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63) The first palace, palace of Yesod and Malchut, is the first from below upward. It is written about it, “And under his feet was as the appearance of a sapphire tile.” This is the secret of secrets, that there is a spirit here, called Sapphire, which illuminates like the gemstone called “sapphire.” It sparkles to two sides, to Hesed and to Gevura, and they are two separate lights.
The first light, the light of Hesed in it, ascends in Ohr Hozer [Reflected Light] and descends in Ohr Yashar [Direct Light]. It is white, and sparkles to every direction: above, below, and the four directions of the world, to VAK. Its light is hanging, concealed, and revealed. It is hung in the middle without determining toward one side because it can be said that it is a hidden light, and it can be said to be a revealed light.
64) Four lights in four directions come out from that light of Hesed. This is the second light, the light of Gevura in the spirit, Sapphire. The reason why the first light illuminates to VAK, and this light to only four directions, is that those two lights are the male and female in the spirit, Sapphire. The male is considered the HBD HGT in it, hence it illuminates to VAK, and the female is the NHYM in it, hence she illuminates to four directions.
All of those four lights are one light, as the light of a burning candle, which glitters in the eyes of people. The lights of the candle rise and fall, and go and return out of the fire of the light of the burning candle, but they are all one light.
Likewise, these are the four lights that illuminate to four directions, which are only one light that moves to and fro, like candlelight. Also, all those lights glitter as the appearance of red colored polished copper. They sparkle like polished copper, to the right, since although the red light of Gevura in the spirit of the sapphire illuminates to the left, he himself stands to the right of the palace.
65) To the left of the palace is a spirit called Levanah [white], who is included in the first spirit, called Sapphire. They enter one another: the light of that spirit is red and white, as one, since it merges and extends from those first two lights in the spirit, Sapphire, which are white light and red light. For this reason, he, too, is in those two colors, but they are in him in Zivug [coupling], as one.
When the lights of the spirit, Levanah, come and reach the first lights of the spirit, Sapphire, they are included in them and become one. At that time only the first lights are seen, and the other lights, of the spirit, Levanah, do not appear. Also, it is not apparent that they entered them, as it is written, “it could not be known that they had eaten them.” This is Hitkalelut of spirit in spirit, which become one, and the Hitkalelut of lights in lights, which become one.
The Zohar narrates here the order of Hitkalelut of the lower one in the upper one, that Ibur–Yenika–Mochin de Achoraim, which are in the three palaces NHY from Chazeh and below must include them in the Ibur–Yenika–Mochin de Panim, which are in the palaces from Chazeh and above. This is so in general.
In particular, these two kinds of Mochin are in every palace and must always mingle with one another. This clarifies the manner of the two spirits, Sapphire and Levanah, who include two kinds of Mochin, where the spirit, Levanah, is Ibur–Yenika–Mochin de Achoraim in this palace, and the spirit, Sapphire, is Ibur-Yenika-Mochin de Panim in that palace.
And the lights of the spirit, Levanah, come and reach the first lights of the spirit, Sapphire, and mingle with them, since the spirit, Levanah, which is Ibur–Yenika–Mochin de Achoraim, must be included in the spirit, Sapphire, which is Ibur–Yenika–Mochin de Panim. And they became one because it requires complete annulment until the spirit, Levanah, and its lights are completely unapparent.
It follows that Ibur–Yenika–Mochin de Panim is GAR, and Ibur–Yenika–Mochin de Achoraim is VAK. It turns out that the spirit, Sapphire is GAR, and the spirit, Levanah is VAK, since from Chazeh and above it is always considered GAR, and from Chazeh and below it is VAK.
The spirit, Sapphire sparkles to two sides, two separate lights, where one, white light, Hassadim, illuminates to the right, and the other, the red light, as polished copper, is light of Gevurot and illuminates to the left. This indicates that they are not in Zivug with one another but are separated.
However, the light of the spirit, Levanah, is red and white, as one, since the Hassadim, white light, have Zivug with the Gevurot, red light. This is why they shine as one.
