(înapoi la pagina ZOHAR CUPRINS / Vayera – click)
45) The authority and the desire of the king, Divinity, appears in three colors—white, red, and green. These are the three colors in the eye. One color shows what is seen to the eye from afar, when the eye cannot clearly tell what it sees because it is far, until the eye receives a little bit of seeing by narrowing it. This is why it is written, “From afar the Lord appeared unto me,” which is the illumination of the middle line through the Masach de Hirik, for there is no opening for the lights without it.
46) The second color is the seeing of the eye when it is shut. This color is seen only by some shutting that it receives. Also, it is not clear vision because it is seen by shutting the eye and then opening it just a little, and then perceiving this vision. This vision requires resolution to comprehend what the eye perceived, for it is not clear. This is why it is written, “What do you see?” This is illumination of the left line from the point of Shuruk, when the lights are concealed for lack of Hassadim.
47) The third color is the radiance of the mirror. This is not seen at all except by rolling of the eye. When the eye is shut by shutting and rolled in rolling, the illuminating mirror is seen in this rolling. This is the illumination of the right line from the point of Holam. But the eye cannot remain in this third color except by seeing the illumination of the radiance by the shutting of the eye, which is the second color, mingled with the first color.
48) This is why it is written, “The hand of the Lord was upon me.” “The hand of the Lord was strong upon me,” since vision is by the shutting of the eye, which is Gevura and force. The prophets of truth attain the first two colors, with the exception of Moses, the high trustee, who was rewarded with seeing the third color, the illuminating mirror.
It is written, “And I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, HaVaYaH, I did not make Myself known to them.” But here it says in regards to Abraham, “And the Lord [HaVaYaH] appeared unto him.” Thus, He appeared by the name HaVaYaH to the patriarchs, as well. And he elaborates on the difference between the mirror of the prophecy of the patriarchs and the mirror of Moses’ prophecy, where even though it writes, “And HaVaYaH appeared unto him,” it is Divinity, a mirror that does not shine.
The Mochin that extend by three lines, extend from three points—Holam, Shuruk, Hirik. The Holam is covered Hassadim, MI of Elokim. The Shuruk is ELEH of Elokim, concealed light, since it is light of Hochma without Hassadim. Until Hirik—the level of VAK—arrives and decides between them. Through its force, the two lines are included in one another, where the Holam is AVI, Shuruk is YESHSUT, and Hirik is ZA.
Divinity, which is the King’s will, appears to the prophets in three colors, called “The three colors of the eye.” It begins from below upwards, from the middle line, the point of Hirik. One color shows what the eye sees from afar, but the eye cannot clearly tell what it sees because it is far. This is so because this color is the middle line, the level of Hassadim that emerges on the Masach de [of] ZA, Behina Aleph. This level is VAK, Hassadim without Hochma, while seeing means Hochma, and it cannot see clearly because this color is far from Hochma [wisdom], and Hochma is vision.
As long as this color of the eye is included with the left line, the illumination of the point of Shuruk, the eye receives some vision there by the force of her thriftiness, since the left line is thrift with Hassadim and its Hochma cannot shine without Hassadim. Hence, according to the force of the Hassadim, where the blocking of the left line receives from the middle line in order to open its block, its Hochma shines to the middle line and the Hochma enters it, although its quality is VAK and it is far from Hochma.
It turns out that this color—of the middle line—takes scanty vision with its stringency and blocking. And he calls it, “scanty vision,” to indicate that the GAR de Hochma do not shine in her, but only VAK de Hochma. And the VAK, compared to GAR, is considered “scanty vision.” It is written, “From afar the Lord appeared unto me.” This relates to the middle line, which is remote from Hochma, as it is VAK. But because of its mingling with the left line, it is said, “From afar the Lord appeared unto me,” since vision is received specifically in the middle line, which is far. Had it not been for the middle line, vision would not have appeared at all.
He says that the second color, vision, meaning the light of Hochma in this color, is shut, since it is the left line and the illumination of Shuruk, which is blocked and does not shine for lack of Hassadim. This is why the color of Hochma in it is blocked. The color of Hochma is unseen to the eye except the little bit of blocking that he receives from the first color, which is the middle line, and does not shine clearly. This means that for lack of Hassadim, he cannot shine unless by integration with the middle line, which is VAK, to receive Hassadim from it. It turns out that he is necessarily unable to shine unless by minute shutting from the first color.
