Igros Pischay Chochmah VaDaas (Letters on Pischay Chochmah)

Shaaray Ramchal

Gates of the Ramchal — Complete English Translation

Volume Five

Igros Pischay Chochmah VaDaas Letters of the Gates of Wisdom and Knowledge

Letters of the Ramchal z"tzal to a Colleague — Explaining the Foundations of Chochmas HaEmes

Introduction to the Igros Pischay Chochmah VaDaas

These letters appeared at the end of the first edition of Pischay Chochmah VaDaas — written by the Ramchal to one of the sages of his generation. They are of great and special importance: for besides explaining with far greater depth the profound topics found in the book Kla"Ch Pischay Chochmah — there are also here subjects without known parallel elsewhere in Rabbenu's writings — and they are fundamental and essential matters in Chochmas HaEmes. If in his other compositions Rabbenu does not mention the names of those who explain Chochmas HaEmes — here Rabbenu points to the difficulties — mentions the sages who laboured to resolve the questions — disagrees with their explanations — and explains the subject in his own holy way — whereby all the difficulties fall away. And Rabbenu also explains and details how the difficulties are resolved through his explanations. The central theme of these letters is to reveal the root of Chochmas HaEmes that unites all of the wisdom at one pole — to bring forth the form of the man who serves his Creator. And through this — everything that appears as discontinuity and fragmentation in this wisdom — is reconciled.

The First Letter — Explanation of the General Matter of Atzilus

§1 — Through Understanding the Root — One Understands the Particulars

Behold — in the Sifra d'Tzniusa (Zohar II, 176a): R' Shimon said — "Five chapters there are — encompassed in a great palace and filling all the earth" etc. And this was the praise he praised that book — for it is a book that is the totality of everything — and he said it is superior to all for one who has entered and departed. Therefore — because of its great importance — it was called Sifra d'Tzniusa. And the matter is: for it is truly the inner dimension of true knowledge — hidden and concealed within the discourses of the wisdom. And one who attains wisdom — at first attains the other discourses — and is still called one who has not yet attained the wisdom — until he reaches this inner hidden matter within them — and then he is called one who has truly attained the wisdom. But conversely — one cannot attain this inner matter properly — who is not expert and knowledgeable in the majority of the broad discourses.

And the matter is: for we truly find the discourses of the wisdom many — revolving around several poles — and explaining many great secrets — but they do not appear connected to one another. Rather each one goes and explains one matter from among the matters encompassed in the wisdom — and the wisdom is truly without limit. And this is like one who goes and takes drops from the sea — one from here and one from there — and this is not complete knowledge. For one who has many branches and not the root — they cause him not knowledge but confusion. And all his wisdom depends on memory — not on the attainment of understanding and knowledge — so that if one thing is forgotten from him it is completely lost. But true knowledge: after a person has received many discourses — he knows the pole around which they all revolve. For this pole certainly exists — and those who revealed the wisdom would not have revealed things so scattered and disconnected. But the truth is that all of them depend on one root — and the knowledge of this root is the essential knowledge — and the rest is commentary. True — one who does not know the commentaries will not understand this root clearly — for its greatness is seen through the breadth of its discourses and branches — how it is one root so complete that it encompasses so many wondrous matters. But one who does not see the branches cannot recognise the importance of the root. Therefore the order of learning is this: first — the particulars. And afterward — to bring them to the one general root. And this

§2 — It Is Impossible to Understand the Particulars Without Understanding the Root

difference will certainly be felt by one who knows only the particulars — or one who knows the root as well. For one who knows only the particulars — there is no rest for his soul — and regarding every particular he will remain astonished and say: in the end — what is this particular — why is it so — what benefit is in it? But one who knows the root — for every discourse he receives — there will be tranquillity. And what is lacking in his knowledge will be only one particular he did not know — and this will cause him no confusion at all in what he does know — for I have already said that the discourses are certainly without limit and end.

And now I shall give one parable regarding what I have said: when we speak by way of parable of Adam Kadmon — and the infinite worlds emerging from him in the secret of sight, hearing, smell, speech — every wise heart will see how this appears to be incomplete knowledge: we speak of certain branches from it — and leave many others aside. And even within the space itself — R' Chaim Vital of blessed memory said that there are worlds without number — and that they spoke of only one branch — which is A"K. And the question immediately arises: if this branch is equal to the others — why do we take this one and leave all the others? And I return to the worlds of sight etc.: granted if the branches of all the inner lights — namely E"B, S"G, M"H, B"N — were straightforward — that would be fine. But we leave E"B for the students — and then speak of E"B of S"G and S"G of S"G. And furthermore — the Nikkudim are S"G of S"G — and if they descended and became B"N — this does not help — for then we jump from S"G of S"G to the general M"H — and there the particulars are no more. And so B"N. In sum — the matters appear as if one began to speak and did not complete his discourse — and the matter remains in endless confusion. Afterward all of A"B"Y"A are the Nikkudim — and then we do not know what is the matter of the lights of A"Ch"P — what is their purpose — what is their action. When we come to Zu"N — so many matters are found that one can only accept them as given — and if one comes to reason — nothing stands on firm foundation. All the matters of the Mochin — the extension of Chasadim through the Da'as of Z"A and Gevuros in Nukva — are all matters for which reasons are given — each one independently — and no reason is sufficient — and they are not bound to one another. The matters of the division of Av"A and Yisrael Saba and Tevunah — first gadlus and second gadlus — what are all these matters? The sum of the matter: after we know all the many discourses that R' Chaim Vital of blessed memory taught us — we know that we know nothing — and we have only their tradition — which must all be remembered — to say such-and-such exists — and there is no answer. And from here is born the deficiency of knowledge in human beings — for it is impossible to understand the particular for one who does not understand the root. And I shall now explain to you what I can of the general matter.

§3 — Adam Kadmon — The Root of the Form of Man

It is true: within the space there are worlds without number — as R' Chaim Vital of blessed memory taught us. But there is a primary existence — to which all other particulars must come. And it is thus found that even though it is only one order — and not as broad as the other particulars — it is nonetheless an order built in all its laws — and all other particulars are necessarily governed beneath it. And this order — the holy Name YHVH blessed be He placed in the secret of His four letters — and it is itself the order of the secret of the form of man — according to this form as it stands in the totality of all its 613 limbs — in that combination and connection in which they are connected and composed one with another. And this is the matter of Adam Kadmon — and therefore it is called Adam Kadmon — namely this general order through which all the particulars are drawn according to the secret of the form of man. And it is thus found: all that we speak of is nothing but what follows according to this matter of this form. And this is the secret written in the Ra'aya Mehemna (portion Bo, 43b) in the secret of "Yours O Lord is the greatness and the might" etc. — which explains in the secret of the waters emerging from the source. And see there — for it is the secret of the extension of the holy Name YHVH blessed be He in all that it encompasses — and governs all other orders. And the ways in which all the orders of the world can be arranged beneath this holy Name are seven — and they are the secret of the four vessels mentioned there — and their secret is also the seven Sefiros. But the essence of the matter speaks only of the extension of the holy Name blessed be He — not of the Sefiros. It is thus found now: Adam Kadmon is truly the secret of this order arranged first. And for this order to be complete — it is necessary that there be one Partzuf built of inner dimension and outer dimension — which are the secret of the soul and the body — namely lights and vessels — and that there be within it a complete stature of E"B, S"G, M"H, B"N — both in the inner and in the outer dimension. And the general rule in every order — the higher ones are truly according to the order of man in all his parts and in all his being. And therefore one who wishes to understand the matters above — should take first those matters from below — as they are according to nature — and know that so they are certainly above — according to the law that Ein Sof blessed be He placed in them.

