Ginzay Ramchal — Section 5: Peirush Ma'amar Arimis Yadai b'Tzlossin

Peirush Ma'amar Arimis Yadai b'Tzlossin — the Ramchal's commentary on the Idra Rabba discourse (Zohar III, folio 130b) where R' Shimon says: "I raised my hands in prayer above — for when the supernal will [arose] above above..." The Ramchal opens with the verse "Ani Hashem rishon" (Yeshayah 41:4) and unfolds what is permitted and what is forbidden in the investigation of the Sefiros, the role of Kesser beyond investigation, the Kavod as neshamah to the created beings, and the secret of the korban. This essay parallels the Ma'amar ha-Ra'usin that follows. (Oxford MS 2593; Columbia MS.)

Commentary on the Discourse "Arimis Yadai b'Tzlossin" I Raised My Hands in Prayer [Adrah Rabbah — Zohar III, folio 130, end of page 1a:] It is written: "I am Hashem — the first — and with the last ones I am He" etc. [Yeshayah 41:4] And another verse says: "I am first and I am last" [Yeshayah 44:6] — and you will see: here it says "and with the last ones I am He" — and in the other [verse] it says "and I am last." But the secret of the matter: Behold — you have already heard that there are three times — beginning, end, and middle — regarding which it is said: "I am first and I am last and besides Me there is no G-d." [Yeshayah 44:6] And this means: the end is what at the end of all things — all that is bad returns to good. And the middle is all the time that evil exists in the world — before the end arrives that returns all the bad to good. But this you must know: the end of the middle must include all of the middle within itself — to bring it into the rectification of the end. And you will understand all of this in the secret of the days of the week — which is the order of the cycling of the entire totality of the governance — in the secret of "שיתא אלפי שנין וחד חרוב" [six thousand years and one [millennium of] destruction] — meaning the seventh millennium is the Sofa [end] and it is the Sabbath — after which comes the renewal of the world — in the secret of the equalization of beginning and end as mentioned above. Also on its [Friday] eve there is twilight [bein ha-shmashos] — that brings all the weekday matters into the holiness of the Sabbath. And this has already been expounded in the secret of "since it became forbidden at twilight" etc. — for it is the secret of the Foundation [Yesod] that includes all the matters of the male that need to pass from it to the Nukva. And therefore in the nose [chutma] — which is the seventh tikkun — all the preceding tikkunim are included for the purpose of this action — to bring them to the end. And all of this I will detail for you separately — and you will hear great secrets — the wondrous things of the Perfect of Knowledge. And I will set before you at the start a great and very, very exalted introduction — and you will see the depth of the lofty wisdom that has no end or limit. Understand greatly. This introduction is what Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai of blessed memory explained in one discourse — that is repeated in three places in the Zohar. The first of them is in Parshas Noach [folio 65a]: אר״ש ארימת ידי בצלותין לעילא דכד רעותא עלאה לעילא לעילא — "Rabbi Shimon said: I raised my hands in prayer above — for when the supernal will [arose] above above..." etc.

And behold — from the abundance of the hiddenness of this exalted secret — it was said only in the manner of a great prayer — for in revealing it he intended to draw strong lights and very great tikkunim — for it is truly the highest of all the very great secrets — "The secret of Hashem is for those who fear Him — and His covenant to make them know." [Tehillim 25:14] What Is Permitted and What Is Forbidden in the Investigation of the Sefirot

Behold — first of all it is necessary to understand one matter well — and it is: what is truly permitted to seek and investigate concerning the holy Sefirot — and what is forbidden. Behold — in the Tikkunim they said [end of Tikkun 22]: "In what is too wondrous for you — do not investigate" etc. — "the supernal Kesser — it is the completion of the fifty [gates of Binah]... for it is the source that has no end" etc. If so — it would appear from here that it is forbidden to speak of the supernal Kesser — yet we speak of much that is even above it. And even if you say this speaks of the Kesser that is highest of all — which is the Adam Kadmon — even of it we speak very greatly — which would be forbidden to us. And further one needs to truly understand: what is the prohibition regarding it — since it is one of the Sefirot included in the count of ten. And now I will explain all of this to you well, G-d willing. The Sefirot — they are the attributes of Ein Sof, blessed be He — what He performs according to the value of the lower beings — and not His performances in what He does according to Himself. And this matter has already been explained elsewhere in the secret of "wisdom that is not known" [חכמא דלא ידיעא]. And therefore — from the aspect of His will to act for the lower beings — He emanated these ten Sefirot. Behold here there is one existence — namely His drawing near to the matter of the lower beings — and this is a new thing from Him — for He is not compelled toward it — but depends on will — and it is a novelty. And the matter of the Sefirot is a novelty from Him. Understand greatly — for this is the root of all the matter of the Sefirot. And here is the place of attachment — where the Ein Sof, may He be blessed and exalted, attaches to His emanated [beings]. And therefore here you will well understand all their matters. And behold this is plain: that what the Emanator, may He be blessed and exalted, did — is the most complete. And if according to the value of the lower beings He produced ten Sefirot — not fewer and not more — and also these Sefirot in this particular configuration that is in them and not in another configuration — this is certainly the perfection — and no other manner. But this will not be without reason — for in the depth of His will, may He be blessed and exalted, the reason will be — and it is impossible to attain it — since it depends on the supernal will that is incomprehensible to us — and we do not know its matter — therefore we cannot know the reason for its generation. And the matter is: for behold all that is emanated — is emanated from the supernal will — and therefore the reason for all that is emanated will depend on it. And behold you will see — that this is in the secret of the reversal [ha-hefech] that we explained above — that is called a general reversal [hefech klali]. And who can understand this matter — since the limitless is not known — and therefore we have no need to investigate this — for only after we know that thus the Emanator, may He be blessed and exalted, did — then we can contemplate: what He did — the distinguishing of all the orders found in it — and afterward the order of the emergence of these attributes one after another — one from the other — and also their emergence from the root itself. And likewise to understand all their actions and the ways of their governance. All of this is entirely permitted to us — and we have no prohibition except to investigate the first premise — why they are — for this is rooted in the supernal will — and all that depends on the supernal will — we are forbidden to investigate at all. All the more so we are forbidden to investigate: why were they emanated at this time and not before and not after — for all of this certainly depends on will.