This is the reason why it does not shine clearly in GAR de Hochma, but only in VAK de Hochma, which is not as clear as the GAR de Hochma. This color, which is illumination of Shuruk and left line, shines by the shutting of the eyes. First, illumination of Hochma is drawn without Hassadim, which shuts the eye so it does not shine at all. Next, through mingling with the first color, he opens it to shine a little, meaning to illuminate in VAK de Hochma and not in GAR. At that time, she receives the measure of seeing, VAK de Hochma.
This second color is considered a dream and requires a solution because for itself, it is blocked for lack of Hassadim. For this reason, its illumination is called “light of Achoraim” [posterior], which is illumination of the dreams that are written in the Bible. It awaits a solution, the illumination of the light of Hassadim, for then, by clothing in Hassadim, the light of the dream is drawn—to exist while awake.
The illumination of Hochma that the eye received in the form of illumination of Shuruk and left line exists through the solution, which is the clothing in the light of Hassadim from the first color. And if he does not obtain the light of Hassadim from the first color, this light of the dream does not exist at all, and is not known. It is as though it never existed. For this reason, the illumination of this second kind is called “a dream,” as it does not exist at all without a solution, since it is unattainable prior to the solution.
The third color is the illumination of the point of Holam, covered Hassadim, the light of HGT de ZA, called “illuminating mirror.” However, this light is present in the eye only when the eye is shut, and shines only when the illumination of Shuruk alone shines in her. Then it is rolled in rolling on the three points—Holam, Shuruk, and Hirik, and the illumination of Holam appears in that rolling, too, which is the light of the illuminating mirror, Hassadim that are covered from Hochma.
But the eye cannot remain in that color of the point of Holam because it needs Hassadim that are revealed in Hochma. The eye sees the radiance that shines within the shutting of the eye only when it clothes the illumination of Hochma that is in the second color, which is the illumination of the point of Shuruk inside the Hassadim that it obtained. At that time, it is primarily the light of Hochma that shines in it.
Hence, it is regarded as a mirror that does not shine because the illumination of the point of Holam does not remain in it. Since it receives primarily from the first two colors—the illumination of Hirik and Shuruk—which are restricted, the Nukva is called “The hand of the Lord,” from the words Gevura and force, as it is written, “The hand of the Lord was strong upon me.” Also, the first two colors shine in a vision to the prophets of truth, meaning in a mirror that does not shine, with the exception of Moses, who was rewarded with looking up at the illumination of Holam, in what is not seen at all, meaning in the illuminating mirror.
49) “Appeared unto him” refers to Divinity appearing before him inside these degrees that connect in her—Michael to the right, Gabriel to the left, Raphael in front, and Uriel in the back. After he explains the difference between Moses’ prophecy and the prophecy of the patriarchs, he proves that the words, “Appeared unto him” means the revelation of Divinity in three colors.
“And HaVaYaH [the Lord] appeared unto him.” The name, HaVaYaH, points to the mirror that shines only in the form of bestowal upon Divinity during the rolling, since then the illuminating mirror appears, meaning HaVaYaH, while drawing the right line, the illumination of Holam. However, after the rolling it remains primarily in the two lines—middle and left—as this is why it is called a mirror that does not shine, Nukva. And when it writes HaVaYaH, it is to indicate bestowal upon the Nukva during the rolling.
There are two thrones in Atzilut: the upper throne, Bina, becomes a throne for Hochma, since Hochma appears only through her. The bottom throne is the Nukva, where Mochin de ZA appear only through the Nukva. The upper throne stands on the four legs, HGT de ZA and the Nukva. HGT de ZA are the three lines that extend in the three points—Holam, Shuruk, and Hirik—that shine in the Bina, and the Nukva is the fourth leg, which receives from them and stands behind HGT de ZA.
Afterwards, when the Nukva returns to Mochin of Panim be Panim [face-to-face], she herself becomes a throne for ZA. Then her four legs are the four angels—Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael extend from the three lines, HGT, the three legs of the upper throne. Hence, they are inside, like HGT that stand there inside. And Uriel stretches out from the fourth leg of the upper throne, the Nukva, which stands there in the Achoraim of HGT. Hence, the angel Uriel, too, is in the back of the Nukva, meaning within the four degrees that were connected into being the four legs in the upper throne, which are four angels in the Nukva.