§4 — The Senses of the Face of A"K — Preparation for the Form of Man

Man — it is his law to have the senses in his face. And the primary matter is: for face (Panim) is from the language of turning (Peniyah) — and it is what turns toward others. And so the lights — what is turned to pour influence — is called face. And therefore in man there is what is for himself — and what is for turning to illuminate. And these are the body and the face. And all that is arranged in the body — for the matter of its going out to pour influence and illuminate — needs to be encompassed in the face — then it extends and illuminates — for this place alone is fixed for this. And the extension of the Yesodos is a different matter. For illumination is one thing — being the emanation of light from itself — like the shining of the face of Moshe. And the extension of the Yesodos is the sending of force transferred from the sender to the receiver — called the way of passage — not the way of illumination. And let us return to our subject: all that is within the body sends radiance and illumination through the face. But what exists in A"K itself — we cannot know — for it is exceedingly lofty — and only this we know: that within it are all the E"B, S"G, M"H, B"N in the secret of the four letters as stated. But the truth is that it sends illumination and radiance. And the lights — within the body they are arranged in one order with one count — but to go out in the secret of the illumination of the face — they need to arrange themselves in a different order. And therefore the 370 lights are the entire secret of the governance of the illuminations revealed in the face. And likewise the 150 is the governance of Z"A in the aspect of its revelation in the face.

§5 — The Structure of the Form of Man

The form of man is composed of 613 limbs. And according to this arrangement of 613 — the lights of every Partzuf above will also divide. And it is certainly true that every Partzuf encompasses ten Sefiros — and ten within ten — without end. And in this matter every Sefirah is equal to its fellow. But in the secret of the 613 — their lights do not extend equally — for even though in their existence every Sefirah encompasses ten — yet for governance each one is arranged into particular parts as required for the completeness of governance. And there is a Sefirah that illuminates many lights — and there is one that illuminates fewer — for there is no need for equality between them — even though their existence is equal. And the difference is: when we count the Sefirah as ten — it is in the secret of how they are built. But the matter of the limbs is the matter of the ways they illuminate — for one Sefirah illuminates in so many ways — and others in other ways — until among all of them there are 613. A parable: the mouth is Malchus; the heart is Malchus; the vineyard is Malchus — thus Malchus in many aspects. And not that they are all parts of Malchus — but all of them are Malchus in different actions. And understand greatly this difference — for it is very fundamental to understanding the matters of the wisdom in their proper form.

§6 — The Existence of the Sefiros and Their Offspring

Three things are to be understood in the matter of the Sefiros: their existence in their parts — connected in all the connections and compositions found in them — which is called the building of the Sefiros. And additionally: the offspring emerging from these parts. And these two things are rooted in Keser and Chochmah. And the matter is very long to understand how this is so. And regarding this it was said: "Do not enquire into what is too wondrous for you" — referring to Keser — about which it is forbidden to speak. Keser is the illumination in which all the Sefiros are found — with all their parts — arranged in the order that Ein Sof blessed be He willed for them. And this is rooted in the infinite supreme Will — for what He will do is what it will be necessary to do for the complete governance — with nothing to add or subtract. But created beings cannot understand what the completeness is — for this depends on the supreme Will which is infinite and entirely unattainable. And thus what is found in Keser is: the building of all the Sefiros in their being — and the reasons for all matters are also revealed there. But Keser — I have already said — this matter cannot be attained by the lower beings — for Ein Sof blessed be He is unattainable — and therefore enquiry into it is forbidden. But in Chochmah there is the governance and the action of all the Sefiros — according to the building already established for them in Keser. And therefore one cannot ask the reason for the building of the Sefirah — but the actions of the building — which is Chochmah — this we can seek and know as well. Therefore when we see in the secret of the 613 that one Sefirah acts in many ways — having limbs from it — and another acts less — and even not proportionately with these two Sefiros — we should not ask a reason for this — for we know this is necessary according to this order of governance — all of which already goes to one end alone.

§7 — The Correspondence between YHVH, TN"TA, and E"B S"G M"H B"N

And another preliminary I need to state here in passing regarding this matter: the ten Sefiros (E"S) is the general division placed for all the work of holiness. And therefore all the aspects we distinguish in one light must come to the order of the ten Sefiros. And thus when one Sefirah acts — all its actions together — even though all of it acted so — nonetheless its actions arrange themselves to the order of all. And from this one will understand the matter of TN"TA (cantillation notes, vowel-points, crowns, letters) that we say are E"B S"G M"H B"N. And the truth is that according to their action they are not so — but they are the Tikkunim of the matters in the secret of the matter of the letters. For the letters emerge from Imma — and even though they emerge from her they are not completely separated — but a connection remains between them — and this is the secret of the crowns (Taginim). And here too there is a difference in the revelation of this connection — some are revealed in the secret of three Kotzin — some in only one Katz — and some are not revealed at all. And this is according to the difference of the action of the letters according to their matter. And do not find it difficult from what you will find in the words of R' Chaim Vital of blessed memory about the matter of the Taginim in a different manner — for the matters depend on one another. The vowel-points are what Imma enters within Z"A in the way of clothing — governing him in the secret of "For G-d judges" etc. And the cantillation notes are crowns — Tikkunim from Abba. And it is thus found that the letters themselves need all these Tikkunim — and then their matters are extended to four — namely TN"TA. And since they divided thus — they arrange themselves under one order — the four letters of the Name blessed be He — and therefore they are said to be E"B S"G M"H B"N.

§8 — The Branches of A"K — E"B S"G M"H B"N Form the Shape of Man Gradually

I now come to explain the four worlds of sight, hearing etc. For the intention of all this is to bring forth the primary form of man as stated — and for this purpose the Names E"B S"G M"H B"N act as is most fitting for this — each according to its matter. And understand this matter well: for every action requires a particular combination of lights — by way of parable: ten levels from one Sefirah — three from another — five from another — and so on — and to perform that action requires precisely this combination and not another. And this thing is seen by sensory observation in the matters of nature — that all of them are composed in a particular composition — through which the different temperaments of creatures were formed — each one as fitting for it. And let us speak now of the bringing forth of this secret of the form. For E"B brings it out in a hidden manner — and it is the root for what will come afterward through S"G. And from E"B comes forth what comes forth — all through the hairs. But S"G is revealed in particular. And the truth is: the hairs are the channels of the radiance of E"B. And what is inside in the secret of the face — as stated above — this matter reaches S"G. And I have already said that in the way of the 613 — the Sefiros need not be equal to one another. Rather S"G acts more — and it too does not need to bring out and reveal all its parts — only those needed for the general governance — the order of 613. And therefore three senses emerge at first in one manner — which are the ear, nose, and mouth — and through them the form of man emerges gradually — in each place becoming stronger and closer to revelation. This is the matter: for at the ears the lights are distant — inner light from surrounding light. At the nose they are closer — and at the mouth entirely close. For here there is one preparation going in this gradation. Afterward comes another preparation — namely what emerges through the eyes. And these two are the action of S"G — only the first is done through its cantillation notes — which need to be divided into three parts — and then they are divided in the secret of upper, middle, and lower cantillation notes — and the second is done in the secret of the vowel-points of S"G.

§9 — The Form of Man in the Secret of M"H and B"N Encompassing All A"B"Y"A

And this matter is completed — and nothing follows it regarding this — except only to explain the matter of the form of man in the secret of M"H and B"N. For all that was arranged in the secret of this form of man throughout all the space — all goes to be completed in the four worlds A"B"Y"A. Which are the combination of M"H and B"N in the secret of the Shevirah and the Tikkun — in B"N all the matters of evil from the Shevirah were rooted — and all the matters of goodness that rectify the corruptions were rooted in M"H. And this goes toward the general intention — for so did the Holy One Blessed be He make man bodily — rooting within him all the animal desires and all the evils — and placing within the body a soul made to depart at the time of the body's death — and to return to it in complete rectification in time to come — to join in eternal union. And just as we find in this world with man — that man is a small world and the world is a large world — so we say regarding M"H and B"N: they are the secret of the totality of all that was arranged in all existence in this order of form — only this is in miniature — like the man who encompasses the entire world within himself — and is himself the secret of the world itself — only in greater breadth.

§10 — In the General Form of Man There Are Three States: Building, Service, and Eternity

This is what I hinted to you in the previous letters: all that is found after the Tzimtzum divides into two parts — namely: Influencer and Receiver. All the extension of holiness — in the general category of Influencer — all of it is divinity. And all the aspect of created beings — all encompassed in one category — they are all receivers. And all evil is in the Nukva — and she has separation — for she is separated from the male. But the male is holiness — from his own side there is no change — and his entire secret is unity — and the separated ones are all the secret of Malchus. And in this existence in general we distinguish three states. For at the time the Sefiros were emanated — the matter of Chesed and Din was already encompassed in them — to act good and evil according to the deeds of the lower beings. And then the part of holiness needed to be clarified to one side — and the part going to bring forth the Sitra Achra and its matters to another side — and the offspring would then be clarified — each matter by itself as fitting. And this is the primary chain-descent of the levels and their divisions — to the right or to the left — according to the states given to them. And this is the first state. And in that state was the matter of the Shevirah — and also the Tikkun afterward. And this was not the completion of the matters — but the time of the chain-descent of the levels and their building. Afterward came the time of the service of human beings — where the holy Tree is already built and stands in all its levels — but it needs to be completed one completion after another — and raised ascent upon ascent — until it stands in the final state which is eternal. And this is in the general form — and likewise in the form of man of A"B"Y"A together — which is also general.

