heaven forbid, over holiness — it is still possible for holiness to return and strengthen and prevail over it and remove the hold that was already given to it. And from this flow the punishments that are according to time — and through them the defects are repaired.

And in order that all these things exist — the creation of the luminaries needed to be made in this way — that all these things could come out from them. And in truth this ordering and its existence was prepared for them through the power of their going out, their breaking, and their rectification. And I will explain to you how this depends on this Breaking. Know: the essential of all is the secret of the SOUL and the BODY — whose root in the luminaries is the INNER and the OUTER. And these are two existences that can be cleaving and ruling as one in a single bond — or can be without complete cleaving — and then each can rule over the other: sometimes the soul and sometimes the body.

And I will hint to you here a very great and profound secret2 — what is written: "after the Lord your G‑d shall you walk" [Deuteronomy 13:5]. Now it would seem that the more loving expression would be BEFORE G‑d — as in: "walk before Me and be wholehearted" [Genesis 17:1]. But in truth it is a great secret — for one part of Malchus clothes itself within the souls of Israel. And this is the secret of: "a holy one dwells in his midst" (Taanit 11a) — in the secret of: "my G‑d is within me." And just as you know that only the BACK of the upper becomes the brains of the lower — so from the back of Malchus is this part that clothes itself within the souls — and this is called: "after the Lord." And it is what binds the souls to the Shechinah.

And this ordering — know: in this ordering the existence of the sefiros was arranged from the beginning of their being found — which is the time of the Tzimtzum. For a RESHIMU [residual impression] remained within the chalal [vacated space] — and from it the VESSELS were made. And afterwards the KAV [line] entered within it — and from it the ESSENCES [atzmus] were made. And this is the difference between the essences and the vessels: the vessels are from the aspect of the Tzimtzum, and the essences are the secret of the Ayn Sof blessed be He entering within the vacated space.

And now it suffices for you to know how the ordering of all existence is INNER and OUTER. For every upper thing — its outer is the inner of what is below it — until all the luminaries are found: their inner, and all that exists from them — their outer. And they themselves are divided in the secret of inner and outer — for the human being is the inner, and all the rest of the world is the outer to him. And so within the human being himself there is the soul and the body.

And there are many kinds of combinations and connections without number. But the single general bond — of which all the rest are considered branches — alone — is the secret of the FOUR LETTERS OF THE NAME HVYH blessed be He. And therefore there is no place where this holy Name is not found — for every name indicates some particular gradation or some particular combination. But all combinations and compositions must enter under the ordering of these four letters. And this is what we speak of in Adam Kadmon — dividing him into four Names: Ayin-Beis, Sa"G, MaH, Be"N — for these are the heads of the divisions, bonds and compositions — all of them gathered under him. And the Name blessed be He is the essential governance of creation — and upon it depends the service of human beings — for essentially the root must be rectified, not the branches.

And know: when we mention something by name — it is because we know its matter and essence — therefore we define it with that name. All the more so the Names of the luminaries — which are not by convention or accident — but reveal the very essence of the thing named. But what we do not know we cannot define with a name. And therefore Eliyahu said in his prayer: for the Ayn Sof blessed be He there is no name found — for it is impossible to define Him with any name. And know: all the things we mention in the form of human being — their essential is only from Atzilus downward. And above we apply these names only by way of attribution — from the side of their being a root to those things in Atzilus. And their essential in truth is in Zu"N.

When you examine closely you will find that Atzilus itself is the secret of Ze'ir Anpin. For the lights of the Karkafta [skull] of Adam Kadmon are in the secret of Arikh Anpin and Abba — in the secret of Ayin-Beis — and then Imma in the secret of Sa"G. And Atzilus is Ze'ir Anpin, and BiYA is the Nukva. And the Name itself is in Zu"N: in the secret of YaH"V — Cha"G"T — and the final Heh = Malchus. And also Yud-Heh is the Chochma-Bina of Ze'ir Anpin, and the Vav is his six lower sefiros, and the Heh is Malchus. But Abba-Imma are called thus on account of what they do in Ze'ir Anpin — and flow into him in the secret of the brains. And therefore IN ZE'IR ANPIN: the letters are THERE — literally — for they are in their place. But IN ATIKA — they DEPEND UPON — for they are there only because he is the root of Ze'ir Anpin.

Now I will answer the question I raised at the beginning. For here is how it is: the Emanator first ordered creation in the secret of inner and outer. For all the Reshimu remaining in the chalal is the secret of the outer — and the Kav entering it is the secret of the inner — and their secret: chesed and din. Afterwards they become included each in the other — for the inner takes the aspect of the outer and the outer takes the aspect of the inner — and then four aspects are made. And this is the secret of CIRCLES [iggulim] and UPRIGHT [yosher] — for each of them has inner and outer.