Uriel is in the back, since he is the fourth leg, like the fourth leg of the upper throne, which is in Achoraim there, as well, in the four angels that carry the throne to the Zivug during the rolling of the eye. But afterwards the Nukva remains in another order, where Uriel is in front and Raphael is in the back. In this respect, the Nukva is called, “a mirror that does not shine.
This is the reason why Divinity appeared before him in these oaks, the shades of the world, to show them the first covenant, the holy Reshimo [recollection] that was in the whole world in the form of faith. This is so because there are two points to Malchut: the point of Tzimtzum Aleph [first restriction], the middle point in the whole world, both from the settlements and from the wilderness, and the point of Tzimtzum Bet [second restriction], the middle point of the only the settlements, and not from the whole world.
Opposite them are two covenants, which correspond to cutting and exposing. The first covenant corresponds to the middle point of the whole world, the cutting of the foreskin. The second covenant corresponds to the point of settlement, the exposing.
The oaks of Mamre are harsh Dinim that extend from the middle point in the world. This is why Divinity appeared before him at the Oaks of Mamre, which are the shades of the whole world, corresponding to the middle point of the whole world. It is to present the first covenant before them, the cutting off of the foreskin, opposite the holy Reshimo that was in the whole world in the form of Nukva, called “faith.” This is opposite the first point that occurred in Tzimtzum Aleph, the middle one in the whole world, from which the first covenant extends—the cutting off of the foreskin.
50) “While he was sitting at the tent door.” The tent door is the place called “covenant,” which is “faith,” meaning Nukva. “In the heat of the day” is what Abraham adhered to. It is the force of the right side, his degree.
There are two kinds of Dinim:
- Dinim de Nukva, which extend from the force of Tzimtzum in her. This is the tent door.
- And male Dinim, which extend from the illumination of the point of Shuruk. This is “In the heat of the day,” when the sun, the light of Hochma, shines without the sheath of Hassadim, at which time it emits great heat, as it is written, “Do not look at me because I am swarthy, since the sun has tanned me.” This is the force of the right side, the male Gevurot, considered right.
Also, these two kinds are called Tzadik [righteous] and Tzedek [justice].
51) “The tent door” is the gate of righteousness, the door of faith, Nukva, the Dinim de Nukva. She is called “a door” because then Abraham went into that holy Reshimo of the circumcision. Had it not been for that, he would not have come under the circumcision. This is why it is called “a door.”
“In the heat of the day is considered Tzadik, a degree of connection that those who are circumcised enter it, and the holy Reshimo is registered in it, since the foreskin has been removed from it and it entered in the illumination of the two degrees, Tzadik and Tzedek, which are faith.
Tzadik and Tzedek are Yesod and Malchut. However, these two names indicate the great Zivug of ZON to disclose the Mochin of Haya. As long as there is a hold for Klipot and Dinim, this Zivug cannot appear. Accordingly, these Mochin cannot be revealed before the end of correction.
The advice for that is the circumcision. The Dinim consist of two discernments: Nukva and male, and they are opposite. Both cannot serve in the same place, since two opposites do not come in one place. Hence, by the awakening of the lower one through the commandments of the circumcision, the two kinds of Dinim are brought into one place, the upper Yesod, and they revoke each other, as is the nature of opposites, and both are cancelled. And since they have been cancelled, the Zivug of Tzadik and Tzedek immediately appears and the great Mochin are revealed.
This is the act of the circumcision. The scalpel that cuts extends from the Dinim de Nukva and the foreskin is the male Dinim. It turns out that the scalpel removes the foreskin, meaning that the Dinim de Nukva cancel out the male Dinim. And sometimes the contrary is needed, for the male Dinim to cancel out the Dinim de Nukva.