§11 — The Three States Are Revealed in the Particular Form of Man — Zair Anpin

Afterward there is the particular form which is Z"A — and there the matters are revealed openly — for each of these states in the general existence has its own offspring in the matter of Z"A. For one must always preserve the proportion between the subject and its discourses. Namely: when we wish to correspond the states of the general form with the states of the particular form — they do not correspond well — except when corresponding the states of the general form as general with the particular form as such. And corresponding to the first time of the general existence — there is a gestation of Z"A in Imma — to demonstrate this: that then the levels go and are built gradually. And corresponding to the time of service — there is nursing. And corresponding to eternity — there is the Mochin. And these need to receive their Tikkunim according to what they are as a particular form.

§12 — Man Below Was Created in the Secret of the General Form of Man and Is Governed According to the Order of the Particular Form

And let us now explain the matter of man below. For when man was created — at first he was from the earth to the firmament — and was the totality of all the levels — and stood in the secret of the general form. And when he sinned — he descended to the particular form — which is Z"A. And you will see: had man not sinned immediately — then immediately all of existence would have been completed — and he too would have remained in this aspect in its completeness. And after he sinned — he descended to the particular form — and was fixed under the states of gestation, nursing, and Mochin. And even so he did not lose his first existence — for in any case he was immediately formed in the secret of the general form in the secret of all his 613 limbs. Only he is governed under Z"A — which is the particular form. And then at the time of gestation he corresponds to the gestation of Z"A and is governed beneath it. And during gestation in the first three months — corresponding to Z"A's Tikkun of vessels in twelve months — in the second: Tikkun of sparks — and in the third: Tikkun of lights.

§13 — The Woman Below Corresponds to Imma from the Perspective of the General Form of Man and to Tevunah from the Perspective of the Particular Form

And let me now explain the matter of the woman below. For the supreme thought of the will blessed be He — from it all things emerged — and it is the root of Chochmah. And the particularity of the thought is the root of Binah — for the things to emerge from Chochmah to actuality — and this is Chochmah — Koach Mah (power of what). And according to this order — there need to be only a father and mother as a mere passage — without any prevention or delay. And so the things need to come out after all the worlds stand in the eternal rectified state. But in the aspect of Z"A — the secret of Binah and Tevunah are specified. And the matter is: Z"A has two gadluses — and its secret is in the secret of man. Namely: when man below descended to the form of Z"A — then this form dominates — and the general form does not act according to itself but follows the matters of Z"A. And there is a time when it is reversed — when the general form dominates and Z"A follows it — and this is the first gadlus and the second gadlus standing for these two times. And it is thus found: the woman below — even if she is in the aspect required for Z"A — she should only be in the secret of Binah. And her being in the secret of Tevunah — this is the corruption of man's descent. And therefore it is difficult for her — and the influence is difficult. For if she were in the secret of Binah — there would be no delay for the Tikkun — and the offspring would go out immediately as through mere passage. But in the secret of Tevunah there is the length of clarification because of the difficulty of clarifying everything. But in the end it is rectified gradually.

§14 — Gestation, Nursing, Mochin; Lights, Sparks, Vessels; Tohu, Torah, Mashiach

In the breaking of the vessels and their rectification — the preparation was given for all matters of corruption and rectification in the world. And it will be seen that already at the time of Creation the governance was clarified. But in Z"A — there was what was destined to be when man descended to it through his sin. Even so — everything depends on the secret of the general form. For at the time of the clarification of the governance — all its parts were clarified and the worlds were built. Even the three times of the general existence — the parts of the form itself in the dominion of their parts: when one part dominated — this clarification was made; when another part dominated — service was made; when another part dominated — eternity was made. And in the secret of man's descent — these three caused in Z"A: nursing, gestation, and Mochin. And in the gestation of Z"A itself was rooted the clarification of what was destined to happen after man's sin — and this according to the way of the Tikkun. For man's sin was a general corruption in the secret of the Shevirah — and his Tikkunim were in the secret of the gestation.

And everything went according to the scheme of the general form — for Ein Sof blessed be He needed to extend and clothe within this form. And at first He clothed within the ChB"D of this form — and then He was still very distant from the lower beings. And then only minor Tikkunim were accomplished in them — namely to emerge from the confusion and receive some preparation through M"H — the force of clarification — pushing the evil little by little outward. And in this secret it stood from Adam to Avraham. And therefore there was no Torah — but evil dominated — like an embryo submerged in its mother's womb — without any separation at all yet made — and the rectification is only to gather little by little the parts of the good. And so were the punishments of the generation of the Flood — and the punishment of the generation of Enosh — the generation of the Division — for all of them were things that pushed — by the force of clarification — the evil from the world.

And in the end the vessels were found in their form rectified. And Ein Sof blessed be He extended within the ChG"T of the form — and then the Torah was given below. And the sparks of lights were drawing close to the vessels — being rectified within it — and this is "the Torah is light." And the Patriarchs emerged in the secret of ChG"T. At the very end — Ein Sof blessed be He will extend in the NHY of the form — and Moshe and the two Meshichim will come — and then the lights will enter completely within the vessels. Then it will be called that through NHY the entire form is rectified — and a complete clarification is made. Afterward Ein Sof blessed be He will clothe in the Malchus itself of the form. Immediately: "The Lord shall be King over all the earth" — and His Name alone shall be exalted on that day.

And there is yet another matter in the secret of the form: in the secret of ChB"D — the higher ones alone were made — namely the Sefiros. In the secret of ChG"T — the created beings were made. In the secret of NHY — everything will return to complete rectification.

§15 — ChB"D, ChG"T, NHY — Sefiros, Created Beings, and Complete Rectification

The general form stands in the secret of ChB"D-ChG"T-NHY — and Malchus is bound with all of them — being the very act done there. In the secret of ChB"D — the Sefiros were made. In the secret of ChG"T — the created beings. In the secret of NHY — the general Tikkun. In the end — everything joined in the secret of eternity. And for this entire form in general — three times were given: which are in the secret of gestation, nursing, and Mochin — namely the time of becoming — the entire existence — built from all these parts. And in the parts depend the three things I stated: making the Sefiros in ChB"D; the created beings in ChG"T; the joining in NHY. And the time of gestation is called the first state. And there is a second time — which is the time of service in the secret of the nursing — when the supreme thought extends within it gradually to be revealed according to its will. And in this time also the entire form is rectified: ChB"D properly rectified retroactively — and preparation for NHY. Afterward will be the third time — in the time of eternity — when everything will be retroactively rectified as fitting. And in the time of service also the entire form dominates — after man sinned. And for this — in the Sefiros — Z"A specifically. And the corruption of the sin is the Shevirah — and the dominance of the form is the Tikkun of the Shevirah in the three matters of vessels, sparks, and lights (A"N"Ch). And when this matter is completed — the NHY of the first order is reached — which is the general joining — namely the Tikkun of eternity.

And Z"A — in needing to encompass all the matters of the general form — encompasses the dominance of the form after the sin in his A"N"Ch. But the three times — general existence, service, and eternity — he encompasses in his gestation, nursing, and Mochin. But since his essential matter is truly the matter of lights, sparks, and vessels — it is necessary that in all three times the secret of lights, sparks, and vessels be rectified in him. And therefore in the gestation there are three gestations — for A"N"Ch. In nursing — Tikkun of all A"N"Ch — for they were combined into one Partzuf. And in gadlus also their Tikkun. And it is to this level that man arrived after his sin. And therefore: man's gestation is nine months — to build the entire form — his nursing — all the matter of service — and his gadlus — all the matter of eternity. Only — since he descended to Z"A — his gestation also divides into three parts: the first part stands under the Tikkun of vessels; the second — under the Tikkun of sparks; and the third — under the Tikkun of lights.

