Let Us Make Man - 1

159) In the verse “And God said, ‘Let us make man,’” there is a secret revealed only to those who fear Him. That elder of the elders started and said, “Shimon, Shimon, who is it who said, ‘Let us make man,’ and of whom is it written, ‘And God said’? Who is that name ‘God’ here?” As Rabbi Shimon heard that he was calling him Shimon and not Rabbi Shimon, he said to his friends, “This must be the Creator, of whom it is written, ‘And the ancient of days [Atik Yomin] is sitting.’ Therefore, now is the time to disclose that secret, for there is a secret here that was not permitted to be disclosed, and now it means that permission to disclose has been given.”

It is known that the secrets that were revealed to the sages of The ‎Zohar were by attainment of the lights of the upper degrees by instilling. There are anterior and posterior in them, meaning concealment and disclosure. According to the extent of the anterior of the degree, so is the extent of its posterior. The instilling of the posterior ‎is a calling and an invitation to instill the anterior. This is why by the measure of the concealment of the posterior ‎that they attained, they knew the measure of disclosure that they were about to attain.

As Rabbi Shimon heard, he was calling him Shimon and not Rabbi Shimon. This means that the instilling of the posterior, which is a calling, was so strong that he lost all his degrees and became a simple person, Shimon from the market. By that, he recognized that it was a calling and an invitation for very high attainment of anterior.

This is why he promptly said to his friends, “This must be the Creator, of whom it is written, ‘And the ancient of days [Atik Yomin] is sitting,’” of whose degree there is no higher. And he said, “And now it means that permission to disclose has been given,” meaning that now it was seen that he obtained permission to disclose that high secret. This is what is implied in those two questions, “Who is it who said, ‘Let us make man,’” and which name of Elokim was said in this verse—Elokim of Bina or Elokim of Malchut?

160) Rabbi Shimon started and said, “It is as though a king had many buildings to build and had a craftsman, but that craftsman did not do anything without the king’s permission, as it is written, ‘And I was beside Him as a master craftsman.’” A king is certainly upper Hochma, Aba. The middle pillar, ZA, is a king below. Elokim is the craftsman above, upper Ima. Elokim is the craftsman below, the Shechina of below.

Commentary: As there are two phases ‎of a king, so there are two phases ‎in the craftsman, which is the name Elokim. The craftsman of Hochma, who is the king above, is Ima, called Elokim, and the craftsman of Tifferet, who is the king below, is the Shechina of below, the Nukva, who is also called Elokim.

We need to thoroughly understand the two questions. The first question was, “In all the utterances of the work of creation, ‘And God said’ is considered AVI, where Aba says and Ima does. Here it is written, ‘And God said, ‘Let us make man,’’ meaning that Aba, is the sayer, also participated in the doing, which is impossible.” This is why he asked, “Who is it who said, ‘Let us make man.’” It cannot also be said here that Aba said, “Let us make,” since no making extends from Aba because Aba is considered a potential, and Ima as actual execution.

The second question was that all the names Elokim that are written in the work of creation are Ima, and it is known that the souls of people are offspring of ZA and Nukva. This is why he asked, “Who is that name Elokim here?” Elokim here is written for the creation of man. It cannot be said that he is Ima because the soul of man does not extend from Ima, but only from the Nukva.

This is why he explains and said, “It is as though a king had many buildings to build and had a craftsman.” He compares AVI to a king and a craftsman from whom the whole of the work of creation was emanated. Yet, as AVI are a king and a craftsman above, in relation to all the degrees of ZON of Atzilut, ZA and Nukva are a king and a craftsman below, in relation to NRN of people and the worlds BYA.

It is so because ZA and Nukva cannot create souls of people unless they ascend and clothe AVI, and the lower one who ascends to the upper one becomes like him. Therefore, when Nukva elicited the soul of Adam ‎HaRishon, she was at the degree of Ima, in the name Elokim, and ZA at the degree of Aba. This settles the second question that he asked: “Who is that name Elokim here?” In fact, it is the Nukva of ZA, but since she ascended and clothed Ima, she is like Ima. Below he explains the first question.

161) A woman has no permission to do anything without her husband’s permission. All the buildings in the way of Atzilut, meaning in the world of Atzilut, Aba would say only in a saying to Ima, “Let it be so and so,” and it was promptly done by Ima, as it is written, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” “And ... said” means the owner of the building, Aba, said to Elokim, “Let there be light.” The owner of the building—Aba—said, and the craftsman—Ima—promptly did. So it was in all the buildings, the degrees that emerged in Atzilut. Aba would say, “Let there be a firmament,” “Let there be lights,” and everything was promptly done.

It is so because Aba is the thought and Ima is the act. In the whole of the world of Atzilut, ‎there is no screen. The saying is as the thought, like a person’s thoughts with his organs, for as soon as he contemplates doing, the organs do. This is why he said, and everything was promptly done. That is, there is no screen ‎that detains anything to divide the saying from the doing. But from Atzilut ‎to BYA, there is a stay and delay between saying and doing, to the extent of the coarseness of the screen ‎that separates and divides between them. The saying is regarded as actual saying, meaning coupling by striking, like the saying of a king to his servants, meaning two bodies, since there is a screen ‎that divides the world of Atzilut ‎from the world of Beria, and the coupling by striking ‎on the screen ‎is regarded as speaking and saying.

