VaYetze [And Jacob Went Out] – Part One

And Jacob Went Out from Beer-Sheba

1) “And Jacob went out from Beer-Sheba, and went toward Haran.” Rabbi Hiya said, “And Jacob went out” means sunrise, like the sun that comes out. Beer-Sheba is Bina, from which ZA receives his light. Haran is Nukva, who receives the light of the sun, ZA. And he says, “The sun rises and the sun sets, and hastens to its place it rises there.” “The sun rises” is Jacob, ZA, when he was in Beer-Sheba, Bina. “And the sun sets,” when he went to Haran, is Nukva de ZA. It is written, “And he came to a certain place and spent the night there, for the sun had set.” “And hastens to its place it rises there,” is as it is written, “And [he] lay down in that place.” The Nukva is called “a place,” and to there he hastens and shines.

2) Even though the sun shines to the whole world, his journeys are only on two sides; he walks to the south and turns to the north, since south is the right line and the north is the left line. The sun extends and comes out every day from the east side, which is its own essence, Tifferet, and walks toward the south side, to the right line, Hesed. Afterwards, it turns toward the north, to the left line, Gevura, when it is mingled with the illumination of the two lines. From the north side, he walks toward the west, Nukva, as it is written, “And went toward Haran.” The illumination implied in the words, “And Jacob went out” is complete illumination, comprising both lines—right and left, Hochma and Hassadim together.

3) However, he went out from the land of Israel, as it is written, “And Jacob went out from Beer-Sheba,” which is the complete Nukva, called “the land of Israel,” and went to another authority, as it is written, “And went toward Haran,” which is outside the land of Israel, to the domain of the Sitra Achra. He went out through the east, the middle line, which includes both lines, right and left, as it is written, “And Jacob went out from Beer-Sheba,” which is Shmita [remission], the Nukva.

From the upper depth—Bina—he took the light that shines and goes to the west. In other words, he took that light which was setting in the west, which is the left line without the right, as it is written, “And went toward Haran,” which is a place where there are Din [judgment] and Haron [anger], the domain of the Sitra Achra. This is so because the illumination of the left without the right is regarded as the Sitra Achra. It wanes and sets until it is completely concealed due to the absence of the light of Hassadim of the right line, for Hochma cannot shine without Hassadim.

It turns out that Rabbi Shimon disagrees with Rabbi Hiya on four matters. 1) “And Jacob went out” is not sunrise, but rather going out from one domain to another. 2) During the exit from the south and the north he was included only with illumination of the left, without the right. 3) Beer-Sheba is not Bina, but rather the complete Nukva when she is attached to the east. 4) Haran is not the Nukva de ZA, but rather the domain of the Sitra Achra.

4) Rabbi Yosi interprets the verse about the exile. In the beginning, light would come down from the upper depth, Bina, and Jacob, who is ZA, would take it and leave, and impart upon Beer-Sheba, which is the Nukva that is built of AVI. Jacob was shining from AVI and complemented that Beer [well] to its perfection. During the exile, he travels from Beer-Sheba and goes to Haran, meaning the Creator’s Haron Af [wrath], which is the degree of evil, Malchut de Klipot. It turns out that he, too, disputes Rabbi Hiya on those four matters.

5) But when the sun, ZA, goes to the west, to the Nukva, the west is called “the place of the sun,” “his throne,” which is the place where the sun is present, as it is written, “And hastens to its place it rises there.” He goes to that place to shine upon it, and he takes all the lights—from the right line and from the left line—and gathers them to him, meaning bestows them upon the Nukva.

6) The Creator, ZA, who wears Tefillin, takes all the upper Ketarim [plural of Keter], which are upper Aba and upper Ima, meaning the Mochin of Hochma and Bina. Those are two portions: “Sanctify unto Me all the first-born,” and “And it shall be when the Lord shall bring you.” “Sanctify” is the Mochin of upper Aba, Hochma. “And it shall be when the Lord shall bring you” is the Mochin of upper Ima, Bina. These are the head Tefillin, GAR de [of] Tefillin, Yod-Hey, called Rosh [head], GAR. And after he took the Mochin de AVI, Yod-Hey, he takes the right and left of Moach ha Daat, which are two portions: “Hear O Israel,” and “And it shall come to pass, if you will hear,” which are the Vav-Hey. By that, ZA takes all the Mochin HB HG, which are the four portions, called “the Tefillin of the Creator.”

By that, Rabbi Hiya proved to Rabbi Shimon that it cannot be said that “And Jacob went out from Beer-Sheba” means that he took only the illumination of the left without right, as Rabbi Shimon says, since Divinity is called “a place” when he imparts upon her from all the lights. But here it is written, “And he came to a certain place,” meaning that Jacob illuminated all the lights to her, and not just the illumination of the left.

By that, he contradicts all the words of Rabbi Shimon because it means that “And Jacob went out” does not mean that he went outside of the domain of Kedusha [holiness] into the domain of the Sitra Achra, as Rabbi Shimon says, but that it is a complete sunrise. After all, he illuminated from all the lights together, which is Kedusha.

Also, Beer-Sheba, Bina, is the source of the east side, which contains all the lights together. And Haran is the Nukva de Kedusha [Nukva of holiness], who receives that perfection, and not the Sitra Achra, according to Rabbi Shimon’s words. It turns out that by that, he refuted all of Rabbi Shimon’s words.

However, in Item 8, below, Rabbi Shimon replies to him that Haran is the foreskin, but afterwards Jacob returned to the Nukva de Kedusha, of whom it is written, “And he came to a certain place.” This settles everything.

7) Tifferet Israel [the glory of Israel], ZA, takes all four Mochin [lights] HB TM. When the assembly of Israel was drawn above to Bina, she takes everyone along with her, too, like ZA, and includes the male world of the Creator, Bina, as well as the female world of the Creator, meaning her own essence. And as all the lights come out from the world of Bina, the world of the Nukva takes them all, as well, since now the Bina is equal to the Nukva because she rose to her and clothed her, and a lower one that rises to a higher one becomes like him.

For this reason, Beer-Sheba is a Yovel [jubilee], Bina, and Beer-Sheba is Shmita [remission], the Nukva, since the lights of Bina and Nukva are the same. This is why they are both called “Beer-Sheba.” Also, this sun shines only from the Yovel. This is why it is written, “And Jacob went out from Beer-Sheba,” meaning Bina, “And went toward Haran,” to the west, which is Shmita, the Nukva, since Beer-Sheba is Bina and Haran is Nukva.

8) But, “And Jacob went out from Beer-Sheba” is west, the year of Shmita, the Nukva, and “And went toward Haran” is a year of foreskin, since he went out of the domain of Kedusha into another domain because he fled from his brother. And when he reached Beit-El, a holy domain, it is written, “And he came to a certain place.” First, Jacob went out of the domain of Kedusha because he took illumination of the left without right. But in the end, he returned to Kedusha and was included in all the lights. And then it is said, “And he came to a certain place.

9) From which place? From the place of ZA, the Nukva.

10) “And he took one of the stones of the place” means that he chose precious stones, good gems, which are twelve high stones, beneath which are twelve thousand chiseled stones, and they are all called “stones.” This is why it is written, “Of the stones of the place,” and not, “The stones of the place,” which is Nukva.

The Nukva is called “a stone.” The degrees in her are called “good stones.” And because she receives from NHY de ZA, which are called “legs,” she is also called Margaliot [gems], from the word Margelotav [at his feet]. And the number twelve implies to Hochma, and ten to Hassadim, indicating to illumination of Hochma because it indicates that she is entirely mitigated in Bina and is fit for reception of the Hochma. Hence, after their inclusion in one another, there are only twelve Sefirot, Hochma, Bina, and Tifferet in each of her four Sefirot HB TM, and her own essence is missing because it was mitigated in Bina.

This is why they are four times three, which are twelve, and four times four, which are sixteen. And this is Solomon’s sea, which stands on twelve oxen. While the Nukva receives illumination of Hochma, she is called “a sea.” At that time, she stands on only twelve Sefirot, called “oxen,” meaning three to each direction and not four.

Also, her illuminations, which reach the worlds from Atzilut down, are also regarded as twelve. And since they are considered Hochma, they are thousands. Hence, they are twelve thousand stones.

And with respect to the illumination of Hassadim that dresses the Hochma, they are regarded as tens of thousands because ten thousand is Riboh [myriad], which indicates to illumination of Hassadim within which is Hochma. When they travel through the Masach below the Atzilut, they are carved off and become separated from the light of Atzilut, due to the Masach that ends the world of Atzilut. Below them, under the twelve stones in Nukva de Atzilut, there are twelve thousand and tens of thousands of chiseled stones, since the illuminations of Hochma is twelve thousand and the illuminations of Hassadim are tens of thousands.

Also, they are carved because they went through the Masach de Atzilut, which carves and separates them from Atzilut. They are all called “stones”: they are twelve degrees in her, herself, and they are her illuminations, which extend from her, twelve thousand and tens of thousands, and they are all called “stones.” This is why it is written, “Of the stones of the place,” to indicate that he took only those twelve stones that are in her, herself.

11) “And put it under his head,” of that place, the Nukva. “Under his head” refers to the four heads of the world, the four directions—south, north, east, and west, HB TM. It is written, “And from there it parted and became four heads.” He gave three stones to the north direction, three to the west direction, three to the south direction, and three to the east direction. And that place stands over them to be corrected in them, as it is written, “It stood upon twelve oxen.”

12) “And lay down in that place.” “Lay down” has the letters, VeYesh [there are] Chaf-Bet [twenty-two], which are twelve gems below, on which the Nukva stands, indicating to the Hochma in her. And all those degrees, which are on that place, are ten Sefirot, and this number indicates to the illumination of Hassadim in her. Thus, they are twenty-two, which implies to her perfection in both Hochma and Hassadim, since the bed has been corrected in twenty-two, ShaChav Ba [Hebrew: “laid in it,” but also, “That contains 22”]. Who laid in it? It is the sun, ZA. This is why it is written about Jacob, who is ZA, “And sat upon the bed,” since she is fit for him and for none other because she is the Nukva de ZA. This is why, “And [he] lay down in that place.” And it is written about that, “The sun rises and the sun sets.”

Seven Havalim

13) “The sun rises and the sun sets.” What did King Solomon see, that the beginning of his book of wisdom is with the rising and the setting of the sun? King Solomon established his book on seven Havalim [Hevel means “breath vapor,” as well as “vanity,” “futility”] on which the world stands. These are the pillars and ledges that form the existence of the world, and this is why they are called Havalim. As the body cannot exist without Hevel, the world exists only on Havalim [plural of Hevel]. There are seven of them, as it is written, “Hevel Havalim [Vanity of vanities] says Kohelet; Hevel Havalim [Vanity of vanities], all is Hevel [vanity],” thus seven Havalim.

The speech, which is the Nukva, consists of voice and Hevel [breath vapor]. The Hevel is the root of the voice, and the voice is the root of the speech. This is why they are considered NRN. Hevel, the Neshama, is the root of the Ruach. The voice, Ruach, is the root of the Nefesh, which is called “speech.” The seven Havalim are ZAT de Bina, which is called Neshama. They are clothed in ZAT de ZA, called Ruach, and within ZAT de Nukva, which is called Nefesh. And she is also called “world.”

The seven Havalim are seven Neshamot [plural of Neshama, soul] within the seven Sefirot, HGT NHYM of the world, which is the Nukva. HGT are called “pillars” and NHYM are called “ledges.”

14) Thus, are they the good gems that the world stands on? After all, in another place, it is written that they are the ruin of the world, as it is written, “This is Hevel [vanity], and it is an evil disease ... and striving after wind.” However, although these seven holy Havalim are the sustenance of the world, opposite them are seven Havalim from which all the Dinim [judgments] in the world come out and spread to punish people and to correct them so they will walk on the right path. They are called, “Hevel that an evil disease is in it,” Hevel which is an evil spirit. And they are the sustenance of the world for it is because of them that people walk on the straight path, fearing the Creator. Hence, many evil Havalim extend from the seven Havalim of Kedusha, since they, too, are the sustenance of the world.

15) The reason that the book begins with the words, “The sun rises and the sun sets” is that it is the Hevel that sustains the world, to bring man into the high faith of the Creator, to be rewarded with the upper Mochin de Bina, the high faith of the Creator. Hence, anything that is below that degree, below the sun, is not of faith, not of Kedusha [holiness]. This is why it is written that there is no profit for man in all his labor under the sun, since we must not cling below it.

There are seven holy Havalim and seven evil Havalim. Their root is the left line of YESHSUT, which is in dispute with the right line in it, at which time the lights in it are concealed and are made what is written, “Vanity and striving after wind.” And because YESHSUT is ZAT de Bina, meaning HGT NHYM, there are seven lights here, which were ruined and became seven Havalim, and their correction is through the ascent of the voice, ZA, to YESHSUT, who sentenced between the two lines and separated them so that the left would shine from below upwards, and the right from above downwards. By that, it kept both of them and the seven Havalim became seven lights once more.

With the elicitation of the left line to shine without right, everything became Hevel. Afterwards, with the ascent of the voice—the middle line that sustained both of them—the seven Havalim became seven lights once more. These seven lights are all the Mochin de Hochma, which are called “sight,” that appear to the lower ones. And this is why Solomon said about them, “All things have I seen in the days of my vanity,” since in the Havalim [vanity], all the Mochin of sight appeared to him.

This is so because these seven Havalim clothe in the seven Sefirot of the voice, and both of them are in the seven Sefirot of the speech, which is the Nukva, who is called “world.” In her is the place of disclosure of these Havalim, which became the seven lights of vision, and in them is the world sustained.

Solomon made three books, corresponding to the three lines: The Song of Songs is an interpretation of the right line, Hesed; Ecclesiastes [Kohelet] is an interpretation to the left line, Gevura; and Proverbs is an interpretation to the middle line, Tifferet.

All the lights of the left line are in the seven Havalim, as it is written, “All things have I seen in the days of my vanity.” Thus, the whole of the book, Ecclesiastes, clarifies those seven Havalim, the good, as well as the bad because it is a clarification of the left line.

All the corrections of the seven Havalim are through the middle line, ZA, who is called “voice,” “sun.” By separating the illumination of the right line and the left line so that the illumination of Hochma in the left will not shine from above downwards but from below upwards, the illumination of both lines persists. Then the seven Havalim become lights and Neshamot to the Nukva once more, and the world persists, since she receives the great Mochin called “sustenance.”

Everything that is done under the sun, anyone who extends the illumination of Hochma below the sun—from above downwards, which is not the work of the Creator—turns the light into Hevel by this extension. This is the breaking of the wind, as it is written, “Vanity and striving after wind.” However, the work of the Creator raises the light above the sun, extending the light from below upwards, from the sun and above, not from the sun and below. At that time, holy Hevel is made of it because it turns into light and becomes a Neshama to the Nukva, and the world exists.

The sun is the Hevel that sustains the world, becoming a Neshama to the Nukva, who is called “world.” He is the correction of all the seven Havalim. After the sun, ZA, sentenced between the two lines in YESHSUT—right and left—in the three that come out of one, and he, too, received them in the one that is rewarded with all three, the sun extends the three lines in Bina one at a time.

First, “The sun rises” from Bina, YESHSUT, which is the right line, light of Hassadim. Afterwards, he extends the left line from there, “And the sun sets,” becoming dark because everything is vanity. After that, he reveals his own self, the middle line, to unite the right and the left in one another and to separate between them so the right will shine from above downwards and the left only from below upwards. It is written about that, “And hastens to its place,” meaning hastening and shining to his exit place from below upwards. At that time, the Hevel becomes light and Neshama to the Nukva, world, once more, and the sun is the Hevel that sustains the world. This is what the text clarifies, “It rises there.” In this way, it shines once more because the Hevel has become light again.

For this reason, everything that extends from the sun downwards is not by faith and by holiness. It is written, “What profit does man have in all his work, which he does under the sun,” since below this degree, one must not extend and adhere, for then the light will become vanity and striving after wind once more. And the meaning of the words is that no profit is left for one who extends below the sun, and anything that he extends below the sun is bad, for it will all be ruined and will become vanity.

16) The sun in the moon, meaning ZA in Zivug with the Nukva, are one, without separation. And although the moon is below the sun, since the Nukva is below the degree of ZA, still, during the Zivug it is all sun without separation, since then the moon, too, is considered part of the sun because spiritual adhesion means equivalence of form. This is why she can receive the Hochma from the sun, ZA, and is not regarded as lower than the sun. If, however, he extends the Hochma below the sun, which are ZA and his Nukva, everything becomes vanity and striving after wind, meaning Klipa, damager, and it is forbidden to adhere to him.

The Brightness of the Illuminating Mirror

17) “And Jacob went out”: In the hidden entanglement and out of the hidden concealment, the brightness of the illuminating mirror comes out, comprising two colors that unite. Since they are included in one another, all the colors are seen in it. Also, it is called “crimson” and all the visions of the lights are included in it. In other words, as the crimson color is the mingling of many colors, all the lights are included in the brightness of the illuminating mirror.

All the Mochin emerge by an order of three points—Holam, Shuruk, Hirik. In the beginning, the ending Malchut rises to Bina and the three lower Kelim fall. Those are the three letters ELEH [Aleph-Lamed-Hey] of Elokim, and the three upper lights—Neshama, Haya, Yechida—depart her and she remains in the level of Ruach, in the two Kelim MI [Mem-Yod] de Elokim.

This level of Ruach that remained is Yod that entered that Ohr [light] and became Avir [air], meaning Ruach [wind]. This light that remains is called “illumination of Holam,” and this Yod that entered the light of Bina and made it into Avir is regarded as an entanglement. This indicates that the light of Bina has become entangled in ties that must be untied, for the Yod must be brought down from the Avir and be brought back to the light as before. When the Malchut is lowered from Bina to her place and the three letters ELEH that fell from her rise once more and reconnect to the degree of Bina, the ten Kelim and GAR of lights return and are completed.

The return of the three letters ELEH to the Bina and the descent of the Yod from the Avir is called “illumination of the Shuruk.” With this elicitation of the Shuruk, concealing of lights occurred because the Hochma cannot shine without Hassadim until the middle line comes, meaning ZA, determines, and unites the two lines, Mem-Yod Aleph-Lamed-Hey and the light of Hochma is mingled with Hassadim, and the light of Hassadim with Hochma, and their illumination is completed.

Before the arrival of the middle line to unite them in one another, the two lines are considered blocked. This is because the right line, MI, has the Yod that entered the Ohr [light] and it is still Avir [air], and for this reason it is considered a hidden entanglement, whose entanglement has not been opened yet. And the left line, ELEH—in whom the Yod has already descended from the Avir and the entanglement has been opened—is still in concealment of the light because it is darkness and does not shine for lack of Hassadim. It is regarded as a “concealed hideout.”