§16 — A Summary of the Matter of the Form of Man

[The following is found elsewhere in the Ramchal's writings and pertains to the same matter:] All that is found after the Tzimtzum of Ein Sof blessed be He is nothing but the secret of one form of man in all its parts. And all the worlds are only particulars of this form. And the secret of male and female in this form is: the male — the extension of all the Sefiros; and the female — all the separated created beings. And both are vessels for Ein Sof blessed be He to clothe within them. And it will be seen that all the evil is in the Nukva and not in the male — and this entire existence required a Tikkun and was accomplished gradually.

And let us speak first of the male — for at first the entire existence needed to have the root of good clarified from the root of evil — and afterward it stood in the state required for the service. And afterward it will be in the complete state at the very end — in time to come. Afterward this general form is revealed in particular in Z"A. And corresponding to these three states — there are gestation, nursing, and Mochin. And at the time of Creation three gestations were needed — for the vessels, sparks, and lights — until they would combine one with another. But since they have now combined — nothing is needed but the arousal of these three aspects — and they are rectified in one gestation of nine — which is the general gestation of the male aspect. And then the three months are divided to each one — and every month is encompassed of three A"N"Ch. And since there are two aspects to the form of man — there are two gadluses — first and second. The first is in the aspect of the short form of man — and the second — the general form. And when man was created — he was created in the secret of the general form — and therefore was from the earth to the firmament. And then — gestation and birth needed to be only an instant as through mere passage — without any delay. But Tevunah is found only in the secret of the first gadlus — which is this time. For afterward man descended to the short form — in the secret of Z"A — and his time is in the secret of the three times — fixed under the order of gestation, nursing, and Mochin.

Second Section — The Explanation of the Lights of A"Ch"P to the World of the Nikkudim

§17 — The Clarification of the Body through the Soul

And let me now explain the entire matter of the lights of A"Ch"P to the World of the Nikkudim. When Ein Sof blessed be He wished to bring into existence the way of service — through which there would be reward for human beings — as explained in many places regarding this matter — He wished to bring into existence the matter of the body. Namely: that there be found one kind of creature in which darkness is rooted — but a darkness that can be clarified. And the precise meaning of my words is this: I am explaining the existence of the body of man precisely — to exclude all that is below it or above it. It is thus found: Ein Sof blessed be He brought into existence this creature in which darkness is rooted — and can also be clarified in it. And then He brought into existence yet another creature — fitting and prepared to clarify this darkness from this creature. And these are body and soul. And the primary matter to understand well: for free choice exists only for souls when they are in the body. Now in going into more detail — this matter is the root of Din — from which the evil comes. This is what needs to be clarified through the soul — and for this intention this service was placed — through which the soul will clarify it.

§18 — The Line and the Reshimu — Root for Soul and Body

At the time of the Tzimtzum — Ein Sof blessed be He left the Reshimu that it left — which is the aspect from which the evil also chain-descends in the end of all things. And within this Reshimu there are many forces — but also among the forces was the root of evil. And this is what needs to be clarified through many gilgulim and things — so that in the end all evil will return to good — and everything will be rectified in the Tikkun of the Shevirah that will be complete in time to come. And the soul below in the body — it is the matter of the Line and the Reshimu. The Line comes to illuminate and clarify the Reshimu — and the soul — to clarify the body — and this is the entire service found. And you will see that the Zohar in Ra'aya Mehemna in the portion Pinchas stated that the soul is named after each limb by its name — this is truly the matter of the Line — which has no intrinsic matter among the matters of the Sefiros — but shows its dominance over every Sefirah — which is what is required.

§19 — The Root of All — The Revelation of the Unity of Ein Sof

And when we ascend further to the root of the matters — we will understand how the essence of everything is the unity of Ein Sof blessed be He — which is that only His existence is eternal, primordial, and necessary — and all that exists is found only from Him. And this is His omnipotence — that He is the ultimate good — and yet He can also act evil — and this is "making peace and creating evil" — to exclude the wicked who say two domains — G-d forbid — one acting good and one acting evil. And the essence of the unity is: that even the evil itself is not evil except at its beginning — and in the end everything will return to good. For one who is truly an independent domain has existence in itself — and therefore the good which is His will itself — this will endure forever. But evil cannot be eternal — and on the contrary: this is what Ein Sof blessed be He shows — that there is no domain outside Him. And the proof: that even if evil is found — it can no longer endure forever — for the only Actor is good — and therefore only good is done — and evil is only what He Himself wishes to act in concealing His essential eternal good. And in returning to reveal it — all will return to good — and there is no existence for evil at all.

And it is thus found according to this: that Din — Ein Sof blessed be He brought it out in the aspect of His omnipotence — and the intention is to bring it out and extend it in all its matter — so that on the contrary — in the end all will return to Chesed. And this will not change His omnipotence at all — but on the contrary — the Din will return to Chesed in actuality — as it was in potential at first. And it is thus found: this is what the Holy One Blessed be He does in the matter of the Tzimtzum that was contracted — and the Line that He returned and inserted into the Reshimu — bringing out the Din — and inserting within it His good to return it to Him. The end of the action will be at the very end — for thus the worlds need to descend and distance themselves to the lowest level in the bringing out of the Din. And this is the matter of the clarification of the worlds always mentioned in the words of the Arizal of blessed memory.

§20 — The Making of the Vessels through the Branches of A"K

Behold — the Line entered the Reshimu and combined with it — and through them inner and outer dimension were made. Immediately the order went according to this aspect. Afterward the lights were going out from it. And this is simple: even though the lights burst forth — they drew along with them also parts of the outer dimension. Know: in the Akudim when they returned to enter the mouth — they left outside parts that thickened and became vessels. And if the parts of the vessels had not been in them — this would not have happened — for from the Line itself vessels never emerged. But the truth is: vessels were in them — only they were mixed within them and not visible — because the predominance of the light of the Line over what it had brought out from the Reshimu. And from the skull emerged lights so refined that they cannot be attained — and there no aspect of the Reshimu is discernible at all — even though certainly it is there — for they were bound together there — and afterward they were not separated. But when they reached the ear: even though the light was still greatly predominant — it could not prevent the Reshimu from being discernible on some side. And therefore the letters began to be sought there — truth — only one letter — which is the letter Heh — and this shows only recognition — but in the end there is a matter of revelation there. And afterward at the nose — the Reshimu was slightly more discernible — and here the Heh became a Vav of thousands. And at the mouth — even more revealed — the Dalet was also revealed. And then the ten Sefiros — inner and surrounding — emerged through one channel — and combined in their combination — receiving from the vessels the existence of thickness. And afterward the return was made and they were completed.

§21 — The Stages of the Soul's Concealment in Order to Bring Out the Body

The soul is not fitting to bring out the body to revelation until it conceals itself — clothing the upper parts within the lower — and only the aspect of nefesh remains. And therefore at the time of gestation there is only nefesh. And this is the gradation it made in these worlds: for in the lights of E"B the soul illuminated in all four parts — and therefore the body could not even be seen in its root at all. But at the ear — the Neshamah-Ruach had already been concealed within the neshamah. And at the nose — the neshamah too was concealed within the ruach. And at the mouth — the ruach too was concealed within the nefesh. And therefore you will find in the words of R' Chaim Vital of blessed memory that A"Ch"P are Nefesh-Ruach-Neshamah. And when they reached nefesh — then the vessels began to be found. And even so — the secret of soul and body were still combined together — in a complete union — with no separation at all possible between them. And this is not sufficient for the existence of the service for human beings to be possible.

§22 — Soul and Body Were Made Two Separate Creations through the Return of the Lights to the Mouth

As long as the soul was completely cleaved to the body — there was no place for evil — even within the body itself. And therefore the Holy One Blessed be He wished to give the body a more coarse existence — and this by giving one existence in which the soul would be concealed from the vessels. And in that time of concealment — all that needed to be rooted within the body was rooted — to give place to the matters of service as stated. And then soul and body would be two separate creations — not one creation. And understand this matter well: for at first the matters reached the existence of a body in the world — and this is the aspect of the Dalet revealed at the mouth. But this is not sufficient — and the soul must conceal itself only in order to separate from the body — and then the body acquires the existence truly fitting for it. And this is when the soul returned to enter the body — and soul and body are found not completely cleaved. And from then on — the possibility of death was prepared — and the separation of the soul from the body. And see how in the soul's coming into the body in the aspect of a separate creation — it does not illuminate as it did at first through complete cleaving. This is what is meant by Chochmah within Keser — Binah within Chochmah — and so all of them. And the matter reaches in the end to Malchus — to remain a body without light. And on this depends all the service — for from this darkness the evil is found — and all the Tikkun and service is to illuminate it.