And at the start the Ayn Sof entirely withdrew from the chalal — and then the chalal is called the secret of the letter HEH. And afterwards one Kav broke through from His light through a line — and this is the secret of the letter VAV — and this is the essential in the governance — and its secret: Zu"N. And the Ayn Sof through this Kav remains cleaving to this entity that is Adam Kadmon. And toward this adhesion of the Ayn Sof in Vav-Heh — we call it YUD-HEH. For certainly if He remains cleaving — He illuminates in it — and to the secret of this illumination we call by the name YUD-HEH. And Yud-Heh is known only on account of their flowing toward Vav-Heh.

And this is the secret of the Tzimtzum expressed as ALEPH-TEIS-BEIS — which is YHYH — for the upper aspects which are Yud-Heh withdrew — and the lower ones Vav-Heh remain. For it was impossible to even mention Yud-Heh in the Ayn Sof that withdrew — all the more so before the Tzimtzum nothing at all existed. But now that what remained — whose secret is Vav-Heh — remains — to what withdrew we call Yud-Heh — which corresponds to the aspect of Yud-Heh there is in the HVYH that exists now. In sum: the Vav-Heh that remains itself expands to four letters — and this is as Ze'ir Anpin which is Vav-Heh alone, yet counts as ten with the Cha"B"D — and this is the secret of Abba-Imma expanding in it — and then it is called Yud-Heh Vav-Heh. So too this first Vav-Heh that remained has in it the aspect of the adhesion of the Ayn Sof to it — as Arikh Anpin in Ze'ir Anpin — and then this Vav-Heh itself is the secret of the complete Yud-Heh Vav-Heh.

And when there is a defect — when the Sitra Achra seizes — its seizing is in the secret of Vav-Heh alone — and then it is called only Yud-Heh: in the secret of: "for a hand is upon the throne of Yah" [Exodus 17:16]. And afterwards when it is completed it is called HVYH. But when the outer [chitzonyus] will be completely rectified in the final completion — everything will be called YHYH. And the root of all this matter is the first Vav-Heh alone.

And now I need to explain to you the matter of sheirusa ve-siyuma [beginning and ending]. For truly it is a great and deep secret — for it is the totality of governance truly in general — and also in particular for each individual — as you will hear. And the secret of the general can be seen in the creation of the world: for the world was created in SIX DAYS and then came the SHABBOS which is rest. And so too in the matter of the world that endures SIX THOUSAND YEARS — and then there is the SEVENTH MILLENNIUM in the secret of Shabbos. And so too in the life of a person who toils in them — and at the end arrives at rest — in the secret of: "they shall rest in their resting places" [Isaiah 57:2].

For this way there must be a root in the luminaries — for they must be prepared in this way so that this matter can go out from them. And the secret of all is the secret of Zu"N: the MALE is the secret of the HEAD [beginning/sheirusa] and the NUKVA is the secret of the END [siyuma]. And everything is thus — in the secret of head and end. And it is written: "Who tells from the beginning the end" [Isaiah 46:10] — and this is the secret of governance flowing from the beginning which is the male — to the end which is the Nukva. And: "from the beginning of the year to the end of the year" [Deuteronomy 11:12]. For the BEGINNING OF THOUGHT is the END OF ACTION — and the beginning of thought is the male — and his aim is toward the Nukva which is the end of action. And thus: all the time the male rules it is the time of action — and when the matters have arrived at the Nukva — all is in the secret of REST — and the matter remains permanently and completely settled.

And according to this way the world is conducted: the six thousand years are in the secret of the male — and they are the time of action and preparation — and at the end is the Shabbos of rest — which is the ultimate purpose of the world. And so it is in the life and death of a person: all the days of this world are in the secret of preparation from the side of the male — and the end of days is in the secret of the female: Shabbos, rest — they ascend to rest at their root.

And let it not trouble you that if Adam had not sinned there would have been no death — for this is true. But this governance [of beginning and ending] would still have existed in the secret of preparation and rest — only without death. And on this matter it is said: "a woman of valor is the crown of her husband" [Proverbs 12:4]. And the Sages explained: "her husband is crowned through her — but she is not crowned through him" (Bereishis Rabba 47:1). For during the weekdays it is the rule of Ze'ir Anpin in the secret of the six [lower sefiros] — and then it is said: "six days shall you work." But on Shabbos when the Nukva's rule arrives there is rest — and also Ze'ir Anpin ascends with her and himself receives a great addition. But all the time Ze'ir Anpin acts in the secret of the weekdays she does not ascend — for on the contrary the weekdays are the time of separation — and this is because of him racing toward the end — toward which all the luminaries aim. But once they have arrived — all ascend in great ascents — and then: "her husband is crowned through her." And this is the secret of: "the end of a matter is better than its beginning" [Ecclesiastes 7:8]. And: "the day of death is better than the day of one's birth" [Ecclesiastes 7:1] — for the righteous: they arrive at the rest — and then all their aspects ascend in the secret of this rest.