Rashi writes about the verse, “And the waterfalls of the streams,” that there were two mountains; one had dents, Dinim de Nukva, and the other had protruding breasts opposite the dents, male Dinim. And the Amorites were hiding in the dents and showered arrows over Israel from there while they were walking between the mountains. And the Creator made a miracle of bringing the two mountains so they became as one. Thus, the protrusions in one, the male Dinim, entered the dents of the other, the Dinim de Nukva, and the Amorites were crushed between them. Hence, through the arrival of the two opposites into one place, the Dinim de Nukva were cancelled because the Amorites in the dents were killed. But here in the circumcision the primary need is to cancel out the male Dinim, the foreskin. But in reality, both are cancelled.
The Dinim de Nukva are the tent. They cancel out and remove the foreskin, the male Dinim, which become a gate for Malchut’s completion, named Tzedek. This is so because by the removal of the Klipa of the foreskin by the Dinim de Nukva, Abraham entered to receive those holy Mochin that appear in a Zivug of Tzadik and Tzedek. This is why they are considered a gate.
“In the heat of the day” is Tzadik. After the Dinim de Nukva removed the foreskin so it is adhered to the Yesod, which is “In the heat of the day,” the name Tzadik appeared in it, meaning the exposing, which is made of the words Parah Koh [the Lord (Yod–Hey) exposed]. This is the degree of the great bonding of Tzadik and Tzedek that discloses the great Mochin. After all the Dinim and the Klipot were removed by the cutting, the Mochin of Yod–Hey appear in the exposing, which is Tzadik and Tzedek.
52) “Behold, three men.” These are three angels, messengers who clothe in the air and descend into this world in the form of human beings. They were three, as it is above, HGT de ZA, since the rainbow, meaning the Nukva, appears in only three colors—white, red, and green—like the colors of HGT de ZA.
53) These three people are the three colors—white, red, and green. White is Michael, right, and extends from Hesed de ZA; red is Gabriel, left, and extends from Gevura de ZA; and green is Raphael, extending from Tifferet de ZA. These are the three colors of the rainbow, without which the bow, the Nukva, is not seen. And this is why it is written, “Appeared to him,” since the revelation of Divinity is in these three colors, meaning that the words, “Behold, three men” is the explanation of the words, “And the Lord appeared to him.” “Appeared to him” means that Divinity appeared to him, and that revelation was by the revelation of the three colors on which the text concludes, “Behold, three men standing opposite him,” Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, who extend from the three lines of ZA, which extend from the three points—Holam, Shuruk, and Hirik de Bina.
54) All three angels are required. One is for curing him from the circumcision, which is Raphael, who is the healer. One was to tell Sarah that she would have a son. This is Michael, since he is appointed over the right side and all the blessings and the good from the right side were given into his hands.
55) And one was for overturning Sodom. This is Gabriel, who is to the left, appointed over the Dinim in the world. This is so because Din is from the left side and the action is through the angel of death, who is the king’s captain of the guard, who executes the Dinim that were sentenced by Gabriel.
56) And all of them do their mission, each according to what befits him. Angel Gabriel goes on a mission to the holy soul, and the angel of death goes on a mission to the soul, from the evil inclination. And yet, the soul does not leave the body until she sees Divinity.
57) When Abraham saw those three angels coming together, he saw Divinity in her colors and bowed, since they are the three colors of ZA that Divinity clothes in. This is why it is written, “And bowed down to the earth.” This is similar to Jacob, who said, “And Israel bowed down upon the bed’s head,” that is, to Divinity.
58) He referred to Divinity by the name ADNI, when he said, “ADNI [My Lord], if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not pass Your servant by,” as he turned to the Tzadik, Yesod de ZA, called “Lord.” This is so because then Divinity is called “The Lord of all the earth” because she shines from the righteous one, Lord, and shines with her colors, which stretch from the three lines of ZA, as she is completed with them above.
59) We learn from this that the lower mirror, Divinity, draws from above, from Bina, since these three colors, which are the three angels, draw the lights from above, from those high sources that are the three lines in Bina herself.
60) And because they bond with her and support her in everything, the name ADNI is said about her, since this name appeared to Abraham completely in the upper ones, in the lights of Bina. And it became openly revealed to him, which was not so before he was circumcised. Before he was circumcised, the Creator did not wish to elicit holy seed from him. But once he was circumcised, the holy seed immediately came out of him, meaning Isaac.
61) For this reason, when he was circumcised, Divinity appeared over him in these holy degrees, as it is written, “And the wise shall shine as the radiance of the firmament.” Thus, with the correction of the firmament, the Parsa, KHB TM de Atzilut were split and divided, and twelve Partzufim emerged from them.