And the reason why the GAR of each degree are considered unknown is that there is no Zivug on the Gevurot in them, as they are the lock. Hence, only the Ohr Hassadim is covered, and only the ZAT of each degree is considered known, that there is Zivug on the Gevurot in them, as they are considered Masach de Miftacha [key], and hence extend Ohr Hochma.
It follows that in the spirit, Sapphire, which is GAR, there is no Zivug on the Gevurot, hence the lights of Hassadim in it are separated from Gevurot. But in the spirit, Levanah, which is ZAT that is corrected in Miftacha, there is a Zivug between the Hassadim and the Gevurot, and it was said that the light of that spirit is red and white as one, meaning in Zivug.
It follows that Ibur–Yenika–Mochin de Panim extend from upper AVI, Mochin of eating, covered Hassadim, as it is written, “Eat, friends.” But the spirit, Sapphire, its light is concealed and revealed because being from the Panim, which extend from AVI, its light is hanging. It can be said to be concealed because the lights of AVI are covered Hassadim, as it is written, “Eat, friends,” and it can also be said that it is revealed because they clothe Hochma Stimaa de AA, for one who has leather bags needs only to eat.
For this reason they are regarded as actual Hochma although they are Hassadim, in a way that the light is hanging without a decision whether it is revealed or concealed.
In that palace illuminate the two firmaments below these firmaments. They are called “the heaven of heaven.” Tifferet is called “heaven,” and Bina, who gives to Tifferet, is called “heaven of heaven.” Since these seven palaces are from AVI de Beria, Bina, they receive from the seven firmaments of the heaven of heaven, Bina, since each Behina receives from its corresponding Behina in the one above it.
And since that palace is the bottom palace in the seven palaces, the palace of Yesod, and two spirits illuminate in it, the spirit, Sapphire, Yesod, and the spirit, Levanah, Malchut, who is the Ateret Yesod in it, they receive from the two bottom firmaments of the heaven of heaven, Yesod and Malchut of Bina’s seven firmaments.
The Zohar tells us two things here: 1) It is about the seven palaces of AVI, to which it implies by their receiving from the heaven of heaven; 2) although it is only the palace of Yesod, it has Malchut, too. It was said about that that they receive from the two bottom firmaments, from Yesod and from Malchut.
66) From the sparkling of those two spirits, the Ophanim were created, whose Dinim are tantamount to the Dinim of the animals, as it is written, “When those went, these went, and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels [Ophanim] were lifted up.” It is written about the Ophanim, “As for the image of the animals, their appearance was like coals of fire, burning like the appearance of torches; it walks among the animals.” Although the text calls them animals, they are still Ophanim. But because their Dinim are as the Din of the animals, it calls them “animals.”
About whom does it say, “It walks among the animals”? The holy spirit, Levanah, the place from which they emerged. It illuminates for them, as it is written, “and there was brightness to the fire, and out of the fire went forth lightning,” meaning the holy spirit, Levanah, Malchut, of which it is written, “brightness to the fire.” This is why it is written about it that because it walks among the animals, their appearance is as burning coals of fire, as it is considered Noga [brightness], from whom fire and lightning extend.
67) When spirit is included in spirit—the spirit, Levanah in the spirit, Sapphire—the light of one animal comes out of them, laying over the four Ophanim. The spirit, Sapphire, is Ibur–Yenika–Mochin de Panim, who receives covered Hassadim from upper AVI, as it is written, “Eat, friends.” The spirit, Levanah, is Ibur-Yenika-Mochin de Achoraim, receiving Mochin of illumination of Hochma from YESHSUT, as it is written, “Drink and be drunken, O lovers.”
Two kinds of Zivugim [pl. of Zivug] are employed in the two spirits, in order to elicit offspring from these two forms of Mochin:
- The first Zivug, before the two spirits are included in one another and both sparkle. At that time the spirit, Levanah, can bear offspring as it comes out in it, from the Mochin of illumination of Hochma, received from YESHSUT, as it is written, “Drink and be drunken, O lovers.” They are called Ophanim because these Ophanim were created from the sparkling of those two spirits.