And Adam's sin DAMAGED THE END which is Malchus — in the secret of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And therefore EXILE was required — in the secret of the male — to return her to her place. And when she returns — she will first be in the secret of a complete name — in the secret of: "a woman of valor is the crown of her husband." And this is the secret of: "in the end of days the mountain of G‑d's house shall be established above the mountains" [Isaiah 2:2]. And afterwards the Name will revert from HVYH to YHYH.11

And returning to the matter: as long as the essences within Adam Kadmon were spreading only in the secret of Ayin-Beis and Sa"G — the matter of sheirusa ve-siyuma was not yet established in its place. Therefore he said: "until His tikkunim were not yet prepared... sheirusa and siyuma did not yet exist." For the Malka [King] mentioned here is Ze'ir Anpin — and his tikkunim are the secret of the six [lower sefiros] and Malchus. And his ataros [crowns] are Cha"B"D. And the aturei ataros [crowns of crowns] are Arikh Anpin and Abba-Imma. And once MaH and Be"N came out in their place — then the matter of sheirusa ve-siyuma, which is in MaH and Be"N's place, also spread to the upper ones because of the bond they have with it. But until these things were rectified thus — the matter of sheirusa ve-siyuma did not exist.

And I will tell you now what "Atika of Atikin" refers to here. For he is speaking of the KAV within Adam Kadmon — but according to its aspect in the secret of Ayin-Beis which is Arikh — and it is called ATIK [Ancient/removed]. And the secret: it is the most root-like and closest to the Ayn Sof. And Abba-Imma too are called zekenim [elders/ancients] — for all of them are above governance which is the seven lower sefiros. But since this one is the most ancient of all — the root to them — it is called: Atika de-Atikin. And because of its enclothing in Sa"G — it is also called TAMIR DE-TAMIRIN [hidden of the hidden] — for Sa"G is Abba-Imma and they are hidden — and it is hidden from them for it is enclothed within them. And he is speaking of the Kav in the aspect of Ayin-Beis and Sa"G — which is before the emergence of the Malchin Kadma'in. And the essential is in the Ayin-Beis — which is the root that makes everything — only it has the aspect of itself, and the aspect of its enclothing in Sa"G.

And this was engraving [m'galif] in the outer dimension of Adam Kadmon and measuring within it. For according to the engravings [gilufin] the light was bounded to conduct itself through those engravings. The engravings are in the outer — becoming a receiving-vessel for the inner that moves within it. And the measurement — in the inner — bounded by the engravings.

And when it came to bring out the Malchin Kadma'in — it first spread a MASACH [screen] — by gathering its lower parts upward — as explained in its place. And then the PARGOD [curtain] was spread — so that only what should descend would descend — in that measure and preparation that it wishes. And this Pargod is also found between the worlds: between Atzilus and Beriah, and the others. And the worlds emerging below the Pargod emerge only from the aspect of the Pargod itself.

And this Pargod comes from the Sa"G. And truly the Pargod was needed to diminish the light for the sake of creation — and also there the Pargod is from the aspect of Imma. And within this Pargod all the matters of the Malchin Kadma'in were prepared in the secret of gilufin and shi'urin [engravings and measures] — in all the spreading of Imma. And according to what was arranged in the Pargod — so the lights went out from it downward to the end of the body. And in this aspect was the illumination of the Malchin Kadma'in. And see: PARGOD is MASACH — and it equals 120 — and they are 120 combinations of ELOHIM. For here the ELOHIM began to be revealed in the secret of the Malchin Kadma'in — as you will yet hear. And also PARGOD is PEH-RESH × YUD-GIMEL: the secret of PEH-RESH = the five letters MeNaTzPa"Ch — and they are the five letters of ELOHIM. And in their full spelling: ALEPH-LAMED-PEIM LAMED-MEM HEH-YUD YUD-VAV-MEM MEM = 13 letters — and from here the Malchin Kadma'in emerge.

And ERETZ EDOM is BINA — and from there these Kings emerge. And the matter: the Sages said that the measure of the Tree of Life is 500 years (Jerusalem Talmud, Berachos 1:1) — and the secret is that Ze'ir Anpin goes out from Imma — and is measured according to her measure — in the secret of the Fifty Gates of Bina that are in her. And the secret: "who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand" [Isaiah 40:12] — these are five measures — and their secret: the five sounds emerging from the mouth which is Imma. And this is the beginning of his existence — and it is gevuros — for all the secret of katnus [smallness] is gevuros which is the Names ELOHIM.

