Adir BaMurom — Chapter 1: Introduction to the Zohar and the Idra Rabba; On the Figure of Rashbi
Source: https://ajew.org/reader/ramchal-adir-bamuroam/1/1

Segment 1
HE:
אדיר במרום

EN:
Tanya [It has been taught]: Rabbi Shimon said to his companions: Until when shall we remain established upon one pillar?

Segment 2
HE:
קֶרֶן יְשׁוּעָה

EN:
And this matter is dependent upon great foundational principles — among the most fundamental of wisdom — and it is rooted in the depths of the Divine hanhaga [governance / Providence], which the One Singular Master ordained and enacted for His people, His portion and His inheritance, to guide them along the path by which they would arrive at the great good that was the intent of the primordial thought [i.e., the ultimate purpose envisioned at the very beginning of creation].

You must understand how greatly Israel has been diminished in their exile, and what tikkunim they require in order to be restored to their former state. And as the Psalmist reflected upon this matter and grasped these great deficiencies, he lamented and said: "Our signs we have not seen, there is no longer any prophet..." [Psalms 74:9]. For in truth, great and precious wisdom has been lost from Israel — and our Sages of blessed memory said in Aramaic: From the day the Temple was destroyed, "the sages began to be like scribes [kaspiraya]..." [i.e., diminished from men of living wisdom to mere book-learned scholars] (Sotah 49a). And the Psalmist prayed over this and said: "How long, O G‑d, shall the adversary revile...?" [Psalms 74:10].

And within these verses are contained exceedingly great secrets concerning this entire matter. Listen well and understand.

Segment 3
HE:
(שַׁדַּי)

EN:
Now, our Sages of blessed memory said: Shaddai (שַׁדַּי) — Who said to His world, "Enough!" [she-amar le-olamo: Dai!] (Chagiga 12a).

Segment 4
HE:
(אֵל שַׁדַּי) הוי״ה

EN:
And you will understand why Rabbi Shimon was roused to declare: "Until when shall we remain established upon one pillar?" And why he equipped his disciples with armor and spears. I will explain all of this in a clear and lucid order, with the help of Heaven, as G‑d's goodly hand rests upon me.

I have already said that Zu"n is the root of this lower world and its governance, and that Imma [the Supernal Mother, i.e., Bina] is the source from which they emerge. And in Yesod of Imma [the Foundation-channel of the Supernal Mother], there resides the name El Shaddai — it is there that all the sefiros of Zu"n are imprinted before they emerge forth. And the matter of the name Shaddai has already been elucidated in its proper place, wherein lies the secret of Or, Mayim, Raki'a [Light, Water, Firmament] and the one hundred blessings, in the secret of Asamb"a1 [a Kabbalistic acronym — see footnote 1].

Thus two things take place here in Yesod Imma for the purpose of building Zu"n: the expansion of the lights, and their inscription within a proper boundary and measure. And these two things are accomplished through the power of these two names: El and Shaddai.

Segment 5
HE:
(זו״ן)

EN:
Zu"n (זו״ן) [= Ze'ir Anpin and Nukva / Malchus — the Masculine and Feminine configurations of Atzilus] are the seven lower sefiros of Atzilus [the World of Emanation], and they are the root of all the affairs of the lower world and its governance. Their secret is the seven days of Creation through which the world was created. Ponder and reflect very deeply upon all these matters, for I will not expand the explanation upon every single word — for it would require an extremely lengthy commentary, and the burden would be heavy upon both the writer and the reader alike — as I have said here, in the spirit of the verse: "Give to the wise and he will grow wiser still" [Proverbs 9:9]. Only: do not pass over these matters the way one walks along a well-trodden road before him, but rather ponder and reflect with deep concentration upon each and every step, and then you will make your ways successful. This hint is sufficient for you; I will go along expounding according to my method.

