484. “And God spoke all these words saying, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.” I, and “you shall not have” were said in one verse.
485. Why not more than that? However, “I,” and “You shall have no” are the entirety of the Torah. Also, “Remember and keep.” Remember is 248 commandments to-do, and Keep is 365 not-to-do. And because Remember and Keep are the entirety of the Torah, he caught these, saying that they were said in one verse, since they are the rule Remember and Keep: “I” is Remember, and “You shall not have” is Keep, and it was all said in one verse.
486. What is “in one verse” and not in two? It is because that speech is comprised of all the voices that he would say by the power and might of all the voices, since each voice battered him, making a coupling with the speech, in a whisper, and the speech would say.
487. Because they were all in a whisper and were not heard, it is written, “And the whole people were seeing the voices.” It is not written “And the whole people were hearing,” since they were not heard at all. Rather, they were all coming, and each one kissed that speech in a whisper, as one who kisses with the fondness of love, and then he interpreted the speech, and said a word, and declared it.
488. This is why it is written, “And God spoke all these words,” which are the entirety of Remember and Keep, which are “I” and “You shall not have.” “I” is the entirety of all the commandments of the Torah, which are in the rule Remember, and are called “commandments to-do.” “I” is the entirety of male and female together.
489. He who said that “I” is the throne, Malchut, it is not only the throne, and it is not so, since “I” is Remember, and it is a male, ZA. However, although he is a male, he contains male and female together, ZA and Malchut.
490. Although it is all well, but Aleph-Nun-Yod of “I” is the holy covenant, the foundation of the world, Yesod of ZA, male. The Kaf of “I” [in Hebrew] is incorporated in it; it is the Nukva [female], Malchut, and Kaf is the Nukva everywhere, called Keter, since Malchut of Atzilut is called Keter of Beria, since Malchut of the upper one is the Keter of the lower one.
491. For this reason, everything together is male and female together, and everything is called Remember. However, the male is not alone, since he is incorporated with the Nukva, and the Nukva is not alone, but rather with ZA, and they never part from one another. Remember, male, comes in his Nukva, and Keep, Nukva, comes also with the Vav of Keep, who is a male, since they do not part from one another.
492. “I” is the entirety of male and female together, and everything is called Remember, since ZA takes the Nukva and incorporates her within him. Hence, only he is mentioned. And when the Nukva extends her husband with her and ZA comes to her, as it is written, “until I brought him to my mother’s house,” she takes the name, the control, and everything is called Keep, since she drew him to her and took him. At that time, the whole house is at her disposal and only she is mentioned. However, they never part from one another.
The Torah was given with voice and speech, which is the unification of ZA and Malchut, which is called “voice,” and Malchut is called “speech.” ZA is Hassadim, Malchut is illumination of Hochma. ZA is voice, GAR, and Malchut is female light, VAK. The Torah itself is divided into two phases, Hassadim and Hochma. The 248 commandments to-do, which are Remember, are Hassadim, and the 365 not-to-do, which are Keep, reveal VAK of Hochma.
“I” and “You shall not have” are the entirety of the Torah. “I” is Remember, which contains the 248 commandments to-do, Hassadim. “You shall not have” is Keep, which contains the 365 commandments not-to-do, illumination of VAK of Hochma. It is all said in one speech, and not in two, for although “I” and “You shall not have” are two distinct phases, where one is Hochma and one is Hassadim, nevertheless, they did not emerge from two Malchuts but from one Malchut, in one speech, and not in two Malchuts.
Because the speech, Malchut that bestows Hochma, is incorporated with all the voices, which are Hassadim, and Malchut that was saying the speech, revealing Hochma, said in the might and the power of all the voices, for by the power of all the Hassadim that she received from ZA, called “voice,” she could bestow illumination of Hochma.
There are two bestowals from the coupling of ZA and Malchut, who are called “voice and speech.” The first bestowal is bestowal of Hassadim. This abundance emerges from between the two of them, for the voice, ZA, is heard, as well.
The second bestowal is bestowal of Hochma, which emerges from Malchut, from the speech, alone, while ZA, the voice, does not partake in this abundance whatsoever because illumination of Hochma is revealed only in VAK of Hochma, in female light, which shines from below upward. If he were to partake in that bestowal, the GAR of Hochma would shine, from above downward, like male light. This is why it is discerned in this bestowal that the speech, Hochma, is in a whisper, without hearing the voice, the bestowal of ZA, since there is only the bestowal of the speech here.