The vessels of Ze'ir Anpin are from the five gevuros of Imma12 — and the secret: "everything goes to one place" [Ecclesiastes 3:20]. And at his beginning there are only gevuros — and five sefiros are built in him: Cha"G"T NaH — in the secret of PEH-RESH = MeNaTzPa"Ch. And then Yesod goes out from all of them encompassed — and is called KOL [all] — in the secret of this mountain. And Malchus also goes out from there in the secret of KULA [bride/all] — and she is the secret of the crown of Yesod. And these are two MeNaTzPa"Ch: one in Cha"G"T NaH, and one in Yesod. And the secret: "an untamed wild ass of a man shall be born" [Job 11:12] — and the two MeNaTzPa"Ch — for both Ir and Pera equal PEH-RESH — and these rule in the time of katnus which is the beginning of Ze'ir Anpin's existence. And all this flows from the outer dimension of Imma. But afterwards Imma enters within them and joins them and makes them into one partzuf — and the lights spread within them — all in one unity. For the difference appears only in the vessels which are the body — but the soul spreads in equal measure within — in the secret of reshus ha-yachid.

And you must know here a great secret: for all the sefiros of Ze'ir Anpin end up going to the Nukva — for she is a portion of all his sefiros. For all the sefiros of the male are the secret of YaH"V — and the Nukva is the final HEH at the end of all of them. And she receives from them in all ten sefiros — and she is their completion. And when this matter stands rectified — Imma also enters within and joins male and female together in the secret of ECHAD: ALEPH-CHET [= nine sefiros of Ze'ir Anpin] + DALET [= Nukva completing to ten] — and she completes all his sefiros to ten. And of Imma it is said: "G‑d makes the solitary dwell in a house" [Psalms 68:7].

And now let me tell you what was at the time of the Breaking. For then the sefiros were in the secret of reshus ha-rabbim [the public domain] — meaning they were not going in this way of flowing to the sea which is the Nukva. And therefore Imma did not enter within them to join them — and they remained as vessels not joined — in the secret of reshus ha-rabbim. And this flowed from the root of the ALEPH-YUD-TEIS [= Sitra Achra's root] — as I will explain further.

And the measure of the vessels — they are the five letters MeNaTzPa"Ch — and their secret: MELECH, MELECH, YIMLOCH which sum to MeNaTzPa"Ch. MELECH [king] is in Cha"G"T — for they are the matter of governance. MELECH is in Tiferes — for there the root is revealed: Yesod of Imma. And YIMLOCH is NaH"Y — flowing from Tiferes to Nukva — for truly these are the rivers going to the sea. And from these five gevuros the vessels were made. And since they were in the secret of reshus ha-rabbim — they were in the secret of seven points one beneath the other — for Malchus was not combining facing the male but standing below him in the secret of a point — without bond between them.

And all this was because the root to bring out the Sitra Achra was mixed there. And in truth its place was in these NaH"Y which are at the edges of his body. And of this it is written: "guard your feet when you go to the house of G‑d" [Ecclesiastes 4:17] — for the feet are what walk from Ze'ir Anpin to the Nukva — and there guarding from the Sitra Achra that chases the feet is required — in the secret of: "a snake is coiled upon his heel" (Berachos 30a). And this is the secret of the TEVAH [ark/word] of which it is said: "lower, second, and third decks shall you make" [Genesis 6:16] — and the Sages said: "the lower one for dung" (Sanhedrin 108b) — and this is a great secret. For the Sitra Achra seizes only behind the feet — for wherever it seizes — it is in the feet therein that it seizes.

And on this secret it is said: "and these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom" — the secret of MELECH and MELECH. And until here there was no Breaking — only in the aspect of YIMLOCH which is NaH"Y. And the secret: "and he reigned and he died" — for this is what caused the Breaking.

And opposite these three aspects of kingship — MELECH MELECH YIMLOCH — there is another aspect of kingship — MELECH alone. For what was in the secret of reshus ha-rabbim becomes now all in the secret of reshus ha-yachid. And it is the aspect of TZADE [= 90 = gematria of MELECH] of TZELEM [image] — for when Imma enters within Ze'ir Anpin and joins him in the secret of reshus ha-yachid. And of this king it is said: "before a king reigned for the children of Israel." And know: when Israel arose from the sea — they could at that moment have rectified the matter of the Breaking. And this is what they said: "HVYH will reign forever and ever" [Exodus 15:18] — to rectify this YIMLOCH. But THEY ERRED — for they needed to hold to the aspect of MELECH [the TZADEI of TZELEM] — and it would have been rectified in a great tikkun. But they thought they needed to rectify what was damaged — namely YIMLOCH. And in truth it was rectified for the moment — but then returned and was damaged again. And this is a great secret — and this is what was said in the Midrash: "had they said 'HVYH MELECH forever and ever' — no nation or tongue would have ever ruled over them" (Yalkut Shimoni Vol. 1 §403). And this King is called: "a King for the children of Israel" — for Israel is Ze'ir Anpin in the completion of his partzuf — and all his sefiros are called BNEI YISRAEL [the children of Israel].