And this is so because the limbs [of the partzuf, the Divine Countenance] are differentiated in their forms through the power of their boundaries. For since their substance is bounded so as not to spread out, but rather to be in one location here and in one location there, their form remains as it is to our sight. And similarly above: when the lights emerge to spread out and produce all the sefiros and the particular gradations of each — were they not to be imprinted by this seal, which establishes a boundary for each of them — defining their particular inclinations — the lights would continually expand further and further and would not remain in the specific individual form fitting for each. But when they are imprinted by the seal, they then remain in their proper form as fitting for the governance.

And you must know that the existence of the limbs found in the structure of the body produces effects — even upon the body's qualities — that would not exist were those limbs absent. And this is already visible to the eye: if a man lacks his reproductive organs, his voice becomes weaker and he loses his beard. Infer from this to all the rest — for even though it is not visible to the eye, it may well be so, albeit in hiddenness, for we cannot see with our eyes all the hidden matters of the body's qualities within. And the secret of this matter is: ultimately, there exist only ten sefiros that operate — and the limbs of the body are nothing other than sefiros, and the qualities within it are likewise sefiros — only that in one manner they spread out and form limbs, and in another manner they spread out and create qualities. The source of this matter has already been explained elsewhere, and I cannot expand upon it here.

Segment 6
HE:
אֵל יהו"ה

EN:
Now, it is written: "Which G‑d created to do [la'asos]" [Genesis 2:3]. And the secret of this matter is: the Holy Blessed One began the creation and set it up in a condition whereby the human being could afterwards bring it to completion — so that he might receive reward for his deeds. For man was created already in the image of G‑d [tzelem Elokim] and in the form [deyokan] of the likeness above — and yet even so, this image is not fully perfected in its likeness to the Most High, until he completes it through his good deeds.

This is the matter of the mitzvos, which correspond to the 613 limbs of the human body [taryag eivarim]. And now I will explain to you one great secret: some mitzvos are not dependent upon the limbs of the body, and it is clearly understood how these are not matters that were fitting to be incorporated into the bodily structure — for they are drawn only from the supernal luminaries for the sake of their perfection. For example: prayer, sacrifices, terumah and tithes — these are things dependent upon the function of the luminaries. However, there are mitzvos whose content seems as though it should be fitting to be found in the bodily structure — such as tefillin and tzitzis — for these are lights that exist as such above. Since truly, in the supernal "forehead" above, the mochin [supernal intellects] break through and emerge — or the tallis encompasses the head of Ze'ir Anpin — the human being needed to be built in his body accordingly. And if you ask: tefillin are only worn from the time one reaches maturity — behold, teeth do not emerge at birth but grow afterwards. Indeed, this entire matter truly depends upon this very name Shaddai, which is the One who imprints — and once you know this, you will also know why tefillin and tzitzis are called an os [a sign], as are the Sabbaths and Festivals — and above all of them: the sign of the holy Bris [covenant].

Thus: when one sefira is present in existence, it will be expressed in the bodily structure and form one limb — and it will be expressed in quality and produce one distinct attribute. And if it is deficient in the structure, it will likewise be deficient in quality. And so it truly is with the ateres habris [the crown of the covenant — the corona of circumcision]: it is specifically upon it that the completeness of the entire partzuf [the Divine Countenance] depends, in the secret of the mitzvos.3 For from it emerge 613 effects — these 613 mitzvos: some are operations upon the luminaries, and some are illuminations within the luminaries themselves.

Segment 7
HE:
(מַצָּה) (מִצְוָה)

EN:
Now, in the Zohar, Parshas Vayeitzei (157a), it states: When matza (מַצָּה) joins with the masculine, it is called mitzva (מִצְוָה), with the addition of a vav — as Scripture says: "For this mitzva" [Deuteronomy 30:11].