- The second Zivug is once the two spirits were included in one another and became as one spirit and one light, as it is written, “it could not be known that they had eaten them.” The spirit, Levanah, is completely mingled with its lights with the spirit, Sapphire, and its lights. Out of that Zivug came forth offspring, from the Mochin of the spirit, Sapphire. These are covered Hassadim, as it is written, “Eat, lovers,” since the spirit, Levanah, and its lights were cancelled and included in the Sapphire and its lights. These offspring are called “animals.”
When the spirit, Levanah, is included in the spirit, Sapphire, the light of one animal comes out of them in a way that the animals are attributed primarily to the spirit, Sapphire, in which there is Mochin de Panim, as it is written, “Eat, friends.” The Ophanim are attributed to the spirit, Levanah, and in them is Mochin de Achoraim, as it is written, “Eat and be drunken, O lovers.”
It is forbidden to delay the ZA in Mochin de Achoraim so as to not give a handle to the Dinim. Rather, the Mochin de Achoraim must promptly be included in Mochin de Panim. Also, the Ophanim, Mochin de Achoraim, must be included in the animals, Mochin de Panim, which is why it was said that the light of one animal that is laying over the four Ophanim comes out of them, since they were included in it, in the animal, and became one with it.
It is written about the Ophanim, “their appearance was like burning coals of fire,” for because they are Mochin de Achoraim their appearance is as coals of fire. And the spirit, Levanah, the holy spirit, walks among the animals. Levanah is the place from which they emerge and which illuminates for them. Since the Ophanim are attributed only to the spirit, Levanah, in which there is Mochin de Achoraim, their appearance is as fire and lightning. They must be mingled with the animals in order to revoke the force of Dinim in them.
The Dinim of these Ophanim is tantamount to the Dinim of the animals, from their Hitkalelut with the animals, and they become one with them until it is not known that they had eaten them, as though the progenitors were included in one another. It is written about it, “When those went, these went, and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels [Ophanim] were lifted up.” It is so because the spirit of the animal is in the Ophanim, since the spirit and the light in the Ophanim were included and annulled before the spirit of the animal over them, and they have only one spirit and one light, only the spirit of the animal.
The shape of the animal is as a lion, the shape of Hesed. Since it extends from the spirit of the sapphire, white light, and white is Hesed, its shape is as a lion’s. The animal governs 13,000,000 other Ophanim; the wings of the animal are as the wings of a vulture, and it governs those 13,000,000 Ophanim.
The reason for the number thirteen million is that in the four wheels travel each of the four Ophanim, and each wheel has three foundations, making twelve foundations in four wheels. The spirit of the sapphire governs all of them because they emerge from it and it sustains them all—wheels and foundations—and they are nourished by it. This is why it joins them to make thirteen.
It was said that the animal governs thirteen million Ophanim because the twelve foundations in the four wheels in each Ophan, along with the spirit of sapphire that joins them, make up thirteen. They are thirteen million because the number thirteen is illumination of Hochma, extending from YESHSUT de Atzilut, which is Bina, receiving from AA. Hence, since they are from Bina, whose digits are hundreds, they are thirteen hundreds. And since they are from AA, whose digits are ten thousand, they are 13 hundred times ten thousand [13,000,000].
Explanation: As a constant, the animal has only four Ophanim, HB TM. However, when it receives illumination of Hochma from above, whose root is the thirteen qualities of Rachamim de AA, each Ophan of the four expands into a complete Partzuf, where the four Behinot HB TM from the Chazeh and above are called “four wheels,” and the three Behinot HB and Tifferet from the Chazeh and below are called “three foundations.” From the Chazeh and above, the last Behina is missing, hence there aren’t four foundations here but only three foundations.
However, these three foundations rise and become included in each wheel from the Chazeh and above in order to receive from them the last Behina, Malchut. For this reason it is considered that in each wheel are three foundations, which together are twelve foundations for each Ophan. And with the spirit, Sapphire, which illuminates for them, they are thirteen. It makes the precision of the number 13 only in the foundations, since the illumination of Hochma can appear only from the Chazeh and below, where the foundations lie. This is why the number thirteen, implying illumination of Hochma, is only over the foundations.