It turns out that with the coming of the middle line, which unites them in one another and completes them, the middle line removes the hidden entanglement from the right line because now it is included in the illumination of the left and the Yod descends from the Avir, from the right line, too, and becomes light, like the left. And the middle line, too, removes the hidden concealment from the left line because now the left line is included in the Hassadim in illumination of the right, and when the Hochma is clothed in Hassadim, it shines in complete perfection.

However, this does not occur at once. Instead, it first complements the right line with its own essence, without mingling with the left, which brings the Yod down from his light, repelling the illumination of the left and ordaining the Hassadim in the illumination of the right. And since he prefers the Hassadim on the right to the illumination of Hochma on the left, by that, the Hassadim are included in all the merit that is in the illumination of the left.

It turns out that on the one hand, he did not lower the Yod from the Avir in the right line whatsoever and it is still Avir, meaning Hassadim without Hochma, but on the other hand, the Hassadim are now considered Rosh and GAR, since they are preferable and more important to him than the illumination of GAR in the left.

However, this Rosh is not an actual Rosh because the Yod has yet to descend from his Avir. For this reason, he is called “the Rosh [head] of faith,” since the light of Hassadim is called “faith.” And because he is the Rosh only with respect to Hassadim, he is called “the Rosh of faith.”

But later, the second mingling of the right and left occurred, the right was actually included in the left and the Yod descended from the Avir of the right line, and the left was included in the right. Thus, now it, too, shines like the right, though from below upwards. This mingling is regarded as an actual Rosh because his entanglement has already been opened, as well as those two degrees—the first being Jacob and the second being Israel, which is the letters Li
Rosh [a head (Rosh) for me]. Also, there are three kinds of mingling of right and left: the first mingling is Jacob, and the second and third are Israel.

18) Within that brightness, there is HaVaYaH, GAR. The name is only on the illumination of the right, whose entanglement has not been opened and it is completely unknown. It is not on the left whatsoever, even though its entanglement has already been opened, meaning that it’s Yod has already departed its Avir and it is known. This brightness is called “the voice of Jacob” and it is not called “a great voice.” The light of GAR de Bina, called “the faith of all,” appears in this brightness, since these Hassadim are GAR, like the Hassadim of GAR de Bina.

That hidden one who is not known at all—the hidden entanglement in the illumination of the right, in which there is the name HaVaYaH—is complete on all sides. This is so because the upper and lower, Bina and the Nukva, are here and are included in this brightness. This is the reason why he is considered the senior patriarch, since he consists of all the sides.

Even though the illumination of the left is known because the Yod was lowered from the Avir of Bina, meaning that Malchut was lowered from the Bina and the Bina returned to being light of GAR, this corrects only the upper one, Bina. But the lower one, Malchut, does not receive any correction from that. This is not so with the brightness of the illumination of the right, whose Hassadim were made GAR and the name HaVaYaH is in it. Even though it is not known at all, and although the Malchut is still in Bina, by that, the lower one has been corrected, too, meaning the Malchut that is in Bina. It is equal to the upper one herself and HaVaYaH is equally on both of them there.

This degree is the Mochin of Jacob, and this is why Jacob is considered the senior among the patriarchs. Abraham and Isaac do not reach the Malchut to correct her because they are the two lines—right and left—and both govern and both are considered known, where the Yod has departed the Avir of Bina and left Ohr [light]. Yet, this correction does not reach the Malchut herself.

But Jacob’s degree, whose GAR are GAR de Hassadim and are regarded as not known at all, this correction reaches Malchut just as it reaches Bina. For this reason, Jacob is considered the senior among the patriarchs.

Because of the sorting out of that name, this brightness of the degree of Jacob—whose correction reaches Malchut, too—is called “the senior one among the patriarchs,” as it is written, “Jacob, whom I have chosen.”

Also, he is called by two names, Jacob and Israel. In the beginning he is called Jacob, when he ordains only the right line. But later, when he sustains the illumination of both of them—when Hochma, too, shines after she is included in Hassadim—he is called by the name Israel.

19) In beginning, before he went out to Haran, he was at the end of this thought. This is the interpretation to the written Torah, and it is called “the oral Torah,” the Nukva. Thought means Bina. End of thought is the Nukva when she is mitigated in Bina. For this reason, she is called a Be’er [well], meaning a Be’ur [interpretation] of the seven, Bina, which interprets and reveals the Hochma [wisdom] in her, as it is written, “And was he seven years in building it.” Also, the first Temple is Bina. When the Nukva receives Hochma from Bina, she is considered “a loud voice,” and not the voice of Jacob, which is Hassadim.

20) The end of this thought is Beer-Sheba. And Jacob, who was in this Beer-Sheba, attained the Rosh [head] of faith by that, meaning GAR de Hassadim. Since Jacob clung to this faith, to GAR de Hassadim, he had to be tested in the same place where his fathers were tested, who went in there in peace and came out in peace.

The first degree of Mochin de Haya is received only as a test, as with Abraham, who was not ordered by the Creator to go down to Egypt, but the hunger pushed him. Since he adhered to this faith, to GAR de Hassadim, the degree of Neshama, he still had to obtain the degree of Haya. He had to be tried in the same place where his fathers were tried, who entered in peace and came out in peace, since the degree of Haya is received only through a trial.

21) Adam ha Rishon entered with a trial—the serpent provoked him and he was not vigilant. He was seduced by a wife of harlotry, which is the primordial serpent. Noah entered with a test, and he was not vigilant; he was seduced by a wife of harlotry, and sinned. Abraham went in there and came out, as it is written, “And Abram went down into Egypt,” and it is written, “And Abram went up out of Egypt.” Isaac went in there and came out, as it is written, “And Isaac went unto Abimelech,” and it is written, “And he went up from there to Beer-Sheba.”

22) With Jacob, because he entered at the degree of faith, light of Neshama, the overpowering of the illumination of the right, he had to bring a gift to that side, as well, to ordain the illumination of the left, as well, meaning the degree of Haya. This is done only through a trial, since anyone who is saved from there, who endures the test, is the Creator’s loved one and chosen one.

It is written, “And Jacob went out of Beer-Sheba,” which is faith, the right line, “And went toward Haran,” which is the left side, where the wife of harlotry clings, an adulterous woman. However, there are many divisions in those five trials—the tree of knowledge, the intoxicating wine, Egypt, Philistines, Haran—by which Adam ha Rishon, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were tried. However, their root is one: the extension of Hochma from above downwards, which is called “a wife of harlotry.”

SAM and a Woman of Harlotry

23) One form comes out of the strength of the light of Isaac, who is Kedusha [holiness], and the yeast of the wine, which are Klipot. It consists of good and evil, male and female mingled together. It is as red as a rose and spreads to several sides and ways, for it contains many discernments.

The illumination of Isaac—the wine that delights God and people—is illumination of Hochma, which shines only from below upwards. If one drinks wine profusely, meaning extends from above downwards, it is as it is written, “If he is not rewarded it is bad.” This is so because Malchut de Tzimtzum Aleph [Malchut of the first restriction] appears and all the lights depart.

This Malchut is called “wine-yeast,” as it is written, “And he drank of the wine, and was drunken,” since he drank more than the measure. And then, “He was uncovered within his tent,” since the wine-yeast had been revealed.

It is written that the male and female of impurity came out of the light of Isaac, the rejoicing wine, and from the wine-yeast, meaning from the disclosure of Malchut de Tzimtzum Aleph, which caused all the lights to depart, meaning because they were assembled together like wine that is full of yeast. The male is called SAM, and his female is always included in him. As ZON are included in one another in Katnut of the side of Kedusha, in the Sitra Achra, too, the male and female are included in one another. The female of SAM is called “a serpent,” “a woman of harlotry,” “the end of all flesh,” and “the end of days.”

24) Two evil spirits cling together. The male’s illumination of Ruach is thin, meaning VAK without Rosh. The Ruach of the female is made clear in many ways and paths because it is a complete Partzuf—Rosh and Guf—because in the Klipa, the female is greater than the male. She clings to the Ruach of the male and adorns herself with many ornaments like a loathsome whore who stands at the beginnings of roads and ways to seduce people. This teaches that she needs only those who begin to walk on the path of God, who might fall into her trap. It is considered that she stands at the beginning of the roads of the work of God. However, with those who are accustomed to the ways of the Creator, the whore departs from them and has no control over them.

25) She holds and kisses the fool who approaches her, pouring him wine filled with yeast, with the venom of cobras. And when he drinks, he fornicates after her. After she sees that he is fornicating after her and has strayed from the path of truth, she strips of all those corrections with which she was corrected before that fool.

26) These are her corrections to seduce people: Her hair is fixed, as red as a rose. Her face is white and red. Six corrections of colored linens of Egypt are hanging in her ears. All the forces of the Eastern land hang down from her neck. Her mouth is corrected with a slight and narrow gap, beautiful in her corrections. The tongue, like a sharp sword. Her words are as smooth as oil. Her lips are beautiful, as red as a rose and sweeter than any sweetness in the world. She is dressed in crimson and fixed with forty corrections minus one.

27) The fool follows her and drinks from the cup of her wine, and fornicates and whores with her. And what does she do? She leaves him sleeping in his bed and rises up to slander about him, and there she receives permission to kill him, and she comes down to him. Now she has already removed the corrections from herself, and has become a mighty tyrant standing before him, dressed in a garment of blazing fire, dreadful and terrifying to the body and the soul. He is filled with terrible eyes, a sharp sword in his hands, bitter drops hang off that sword, and he kills that fool and throws him to Hell.

The tree of knowledge, the intoxicating wine, and the woman of harlotry are all one, extension of illumination of the left from above downwards. The Nukva is the tree of knowledge of good and evil because she has two points within her—Miftacha and Man’ula. And when it is said that if he is rewarded it is good, it means that he is going by the middle line, extending illumination of Hochma in the left only from below upwards. At that time the point of Man’ula in the Nukva de ZA, Midat ha Din [quality of judgment] is concealed, and the point of Midat ha Rachamim [quality of mercy] is revealed and imparts abundance upon the lower ones. This is considered that the man is attached to ZON de Kedusha and the wine that he drinks, the Mochin of the left, he drinks within measure, delighting God and people.

But if he is not rewarded, it is bad. This is because if he enhances the left line and extends its illumination from above downwards, the point of Man’ula, Midat ha Din, appears in the Nukva de ZA and the lights of life depart him, as it is written, “For dust you are, and unto dust shall you return.” This is considered that a person clung to a woman of harlotry and drank the intoxicating wine, meaning drank more than the measure, since he extended illumination of the left from above downwards. At that time, the yeast within the wine appear, meaning the point of Midat ha Din, and the wine became a cup of poison for him, since the yeast put him to death.

The Creator wished to test the righteous so that they would be rewarded with the great Mochin. This is why it is written, “God has made one even with the other,” giving the Merkava [structure] of impurity almost everything that exists in Kedusha [holiness], so they would have the strength to entice people to follow them. By that, He made the eleven corrections to the woman of harlotry, so she would have the strength to seduce people. It is as it is written about the tree of knowledge, “And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise. And she took of its fruit, and ate.” Without those corrections in the tree of knowledge, which entice the heart, she would not have eaten.

The eleven corrections are as it is written, “Curtains of goats ... eleven curtains.” Those are the hair, face, ears, back of the neck, mouth, tongue, words, lips, sweetness, clothing, and forty corrections minus one. All those came to her from the Nukva de Kedusha, as it is written, “I shall be filled with her that is laid waste,” for Tyre [Tzor] was built only on the ruin of Jerusalem.

The first correction: Her hair is fixed, as red as a rose. The red color of the hair indicates illumination of Hochma from the left, which is called “red.” This is so because Hochma is called “vision,” and the colors are obtained by the sense of sight, Hochma. The red color is the most important color; this is why it is seen from afar.

The second correction: Her face is white and red. The white color points to illumination of Hassadim, and the red color to illumination of Hochma. It is known that the whole perfection in Hochma is in its joining with the illumination of Hassadim. This is why there was a correction in her face of blending Hochma with Hassadim, and this is the whole beauty in the Nukva, which entices the heart.

The third correction: Six corrections of colored linens of Egypt are hanging in her ears. The ears are Bina. The linens of Egypt are Hochma, as it is written, “And I will destroy the wisdom of Egypt.” However, the root of this Hochma is in Bina that returned to Hochma, and not Hochma de Ohr Yashar. Its root is the river Pishon, which stretches out of Eden—which is Bina that returns to Hochma and not actual Hochma. This is why they are hanging on her ears, which are Bina. Six corrections were made for her from this linen of Egypt, corresponding to HGT NHY, but the seventh correction, which corresponds to Malchut, is missing due to the concealing of Malchut de Tzimtzum Aleph in the Nukva de Kedusha, which is called Man’ula [lock], as it is written, “If he is rewarded, it is good.”

The fourth correction: All the forces of the Eastern land hang down from her neck. The forces of the Eastern land are ancient wisdom [In Hebrew, “east” also means “ancient”], this is why they are called “eastern,” Hochma de Ohr Yashar. The wisdom of Egypt extends from Bina that turned into Hochma, and the wisdom [Hochma] of the people of the east extends from ancient wisdom.

The neck is the place of darkness in the Partzuf, as opposed to the Panim [face/anterior], which is the most lit place in the Partzuf, since the ancient Hochma is drawn from the concealed Hochma de AA. This Hochma was concealed and does not shine at all, and any illumination of Hochma that shines in the worlds is only from Bina that returned to Hochma. Hence, this place is in the dark. Accordingly, the correction of the forces of the land of the east is in her neck.

The fifth correction: Her mouth is corrected with a slight and narrow gap, beautiful in her corrections. The Peh [mouth] is Malchut de Rosh [Malchut of the head]. There is a gape, when Malchut is unmitigated, and then the opening is not in Hochma. But if the opening is only a gap, from Malchut that is mitigated in Bina, the opening is in Hochma. This is why a correction of a thin gap was made in her, which is an opening in Hochma, so she would be in illumination of Hochma.

The sixth correction: The tongue is like a sharp sword to entice people.

The seventh correction: Her words are as smooth as oil. Her words are as smooth as oil; hence, her power is great to lure people after her.

The eighth correction: Her lips are beautiful, as red as a rose. The ruddiness points to the strength of the illumination of the left.

The ninth correction: She is sweeter than any sweetness in the world. The light of vision, illumination of Hochma, is sweet, as it is written, “How sweet is the light to the eye.”

The tenth correction: She is dressed in crimson. The crimson color comprises all four colors—white, red, green, and black.

The eleventh correction: She is fixed with forty corrections minus one. There are ten Sefirot in each of the four colors HB TM. However, in the ten Sefirot of Malchut, Malchut de Malchut is missing because she is unfit for reception of light, as in Malchut de Kedusha. This is why it is forty minus one.

All those eleven corrections of the woman of harlotry are completely similar to the correction of the Nukva de Kedusha because they are taken from her, as it is written, “I shall be filled with her that is laid waste,” meaning that Tyre, Malchut de Klipa, woman of harlotry, is built only on the ruins of Jerusalem, Malchut de Kedusha, and vice versa. Also, there is nothing between them except in their end, since one who clings to the Nukva de Kedusha rises degree by degree until “Your end will increase greatly,” and one who falls into the trap of a woman of harlotry is in, “But its end are the ways of death.”

Tyre is built only on the ruin of Jerusalem. This applies in general and in particular in every single person. When one leaves Kedusha and clings to the Sitra Achra, all the bounty and all the degrees that he had had in his root in the structure of Kedusha move to the structure of the degrees of the Sitra Achra and she is filled from the ruin of the Kedusha. You should also know that a man clings either to Kedusha or to the Sitra Achra, and one does not touch the other even as a hair’s breadth. When one turns to want the ways of the Sitra Achra, Kedusha immediately departs, even before he takes any action, and the Sitra Achra takes her place, inheriting all the bounty and the degree that he had had in Kedusha. It is written about it, “Who is a fool? He who loses what he is given.”

But one does not commit a transgression unless he is permeated by folly. Yet, how can folly permeate him while he has not sinned and he is attached to Kedusha? After all, one does not touch the other even as a hair’s breadth. But since his heart leans toward sin even before he sins, the Kedusha has already departed him and he lost all the degrees he had had in Kedusha, and the folly of the Sitra Achra has clothed in him. After that, he makes the actual sin. Yet, before folly has clothed in him, he cannot actually sin.

The Zohar says that one who adheres to a woman of harlotry is a fool. It says that the fool follows her. This teaches us that even while he is walking, before he has sinned, Kedusha promptly departs him, and all the degrees he was rewarded with in Kedusha have moved to the woman of harlotry, from which all eleven corrections were made. Once the folly has clothed in him and he becomes a fool, it is possible for him to commit an actual sin. This is why The Zohar names him “a fool.”

You should know that all those actions that The Zohar brings before us extend from one another by mandatory cause and consequence, reason and result. This is so because after he desires the Sitra Achra, which is the first step, which was only coveting and a desire, and not an actual action—when he only follows her—he comes to the second act, when he can already sin by the force of the clothing of folly.

However, in the beginning, when he drinks of her cup of wine, he still drinks wine in measure, similar to Kedusha. Yet, a third action extends from that, and he fornicates with her and whores after her, pulling the intoxicating wine from the left without right, extending more than the measure. This is considered committing adultery with a woman of harlotry.

And from here to the fourth action: She leaves him sleeping in his bed, since due to the illumination of the left without right, all his lights were concealed and he fell into slumber.

And from here to the fifth action: She rises and slanders him, and there she receives permission to kill him and she goes down to him. This means that she rises up and discloses his iniquity. By that, she receives permission to kill him, by uncovering the Malchut of Midat ha Din [quality of judgment] over him, for which all the lights of life depart.

And from here to the sixth action: That fool awakens and wishes to laugh with her as before, since the disclosure of Midat ha Din awakens him from his sleep. And before he realizes what has happened, he wishes to laugh with her as before.

And from here to the seventh action: She has already stripped from the corrections because once Malchut of Midat ha Din has been exposed, all the lights and corrections that she had from Malchut of Midat ha Rachamim [quality of mercy] promptly depart her.

And from here to the eighth action: She becomes a mighty tyrant standing in front of him. This is so because as long as her corrections were on her, she was from the Klipa of the right, since adultery is from the Klipa of the right. But now that she has regretted all the corrections because Malchut de Midat ha Din appeared in her, she is inverted from the Klipa of the right and becomes the Klipa of the left, the quality of murdering.

And you should know that in the beginning of its surfacing, Malchut de Midat ha Din does not have the measure of putting a man to death. Rather, she must appear over a person many times until the accumulation of them together puts a man to death. This is why they said that the sick is sentenced many times while dying. It is the assemblage of all the elements that bring Malchut de Midat ha Din to a sufficient measure so as to kill.