And now I will explain the details of the Breaking and what flowed from it — so you understand the words of Rashbi, of holy and blessed memory, well. You have already heard the reason for the Breaking — namely to give a preparation for all the things we said above — that they should exist in the manner of the human being in this world. And the totality: that there should be DESTRUCTION and TIKKUN. And from the destruction the Sitra Achra emerges — and in the tikkun it is subdued or passes away entirely. For truly if the tikkun were complete — and so when it will be complete in the future — the Sitra Achra will no longer exist.

And the ten sefiros [in the Nikudim]: THREE OF THEM stood in the secret of LINES [kav] and these are Cha"B"D — for they received greater power and greater rectification. The reason: the essential existence of Zu"N was what was primary in this place — namely the seven lower sefiros. But the three upper — even though they were there — they were from the secret of Ayin-Beis and Sa"G already rectified — namely the secret of Arikh Anpin and Abba-Imma — and therefore they had more rectification. But the seven lower had NO rectification in them at all — and therefore they were one BELOW the other — meaning only their initial existence was revealed in them: being seven sefiros — and the requisite bond between them from one to another was not revealed — for the reasons I explained above.

And at the start the TEN VESSELS were made — offspring of the Tzimtzum and of the Reshimu of the chalal. And afterwards the essences needed to spread within them. And know: within the vessel there exists a root to bring out the Sitra Achra — for when the Emanator innovated the innovation of the world in the secret of the Tzimtzum — and left the Reshimu from which the vessels were made — that Reshimu was according to the existence the Emanator wished the world to have. And since He wished the Sitra Achra to be in the world — certainly the Reshimu's preparation must give this. And every specific existent goes out from the sefiros only when the sefiros stand in the proportion relative to them — for when the sefiros are in the aspect of Atzilus they don't bring out angels — for the light is far too great — and so also when in Beriah they don't bring out the Yetzira ones. And so — even though the Reshimu gives the Sitra Achra existence — the root proper to bring her out only comes after the light descended many descents — down to the very end of the gradation of holiness — and there it reaches bringing out the Sitra Achra.

And note: all that exists now from the head of Atzilus to the end of Asiyah — was all encompassed within these ten sefiros [of the Nikudim]. As if to say: these ten sefiros divided afterwards into forty parts — ten sefiros of each of ABiY"A. And in greater detail: the ten became fifty: five partzufim, and another five, and another five, and another five — the partzufim of ABiY"A. And thus at the start the ten sefiros encompassed within themselves all these portions — all in one equality. For all the aspects of, say, Chesed in all the partzufim of ABiY"A — all were called one vessel of Chesed. And then the light needed to come and spread in equal measure in all the parts of the vessels. But since the final part which was to bring out the Sitra Achra was also included — the light could not spread there. For it is not fitting for the light to spread with this great power also in that part. Rather: the vessel needed to be divided into its portions — and then the upper part of it — which has no relation to the Sitra Achra — remains alone to receive the light with this power. And therefore when the light came through the vessel — they could not stand together — for the vessel was not fitting to receive it — and then it broke and fell.

And when these vessels fell they were divided into THREE PARTS. For the most elevated part of them went to Beriah — the lesser part to Yetzira — and the least part to Asiyah. And you must understand: we call this matter by the name of FALLING and DESCENT — and not by the name of SPREADING. For it would seem it should be called spreading — for we know that Beriah is the spreading of Atzilus, and Yetzira of Beriah, and Asiyah of Yetzira. But the matter is: here it was not so — for Atzilus did not remain while BiYA came after it. Rather the aspect of Atzilus was lacking — and only the BiYA gradation remained. And THIS is why we say they FELL — for the first most elevated aspect was missing from them — and they descended from the gradation of Atzilus to BiYA. And this most elevated part was hidden away within Adam Kadmon.

And this is the secret of the LIGHT CREATED ON THE FIRST DAY that G‑d stored away for the righteous (Chagiga 12a). For the first day = the world of the Nikudim before the Breaking — and the Atzilus of those vessels is what was concealed — to be revealed in the future when the tikkun is complete. For when the Nikudim went out they were in the gradation of Sa"G — and when the Atzilus was hidden — they descended from their gradation and remained at the gradation of Be"N. But in the World to Come the matters will be rectified — and the worlds will return to what they were before the Breaking — returning to the gradation of Sa"G as at first — and then this hidden light will be revealed.