§23 — The Ascent of the Body to the Tenth Millennium

And now understand the ascent of the body — how it is destined to ascend from elevation to elevation. For all order arranged after the Tzimtzum is all sought in the secret of ten Sefiros — and therefore the sustenance of every matter is through ten Sefiros — for nothing is measured except by this measure. And therefore also the states of man in his times are correspondingly sought in ten Sefiros. And this is what the author of Brit Menucha mentioned — the ascents to the tenth millennium — and sealed it there. And the matter is: certainly his ascents need to be measured by the measure of the ten Sefiros. And the state of man — and likewise the world — is in the secret of the Nikkudim after the Shevirah and the Tikkun that was made. Place was given for the evil rooted in the secret of the body to dominate and cause corruptions in man himself — according to all the matter sought in the Shevirah of the primordial kings. And even after the Tikkun — it is known that the clarification was not completed — and the offspring of the Shevirah remained — which now performs many actions: all the matters of accusations and the strengthening of the Sitra Achra. And in the World of the Akudim there was only the action of the soul to reverse the existence of the body. And in its concealment — on the contrary — the body was going and being revealed and built according to its matter. And this was only to make the body and soul two separate creations. And afterward the soul returned to enter the body and stood with it — and the corruptions rooted in the body had no time to act at all. But in the World of the Nikkudim an additional thing was added: that besides the soul being separated from the body — there is found one existence that will truly separate the soul from the body — not building the body from this concealment — but on the contrary — truly corrupting it. And here the matter of death was rooted — and likewise all the things called death — such as a poor person being considered as dead — and all other matters of this kind — everything that is the departure of the inner dimension from the outer dimension — causing the corruptions rooted in the outer dimension to be activated in the strengthening of the Sitra Achra.

§24 — The Gradation of Inner and Surrounding Lights

And the two ruachin mentioned in the Tosefta on the portion Noach — that the inner soul stands to govern the body — and the surrounding one — to cleave above. And likewise in the Sefiros — the inner light and the surrounding light. And from the moment the root of the vessel was revealed — the matter of these two lights was also found. And in every part of the inner dimension having its level in the surrounding lights — this is of great benefit. For they can all cleave above — and there is found for them a great illumination and great importance. And therefore above there are ten inner and ten surrounding — for there is no part of a soul that has no part cleaving above in the source. And this is the part that cannot be bounded in the inner dimension. But in the descent of the levels — the aspect of surrounding lights is found only for the upper parts — which are great and important — and their illumination is great — so that it cannot all be bounded inward — and what remains of them outside will cleave above. But the lower parts — have no such existence — but remain all bounded within the vessels without cleaving above.

§25 — The Gradation of Inner and Surrounding Lights in the Akudim and Nikkudim

For had the dominance of one Sefirah emerged only at the end of its fellow — then the levels would also be in the proportion of ten. But it is not so. Rather A"A begins to dominate and dominates — and in the dominance of its Chasadim and Gevuros — Av"A immediately ignite and dominate. And at the chest — Z"A ignites — and so all the worlds — everything goes in this ordering. To what is this comparable — to an organ arranged in many manners connected one to another — this at the head and this at the end and this in the middle — and in many ways moving many kinds of movements in the turning of the entire instrument. And this is the secret of the entire measure of stature — to know the progression of these measures — to know how much they extend — and in what proportion — how much one illumination dominates — and where the second emerges. And Ein Sof blessed be He wished to have the totality of actions emerging through five means — which are the five Partzufim (H"P): A"A as the root; Av"A drawing from it — one on the right and one on the left — what is needed; Z"A receiving right and left — and binding them to encompass them; Malchus receiving. And all of them always act in this manner — and are aroused to act one after another according to the proportion and difference between them — according to the form of the Tree.

§26 — The Division of Ten Sefiros and Five Partzufim

[Continuing from the preceding:] The lights of the ear and the nose — in receiving this Heh — received it entirely — and it was made: Heh and Heh. And in the coming of the lights of the mouth — they received only all the inner ones and the two surrounding ones. And this is the gradation between the lights of A"Ch and the lights of the mouth. And the lights of the Nikkudim did not receive the inner dimension from neshamah and below. And the truth is they took all the inner dimension — only since it is impossible without surrounding lights — therefore all the aspects they received divided — three in the inner and two in the outer. And the vessel of the Akudim was one vessel — able to receive these ten lights — and therefore all the inner aspects stood. But the vessel of the Nikkudim was made only in the secret of brain, heart, and liver — and cannot contain more than the three inner ones.

§27 — A"A, Av"A, and Zu"N — Root for the Three Periods: Service, Reward, and Eternity

And I shall tell you a great matter regarding the five Partzufim — for they are truly the ascents of the Shechinah according to the soul. And therefore they are five in the secret of "with these (Beh) He created them." For the souls receive from the Shechinah — and only for this matter was the world created — for the Shechinah to pour influence to the souls — and it is equal according to their preparation — and ascends as they ascend. And there are three times: corresponding to the time of building — gestation of Z"A; corresponding to the time of service — nursing; corresponding to eternity — Mochin. And these times correspond to A"A — Av"A — Zu"N — and this is the secret of A"A, Av"A, and Zu"N corresponding to the three periods. When A"A dominates — the souls are far from the Shechinah — and this is the secret of the world still building. When Av"A dominate — the souls begin to draw near to the Shechinah — and this is the time of service. When Zu"N dominate — the souls cleave to the Shechinah — and this is eternity.

§28 — The Reason for the Changes in the Gradation of Inner and Surrounding Lights in A"Ch"P and the Nikkudim

And in first making this proportion: Ein Sof blessed be He encompassed inner and surrounding lights — and placed there the first root for all the existence of Atzilus from the ear and below. And know: the root of all this is in the supreme thought — and goes out through E"B — only in these places everything is hidden — and only the offspring is revealed. And the lights of the ear and the nose in receiving this Heh — received it entirely. And in the coming of the lights of the mouth — they received only all the inner and the two surrounding ones. And the lights of the Nikkudim did not receive the inner dimension from neshamah and below. And the truth is they took all the inner — only since it is impossible without surrounding lights — they divided all the aspects they received into three inner and two outer — like the inner light of the upper becoming inner and surrounding in the lower. And the vessel of the Akudim was one vessel — able to receive these ten lights — and therefore all inner aspects stood. But the vessel of the Nikkudim was made only in the secret of brain, heart, and liver — and cannot contain more than the three inner ones.

§29 — The Lights Are Completed in Their Return to the Mouth

And let us now come to explain the completion of the lights in their return. And I have already said this was to give existence to the body — that it be built according to this order: that the soul within it is encompassed to receive the rectification of the act of the body to the extent it receives — and the rest is completed by itself. And even at first all five were in Nukva — and up to Chayyah in Z"A. And this tells us that no more than this reached the neshamah when reaching this level — and it is spacious at the time of the concealment to make the body. And from this a new force flows to the soul when it comes to clothe within the body — which it never had except in the body — and this is in the secret of the garment given to it corresponding to this below — whose power is great to protect from the Sitra Achra — which is in the secret of the surrounding lights standing precisely for this benefit.

§30 — Answers to Eleven Questions on the Lights of the Mouth

Question 1. Why did Zu"N gain nothing in their ascending to the place of G"R? And the truth is: for all the parts needed to be greatly completed — until the secret of the body which is the vessel could emerge. And from this one will understand the distancing — and this is what they were completing. And even though for Av"A themselves it is a praise — that in one ascent they complete everything — what for Zu"N does not suffice despite many ascents — and even if they revealed all their forces — they are still lacking. For the body being built — what is outside the mouth is counted — and there Zu"N are greater than Av"A. And the primary matter is that there should be within them what is needed for the union.