Understand now: for behold — the supernal will of Ein Sof, blessed be He, is the root of everything — and at the time of the novelty — the first thing that was made novel — it is the existence of the matter of these Sefirot as they are now — all their matters with all their particulars — all that depends on their existence and their structure — with all the derivatives that went out from this structure. And all of it — with a correct reason rooted in the simple will itself, blessed be He. And this is what is truly called Kesser — it is the first emanated light that Ein Sof, blessed be He, illuminated. And not much of its matter is specified — only a little — namely: that Ein Sof is primordial and the source of all — and the supernal Kesser is effected and made novel now at the time of the emanation of the Sefirot — and it is in the aspect of the going out from potential into actuality. And Ein Sof, blessed be He, is limitless in His powers. And Kesser is nothing but the totality of one power — namely the totality of the matter of the Sefirot — this matter with all its derivatives is called only one power. But this power stands in it like the will, blessed be He — namely: it is made clear with all the reasons and with all the roots that depend on the limitlessness mentioned — and therefore it is also called by the name Ein Sof. And this is the first premise of all the matter of the Sefirot. And after this premise was established — then upon it was built the particularity of all the governance. And this means: behold let us set aside all the reasons to one side — for they are not needed by us — but let us rely on this premise that is certainly perfect — then we take all its parts to establish them on their truth — according to the governance that has already been set. And behold this is the second light that the will, blessed be He, illuminated — and in it all the particulars of the governance stand and appear according to the first premise. However — the reasons of the first premise will not appear here at all — and this is called Chochmah and Machshavah [Wisdom and Thought] — which divides all the governance into its divisions and its reasons — all on its truth. It is found: Kesser — it is impossible to contemplate it — for it is the first premise and rooted in the will. And therefore just as it is forbidden to gaze at the will — so is it forbidden to gaze at it — for all is one — for it stands according to the will as mentioned. Only from Chochmah downward it is permitted — since it is only the particularity of the governance — after the first premise has been established. And behold all of this was done before the revealing of any Sefirah. And not only that — but another level is found before the revealing of the Sefirot — and it is the one called Binah — and this is the secret expounded in this discourse that we are upon — as you will see there explicitly — where it says: כדין אתלבש ואסתים גו בינה — "then it clothed itself and was hidden within Binah" — and you will yet hear its explanation, G-d willing. Until it is found: the entire existence — from Adam Kadmon to the end of all — is nothing except the seven lower Sefirot [Za"T] in the illumination of the supernal light — which it is permitted to speak of. And in them is found the secret of the seven [manuscript correction: "vanities/breaths" — הבלים — replacing scribal error "vessels" — כלים] issuing from the supernal mouth — as will be stated further, G-d willing. And regarding this matter they said [Chagigah 13a]: "In what is too wondrous [ba-mufla]" etc. — namely Kesser Elyon and Ein Sof, blessed be He. "In what you are permitted — contemplate" — namely from Chochmah downward. And so they said in the Sefer Yetzirah [1:3]: "Understand in them and investigate in them" etc. — namely in the matter of the Sefirot themselves and their governance. But on the hidden it was said [Sefer Yetzirah 1:4]: "If your heart runs — return to the place" etc. And even in the place that is permitted — their saying of blessed memory informed us [Chagigah there]: "You have no business with hidden things" — namely: the matter that the intellect of that person contemplating cannot attain — is withheld from him — for this is the sign that he does not need to know it — and is not yet rectified in his understanding — for if it were a rectification — it would not have been withheld from him. And let us return to the matter — for we do not deal with Kesser — but [only] from Machshavah [Thought / Chochmah] downward. And you have already heard: that before the revealing of the Sefirot there are two preceding matters — namely the particularity of the Machshavah — and also the garment of Binah that clothes the matter of the Machshavah — and these are truly two great orders encompassing all the matters of the governance in two ways — as we will explain, G-d willing. This you have already heard: how the essence of all is the unity [yichud] that is revealed — for it is revealed little by little in the way of the Sofa — until [at the end] it is revealed entirely. The Kavod [Glory] as Neshamah to the Created Beings — and the Secret of the Korban And understand well: for this is only in the Name Adnus — which is this Kavod that spreads as neshamah over the created beings — but the Name הוי״ה, blessed be He, has no change within it at all. And therefore the service is only here — to bring the servants near to their root — and their secret is the animals offered upon the Altar — so that the evil will not be able to separate, G-d forbid, the complete cleaving. And therefore the rectification for a sinner is the sacrifice — for a sin does not truly cause separation — but above it is called like separation — for it causes the lights to be darkened one from another. But the true separation is only in Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah — and therefore the strong rectification must be there. And this secret: "I am Hashem — that is My Name" [Yeshayah 42:8] — in the secret of Atzilus — "and My glory I shall not give to another" — in the secret of this Kavod. And know: the four letters of kavod [כבוד] are themselves the four [letters of the word] echad [one] — and therefore it says "and My glory I shall not give to another." Understand well. And when this Kavod is included in all its tikkunim in one unity — then all of Atzilus must influence it — for it is like a male toward it — and this is the essence of all that arrives at the supernal unity, blessed be He. For all separation has passed — and the Kavod — which is the root of the receiver with all its branches — has been rectified in perfection. And then the influencing portion — influences it — and the supernal perfection is revealed above in the secret of Risha and Sofa. For behold: all the perfection that must be revealed is only in the root of the lower beings — for all is from Him, may He be blessed and exalted, in the secret of "Who spreads out the earth by Myself" [Yeshayah 44:24] — and only this aspect is the one that requires the perfection from the lower beings — for its perfection to go out from potential into actuality. Then His secret, may He be blessed and exalted, in the secret of the Influencer — will influence all the receivers — and this root is found completed without any deficiency. And this is the intention of all — and depends on Atzilus and Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah as mentioned — Atzilus in the secret of the Influencer — Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah in the secret of the receivers with their root. Understand well.

And behold the Kavod itself is ordered in the order it needs to perform its actions — and they are the secret of the ten points [nekudos] in the book Bris Menuchah — as expounded in its place. And there is one curtain before it in the palace of the Holy of Holies of Beriah. And afterward the palaces themselves are made for the sake of the cleaving mentioned. The Three Orders in the Worlds of Atzilus-Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah And understand now: two orders — which are three [Editor's note: See also the Ramchal's Kitzur Kavanos, p. 164; and see below in the essay Sod ha-Merkavah — Dmus Adam v'ha-Yichud.] — are found in the worlds of Atzilus-Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah. The first order is in the secret of the Name הוי״ה, blessed be He — namely: Yud in Atzilus — Heh in Beriah — Vav in Yetzirah — Heh in Asiyah. According to this — Atzilus alone is the root in which all that is needed for the governance [exists] — and Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah are its branches. And in this way all the tikkunim are rectified in Atzilus — and all the unions are made within it — and Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah are made as nefesh [soul of action] for the Nukva — as expounded in the Kavanos in its place. And on this way depends the intention of all prayer — in the secret of the building of Zu"N — namely: the building of the Nukva that rises from the three worlds — and the building of Ze'ir Anpin in the secret of the mochin. And all the worlds receive from the unions of Atzilus — and within them there are also five Partzufim — offspring of the five Partzufim of Atzilus. The second order is that all of Atzilus is considered as neshamah — and Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah as body toward it — corresponding one to another. And the primary [dimension] is still in the neshamah itself — and the body conducts itself after the neshamah. And the third order: all of Atzilus is entirely male — and the Kavod with all its branches is entirely female — and all of Atzilus couples in the secret of the Name הוי״ה, blessed be He, in the secret of "Shemi" [My Name] — with the Kavod and its branches in the secret of the Name אדנ״י in the secret of "Zichri" [My memorial]. [Cf. Shemos 3:15]

And know: the first two orders draw from the side of the Name יאהלוההים — in the secret of Name and appellation in the middle — and this order comes from the side of the garment of Binah. But the order of "Shemi and Zichri" — in the secret of יאהדונהי — and this is the order of the Machshavah itself in the secret of Chochmah. And you see how this is the essence of the unity — for this is truly a general unity — wherein even the separated beings are unified through their cleaving to their root — which is what they deserve to be unified by. Unlike the unions of Atzilus alone — in which the unity is only within it. However — as you have heard: the unions of Atzilus are in the secret of the middle [emtza] — the union of יאהדונהי in the secret of Risha and Sofa — and they also depend one upon another. For according to the arousal stirred in the union of Risha and Sofa — so appear the actions in the union of the middle — and they go and complete one toward the other — each according to its levels — until finally both are completed. And by way of example: with the word "Baruch" in the Birchas Avos — according to the union of Risha and Sofa — all the palaces will be in the palace of the Holy of Holies — until the Kavod stands in its power — neshamah for all of them. And "Atah" — the combining of the male Yesod within it. And according to the unions of the middle — the Nukva of Ze'ir Anpin will rise after the Yesod — and afterward after Netzach-Hod — as explained in its place. And so in this manner they go and complete themselves one toward the other — each according to its aspect.

The Root of the Three Orders — How They Issue from the Drawing Near of Ein Sof to the Emanated And after you have known all of this — I will explain to you, G-d willing, the root of the three orders we mentioned — from where they emerge — according to the matter of the drawing near of Ein Sof, blessed be He, to His emanated [beings] — mentioned above — for there is certainly the root of all. And this is plain. For we have already said: Ein Sof, blessed be He, would not have acted from His own perspective any of these actions as they are now — but from the perspective of the lower beings according to their value. And therefore this place is required — in which Ein Sof, blessed be He, made His action new — not from His own side as mentioned — but for the sake of the lower beings. And this means: He made new at first one statute — that all He would act according to this statute would not be according to the measure of His limitless power — but according to the measure of the lower beings He wishes to bring forth. And this is the place I mentioned — where the will, blessed be He, desires to stand in this place from the perspective of its acting — there it will do all these matters. And therefore there it is necessary that all the actions made be rooted — for they are only made insofar as the will stands in that statute. And in order that you understand this matter better — I will explain it from below — and from it you will infer above — as it is impossible to explain so fully. Behold — even the light of Atzilus — which is the aspect of divinity without any separated being alongside it — from its own perspective the separated beings would not go forth at all — and all the more so physical beings. But it built a palace for its glory — and it is the palace of the Holy of Holies in Beriah. What stands there is the Kavod that I mentioned above — which from the aspect of its being found in that palace — acquired a kind of action — and this is the entire order of the Kavod expounded in its place — from which the separated beings and all the physical beings go forth — all that is found in all the worlds. And you will see: this is called that it does not act from its own side — but made the place first — and this is the palace — and then chose to enter within it in order to leave its action from its own side and take within it an action for the sake of the lower beings. For the palace was created for this — that in His standing there — His action would be equalized to the need — in the aspect of that palace made for the sake of the lower beings. Understand well. And then through this palace — it can cleave to what is found from it — even though from its own value they are distant — for it has drawn near to them in the aspect of this palace. And since the drawing near is only by the power of the palace — therefore also the cleaving of the lower beings can only be through the palace — for without this there would be no closeness between them. And therefore I said above — that the palaces are for the secret of the cleaving of the lower beings to their root. And the gradation needed for this was given in the secret of seven palaces — according to what is needed to be in order and gradation for all the angels and all the created beings. And there is no need to ask about the gradation: why is it thus — for thus it must be. And even so know: they are seven palaces — for behold all that is found from Adam Kadmon downward — I have already explained to you — is nothing but seven vanities. But the Yesod and its crown combine — and under this stands the supernal mouth that brought them forth — as the source over them — for toward it the matters must return. And behold all this that you understood below — so must be found above in this very same order. For just as the separated beings do not go forth from the light of Atzilus according to its matter — so the holy Sefirot do not go forth from Ein Sof, blessed be He, according to Himself — but He made for Himself at first the matter of the palace — as already stated. And there also the gradation of the palaces — until the matters arrive at the bringing forth of the Sefirot of Atzilus — which are like courtyards to the aspect of those palaces. And just as the cleaving of the lower beings to the root is by the power of the lower palaces we mentioned — so also the cleaving of the Sefirot to Ein Sof, blessed be He, is through these upper palaces. Only there is one difference: that the lower ones are seven — and the upper ones are nine — for below they are only in the secret of the seven vanities — and above they are in another order in the secret of the completion of the Sefirot. And they are the nine palaces mentioned in this very discourse we are upon. Understand well.

