He Carved a Carving in the Upper Light

1) When the King wished to emanate and create the worlds, the harsh spark carved a carving in the upper light. “Carved a carving” means the departure and restriction of the light, which leaves a place vacant and empty of light. It is regarded as carving because prior to creation, “The upper light had filled the whole of reality.” And when He wished to create the worlds, He made a carving in the upper light, which restricted and ejected the light from around the Malchut. With that carving, a place was made for all the worlds, a spark, a spark of fire, hardness, the force of harsh judgment‎ in the vessel of Malchut for which the light from around Malchut was restricted and departed.

When the lights wish to emerge and be revealed, that spark, in which there is the power of the judgment‎s, which are called “colors,” struck the expansion of the upper light, and the expansion was pressed backwards. Out of the pressing and striking, those fine lights come out and sound as one, along with the expansion of the upper light. Those fine lights are called reflected light, and the expansion of the upper light is called direct light. Then that spark disclosed colors in them, a change of degrees, and they were all painted together, both the reflected light and the direct light, in four colors—red, white, green, and black. These are the four degrees HB TM [Hochma, Bina, Tifferet, and Malchut].

That spark ascends in an illumination from below upward, which is called Rosh, and descends in an inversion of the illumination to shine from above downward, called Guf. That spark is called “the harsh spark.”

That spark corrected and struck all the plantations of the illuminations, and tells each one, “Grow!” That is, out of its striking in the expansion of the upper light, as mentioned, all the levels of all the degrees in the worlds come out, and he measures the size of each degree.

The harsh spark is a spark that beats on the expansion of the upper light, raises reflected light and clothes it. All the degrees are born and emerge from that beating, and it is about the power of restriction in the vessel of Malchut, not to receive the upper light. This was also established later, in the hard screen, called “fountain.” However, here it is about the beginning of the emergence of the harsh spark from Ein Sof, which was not yet established with a screen. Rather, it is the force of the judgment‎ that caused the restriction of the light from the vessel of Malchut.

The harsh spark came out and was made inside the most hidden of all that are hidden—from Ein Sof, the last phase of Ein Sof, Malchut of Ein Sof, a form that is considered raw. That is, the form of the judgment‎ was still amorphous, completely indistinguishable. The harsh spark was upright and pressed into a circle, meaning at the center of the circle, which is like a ring. It was neither white, nor black, and neither red, nor green.

Explanation: “Before the emanations were emanated and the creatures were created, the upper simple light had filled the whole reality. And there was no vacancy” for the existence of the emanated and the created. “And there was no such part as Rosh or Sof, but all was simple light, equal in one similitude, and it is called ‘the light of Ein Sof.’ And when upon His simple will came the desire to create the worlds and emanate the emanations,” the harsh spark came out, the force of judgment‎ that was disclosed in Malchut, emerging from Ein Sof, and carved a carving in the upper light. Thus, the light was restricted and departed from within the vessel of Malchut and around her. That departure of light is called “carving the upper light,” for a space devoid of light was made there. And in that empty space, all the worlds and all that is in them subsequently emerged.

And since the harsh spark, the force of judgment‎, emerged and has just been formed in the last phase of Ein Sof, it was still unable to disclose any judgment‎ in it, but only a root from which all the judgment‎s in the worlds later expanded and came about. But in itself, it was in a raw, amorphous form, since no form of judgment‎ was as yet apparent in it.

Similarly, the restricted place, the vacant space from which the light departed, was also in one similitude, for no form of judgment‎ was apparent there at all. This is called “a round shape.” The force of judgment‎ was pinned at the center of the circle, in the middle dot, where it is like an axis around which all the worlds revolve, to sweeten her and correct her.

Likewise, there were no colors in the space, since the colors are considered judgment‎s that induce changes in the degrees, and no judgment‎ was apparent there yet.

The Zohar says, “Neither white” since white indicates light of Hochma, in which there are no colors and judgment‎s. And since the light departed and was restricted from there, there is no white there. But since the light departed, there is another color there—black—indicating absence of light. But he says that there is no black there either, “Nor red,” the color of Bina, “Or green,” the color of Tifferet.

When he measured the level, he made colors illuminate into the space and the carving, since after the restriction and the carving, a line of light extended its expansion from the light of Ein Sof into the place of the vacant space. The upper Rosh of the expansion extends from Ein Sof himself and touches it, and the end of the expansion was in the place of the harsh spark that stands in the middle dot, at the center of the circle. It is so because the harsh spark detains the upper light from passing through it, hence the light ended there.

The expansion of that line of light contains within it four colors: Hochma, Bina, Tifferet, and Malchut. They illuminate inside the restricted place, as it was said that he measured the level, made colors, to illuminate into the space and the carving, for during the expansion of the line of light, the colors to illuminate to the place were made. But before that, there were no colors at all in the restricted place.