- Keter was divided into four Partzufim: Atik and Nukva, AA and Nukva.
- Hochma and Bina were divided into four Partzufim: upper AVI and Ysrael Saba and Tevuna.
- Tifferet and Malchut were divided into four Partzufim: the great ZON and the small ZON.
Hence, these twelve Partzufim are called “The radiance of the firmament,” since they were made and came out by the force of the firmament.
- The first radiance is the radiance of those who shine in the lighting up of the radiance.
- The second radiance is the radiance that shines and glitters to several sides.
The first radiance is Partzuf Atik and the second radiance is his Nukva. Atik himself is from the unmitigated Malchut, above the firmament, which is not fissured. However, this Malchut is the root of the mitigated Malchut, and she lights the lights of Bina after they have been quenched. It is written about the importance of Partzuf Atik that his radiance shines with the lighting of the radiance. It lights the radiance of Bina, which is the root of all the Mochin, and had it not been for that lighting, there would have been no Mochin of Gadlut in Atzilut.
He adds about the importance of Partzuf Nukva de Atik that she lights and shines both in the unmitigated Malchut and in the mitigated Malchut, since she has already been established with the firmament, having been fissured. For this reason, she shines to all sides. But the Partzuf of the male Atik does not shine to all sides but only to the lighting, since he is above the firmament and he did not fissure.
And thus he elaborates on the virtues of all twelve Partzufim of Atzilut, all of which are included in ZA. And ZA bestows upon the Nukva all those holy degrees. Thus, although Abraham received only from the Nukva, he is still rewarded with all twelve upper degrees because they were all connected to the Nukva in the name ADNI in her. However, before he was circumcised, he was rewarded with receiving the speech only from the Nukva, before those twelve degrees connected to her.
62) The rising and falling radiance is Partzuf AA. This is so because the illumination of Atik cannot descend to Atzilut. The radiance shines to all discernments. This is the Nukva de AA, since AA bestows only Hochma without Hassadim, but the Nukva de AA, his Malchut, bestows Hassadim, as well. From the Rosh of AA, from Eden, Bina came out and clothed in four Partzufim: her GAR clothed in AVI and her ZAT in YESHSUT.
The never-ending radiance is the two Partzufim, upper AVI, whose Zivug is perpetual. Since GAR de Bina clothes in them, they are in Hassadim that are covered from Hochma, in accord with the nature of Bina.
The radiance that produces offspring is the two Partzufim Ysrael Saba and Tevuna, whose illumination is not perpetual, although they shine in illumination of Hochma and there is no Zivug for procreation of souls without the light of Hochma; hence, they are of great merit.
63) The radiance that is hidden and concealed, the spark of all sparks. This means that his sparkling is greater than all the sparkling in the worlds and all the degrees are in him, since he contains all twelve degrees of Atzilut. He is the two Partzufim, the great Zeir and his Nukva, which together are called ZA.
He comes out and disappears, blocked and revealed, sees and does not see. When he comes out and shines, he disappears, since the illumination of ZA extends from the upper AVI, who are in Hassadim that are covered from Hochma. Hence, when he comes out and shines he is also necessarily as hidden as AVI.
When he is concealed and does not shine, then he is revealed. This means that when he receives the illumination of Shuruk from Ima, Hochma, he is then disclosed. However, Hochma does not shine without Hassadim. Therefore, he is blocked and does not shine. He does not receive Hochma for himself, since he is from the discernment of GAR de Bina, but he does receive Hochma for the Nukva. This is why it is written that he sees, since the light of Hochma is called “vision.” He sees in order to bestow upon the Nukva, but for himself, he is always in covered Hassadim.
This boundary is the border in this Partzuf. A boundary means border, the origin of the pit, the Nukva de ZA. This border is the Masach erected in the Kli of Malchut on which the Zivug de Hakaa is made. The face of a man is from the Chazeh de ZON upwards. Hence, there is a place of Zivug there, and not from the Chazeh down. From the Chazeh de ZON upwards it is called “the great ZON,” and it is called ZA only. From the Chazeh de ZON downwards it is called the small ZON, and it is called Partzuf Nukva only.