Explanation of the Zohar's Wording — the Two Wills and What They Mean ארימית ידי בצלו דכד רעותא לעילא לעילא קיימא על ההוא רעותא דלא אתידע ואל אתפס — "I raised my hands in prayer — for when the will above above stands over that will that is not known and cannot be grasped..." Behold — it mentioned here two wills — רעותא לעילא לעילא — the will above above — and the will that is not known and cannot be grasped. And its meaning is on the comprehensive will — which is Ein Sof, blessed be He — of which it is impossible to speak anything — except to say that it is above above — meaning that it is exalted and hidden from all. And in truth we cannot speak at all. For granted: even regarding the particular power we mentioned — the perfection of the matter of the benefiting — ultimately we know that it is the perfection of this matter of the benefiting. But the comprehensive will — we do not know at all what it comprehensively is — and therefore it is called only רעותא לעילא — a will that rises above all that we speak of in all our speech. But the second will it mentioned — this is the particular power which is the root of all that exists now. And this is not known — for it is not truly known — for it is hidden within the judicial ordered governance. And even when something from it is known through the Sefirot — its entirety is never known — for throughout all eternity new knowledge will always be revealed from it — therefore it is called that it cannot be grasped. And this is so — for what the intellect does not encompass from every side — it is not called that it grasps it. And therefore even when one attains a little from it — it is not called complete attainment and knowledge. For one who sees only the edge of a thing — and not all of it — is called that even that edge was not fully attained.

A great general principle: one who attains the branches and not the root — even the branches are called as not being in his possession. And therefore this perfection is not known — for it is hidden. And even what is revealed from it cannot be grasped — and is not attained in clear and complete attainment. And you have already heard that the entire will turned toward the particular power — until this was considered the center of all the light. And therefore it said: דכד רעותא וכד קיימא על ההוא רעותא וכד. And then the first emanated light goes forth — which is Kesser — and this is רישא דסתים etc. And here it is fitting to mention the name Risha [head] — for it is the beginning of the ordered governance — and within it is included the order of all the governance and all the Sefirot — in a way that is unknown — for they have not yet reached the aspect of the known — but it is an intermediate aspect between the unknown and the known — and it is the Providence of Ein Sof, blessed be He, over His emanated beings. And you have already heard: this is the fifty-first gate of which it says "In what is too wondrous for you." And therefore the vowel-point of Kesser is the kamatz [contracted vowel] — for the matters of Kesser are sealed and not known — unified in the unity of the will, blessed be He, which is not comprehensible. And know: corresponding to this general Kesser — there are afterward Kessers in all the Partzufim — for according to this order all matters go also below. And every Partzuf — its matters are revealed from its own Chochmah downward — and sealed and hidden in its Kesser. And the recipients from the lower Partzuf — what will depend on the Kesser will be hidden from them. And he called this head: רישא דסתים לעילא. And this means: it is exalted above the Partzuf — like the crown that rests upon the head of the king — which is not part of the Partzuf itself — but stands above the head — and all the Partzuf is found sheltering in its shade. And for this secret it is written: "And they blessed the Name of Your glory — and it is exalted" etc. [Nechemiah 9:5] — for the service is below — and also reaches toward an exalted place — where it is impossible to order its lights in the praises of our prayer — but it receives what it receives — and orders itself.

And: וההוא רישא אפיק וכד — namely the three thorns in the Yud — and afterward in another concealment — ונהיר מאן דנהיר — and this is the three thorns being completed in the secret of the three full lines. And all of this is in an incomprehensible manner as mentioned — and therefore it said אפיק מאי דאפיק דלא ידיע. After this Yud was completed as mentioned — another light was further emanated in the secret of the patach [open vowel] — and this is the Machshavah — Chochmah that I mentioned above — in which what was contracted in Kesser is opened. And just as in the Risha — which is Kesser — the ten Sefirot were included as mentioned — so too this Machshavah that was being emanated encompassed ten Sefirot — and it is the second Yud. However — just as the Risha is bound to Ein Sof — so the Machshavah is bound to the Risha — for it is nothing but a revelation of what is in the Risha. And therefore of it it is said: "Very deep are Your thoughts." [Tehillim 92:6] But in truth it cannot cleave to it — for the Sefirot need to emerge to the aspect of the known — and this is only in Machshavah. And therefore the desire to cleave remained — since it is nothing but its revelation as mentioned. The Pargod as the First Curtain — Archetype for All Subsequent Curtains And from this pursuit — the Pargod was made — and it is from what was being revealed from the Sefirot themselves for the purpose of the attainment of the lower beings — and it is the very light that was emanated in the Yud that I mentioned above. And then the Yud acts above in the hidden — and from it the Pargod was emanated that I mentioned — and then the Machshavah cleaves there. And this Pargod encompasses all that can be attained from the Sefirot. You will also see below — there the curtain spreads before the Kavod below — and so too over the holy living creatures [chayos ha-kodesh]: "And a likeness over the heads of the living creature — a firmament" [Yechezkel 1:22] — for it is impossible for the lower beings to cleave to the upper beings and attain them — until one curtain spreads between them. And the curtain is always what is emanated from the upper one to illuminate to the lower one. And then the lower one cleaves to this curtain — and it is as if it combines with the upper one itself — for for the sake of the lower one — the upper one spread from its lights the curtain. And this first curtain is the binyan av [paradigm] for all the curtains found afterward — for we know from here what was made from the pursuit of the Machshavah and the rolling of the lights of the Risha. This is the root for all the curtains found afterward between every upper and lower being. The Nine Supernal Palaces — Their Structure and Purpose And according to this order — nine palaces [heichalos] were made as a root for Atzilus. For you have already heard: that according to this order — all of Atzilus is nine — and the Kavod is the tenth — completing in the secret of the Dalet of Echad — as you will yet hear, G-d willing. And behold these palaces are those that I explained to you above — that from the side of Ein Sof, blessed be He, standing within them — there go forth afterward three levels in Atzilus — standing like a courtyard — as I explained to you in the secret of the angels. And they are Nefesh-Ruach-Neshamah in the secret of Tav-Beis-Dalet — Chesed-Gevurah-Tiferes — Netzach-Hod-Yesod. And afterward the Kavod completes them all to ten — both in general and in particular. And likewise a body is made for them in another order.