Question 2 (on why Malchus leaves no Reshimu). The matter is: the lights whose face turns toward the lower ones — for face (Panim) is the lights turning to illuminate for one who will receive from them. And back (Achor) is the lights turning toward the root to return to it — not to illuminate for one who will receive from them. And even among Israel it is so — the Shechinah never departs — its Reshimu at least never departs from the lower ones — since it illuminated in them once — because of the connection and cleaving bound between the influencer and the receiver. But Malchus — even though it came in the aspect of face — it had no actual illuminating existence — and therefore Reshimu does not apply to it.

On the World of the Nikkudim: The World of the Nikkudim is what Atzilus with all its branches was going and becoming. But the order of their becoming was like a craftsman making a vessel — who makes it bit by bit — making it first as a rough form — then giving it one incomplete form — then a more complete one — and so on until completing it entirely. So Ein Sof blessed be He wished to bring out Atzilus in this way. And from this we immediately understand: how the Sitra Achra emerges only from the incompleteness of the work of the worlds — namely from their first state in which they were only like a rough form without completeness. And from there the evil emerged. And when their work is completed — evil will no longer be found — but all will be good and rectified.

§31 — The World of the Nikkudim — An Incomplete Form of Man

The Nikkudim are the matter in which all of Atzilus and its branches were encompassed in their first existence — as general matter for everything. And all the worlds of A"B"Y"A — even to the physical and to the end of all that exists — were encompassed there in general. For the evil was not rooted except in the garments — namely in B"Y"A. And therefore to complete them — the general light entered first — and was going and extending in the secret of the first material to those lower ones. And therefore until it reached there — there was no Shevirah. And this is the matter of "and he reigned." For had the light not entered at all — it would not be called "and he reigned." And when the light reached there — then "and he died" — for then was the Shevirah — and the lights departed backward even from the upper parts. But the coming and return of the light were not in vain — for everything has an offspring needed to establish the world in its present state.

§32 — The Contradiction Regarding the Shevirah — Was It in the General or the Particular

The early Kabbalists perceived how from one place it appears the Shevirah was only in Zu"N — and from other places — that it was in all the Partzufim. And I already discussed this with you face to face — and now I shall explain more. And it is further difficult to understand how B"Y"A were made from the primordial kings — and they returned afterward to Atzilus — for how could what was at first only Atzilus become four worlds A"B"Y"A?

§33 — All of A"B"Y"A Are One World and One Matter

The totality of A"B"Y"A — when we understand it well — we see it is only one world with three garments. For Atzilus itself to be called by its name in its completeness — its garments which are B"Y"A must be understood together with it — and in truth they are considered to him only as garments. And these garments — each one has its own independent action. When we speak of Atzilus and its spirituality — and of the created beings — they are all in the secret of one matter comprising so many particulars. And the totality of all that exists in the aspect of this material — is what emerged first in the secret of the World of the Nikkudim.

§34 — All Things Go toward One End — To Reveal the Unity

Ein Sof blessed be He shows His unity over all the emanated beings — that all is for His glory. This is the light extending through all the vessels — whose root for evil is in them. This is not a corruption — for on the contrary this is the completion of the Creation according to the intention directed in them — to reveal the supreme unity. But the matter is: at first there was a root for evil — which was truly evil — and this evil must return to good through the Tikkunim of human beings — and this itself will be the glory of the King — that through it human beings merited. And the entire matter of the Shevirah — all that was corrupted — is what needs to go and be rectified gradually. And this is both the falling of the backs of Av"A and the breaking of the other Sefiros — all that was lacking at the time of the Shevirah — its filling began at the time of the Tikkun. And the end of all is the complete filling that will be in time to come.

§35 — Created Beings Are Encompassed in the Sefiros and in Emerging from Them Become Separated

To understand this: I shall now explain how the separate creatures emerge from the Sefiros — so that no part of the Sefiros themselves would be in them — for it is impossible to take one part from divinity to make it divinity — and to make a creature from it. Rather they are one new existence — which Ein Sof blessed be He brought into being by wishing to create these creatures. And this existence He wished to bring into being first within the Sefiros themselves. And this existence He wished to create — He first created within the Sefiros — and while it was in them — it was only the existence of the Sefiros themselves. Afterward this existence is found outside them — not one part of their essence — but one existence newly found — whose existence is from the Sefiros themselves. The Sefiros are like the thought of man — if he wishes to make something — the thought is a form in his head — and afterward it comes into actuality — and it is that same matter that was first formed in his thought.

§36 — The World of the Nikkudim — The General Material of Atzilus from Which Everything Is Specified

And in their being — all that came afterward was encompassed in them — for the Keser among them was the totality of all the Kesers that afterward entered into Atik, A"A, Av"A, Zu"N — and Chochmah encompasses all the Chochmos — and likewise all the Sefiros — all in the aspect of Atzilus with their garments. And these garments are considered as the legs of Atzilus. And understand now one fundamental principle: the lights do not bring out their offspring until they are in proportion to those offspring. A great light cannot be called a cause for one small creature — for it will never emerge from it within the law of gradation. And therefore the Din revealed in the Reshimu did not reach the level where it could be called the root of the Sitra Achra — until it reached the making of the vessel of the Nikkudim. For above this — no matter with any connection whatsoever to the matters of the Sitra Achra appears at all. But in the Nikkudim a matter was truly revealed having some connection to her matters — for here was the general material of all these worlds of A"B"Y"A — even to the physical level and to the end of all that exists. But only in the most inferior parts of the vessel was this trace of the root of the Sitra Achra slightly visible.

§37 — The World of the Nikkudim — The Material of All of Atzilus; Therefore the Shevirah Was Both in General and Particular

The Keser of the Nikkudim was the totality of all the Kesers of all the Partzufim that would be afterward — encompassing all that would be in them. And these garments — each one having its particular action — needed to be prepared to receive the light. And the evil rooted in the garments — needed first for the garments to be completed so that they not be oriented toward that evil — but on the contrary return their face to depart from it. Then each level would leave this matter — and even what pertains to it in bringing out the evil — that part each Sefirah would leave to the one below it — abandoning that matter and remaining complete without it. And in this manner every level left it to the one below — until all of A"B"Y"A were clarified as they are now — all leaving the matter of bringing out evil to the last level — which is the Malchus of Asiyah.

§38 — The States of G"R and V"K in the World of the Nikkudim

The matters of Z"A according to its first Din — they are all matters of sadness without illumination — each matter by itself without joy and brotherhood between one light and another. And when Imma enters him — it strengthens the sweetening for his Dins. And as it goes and is sweetened — the sadness passes — and brotherhood is found between the lights. And the truth is: this is what Imma does through Malchus — which was made the place for all the influence of all the Sefiros — not that they pour influence each one independently — but all of them unite to go to one place. And the more they turn toward it — the more the brotherhood and connection strengthens between them. And the primordial kings were only according to the first existence of Z"A without sweetening — and were not oriented to pour influence toward Nukva — for this is their completion — and she had not yet been rectified. Rather their matters were each one independently — and therefore there was also no connection between them — and Imma was not acting in them at all — not connecting them. And everything was sadness without brotherhood. And from this state the Sitra Achra emerged — and therefore all its nature and action is nothing but to separate. And the roots of the creatures are only in the Z"T — which are the seven days of Creation in which the world was created — they being the root for their offspring. And therefore human beings can truly blemish them. But the G"R are only crowns to govern the Z"T — and therefore no blemish applies to them from below.

§39 — The Evil Is Pushed to the End of Asiyah — to Be Clarified through Human Beings

Ein Sof blessed be He shows His unity over all the emanated beings — that all is for His glory. This light extends through all the vessels — in which the root for evil is embedded. This is not a corruption — for this is the completion of Creation according to the intention directed in them — to reveal the supreme unity. But the matter is: at first there was a root for evil which was truly evil — and this evil must return to good through the Tikkunim of human beings — and this very fact is the glory of the King — that through it human beings merited. And in order for this to be accomplished in actuality — these garments needed to give him existence — namely the clarification and gradation done in them — until Malchus remained as stated. And after it was done — and the evil also returned to good through the merit of human beings — Malchus returns and is encompassed in its totality — and the garments remain as a root for evil that has already returned to good in actuality. And the matter of "His Name alone shall be exalted" — in His unity.