The Masach in the Partzuf of a man’s face is the origin of the pit, the Nukva, since she receives only from the illumination of the Zivug in this Masach, which comes out to shine only in the day. At night, it disappears. It does not shine then and at midnight, he plays with the souls of the righteous in the Garden of Eden, who are his offspring.
64) Radiance that shines and illuminates for everyone the whole of the Torah, which is Hochma. It receives Hochma and all the colors HB TM are blocked in it, since he is Partzuf Nukva that contains two Partzufim from the Chazeh down, which are called “the small ZON.” It is known that Hochma is not received in Atzilut but in the Nukva, and she is called ADNI.
Three colors, NHY, are seen below her, and three colors above—HGT. When she rises above the Chazeh for a Zivug with ZA, she becomes a fourth to the patriarchs, and it is considered that HGT de ZA are above and NHY de ZA are below her. And only the three below her are revealed and seen in the illumination of Hochma, not the HGT above her.
Everything extends from those upper three, HGT. Even the illumination of Hochma in the three lower ones, NHY, extends from HGT. And yet, they are unseen because they do not receive Hochma for themselves. And he sparkles in twelve sparkles and lights that sparkle off him. This means that she receives from ZA all twelve degrees of the twelve Partzufim that ZA contains. And they are thirteen with the one that includes them, the Holy Name, HaVaYaH, within Ein Sof. Thus, they are twelve degrees in Atzilut, and with Ein Sof that includes them they are thirteen.
It is the same in the twelve degrees in the Nukva. They are thirteen with the Holy Name of ZA that contains them, and in which Ein Sof is clothed. The one that contains them is called HaVaYaH, and the twelve degrees in the Nukva are called ADNI.
65) When the lower radiance, the radiance of the twelve, called ADNI, connected with the upper radiance, ZA, called HaVaYaH, they became one name in which the prophets of truth attain and look into the upper radiance. This is the name HaVaYADNI, meaning HaVaYaH and ADNI combined. In it, they attain seeing the concealed things, as it is written, “As the color of electrum out of the midst of the fire.”
66) This secret, the nine points in the Torah, meaning Bina, was said unto you upper ones, the high and the good from the right side. This is the three points—Holam, Shuruk, and Hirik—each of which consists of all three, hence they are nine points. They come out the Rosh [head] de AA through Malchut’s rising to Bina and they divide into Keter and Hochma, Bina, and TM. Bina and TM clothe in the letters that are ZON, and the letters travel small journeys through Bina and TM de Bina that clothe in them, meaning that the letters receive from them Mochin de Katnut [smallness], VAK without Rosh.
At the time of Gadlut [adulthood, greatness], Bina and TM de Bina that contain nine points ejects from herself these letters in whom she was clothed, and the letters expand from Bina and TM de Bina, which are called nine rulers. Thus, nine points remain whole, to move the letters, meaning to bestow Mochin upon them, which provide motion and livelihood in the letters, which are ZON.
First, the nine points that are Bina are divided into two halves. Their bottom half, Bina and TM, descended and clothed in the letters ZON, at which time these points imparted small journeys upon the letters, which means Mochin de Katnut. Afterwards, at the time of Gadlut, the bottom half of the points ejects the letters and the letters expand from them, since Bina returned to the Rosh of AA and the bottom half returned and joined with the upper half. Thus, she was once again complete with ten Sefirot in Kelim and lights, and the points could then bestow Mochin de Gadlut upon the letters, which are ZON.
They will travel only when these come out of Rosh de AA by themselves. Why should Bina come out of the Rosh and diminish into VAK, and then return to the Rosh to bestow Mochin de Gadlut upon the letters? Why does she not bestow them Mochin de Gadlut before she departs the Rosh de AA? The letters could not travel to receive Mochin for movement, except when these points exit the Rosh of AA. At that time, the bottom half descends and clothes in the letters.
67) These letters are considered Ein Sof, Malchut of the quality of Din, on whom there was Tzimtzum Aleph [the first restriction], to not receive any direct light within her. All the letters are under the shade of Ein Sof. The letters are ZA and the Nukva, which is Malchut, can say that Tzimtzum Aleph de Ein Sof lies atop her.