There are two primary causes:

The first step is when the fool follows her, when he craves the ways of the Sitra Achra’. This is regarded as the evil eye because coveting depends on the eye, since the eye sees and the heart covets. This is why it was said, “filled with terrible eyes,” the accumulation of all the lusts of the Sitra Achra throughout his life. It is as they said, “The angel of death is full of eyes, as it is written, “ninety-nine die of evil eye.”
All the other actions that expose the work of God and are included under the name “sharp sword.” The word Herev [sword] comes from the word Hurban [destruction], destroying the structure of Kedusha and enhancing the structure of the Klipot. This is why it was said, “A sharp sword in his hands,” from gathering the rest of the actions. Also, the accumulation of Midat ha Din to a measure that is enough to kill is regarded as “bitter drops that hang on that sword.” It kills that fool and throws him to Hell, since that sword caused the accumulation to a measure of Midat ha Din called “bitter drops,” since those drops put that fool to death and throw him to hell.

28) Jacob went down to a woman of harlotry and went to her place, as it is written, “And went toward Haran,” which is wrath and Dinim [judgments]. He saw there all the corrections of her house, he was saved from her and returned to the land of Israel.

Her male, SAM, was angered that he was saved from her and he went down to fight him. But he could not prevail over him, as it is written, “And a man wrestled with him.” Then he was saved from all of them and was completed in perfection and rose in a complete degree, the degree of Haya, and was named Israel, from the letters Li Rosh [a head to me].

At that time, he rose to the highest degree, was completed in everything, and became the middle pillar. It is written about him, “And the middle bar in the midst of the boards, which shall pass through from end to end.” This is so because prior to that, while he was in the degree of Jacob, he leaned toward the right and did not have an actual Rosh, but only the Rosh of faith. But now that he has been tried in Haran and in SAM and was saved from them, he was rewarded with the degree of Haya where the middle line sustains the illumination of both lines and leans neither to the right nor to the left. And then he has an actual Rosh, he is called “Israel,” and he is considered the middle pillar, which sustains the illumination of both lines.

And Jacob Went Out from Beer-Sheba

30) The people of the world, the upper one’s loved ones, the government’s chosen. The Zohar invites those who have been rewarded with the illumination of the three lines, who are called “the people of the world” from the perspective of the illumination of the middle line, since ZA, the middle line, is called “world.” From the perspective of the illumination of the right line, they are called “the upper one’s loved ones.” And from the perspective of the illumination of the left line, they are called “the government’s chosen,” who have been chosen to rule over the world, since the ruling force is from the left line.

“Come near and listen. Who among you is wise, with eyes in sapience,” meaning with Hochma in Tevuna, since eyes are an appellation for Hochma, and not Hochma de Ohr Yashar. “...Let him come and know: when the white head,” Atik, “took three letters and carved in engravings, Aleph, Yod, Nun, and Ain [naught] was carved.”

Aleph is the Rosh that is higher than all, more hidden than anything that is hidden, Rosh de AA.

Yod is the ascent of the desire that was perfected from Rosh de AA upwards, and descended to ZON upon its perfection. It went out from Rosh de AA and elicited thirty-two paths when it returned and entered Rosh AA until they were carved among the blazing precious stones, the Masach de Hirik, since Masachim are called “stones.”

They were tied in the letter Nun, the mingling of male and female, two lovers. A strong knot was perfected in them and the Holy name Yod-Hey Vav-Hey was tied in them. From them, nourishments extend to all, and the worlds, which are ZON, were perfected.

All the Mochin extend in three sowings, Holam, Shuruk, Hirik, which are considered engravings. AA is considered the upper Rosh, above all the degrees of ABYA, since Atik is not regarded as Rosh, but only as AA, and not as the degrees below AA because it is from Tzimtzum Aleph. Only AA is the first to receive the Tzimtzum Bet within him, meaning the ascent of Malchut to his Bina. For this reason, he is more hidden than all that are hidden because all the worlds could not receive from him, himself, for he is ancient Hochma that was concealed, and the lower ones receive only from his Bina through her exit from Rosh AA and her return to him. This Bina is the letter Yod, which contains four Partzufim within it, AVI and YESHSUT.

Yod is the ascent of the desire. The ascent of the desire, which is the ascent of Malchut to Bina, was in Yod. It received its perfection from the Rosh above, the Rosh of AA, and descended along with this perfection that she had received, imparting it to ZON below.

But how did Bina receive above and impart below? Bina went outside the Rosh de AA and elicited thirty-two paths. Through the ascent of Malchut to Rosh de AA, Bina and TM went outside of the Rosh de AA into a Guf, VAK without a Rosh, and only Keter and Hochma remained in Rosh de AA. Also, Bina and TM of the ten Sefirot of Bina descended into ZON, and Bina remained with KH de Kelim and VAK of lights.

Afterwards, at the time of Gadlut, AA brought Bina back to his Rosh and Bina brought Bina and TM that fell into ZON back to her degree. And ZON, too, came with Bina and TM to the degree of Bina because they were attached to them. At that time, Bina is thirty-two paths: her own ten Sefirot and twenty-two letters, being the Kelim de ZON that rose to her. It follows that by her elicitation outside the Rosh of AA, she lowered Bina and TM from her ten Sefirot and they clung to ZON. For this reason, during the Gadlut, ZON rose with those Bina and TM to Bina, and became thirty-two paths. By her exit from Rosh de AA, she educed thirty-two discernments within her, thirty-two paths: ten of her own and twenty-two from ZON.

Keter and Hochma that remained in Bina during her departure are the letters Mem-Yod of Elokim, the point of Holam, the right line. Bina and TM of Bina, which she brought back with ZON at the time of Gadlut, are the letters Aleph-Lamed-Hey, the point of Shuruk, the left line, which returned and completed the name Elokim. Due to the absence of a garment of honor to Hochma, the name Elokim was concealed and Hochma cannot shine until it is clothed in a garment of honor that shines, meaning a garment of Hassadim, and then it shines.

Until they were carved among the blazing stones of honor means that stones are a Masach in the ZON that rose into Bina. Once Bina elicits the level of Hassadim on this Masach in ZON, her two lines—right and left—conjoin, the Hochma clothes in Hassadim, they come out from the Masach de ZON, and become a garment of honor for her, which shines. This is why the Masach is called “stones of honor.”

And he says “blazing” because in relation to Bina, this Masach contains Dinim, as it is Masach de Behina Aleph. They connect to the letter Nun, which is mingling of male and female, two lovers, which are ZON, since because the two lines of Bina were concealed before she mated on Masach de ZON, and through the Masach de ZON they opened to shine, by that they connected in ZON.

A strong tie was perfected in ZON that are included in the letter Nun, since the Hochma in Bina cannot shine without them, without the garment of honor that she receives from the Zivug on their Masach. Also, the Holy Name Yod-Hey Vav-Hey connects through them because Yod-Hey is Bina, where Yod is GAR de Bina that are clothed within upper AVI, and Hey is ZAT de Bina that are clothed inside YESHSUT. They are tied in the letters Vav-Hey, which are ZON, since Yod-Hey cannot shine if not through them.

Nourishments are extended to all through them because through the connecting of Yod-Hey in Vav-Hey, abundant provisions are available for all, whether Hochma or Hassadim. By that, ZON, who are called “worlds,” were perfected because the lower one who causes additional light to the upper one is rewarded with all that measure that he induced upon the upper one, as well. Thus, ZON were perfected, Nun, in Mochin de Bina.

31) This is why a stretched Nun [] was carved, the inclusion of male and female, ZON. This is so because a bent Nun [] is only the Nukva, without the male, which is Yod, meaning the desire, Bina, which emitted thirty-two paths. It struck between the letters, meaning in the twenty-two letters, which are ZON, until the blazing stones of honor were carved, and he made the firmament, Jacob, the middle line, between the two directions—south and north, right line and left line. And he cast a connection between the pieces, the MI and ELEH that were cut in the middle and became right and left that deny one another. But now they reunited through a Zivug de Hakaa on the Masach de Hirik that elicited the middle line.

By that, three lines came out in the middle line itself, until Jacob came down to the bent Nun [], the Nukva, and his two lines conjoined as one. By that the Nukva was built and was made fit for a Zivug. Afterwards, Jacob and the Nukva conjoined as one and became the letter stretched Nun [], which includes Jacob and Nukva.

The bent Nun, the Nukva, which is included in the stretched Nun, is called Beer-Sheba. It is filled with Jacob so as to water all the herds of the flock, meaning to bestow upon the lower ones. It is written, “And Jacob went out from Beer-Sheba and went toward Haran.” Jacob was attached to the bent Nun together in the stretched Nun. In this bonding, the bent Nun is called Beer-Sheba. It is written that he went out of this bonding with Beer-Sheba and went to Haran, which is left and wrath.

From Beer-Sheba means upwards, to Bina, since he comes out from her and receives his abundance. Afterwards, he goes to water Haran, the well below, the Nukva where the Dinim are called “the wrath of the Creator,” and “the Creator’s sword”—in which there is the Din of the courthouse, called Elokim. This is why it is written after the name Elokim, “God [Elokim], the nations have invaded Your inheritance,” since the Dinim extend from there. “And Jacob went out” means that he went out from Beer-Sheba, Bina, with abundance. “And went toward Haran,” to bestow the abundance upon the Nukva, who is called Haran, when she is lacking satiation.

32) The strength of the sun, ZA, is from the south side, which is right, Hassadim. And the world, the Nukva, exists only on the Ruach [wind], which is the middle line. This is because the Ruach is the sustenance and the perfection from all sides, since the middle line, Ruach comprises all the sides—south and north, right and left, and Hochma and Hassadim. Had it not been in wholeness, the world, Nukva, would have been unable to exist.

33) Were it not for Jacob, the world would not be. When his sons united the upper unification and said, “Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is one,” which is the upper perfection from AVI to unite in one unification, Jacob their father—the middle line, Tifferet—bonded and took his home, the Nukva, meaning the lower unification. He sat in it in one bonding with the patriarchs, which are the two lines—right and left—to unite the male and female as one, since there is no Zivug of male and female before the middle line—Jacob—subdues and connects to the two lines—right and left, Abraham and Isaac.

Arise, O Lord

34) “Arise, O Lord, unto Your resting-place; You, and the ark of Your strength.” This is like saying, “Let the king arise to the resting-place, to his abode.”

35) There were two who said, “Arise O Lord,” Moses and David. Moses said, “Arise, O Lord, and let Your enemies be scattered,” and David said, “Arise, O Lord, unto Your resting-place.” Moses, the queen’s husband, commanded her to wage war against his enemies. David invited Him to rest; he invited the King and the queen with Him, as it is written, “Arise, O Lord, unto Your resting-place,” You,” the King, “And the ark of Your strength,” the Nukva, so as to not separate them.

“Arise” is extension of Hochma and GAR. There are two kinds of rising: 1) Extending illumination of Shuruk, illumination of Hochma without Hassadim, to surrender the enemies, the Sitra Achra. She surrenders by the illumination of Hochma. And at that time, there is Zivug for ZON because then the dominion is in the left line, not the right line, ZA. 2) Extending illumination of Hochma in the left line, the point of Shuruk, to complete the Hassadim in GAR with her by mingling the two lines. At that time, the Hassadim come, meaning the rest, which is the final perfection after which there is nothing more to add. It turns out that this extension is an invitation for a Zivug of ZON. Once ZA, the right line, has been completed during the Zivug from the illumination of Hochma in the Nukva, he bestows complete light of Hassadim upon the Nukva. This is considered GAR, which is rest.

This is the difference between Moses and David. Since Moses is a Merkava [chariot/structure] for ZA, the queen’s husband, he had the strength to extend the first kind of rising to the Nukva, meaning the illumination of the left without right. And although it then separates her from her husband, there is nothing to it because once she discloses her illumination and the enemies surrender, he promptly brings her back to him and bestows upon her Hassadim, and she is completed with both Hochma and Hassadim together. This is why he initially said, “Arise, O Lord, and let Your enemies be scattered,” extending illumination of Hochma to her, from left without right, to disperse the enemies. But soon after, “Arise, O Lord,” bringing her back for a Zivug, the tens of thousands of Israel. Now she has obtained Hassadim and Hochma because tens of thousands are Hassadim and thousands are Hochma.

Since he is a Merkava for ZA, her husband, he could command her as he wished, and even separate her from him for a moment. This is why he commanded her to subdue the enemies, being the first kind of rising, although she was separated from him, since he promptly brought her back for a Zivug, saying, “Return, O Lord, unto the tens of thousands of Israel.”

But David invited and extended the second kind of rising to the Nukva—for the rest—to increase the Hassadim in GAR, the final perfection. It turns out that he extended the rising to the Nukva only so as to increase the Hassadim in ZA. This is like a man who invites his master to his home. Even though he invited the rising to the Nukva, it was only for his master, ZA. He invited the king and the queen with him means that the queen, the Nukva, who received the rising, will be integrated with the king, who is Hassadim, in a Zivug, and through this mingling the Hassadim de ZA will obtain their GAR at rest, as it is written, “Arise, O Lord, unto Your resting-place.”

This means that he invited the rising for the rest, to increase the Hassadim in GAR. “You, and the ark of Your strength,” meaning the Nukva, so as to not separate them, so the Zivug that is implied in the words, “You,” meaning ZA, and “The ark of Your strength,” the Nukva, to not stop. This is so because had he extended the rising of the first kind, it would have created separation between ZON, as with Moses. And since David was only a Merkava to the Nukva, he did not wish to cause that for even a minute.

36) “Your priests shall wear righteousness, and Your adherents shall sing.” One who invites the King should change his actions to bring joy to the King. If it is the conduct of the King that entertainers from among the commoners delight Him, he should arrange for distinguished entertainers and great ministers to come before Him. If he does not do so, he will not complete the King’s joy.

37) King David invited the King and queen to rest. When he said, “Arise O Lord unto Your resting-place,” he changed the entertainers of the king so they would be distinguished ministers, as it is written, “Your priests shall wear righteousness, and Your adherents shall sing.”

He said, “And Your adherents shall sing.” It should have said, “Your Levites shall sing,” since the Levites are the King’s entertainers. But now that David invited the King to rest, he made the priests and adherents be the King’s entertainers, and not the Levites.

This is so because the joy of the King, ZA, comes from extending the Mochin of illumination of Hochma in the left line, which is wine that delights God and people. Hence, since the Levites are from the left line, they extend this illumination and are regarded as those who delight the King. It should have said, “Your Levites shall sing” because they are the ones who extend Mochin of singing and joy, since they are considered left. So why does it say, “Your adherents,” who are right and extend only Hassadim, “Shall sing”?

David invited the King and queen to rest, saying, “Arise O Lord unto Your resting-place,” inviting the first kind of rising, extension of illumination of Hochma on the left, meaning enhancement of GAR de Hassadim, which brings them to rest, to their final completion. It turns out that by changing the King’s entertainers and proprietors of the right—who always extend Hassadim—meaning the priests and the adherents, they have now become a Merkava for the illumination of Hochma in the left, which is called “wine that delights God and people.” Thus, they have become the King’s entertainers and not the Levites. He turned the priests and the adherents into the King’s entertainers, and this is why he said, “And Your adherents shall sing,” and not, “Your Levites shall sing.”

38) The Creator said to David, “I do not wish to trouble the priests and the adherents so they would extend illumination of the left because they are as it is written, ‘For he delights in mercy.’” David replied, “My Master, when You are in Your palace, You do as You wish,” like Moses, ZA, who said, “Arise O Lord, and let Your enemies be scattered,” which is illumination of the left when it is for itself. At that time, only the Levites are the King’s entertainers, and not the priests or the adherents. “Now that I have invited You, it depends on my wish, which is to bring those who are the most important to You—the priests and the adherents—so they will be entertainers before You, although it is not their usual manner, since they are ‘for he delights in mercy.’”

39) This teaches us that one who is in his home can arrange his ways and actions as he wishes. But if he is invited, he will follow his host’s wish, as he arranges before him, since David replaced the Levites and placed the priests in their stead, and the Creator kept it as he wished.

40) David said, “For the sake of David Your servant, do not turn away the face of Your anointed.” The arrangement that I have arranged will be turned back, will not be revoked. The Creator told him, “I will not even use My Kelim, but your Kelim.” The Creator did not move from there until he gave Him abundant gifts, as it is written, “The Lord swore unto David in truth; He will not turn back from it: ‘Of your own progeny will I set upon your throne.’”

And Jacob Went Out from Beer-Sheba

41) “And Jacob went out from Beer-Sheba, and went toward Haran.” “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife.” This is so because Jacob went out from Beer-Sheba and left his father and his mother, and went to Haran to marry a woman. When Israel went out from the Temple and were exiled among the nations, it is written, “All her splendor has departed from the daughter of Zion,” and it is written, “Judah is gone into exile because of affliction.”

42) Another thing: “And he came to a certain place and spent the night there.” “And he came to a certain place” is like a king who is walking to the queen’s house and needs to appease her and delight her with words, so she will not be regarded by him as dispensable. And even if he has a bed of gold and artfully embroidered pillows to sleep in, and she fixes him a bed of stones, on the ground, in a barn, he will leave his own and will sleep there, to please her, so their desire will be one, without coercion. When Jacob went to her, it is written, “And he took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place,” the Nukva, to please her—that even bricks were good for him to sleep in.

Prophecy, Vision, and Dream

45) There is a difference between a prophecy and a dream:

Prophecy is in the world of the male, ZA, and the dream is in the world of the female, the Nukva de ZA. Six degrees go down from one to the other because prophecy is in NH de ZA and the dream is in Hod de Nukva. In between them are Yesod de ZA and HGT NH de Nukva, which are six degrees.
Prophecy is in the right and left, Netzah and Hod, and the dream is in the left, in Hod.
The dream spreads to several degrees through the angel Gabriel, by whom they receive the illumination of the dream. For this reason, the dream is all over the world, even abroad. But man sees according to his degree, and according to man, so is his degree. This means that in that, not all people are the same. But prophecy does not spread below Malchut de Atzilut, but shines in Nukva, the place of ZA, the land of Israel, and the prophets receive from it. Thus, the root of prophecy is in NH de ZA that spreads through the Nukva, by which the prophets receive, and the root of the dream is in Hod de Nukva, and spreads through the angel Gabriel, by whom the people receive.

46) “And he dreamed, and behold a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven.” This is as it is written, “There was indeed the word of the Lord to Ezekiel ... in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar.” “There was indeed” indicates that the prophecy was for its time, since it needed the strengthening of those in exile, to alert them that Divinity had gone down to exile with them. Hence, Ezekiel saw only for his time, although the place was not worthy of it, since abroad, it is unfit for prophecy. This is why the writing says, “There was indeed,” meaning that there was an innovation here that there was prophecy abroad.