Each and every voice was making a coupling with the speech in a whisper, and the speech would say, would reveal the Hochma, and the voice would not participate in this. And because all the couplings of voice and speech were in a whisper, in VAK of Hochma, since the voice did not participate openly, it is written, “And the whole people were seeing the voices,” and it is not written, “And the whole people were hearing.”
The voice did not participate in bestowal of Hochma, called “seeing,” upon the people. Hence, they could not hear the voices, but rather see them incorporated in the speech, in Hochma, in a whisper in VAK. The voices themselves were not heard because if they were heard with the speech, the GAR of Hochma would be revealed.
Each one kissed that speech, for each coupling from a voice, from ZA, that would kiss the speech, Malchut, was in a whisper, so as not to participate at all in the illumination of Hochma in the speech, like one who kisses in the affection of love, which is only illumination of Hassadim. Afterwards, the speech interpreted and said a word, and declared it.
Afterwards, when the speech, Malchut, received the Hassadim from ZA, they awaken in her illumination of Hochma, and it is regarded as though the speech interprets the illumination of Hassadim that she received into illumination of Hochma, according to her way, and she is the one who said the word, meaning the Hochma, and declares it, revealing it to the lower ones, and not the voice, ZA.
This is why it is written, “And God spoke all these words,” which are the entirety of Remember and Keep, which are “I” and “You shall not have.” This is so because Elokim is the name of Malchut. She spoke all those words in the Torah, that there is a rule of Remember, the 248 to-do, Hassadim, and a rule of Keep, 365 not-to-do, illumination of VAK of Hochma.
Although he was in a coupling with ZA, HaVaYaH, his voice was still not heard. This is why the name Elokim is written, and both “I,” Hassadim, and “You shall not have,” illumination of Hochma, emerged from the coupling of ZA and Malchut together. However, the Aleph-Nun-Yod of “I” is the holy covenant, the foundation of the world, since the Aleph-Nun-Yod of “I” indicates Yesod of ZA, the Kaf of “I” was incorporated with Yesod of ZA in a coupling, as she is the female, Malchut.
For this reason, everything is together, ZA and Malchut implied together in “I,” and it is Remember, the 248 commandments to-do, Hassadim incorporated with Hochma. Similarly, in Keep, which is mainly illumination of Hochma, there, too, ZA and Nukva are incorporated together. Keep, Nukva, also comes in the Vav of Keep [in Hebrew], who is a male, since Keep is Malchut, and the Vav in Keep is ZA.
However, the difference is that in Keep, the Hassadim from ZA govern, and the Nukva, illumination of Hochma, is incorporated with him.
493. “I” is the secret of secrets for those who know the wisdom. At the time when the letters of “I” came out, when ZA and Malchut are incorporated in them together, when Aleph-Nun-Yod in “I” is Yesod of ZA and the letter Kaf in it is Malchut, at that time, the candle came out to engrave the measure.
It measured ten cubits on this side, and sparks came out, seventy-two sparks. Flames lit up, and sparks ascend and descend. Afterwards, they subside and stand in an ascent high above. It measured ten cubits on the other side, and seventy-two sparks also came out, as in the first manner. So it was to all the sides.
In each complete illumination, there are forty-two in her GAR, and the illumination of the name AB in her VAK. This is so because from the correction of the middle line that Hochma will be revealed only in VAK, the name AB that shines in illumination of Hochma is in VAK, and in GAR, there is no Hochma. Rather, the name Mem-Bet shines there in Hassadim that are covered from Hochma.
There are four sides in each illumination, HG TM, and in each side, three lines are incorporated in each other, so they are nine lines, and with itself, they are ten to each side. Thus, in four sides there are forty phases, and with the two that are inclusive, of the right and left in them, they are forty-two, which is the name of the Mem-Bet [forty-two] letters, which shines in GAR and in covered Hassadim.
The name AB is illumination of Hochma that emerges from three verses, “and journeyed,” “and came,” “and pitched,” in which there are 216 letters and seventy-two words. It is also an illumination of twelve combinations of HaVaYaH. When they shine in each end of the VAK of ZA, they are six times twelve, which are seventy-two, and then the Hochma shines in NHY of ZA and in Malchut, in VAK.