And there are THREE DAYS [cosmic time-periods] — in the secret of: "He will revive us after two days, on the third day He will raise us up" [Hosea 6:2]. These are: the time of the Breaking — namely the world of Tohu — called YESTERDAY — in the secret of: "for Tophet was prepared of yesterday" [Isaiah 30:33] — for from there existence was given to the klippos. And there is TODAY and there is TOMORROW — in the secret of: "today to do them and tomorrow to receive their reward" (Eruvin 22a). TODAY — after the tikkun — all the time of this world: the time of free choice and the tikkun. And TOMORROW — which is eternity: the long day. And thus the first day is before the Breaking — the world of the Nikudim — and the light of Atzilus that existed then was hidden and stored for the righteous in the World to Come.

Now: the distinction between FALLING [nefilah] and BREAKING [shevira]19. The falling is their descent from the gradation of Atzilus to BiYA. But the BREAKING is something else: at the beginning the lights were standing to be rectified according to the order and proportion given them — having been created to govern the world and bring out the offspring. When they broke — the POWER OF GOVERNANCE was removed from them — and that order, and that proportion. And the bond found among them was nullified — so they could no longer govern or generate at all. And THIS is called BREAKING. And then they stood only to receive another form at the time of the tikkun — and truly Malchus of Adam Kadmon — which is the root of them — was holding them only as a stored-concealed thing so they would not operate. And they no longer stood to clothe Adam Kadmon as at first and receive the lights from the inner dimension corresponding to them — but were standing thus: stored-concealed. And therefore it is said: "they were not sustained until He set them aside and concealed them."

And truly this flows from the hiddenness of their Atzilus. For since the Atzilus was hidden — it is impossible for the BiYA to operate — and they stand stored-concealed — until the time of the tikkun. And when the tikkun came — then the lights came and spread in the vessels. But certainly since the existence of the vessels was inferior to the first — the lights too equalized themselves to the vessels. And the upper aspect is in the secret of the hidden light as above.

And now I will explain how from the Breaking and the tikkun all of the world's governance and its judgments flow20. For: since the vessels fell and were left emptied of their light — and then a place of rule was given to the Sitra Achra — so too a preparation was given to the human being and to the world to be in DESCENT — with the Sitra Achra ruling. And since the vessels were returned to ascend and be rectified — so too a preparation was given to the human being and the world to RETURN AND ASCEND after the descent. And since sparks of the lights remained within the vessels even at the time of their breaking — so too the human being and the world are not sunk completely — for it would have been utter desolation. Thus: for every state and existence — there is a root in this act of the vessels.

And understand: this is the secret of DEATH and RESURRECTION. For the death in the human being is literally the withdrawal of the light from these vessels — and the resurrection is the return of the vessels to their tikkun. And this is also the root of exile [galus] and redemption [geulah]. And it is the secret of: "Who revives the dead — great is Your power to save" — for resurrection of the dead is the matter of redemption. And the root of all is in the tikkun of the vessels — and all the particular details found in this matter generate particular offspring in the governance of the world according to what I have described.

And this is what I said above: when Israel arose from the sea — it was the time for the tikkun of the Breaking — for the exile was an offspring of the Breaking, and the redemption — of the tikkun. And they could have completed the tikkunim with their arousal. But they erred in their thinking — for they thought they needed to rectify what was damaged — namely YIMLOCH as above. But in truth they needed to hold what was already rectified — which is what rectifies the damage — namely the MELECH of TZELEM as above. And indeed after they sinned further with the Golden Calf — one must first return to the state that existed at the time of the ascent from the sea — so that a complete tikkun can then be made. And therefore David said: "HVYH will reign forever" [Psalms 146:10]. But in the future it is written: "and HVYH shall be King over all the earth" [Zechariah 14:9] — and then the complete tikkun will remain.

Chapter 6 is the longest chapter thus far — 39 pages — and it constitutes the Ramchal's commentary on the extended preamble of the Idra Rabba: Rashbi's words before the Idra itself begins. The chapter covers the following main themes, including deep expositions of Adam Kadmon, the Reshimu and Kav, Sheirusa ve-Siyuma, the mechanics of the Breaking, and the doctrine of Israel at the Sea of Reeds:

Movement I (§§1–2): The Decree of Torah Words; Sinai = the Mouth of Imma; Moses in Every Generation. The Ramchal opens with a full explanation of gazira (decree) — the cosmic act by which Torah innovations are "cut" and established. The mechanism is Imma's nesira (sawing through) of Zu"N, which establishes what Chesed and what Din will prevail — paralleling the Rosh HaShana/Yom Kippur/Shemini Atzeres sequence. Torah innovations work by the same mechanism: Imma cuts and establishes the illumination according to the scholar's root. Rashbi's root is exceptional, making his rulings supreme. Then: a full account of Sinai as the Yesod of Imma — the cosmic mouth from which all Torah emerges. Only Moses's soul was prepared for this. And Moses clothes himself in every Torah scholar of every generation — "the words are as joyful as at their giving at Sinai." The Erev Rav caused Moses to be "heavy of mouth and tongue in exile" — sealing off much of the Torah that should have been revealed. Eliyahu will open it all. And above, all Torah goes out in shira (song).