And even so know: even this matter does not yet go forth from these palaces — these levels of Nefesh-Ruach-Neshamah — namely Atzilus. And all the more so the vessels — namely the bodies — which is all one — that is the Kavod — unless this entire order was clothed in another order — in the secret of Binah — as will be explained, G-d willing. And therefore it said: לאי איבון נהורין — "They are not lights..." — and the matter is: for the secret of the nefashos [souls] in every place they are — they are the fixed lights — each according to its matter. Ruchos [spirits] are those standing in the secret of the movements of the lights from every upper one. And descents of neshamah — in the secret of completeness and vitality and the resting and the flowing from the upper one. And none of these aspects is found here — but afterward through another clothing — what happened happened — as will be explained, G-d willing. And since it is not a revealed thing — it said: ולא אית מאן דקיימא בהו — "there is no one who stands in them" — for it is another way outside of this — not comprehensible to the lower beings — who are according to the way of the clothing I mentioned. And behold within these palaces there is what corresponds to the ruchos and nefashos in the palaces of Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah — which you have already heard stand for the sake of the cleaving of the servants within them. And these that are here stand to bind all of Atzilus to Ein Sof, blessed be He

And behold the order is thus: the ten lights — that we said are in the Machshavah — divide: nine of them to bind the lower beings to the root — and one to reveal the root to the lower beings. And this means: the Risha is before the Pargod. And all of this is called that it is in the first palace of the nine palaces — and this is the Machshavah itself — namely Chochmah. And below it there are eight others — which are nine together with it. But the Machshavah truly encompasses all the nine. And even the tenth is there — but it made a particular palace for all the nine lights [noharin] found in it. And then the first palace is found for it — encompassing the power of all of them. And afterward eight others below it. And this is in the secret of the spreading of the three thorns in the upper Yud before the Pargod. And there is further in it one light standing corresponding to the body of the Yud — and it is made to draw the supernal Risha to combine with the nine — just as the nine others are made to raise the lower beings to bind with the secret of the supernal Risha. It is found: there are first the nine of the Machshavah — and further nine — when we count the entire Machshavah as one — and count nine others below it. And in them stand the wills [re'usin] and lights [noharin] that draw from the Yud in Chochmah — and stand to bind Atzilus as mentioned. And they have a desire toward all the wills in the palaces — to pursue one after another — until all stand in the Machshavah which is the nine above them. And then the nine in it are bound — namely its own existence as one of the nine — and eight others as the other one. Therefore it said: רעותא דכל ט׳ נהורין דקיימי כלהו במחשבה — "the will of all nine lights that all stand in the Machshavah" — for all that is in it in all the palaces — is in the Machshavah alone — and yet the whole of it is counted as one light in the count of the nine. And their desire in the secret of their will — as mentioned — is to pursue one after another — until all are bound in the Machshavah — which is the nine. And there each finds its place. And when they stand there — they no longer attain at all — even as they were attaining below in the palaces themselves. And this is where all the Sefirot with all their matters return to the secret of the unity of Ein Sof, blessed be He — the not-known. And therefore this divesting must be done — that they are completely divested of attainment — until the supernal Risha can cleave to it entirely. And therefore לא אתדבקו — "they did not cleave" etc. — for neither the secret of the will nor even the secret of the Machshavah is seen anymore. And this is because at the hour when they stand there — even the Machshavah itself receives something like a new existence — from the power of the branches that were included within it. And it received power through this that the middle [luminary] that stands to bind the Risha is aroused within it — and then it is almost no longer called Machshavah at all. And therefore it said: תפסין בה ולא תפסין — "they grasp in it and they do not grasp." And behold when all the secrets of the faith [razei d'meheimnuta] truly stand — namely the secrets of the belief which are the matters of the unity — in which one recognizes and knows the unique dominion of the Emanator, blessed be He — that all that below appears in another way in the secret of right and left — and it appears that evil rules — and all the matters going according to the lower governance — here stands the truth of their matter — to know that all returns to the unity. And this is when the middle [luminary] rules as mentioned.

And it said: דכל אינון נהורין — "all those lights" etc. — meaning: even without this cleaving — all the lights from the secret of the Machshavah downward are called Ein Sof — since thus they are rectified at the time of their cleaving. And then it is truly known that all of this is in the secret of Ein Sof — for Ein Sof, blessed be He, to bind with His emanated beings. And all these lights are in the secret of mati v'lo mati — for thus they illuminate in the palaces. For all of them go forth from the nine in the Machshavah — but they come in mati v'lo mati — and this means: behold — when the emanated beings were emanated in the secret of this cleaving — therefore the emanated ones are always cleaving — for not like the separated beings who have a time for their cleaving. And it is found: they were emanated in this cleaving — and they are always in the Machshavah — but they illuminate their lights below in the nine palaces in mati v'lo mati. And in the aspect of their descent in mati — the things I mentioned are prepared — to consider them as lights and wills — and to understand that from them Atzilus goes forth in the secret of the nine. For in the secret of their mati — the dominion of the middle that binds to the Risha is not seen. And it is found: all that we understand in the secret of Machshavah — and all the orders we mentioned — all is in the aspect of their mati. But in the aspect of lo mati — all returns and is gathered above in the secret of the unity — and the middle rules — and they are no longer called by the name of "wills" at all. And even the Machshavah is not called Machshavah — and nothing at all is known. And therefore it said: וכל אינון נהורין etc. — meaning: all of them are called Ein Sof — for all are in the secret of Ein Sof as mentioned — on account of their ascent — for the ascent is never interrupted. And therefore it said: עד הכא מטו נהורין etc. — and all the spreading is only in the secret of mati v'lo mati. And therefore לא אתידע — "it is not known" — for in the aspect of mati — they are known — and in the aspect of lo mati — they are not known at all. And therefore it said: לאו הכא רעותא etc. Binah — the Third Level of Illumination — the Mouth [Peh] — and How Chochmah Clothed Itself in Binah

And behold all of this is in the secret of the Name, blessed be He — simple and filled — simple as in Kesser — and filled in Chochmah. Afterward there was made yet a third level of illumination — and it is Binah. For at first there was the aspect of the Yud of the Machshavah — which itself was not known — and then it was the thought of the secret of the Risha itself. And the matter itself was not known. Afterward it received one known matter — and this is the matter of the Pargod itself — and the illumination in this aspect is a known aspect. Except that even so — the first influencer is the Risha — and therefore the illumination is known — but its influencer is hidden — for it directs the Pargod — and impresses in Chochmah the matter of the Pargod itself — what was emanated in it from the pursuit we mentioned — and this is the secret of הוי״ה as mentioned. And then there was found the third light I mentioned — namely Binah. And Chochmah was sealed — so as not to act in the revealed — for had it been acting — there would have been no place for Binah to be found. And therefore they were hidden within Binah. And then there was place for Binah — and it spread its branches. And it placed another order — and this is the secret of ten Sefirot in the aspect of ten levels of the mouth [peh]. For Chochmah is Machshavah [thought] — and Binah is peh [mouth] — and there the ten Sefirot are made as is known. And from there all the ten Sefirot of Atzilus-Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah go forth — and they are the four vanities of the mouth that we mentioned above. And then all the matters of Chochmah entered into this mouth — which is Binah — and this means: Chochmah clothed itself in Binah — and by the power of this clothing — all the matters we mentioned in the secret of the Machshavah were included all as one. And it appeared as only one single thread — and it is called the thread of Ein Sof [chut ha-Ein Sof]. And from the side of Binah — all the vessels were emanated — namely the externality in the secret of the reshimu. And from the side of Chochmah — the thread within them. And it is found: this thread — when we consider it according to what it now is within the vessels — after Chochmah had already clothed itself in Binah — it appears and is recognized as only one single thread. But when we discern it according to itself — before its clothing — there are in it all those matters we said above. And the order of Binah is in the secret of the filling of the filling [milu'i ha-milu'i] — and the totality of all is 42 — and corresponding to this went forth afterward the seven vanities — the secret of the Name of 42 — as you will yet hear, G-d willing. The Three Orders Derived from the Mati v'Lo Mati — and How They Proceed And let us now explain the orders that proceed according to all that we have said. You have heard: all of this is in mati v'lo mati. And behold — in the aspect of mati — the clothing of Binah was made — and the thread is counted as one single thread alone. And from the side of Binah — Atzilus is counted as the root in the secret of the Yud in the Name — and Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah are branches from it — and branches one from another — in the secret of the Vav-Heh-Heh of the Name. And also the unions are made in Atzilus alone as the primary way. And Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah remain as branches for the Shechinah — as is known. And they are all the matters of the middle — in the secret of the Name and the appellation — and this is וייצר [vayyitzer] with two Yudim in the secret of judgment — ה׳ אלקים — in the secret of Name and appellation — as expounded above. And this is in the vowel-point of tzairei — in the secret of Binah. But from the side of the palaces of Chochmah that were clothed — all of Atzilus becomes neshamah — and all of Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah becomes body. And this means: Atzilus — Nefesh-Ruach-Neshamah in the secret of the nine I mentioned — and Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah — three vessels for them.