§40 — The Evil in the End of Asiyah Will Be Rectified When B"Y"A Become A"B"Y"A

The Sefiros according to the state they were in the Nikkudim — their orientation was only to bring out the evil — for no other offspring emerges from this state except evil. And the Emanator blessed be He wanted on the contrary to remove them from this — so they would afterward receive the light. And had He truly wished to nullify the evil completely — leaving no trace of it at all — He would have removed them entirely from this action — and the evil would have been finished. But since it is needed for Creation — and must be sustained until the end — therefore in wishing to rectify these garments — He clarified their levels one by one — so they would not be oriented to this evil — but on the contrary turn their faces to depart from it. And in this manner every level left to the one below it — until all of A"B"Y"A were clarified — and all left the matter of bringing out evil to the last level in the Malchus of Asiyah. And all that was connected to all levels there — and could not be removed without damaging — was brought together all to this one place. And when this will be fully rectified — everything will be complete.

§41 — Questions on the Kav

It is certainly true: the words of the holy Rav of blessed memory are like the words of a sealed book — for so it is said of all Chochmas HaEmes as stated in Ra'aya Mehemna in the portion Pinchas: "Ra'aya Mehemna said — these words, how concealed are they for one who does not know them, and revealed for one who does know them." For one who does not know the way of the inner dimension — all the matters are truly sealed from him. And I shall now show even greater difficulties in the matter of the Kav — and more than anything else — the lack of understanding of the plain meaning — for one does not know what the nature of these matters is.

For it began and said: the primary vessels of Z"A are the three kings — Bela, Yovav, Chusham — and in them there is a count of sparks from the filling of the three Names — and all three in Da'as — a total of 102 — and the entire substance of the Kelipos was made from these 102. It thus appears that 102 is the substance of the Kelipos made from these 102 sparks — and this is Bela. Then it said: and the 102 sparks of light etc. — and thus the three fillings are the 102 Charuvim (carobs). Then it said: and truly from the three fillings etc. — here is another Kav besides the Kav Charuvim. Then it said: for when these three fillings were lacking from Z"A — it was called Kav Charuvim. And from the language it appears that Z"A was called Kav Charuvim — and then the Kav entered Z"A. And above it appeared the Kav is below — and in Z"A there is another 102 that illuminates to this Kav. And even so one can resolve this contradiction. Then it said that Kav Charuvim is that of the backs — and this is the reverse of what it said at first. Then it returns as written in the discourse of the three worlds — explaining 102 Charuvim on the nourishment drawn to the primordial kings from the three fillings. And it is thus found there is a mixing of passages here — and we cannot find our bearings in understanding it. And all this is not so difficult — for the contradictions are easy to resolve with a little thought. But the lack of understanding the plain meaning is what is more difficult.

§42 — Evil Covers the Light of the Shechinah

Behold — the root of all the ways of this world is the matter of the primordial kings in their breaking and their rectification. And the general rule briefly: when the Holy One Blessed be He wished there to be free choice for man — He therefore wished there to be good and evil — so that man would pass over the evil and hold to the good — and thus merit through his deeds. And therefore He made the matter of the Shevirah — which is the root of all the dominance of evil in its existence. And afterward — the Tikkun of the governance of the good. And afterward this world of Asiyah — where the primary existence and dominance of evil is. Behold — the entire Creation was covered — in the secret of a brain within its shell. But before the Kelipah existed — the Shechinah could not dwell in the world. And the primary intention is that the Shechinah should dwell among the lower beings. But when man was created — he was created with a far greater preparation on the side of the Tikkun of holiness — through whose power the Shechinah would dwell in the world.

§43 — Through the Separation of Challah the Light of the Shechinah Is Revealed

The secret of the abundance sown from Yesod into Malchus is the secret of Chitah (wheat) — in the secret of the twenty-two letters. But there is a Kelipah surrounding the fruit — which is the straw, hay, and bran mixed within the wheat itself. And even though its root from holiness is wheat — because of the chaff and straw — the final Heh conceals itself — and only Ches-Tes (Ch-T) remains. But afterward in its clarification — when the straw and bran are separated — and fine flour remains and becomes dough — then is the time when the Heh returns to be revealed — and the word Chitah (Ch-T-H) is completed. And to do this — one portion of the dough must be separated — to be entirely holy in the secret of Challah. And then the Heh descends — the Heh of Chitah falls upon the dough. And even what remains in it is rectified and renewed — for such is the measure: one portion of the dough — the portion given to the Holy One Blessed be He — sanctifies the rest. And at first the world was tohu and vohu — tohu from the side of the breaking of the primordial kings. Then the world begins to be clarified. And it went and was clarified — until it became dough — and all the creatures were created in this secret. Then one portion — separated and sanctified more than the rest — sanctified the entire world. And this is man. And then the Heh truly descended — and therefore it was said of him: he is the Challah of the world. And let us now explain the matter of the Shevirah and its Tikkun — how everything stands in the secret of the Kav — and this in the secret of what YaBa"K explained: Yichud-Berachah-Kedushah.

§44 — The Dominance of Malchus on Shabbos and on Weekdays

Behold — you will see that the six weekdays are in the secret of the male — and Shabbos in the secret of the female. And is not Malchus the most inferior — and thus it should appear lowest of all — and how is it holier than the others? But the matter is: all toil and preparation is in the secret of the male — and the rest is in the secret of the female. Namely: even though we say Shabbos is in the secret of Malchus — this means together with Z"A. For Imma is revealed upon Nukva — and then she rises to great levels — and even the male is completed through her. And you will see: in truth Malchus is what descends and clarifies during all the weekdays — but this is according to the dominance of the V"K. And on Shabbos — she acts according to her own dominance. And this is a great general rule for understanding in the Sefiros the matter of dominance — for all the Sefiros always act — but their action changes according to which one dominates. For what all of them would act in the dominance of Chesed — there would be nothing that Yesod would act from its own side. And therefore one who wishes to understand the root of a matter must first understand the dominance that causes it — and then the lights that act. And remember this principle greatly — for many fundamental matters of the wisdom are only understood through this preliminary. And let us return to the matter: in the dominance of the male — Nukva descends and clarifies — for then she stands at a lower level — from which the Sitra Achra suckles. But in her own dominance — she ascends in her aspect because of the supreme revelations that are revealed upon her. And the Sitra Achra no longer suckles from her — and even the male himself is completed. And understand accordingly: there is no existence for the Sitra Achra except as long as matters are going and being rectified — like a rough form receiving its form little by little. And when the Tikkun is complete — there is no more existence for the Sitra Achra. And every week is one existence of a rough form that receives form — and it is one portion of the Shechinah — already rectified and ascended and departed from the matter of the clarification and the Shevirah — and therefore the entire week is encompassed. And the first seven days were in the aspect of generality — and the second seven days are the particularity of those seven days — and every aspect being rectified requires this cycle.

§45 — B"N of the Shevirah and B"N of the Tikkun

And let us explain this matter in the secret of the primordial kings. S"G — within it were the kings — and it itself is B"N in its Tikkun — as it will be in time to come. But while E"B, S"G, and M"H dominated — the Shevirah was in the secret of the preparation of the male — and all that time B"N was at its lowest level — which is the aspect connected to the suckling of the Kelipos — and therefore it descended and broke. And understand this matter well — for this is what was written about the primordial kings being in the secret of "like a smith who hammers on iron." For while the Sitra Achra was going and receiving its forces little by little — like a man who makes a vessel little by little — every form it received before the final form — it brought forth the offspring of that form. And therefore at first Z"A was receiving the aspect of E"B, S"G, M"H — and then these Sefiros sparkled and broke. And afterward when it was reaching the receiving of B"N itself — and I already said that when Malchus dominates in itself — it does not dominate alone — but in the secret of the three fillings above it. And therefore when B"N dominated according to itself — it was rectified — and this is what is meant by B"N returning to S"G.

§46 — Two States of Tikkun: Shabbos and Yom Tov

But in truth the Tikkun was not completed. And had it been completed — B"N would have returned to S"G as in time to come — and even E"B S"G M"H would have been rectified with it — in the secret of the rest of Shabbos. But now it is in the secret of like Yamim Tovim and Chol HaMo'ed — all of them in the secret of the Shechinah — even on a day that is not Shabbos. And in time to come — that day will be a day that is entirely Shabbos truly — when B"N will ascend to become S"G. And all this depends on what is written in Tikkunay Zohar Chadash: the supreme Cause of Causes did not descend its unity upon her until He gave her her mate.