Movement II (§§3–4): Rashbi's Weeping; Two Kinds of Entry Without Exit. The weeping accomplishes the revelation of Imma upon the Nukva — turning the "heart of stone" into a "heart of flesh" and opening the gates of mercy. The fear of revealing secrets is legitimate — but one who reveals to righteous people bears no guilt for what wicked people later seize; they burn themselves with the very fire of Torah they steal. And the two kinds of "entry without emergence" at the Idra are mapped: those who enter and emerge properly (reapers of the field), and those who do not emerge — either because the hashras departs without catastrophe, or because — like Elisha Acher — they fall to the klippos.

Movement III (§§5–7): Hands, Fingers, Deed; Pesel u-Massecha; Torah Not for Its Own Sake; Zera Le-vatala; the MI of HVYH. An extremely detailed teaching on the cosmic mechanics of DEED: speech begins a creation (the mouth), but completion requires DEED through the hands (Cha"G"T + Yesod). The seal AHVH = five against five fingers = the bond of Heaven and Earth. Torah studied for its own sake, properly done, ascends to be engraved before Atik Yomin and descends to build holy bodies. Torah not for its own sake is intercepted by Lilit who makes it into a pesel u-massecha. Idleness (bittul) = the condition of lights without deed = the source of the Sitra Achra's power = the root meaning of "idleness leads to ennui." And the MI-ELEH (= ELOHIM) teaching: Ze'ir Anpin is rooted in ChaS (Chochma-Sod) — HVYH is the essential Name rising above all the "mighty ones/trees" (elim).

Movement IV (§§8–10): The Preparation of the Idra; 13 Covenants; the Knocking Knees; Twofold Love; the Gossip Verse; World Sustained by Secrecy. A step-by-step commentary on the preparatory actions of the Idra: Rashbi's prayer drawing the parsa down; the gathering of all in ChaB"D (= drop ascending to brains = 13 covenants); the cosmic voice of the zivug causing the knees to knock; Habakkuk and the difference between Gevura-based and Chesed-based zivug; the twofold love of Torah between Israel and G-d; and the profound teaching on the "gossip" verse — digestion as a metaphor for the soul's absorption of Torah. The world is sustained by secrecy: the ordinances (chukim) remain effective only when their inner content is revealed to the worthy alone, in the manner of "covenant of fire" = bris esh = Bereishis.

Movement V (§§12b–12j): The Deep Kabbalah — Adam Kadmon, Reshimu/Kav, Sheirusa ve-Siyuma, The Breaking in Detail. After the introductory teaching on the Kings of Edom as "testimony to the faithfulness of all" (§12a), the Ramchal opens into a sustained 18-page exposition covering: (1) The purpose of the Breaking — to enable Adam with free choice, reward, punishment, and teshuvah; inner/outer = soul/body; (2) The Tzimtzum, Reshimu, and Kav — the four-letter Name as the master bond; Yud-Heh knowable only from Vav-Heh; the Tzimtzum in Aleph-Teis-Beis = YHYH; (3) The master secret of SHEIRUSA VE-SIYUMA — beginning and ending — the six thousand years and Shabbos as cosmic pattern; Adam's sin damaging Malchus; exile and redemption as the male-mode restoring the female; "a woman of valor is the crown of her husband" = the World to Come; the Name eventually becoming YHYH; (4) The Kings, the Parsa/Masach — PARGOD = 120 tzirufei ELOHIM; PEH-RESH × YUD-GIMEL; Eretz Edom = Bina; Ze'ir Anpin measured by Imma's 50 gates; (5) The Breaking — three modes of Malchus (MELECH-MELECH-YIMLOCH); reshus ha-rabbim; Sitra Achra at the feet/NaH"Y; Israel at the Sea of Reeds could have completed the tikkun but erred by saying "HVYH yimloch" instead of holding "MELECH" of TZELEM; (6) The Breaking in technical detail — 3 upper sefiros in lines, 7 lower stacked; each vessel contains all future partzufim; (7) Three parts of fallen vessels = BaYA; falling vs. breaking distinction; hidden light of Day One stored for the righteous; three cosmic "days"; (8) All world governance rooted in the Breaking/Tikkun; death and resurrection paralleling vessel-light dynamics; exile and redemption; David's verse; the future rectification when "HVYH shall be King over all the earth."