And know: even so this matter did not go forth except after the clothing of Binah — as it said above: לאו אינון נהורין etc. But the clothing of Binah from Binah's own side — made the order of Atzilus-Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah as mentioned. And from the side of the palaces — it made neshamah and body — corresponding one to another. And it is the secret of the Pargod also — and the secret of the two Heh's as mentioned — for the filling of Chochmah also divided into two — in the secret of the Vav-Heh as mentioned. But all of this is in the secret of mati — but in the secret of lo mati — the middle rules — and all the matters stand to be bound from below to above. And then the Machshavah is crowned with Ein Sof — in the secret of the Risha drawn through the middle. And then all the orders of the clothing are not counted — but all stands in the secret of the cleaving — and Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah are rooted in the middle within the Machshavah. And this is the secret of keser malchus [the crown of Malchus] — and it is the Dalet of Echad — and is considered the crown of her husband. And then it is said: "The essence of the Shechinah is among the lower ones" — according to this exalted unity. The Sacrifice — How It Raises the Unity from Below to Above and Completes the Three Orders And this is the order that the sacrifice makes — going up from below to above — and joining the Kavod to Atzilus — in the secret of the 42 unions expounded in its place. And they are the seven Names mentioned there in the palaces — containing 42 letters — that combine with Atzilus — in the secret of 42 of Mem-Heh [45]. And the secret of this combining is precisely the secret of the seven vanities — with the Hoyas within them. And the unity rises thus — all as I already said — being crowned from below to above. And everything reaches up to the thread called Ein Sof — which is the thread of Ein Sof, blessed be He — and then immediately the Binah was rectified — which is the mouth we mentioned — and the union of the middle was completed in the secret of יאהלוההים. And then the thread spreads from the clothing. And first the matter of the nine palaces is completed — and then Atzilus enters in the aspect of neshamah within Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah in the aspect of body. Afterward they ascend in the secret of lo mati toward the Machshavah — and it is crowned. And then the combination of יאהדונהי combines — in the secret of the union of Risha and Sofa. And then truly one is completed. And all types of unions have been completed in the secret of the supernal unity. And know: upon the thread of Ein Sof, blessed be He, the perfection always stands — as I mentioned above — in the secret of what cannot be grasped at all. For the thread truly encompasses all — from the will that cannot be grasped — to the Binah we mentioned. And therefore when the arousal reaches the thread — it arouses entirely — and is completed in the secret of the perfection. Only: each of the levels — as they are aroused — so they are completed. For all that is in the secret of Ein Sof — is attached to the perfection mentioned — and when it is aroused — it is completed. Therefore when Binah is aroused — it is completed in the secret of the perfection resting upon it — for all is aroused up to the perfection — but only for the aspect of Binah alone. And all the matters of the middle are completed — when the nine palaces are aroused they are completed — for all is aroused up to the perfection — but still in the aspect of mati. Afterward — when the lo mati is aroused in the secret of the Machshavah — everything completes itself in the secret of the perfection — and one is made — a complete unity certainly. Understand well. The Seven Sounds and the Seven Vanities

And I will explain to you the matter of the seven sounds and the seven vanities [havalim]. Know: the Ayin-Beis [Name of 72] that was in these sounds — was combining within the mouth [peh] entirely — until it was almost not going out from it. But it was also combining with the aspect of Samech-Gimel [Name of 63] — and making a sound. But when the mouth was sealed — all the aspect of Ayin-Beis was gathered within it — and the aspect of Samech-Gimel alone remained. And these are the ones the verse called "earth" [eretz]. And in their remaining alone — they were darkened. And this is: "And the earth was chaos and void." [Bereishis 1:2] And immediately the secret of the kings who reigned in the land of Edom was hinted — for it is eretz [earth] as mentioned — and it is Edom — for judgments are awakened from it. And then immediately the secret of the garment of Attika [the Ancient One] was revealed — that could not be revealed because of the abundance of the light of its Sefirot. And now they began to be somewhat more comprehensible. And here were all those matters mentioned above in the passage about the Name of Attika — see there. And the truth is: all these matters mentioned in the Parashah of "these are the kings" — are only below in Atzilus — only their names are derived from here. It is found: the first existence of the concealments and judgments here was the secret of the swallowing of the lights — that were swallowed in the secret of the mouth — namely the Ayin-Beis that was combining with Samech-Gimel as mentioned. And afterward there was what the Samech-Gimel was darkened — that remained outside. And afterward there was yet another darkness — as will now be stated. And these three are the root for all that was afterward. And their secret in the kings: Bela — Yovav — Chusham.

And we will now explain all of this in order. For after Samech-Gimel remained outside and was darkened — it then divided into two levels — the simple [pashut] and the filling [milu'i]. And the simple was concealed — and only the filling remained alone — and it is a vapor [hevel]. And then what were in the secret of seven sounds — became seven vanities [shiva havalim] — and through them are governed all the matters of the world. And here you will see the power of the Torah — which is a Torah of truth — that causes first the union of simple and filling together — so that they become truth — seven times Samech-Gimel. And Ayin-Beis also combines with them — and makes a sound — and the Hoyas I mentioned above combine — seven Hoyas as the count of Yaakov. And this is the secret of "You will give truth to Yaakov" [Michah 7:20] — the voice is voice — and it is in the secret of the Name Mem-Heh as will be explained further, G-d willing. The Secret of the Unity — Mem-Heh and Beis-Nun = Time [Z'man] — and the Secret of the Flinty Rock And behold — this is the secret of the unity — revealed in every union — for it is revealed little by little — level after level — until all will be completed — as we have already explained above. And this is the secret of time — for in it: "To everything there is a season and a time — for every matter under the heavens." [Koheles 3:1] And this secret is Mem-Heh [45] and Beis-Nun [52] precisely — they are the rectification of the middle — for only this is what is revealed in every completed unity. That is to say: if the unity were revealed in all its parts [at once] — everything would be immediately completed. But what is made by the power of all the rectification of the unity we mentioned — is nothing but one revelation from the levels alone — reaching to that [particular] day — and this is from the levels of the middle. For you have already heard: it is the one that needs to be rectified — so that at the end of all — Risha and Sofa will join together. And the secret of everything depends on Mem-Heh and Beis-Nun — for Beis-Nun is the root of all the corruptions of the middle and its concealments — and Mem-Heh is their rectification in the revealing of the Name. And what is made at first was made — and it goes and is made always until the end — until when Mem-Heh and Beis-Nun complete themselves in combining together — it will be the end of the middle. And this secret: Mem-Heh [מ״ה = 45] and Beis-Nun [ב״ן = 52] — their sum yields z'man [זמ״ן — time, = 97] — for all of time is only in them — and the portions of time are the portions of Mem-Heh and Beis-Nun combining one with another. And therefore the unity rises to the secret of Risha and Sofa. But the influence that comes — and the secret of the revealing of the level of the unity revealed in that union — all goes to Mem-Heh and Beis-Nun. And the secret of all of this: "Who draws water for you from the flinty rock." [Devarim 8:15] And I will now explain to you a great secret — for Beis-Nun is this stone — and it needs to be rectified through Mem-Heh — to bring the influence. And I will explain all of this in proper order. And it is what Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, of blessed memory, explained in Parshas Bereishis — and these are his words: במ״ב גוונין זיני נהורין אתפלג עלמא — "In 42 colors — types of lights — the world was divided" etc. And they are truly very deep secrets — revealing from the innermost of the supernal governance — what it is possible to understand now — that all returns therein to the supernal unity. Understand well. The Anatomy of the Supernal Mouth — Forty-Two Colors of Parshas Bereishis

Behold it is written: "In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth — and the earth" etc. [Bereishis 1:1–2] — behold that it was at first built — and afterward came the destruction — and afterward it was built [again]. And behold all of this is rooted above above. And this means: for you have already heard how the supernal mouth — which is Binah — made the vanities as mentioned. And of this mouth they said: מפתח פומך הוה לן נהור — "from the opening of your mouth we had light." And the secret of the matter is: for all the things were created in the secret of built — destroyed — and built. And likewise the light created on the first day was hidden afterward — and at the very end it is yet to be revealed a second time. And you must know: for behold in this mouth — they were immediately arranged for the purpose of what was to go forth from it — and immediately were arranged within it four Hoyas [הוי״ה] upon [the foundation of] 42. And behold the mouth itself — the secret of Samech-Gimel [63] — namely: peh [mouth] = Samech-Gimel [63] plus 22 letters. And these 22 letters are rectified within it in the secret of the five articulations of the mouth [chamesh mivta'os ha-peh] — and they are the five letters of the Name Elokim. But within [the mouth] there is Ayin-Beis [72] — and it descends from the Machshavah through the palate — and descends to the throat — and there it combines with the Name Samech-Gimel — which is Binah. And the Ayin-Beis that descends from the Machshavah — descends and strikes [botesh] against all the articulations of the mouth — which are in the secret of Samech-Gimel as mentioned — and then makes a voice [kol]. And this is: Ayin-Beis plus Samech-Gimel = the numerical value of kol [voice = 136]. And behold there are seven Yuds within them — and their secret is seven Hoyas — and they are as the count of Yaakov [= 182] — and this is the secret of "the voice is the voice of Yaakov." [Bereishis 27:22] And then there were going forth from the mouth seven voices — and each one of them is called "a voice of Hashem." And the matter is: for the seven Hoyas are those going forth from the combining of Ayin-Beis and Samech-Gimel — and they go forth according to the striking in the mouth from the supernal lights — striking against the lower ones. And according to the striking — the lower one brings forth its illuminations. And it is found: they are seven Hoyas in this secret. But in each הוי״ה — Ayin-Beis and Samech-Gimel combine together — and therefore from their side each one of them is called a voice [kol] — and from the side of the הוי״ה — "a voice of Hashem." And indeed all needed to pass through the secret of the five articulations of the mouth — and this is "In the beginning Elokim created." [Bereishis 1:1] And truly if not for these five articulations — there would be no revelation at all for these voices. But from the side of the articulations — which are the 22 letters we mentioned above — divided into five — then the five letters of Elokim were ruling within them — and there was some revelation — and yet the light of the mouth was increased by the power of Ayin-Beis combining within it. And this is ברא — a hidden word — for from the side of Elokim it was revealed — but from the side of ברא it is concealed and not comprehensible.

