The Holy Idra Rabah

General and Particular, Particular and General

332. The upper Sefirot from the Chazeh and above were included in Adam, in general and in particular, and the lower Sefirot from the Chazeh and below were included in Adam, in general and in particular. The upper Sefirot in general are in the form of Adam. In particular, in the fingers of the hands, which are five opposite five. The lower Sefirot, in the toes, are general and particular since the Guf, Tifferet, is not seen with them, as they are outside the Guf. For this reason, they are not in the Guf, since the Guf has been removed from them.

Two lines, right and left, are particular, which are two edges far from one another. The middle line is the general, containing within it the two edges together. The general comes before the particular, for first, the general was emanated, the middle line, and then the two particulars split from the middle line. This is so in the upper Sefirot, from the Chazeh of ZA and above, where Tifferet emerged first, the Guf and the middle line, and from Tifferet, two arms split out, which are the particular. Because Tifferet rose and decided between the two lines of Bina, it, too, gained three lines. This is why it is considered that two lines HG split from it.

The upper Sefirot were included in Adam, HGT above the Chazeh, in general and in particular. Tifferet, called Guf [body], emerged first, then the hands, HG, right and left, with five fingers. The upper Sefirot in the general, in the form of Adam, Tifferet, the middle line, called Adam, contains all the forms. The middle line is called “general.” In the particular, the five fingers on the right, which are opposite the five on the left, are regarded as particular.

And the lower Sefirot, NHY from the Chazeh and below, were included in Adam, in general and in particular. First, NH came out. They are called “two legs,” right and left, and they are called “particular.” Afterwards, the middle line came out, which unites them, Yesod.

The bottom Sefirot in the toes are particular and general, since first, the particular came out, the legs, since the Guf, Tifferet, is not seen with them, as they are outside the Guf. For this reason, they are not regarded as having split from the Guf like the hands, but rather that they emerged without prior incorporation of the Guf, Tifferet, and afterwards Yesod came and united them with one another. It follows that the general is after the particular.

There is a great difference, since if the general comes before the particular, no judgment is seen in the left, since to begin with, it was sweetened in the general, before it emerged into a state of particular. Conversely, if the particular comes before the general, then the judgment and dispute between right and left becomes revealed until the general comes and unites them.

The reason that from the Chazeh and above, it is considered that the general emerged before the particular, is that ZA receives the three lines from Ima, and you find that the middle line drew to it the three lines right and left of Ima, too. Thus, the middle line of ZA comes first and causes the two lines, his right and left. All this is from the Chazeh and above. Conversely, in NHY, which are outside the Guf, the sweetening of the Guf, Tifferet, cannot protect them. As a result, the particular emerged unsweetened in the middle line, and then the general, which is Yesod.

333. Thus, why is it written, “And his legs stood in that day”? It means that they are not outside the Guf, ZA, since they are attributed to him. However, the Raglayim [legs] of the Guf, means those with judgment to avenge against the wicked. They are called “those with legs,” from whom there are harsh judgments. They grip those with judgments below, in the bottom Sefirot, which are called Raglayim, and it is written about it, “And his legs stood in that day.”