Movement VI (§13): "Who Looks at the Earth and It Trembles"; the Primordial Kings; Faith; Time Begins at the Breaking; Torah's Two-Part Structure. The shaking of the Idra is explained: the difference between lights that merely "rest" upon a place and lights that "cleave" to it — only the latter causes earthquake. Then the opening verse of the Idra — the kings of Edom — is identified as "testimony to the faithfulness of all" — a complete exposition of Divine Providence via the doctrine of the Breaking and Rectification of the Vessels. And the deep doctrine of TIME: time itself begins only with the Nikudim and the Breaking — Ze'ir Anpin and the Torah are above time. The Idra is structured in two beraisos: the preparatory preamble, and the body of the Idra itself.

The Ramchal's teaching on gazira (decree/cutting) is built on a triple pun: the biblical word gazar (to cut/decree), the Talmudic figure HATACH (who "cuts" all royal words), and the Rosh HaShana liturgy (ve-tachtom ketzava le-chol briyosecha). The cosmic mechanism: Imma is the "owner of judgment" (ba'al hamishpat) who "saws through" Zu"N in the annual cycle — establishing what Chesed and what Din will prevail. Exactly the same mechanism operates for Torah innovations: Imma cuts the matter according to the scholar's root, and it is written in the book of Lea or Rachel. This is why Rashbi's teachings ruled over all others — his root was the highest.

The teaching that all lights "go out in song" — and that when the lights of Torah spread, all other songs fall silent — is drawn from the Midrash on the silence at Sinai (Shemos Rabba 29). But the Ramchal transforms it into a cosmic principle: the Torah-song is so powerful that it contains all other songs within it. And Rashbi had this quality — when he opened his mouth to learn Torah, "they all fell silent until nothing was heard." This is connected to his role as the incarnation of Moses's soul in the generation of redemption.

The Ramchal's teaching on DEED in §§5–6 is one of the most practically significant in the work. The key insight: Torah study produces a "breath not yet seized" (hevel de-lo itpas) — which the Nukva then receives and her HANDS make into a literal deed. Without this deed — the lights are "idle" (bateil = idle, not annulled). And idleness = the source of the Sitra Achra's power. The word sha'amum (ennui) is identified with the Sitra Achra itself. And zera le-vatala (seed emitted in vain) is the physical analogue of Torah studied not for its own sake — both cause lights to remain in the state of "breath not seized."

The parasha of the kings of Edom (Genesis 36:31–43) is the key Zoharic and Lurianic proof-text for the doctrine of the Breaking of the Vessels (sheviras hakelim). The Ramchal here gives his own interpretation: this parasha is "testimony to the faithfulness of all" — meaning the doctrine of Divine Providence. Knowing the doctrine of the Nikudim (primordial points), the Breaking, and the Rectification — one can understand all of world history without puzzlement. "The path of the wicked is successful and the righteous dwell in lowliness" — not an objection to faith, but the surface appearance of a deep and faithful governance that will ultimately return all evil to serve holiness. One of the deepest teachings in the chapter: TIME itself as a category belongs only to the post-Breaking reality. Ze'ir Anpin and the Torah are "above time." When Rashbi said "after a certain time he gazed at the screen" — the Ramchal explains this refers to the entire temporal framework of the post-Breaking universe. The Torah scholars who knew Ze'ir Anpin knew the Torah from the inside; those who knew the Nikudim understood the flow of world governance; those who knew the higher matters (like Rashbi) knew the secrets of the Idra. 1 See the Vilna Gaon, Tikkunay Zohar 21 (fol. 67b) s.v. yilatz lo ishtabra.

2 See Beur and Yichud HaYirah (p. 145).

3 See Da'as Tevunos p. 41; and see Tikot"v Teffilos, Tefila 393.

4 P. 13, s.v. ve-od sod niklal.

5 See Perush HaMitzvos, Mitzva 13 (Ginzei Ramchal p. 234).

7 Sha'ar HaGilgulim, Introduction 26.

8 Above p. 59, s.v. ve-ata telech.

9 Above p. 2.

10 See Sha'ar HaMitzvos, beginning of Parshas Eikev.

11 Alt. reading: on account of the passage [through] in the Nukva — which is the deed accomplished via the passage in the Nukva. See printer's note in printed editions.

12 See Beur and Yichud HaYirah (p. 147).

13 Kla"ch Petach 115 and Petach 111.

14 See Kla"ch Petach 31, Ch. 1, §1.

15 See Pischei Chochma ve-Da'as §92 (Sha'arei Ramchal p. 227).

16 Above p. 74.

17 See Pischei Chochma ve-Da'as §79 (Sha'arei Ramchal p. 213). See also Da'as Tevunos p. 344.

19 In the manuscripts the word me'arla does not appear. And the meaning together with the RL is: the Name of YiG"aL PaZ"aK.

20 See Kla"ch Petach 57, Ch. 3, §1.