68) These four Ophanim have four faces each, and all those four Panim look toward the four sides of the animal, which stands over them. Looking is reception of abundance. The four Panim [faces]—face of a lion, face of an ox, face of a vulture, and face of a human—are the four Behinot HB TM. Likewise, the four sides in the animal are four Behinot HB TM in it. For this reason, each of the Panim in the Ophan looks and receives its abundance from its corresponding Behina in the four sides of the animal.
When these four Ophanim travel under the animal, they enter one at a time and grip on to each other. They mingle in one another and receive assistance from one another, as it is written, “the loops shall be opposite to one another,” so they mingle in each other and permeate each other.
When these wheels travel, the sound of melodies is heard in all those armies of below, of any kind, meaning that their pleasant abundance reaches all the armies of below.
69) Below that palace, the forces disperse outward from the palace to bestow to several sides in the firmaments below. Some of them change the manners of governance toward the lower ones until they reach Planet Shabtai [Saturn], which stands in the second firmament in the world of Assiya.
Seven planets stand there, called Shabtai [Saturn], Tzedek [Jupiter], Maadim [Mars], Noga [Venus], and the planet, Levanah [Moon]. From them come all the changes and transformations in the world. The first planet, Shabtai, receives its abundance from the bottom palace in the seven palaces of Beria, and the rest of the planets from the rest of the palaces.
It seems as though the order is reversed, since Shabtai, the highest of the seven starts, should have received from the upper palace in the seven palaces, not from that bottom palace, while Levanah, the lowest of the seven planets, should have received from that bottom palace and not from the seventh palace. There is the matter of inversion between lights and Kelim, since in the Kelim, the upper ones grow first, and it is to the contrary in lights, where the lower ones enter first.
Therefore, when the bottom palace, Yesod, illuminates, the light dresses in the upper Kli of the planets, Shabtai. Afterward, when the second palace, Hod, illuminates, as well, the light also reaches Planet Tzedek [Jupiter]. Then, when the palace, Netzah, illuminates, the light reaches Planet Maadim [Mars]. Finally, the seventh palace illuminates, and then the light reaches the lowest of the planets, the moon.
All the lower worlds look to that palace to receive their abundance, since the bottom Behina affects the entire reality below it. All who are in that palace are nourished from there, and all look to receive abundance and strength from the spirit of the sapphire. This is the palace called the “sapphire tile,” because of two spirits in it, one of which is called Sapphire, and the other Livnat [tile].
70) The light of the spirit of the sapphire that includes the spirit of the tile in it rises and falls, but never stops. It is as the light of the sun inside the water. When the spirit of the sapphire contains within it the spirit of the tile, its Nukva, it is in a never ending Zivug, and the descending Ohr Yashar and ascending Ohr Yashar illuminate in them as one light. Its light rises and falls, Ohr Yashar and Ohr Hozer, and its light never stops. The Ohr Yashar and Ohr Hozer are connected together as the light of the sun, which illuminates and warms the water, where the warmth of the sun is mingled and connected in all the parts of the water.
There is no one to attain the spirit other than the desire of a righteous person by the power of the prayer that entered that palace. The prayer rises to make connections and unify unifications in wholeness under the inspiration of that spirit. At that time the spirit wraps in light, rejoices with the prayer, and rises with it to the second palace, to connect in its connections so the spirit here, in which the spirit of the tile is included, is included there in the second palace, in the spirit above it, which is there.
The spirit here, in which the second spirit is included, rose to the second palace. Both the animal and the Ophanim and wheels that are here are included in its ascent. They cling to it as fire clings to water and water to fire. And as the four spirits cling to one another, the south to the north and the north to the south, so they all cling and connect to one another—the animals, the Ophanim, and the wheels, and the two spirits with the spirit in the second palace.
71) The spirit here rises to connect with the spirit in the second palace. And the animal included in the spirit looks up to the second palace to receive its abundance. They look at each other, since the second palace and all that is in it looks to all those Behinot in the lower palace that rose up to it to receive its completion from them.
72) In the middle of the palace that is here stands one pillar whose stature rises up to the middle of the other palace above it. The pillar pierces the roofs of all seven palaces and stands in them from below upward. Through it, the palaces cling to one another. This is how we rise, from all those palaces, so that the palaces will unite and all will be as one spirit, as it is written, “and one spirit to all.”
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