There are two actions in the harsh spark: 1) The coupling by striking from which all the degrees extend. This operation is in Malchut of Rosh, who raises reflected light from below upward, eliciting ten Sefirot of Rosh, and inverts to illuminate from it and below, eliciting ten Sefirot of Guf. 2) The act of the end of every degree. It is so because when the ten Sefirot of Guf of the degree expand from above downward, from Keter to Malchut, the light cannot be received in Malchut of Guf due to the harsh spark that is there, which detains the light and does not let it spread there, hence the illumination ends.

The harsh spark comes out of Ein Sof to extend crowns and Mochin to all the degrees, for all the Mochin are drawn through a coupling by striking of the harsh spark. This act of the spark is to lead the Malchut, who is called “the great sea,” so she does not exceed her measure outwards, that is, so she does not receive the upper light into her from the place of the screen below, of which it is written, “Thus far shall you come, but no further.” That is, the light will come up to the boundary on the screen and will not expand further, like the sand that limits and ends the waters of the sea, repelling the waves of the sea back. For this reason, Malchut of the Rosh is called “the coupling Malchut,” and Malchut of the Guf is called “the ending Malchut.”

The expansion of the line of light is Partzuf AK, Keter to the four worlds ABYA. And because there are necessarily four levels one below the other in each expansion—AB, SAG, MA, and BON—that line also includes the five Partzufim of AK.

A fountain appeared within the harsh spark, from which the colors below were painted. A fountain means a screen that was established inside the Malchut, to raise reflected light, since the beating, which is a coupling by striking with the upper light, is a coupling that does not stop, and the screen became as a flowing fountain with reflected light. Colors mean judgment‎s. Painted means disclosure of the judgment‎s. Below means in the Sefirot of the Guf.

It is so because the illumination of reflected light shines from below upward and from above downward. Its illumination from below upward is called Rosh, and the colors are not revealed yet in the illumination of the Rosh. Rather, the four colors are evident only in its illumination from above downward, called Guf. This is why it was said that the colors were painted below, meaning the judgment‎s were disclosed in an illumination from above downward, and not in an illumination from below upward.

The judgment‎s could not appear from below upward because upper and lower are always cause and consequence, where the lower is caused by the upper. And since the harsh spark is below, in Malchut of the Rosh, illuminating from below upward, the cause—the upper nine Sefirot—are not affected whatsoever by the deficiencies of its consequence—Malchut.

But the Guf is caused by the coupling by striking of the harsh spark, and the harsh spark is the reason for it. Hence, the judgment‎s of the harsh spark appear in it, since all the force of the judgment‎s in the cause appear in its consequence. It follows that every coarseness and deficiency can operate only from the place of its emergence downward, and not at all from the place of its emergence upward.

2) The most hidden of all that are hidden, from Ein Sof, Malchut of AK, emanated two Partzufim. He breached and did not breach, and his air is not known at all. One Partzuf is considered a breaching, an emergence of half a degree, VAK with deficiency of GAR, and the other is not a breaching, an emergence of a whole degree. His air is the level of Ruach, which is VAK with absence of GAR, unknown, for there is no coupling for extension of GAR there. “Known” means a coupling for extension of GAR.

Explanation: The Zohar begins to elucidate how the five Partzufim of Atzilut came out of Malchut of AK. It explains how Malchut of AK emanated Partzuf Keter of Atzilut, called Partzuf Atik, and Nukva of Atik, for Nukva of Atzilut came out of her as a breaching, and the male of Atik emerged from her not as a breaching. That breaching is the association of the quality of judgment with the quality of mercy, called the second restriction of AK.

It is as we learn—in the beginning, He contemplated creating the world with the quality of judgment, referring to Malchut of AK, from whose coupling emerged Partzuf AK, which is the quality of judgment. He saw that the world could not persist, so he brought the quality of mercy and associated it with the quality of judgment. He saw that the worlds could not exist, so He raised the quality of judgment, Malchut of AK, to Bina of AK, the quality of mercy, the coupling Malchut, who stood at the end of the Sefirot of Rosh. She rose to the place of Bina of Rosh, and made a coupling by striking there with the upper light.

Her reflected light, which rises from below upward, clothed only the two Sefirot KH, and the three Sefirot—Bina and ZON of Rosh—descended from the Rosh and fell into the Guf. And the ending Malchut, who stood below all the Sefirot of the Guf, rose and stood in Bina of Guf, at half the Sefira Tifferet, at the dot of Chazeh, since Tifferet is considered Bina of Guf, ending the Partzuf at the place of the dot of Chazeh. And Bina and ZON of Guf could not receive any light because they were below the ending Malchut and completely departed from Atzilut.

Because of Malchut’s ascent to the place of Bina, each degree was divided in two. Half of it stayed in the degree, its bottom half came out and descended to the degree below it, the half degree of the Rosh descended into a Guf, and the half degree of the Guf descended below Atzilut. It is therefore considered that each Partzuf that emerges through the association of the quality of mercy with judgment‎ emerges in a division of the degree into two halves.