It writes “was” twice [only in Hebrew] because there is a “was” above in ZA and a “was” below in Nukva, as it was written, “A ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven,” taking the light of Hassadim from above, in heaven, ZA, and taking below, on earth, the light of Hochma. One “was” is the HaVaYot [plural of HaVaYaH] of Hassadim from above, and one “was” is HaVaYot of Hochma from below, meaning that Hassadim are received from ZA and the Hochma from the Nukva. This is why Nukva is called “the lower Hochma,” and there is no perfection for Hochma without Hassadim. This is why complete light is drawn only through a Zivug of ZA and Nukva.

47) This ladder was fortified above in ZA and was fortified below in Nukva, as it is written, “In the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar.” “In the land of the Chaldeans” means abroad. Yet, “By the river Chebar” means that she was Chebar [Hebrew: already], meaning that Divinity was in that place even before, as it is written, “And a river came out of Eden to water the garden.” The river is Bina, and the river Chebar is one of four rivers that extend from that river which comes out of Eden, from the river Euphrates in Babylon.

And because it was there before and was already over it, it was over it now, too, and appeared to Ezekiel. In other words, although the prophecy was meant to strengthen Israel in the exile in Babylon so they would not fall into despair, had this river not stretched from the river that comes out of Eden, with Divinity already over it, the prophecy would not have been revealed to him in Babylon.

48) Can it be that to the holy Jacob—the senior patriarch—the Lord appeared in a dream in this holy place, Beit-El, which is in the land of Israel and worthy of the presence of Divinity, meaning that he saw the Creator only in a dream? At the time, Jacob was unmarried, he was half a body, and Isaac was alive. His time to rule had not come yet, and this is why a dream is written in regards to him and not a vision while awake. But why does it say after Jacob married a woman, “And saw in a dream”? There the place was the cause, since he was abroad, in Padan-Aram, and Isaac was alive. This is why it writes “A dream” in regards to him.

49) After he came to the holy land with the tribes, the barren woman was completed with them, and the mother of children was joyful, meaning he was whole with his spouse and was in the land of Israel, it is written, “And God appeared unto Jacob.” It is also written, “And God spoke unto Israel in the visions of the night.” It did not say “dream” because now he was in a high degree and was worthy of a vision while awake.

50) The dream is through Gabriel. The dream is below, in the sixth degree from prophecy because Gabriel receives the dream from Hod de Nukva, and people receive through Gabriel. A vision is received through a degree of the animal that rules in the night. This is so because the vision is the Nukva de ZA in her own place. It is said about her, “She rises while it is still night.” This is why she is a vision while awake and not a dream.

But it is written, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” The vision, too, is received through Gabriel. The vision—its words are abstruse. In the dream they are clearer and the dream interprets the abstruse things in the vision. Gabriel, the appointee of the dream, was appointed to interpret the words of the abstruse vision.

51) This is why it is written “And saw,” “And appeared,” “In a vision.” A vision is like a mirror of polished glass, where all the shapes in front of it are seen within it. This is why it is written about it, “And I appeared unto Abraham ... as God Almighty,” since the vision, the Nukva, said, “I saw the shape of the Lord in God Almighty,” since she is a mirror, whose shape of the other appears within her and all the shapes of the upper degrees are seen in her.

The shape of the Nukva is Hochma and the shape of ZA is Hassadim. Hence, there is no complete light unless through a Zivug of both of them. Also, Hassadim receive Hochma from the Nukva, the Hochma of the Nukva is clothed in Hassadim, and both are completed. This is why the illumination of Hochma in the Nukva is not imparted from her down but from her up, to the Hassadim in ZA, which are complemented in GAR and are imparted from above downwards. It is written about it, “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband,” in whom her husband is crowned. The Hassadim de ZA are crowned in GAR through her and are imparted below. But the Nukva is not crowned with her husband because her shape, which is the illumination of Hochma, is not imparted from her down.

A mirror—the shape of the other is seen within her—the shape of ZA, Hassadim. It appears to the lower ones through her, meaning that they are imparted from her and below. But her own shape does not appear to the lower ones because she does not impart the Hochma from her down. It turns out that she is like a polished mirror, which is concerned not with showing her own form, but only with the form of others, those who look at her or those who stand in front of her.

She resembles a mirror also because the whole quality of the glass mirror is the murky color in its other side. It reflects the rays of light, for if it were transparent, no shape would be seen in it. So is the Nukva—all her strength is in the Masach in her, which detains the light from shining from her down. Without this Masach, there would have been no light in her at all.

52) For this reason, before Jacob married a woman it is written, “And he dreamed, and behold a ladder was set on the earth.” The ladder is the Nukva upon which all the degrees depend. “With its top reaching to heaven,” to connect to the heaven. Its top is the top of the ladder, Yesod, the Rosh of the Nukva, who is called “staff” [wand]. The Yesod is called “the Rosh [head] of the staff,” since it is the head of the Nukva, and she shines from it. This is why it is considered that he, her head, reaches the heaven, since it is the conclusion of the Guf [body], Tifferet, heaven, since Yesod is attached under the Tifferet and stands between the upper one, ZA, and the lower one, the Nukva. This is like the circumcision, which is the conclusion of the Guf and is placed between the thighs and the Guf [body].

53) “And behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” Those are the appointees of all the nations, which ascend and descend on this ladder. And when Israel sin, the ladder is lowered down and those appointees rise. When Israel improve their actions, the ladder rises and all the appointees come down, and their governance is cancelled. It all depends on this ladder. Here in his dream, Jacob saw the governance of Esau and the governance of all the other nations.

54) “And behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” What are they ascending and descending? The top of the ladder. When its Rosh, Yesod, departs it, the ladder surrenders and all the appointees rise in their dominion. And when the Rosh connects to that ladder, it ascends and all the appointees come down from their dominion. It is all one thing. The two interpretations are one and there is no difference between them except in the way it is interpreted.

First interpretation: The governance of the nations extends from the left line without right. When Israel sin, they add strength to the left line with their evil deeds. Then the ladder, Nukva, is brought down for lack of Hassadim. Then the appointees of the nations rise and tyrannize Israel.

And with their good deeds, they intensify the middle line, which bestows Hochma and Hassadim together, and the power of the left wanes. Thus, the ladder appears in complete perfection and the ruling power of the appointees over the nations decreases.

Second interpretation: This is unrelated to the sins of Israel, but speaks of the existence of the top of the ladder, Yesod de ZA, which imparts Hassadim, as it is written, “With its top reaching to heaven.” When the Rosh departs from the ladder and the ladder remains in Hochma without Hassadim, the ladder falls because their whole dominion depends on the illumination of the left without right, Hochma without Hassadim. And when the Hassadim connect with Hochma, the ladder rises and all the appointees come down. Thus, the two interpretations are one.

55) It is written, “The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, ‘Ask what I shall give you.’” If this was a dream through Gabriel, what permission has the degree of dream to tell him, “Ask what I shall give you”? After all, Gabriel is only an angel. However, here a degree was included in a degree—the upper degree, Nukva de ZA, the root of the dream, was included and dressed in the lower degree, Gabriel. The Nukva told him, “Ask what I shall give you,” since so it was said, “And God said, ‘Ask,’” which is the name of the Nukva. This is why it appeared to him only in a dream, since thus far Solomon was incomplete. Once he was completed, it is written, “And the Lord gave Solomon wisdom.” It is also written, “And Solomon's wisdom excelled,” meaning the moon, Nukva, was full, and the Temple was built, and then Solomon saw Hochma [wisdom] with his very eyes and no longer needed to dream.

56) After he sinned, he needed the dream as in the beginning. This is why it is written, “Who had appeared unto him twice.” But did He only appear to him twice, and not more? From the degree of the dream, He appeared to him only twice.

57) And yet, Solomon’s degree of dream was greater than the degree of a dream of the rest of the people because a degree was included in a degree for him—a vision while awake—the Nukva was included for him in the vision in the dream, which is the degree of Gabriel. Now, at the end of his days, the degree of a dream grew very dark for him, which is why the text reminds him of the two dreams that illuminated for him, as it is written, “The Lord ... who had appeared unto him twice.”

This was because he sinned and the moon, the Nukva, was about to become deficient because he did not keep the holy covenant and was wooing after foreign women. This is the condition that the Creator made with David, as it is written, “If your sons keep My covenant ... their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever.”

58) It is as it is written, “As the days of the heavens above the earth.” Because Solomon did not keep the covenant, the moon began to wane. This is why in the end he had to dream. It is the same with Jacob: because he was incomplete, he had to dream.

And Behold, the Lord Stood Above It

59) “And behold, the Lord stood above it.” Here in the ladder, Jacob saw the connection of faith, the Nukva, tying all the Sefirot as one. “Stood above it” is as it is written, “A pillar of salt,” a mound, since all the degrees as one are on that same ladder, the Nukva, connecting everything in one knot because that ladder was given between the two sides.

It is written, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac.” Those are the two sides, right and left—Abraham is right and Isaac is left.

For this reason, we should ask if the word “Stood” was redundant, that it was enough to say “And the Lord was above it.” “Stood” means a mound, from the words, “A pillar of salt.” The text tells us that all the degrees appeared to him on that ladder in one knot, like a mound. This is why it says, “And behold, the Lord stood above it,” since all the degrees are implied in this verse. HaVaYaH, Tifferet, consists of the six degrees HGT NHY. Abraham is Hochma; Isaac is Bina; the land is Malchut; and those four Sefirot HB TM comprise all ten Sefirot.

The ladder, Nukva, is primarily from the left. But the left does not exist without the right. Hence, the Nukva was given in the middle line, which comprises the right and the left. She receives Hassadim from the right and Hochma from the left, hence all the Sefirot are already in this connection—right and left, which are Abraham and Isaac, and the middle line, which is HaVaYaH, and the ladder itself, which is the Malchut.

60) Another interpretation: He stood not on the ladder, but on Jacob, so they would all become a holy Merkava [chariot/structure]: right and left, and in between them Jacob—HGT, the assembly of Israel, the Nukva—connecting them. It is written, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac.” Yet, how do we know that Jacob was in the middle? This is the meaning of the words, “The God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac,” and it does not say, “The God of Isaac your father,” for then he would be regarded as the third among the patriarchs. The son of Isaac teaches us that since he was connected with Abraham, he was treated as his son. It follows that he precedes Isaac and he is in the middle between Abraham and Isaac.

Indeed, so it is in the Merkava—Abraham and Isaac are right and left, and Jacob is in the middle. It is written, “The land,” Nukva, “On which you lie.” Thus, together, they are all one holy Merkava, the three lines with the Nukva. And here Jacob saw that he would be the senior among the patriarchs.

61) Because he said, “Abraham your father,” he is certainly in the middle. “And the God of Isaac” implies that Jacob is tied to the two sides, right and left, and includes them. It is written, “And the God of Isaac,” since there is a Vav [“and”] in Isaac, and Vav implies to Tifferet, Jacob, which is connected with the God of Isaac, the left.

62) As long as Jacob was not married to a woman, nothing was said about him more openly than was said here. It does not explicitly say “The God of Jacob” in regards to him, as with Abraham and Isaac. It is said openly only to one who knows the ways of Torah, who will be a Merkava in the two ways, the right and the left. But as long as he has not married a woman, he can be a Merkava only for ZA, right, but not for the Nukva, who is left.

After he marries a woman and bears children, he is told openly, as it is written, “And he erected there an altar, and called it ‘God, the God of Israel,’” openly, since his name was united with Him. From here we learn that anyone who is not completed with male and female below, who did not marry a woman, is not completed above. And Jacob is not like that because he was completed above and below even before he married a woman. But not openly, since he did not unite his name with Him.

63) Was he fully perfected even though he did not marry a woman? Indeed not; he only saw that he would be perfected in time. But it is written, “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go,” which means he was fully perfected. However, the Creator’s safekeeping and His guard will never leave Jacob with anything he needs in this world. But in the upper world he will not be able to obtain before he is completed, when he has married a woman.

And Jacob Awoke ... How Awful Is This Place

64) “And Jacob awoke ... and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know.’” “I did not know” is phrased as a conjunction and Dvekut [adhesion]. Jacob said, “But did all this appear to me and I was not looking to know the Holy Name, “I”, “Divinity,” to come under the wings of Divinity and be a whole man?”

65) It is written, “And she said, ‘If it is so, why am I for?’” Each and every day, Rebecca saw Divinity, who is called “I.” This was so because Divinity was in her tent and she prayed there. When she saw this trouble in her intestines, it is written, “And she went to inquire the Lord,” since she went out from this degree of “I” into a degree which is HaVaYaH. “I” is the name of Divinity. This is why Jacob said, “But I saw all that and I did not know,” since he was alone and did not come under the wings of Divinity.

66) Promptly, “He was afraid and said, ‘How awful is this place.’” This was said about Divinity and about the token of the holy covenant.

67) And even though they are Yesod and Malchut, they are one. He said, “This is none other than the house of God.” This is the Yesod, which should be cancelled. “This is none” means it is none other than the house of God, the Nukva, to use her and to bear fruit in her, meaning to bestow blessings upon her from all the organs of the Guf [body] because Yesod is the gate to the entire Guf, which is Tifferet.

And it is written, “This is the gate of heaven,” Tifferet, meaning Guf, and it is called “heaven.” “This” is the gate of the Guf, the gate for emptying blessings below to the Nukva. It grips above, in heaven, Tifferet, and grips below, in the Nukva, which is called “a place,” as well as “the house of God.”

It grips above because it is written, “This is the gate of heaven,” where Yesod is the gate of Tifferet, called “heaven.” It grips below, as it is written, “This is none other than the house of God.” “This is none,” Yesod, is in “None other than the house of God,” the Nukva. Hence, “He was afraid and said, ‘How awful is this place.’” “This place” is the Nukva, and “this” is the Yesod. And people do not look after the honor of Yesod to be completed in it.

And Behold a Ladder Was Set On the Earth

70) “And he dreamed, and behold a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven.” The dream is the sixth degree from the two degrees of prophecy, which are NH de ZA. This is so because there are six degrees from here to that degree of the dream, Hod de Nukva: Yesod de ZA, Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, and Hod de Nukva. Hence, the dream is one of sixty of prophecy because each Sefira of those six consists of ten Sefirot, and ten times six is sixty. And the dream, which is the lowest of them, is therefore one of sixty.

A ladder implies that he saw that his sons were destined to receive the Torah on Mount Sinai, since Sulam [Ladder] is Sinai because Mount Sinai is, as it is written, “Set on the earth with its top,” its merit, “Reaching to heaven.” All the Merkavot [structures/chariots] and the camps of high angels were descending there along with the Creator when He gave them the Torah, as it is written, “And behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.”

71) And Jacob saw everything in his dream. He saw the angel Matat, the elder of the house of the Creator, who rules over everything, standing in dominion over the world in the name Shadai, rising up in the name HaVaYaH. This is the place where Jacob was completed. Afterwards, the Rosh of the name Shadai, which is Yod, reaches to heaven, and because this letter rises and reaches to that place, the heaven, the angel Matat is completed and is called by the name of his Master, HaVaYaH.

What is Matat? It is written, “And the animals ran to and fro.” “To” is Nuriel and “fro” is Matat. When the animals receive from the illumination of the Zivug of ZON de Atzilut, their over-all is “To and fro.” The right, which is VAK, Hassadim, runs to the left to receive Rosh and Hochma, and once it receives Hochma from it, it returns to its place, to the right, to Hassadim. Hence, it is considered that there are two discernments in the fro: 1) Inclusion in the left and GAR that he receives there; and 2) returning to its place to the right, and returning to Hassadim, at which time it is in complete perfection.

The “to” in the animals is the angel Nuriel, VAK, who runs to the left to receive a Rosh. And “fro” in the animals is Matat, in whom there are the two discernments of “and fro.” This is why he is called “the angel of the face,” since he is the carrier of the GAR. For this reason, he is the minister of the world because the perfection is in him, to complement the lower ones in the worlds BYA.

It was said that he saw the angel Matat, the elder of the Creator’s house, who rules over everything. This means that there are two discernments in Matat: The first is called “The elder of his house,” when he is included in the left and has acquired from Hochma, as it is written, “There is none who is old unless he has acquired wisdom.” The second is “and fro,” when he returns to his place, to Hassadim, at which time he has Hochma and Hassadim, and is then regarded as ruling all that He has. This is so because “everything” points to perfection from all sides, Hochma and Hassadim, and “enough” indicates that he has perfection only from Hochma, as Esau said to Jacob, “I have enough,” and Jacob told him, “I have everything.”

When it is said, who stands in governance over the world in the name Shadai, it is Matat’s power to rule over the world, to be the minister of the world in the ruling of the name Shadai, in the first discernment of “and fro.” This is so because dominion comes only by the light of Hochma, and then it is included in the left, in the name Shadai. And he rises up to the second discernment of “and fro,” which is his return to right, Hassadim, in an ascent to the name HaVaYaH, meaning ZA, Hassadim. This is the place where Jacob was complemented, the place where Jacob became a Merkava [chariot/structure] for ZA.

The Yod in Shadai is the Sium [end] of the Nukva, which is called “world,” the boundary of the sea. When the waves of the sea, the illumination of Hochma on the left, run and wish to destroy the world and revert it into chaos—to shine from above downwards—they look at Divinity, which is the boundary of the sea, and return to their place, to Hassadim.

The boundary of the sea, the Yod of the name Shadai, is as the name Shadai is interpreted—He said to His world “Dai [enough], spread no more.” This boundary is the Yod because Yod is Rosh without a Guf, indicating to the power of Sium [conclusion] in it, which does not spread from above downwards.

When the waves of the sea in the name Shadai reach the Yod, they stop shining and return to Hassadim. The power in this Yod brings the lights back to heaven, meaning ZA, Hassadim, and since the letter Yod brings the lights back to heaven, returning to the discernment of Hassadim, ZA, the angel Matat is completed and he rules over all that is His. Then he is called by the name of his Master, ZA, HaVaYaH, since he has become a Merkava to Him, like Jacob.

72) “And behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” Those are the holy angels who are close to Malchut, and they ascend through Matat. The others, who are not close to Malchut, who are from the Sitra Achra, descend and have no revival.

73) When Matat ascends or descends, the angels of God ascend or descend with him. They are twelve good gems: Michael, Kadmiel, and more. And they are thousands of OELF, which are initials for Ox, Eagle, Lion, and the F of OELF is man, who consists of male and female. They ascend when Matat ascends and descend when he descends.

74) All those who rule in domination in this world through Matat, rise to govern, and all those who descend through him descend from their dominion. They are all hanging on the ladder, which is Matat, and HaVaYaH governs all of them, as it is written, “And behold, the Lord stood above it.”

When Jacob awoke, he said, “This is none other than the house of God and this is the gate of heaven.” Matat is the house of God, the gate by which to come inside, as it is written, “Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will enter into them, I will give thanks unto the Lord.” This is the gate to HaVaYaH, the gate to heaven. The gate of righteousness, the gate of HaVaYaH, and the gate of heaven are one—Matat.