The explanation of this matter: the Matzil [the Emanator, i.e., the Infinite One — Ein Sof] — blessed be He — desired that there should be a bond between the luminaries and the lower beings, to the point that the deeds of the lower ones should be able to reach up to the Supernal. And for the purpose of this bond He prepared Malchus [Royalty / Sovereignty — the lowest sefira, which is the Nukva], which ascends and descends according to their deeds, and lifts their deeds up to all the luminaries to arouse them thereby. And in the secret of this, all the luminaries were imprinted in the form of taryag [613], which is called deyokas Adam [the form of Man] — namely, the form of Malchus, which is the Adam of the Merkava [the Chariot] — and of all the chayos [the celestial beings] it is said: "the form of a man upon them" [Ezekiel 1:5].

And now you will see the matter of circumcision [mila] — upon which the entire Torah depends. I will explain its matter in accordance with the current situation: that a man is born uncircumcised and is then circumcised. And I will also explain it in accordance with the original Adam, who was born already circumcised.

Segment 8
HE:
הטבלה הבאה מפרטת את כל התיקונים שיושמו בנוסח זה. תיקונים מלוח תיקוני טעויות (עמ׳ תק״ו) יושמו ישירות. תיקוני כת״י (אצ״ל) המופיעים בהערות שוליים של המהדיר יושמו באופן זהיר. תיקוני OCR הם תיקוני ריווח וזיהוי אותיות שנגרמו מהסריקה.

EN:
Now: the Matzil — blessed be He — desired to initiate creation and to leave its completion to man, as I have stated. And I will tell you what this completion consists of, for it depends upon two things:

Segment 9
HE:
— עמוד 11 —

EN:
The First: the matter of evil — for He gave the evil its foothold through the event of the Sheviras HaMiddin [the Breaking of the Vessels], and thereafter the rectification began through the New MaH [the newly configured Name of 45, representing the rectified aspect of Adam], whose sefiros are refined from the klipos [the shells / the forces of concealment]. But this rectification was not completed, for the birur [the process of sifting / refinement] was not finished — and the Be"n [the Name of 52, representing Malchus] still needs to reach the level of Sa"G [the Name of 63, a higher configuration] as it was in the beginning. All these matters I will explain to you further below, G-d willing. It thus emerges that evil still exists in creation, and the body still possesses the evil inclination [yetzer hara]. Had the Holy Blessed One completed His creation, no evil would exist at all and there would be no evil inclination in the body. The Holy Blessed One desired that the body which possesses the evil inclination should rectify itself through its own merit, through Torah and mitzvos — and then it shall remain pure and clean.

Segment 10
HE:
על כל דבור ודבור ,כי היה צריך פירוש ארוך מאד ,ויכבד המשא

EN:
This is the First matter upon which this completion depends. The Second is the matter of drawing down the shefa [the Divine flow / abundance] — for Malchus is the ispaklerya de-la nahara [the mirror that does not shine of itself], possessing nothing of her own. And the Matzil desired this: He left its service to the lower ones, so that through the power of their merit they draw the shefa down to it. And when they complete the drawing of shefa to it — as much as is needed for all its particular aspects — then the service of man is completed. Understand this well.

Segment 11
HE:
על הכותב ועל הקורא כאחד ,כי אמרתי על זה כמאמר החכם :תן

EN:
For these two matters are deeply bound to one another — for all of this is the secret of: "And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun" [Isaiah 30:26] — which is precisely the matter of the diminishment of the moon. For the moon was not created small initially — for that is not its nature — but rather it experienced a descent, like the Shevira among the Middin [the Breaking of the Vessels / the Kings]. And it is within the power of human beings to restore it to its former place — and when it returns in its completeness, it will descend no further, just as Be"n will return to its original place, which is Sa"G. And then: "the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun" — for the shefa necessary for it has already been drawn to it and does not cease. Understand very well all these matters — how they arrive specifically at Malchus — for all of this is in order that Malchus should be the bond we spoke of, and thus the lower ones are found literally within its particular aspects. Therefore, she is not complete if her particulars are not complete; and her particulars — the Matzil — blessed be He — did not desire to complete, for He left them to complete themselves.