But ZA, on whom there was no Tzimtzum Aleph, is not under the shade of Ein Sof. This is why he says, “All the letters,” since even ZA is under the shade of Ein Sof because the root of ZA is from Tabur de AK downwards, which is the place of Malchut de Tzimtzum Aleph. Hence, the letters are unfit to receive any Mochin within them. Instead, as the points travel, these blocked letters travel, too.
Due to the exit of Bina from Rosh de AA, her Bina and TM fell and clothed in letters. Hence, the letters became as one body with these Bina and TM within them. At the time of Gadlut, just as these Bina and TM return and rise and travel to the Bina, and Bina returns to Rosh de AA, the letters that clothe them travel with them. They, too, ascend and unite with the Bina and receive her lights, like her Bina and TM.
Thus, in and of themselves, the letters are unfit for traveling, for Mochin. But because half of the Kelim de Bina fell and clothed in them, they became a single body with them and they receive Mochin through the journeying of the Kelim de Bina. And although they are unfit for traveling in and of themselves, since they are the restricted Malchut, these secrets on which there are the letters—meaning the restricted Malchut—become revealed and concealed.
These are the forces of the quality of Din from the restricted Malchut. They are concealed and hidden in the letters, and only Malchut that is mitigated in Bina is revealed in them by the descent of half of Bina into them. And do not think that the forces of the restricted Malchut are hidden and concealed in a way that they never appear in them, since when they need to receive Mochin they are concealed and hidden. But sometimes they appear, when they need to elicit the middle line.
68) Nine names are engraved in ten. Because the restricted Malchut was concealed, there are only nine Sefirot in them, nine names, since the tenth, Malchut, is missing. However, he says that the nine names were engraved and ten were made out of them because the Yesod was divided into two Sefirot and two names, Adon, Shadai. The first is EKYEH, Keter, and the second is Yod Hey, Hochma. EKYEH Asher EKYEH [I am that I am] is Bina; HaVaYaH, punctuated as Elokim is YESHSUT; El is Hesed; Elokim is Gevura; HaVaYaH is Tifferet; Tzevaot [hosts] is Netzah and Hod; and Adon Shadai are both in Yesod—Adon is Ateret Yesod, and Shadai is Yesod itself.
69) These ten names are engraved according to their essence. All these names were engraved and came in the ark of the covenant, which is the name ADNI. This is what appeared to Abraham after the circumcision, meaning the name ADNI, the Nukva after she received within her all ten names, which are all the degrees in Atzilut. But before he was circumcised, he did not attain the seeing, except from the Nukva alone, without her connection with the upper degrees.
70) Michael is the name of the right, Hesed, who clings and serves the name ADNI more than the other angels. Where the name ADNI is found, Michael is there, too. When Michael departs, God, which is Nukva, departs with Shadai, which is Yesod.
71) In the beginning, there were three men, who clothed in this image of Avir [air] and were eating. Of course they ate, since their fire consumed and destroyed everything. This gave contentment to Abraham. For themselves, they are certainly fire, and this fire was covered by the image of the Avir and was unseen. And that food that they ate was scorching fire and they ate it. This gave Abraham contentment.
72) When Divinity departed, it is written, “And God went up from Abraham.” Michael promptly departed with her, as it is written, “And the two angels came to Sodom.” First it said three, and now two, which means that the angel Michael departed along with the ascent of Divinity and only two angels remained.
73) The angel that appeared before Manoah descended and clothed in the air and appeared before him. This is the angel Uriel, who did not descend among those angels who were with Abraham. Here he descended alone to tell him he would have a son.
74) And because Manoah is less important than Abraham, it does not say that he ate, for it is written, “If you detain me, I will not eat of your bread.” And it is written, “When the flame went up… the angel of the Lord ascended.” And here it writes, “And God went up from Abraham.” But in the angels, it does not say that they went up from Abraham, since with God, Michael departed, too, and Raphael and Gabriel remained, and it is written about them, “And the two angels came to Sodom,” in the evening, when Din is in the world. Afterwards, one of them departed and only Gabriel remained for the upheaval of Sodom. Lot was saved by Abraham’s merit, and hence, he, too, was rewarded with the two angels, which is why they came to him.