494. The candle expanded and turned round and round, and flames and sparks were lit up and rose up above, and the skies were ablaze, and all the upper armies were ablaze and sparkled together.
495. Afterwards, the candle turned from the south side, and measured and turned from there to the east, and from the east to the north, until it turned and returned to the south side as in the beginning.
496. Afterwards, the candle rolled to depart, and the sparks and the flames subsided. At that time, those engraved and blazing letters came out sparkling like gold when it is heated in sparking. Like that craftsman when he purifies silver and gold, and takes them out from the blazing fire, completely clear and purified, so the letters came out pure and clear from the quality of the candle. This is why it is written, “The word of the Lord is pure,” as one who purifies silver and gold.
After The Zohar explains the operation of the middle line in general, how it drew the illumination of the name Mem-Bet and the name AB, it returns to interpret the operation of the middle line in particular. First, it interprets the matter of the correction of the left line, and afterwards, it interprets the order of the illumination of the three lines, how they turn and roll in three places. Finally, it explains that after the rolling, they rest and elicit the illuminations, the combinations of the letters of the Torah, when they are pure and clear.
We should know that the illumination of the three lines one at a time is called “rolling” and “turning,” since the judgments in each line are like wheels that transfer the illumination from place to place, from line to line. Even when the middle line comes to diminish and correct the left line, it is also considered that the correction comes by rolling, where first it draws the right line, and then the left line. After it diminishes it from GAR of Hochma, it unites with the right line and the left line emerges. After all, even when it comes to correct the left, it corrects through the rolling of the three lines one at a time.
The candle expanded, means that the middle line expanded and turned round and round, rolling the three lines to diminish the left line and unite it with the right. Due to the diminution, the illuminations of the left line became heated with judgments and rose up above, meaning that their illumination rose from below upward. This is in the state of VAK of Hochma, which shines only from below upward, and this is the whole correction of the left line.
Through this act of diminution, the middle line, called “heaven,” was heated with the judgments of the screen of Hirik, and all the upper armies, the angels of above, were all heated and sparkled together, meaning they were all heated due to the judgments of the screen of Hirik of the middle line.
After it explains the matter of the correction of the left line, it explains the order of the illumination that rolls on the three lines after they were corrected. It says that afterwards, the candle, the middle line, turns from the south side, the right line, and after it extended the right line, it awakens the screen of Hirik of itself, and measures in the screen of Hirik. From there, it turns to the east, which is its own quality, the middle line.
From the east, from the middle line, it comes and draws the north, the left line, until it turns and returns to the south side as in the beginning, so that finally, it returns to the quality of the right, south, to draw Hassadim, and is established in the quality of the right line.
After it explains the order of the rolling and the journeying, it explains the rest. After the candle completed the rolling, it rolls to depart and to rest. At that time, the sparks and the flames subside, meaning that the judgments of each and every line subsided. Then, those letters from the right line came out engraved and blazing from the left line, glittering from the middle line like gold when it is heated in a sparkling.
497.When these letters come out, they all come out purified, engraved, clear, sparkling, and blazing, and Israel were all seeing them when they were flying in the air. The matter of the coming of the Yod into the light and becoming air, which is in the right line, is blossoming. They go to all the sides, to all three lines, and come and are engraved on the stone tablets.
498. When these letters would come out as male and female, ZA, implied in the word, “I,” clear, engraved, one letter was mounting them, inscribing and engraving these letters, and crowning them.
That letter goes in all of them, engraved from the candle, Bina, and she, too, is therefore called a “candle.” That letter is the letter Vav, the middle line, which transcends over all the other letters and engraves them on all, on all that they need, since the middle line that measures the illumination of the left line and unites the right with the left, rolls them in order to reveal their illumination.
499. It is written, “And the whole people saw the voices and the torches and the torches and the sound of the Shofar [blowing into a ram’s horn].” The voices are the other letters that were emerging from these voices, which were seen in the air by all.
The voices themselves are the three lines that roll by the power of the middle line, called “voice,” which is why they are all called voices. Letters emerge from these voices when they are in a coupling with Malchut, who is called “speech.” Hence, there is seeing in them, from the side of Malchut. But in the voices themselves, there is no seeing since they are in covered Hassadim like ZA.