Segment 12
HE:
לחכם ויחכם עוד (משלי ט ,ט) .רק שלא תהיה עובר והולך על

EN:
And when she is completed through them, then she is like all the other sefiros, and she will no longer be impoverished and destitute as she is this day — being in the secret of the ispaklerya de-la nahara — the non-luminous mirror. Understand this well.

Segment 13
HE:
הדברים כהולך בדרך הסלולה לפניו ,כי אם שתשכיל ותתבונן בעיון

EN:
For in truth, the Nukva is made only to receive from the masculine and to bestow upon the lower ones. Thus the completeness of her existence is the reception from the masculine and the bestowal — and this is what is lacking in her when she is not yet complete. When she is complete, the shefa is established in her. For even though it might appear that this matter is external to her — since her light is from the masculine — it is not so: rather, the completeness of the Nukva — it is as a part of her — is that the shefa of the masculine flows into her and unites with her to bestow through her. And in this respect she is wealthy and possesses a great light. But when this is lacking, what remains is poverty and destitution — for only what she has from her own side remains.

Segment 14
HE:
עמוק על כל פסיעה ופסיעה ,כי אז תצליח את דרכיך .ודי לך בזה

EN:
And in the time to come, the light of the sun — which now sometimes is diminished in her and sometimes abundant — will be established in her permanently. It emerges that in any case her light will not be created anew; rather, it is the light of the sun that will remain in her — yet this is called the portion of the Nukva, as I have written.

Segment 15
HE:
הערה ,ואהיה אני מפרש והולך לפי דרכי.

EN:
And you will see that at the time of the diminishment of the moon, the nine sefiros of the Nukva entered into Ze'ir Anpin himself. And in truth, this is the light found in her from the aspect of Ze'ir Anpin himself. And the reason for the diminishment is already known: it was in order to give existence to free choice and reward and punishment — so that what the Matzil could have done Himself would instead be done by human beings. I have already explained this elsewhere. For in truth, the other sefiros had all their aspects refined — but the Nukva did not have all her aspects refined, in order to leave room for service. And even in the other sefiros, there remained what needs to be refined — that which is fitting for Malchus and its rectification. For the abundant light that is fitting for her cannot be present in her until all her particulars are refined; therefore initially she was great, and afterwards small — for at that time it was not yet her time to be so.

Segment 16
HE:
כבר אמרתי שהזו״ן הם שורש העוה״ז והנהגתו ,ואימא היא המקור

EN:
And thus you have understood the two things that must be accomplished for the completeness of human beings: the removal of the evil and the drawing down of the shefa.

Segment 17
HE:
להם ,שמשם הם יוצאים .וביסוד שלה יש שם אל שדי ,שם מצטיירים כל

EN:
And this is the ultimate conclusion — ha-sof [alternate reading: ha-sod — "the secret"] — in truth: for from the purification of souls flows this: that the proper shefa reaches Nukva, so that the light of the sun shall be in her — which is this very aspect within the Nukva that completes her, as above.

Segment 18
HE:
(מַצָּה) (מִצְוָה) זֹאת

EN:
1 Asamb"a (עסמ"ב): A Kabbalistic acronym whose precise expansion in the Ramchal's system requires cross-referencing his other writings. The letters Ayin-Samech-Mem-Beis (עסמ"ב) appear in the Ramchal's works in connection with the structure of the Name Shaddai and its operation through Or, Mayim, Raki'a (Light, Water, Firmament) and the one hundred blessings. The translator notes uncertainty about the precise expansion; the footnote in the original refers to Etz Chaim, Gate 39, Sections 5–6; Gate of Ruach HaKodesh, Unifications 18 and 108; and the relevant discussion later in this volume at pp. 75, 164, 167. See also the Gaon of Vilna's Likutim at the end of Sifra DiTzniusa on the secret of the Hidden Light.

2 See below, p. 89, s.v. "Machzor Le'inyanenu."

3 See the Gaon's Likutim at the end of Yehal Or, fol. 37b; and Pesachim She'arim, Vol. I, fol. 64b.