§47 — The Matter of Unity, Blessing, and Holiness

And thus it is found: while the dominance of E"B alone was — then the Shevirah was — for the unity was not being revealed. And in truth there was no union between them — and these are the weekdays on which union is forbidden as is known. And then there was only 102 — in the secret of Kedushah and Berachah — which this does not lack — only the Yichud was not revealed. And then truly B"N remained in the aspect of B"N and not in the aspect of S"G — and then was the Shevirah — which is the descent of Malchus — all of them in the secret of Malchus in the secret of B"N — from which the Kelipos were made. And understand well: this is precisely all the weekdays — Malchus is what descends — but in its lower aspect — according to the dominance of the V"K. So B"N descends in the aspect that is its lower level — but according to the dominance of the E"S"M (E"B S"G M"H). And in the dominating of these — not all the lights descended — but certain levels descended and certain remained. And remember what I said: those who dominate and those who act are not the same matter. And since the Sitra Achra has only from Din — therefore only in the aspect of the fillings was the Shevirah. And then all that descended — whatever level it was — all according to the dominance of the fillings. And what remained — whatever they were — that is the aspect of the dominance of the simple. And therefore the fillings are called by the name of the destruction — for from their power the destruction certainly was. But those that descended were only those levels that are counted in the count of the 288 sparks.

§48 — Kav Charuvim

And behold — the dominance of the fillings — this is precisely the matter of the destruction. And this is called Kav Charuvim — meaning a Kav of destruction. And this is the meaning of: when these three fillings were lacking from Z"A — it was called Kav Charuvim — for these fillings are what needed to be mixed and confused into B"N — and the lights were concealed — not standing in the order of Z"A — and only the simple remained. And from the power of this confusion — the levels that descended with the vessels descended — and then the substance of the Kelipos was made from the aspect of this 102 — and this is the secret of Bela who also equals 102. Afterward Z"A was rectified — then B"N dominates — the unity is revealed — E"B S"G M"H combined with it — and then E"B S"G M"H returned and illuminated in Z"A — and B"N was elevating in the aspect of Nukva to ascend to S"G — only it did not ascend completely. And according to the ascent of B"N and its approach to ascending to S"G — Z"A was built. And in the return of E"B S"G M"H — it is called that the 102 that were confused and destroyed was rectified.

§49 — Kav of the Kelipah

But the 102 of the Kelipah in the secret of Bela remained — for the Kelipos have not yet departed from the world. And then from the aspect of this 102 that was rectified — some nourishment goes out to the Kelipah — in the secret of the lame man going out with his Kav. And understand: while the destruction was — the dominance of the chaff and straw covering the wheat was in force — and the Heh — which is the primary work of the lower beings in the secret of rectifying the Shechinah — was not being revealed. Afterward when B"N began to be clarified — the straw and bran were separated — and the Heh — which is the Shechinah — is revealed. And in truth this matter is rooted very high up in the secret of "b'hibbaram" — "b'Hey beram" — He created them with the letter Heh — and I cannot now reveal more of this. Only understand: the totality of the matter of Atzilus is called Chitah — in the secret of the twenty-two letters sown in this place. And when the straw and hay dominate in the secret of the Sheviros — the Heh is concealed. And after the clarification the Heh is revealed — which is the primary governance of holiness going to be completed in eternity. And this is the secret of the Challah — and it is the very Heh of the Name — for in the secret of Yud-Heh-Vav — toil and effort in the secret of the male — and the final Heh — rest.

§50 — Kav of the Backs

But there is another Kav that is likewise not sweetened — and this is the Kav of the Backs. And we speak now after the Tikkun. For after the Tikkun — the Kav of the fillings is completely clarified — and the Kelipos do not cleave so strongly. But the Kav of the backs was not completely clarified — for it is back. And there is no difficulty from what fell — for this is nothing — since we speak after the Tikkun — for it is a place more sheltered from the Sitra Achra — certainly the faces are more sheltered — and therefore this Kav is pure — while this one is not pure. And the Challah is only found in the rectification of the Kav — only blessed be G-d — there are Kavim — for there needs to be both the Kav of backs and the Kav of fillings. And there is no accusation against the influence — to say it must descend from the Kav of backs — since it was rectified in this order — it is rectified.

§51 — Kav of Prayers

And: "a woman desires a Kav and tefulos" (prayers/attachments) — which is interpreted in two ways. The first — as explained in the discourse of the footsteps of Avraham Avinu where it explains tefulos as the Sitra Achra — and ten Kavim about the drop — and this speaks of the woman below. But in Otzros Chaim it explains about the woman above — and tefulos meaning connection. And the intention is: the abundant influence of Zu"N back-to-back is not even like the slight influence of the time of the union. And this teaches us a great secret from where the nature of human beings in this world is drawn — loving pleasures — and the woman more so. This depends on the secret of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life does not at all follow the ways of this world and the physical — and this is in the secret of Z"A. But the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil follows the matters of the physical — and this is rooted in Nukva. And the woman is in the secret of good and evil — and therefore her nature follows pleasures. But separation is in the secret of Z"A.

§52 — Why Challah Is Not Separated Before the Making of the Dough

First question: That one should have separated the Challah immediately after the clarification of the bran from the fine flour. But you will see what the Sages said: "And a mist rose from the earth" — and adjacent to it: "And the Lord G-d formed man" — like a woman who kneads her dough with water and then separates the Challah. And this is the secret that all creatures were created first each one separately — and only man was created as the totality of all. And therefore a new influence was needed — to clarify all the parts together — and from the totality of all He created man. And these are the waters that bind all the dough — and then the Challah has the power to sanctify all the rest. And this is itself the secret of the basket that combines them for Challah. Therefore one must wait until the rolling of the dough.

§53 — On the Matter of the Clarification of the Kav of the Backs

Second question: On the matter of the Kav — for how do we say that all the backs were not clarified if they did not even fall? The matter is: we already said everything depends on understanding the dominance of the lights. For after the Tikkun — all the Dins found are offspring of B"N that broke — and all the Chasadim are in the secret of M"H that was renewed. And therefore in every place we can seek Din — we know it is drawn after B"N. And this is a great and very fundamental general rule for understanding many great discourses of the wisdom. And it is thus found: after the Tikkun there are two kinds of Kav — both Dins — and both drawn according to the secret of the Shevirah. And the orders of the Tikkun no longer correspond to those of the Shevirah — for the order has been changed. Only every Din — whatever level it is — is the offspring of what was at first in the secret of the Shevirah. For this is the entire primary governance now — doubled: for Chesed and for Din. From the matter of the Shevirah emerged many offspring in the orders needed to be arranged in them — and whether few or many — they are only the offspring of what broke at first. This is what is needed for the purpose of punishment. And from the Tikkun — many matters are found for the purpose of reward. And all their Tikkunim are offspring of M"H.

In sum: there are two Kavim after the Tikkun — both offspring of B"N from the Kav of the Shevirah. And the first is more clarified from it — namely the Kav of the faces — which is also in the secret of Din — for it is only filling. But since it is in faces — it is clarified more — and it is pure. Whereas the Kav of the backs — which is Din not so clarified from the matter of the Shevirah — this is the truth: the entire service of man is to clarify all the Dins from the matter of the tohu and vohu of the Shevirah. Then B"N will return to S"G and the Tikkun will be complete.

§54 — The Explanation of Why Zu"N Ascend on Shabbos

Third question: On the matter of Shabbos day — what is needed for other explanations besides what the holy Rav wrote — that on Shabbos night and day Z"A has more exalted Mochin? True — both these matters and those are in one category — only I have explained the matter a little more. For in any case the question remains: why specifically Shabbos is established for Malchus to ascend in these great levels. Is it not simple that in the seven days — the seven Sefiros each dominate — and if the ascent of Malchus causes additions in its extension to Z"A — all the more so Z"A should ascend in the other days when its Sefiros dominate? And if it does not move from its place at the time of its dominance — why would it ascend at the time of the dominance of Malchus? All this has already been explained in the words of R' Shimon bar Yochai of blessed memory. And also in the secret of Shabtai (Saturn) — day of Shabbos. And I already remember explaining all this to you about the matter of beginning and end mentioned in the Idra Rabba. And a great general principle I will now state for you.