There are two discernments in Matat: 1) his inclusion in Hochma from the first discernment of “And fro.” This is called “The house of God.” 2) His inclusion in Hassadim from the second discernment of “And fro.” This is called “A gate.”

And Jacob Made a Vow

75) The Creator promised him, “Behold, I am with you and will keep you.” Why did he not believe, but said, “If God will be with me”? Jacob said, “I dreamt a dream. And with dreams, some are true and some are not true. If it happens, I will know that the dream was true.” This is why it is said, “‘If God will be with me,’ as I dreamt, and ‘Then the Lord shall be a God unto me.’ I will be extending blessings from the fountain of the stream of everything, Bina, to this place, called Elokim.”

76) Israel that is in the middle of everything, in the middle line, receives the abundance first, from the source of everything, from Bina. And once the abundance reaches him, he transfers and extends it to the place, the Nukva. In the beginning, it writes, “Then the Lord shall be ... unto me,” meaning first he will receive, and then it writes “A God” [this is the order of words in Hebrew], meaning the Nukva, that he will then give to the Nukva. As God will keep me and do all this good to me, I will extend all those blessings to him from my place, from ZA, and the connection of everything, the Yesod, will unite in Him. When? When I am complemented in my degree, Tifferet, and I am complemented in the degree of peace, Yesod, to correct the house of my father, the Nukva, as it is written, “So that I come back to my father's house in peace.” “I come back ... in peace” is the Yesod, and then “The Lord shall be a God unto me.”

77) “I come back ... in peace” because there, in the house of my father, in the holy land, “I will be completed, and “The Lord shall be a God unto me.” In that place, I will rise from this degree to another degree as it should be, and there will I work His work.

78) It is written, “Iniquities prevail against me; as for our transgressions, You will pardon them.” In the beginning, David asked about himself, and then he asked about everything. “Iniquities prevail against me,” said David, “I know that I myself have sinned. But how many are the wicked in the world, whose sins have prevailed against them even more than me? Hence, I am afraid and I ask for me and for them, ‘As for our transgressions, You will pardon them,’” since he feared the profusion of sins of the wicked in the world.

79) When there are many wicked in the world, they rise to the place where the books of the wicked are opened, the Nukva de ZA, who is called “a book,” the Din [judgment] stands on him and she is blemished because of the Dinim [judgments]. This is what David feared, that our iniquities would blemish the Nukva, he asked for pardon for them, and said, “To me and to them, and You will pardon them.”

80) Jacob, too, was afraid that he might sin, and that because of the profusion of wicked in the world the flaw would reach the Nukva. This is the reason why he did not believe in the promise of the Creator that was given to him. Do not say that he did not believe in the Creator. Rather, he did not believe in himself. He feared that he might sin, and in conjunction with the sins in the world, the sin would cause that he would never return to his home in peace and the keeping would be lifted from him. This is why he did not believe in himself.

“Then the Lord shall be a God unto me.” When I return in peace, I will place even Rachamim before me as Din, so that I will always be serving before Him. HaVaYaH is Rachamim, ZA in the light of Hassadim and leans to the right. The name Elokim is Din, the Nukva in the light of Hochma, and leans to the left. Jacob was leaning to the right more than to the left. Afterwards, when he returned to the land, he obtained the degree of Israel, when the right was mingled with the left, and he obtained a Rosh [head].

81) Jacob said, “Now I do not need Din, only Hesed [grace], like the degree of Jacob. When I return to my father’s house, I will mingle with the Din, meaning that the right will be included in the left, and I will connect to the left as to the right—in the degree of Israel, in the middle pillar.”

Another interpretation: Jacob said, “‘Now if God will be with me’ because now I need Din, to keep me until I return to my father’s house in peace, because subduing the Klipot requires illumination of the left, Din. But after I return in peace, I will mingle Rachamim with Din so the right will be mingled with the left and the left with the right, and I will connect in a strong connection, to include all the Sefirot as one.

“‘And this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house,’ since after the right and left are mingled in each other, everything will be one connection, and the stone, the Nukva, will be blessed from the right and from the left, which are HB, and from above and from below, which are TM. For this reason, I will give tithing of everything.” The tithing, the Nukva, is one of ten, and she will be mingled with all ten Sefirot—from the south and from the north, and from above and from below—which are HB TM.

82) It is written, “And he took one of the stones of the place.” These are twelve stones under the Nukva, and not the Nukva herself. It does not say that the stone that he took to sit on, to be on them, was atop all the other stones, which is the Nukva, who is above the twelve stones. Rather, he lifted that top pillar because he attributed all the merit of “this,” the Yesod, to “this,” the top stone, as it is written, “This is none other than the house of God.” “This” is not meant to sustain, to bestow Mochin, but the “house of God,” to the top stone, which is the Nukva, and this is good. This is why, “Which I have set up for a pillar,” and it does not say “top.”

83) “Shall be God's house” forever, that the flow of abundance from the Yesod to her will never stop. It says, “God’s house,” but it should have said, “The Lord’s [HaVaYaH] house.” But the Nukva is a place for the courthouse, for Dinim, from the two upper sides: From the side of Yovel [jubilee], YESHSUT, called “The living God.” This is so because ZAT de Bina, YESHSUT, are called Elokim, as well, and she is called “life” after Hochma, which bestows.

From the side of Isaac, Gevura de ZA, she is called Elokim, as well. This is why it is written about the Nukva, the house of God [Elokim], which is Din and not the house of the Lord [HaVaYaH], which is Rachamim.

84) Yovel means YESHSUT, which is Bina. Even though Dinim awaken from her, she is all Rachamim and every joy comes out of her, and she is the joy of everything. Therefore, it cannot be said that the Nukva is called “the house of God” because she receives Dinim from Yovel. Rather, her being called “the house of God” indicates that she is the harsh Din, Gevura de ZA, his left.

If it is for the better, then love awakens for a Zivug from the left side, as it is written, “Let his left arm be under my head.” If it is for the worse, then the harsh Din awakens from the left, as it is written, “Out of the north the evil shall break forth,” hence she is certainly called “God’s house.”

“God’s house” is as it is written, “The city of the great King.” The Nukva is the city for Bina, who is called “The great King,” and here, too, the Nukva is the house of God, which is Bina. There is an ordinary king, the Nukva, and there is a great King. Certainly, the upper world, Bina, is called “a great King,” and the Nukva, the ordinary king, is the city of the great King, which is Bina.

Rabbi Hiya Said to Elijah

85) Rabbi Hiya and Rabbi Hizkiyah were sitting under the trees of the field of his strength. Rabbi Hiya dozed, and saw Elijah. Rabbi Hiya said to Elijah, “From my lord’s proof of the way, the field—which is the Nukva—shines.” Elijah said, “I have come to you now, to alert you that Jerusalem is nearing destruction, and all the cities of the sages along with it,” since Jerusalem, the Nukva, is Din [judgment]. It stands on Din and is ruined over the Din in it. And Sam’el has already been given permission over her and over the heroes of the world.

As long as the Torah awakens from below, when people engage in it, the tree of life will not depart Jerusalem above. The Torah below has stopped, since people have stopped engaging in it, in the tree of life, ZA, the tree of life from the world, the Nukva, which is called, “world,” as well as “Jerusalem.” And we must not say that this refers to the Jerusalem below, for the sages were many years after the ruin of Jerusalem.

86) Hence, as long as the sages rejoice in the practice of Torah, Sam’el cannot prevail over them, for it is written, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” This is the upper Torah, ZA, called, “the voice of Jacob,” and while the voice does not stop, the speech rules and triumphs. Hence, the Torah must not be stopped.

87) One who leans to the left destroys the Nukva, since it is written, “Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain.” Those who engage in Torah, who cling to the middle line, called “Torah,” the holy city, Nukva, stands over them. At that time, HaVaYaH, which is the middle pillar, guards the city, and not the strong people of the world, meaning those who cling to the left. This is why it is written, “Unless the Lord,” the middle line, “guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain,” for it will finally be ruined.

And He Looked, and Behold a Well in the Field

88) It is written, “A Psalm of David, when he fled.” He said the psalm while fleeing because previously he thought that the Creator would punish him for his sins in the next world. And when he saw that He wished to avenge him here in this world, he was happy and said a psalm.

89) David saw that others who were more important than him fled and were all alone. Jacob fled, as it is written, “And Jacob fled into the field of Aram.” Moses fled, as it is written, “Moses fled from Pharaoh.” And when David fled, all the rulers of the earth, all the mighty men of the land, and the heads of Israel fled with him, surrounding him from his right and from his left, to keep him from all sides. When he saw himself in this gain, he said a psalm.

90) While fleeing, all of them met this well, the Nukva. But David did not meet her when he fled. Rather, at that time he was considered her enemy because at the time she was avenging him for the sin of Bat-Sheba; this is why he did not meet her.

But the well gladly received Jacob and Moses and wished to draw near them. When the well saw them, the waters rose toward them like a woman who is happy with her husband.

91) Elijah did not flee and did not encounter a well. This is because Elijah is below the well; he is a Merkava [chariot/structure] for the Nukva, the well. He is not above the well, as were Moses and Jacob. Elijah is an angel who executes the mission of the Nukva. And because Jacob and Moses were above the well, for they are a Merkava for ZA, the well was happy with them and the waters rose toward them to greet them. This is a raising of MAN toward MAD, like a woman who is happy with her husband and welcomes him.

92) It is written, “And he looked, and behold a well in the field.” He saw the well of above, of the Nukva, and the well of below was directed opposite the well of above. It is written, “And three flocks of sheep lying there by it.” This means that three flocks of sheep were constantly by the well. Why does it write afterwards, “And all the flocks were gathered there,” which would mean that there are other flocks? However, there are three flocks and no more—south, east, and north, which are Hesed, Tifferet, and Gevura. South is on the right, north is on the left, and east is the middle line. They stand by the well, unite in her, and fill her.

They water her, as it is written, “For out of that well they watered the flocks,” the souls of the lower ones in BYA, as it is written, “They give drink to every beast of the field.” “And all the flocks were gathered there” refers to all the souls in BYA. But those who water the well are only three, the three lines, HGT.

93) “And all the flocks were gathered there,” as it is written, “All the rivers run into the sea.” The rivers are the souls, and all the flocks are the souls, as well.

“And they rolled the stone from the well's mouth,” removing the harsh Din from the well, since the water did not come out. And when those rivers come to the sea, the Nukva, the south—which is right, Hesed—strengthens, and the north—Gevura—can no longer freeze the water.

The north is left line without right, Hochma without Hassadim. This is why the lights of the Nukva—the sea—freeze. Her illumination does not come out to the lower ones unless by elicitation of the level of Hassadim on the Masach de Hirik, which is the middle line, and then because of the profusion of Hassadim, it installs the force of the right over the left and they are mingled in one another. Then the Hochma dresses in Hassadim of the south, the freezing melts, and the abundance flows to the lower ones.

And as ZA rises for MAN to Bina in order to decide between the two lines in Bina, becoming a middle line that sentences there, to determine between ZA and Nukva, which are right and left, so the souls of the righteous rise and become a deciding line between them. They install the force of the south, Hassadim, over the north, and the freezing of the sea opens and melts. It is written about it, “All the rivers run into the sea,” since the souls are called “rivers” and they go to the sea, which has been opened from its freeze.

And all the flocks gather there, the rivers, meaning the souls of the righteous that run into the sea, and it is written, “They rolled the stone from the well's mouth,” since during the ruling of the north over the Nukva, the waters freeze and are not imparted upon the lower ones. It is like a big stone, placed on the mouth of the well, for which water cannot be drawn out.

Then the souls of the righteous rise up for MAN, eliciting the level of Hassadim on their Masach and installing the right over the left. And through the profusion of Hassadim that the souls cause, the south prevails over the north and does not freeze any more, like a river with plentiful water, whose waters do not freeze because of it.

94) Therefore, when those rivers come, the south—right line—strengthens and the waters open from their freeze and water the flocks—the souls—as it is written, “They give drink to every beast of the field.” “And [they] put the stone back upon the well's mouth in its place” because the world needs the Dinim of the Nukva, hence she must be in Din, to reproach the wicked with it. This is why the stone is put back in its place in a way that the Nukva shines only when the Zivug of the souls rise for MAN to her. And after the Zivug, she returns and is blocked.

95) When Jacob sat by the well and saw that the waters were rising toward him, he knew that his wife would come there. It is the same with Moses: when he sat by the well and saw the waters rising toward him, he knew that his wife would come there. And so it was: Jacob’s wife had come there, as it is written, “While he was speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep. ... And it came to pass, when Jacob saw...”

And so it was with Moses, as it is written, “And the shepherds came and drove them away,” and his wife, Zipporah, came there, since the well caused them that. The well is the upper Nukva. And as they met in the upper Nukva, they met with the Nukva in this world.

96) In this portion, a “well” is written seven times, implying to Nukva de ZA, which is seventh and consists of seven Sefirot. And she is also called Beer-Sheba [Hebrew: “well of seven”].

97) With Moses, a “well” is written once, as it is written, “And dwelled in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well,” since Moses completely departed from the house below, the Nukva from Chazeh de ZA down, which is Rachel, who is called “seven.” He adhered to the hidden world, the Nukva from the Chazeh and above.

And Jacob did not part at all from the Nukva from the Chazeh down, meaning Rachel, the revealed world, who is called “seven.” This is why with Moses, a “well” is written once, as it is written, “My dove, my undefiled, is but one; she is the only one for her mother,” since the hidden world extends from Ima [mother], and she is the only one for her mother. For this reason, Moses was the owner of the house, for his root was above the Nukva of below, which is called “house,” and he rose above her. This is why it is written about Moses, “and he sat down by [in Hebrew: “on”] a well,” meaning above the well. And with Jacob, it is written, “And behold a well in the field,” and it does not say that he sat by [on] the well.

98) “And he looked, and behold a well in the field.” A well is a degree called “The Lord of all the earth,” which is the Nukva when she receives Hochma, at which time she ends in the Dechura and she is called by a male name, “Lord.” “In a field of holy apples” refers to the Nukva from the Chazeh down.

There are three flocks, three upper, holy degrees that are corrected by that well, NHY. They draw water, meaning abundance, from above, from ZA, and fill the well.

99) When the source, the foundation of the world, is in the well, it bears fruit there and always springs, and the well is filled by it. Thus, Yesod bestows upon the Nukva two kinds of abundance: for begetting souls, which are fruits, and to nourish the lower ones.

When the well is filled with the abundance, “Out of that well they watered the flocks,” which are all the many souls and holy armies, for all drink from that same well, each according to what is right for him.

100) “And the stone upon the well's mouth was great.” This is the stone by which the people of the world fail, “A stone to strike and a rock to stumble over,” meaning the Sitra Achra, who always stands by the mouth of the well according to her order to demand the judgment of the whole world, so that no nourishment and bounty will come down to the world. When the Nukva receives from the left without right, she punishes and demands judgment.

101) “And all the flocks were gathered there.” All the flocks are the holy camps above, the angels, and the holy camps below, the righteous—those with song and praise above, and those with prayer and litany below—both of them together. Promptly, “And they rolled the stone from the well's mouth,” rolling it and removing it from the holiness. And the well departed from the Din, which is called “a stone.”

102) By the well’s command, the stone is put back in its place, to be ready to demand judgment over the world so the world will behave by judgment, since the world can only exist on judgment, so everything will be in truth and in righteousness.

103) Since Jacob was completed because he had found his mate—Rachel—he did not need another help, from that stone.

104) Jacob rolled the stone alone and did not need help from another because Jacob was the senior patriarch, the middle line. Hence, by extending Hassadim on the Masach de Hirik, he rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, meaning that the left was integrated in the right.

And since he prevailed over Esau in this world, he prevailed over him above. In everything, an act below must always occur first. Since Jacob first executed the act below, in this world—defeating Esau—he was rewarded with defeating him above, as well, in the rolling of the stone on the well’s mouth, which is the expression of Esau’s strength above, who slanders Israel.

105) Jacob inherited two worlds: the revealed world and the hidden world, the two Nukvin [plural of Nukva] de ZA: Leah—above the Chazeh, and Rachel—below the Chazeh. Being the middle line, he could determine in the upper unification and in the lower unification, like ZA. Six tribes came out of Leah, HBD HGT de Kelim, the hidden world from Chazeh de ZA and above, and two tribes came out of Rachel, who corresponds to the revealed world. She nurses from NHY de ZA, meaning the Nukva de ZA from the Chazeh and below, which are Yesod that includes Netzah, Hod, and Malchut. And they are two Cherubim—Matat and Sandalphon.

Matat extends from Yenika, from Yesod de ZA, and Sandalphon extends from what she suckles from Malchut de ZA. They correspond to Joseph and Benjamin, the sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife. Jacob was between the two worlds—the revealed and the concealed—in a form of upper unification and lower unification that applies in ZA, as it is written, “Hear O Israel,” and in “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.” For this reason, all of Leah’s words were covered and in concealment, and all of Rachel’s words were revealed.

106) It is written, “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,” who pursue the correction of the Nukva, who is called “righteousness.” They who demand the faith, who demand Din [judgment] for the correction of the Nukva, who is called “faith,” “left line.” They who are adhered by the tie of faith, the tie in the right line, who know the ways of the high King, the middle line. The Zohar invites those who have been rewarded with three lines and pursue the correction of the Nukva to listen, as it is written, “Listen to me.”

107) When the two lines rise and come out toward the one, the middle line, they receive it between the two arms, the two lines that descend downwards. They are two, with one between them. Those two are the seat of the prophets, the place where they suckle. There is one among them who connects in all of them and takes all of them and includes them.

The Zohar comes to clarify 1) what is a well, and 2) why does it write, “Three flocks of sheep lying there by it,” which are only NHY, and not more?

It is known that because of the subduing of Tifferet, the left can no longer shine from above downwards like the right, but only from below upwards. Here it speaks of the elicitation of the three lines at their root in Bina: the right line, the Hochma in her, and the left line, the Bina in her. When the two lines shine in an ascent, in illumination of Hochma, which shines only from below upwards, they go out toward the middle line that reduces the illumination of the left to the form of from below upwards, meaning VAK. At that time, it is considered that the two lines receive the decision of the middle line. This is so because being two arms, Hesed and Gevura, which descended from Hochma and Bina and became Hesed and Gevura—from GAR to VAK—they can no longer shine from above downwards.

Also, it is considered that those two lines that were made into HG descended even further down, becoming NH below the Tabur. This is due to the correction of the inversion of the upper ones below, which was done by the illumination of the left that raised the sentence upwards, which is NHY, followed by HGT, and finally the GAR, below everyone. For this reason, the two lines descended a second descent and became NH below Tabur, where there is the sentence.

And because HG descended to NH, the middle line descended along with them and the Tifferet became Yesod. When it is said that they are two with one between them, it means that the one, the middle line, descended with them, as well. To avoid erring and to know that it is referring to NH, it marks and says that those two that are mentioned are the seat of the prophets, the place from which NH suckle.