76) “Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord, and who shall stand in His holy place?” All the people in the world do not see why they are in the world. They do not observe so as to know for what purpose they are living in the world, and the days go by and never return. And all those days that people live in this world rise and stand before the Creator, for they were all created and they are real. And how do we know that they were created? Because it is written, “The days that were created.”
77) And when the time comes to depart this world, they all approach the High King, as it is written, “As David’s days to die drew near,” and “As Israel’s days to die drew near.”
78) When a person in this world does not watch and does not consider why he is alive, but considers each day as walking in a void, when the soul departs this world, she does not know which way it is being lifted. This is so because the way up to where the illuminations of the high souls shine—the Garden of Eden—is not given to all the souls. Rather, as one draws upon himself in this world, the soul continues to walk after she departs him.
79) If that person follows the Creator and desires Him in this world, later, when he passes away from this world, he follows the Creator, too, and is given a way to rise to the place where the souls shine due to the craving that his desire followed everyday in this world.
80) Rabbi Aba said, “One day, I came across a city that was one of those that were in the east, and I was told of that wisdom that they knew since the old days. They found their books of wisdom and presented me with such a book.
81) “And the book said that according to the direction of a person’s desire in this world, he draws upon himself the spirit from above, similar to the desire that had become attached to him. If his desire aims for a sublime and holy thing, he extends upon himself that same thing from above downwards.
82) “And if his desire is to cling to the Sitra Achra, and he aims for it, he extends that thing upon himself from above downwards.” And they said that extending something from above depends primarily upon the speech, the act, and the desire to adhere. This draws from above that same side that had clung to him.”
83) And I found in the book all those deeds and worships of stars and idols, and the things that are needed to worship them, and how the desire should aim in them in order to draw them to themselves.
84) Similarly, when one wishes to adhere to the holy spirit above, it depends on the act, the speech, and on aiming the heart to that thing, so one will be able to draw it from above downwards and to adhere to it.
85) And they said that a person is pulled out when he leaves this world by what attracts him in this world; and he is attached and attracted in the world of truth to what he had been attached and attracted to in this world. If it is holiness—holiness; and if it is impurity—impurity.
86) If it is holiness, he is pulled to the side of holiness. It clings to him above and he becomes appointed as a servant, to serve before the Creator among all the angels. Also, he adheres above and stands among those holy ones, as it is written, “And I will grant you access among those who are standing here.”
87) Similarly, if he clings to impurity in this world, he is pulled to the side of impurity and becomes as one of them, adhering to them. These are called, “damagers to people,” and when one passes away from this world, he is taken and submerged in hell, that same place where the impure ones who have defiled themselves and their spirits and then clung to them are judged. And he becomes a damager, as one of those damagers of the world.
88) I told them, “My sons, the words in the book are close to words of Torah. But you must stay away from these books lest they will divert your hearts to these works and to all those sides it mentions here. You might stray from the work of the Creator.”
89) This is so because all those books mislead people, since the sons of the east were wise and inherited this wisdom from Abraham, who gave to the sons of the maidservants, as it is written, ‘But unto the sons of the concubines that Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts,’ and afterwards they were drawn in this wisdom to several directions.
90) But the seed of Isaac, the share of Jacob, is not so, as it is written, “And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.” This is the holy share of the faith to which Abraham adhered, and it is from this lot and from this side that Jacob came. It is written about it, “And behold, the Lord stood above him,” and it is written, “But you… My servant, Jacob.” For this reason, one must take after the Creator and always adhere to Him, as it is written, “And to Him shall you cling.”
91) It is written, “Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord?” It is also written, “He who has clean hands,” who did not make a statute and whose hands were not made coarse by what he does not need. His hands were not defiled and he did not defile the body with them, such as those who defile themselves with their hands. And it is written, “And a pure heart,” meaning one who did not extend his desire and his heart toward the Sitra Achra, but followed the work of the Creator.
92) “Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood.” It writes, “His soul,” but it is read, “My soul.” This is the soul of David, the side of faith, Nukva de ZA. His soul is the soul of a real person, and this is the difference between the text and the reading. Thus, when a person passes away from this world and his soul departs with good deeds, she will be rewarded for them with walking among all those holy ones, as it is written, “I shall walk before the Lord in the lands of the living.” Hence, he says, “Because he has not lifted up my soul to falsehood, he will be blessed by the Lord.”