And you will see: in the secret of the five articulations of the mouth — it is hinted that the word kol [voice] = five Hoyas [numerically]. But the wind [ruach] combines all of them — and goes forth by the power of the tongue in the secret of the Vav — and this is the letter Reish of kol. And in its secret it is said: בראשית — ברא שית [Bereishis = He created six]. And this is the secret of "for there is no word on my tongue" [Tehillim 139:4] — to show that the word depends on the tongue — which causes the wind to be able to go through the articulations and combine them — and make from its letters words — in the secret of the letter Vav. And let us return to the matter of the voices — for each one of them was built from two Names: Ayin-Beis and Samech-Gimel — and their secret is heavens and earth. And then there illuminated a light from above from the secret of the Machshavah itself — and joined them. And understand this secret: for always where male and female are found together — the light of the supernal unity is revealed over them — and this is the one additional [unit] in the word kol beyond the sum of Ayin-Beis and Samech-Gimel [136 vs. 72 + 63 = 135]. And what was revealed over them — caused them to bring forth the derivatives [toladot]. And the secret of this: for all that is above the mouth — is all included in the secret of one letter Aleph — and in the mouth begins the letter Beis. And the secret of berachah [blessing] — which equals the count of [the letters arranged from] Beis to Tav for the 42 as mentioned. And this is the secret of: בראשית — בת ראשי [Bereishis = the daughter of My head] — and this is why the world was created with a Beis — and it points in its corner toward the Aleph — as our Sages expounded — for it is bound to it. And in the revelation of this Aleph — what was בת [daughter] — from Beis to Tav — becomes את [Aleph-Tav]. And then all the derivatives of the heavens and the earth mentioned went forth — and this is "the heavens and the earth" [with the particle את] — as our Sages said: את — לרבות את תולדותיהן — "the את includes their derivatives." [Chagigah 12a] And behold this Aleph was producing one Name that stands to bind the heavens and the earth and all their derivatives — these with those — and it is אהד״ה — the initials [roshei teivos] of: א[es] ה[ashamayim] ד[e'es] ה[aretz] — "the heavens and the earth." And therefore the secret of the body of Attika [the Ancient One] was made — that clothes itself afterward in its garments — as explained above in its place. And all of this was in a hidden way — not comprehensible at all. And this Aleph that is revealed — in its passage — in the secret of the five articulations of the mouth — made five engravings [charos] — in the secret of open-letter seals [pis'uchei chotam]. And therefore it is impossible to read the letters without the vowel-points — which are in the secret of this Aleph — from which voice [kol] is completed. And behold all of this could not yet be comprehensible at all to the lower beings — for the voices that went forth from the mouth were bound to their root — which is the mouth — and all was going according to the complete tikkun — and was not in the way of the governance needed for the world — until the mouth needed to be sealed. And then those that were standing outside from the mouth began to take on somewhat of a material form. The Kings of Edom — Full Explanation According to the Order of the Torah And let us now explain [the Kings of Edom] according to the order of the Names as they are written in the Torah. The first is Bela ben Beor [Bereishis 36:32] — and here it mentions: "and the name of his city was Dinhabah." And the matter is: for all of these — as I already said — were in Atzilus — but they were taking their names according to what was rooted above. And all of it goes to establish the governance in the hand of Malchus — which is the governing power. And likewise according to the supernal Arich Anpin — the secret of the Chariot we explained above — which is the secret of Malchus. And here depends her hoofbeats [parsosei-ha]. And therefore the place of all of them is mentioned — for their name comes from what was made above as their place — what was done in Malchus according to their matter.

And in three of them it says "and the name of his city" — and the reason is: for the other kings were according to the aspect that Malchus was found in at that time. But these are in the secret of what she needs to remain as — for the sake of the governance. And therefore of them it is said: "and the name of his city" — to indicate the establishment that was established there for their city thus. And you have already heard: how in the three first kings all that was done until the rule of Beis-Nun was rooted — and in the four afterward — all the action of Beis-Nun. And afterward the eighth is the tikkun. And therefore of the first among the first — and of the first among the last — it says: "and the name of his city" — for in them was established [...] what [was needed] in Malchus. And according to that thing — the rest of the matters in the kings that followed them [were ordered]. And from there onward the order of the secret of the tikkun was established. And I will tell you one general introduction regarding all the Names [in the Torah] — for the Names do not have a meaning as transparent as the verbs — but from them is implied some matter of action as if by allusion — that the Name indicates that action. Which is not the case with the verbs — whose matter is understood explicitly. And the secret is: for the Names are the secret of the lights that combine to produce one action — for each letter indicates one light with its chariots — and the action is not seen in them explicitly — but only as if by allusion — for for this reason they gathered together to make that action. And yet the way of the action is not known. And why does one need so many lights and so many combinations — for all of these are from those matters depending on Kesser — which I already explained to you above are hidden — and it is impossible to know them. And therefore certainly every Name indicates that this many lights — as many as its letters — gathered together to perform one action. And the action is hinted slightly in the combination of those letters. And sometimes it is not hinted at all — and these are the Names that have no comprehension — and this indicates the hiddenness of the way of that action. And yet some small and very subtle hint can be found there for the greatly wise — to know the way of that Name and its going out and its entering — the way in which it is combined — from there one can judge the matter of that Name from which side. But the verbs are the actions going forth from the combining of the lights — this is comprehensible to us and its matter is well known — and therefore they are understood by us.

And let us return to the matter. Behold — when Da'as [Knowledge] reigned in Atzilus — and this is in the secret of the governance of judgment in the secret of Beis-Nun — to establish the matters of the governance of this world — then all the judgments were included in it in the secret of the swallowing of the lights as we said above. And you will see what this causes — it causes a lack of knowledge [chesron ha-yedi'ah]. And this is the secret of "whoever has no knowledge — it is forbidden to have mercy upon him" — for then all the punishments were established for whoever was fitting. And this secret: "and the name of his city was Dinhabah" — as we will now explain, G-d willing. But "and the name of his city was Avit" — this is the secret of: "the constellation of the hour causes [fortune]" [mazal sha'ah gorem] — as will be stated further, G-d willing. The Eternal Reward of Souls — Shechinah as Life-Partner [Bas Zug] — the Spreading of Faith And let us now explain this. Know: all the eternal reward is only that the souls draw for themselves new light always — and the secret [manuscript correction: "of everything" — replacing scribal error "vapor"] is the matter of the "completion/passing of Moshe" [klas Moshe] — and this matter has already been explained elsewhere. For the Shechinah becomes a life-partner [bas zug] for each one of Israel — and this is: "May they rest on their resting-places — whoever walks in his uprightness." [Yeshayah 57:2] And this is the essential action of the righteous — that the Emanator, may He be blessed and exalted, gave them the capacity to spread the light of holiness itself. And this means: when the soul of the righteous one cleaves to the Shechinah — new light is made from above — what is fitting to be made new — and is drawn down to this level of the Shechinah — which I said becomes for them a life-partner. And behold: אתפשטת מהימנותא — "the faith spreads" — as Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, of blessed memory, said. And this is the matter of the perfection I mentioned above — which is always revealed to the souls of the righteous.