For this reason, the middle line, too, descended between them, since it connects to all of them and takes and includes all of them because the two lines cannot shine except through its joining with them, and it includes the illumination of the both of them. Hence, it is necessary for the middle line, meaning Yesod, to come down with them.

When the three lines shine in the domination of the left line, in Mochin de Hochma, they shine only in the NHY in them. This is so because HBD descended to HGT, and both of them to NHY. But when the three lines shine under the governance of the right line—in Mochin de Hassadim, included with illumination of Hochma—all nine Sefirot shine in them because the HBD in them did not descend to HGT, into the discernment of VAK, but shone from above downwards, as is their way. And HGT did not come down to NHY because the correction of the inversion was done only on the left line.

108) When that holy well, the Nukva, shines in Hochma in three lines, she stands under NHY that HBD HGT descended and included in them. At that time, she is called “a field of holy apples.” It is written, “For out of that well they watered the flocks,” which are all the Merkavot [structures/assemblies] of the angels and all the winged angels.

Three lie by the well, NHY, and not more, since all nine Sefirot are included in those three, and this well is filled by them. It is written, “For out of that well they watered the flocks,” and she is called ADNI, as it is written, “ADNI [God], Lord, You have begun.” It is also written, “And let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary for the Lord’s sake.” She is also called “The Lord of all the earth,” as it is written, “Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth.”

And Jacob Went Out from Beer-Sheba

109) It is written, “Happy are they that keep justice, that do righteousness at all times.” Happy are they that keep justice” means happy are Israel that the Creator gave them a true law [Torah] to engage in day and night, for anyone who engages in the Torah is liberated from everything. He is freed from death for it cannot govern him. This is so because anyone who engages in Torah and clings to it, clings to the tree of life. And if he lets himself go of the tree of life, the tree of death will be on him and will cling to him, as it is written, “If you are slack in the day of adversity, your strength is small indeed.” “If you are slack” means if you let go of the Torah.

110) “In the day of adversity, your strength is small indeed.” This is so because when one is negligent in the Torah the strength of Divinity—who is called “strength”—is lessened, and she does not protect him. Divinity is always on the right, always guarding a man when he walks in the ways of Torah. At that time, she repels the evil outside so it will not come near the man and so that it will not be able to slander him. But when a person strays from the ways of Torah and becomes slack in it, the strength of Koh, which is Divinity, lessens because that evil, the left, dominates the man and repels the Koh, Divinity, outside until the place becomes narrow for him, “In siege and in distress.”

111) When a person clings to the ways of Torah, he is loved above and loved below, and he becomes the Creator’s loved one. He is loved by the Creator and the Creator loves him. But when a person strays from the ways of Torah, the power of Koh, Divinity, lessens and she becomes his foe and enemy, and he becomes her enemy. Then, that evil, the evil inclination, governs him until it slanders him in this world and in the next world.

112) That wicked one, the evil inclination, governs the world in many ways and has much governance in the world. It is the tyrant serpent in which there is the sin of Adam ha Rishon, and the people of the world fail in him, throwing it at them until he takes their souls from them.

113) When the evil inclination governs the body, and since it governs the body, its soul departs it, since because the body is defiled, the soul departs it. It does not rule, taking out man’s soul, until it receives permission. Also, many are those who come from the side of the evil inclination and govern the world. And they govern all the deeds that were made in the world, which are made by seductions. And he has appointees and servants, all of them serving in the actions of the world, meaning seducing people to do evil deeds.

114) This is why it is the end of the left, as it is written, “The end of all flesh.” But it is not called “The end of all spirit.” There are two ends: the end of flesh, which is appointed over the body. This is external and impure. And the end of spirit, appointed over man’s spirit, is therefore internal, holy.

115) On the right side, south, it is the high and holy secret of faith, the male world, ZA, and the female world, the Nukva de ZA, as well as the whole of the Holy of Holies and all the secrets of faith, which is the Nukva. They emerge from here, and all of life, freedom, all the good, and all the lights are from here. All the blessings, the dew of benevolence, and all the love that is in the loves are from that side, the right, the south.

116) From the north side, the degrees spread until the waste of gold reaches down to BYA. On the impure side, the filth of impurity, she grips the one above, which is the male, and grips the one below, which is the female, and here male and female mate. They are the rider of the serpent and the serpent—male and female—and this is Azazel, which includes male and female of impurity.

117) From here, the degrees split and several discernments come out to the world, expanding from here and governing the world. They are all impurity and ministers appointed over the world. It is explained that when Esau came out to the world, he was as red as a rose. This implies to the left, to the Se’arot [hair], like Se’ir [“hairy,” but also “he-goat”], which is from impurity. And from there are the appointed fierce rulers that govern the world.

118) “Happy are they that keep justice,” who keep the faith of the Creator. The Creator is called “Justice,” and man must keep himself from straying to another way, but keep the justice, since the Creator is justice, for all His ways are just.

The name, “Justice,” indicates to deciding about matters. This comes after hearing two opposite sides. It is like a judge: once he has thoroughly listened to the arguments of the two sides in dispute, he gives his sentence and says, “So and so, you are innocent. And so and so, you are guilty.” This sentence is called “justice,” and this is the middle line, which decides between the two lines—right and left—which are opposite from one another in a way that both shine to the side of holiness. Because of this sentencing of His, He is called “Justice.”

To explain the words, “Happy are they that keep justice,” The Zohar brings the ways and results of the two opposite sides—the right side and the left side—and the merit of one who engages in Torah with respect to the tree of life in it, which is all right, opposite one who is negligent in Torah and falls to the tree of death, which is all left. And there is also the matter of the end to the right and opposite that, the end to the left, and the results from the south side compared to the north side.

This is why it is said, “Happy are they that keep justice,” who keep the faith of the Creator. The Nukva is called “faith.” The faith of the Creator means the unification of the Creator and His Divinity. During the unification, the Creator is called “Justice” because the Creator is right, Divinity is left, and their Zivug is the sentence. Without the unification, He is not sufficiently complete, even though He is the tree of life, and then He is not called “Justice” because He leans to the right.

This is the reason why Adam was expelled from the Garden of Eden, as it is written, “Lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.” The idea was for him to raise MAN to unite the Creator and His Divinity like a keeper of sentence, which is a sentence, the result of the two lines together, leaning neither to the right nor to the left. The Creator, in a Zivug with Divinity, is called “Justice,” since then all His ways are just, in the middle line, containing both right and left together and leaning neither to the right nor to the left.

119) It is written, “That do righteousness at all times.” But can man do righteousness at all times? One who walks in the ways of Torah and does righteousness with those who need righteousness is regarded as one who does righteousness at all times, since anyone who does righteousness with the poor increases righteousness, the Nukva, above and below, meaning causes a Zivug of ZON above, and plentiful blessings below.

120) One who exerts in righteousness, the righteousness that he does rises and reaches the place where Jacob dwells, the upper Merkava [chariot/assembly], the Nukva. He extends blessings to that place from the fountain of all fountains, from Bina, from which all the Mochin come. And from the righteousness, from the Nukva, after she received blessings from Bina, he extends plenty of blessings to all the lower ones and all the Merkavot [plural of Merkava] of angels and all the upper armies. Then they are all blessed and the lights increase. And because all the lower ones and the angels are called “time,” since they extend from the Nukva, who is called “time,” it is written, “That do righteousness at all times,” increasing the bounty in all the dwellers of the worlds BYA, who expand from the Nukva and who are called “time,” like the Nukva.

121) While Israel were in the holy land, they were drawing blessings from above downwards. When Israel departed from the holy land, they came under another authority and the world was denied the blessings.

122) Jacob was under the authority of holiness, in the land of Israel. When he departed the land, he came into another authority, which is unholy. And before he came under another authority, the Creator appeared to him in a dream. He saw all that he saw and the holy angels went with him until he sat by the well. When he sat by the well, the waters rose toward him.

This was the same with Moses, since there he met his wife. The well rises only when she sees her connection, a mate to bond with. The well indicates to the Nukva de ZA, and Moses and Jacob were a Merkava for ZA, hence the waters rose toward them like a Nukva toward her mate.

123) In the beginning, it is written, “And Jacob went out from Beer-Sheba, and went toward Haran,” and Laban was dwelling in Haran. Thus, why did he go from there, as it is written, “Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east”? And how do we know that Laban’s dwelling place was in Haran? It is because it is written, “And Jacob said unto them, ‘My brothers, where are you from?’ And they said, ‘We are from Haran.’ And he said to them, ‘Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?’ And they said, ‘We know him.’” This means that Laban’s dwelling place was in Haran. Hence, why did he go to the land of the children of the east?

124) Jacob said, “I want to bond with Divinity, the well, since I want to marry a woman. When my father was about to marry a woman and sent the servant, the servant found the fountain of water and then a woman was found for my father. But in this place, in Haran, I did not find a fountain or a pit or water.” Promptly, “Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east,” where he came across the well and met his wife.

125) Haran is the land of the east, and the well in the field was of Haran. If this is not so, why does it say, “And she ran and told her father”? It is because he was near the city.

126) Why did Leah not meet him at the well? After all, she is the one who bore all those tribes for Jacob? However, the Creator did not wish to mate her with Jacob openly, as it is written, “And it came to pass in the morning that, behold, it was Leah.” But this was not revealed earlier, and this was the will of the Creator.

127) For this reason, Leah did not appear but Rachel, to attract Jacob’s eye and heart with Rachel’s beauty, so he would set up his dwelling there. And thanks to her, Leah, too, was coupled with him and bore all these tribes. How did Jacob know who Rachel was? After all, he did not know her? The shepherds told him, as it is written, “And, behold, Rachel his daughter comes with the sheep.”

I Will Serve You Seven Years

128) “And he said, ‘I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel,’” so that people will not say that he did it for his craving after Rachel’s beauty, but so they will know that he did it with wisdom. The moon, the Nukva de ZA, is made of seven years, meaning she must be built in seven Sefirot, HGT NHYM. And all the upper seven years, HGT NHYM, from Bina, rested on Jacob before he married Rachel so as to bestow the seven Sefirot of Bina unto her own seven Sefirot. Jacob took them all from Bina and then came to her to be as ZA, heaven, which is regarded as Nukva de ZA, land.

129) “And they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.” The entire seven years were to him as the upper seven years from Bina, who are ones, in one unification, and are not separated. They are all one, since they connect to one another for the love that he loved her, since she was to him like the upper unification in Bina.

130) Even Laban implied to him in these seven Sefirot, and he himself did not know what he was saying, since he said that it was good, as it is written, “It is better that I give her to you.” Thus, he worked seven years, seven Sefirot, to impart those seven Sefirot to the bottom Nukva, Rachel, who is called Shmita [periodic remission of land cultivation every 7^th year]. Tov [“good,” from “Better I give her to you”] are the seven upper Sefirot, which extend from Bina, since they are from the point of Miftacha: Tet [1^st letter in Tov] is Yesod, Vav [2^nd letter] is Tifferet, which includes six Sefirot, and Bet [3^rd letter] is two letters Hey.

Yovel [jubilee], which is Bina, does not appear; it is Hassadim that are covered and concealed from Hochma. But Shmita does appear because the Hassadim in her are disclosed in illumination of Hochma. Also, Leah and Rachel correspond to Yovel and Shmita because Leah is the Nukva de ZA from the Chazeh and above—opposite Bina, Yovel, the hidden world—and Rachel is the Nukva de ZA from the Chazeh down, Shmita, the revealed world.

131) When Jacob was serving the first seven years, a voice came out and said, “From the world to the world,” extending from the hidden world, Leah, to the revealed world, Rachel. The beginning is in the hidden world, above, which is Yovel and Leah, and not from the revealed world, Rachel. And those degrees that are hidden and are not revealed to us are from the Yovel. This is why they were concealed from Jacob, who did not even know that they were for Leah, that she was Yovel. Rather, he thought that they were from the Shmita because of Rachel.

And there is another reason: to make the beginning from the upper world, Leah, it was concealed from him that they belong to Leah, since the Yovel is concealed. And because it is concealed and covered from Hochma, he did not wish to begin and to extend from it if he did not think that they belonged to the revealed world. And after the seven covered years of Yovel went by, he worked for the seven revealed years of Shmita for Rachel, and he was crowned with both worlds, the hidden world and the revealed world, and was united in them.

Upper Righteous and Lower Righteous

132) Leah had six boys and a girl. This is because six edges stand on her: Jacob, which is Tifferet, which includes HGT NHY, and a girl, which corresponds to Malchut.

133) Rachel gave birth to two righteous, since Rachel is Shmita [periodic remission of land cultivation every 7^th year], which sits forever between two righteous, as it is written, “Righteous, they shall inherit the land.” They are the righteous above, in ZA, and the righteous below, in Nukva. The righteous above is the one from whom the upper waters extend, Direct Light from above downwards. The righteous below is the one from whom the Nukva spouts water unto the male, the Reflected Light from below upwards, with complete craving.

It follows that she has a righteous from this side and a righteous from that side. As the upper male, ZA, sits between two females, Bina and Nukva, the Nukva below, meaning the Nukva from Chazeh de ZA down, sits between two righteous, Joseph and Benjamin.

The firmament and the Parsa in the middle of each Partzuf, in the Chazeh, is the ending Malchut, which rises to the Tifferet of each Partzuf, to Bina de Guf, and brings down half of Bina and TM de Guf, which are called NHY, to the degree below it. And since those NHY join with the lower one during the Katnut, afterwards, during the Gadlut, when the upper one brings its NHY back to its degree, from the place of the lower one, it rises along with them to the place of the upper one, and the lower one is attached to them, as well. Thus, the lower one receives the lights that are in the upper one.

It turns out that the Parsa draws out from the upper one and imparts upon the lower one. Had it not been for the Parsa, which lowered the NHY of the upper one and attached it to the lower one, no lower one would have been able to rise and receive anything from his upper one, since they are in two separate places. Thus, NHY de Bina that were attached to ZA bestow the lights of Bina upon ZA after they return to Bina. And NHY de ZA that were attached to the Nukva bestow the lights of ZA upon the Nukva after they return to ZA. And also, NHY de Nukva that were attached to the souls of the righteous bestow upon them after they bring the lights of Nukva back to the Nukva.

Hence, it is considered that ZA sits between two females because NHY de Bina that descended to ZA raise and attach him to Bina, which is the upper Nukva, and his own NHY that descended to the lower Nukva attach and raise the bottom Nukva to him. Also, the bottom Nukva is regarded as sitting between two righteous because NHY de ZA, whose essence is the middle line in them, meaning Yesod, descended and clung to the Nukva. This is the upper righteous because they are NHY de ZA and he is Joseph. Her own NHY, whose essence is Yesod, descended and clung to the souls of the righteous, and this is the lower righteous, since they are the NHY of the lower Nukva and he is Benjamin.

It is said that the upper male, ZA, sits between two females. This is so because there are two discernments in NHY: 1) The NHY of the upper one attach him to the upper Nukva, Bina, to receive her lights; and 2) His own NHY attach him to the lower Nukva, to bestow his lights upon her.

The bottom Nukva, too, meaning the Nukva from Chazeh de ZA down, sits between two righteous because she, too, necessarily has two discernments of NHY, whose essence is Yesod, which is called Tzadik [righteous]. The first is the NHY of her upper one, of ZA, who receives her lights from these NHY, from the upper righteous, Joseph. The second is her own NHY, which attach her to the souls of the righteous to bestow upon them, whose essence is Yesod, the lower righteous, Benjamin.

134) Hence, Joseph and Benjamin are two righteous. Joseph was rewarded with being the righteous above, in ZA, because he kept the sign of the covenant. Benjamin is the righteous below, in Nukva, so that the Shmita, Nukva, will be crowned between two righteous, the righteous Joseph and the righteous Benjamin.

135) Benjamin was a righteous because he did not sin all his life with the sign of the covenant. And even though he did not come across a trial such as Joseph, he is called righteous.

However, all the days while Jacob was mourning over Joseph, he did not have intercourse.

137) When they came to Egypt, did Benjamin already have sons? As long as Jacob was in mourning over Joseph, Benjamin did not have intercourse and did not bear sons. Benjamin said, “After all, my brother, Joseph, was my father’s sign of the covenant,” since Jacob is Tifferet, which includes HGT NHY, and Joseph is Jacob’s Yesod. A covenant is Yesod, the conclusion of the Guf, Tifferet. And since he was lost, I will be the keeper of my brother’s place, being a Yesod, Tzadik, and the Sium [end] of Tifferet like Joseph.

It is written, “And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, ‘Send me away,’” since now that Joseph was born, meaning Yesod, the Guf, Tifferet, was evidently completed. And since the Guf was completed, “I wish to go to my place and to my country.” Jacob knew by the spirit of holiness that Joseph was Yesod. And from him, everyone knew. For this reason, Benjamin knew and kept his brother’s way, becoming a Yesod, Tzadik, for his father instead of Joseph after he was lost.

139) After he came to Joseph and met his brother, he returned to his home, copulated, and bore sons. This is the reason why the Creator made him a righteous below, in the Nukva. And Joseph was a righteous above, in ZA. This is why Rachel had two sons and Leah had six sons and a daughter.

We could ask, “How is it possible that within such a short time—from the return of the tribes to their father with Pharaoh’s wagons until their return to Egypt—he bore ten sons?” But The Zohar speaks nothing of corporeal incidents, but of the upper worlds, where there is no sequence of times as it is in corporeality. Spiritual time is elucidated by change of forms and degrees that are above time and place.

140) Hence, these first seven years were concealed, meaning that Jacob did not know that they were for Leah because they were from Yovel, from Bina, the hidden world. And those seven years of Shmita, the revealed world, were revealed, meaning he knew he was working for Rachel.

And for Shmita, the revealed world, he was really working for the Yovel, the hidden world, when he thought he was working for Rachel, Shmita, but in the end they were for Leah, the Yovel. It is written, “And Jacob served seven years for Rachel.” With respect to the hidden world, Leah, he was working for Rachel, but he was working the seven upper years, the seven Sefirot of Leah. It turns out that through them, he had a grip on both worlds—thinking about the revealed world but extending for the concealed world. We learn from this that out of the revealed, man comes to the concealed.

141) And should you say that the first years of service were for Yovel, Leah, then he would have to work for forty-nine years, as the number of years in Yovel [jubilee, 50^th year anniversary]. But those seven days that he kept during the feast of Leah complemented the number forty-nine, since each day is considered a seven, as it is written, “Seven times a day do I praise You.” Also, each of the seven days of the feast is complemented and included with all seven days; thus, there are seven each day, which are read once. They are seven times seven, which amount to forty-nine, as the number of years in Yovel.