When Malchut of AK emanated Atik of Atzilut, she emanated the male of Atik undivided, without the association of the quality of mercy, and Atik came out in a complete degree, undivided into two halves. She emanated the Nukva of Atik with association of the quality of judgment with mercy, and she emerged divided in the degree—only KH in the Rosh, and KH in the Guf, while Bina, Tifferet, and Malchut of Rosh fell into a Guf, and Bina, Tifferet, and Malchut of Guf fell below the Sium of the whole degree of Atzilut. This is because a new Sium was made for the upper light: the place of Chazeh of Guf, where it is half of Bina of Guf. That new Sium is called Parsa.

The reason why Partzuf Atik and his Nukva include two phases together is to have a median between the Partzufim of AK, who emerged undivided, and the Partzufim of the four worlds ABYA, who emerged divided. The male of Atik, who has equivalence with AK, takes from AK and gives to his Nukva. And the Nukva of Atik, who has equivalence with the Partzufim ABYA, gives to ABYA.

The most hidden of all that is hidden, Malchut of AK, emanated one Partzuf, Atik of Atzilut, as both divided and undivided. The male of Atik is considered undivided, and the Nukva of Atik is considered divided. He put the divided, Nukva of Atik, before the undivided, male of Atik, since the Nukva of Atik preceded the male of Atik because the Nukva was emanated and came out in GAR of Nekudim, and the male came out in the world of Atzilut.

His Avir [air], the level of Ruach, which is VAK deficient of GAR, is unknown because there is no coupling there for extension of GAR. The five levels are NRNHY. The level of Ruach is called air. It is considered divided because there are only two Sefirot there, KH, and can receive two lights NR, lacking the three lights Neshama, Haya, Yechida, due to the absence of the three vessels Bina, Tifferet, and Malchut, as is known in the inverse relation between lights and vessels, for in the vessels the upper ones grow first, and in the lights the lower ones enter first. This is why it was said that the level of air of Atik, considered a division of Atik, his Nukva, is hidden because he has no coupling to extend the three lights Neshama, Haya, Yechida, for the coupling is called Daat [knowledge], as it is written, “And Adam knew his wife, Eve.”

Finally, out of the striking of the phase of breaching in Atik, which is the Nukva in Atik, a high and hidden dot illuminated—Partzuf AA of Atzilut. That striking is a coupling by striking from which all the degrees are emanated and emerge. Indeed, a Nekuda [point/dot] is always the name of Malchut, and the reason why AA is called “a high dot” is to indicate the difference and the innovation in him in regard to Nukva of Atik, that he has the Malchut that is sweetened in the quality of mercy, which is about to become known, make a coupling, and extend GAR.

That sweetened Malchut is called “a high dot” because the Nukva of Atik is hidden, as it is established in a low dot, as well, called lock. Although she is considered a division—Malchut that is sweetened in the quality of mercy, called key—she still has two dots, the unsweetened Malchut, as well. This is why she is unknown. Thus, the whole innovation in regard to Nukva of Atik is in the upper dot in it. This is why The Zohar calls it “a high [or upper] dot” in many places.

It is called “a hidden dot,” unlike Malchut of AK, who is called “the most hidden of all that is hidden.” But Malchut in AA is called only “hidden,” for she is above the dot that is completely hidden, and this is why the dot is called “beginning,” which means the first utterance among all the utterances.

The word Beresheet [genesis/in the beginning] implies Partzuf AA of Atzilut, who is called Resheet [beginning/primary] because he is the first Partzuf from whom all the Mochin in the worlds are dispensed. But no Mochin comes to the worlds from the Partzufim above him, the Partzufim of AK and the male and female of Atik, since they are completely hidden, as there is no coupling to bestow Mochin in them. This is so because the Partzufim AK, and male Atik, were established in the unsweetened Malchut of the quality of judgment, in which the world cannot exist. Even Nukva of Atik does not dispense Mochin, as it consists of the two dots together, hence she is also hidden.

It follows that the first Partzuf to be seen is Partzuf AA, as it is established at the highest sweetened dot alone, the key. This is why AA was created with the name Resheet. This is why The Zohar elaborated at length thus far, from the beginning of the restriction through the male and female of Atik of Atzilut, to show us that Partzuf AA is the carrier of the upper dot, called Resheet, implied in the first word, Beresheet, in the Torah.

But all the Partzufim and worlds preceding him are not like that. They are hidden and do not dispense to the lower ones. This is why we will not find a single word about them in the Torah, for what we do not attain, we do not know by a name or a word, and the beginning of the root of attainment begins only in AA, who is known, although only as a root for attainment. This is why he is called Beresheet, and this is why he is necessarily the first word in the Torah, for Torah is considered attainment.