500. It brings evidence that seeing concerns the letters and not the voices, since it is written, “the voices,” and it is not written “And all the people saw the voices” [without Et], but “the voices” [with Et], since they [Aleph-Tav] are the letters from which they emerged, and not the voices themselves. The voice of the Shofar is the letter Vav, the middle line, which was mounting all the letters and engraving them, since the letter Vav is called the “sound of the Shofar.”
Because it concerns the letters, it is written, “see,” since there is seeing in them. And when they heard that it is illumination of Hassadim, they heard only one voice of words, ZA, the middle line, as it is written, “You heard the voice of words,” the voice that is called “words,” for it would say only the word. ZA was ruling, and Malchut, who is called “words,” was incorporated only in it. This is why hearing is written in regard to him, illumination of Hassadim. But the letters came out mainly from the governance of Malchut, and ZA was only incorporated in her, which is why there is seeing in them, illumination of Hochma.
501. Although all of Israel saw the glory of the Creator, they saw only as one who sees from within a glass mirror. They were looking to know wisdom in these letters that were emerging, and saw light that shines from within another light. This is why it is written, “For you did not see any image.”
502. “I” is “remember,” which includes the 248 commandments to-do, Hassadim in incorporation of Hochma. It is the male, ZA, which copulates and shines to the speech, the Malchut. The letters of “I” came out to be crowned, and in these letters, they would see and hear. The matter called “I” is the coupling of voice and speech, which is looking, illumination of Hochma; they would see from the letters. The hearing of their word, the combination of the letters into a word through Hassadim is hearing; they would hear.
As there are dispersed letters where nothing is clear in them until they are joined into being words, so the letters that reveal Hochma have no disclosure in them until they clothe in Hassadim. At that time, they become words and speeches that reveal Hochma, since Hochma cannot shine without Hassadim.
503. It is written, “You heard the voice of words.” Hearing, illumination of Hassadim, is to do things, combinations of words from those letters that were seeing. The letters, Hochma and seeing, have no action until they clothe in Hassadim, hearing. This is why it is called “the sound of words,” for the voice, Hassadim, makes and corrects the things, Hochma.
Although the voice of words, ZA, was speaking, meaning that ZA, voice, is the ruler, he spoke only the matter of these letters, for he was not operating in Hassadim, except to clothe the Hochma that emerges from these letters.
504. “I” is a whole that incorporates ZA and Malchut together. “The Lord your God” is particular, where HaVaYaH [the Lord] is Remember, ZA, and “your God” is Keep, Malchut. They are detailed in two names, which is why there are general and particular here, and the Torah is crowned in general and in particular.
This is so because “I” is the entirety of the Torah and all 613 commandments of the Torah, since it is the rule Remember and Keep together, where Remember is the 248 commandments to-do, and Keep is the 365 commandments not-to-do.
505. As has been explained in the book of Solomon concerning the engraving of the decorations of the letters, in “I,” the letters Aleph-Yod of “I” are male, ZA, and Nun-Kaf of “I” are female, Malchut. Aleph-Nun-Yod are male and female together since Aleph-Yod are male, and a bent Nun is a female. Kaf is also a Nukva, Malchut. “I” is all as one, male and female together as one, where Aleph-Yod is male, and Nun-Kaf is Nukva.
506. Why does it say “I” and not “me”? After all, the word “me” also points to the inclusion of male and female? However, Nun Kaf are two females. There is Shechina [Divinity] below, Malchut, and there is Shechina above, Bina, and in the word “I,” it is all in one connection.
“I” is the entirety of Remember, all the faith, entirety of above and of below. Yod of “I” is above, the beginning of all the faith, upper Abba. Nun Kaf of “I” are two females: the upper one, Bina, and the lower one, Malchut, two words above and below. Aleph is the middle line that takes from all the sides: from above, HB, and from its sides, HG, right and left, and incorporates them. Thus, all the faith is here.
507. Because everything depends on “I,” in one connection, in one entirety, it begins to crown the Torah with that word. With that word, “I,” there is the whole of everything. “The Lord your God” is the particular of everything, a complete name that is always engraved on Israel.