142) With Rachel, he did not keep all the days of the feast with her, but only seven years for her after her marriage. But did he not have to first work the seven years of Shmita and only then mate in the Shmita, which is Rachel? First, he had to extend seven Sefirot for her, as he did for Yovel, which is Leah. But since he took it upon himself to serve, it was considered as though he had already served and the seven Sefirot for Rachel were immediately extended to him.

From the Chazeh de ZA down it is the revealed world, Rachel. It is written, “The Lord was pleased, for His righteousness' sake, to make the Torah great and glorious,” meaning that the greatness of the Torah would be revealed and glorified because the Hassadim de ZA, called “Torah,” are revealed through the revealed world, Rachel. This is why Rachel is called “the oral Torah,” since she discloses the secrets of the written Torah, ZA. But the place from Chazeh de ZA and above is the hidden world, Leah, where there is no disclosure of the Torah, which is ZA. Instead, she is covered and enveloped in the secrets of the Torah. This is why she is called “the hidden world.”

Four Knots

143) Leah had six sons and a girl, who are HGT NHYM. Rachel had two sons, two righteous, upper and lower. But where is the correction of the four sons of the maidservants? After all, the sons of Rachel and Leah already contain all the Sefirot. They are four knots, which are called Achoraim [posterior].

144) There are three knots on the right arm, Hesed, since the hand divides into three joints—the biceps, the forearm, and the palm—which connect through three knots. There is a knot in the middle, the biggest one, which is considered Achor [posterior] because it bulges out of the body. Likewise, there is one middle knot among the three knots of the left arm. And likewise, there is one in the three knots in the right thigh. Also, there is one in the three knots in the left thigh. When everything is corrected, the four posterior knots enter into the Guf [body], as it is written, “And all their hinder parts were inward,” inside.

145) All the other knots, except four, are seen on the same plain as the organs of the body, while these four bulge outside the arms and the thighs to indicate to the sons of the maidservants. This is so because even though they are counted in the twelve tribes, they are not as important as the sons of Leah and the sons of Rachel, and this is why they bulge out of the arms and thighs.

The number twelve is the Merkava to extend illumination of Hochma, the illumination of three lines, in each of which are HB TM, which are HG NH in ZA, and four times three are twelve. This is why it is considered that there are three joints in each of the arms, which are HG, and in each of the thighs, which are NH. At their root, the three lines extend from the three—Holam, Shuruk, Hirik—since there is a special diminution called sowing in each of them.

They are regarded as three sowings:

Holam, the ascent of Malchut to Bina, the bottom Hey to NE, when the degree remains in MI de Elokim and the letters ELEH fall to the degree below it, when the Yod entered the light of the degree and it became Avir, which is right line.
Shuruk, the descent of the bottom Hey from NE and the letters ELEH return to the letters MI, and the name Elokim appears. However, the light of Hochma is without Hesed and cannot shine. This is the left line.
Hirik—the Masach de Behina Aleph—which elicits VAK without a Rosh, the ZA of that degree, which is the middle line.

However, when they join one another through the middle line, Hirik that unites the Shuruk and the Holam, meaning right and left, everyone is complemented and shines as one. At that time, the three diminutions in them are regarded as knots by which the three lines connect to one another.

This is so because without the Shuruk, the Yod would not come out of the Avir, from the point of Holam, right line, and would remain in Hassadim without Hochma. And without the Hirik, which unites the Shuruk and the Holam in one another, the Shuruk would be unable to shine for lack of Hassadim. And through the decision of the Masach de Hirik of uniting the Holam and Shuruk in one another, he also obtained the Rosh in the full measure that he caused to illuminate the Holam and the Shuruk. Thus, they are all tied to one another, and if some knot would be untied, the illumination of all of them would depart.

This is why they are regarded as three joints in a way that the three levels of the lights in them are regarded as three joints, in each of the arms and thighs, and the three screens in them tie the lights and complement them to shine as one. Also, they are regarded as three knots: Holam, Shuruk, and Hirik.

There are three knots in the right arm, but there is one knot in the middle, the biggest one. This is because the middle one, the Shuruk, has illumination of Hochma in it, and it is called Rav, meaning great. However, it is regarded as Achor [posterior], meaning that it does not shine at all because it cannot shine as long as it is without Hassadim. When all three points, Holam, Shuruk, and Hirik join together, and the Holam and Shuruk join together through the level that comes out on the Masach de Hirik, all three shine as one because the Shuruk, too, the middle knot that was in the Achor and did not shine has now returned into being Panim [anterior]. It shines once more because it is included in the Hassadim in the Holam, as it is written, “And all their hinder parts were inward,” in the middle knot, where each of the arms and thighs that were considered Achoraim and did not shine became Panim, illuminating once more through the unification of the middle line.

The two knots, Holam and Hirik, from which the sons of Rachel and Leah extend, were illuminating even prior to their unification in one another, albeit in VAK. Hence, after their unification in one another, they equalize with the organs of the body. But the middle knots, which were completely dark, without any light prior to the unification, remain bulging from the organs of the body even after their unification in one another, when they become Panim once more. This means that it is still apparent that they are Achoraim, indicating that they are regarded as the sons of the maidservants. Although there are twelve of them, and without them there would not be GAR in the two lines that extend from Holam and Hirik, they are not as important as the Holam and Hirik in the arms and thighs—the sons of Rachel and Leah—since they were completely dark before the unification and the Din was on them.

146) Another interpretation: the sons of the maidservants are four knots from which all the other knots journey by their power, and those four carry them. Without them, there would be no GAR in the two knots—Holam and Shuruk—in each of the arms and thighs. Thus, all the ties journey and shine by the force of these four knots of Achoraim. The four knots of Achoraim carry the rest of the knots, which shine GAR in them. Without them, they would all fall into VAK. Thus, they carry all of them.

And the Lord Saw that Leah Was Hated

147) It is written, “And the Lord saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.” It is also written, “Who makes the barren woman to dwell in her house as a joyful mother of children. Hallelujah.” “Who makes the barren woman to dwell in her house” is Rachel, the essence of the house. “As a joyful mother of children” is Leah, who gave birth to six sons and a daughter.

148) “Who makes the barren woman to dwell in her house” is Shmita, Nukva de ZA, the essence, since this world is led by her. “As a joyful mother of children” is Yovel, Bina, upon which every joy and gladness in the worlds BYA depends, since the Nukva de ZA has nothing of her own, except what ZA receives from Bina and imparts upon her. And then she imparts upon all the worlds. Thus, every joy in the worlds BYA comes from Bina.

This verse is the sum of everything, comprising the hidden world and the revealed world. This is why the text ends, “Hallelujah,” which is above all the praises in psalms.

149) “And the Lord saw that Leah was hated.” But the sons of a hated one are not decent sons, and all the good sons came out of Leah. However, Yovel is the hidden world; this is why all its actions were concealed from Jacob, since she was in concealed love for him. On the surface, she seemed hated, since Leah is from Chazeh de ZA and above, which is considered Ima, Yovel, the hidden world. This is why all its matters are in concealment.

150) The lower world, Rachel, Nukva de ZA, is revealed, the beginning of everything in the rise in degrees. It is like upper Hochma, Hochma de AA, which begins everything from above downwards. Similarly, the lower world, Hochma, begins everything from below upwards.

She is called “you” because she is Shmita and she is revealed. The Hassadim in her appear in illumination of Hochma, which is the Yod that exits the Avir and leaves Ohr [light]. At that time, the Nukva de ZA is called Shmita.

151) The upper world, Yovel, is Leah that extends from Ima. We call it “he” because all its words are in concealment, since the word “he” implies to the hidden world. It is written about Leah, “And he lay with her that night.” He was the servant of the Levite, and the Levite works to extend blessings from him, from “he” to all the worlds. “He” is the upper, hidden world, and Jacob was adhered to the revealed desire, as it is written, “And shall cleave unto his wife.” It is written, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother,” which are the hidden world, “And shall cleave unto his wife,” who is the revealed world.

152) “And the Lord saw that Leah was hated,” since she extended from Ima. A man hates the nakedness of his mother because his mother is the hidden world. This is the reason why “A man shall leave his father and his mother,” and a man is alone with his mother and does not fear seclusion [prohibition to be alone with a woman who is not a wife or first degree kin]. This is why everything was hidden from Jacob, since the upper world, Leah, which extends from Ima, was not revealed at all.

The Tribes

153) The world exists for Jacob. But the world exists for Abraham, as it is written, “These are the generations of the heaven and the earth when they were created,” for Abraham. But Jacob existed for Abraham, as it is written, “Therefore, thus says the Lord to the house of Jacob, who redeemed Abraham.” Previously, the Creator was creating worlds and destroying them. When Jacob came, the worlds were perfected by him and were not destroyed as before, as it is written, “But now thus says the Lord that created you, O Jacob, and He that formed you, O Israel.”

Abraham is the right line of ZA, Hesed. This is why it is written that the world was created for Abraham, for Hesed, as it is written, “The world will be built on Hesed [grace/benevolence].” However, when the left line came out, a dispute occurred between the two lines. It is written about it that the Creator was building worlds and destroying them, since due to the profusion of Dinim [judgments] on the left, everything that was built on the right side was destroyed by the force of the left, until the middle line, Jacob, came and decided between right and left, making peace between them. And then the world persisted and was not ruined anymore. It is written about it that Jacob redeemed Abraham. In truth, the world is built on Hesed, Abraham, but without the middle line—Jacob—the right line—Abraham—would not exist.

154) It is written, “Israel is My son, My firstborn.” And it is also written, “Let My son go, that he may serve Me.” Israel is called “the son of the Creator” because he adhered to Him, as it is written, “What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know?”

The Sefirot extend from one another in a sequence, by cause and consequence. In that respect, they are not regarded as father and son because a son means a light of an outcome, which in terms of a sequence, has no light, except what concerns renewal. This is why Hochma and Bina are called AVI, and ZA is considered their son, since in the sequence of the Sefirot, ZA is in VAK. However, in the ascent of MAN to decide between the two lines—right and left—of Bina, where the middle line that unites the two lines with each other was made, it obtains GAR from her because three come out of one, and one is rewarded with the three of them. This is so because the lower one is rewarded with the full measure of light that it causes in the upper one.

The GAR that ZA was rewarded with are regarded as “a light of Tolada” [Tolada means “outcome.” Light of Tolada is the light of BYA, the ten Sefirot of Ohr Yashar that sparkle through the Masach and below]. With respect to the evolution of the Sefirot, there is nothing of the light of GAR in it; rather, it is VAK. It turns out that the light of GAR is renewal, which was rewarded because it caused the illumination of GAR in the right and left in Bina. In that respect, the two lines of Bina are regarded as AVI, and ZA is a son.

They are called AVI because they renewed that light, although it is not at all in the sequence of cause and consequence. And ZA is called “a son” because it is light that was renewed by the right and left of Bina, which procreate.

This is why it is written, “What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know?” It relates to Bina and ZA, where the two lines of Bina that were called Hochma and Bina obtained the name AVI, and ZA obtained the name “son” with respect to them, meaning it was renewed and came out of them. “What is his name” concerns upper Ima, Bina, and the right line, in which there is Hochma. And both attained the name AVI, which procreate, and ZA is the son that is born from them.

The souls of the righteous cling to the Creator by rising to MAN for the Zivug of the Creator and His Divinity, where they become a middle line between the Creator, who is right, and Divinity, who is left. It is just as ZA rose to MAN to Bina and became a middle line between the right and left of Bina. Then they are rewarded with the full measure that the souls of the righteous cause to come out in the Creator and His Divinity, by their Zivug. With respect to this light, which they obtained from Zivug ZON, they are regarded as sons to ZON because it is a light of Tolada that was renewed from the progenitors, ZON.

It is written, “What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know?” This teaches us that as ZA is considered a son to AVI because he is the middle line that decides between the two lines in Bina, for the very same reason, the souls of the righteous are regarded as sons to ZON, since they, too, are a middle line in the Zivug of ZON.

155) When Leah gave birth to Reuben, it is written, “And she called his name Reuben,” meaning Reu [see/look] Ben [a son]. And since he is considered Hesed, why did she not call him Ben Yamin [son of right]? It is because he was included of three lines that unite as one, with Shimon and Levi, the left and middle lines.

The souls of the tribes came out of ZON. Six sons and a girl came out of ZA and Leah and two righteous from ZA and Rachel. A son is the light of outcome, with which the middle line is rewarded, since it subdues and unites the right and the left. This is why Leah called her first son only Reu [look] Ben [a son], and not Ben Yamin [son of right], since the name Ben points to the middle line, which is rewarded with the measure it induced in the upper one, in the three that come from one and one is rewarded with all three. This is what she implied with her first son, since the name Ben indicates to the light that is born out of the mingling of the three lines that it caused in the upper one. For this reason, the lower one is rewarded with them, with three, as well, and this is what she implied with her first son.

She called the third son by the name, Levi. Since Reuben was called “a son” after being a middle line that includes the three lines, and although he himself is the right line, he is named “a son” after the mingling. Hence, with Levi, who is the middle line himself with respect to the souls it is even more so, he certainly had to be called “a son,” so why was he called “Levi”? The name Levi indicates Leviot [accompaniments], which indicates to the middle line that connects the right and left. Accordingly, a son indicates that his light is renewed in the middle line and includes the three lines. However, in terms of indicating to the middle line of the son, only the name Levi indicates.

156) Thus, he contains three lines, as it is written, “Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power,” since Malchut is on the side of Gevura. This is why she called him plainly Reu Ben, to indicate that he includes three lines in light of outcome.

157) This is the reason why she said only Reu Ben, and not Ben Yamin, since he was included in Shimon and Levi, since it was on Leah’s mind to include him in the two other sons. It is written about it, “Now this time will my husband join me because I have borne him three sons.” This indicates that they are three that join as one, that each of them consists of all three. This is why she could not call him Ben Yamin, since he is included with the left, as well.

158) The upper Merkava [chariot/structure] is the patriarchs and King David who joins them. All four are the Holy Name, HaVaYaH, where Yod-Hey-Vav are the patriarchs, the three lines, and the bottom Hey is King David, the Nukva. Reuben, Shimon, and Levi are the three lines Yod-Hey-Vav, and Judah is the root of Malchut, the bottom Hey of the name HaVaYaH. Hence, they are all in the place of the Merkava. And as each consists of three lines in the Merkava, each consists of the three lines in the tribes, as well.

159) It is written, “And she conceived again, and bore a son; and she said, ‘This time will I praise the Lord.’ Therefore she called his name Judah.” And then, “She stopped bearing.” This is so because the four columns of the throne were perfected in Judah, which are HG, Tifferet, and Malchut, where Reuben is Hesed, Shimon is Gevura, Levi is Tifferet, and Judah is Malchut. “This time will I praise the Lord,” with this son, and not with all the sons.

As long as the assembly of Israel, Malchut, is in exile, the Holy Name is incomplete. Even though the three sons, HGT, existed before she bore Judah, the throne was completed only with Judah, who is Malchut. This is why she said, “This time will I praise the Lord,” with Judah. And hence, “And she stopped bearing.” “She stopped” [in Hebrew: stood] because the throne stands on its pillars, since with Judah, the four columns of the throne, HGTM, were completed.

160) It is written, “And she stopped [Hebrew: stood],” since up to Judah, who is Malchut, she stood in one unification. From here down—below Malchut de Atzilut, in the world of separation—it is the three worlds of BYA of separation. Hence, are the two sons that she bore after Judah—Issachar and Zebulon—separation because they were born after Malchut? They are not, since Issachar and Zebulon were joined in Reuben, Shimon, and Levi, since VAK are as one.

Issachar and Zebulon are NH, and they are one with the Guf, HGT, since VAK of the Guf are HGT NHY. Accordingly, Issachar Zebulon are first the Malchut, Judah, since they are attached to HGT, and hence they are not considered separation. And Judah, Malchut, includes Yesod within him, too.

161) All twelve tribes are corrections of the assembly of Israel, which is the internality of the Nukva from Chazeh de ZA and above, which extends from Bina in this world, from Nukva, from the Chazeh de ZA down, to extend the twelve corrections from the upper world, Bina, to the lower world, Nukva.

As a whole, they are two corrections: 1) Correcting the black upper light, the correction of the left, for Hochma without Hassadim is black light, the darkness of Ima. 2) Restoring everything, the correction of the right, ordaining the Hassadim for without them there is no illumination in the worlds at all, since even the illumination of the left is dark and black without it.

162) Issachar and Zebulon are NH. Here, six sons were completed, the VAK of the world: Reuben, Shimon, Levi, and Judah, which are HGTM, and Issachar and Zebulon are NH. This is the correction of the right, VAK de Hassadim. Thus, the four sons of the maidservants were connected to the six, VAK. There are four ties that connect them, two ties in HG, and two ties in NH, and they are the correction of the left. And since they were connected to the right, it is written, “And all their hinder parts were inward,” meaning that the Achoraim have become internality. Thus, even though they are the sons of the maidservants, meaning darkness and Achoraim, they are still inward, internality.

The ten tribes were clarified in the correction of the twelve, the correction of the right and the correction of the left, as it is written, “You shall set them in two rows,” the six sons of Leah are the correction of the right, the four sons of the maidservants are the correction of the left, and the two sons of Rachel will be clarified below.

163) Everything that the lower world, the Nukva at the Sium [conclusion] of Atzilut begets is in separation, because it is written, “And from there it parts.” And what about Joseph and Benjamin? They are not one world; they are not a unification from the world of Atzilut; thus, they did not come out of the upper world, from the Nukva from the Chazeh and above, Leah, but were rather born from the lower world Rachel, below Chazeh de ZA, which is at the Sium of the world of Atzilut. Also, birth means that the soul extends from above downwards. It turns out that what the lower world begets, it begets below, that its offspring are below the Sium of Atzilut and not above. This is why they are separated, in the separated world of Beria.

164) Even though the two kinds of corrections were already corrected, the right and the left, in the sons of Leah and in the sons of the maidservants, which is the correction of the twelve, it is still concealed, under the domination of covered Hassadim. To disclose the Hassadim in illumination of Hochma, two essential corrections are required, meaning two righteous in the lower world, Rachel, lower Hochma, since the Hochma is concealed from Hochma de AA through Rachel.

But each time a righteous comes out of the lower world and enters he enters it and leaves it. This is the reason why it was built in this place. It is an essential above and it is an essential below, and it is always in the lower world.

Two essentials run “to” and “fro.” In the light of the Zivug it is “to,” the disclosure of Hochma, the upper essential, appears through the NHY of the upper one in the Nukva, Joseph. The “fro,” which is bestowal of Hassadim, is the lower essential, which appears through NHY de Nukva herself, Benjamin.

Hence, each time a righteous departs the lower world and enters, he is two matters in a Zivug—to and fro. He enters it and departs it, and it is two actions that the righteous performs in the Nukva, in which he enters to disclose the Hochma, and from which he departs and discloses the Hassadim.

This is why two essentials were built in the Nukva. The essential above is NHY from the upper one, Joseph, and the essential below is NHY, from the essence of Nukva, Benjamin.