And this is the way of the revelation: behold the intellects [mochin] of the soul cleave above — and receive whatever light they receive — and within them truly clothes whatever clothes — as it is in Ze'ir Anpin. And drawn to them each day is new light in their intellects — and they draw it downward to the Shechinah — in the secret of the life-partner of theirs. And then it goes forth from her outward — and behold the perfection is revealed. And the revelation need only be below — for above in the root it is there — but it is revealed through all the levels — until it reaches this lowest level. And truly of this it is said: "Your children are like olive shoots — around your table." [Tehillim 128:3] For the perfection that is revealed — is no longer hidden. And of it it is said: "Declare the righteous one to be good — for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds." [Yeshayah 3:10] For the truth is: this perfection is not completed until it is revealed from the Shechinah as mentioned — and the righteous one attains what he attains — both in the first drawing in the secret of the mochin — and in the drawing toward the Shechinah in the secret of the life-partner. But the completion of the matter is when it is revealed outward — and these are the worlds that the righteous inherit — as our Sages said — and these are called derivatives [toladot] — for the holy Tree does not change — and nothing at all is added to it — but what is already fixed — these derivatives go forth. And behold until the end of the seventh millennium — we can understand that it is so — as mentioned — for there is still above a distinction between the [levels]. Afterward it is the secret of the equalization — and we will not be able to understand the matter of how it will be. But from this matter it certainly follows — for the secret of everything is: "Male and female He created them — and G-d said to them: be fruitful and multiply." [Bereishis 1:27–28] And behold the essential power of this spreading depends on Da'as [Knowledge] — for the two other intellects [mochin] — even though they draw and receive — cannot spread the influence and bring forth the derivative — only Da'as can. And this is what is lacking in the sitra achra [Other Side] — for therefore they said: אל אחר אסתרם דלא עביד איבין — "the other god — they are hidden from him — that he produces no fruit." For holiness stands to spread — to establish its spreading for eternity — and this is truth [kushta / koshtah]. But the sitra achra does what it does — but it is not enduring — but rather: "the seed of the wicked is cut off." [Tehillim 37:28] And whoever comes from there is also thus — that it cannot establish any evil thing to stand and endure — for falsehood does not stand [shikra la ka'i]. But do not think that it could at least draw from holiness and spread it — for that is also not so — for therefore it is said: "And to the wicked G-d said: what business do you have to tell of My statutes?" [Tehillim 50:16] etc.

And understand well here the matter of the blemishing of souls and their rectification. Behold the sitra achra — as I already said — is one source that does not stand to endure — but to be destroyed. And indeed there is no Da'as in it — and all that goes forth from there is also thus. And whoever allows the sitra achra to rule over him also becomes thus — even though his root is from holiness. And this means: one who damages himself so greatly — until he is truly called evil — from the evil that prevails in him — the image of the sitra achra rests upon him, G-d forbid. And then the Da'as within him is hidden and lost — and found within him is only the [judgmental] sword [cherev]. And then it is said: "They are clever to do evil — but to do good they do not know." [Yirmeyahu 4:22] For Da'as is only for the good — but wisdom [chochmah] is also for evil. And therefore it is found: that even the sinners of Israel will be wise in Torah. But this is certainly [true]: that they cannot spread the faith at all — for even though they are clever — their wisdom does not produce action above — in the secret of "be fruitful and multiply" as mentioned — but rather: "the seed of the wicked is cut off." And this is what they said in the Tikkunim — that of them it is said: "and they embittered their lives" [Shemos 1:14] etc. And ultimately: לית הלכתא כ״פ — "the law is not according to their approach" — and the Shechinah is in the secret of the life-partner as I mentioned above. The Permitted Inquiry and the Forbidden: Kesser and the Curtain [Pargod] Know: there are two orders — one revealed and one concealed. And this secret is: for according to what we comprehend in the revealed — Atzilus is the essential governance — in which are all the males and females needed for the governance of the worlds. And afterward Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah are seals from Atzilus itself. And according to this — the essence of all is in Atzilus — and what is done in it is drawn accordingly in Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah. But there is another concealed order encompassing all Atzilus and Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah in one order — this has already been explained in the secret of the Palaces in Parshas Pekudei. And I will now say what is needed here. For behold this spirit of the nose [chutma] of Attika — in it the matters of the world are included — as I will explain to you, G-d willing. And according to this order — all of Atzilus is counted as male — and all of Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah as female. And let us begin to explain the root of this great governance — upon which depends the revealing of the light we explained above in the secret of Risha and Sofa. And this is: according to the order of the drawing near of the light of Ein Sof, blessed be He, to the Sefirot — in gradual steps little by little. Behold the supernal will, blessed be He, is the root of the Sefirot — and one power from it alone is what the creation and all its matters stand upon — and this is plain — for this is only the matter of benefiting others. And this has already been explained in many places — for Ein Sof, blessed be He, is limitless — and therefore one should not entertain the thought that what He did — is the full extent of what was in His power to do — and He was capable of nothing but this. Rather certainly His power is limitless — and only one power among the powers that have no limit — is the root of all the matters of the entire creation. Behold here: a root and a root of the root — for the root of the creation is this particular power — and the root of the root is the comprehensive limitless will. And this power is what was aroused at first — and the entire will turned toward it — and this became the center of the entire will — and is called the center of Ein Sof, blessed be He. And this power from its own side is perfect in the ultimate perfection — but it is not beyond the matter of benefiting created beings — for only this is it and no other matter. But this matter is perfect in it in the ultimate perfection — and it is what is revealed in the Sefirot — as you will yet hear below, G-d willing. And its perfection has no end — for behold it will go for all eternity — and always a new revelation will be revealed to all the created beings as fitting for them — and there is all their eternal delight — and for this they were created. From this perfection goes out afterward the law of the governance fitting to cycle — in all the types of cycles through which it passes — until its reaching the end toward the eternal state. And then there is found one point encompassing all this law in all its statutes — and in it we discern beginning and end — for the perfection is fully complete in all its parts equally — and the law engraved within it — the gradation is found — beginning from the head — and spreading and going until the end of the intention. And all of this is encompassed within one single point alone — for truly only one matter is it — the totality of all the engraved governance — and that is the return of all evil to good in actuality. Understand well.

Afterward this point began to spread — and became a complete Yud with three thorns and the body of the Yud. And know: all of this was done after the arousal of the tzimtzum [contraction] — before the revealing of the reshimu [trace] — and all these levels exist always before the Sefirot — for afterward at the last level — which is the level of the Sefirot — as we will explain, G-d willing — there are the divisions of the reshimu and all the rest of the matters — as will be explained, G-d willing. And in the Yud being completed — it was going and being emanated from the perfection — and the perfection was hidden within it and left it place to spread. And so it was completing its parts and branches — and then each of the thorns was illuminating to three lights — and there were made ten lights — and this is the secret of one Yud with three thorns — each illuminating in one line — either right or left or middle. And the body of the Yud binds all in the secret of Malchus. And this is what it said: דכד רעותא לעילא לעילא — "when the supernal will above above." And this is the supernal will — namely Ein Sof, blessed be He. And therefore it said "above above" — for He is above everything — and one can speak of Him only thus — that He is exalted above all. And this stands over that will [ha-reutha] — and it is the particular power that is the root for creation — as we explained. And this: לא אתידע ולא אתפס לעלמין — "is not known and cannot be grasped ever" — for it from its own side is not known — for it is hidden within the judicial governance. "Cannot be grasped" — for even when it is revealed — it is not called that [it and] its general premise is known and fully comprehended — but rather it is called that some illumination from it is attained. And even for all eternity it will be thus — and this is plain — for what the intellect does not encompass from every side — it is not called that it grasps it — but only that it gazes at its edge. And this perfection cannot be grasped in all its eternity. And it further mentioned another level — and it is: רישא דסתים יתיר לעילא — "the head that is most hidden above." And here the governance begins with all the law of its cycles — and one head is found for it encompassing all — and afterward the spreading of the branches — only from what is included in this head. And you will see that in this likeness you will find in the Sefirah of Kesser or Arich Anpin — that its full stature is all of Atzilus — and afterward all the other Partzufim [configurations] clothe only parts of it. And Kesser encompasses the entire Partzuf — and Chochmah begins to reveal its branches one by one — such that in all the rest of the Partzuf there is already what is in Kesser itself.