The lower essential, Benjamin, is always in the lower world, as it is written, “And it came to pass, as her soul departed for she died.” The righteous Benjamin is the soul of Nukva herself, the NHY of her essence. This is why he is always in her. But the righteous Joseph, who is NHY of the upper one, which reveals Hochma in her, is not always inside her but returns frequently.

165) In the lower world, the Nukva, the righteous enters it and exits her. When he enters he is the righteous Joseph; when he exits he is the righteous Benjamin, as it is written, “And it came to pass, as her soul departed for she died.” Her soul is the righteous who departs her.

166) This is why Benjamin is called “Ben-Oni,” because she thought she gave birth to him below Atzilut, in the world of separation, and eleven of those tribes above remained in Atzilut, as it is written, “But his father called him Benjamin,” Ben [son] Yamin [right side], since he departed above in the upper world. This is so because when Joseph was lost, Benjamin took his place.

Since Joseph and Benjamin were born from the Nukva that concludes the Atzilut, and each birth is necessarily from above downwards, the offshoot is below the progenitors. It turns out that Joseph and Benjamin are necessarily below the Nukva, below the conclusion of Atzilut, in the world of separation.

In the Nukva, there are two righteous, upper and lower, meaning two discernments of NHY: The first is the upper NHY de ZA, which clung to the Nukva, the righteous Joseph. The second is NHY de Nukva herself, the righteous Benjamin.

Even though the righteous Joseph was born from Nukva, he is still from NHY de ZA that clung to the Nukva and not from the NHY de Nukva that end Atzilut. This is why he is in the world of Atzilut. But Benjamin extends from NHY of the essence of Nukva that ends the Atzilut. Because he extends from NHY de Nukva that end the Atzilut, his mother called him, “Ben-Oni,” since she thought he was in the world of separation. This is so because after his birth from NHY de Nukva, he rose and was mitigated above in the upper world, Bina, meaning he rose and was included in the NHY of the upper one and became NHY of the upper one of ZA, like Joseph. In other words, he became Yesod de ZA, like Joseph.

Because of the selling of Joseph, the upper righteous is lost, meaning the Mochin de Gadlut that are imparted by the upper righteous, Joseph, disappeared. And then ZA imparted upon the Nukva only Mochin de Hassadim, VAK, to revive the worlds, which are imparted through Benjamin. This is why his father called him Ben Yamin, which are Hassadim that come from the right. Thus, Benjamin, too, was reconnected in NHY of the upper one of ZA, and this is why, he too, is in the world of Atzilut and not in separation.

This is why in the lower world, the righteous enters and exits, hence Joseph, Benjamin, and all twelve tribes are like the twelve above, in a single unification. The six sons of Leah, HGT NHY, and the four sons of the maidservants are four knots, the middle knot, Shuruk, in each of the HG NH. Also, the two sons of Rachel are two righteous who bestow in Mochin de Gadlut in Zivug of Israel and Rachel.

This Time Will I Praise – She Called His Name Judah

167) “‘This time will I praise the Lord.’ Therefore she called his name Judah.” It is as it is written, “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the council of the upright, and in the congregation.” David, the upper of the Holy Name, HaVaYaH, wished to thank the Creator. “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart” means with the good inclination and with the evil inclination, which are two hearts, in the two inclinations that reside within the heart, on the two sides, right and left.

168) “In the council of the upright, and in the congregation” are the rest of the sides in this world, the Nukva, since “Whole heart” is like south and north, HG. “In the council of the upright” are the rest of the sides in the world, VAK, HGT NHY. It turns out that “In the council of the upright” are TNHY and the congregation, the place of Judah, is Malchut.

169) It is written, “And Judah is still ungodly towards God.” Judah, Malchut that is connected to HaVaYaH, descended from the name HaVaYaH to the name God, Malchut, as it is written, “God has indignation every day.” It is also written, “I will give You thanks with all my heart, in the presence of God will I sing praises unto You.” “In the presence of God will I sing praises unto You,” meaning to God and not to HaVaYaH, since he sang for Malchut, who is called God, to bond her with the right side, with Hassadim. This is why it is written here, “I will give You thanks with all my heart,” and not “With my whole heart,” since he sang praises only in one place, when the Malchut is in the left and is not attached to the name HaVaYaH.

170) The name Judah grips all sides, south and east. This is so because in Judah, there is the name HaVaYaH, which means gratitude, as it is written, “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,” since the name HaVaYaH includes all the sides. Judah comes from the left side because Judah is Nukva, who is built from the left side. His beginning is in the north and he clings to the south because he goes to the right, Hesed, and grips to the Guf, Tifferet. Thus, he grips all sides. This is why it is written, “This time will I praise the Lord,” which indicates that it consists of all the sides. And then it is written, “And she stopped bearing.” Once she delivered four sons, Reuben, Shimon, Levi, and Judah, who are HGTM, the whole of the holy Merkava was established, Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, and Malchut.

172) After Lot parted from him, “And the Lord said unto Abram, after Lot had parted from him, ‘Now lift up your eyes and look.’” Would Abraham inherit the land according to the measure of his seeing? A man can see for twelve to twenty miles, but the writing says, “For all the land which you see.” But since he saw the four directions of the world, “Northward and southward and eastward and westward,” he saw all the land, since the four directions of the world are like the whole of the world. The Creator set him up on the land of Israel, the Nukva, and showed him that she was tied to the directions of the world, HB TM de ZA, which are the Merkava, and then he saw everything.

174) “The land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your seed.” Was the place that the Creator promised him only four or five Ammot [cubits (approx 20 inches)] and not more? However, at that time the Creator multiplied the whole of the land of Israel under him. Hence, at that time, that place included all of the land. And the whole of the land is Rabbi Shimon, who is the light of the whole earth, and he is equal to the entire world.

175) “This time I will praise the Lord.” Judah is the fourth son to the throne, Malchut, the fourth leg. He completes the throne. Hence, only Judah is the correction of the throne. And he is a pillar upon which all the pillars rely because he completes the throne. This is even more so with Rabbi Shimon, who shines with the Torah throughout the world and several lights shine through him; he is the pillar of all the pillars.

His Thought Was of Rachel

176) Children of the upper one, high holy ones, blessed of the world with a hazel brain, gather to know that a bird comes down each day and awakens in the garden with a flame of fire in its wings. In its hand are three rakes and shovels as sharp as a sword, and the keys to the treasures are in its right hand.

The Zohar invites only those people who have been rewarded with the degrees HB TM—the children of the upper one, meaning Bina. The high holy ones are Hochma, the blessed of the world are Tifferet, and the hazel brain is Malchut. It tells them, “Gather to know the calling of the bird that declares in the Garden of Eden each day, for they are the ones who are worthy of understanding its words, and not others, who have not been rewarded with these degrees.

The bird is the Nukva de ZA. The garden is the Garden of Eden, the place of the Nukva who obtained the form of her mother without any remnant of her own form. The bird, Nukva, descends from the place of Ima [mother] after she received her form and awakens in the Garden of Eden each day, to declare from there, since there she is equal to Ima.

The equalization to the shape of Ima is in three forms: 1) Katnut, VAK, called “wings,” for she needs to be similar to the wings of Ima. 2) Illumination of Hochma while she is still blocked. Her place is in the left hand and she is GAR de VAK. 3) Hassadim that clothe Hochma and open her to illuminate in complete perfection. For this reason, they are called “the keys to the treasures.” Without them, all the treasures of the wisdom would remain hidden.

The Nukva descended to the Garden of Eden from Ima and received from her a flame of fire in her wings. Along with her, she lowered the Dinim from Ima, which are called “a flame of fire.” Their place is called “wings,” the Katnut from Ima. She also lowered three rakes with her, as sharp as a sword. With the left hand, she brought down the illumination of Hochma, and even though it is still hidden, she still chases away all the Klipot, which are the filth and foulness that block the channels of abundance from imparting upon the lower ones.

This is why she is called “a rake that is as sharp as a sword,” because she cleans each dirt until its place is unrecognized. And since there are twelve Behinot [discernments] because of the mingling, three joints in each of the HG and NH, which are called arms and thighs, the three rakes on her left hand are regarded as the three joints of the hand. This is the second discernment that she received from Ima.

The keys to the treasures are on her right hand. These are the third discernment that she brought down with her from Ima to the Garden of Eden, the light of Hassadim whose place is in the right hand, which clothe the Hochma, and which are called “keys to the treasures,” since they open the treasures of the wisdom. Without them, all the treasures of the wisdom would remain hidden, like a lock and bolt.

177) She calls out loud to the righteous in the Garden of Eden, “Whomever among you whose face shines (who has been rewarded with wisdom [Hochma], as it is said, ‘Man’s wisdom makes his face shine’), who came in and came out and grew strong in the tree of life (who has been rewarded with three lines), entered (in the right line) and came out (in the left line), and grew strong in the tree of life (the middle line), who has reached his branches (HGT NHY de ZA, which are the tree of life and its branches), and has clung to his roots (GAR de ZA), who eats of its fruits that are sweeter than honey (the illumination of Hochma in Nukva de ZA, which is its sweet fruit), who gives life to the soul and healing to himself (to his body), she declares and says, ‘Who is the one who is rewarded with all that?’ It is one who is kept from bad thoughts, from a thought that is deceitful in the tree of life, from a thought that defiles the river and the stream, the source of Israel, from a source that gives death to the soul and shattering to himself; he has no existence whatsoever.”

In and of herself, Nukva is unfit for reception of any Mochin because Tzimtzum Aleph [first restriction] is on her, and all the Mochin that she receives is due to her ascent and mingling with Kelim de Ima. Hence, the point of her self should be hidden in her in complete concealment. And if she is revealed, all the lights immediately depart her because it is revealed that she is not considered Ima but Malchut, for the Tzimtzum is on her and she is unfit for reception of lights of Ima.

This is the reason why the tree of knowledge is good and bad. If one is careful in clinging to the middle line, which decides between the two lines, where the right line shines from above downwards and the left line from below upwards, and man, too, does not extend illumination of Hochma in the left line from above downwards, it is considered that he has been rewarded.

And this is good, meaning that the point of Nukva herself is hidden and unknown. However, if he extends illumination of the left from above downwards and blemishes the middle line, it is considered that he was not rewarded and this is bad. Then the point of Nukva herself immediately appears on him and the lights of life promptly flee and depart him.

Concerning not being rewarded, it does not require an actual deed, to actually extend from above downwards. Rather, the thought of sinning—even though he has not actually sinned—is already considered not been rewarded, and it is bad. Then the lights depart from him and the spirit of folly, which is death and evil, dresses in him, and this is what causes the actual sin, as it is written, “One does not sin unless the spirit of folly enters him.”

One who is rewarded with the upper lights is one who is kept from bad thoughts, from the thought of sinning and extending illumination of the left from above downwards, from that thought that lies and blemishes the tree of life. The tree of life is the middle line, which decides that only the right line will shine from above downwards, and the left line only from below upwards. And since man thought of extending from above downwards, he lies and blemishes the correction of the tree of life. Moreover, he defiles the river, Ima, and the stream, Yesod de Ima, the source of ZA, called “Israel.”

This is so because once the lights depart from the Nukva because the force of Tzimtzum appeared in her, this flaw reaches Ima, too, since the Nukva has already been included in Ima. This is considered that she is defiled by her touch with others. For herself, Ima has no flaw from Tzimtzum Aleph. Rather, she is only flawed by her inclusion with the Nukva. Ima is called “a river that comes out of Eden,” and from the perspective of her Yesod, she is called “a stream,” as it is written, “He will drink of the brook in the way.” Hence, he will raise his head, meaning that ZA obtains GAR and Rosh [head] from the stream, which is Yesod Ima.

It is written, “A thought that gives death to the soul and a breaking with it.” This is so because after the lights depart from Nukva, the light of man, called “soul” [Nefesh] depart, as well, and his Kli, called Guf [body], breaks, since he has no one from whom to receive the lights of life. Hence, he breaks and dies.

179) The thought that defiled the source of the tree of life, which is ZA, since it elevated the flaw of Nukva to Ima, makes the tree of falsehood. This is so because the flaw and the ruin of the lights of the source of the tree of life gradually build the tree of falsehood of the Sitra Achra, as it is written, “Tyre was built only on the ruin of Jerusalem.” Through that thought, it rises and replaces Nefesh for Nefesh—Nefesh from the lights of the Sitra Achra for Nefesh from the lights of Kedusha. Because of the thought, the tree of life departs and the tree of death clings to it, pulling the Nefesh out of it.

This is so because as soon as he thinks of transgressing, the lights of holiness, which are the tree of life, depart him, since if he is not rewarded, it is bad. Instead, the lights of the Sitra Achra—the tree of death—clothe in him. It turns out that now his soul necessarily extends from the tree of death and he has a Nefesh of the Sitra Achra instead of the Nefesh of holiness that he had before.

180) Woe unto him for because of that thought, he was uprooted from the tree of life and clung to the tree of death, whose light has stopped and is not spreading, and one who clings to it sees no good in the world. It is dry without any moisture of light, and its fruits are as bitter as wormwood. It is said about him, “For he shall be like a tamarisk in the desert, and shall not see when good comes.”

181) A good thought that rises above clings to the tree of life, the middle line, holds onto its branches, and eats of its fruits. All the sanctities and all the blessings come from him, and he inherits life for his soul and healing for himself. It is said about him, “For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and ... by the river.”

182) All the words of the world follow the thought and the contemplation. It is written, “Sanctify yourselves and be holy.” This is so because He brings out and extends all the sanctities in the world with a good thought.

183) One who is defiled by an evil thought, when he comes to mate with his wife, he replaces the upper degrees above—the degree of holiness with the degree of impurity—because his wish and his thought are for another woman and he inseminates with this thought. As his thought replaces below, replacing his wife with another woman, he also replaces above. And as the body of the son that he begets is called “replaceable,” with respect to his soul he is called “replaceable” because he did not extend holy extension with that thought and his Nefesh was replaced with the degree of the Sitra Achra.

The great flaw that he makes if he clings to Kedusha, to the tree of life, when he thinks of extending the left from above downwards, is that with his evil thought, all the lights of life and all the good immediately depart him, and an impure Nefesh [soul] replaces his holy Nefesh because he was not rewarded, and it is bad. Thus, one who mates with his wife and thinks of another, because those who mate in holiness are a Merkava for the upper ZA and Nukva, when he think of another, he evokes the Nukva of the Sitra Achra, a woman of harlotry, opposite from the Nukva de ZA.

Thus, he causes the illumination of the left from Nukva—regarded as the tree of knowledge of good and evil—to be extended from above downwards to the Klipot. It is considered the tree of knowledge of good and evil because if he is not rewarded, it is bad, since the point of Tzimtzum Aleph appeared on her, when all the lights of Kedusha depart and instead of them arrive the lights of the Sitra Achra. It turns out that then those who mate become a Merkava [chariot/structure] for ZON de Klipot. Hence, a son who is born from this Zivug extends from the Sitra Achra and becomes replaceable, since there is an evil soul in him, from the Sitra Achra, from the forces of Tzimtzum Aleph, and he is no longer worthy of receiving the light of life of holiness.

If he is not rewarded, it is bad, the point of Tzimtzum Aleph appears and the lights of life are replaced with the lights of the tree of death. And as the evil appeared below, in the Nukva, in the place where the good was placed, a swap was made above in Ima, whose flaw rose to ZAT de Ima, too, since because they were connected to each other during the correction, they blemish each other during the flaw.

184) Hence, as the body of the son that he bears is called “replaceable,” he is considered replaceable with respect to his soul, as well, since he did not extend holy extension with that thought and his soul was replaced with another degree, with the Sitra Achra.

The body extends from Nukva and the soul from the lights of Ima. But since, Ima, too, was blemished, not only was the body blemished, but the soul from Ima was blemished, too, and it is considered replaceable, for she has been replaced and became an impure soul.

185) Jacob, who was whole, was revealed before the Creator and all of Jacob’s ways were in truth, and always contemplated thoughts of truth in everything. The night when he copulated with Leah, his thought was of Rachel. He was copulating with Leah but thinking of Rachel, and his source went with his thought.

Leah is Bina and Rachel is Malchut, Nukva from Chazeh de ZA and below. Nukva de ZA cannot receive light in and of herself because she is in Tzimtzum Aleph. Rather, she first extends Kelim from Ima, which is Malchut that is mitigated with Midat ha Rachamim [quality of mercy], and then she is fit for reception of the lights. It turns out that in and of herself, Rachel is unfit for any light, but only after she receives the Kelim from Leah, from Ima. In the first seven years, Jacob wished to extend the seven lights HGT NHYM to Rachel, since first, corrected Kelim must be extended from the upper world, Bina, which is Leah, to the lower world, which is Nukva, Rachel.

It turns out that when he came to Leah and thought of Rachel, of extending the lights to Rachel, when he did not know that it was Leah, he thought of extending the lights in the Kelim of Tzimtzum Aleph before they were mitigated. And they are called “bad,” that if he is not rewarded, it is bad.

Before he married Leah, he could not extend corrected Kelim to Rachel. This is why Leah’s Kelim were replaced for him with Rachel’s Kelim, since the force of Tzimtzum was in Rachel, and he clung to the Kelim of Leah and could only extend VAK without a Rosh in his Zivug.

186) He did not know that she was Leah. This is why Reuben did not receive a name, since he had VAK without a Rosh, since a name means attainment. But the Creator, who knew that she was Leah, Bina, and did not need to be blemished by Rachel’s force of Tzimtzum, showed him, meaning imparted upon him Rosh and GAR. And he said, “Reu Ben [Look, a son] is born in the world.” Because he appeared before the Creator, since Jacob was thinking truthfully in his desire, Reuben was not disqualified from among the holy tribes, meaning he was not considered replaceable, for if this were not so, he would have been disqualified.

187) Because the thought is the essence and the doer of the act, the Creator, who knew the place where that thought was clung while inseminating the first drop, He kept the seniority for that place. It is written about it, “For he was the first-born; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph,” since where the thought went and clung to the insemination of the drop, there the birthright clung and was given.

Thus, the seniority was taken from Reuben and was given to the place to which the thought clung—he thought of Rachel and the desire clung to her. This is why the birthright was attached to Rachel, and everything was established after the thought and the contemplation.

188) The thought and the contemplation make the act, and extend the extension from everything that man clings to in secret, as it is written, “The wife of the dead shall not be married abroad.” Here the thought and the will must cling to the soul of his dead brother, and with that will and thought, he draws the extension and does the deed he must do, and the name of the dead will not be erased from the world.

189) “If He set His heart upon man, He will gather his spirit and his breath unto Himself.” The will and the thought draw the extension and do the deed with everything that is needed. This is why in prayer, a desire and a thought to aim in are required. Similarly, in all the works of the Creator, the thought and the contemplation does the deed and draw extensions to all that is needed.

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