And you will see: the vowel-point of Kesser is the kamatz [contracted vowel] — and of Chochmah — the patach [open vowel]. And the secret of the matter: for truly Kesser and Chochmah are two heads — but Kesser is exalted above as mentioned — and the lights do not spread from it but remain sealed within it. But Chochmah — there the lights descend from Kesser and open up to be revealed and to spread — and therefore it is called Machshavah [Thought]. And you will see that no action is in vain — and even in the lights being contracted [kamatz] in Kesser — there is rooted one root for all the governance — deep and hidden — exalted above all that we speak of in the matters of service and the statutes of the revealed governance. And therefore we know that we speak only from Chochmah downward — but the root of the matters according to Kesser — no one can attain it. The Pargod — the Curtain Between Kesser and Chochmah And it further said: ושם אפיק יו״ד בסוד תלת קוצין ונהרין בסוד ג׳ קוים — "and there it drew out a Yud in the secret of three thorns — illuminating in the secret of the three lines" — as mentioned. And it was completed — the Yud of the Name, blessed be He. And afterward from this Yud — the second level was emanated — in the secret of the patach — and it is the place of Machshavah. And it did not stand in its tikkun until the prisa was spread [פריסו אתפרם]. And you will see: the Machshavah was standing to go forth — and this is the second gradation of the light — and it was not going out — but was always binding to the upper Yud — and then the lights of the Yud were rolling through it to bring it out. And from the abundance of the cleaving — since the Machshavah wanted to pursue and to cleave to it — there was emanated the existence of one light to stand below this Yud — and all the force that was to go out in Machshavah was cleaving strongly and pursuing after this Yud. And then from all that was emanated from these pursuits — as mentioned — one curtain [masach / pargod] was made — and it is the middle connector that always binds the Yud with Machshavah. And the matter is: for it is impossible according to the gradation that the Machshavah cleave to the head — for this goes toward one matter and this toward another — but this love was placed between them — and it only caused to make this firmament [rakia] — connecting the upper waters with the lower ones. And you will understand: this firmament came from its [Chochmah's] own side — it was not to bring it out — for that is not fitting for its matter — but when the Chochmah was aroused to go forth — before it went out and settled in its place — the firmament was emanated — and behold it goes out from the Yud for the sake of the lower beings — not for its own sake. And then all the lights of the Yud illuminate in this firmament — as mentioned — to illuminate below. And so it is always found: "And the likeness over the heads of the living creature — a firmament like the awe-inspiring ice." [Yechezkel 1:22] And therefore it said: רעו דמחשבה חד פריסו אתפרם — "the will of the Machshavah — one spreading spread" — and it does not say "spread" [parim] — for it is not the action of the Yud — but the action of the Machshavah — and it spread as if by itself — for the Machshavah is found to be the one that built it. And you will further see below — this is the secret of the membrane of the brain [krum shel moach]. And even though it appears that it is to cover the light of Kesser — it is called "the membrane of the brain" — for to the contrary — it is the brain that made it for itself — and emanated it from Kesser. And understand well: that the lower ones are those who draw the root from the upper ones always — in the secret of this curtain and veil — and the root is covered within this curtain — for so every branch covers its root. Understand well.

And I will explain to you now this matter well — and through it you will understand the matter of what they said: "In what is too wondrous for you — do not investigate" etc. It is written in Sefer ha-Tikkunim [Tikkun 22]: "The supernal Kesser — it is the completion of the fifty gates of Binah... for it is the source that has no end." And here you will see what is permitted for us to contemplate — and what is truly forbidden. Behold — after we know the matter of the Sefirot — that they are ten — not fewer and not more — and that they are these ten and not others — then we can contemplate them from every side. Namely: what is the action of each and every one — in what do they differ from one another in the governance — how do they spread through their derivatives — and what is the law of the governance in them — and in short: what their matter is and what their derivatives are. All of these it is permitted to us to understand and comprehend — and the delight of the souls is to understand more of this. And yet another matter we can know — and it is the order of how they themselves went out from Ein Sof, may He be blessed. And with all this it is said: "Ten Sefirot of nothing [belimah] — understand in them and investigate in them" [Sefer Yetzirah 1:4]. And the forbidden is to investigate the source of these Sefirot — meaning: why are they these and not others — why ten — not fewer and not more. This is forbidden to us — for it is plain that there must be a reason for this — and it stands in the depth of the will of the Emanator, may He be blessed and exalted — and it is impossible for us to investigate there at all. Rather this we know: that in producing all the worlds in this order as they are now — and if they had differed even a little — it would not be thus — and this order is the perfect in the ultimate perfection. But why this is the perfect — it is impossible to know — and it is forbidden for us to investigate. And likewise to ask: why were they emanated at that time and not before — this is also forbidden — for this depends on the depth of His will, may He be blessed, which we are certainly forbidden to investigate at all. And all the more so to investigate the very being of the Emanator, may He be blessed and exalted — and all that depends on His necessary existence — certainly all of this is forbidden. And for all of this it is said: "One who gazes at four things" etc. [Chagigah 11b]. And I will explain to you in particular on the order of the attributes. Behold Ein Sof, blessed be He, is the supernal will — root of all. And the first thing He revealed is this order of ten Sefirot. And afterward He began to act according to the matter of these Sefirot. And the order of the Sefirot in general — this is truly called Kesser — and this is the Risha [head] mentioned here. And behold in this Risha we can only know its existence and what is in it — namely the ten Sefirot themselves — and the order of their emergence one after another. But this is not the full matter of this Kesser — for here is truly the true reason of the Sefirot themselves — as mentioned above — why they are this count — and why they are these — and all the reasons for the primary orders: why they must be thus — all depend on the depth of the will as mentioned. And this is precisely the matter of the fiftieth gate that is hidden from all — and it is forbidden to gaze at it. And above this is the matter of the being of the will itself — those four matters of "what is above and what is below" etc. — to know why He produced at this time and not at another — and likewise all the matters going in this way and depending on His existence, may He be blessed — and all that stands in the matter of the Sefirot speaking of creation itself — is called investigation in Kesser — and it is forbidden! And all the more so: what depends on the will that brings out the Sefirot — this is called investigation in Ein Sof — and all the more so it is forbidden — and all the more so what depends on His existence, may He be blessed.

And all that is from Kesser downward — meaning: from the matter of the Sefirot themselves downward — this is entirely permitted — and it is said of it: "In what you are permitted — contemplate" [Chagigah 13a quoting Ben Sira] — only according to whatever one's intellect is capable of. And what is hidden from it and its intellect cannot attain — it is said to it: "If your heart runs — return to the place" [Sefer Yetzirah 1:8] — and this is: "You have no business with hidden things" [Chagigah there]. For truly one who is not fit to be occupied there — is not rectified in his contemplating there — as he is rectified in his contemplating the matters revealed to him. And understand well. This is a great principle in the depths of profound wisdom. It is found: the order has already been established in one totality — it became the head of all the existence that would follow — and this is Kesser. And the Machshavah — which is Chochmah in the secret of the patach [open vowel] — from it and downward the matters are open — was always pursuing after the root — for the statute of the Sefirot draws after the first reason contracted in Kesser. But this is a matter that the Emanator, may He be blessed, did not want — and one must not ask why — for it suffices that He did thus — to know that this is the perfection. But from this pursuit the pargod was made as mentioned — and it is from what was being revealed from the Sefirot themselves for the purpose of the attainment of the lower beings — and it is the light that was emanated in the Yud that I mentioned above. And then the Yud acts above in the hidden — and from it was emanated the pargod I mentioned — and then the Machshavah cleaves there. And this pargod encompasses all that can be attained from the Sefirot — and it itself is what is understood from Kesser — but Kesser itself is exalted above — and what is spread in this pargod spreads afterward in all kinds of knowledge. And in Chochmah the matters spread in all the orders of the governance and its tikkunim — in the secret of "How great are Your works Hashem" [Tehillim 104:24] etc. The Structure of the Aleph — Yud-Pargod-Yud — and the Two Heh's And let us begin to explain now from the pargod downward — for when the pargod was separated — the Machshavah stood in its place and pursues this pargod. And behold the pargod is the letter Vav — and the Machshavah pursuing below it is another letter Yud — behold one complete Aleph — א — which is the number of the Name, blessed be He — that has not yet been fully revealed in all its branches — as will be explained further, G-d willing. And the upper Yud turns toward the pargod — and likewise the lower Yud turns toward it — thus: א — and this is the precise form of the Aleph. And behold then in the cleaving of the Machshavah — the pargod was illuminating. And this secret is: for the Machshavah is also a Yud — in the secret of the totality of all the Yud in Kesser — and this is what: all that is contracted [kamatz] in Kesser — opens in Chochmah. And these need to be spread in the secret of the upper Heh and lower Heh — then the matters will go in the secret of two worlds — Imma and Nukva — and they are two governances of inner and outer — body and soul — which are the first root of all governance. And this needs to spread in the secret of the firmament — Heh here and Heh there. And the matter is: for the ten of the Machshavah were pursuing in the pargod and returning to their place — and then a new matter was emanated in the pargod — and ten lights illuminated from the secret of the pursuit of the Machshavah — and two Heh's were made there. And behold the Name הוי״ה, blessed be He, was completed — all in the secret of Kesser — for all of this is called Kesser in its spreading — and from Kesser's own side the Yud-Yud was being made — but the pursuit of Chochmah divided in the pargod the two Heh's. Understand well — for corresponding to this there are afterward the ten letters of the mazla [the beard-locks] in Chochmah. And therefore the pursuits were in the manner of "approaching and not approaching" [מטי ולא מטי] — for all the lights of Chochmah were pursuing in the pargod — causing new emanation there — but returning immediately to their place — and there the reception for the emanation was made. And so they completed [until] ten — and then the two Heh's in the pargod were completed — and the ten letters of the filling in the Machshavah.