162) When he reached the degrees from the world of separation—the world of the divided—to create the soul of man in the world of Beria—and this world is already separated from Godliness, and the vessels there are no longer Godliness—the craftsman said to the owner of the building, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” the opposite of the whole of the work of creation up to the creation of man, in which the owner of the building would say. Here, however, the craftsman was saying. The owner of the building said, “Of course it is good to make man, but he will sin before you because he is a fool, as it is written, ‘A wise son is his father’s joy, and a foolish son is his mother’s woe.’” That is, Aba said that Adam’s sin will not reach him, but Ima, for “A foolish son is his mother’s woe.”

Explanation: In the world of Atzilut, ‎there is no screen. Therefore, He, His life, and Himself are one. And although we discern couplings on the screens in Atzilut, as well, it has indeed been clarified that there are two kinds of Malchut: 1) Malchut ‎in the ten Sefirot of Rosh, considered Malchut ‎who makes a coupling with the upper light in a coupling by striking, and regarded as the emanator of that Partzuf; 2) Malchut ‎that ends the illumination, Malchut ‎of the ten Sefirot of Guf.

During the second restriction, where a new Sium was made in the middle of each degree through Malchut’s ascent to the place of Bina, the coupling Malchut ‎rose to NE, and the ending Malchut ‎to the Chazeh ‎of the ten Sefirot of Guf. The Sium of Malchut ‎in NE has no judgment‎ and coarseness in them because she is considered the coupling Malchut, the emanator. Instead, only the ending Malchut, who stands at the Chazeh, is regarded as a complete screen, since the force of the restriction ‎that was at the dot of this world rose there in the Chazeh ‎and arrested the light of that degree. That ending screen ‎that rose to the Chazeh ‎is the Parsa between Atzilut ‎and Beria, who ends all the Partzufim in Atzilut.

Thus, all those screens in the world of Atzilut, prior to the Parsa, are only from the coupling Malchut, who is not regarded as a screen ‎at all. Moreover, she is the emanator through her coupling with the upper light for that degree that she is in. This is why there is no real screen ‎in the whole of the world of Atzilut but only in the Parsa below it, who is the Malchut ‎that ends all the degrees in Atzilut.

Thus, all those couplings by striking ‎on the screens in the world of Atzilut ‎are not actual saying, which are applied in two separate bodies, for it is not a real screen ‎to separate them. Rather, it is regarded as a thought because saying relates also to thought, such as “And he said in his heart.”

This is why Aba, who is a thought, says. And the craftsman, Ima, brings the thought into action right away. A male and a female are like vessel and light. Aba is considered the upper light, and Ima is considered the carrier of the screen ‎on which the upper light makes a coupling.

Although Aba, who is the upper light, strikes the screen of Ima to emanate each level in Atzilut, this striking is not a striking called “saying with the mouth,” which is done in two separate bodies, but like a person with his thought, that as soon as he thinks, his organs do, since there is no screen ‎to separate the degrees into two separate bodies.

For this reason, when he reached the degrees from the world of separation, the world of the divided, the craftsman said to the owner of the building, “Let us make man.” It is so because the saying of Aba, who is the upper light in Atzilut, has already stopped at the Parsa that ends Atzilut, which separates the three worlds BYA into bodies that are separate from Atzilut. For this reason, no thought helps here, being the saying of Aba, but an actual coupling by striking, called “saying of Ima,” done between two bodies by beating lip to lip, which is actual speaking that is separated and heard from a body to another body.

This is why Ima said to Aba “Let us make man” since the light of Ima, light of Hassadim, can part and come to the world of the divided, to the soul of Adam of Beria, but not the light of Aba, who is light of Hochma, which illuminates only in the world of Atzilut and stops its illumination above the Parsa. Thus, why did she say to Aba “Let us make man” if his light is not imparted upon Beria? The answer is that a woman has no permission to do anything without her husband’s permission. This is why Ima said, “Let us make man,” for she was given permission from Aba to illuminate to him and elevate him from Beria to the world of Atzilut.

The owner of the building said, “Of course it is good to make man, but he will sin before you because he is a fool,” since Adam of the shell is called “a fool.” He would seduce the man to extend for him the light of Atzilut ‎to BYA, to the shells, and then the man is called “A foolish son,” as he clings to a fool.

We should know that upper AVI are both called Aba, and YESHSUT ‎are both called Ima. This is why Aba said, “He will sin before you,” since people have no root in AVI whatsoever, but only in YESHSUT, who is Ima, hence man’s sins do not reach Aba at all, only Ima.

163) Ima said, “Because his sins depend on Ima and not on Aba, I want to create him in my image,” as it is written, “And God created the man in His own image.” It does not write here, “In our image,” since she did not wish to include Aba in him.

Upper AVI were established in a lock, Malchut of the first restriction, on whom there is no coupling. YESHSUT ‎were established in a key, Malchut ‎that is sweetened in Bina. This is the meaning of Ima’s saying, “I want to create him in my image,” in a key, and he will have none of Malchut of the quality of judgment‎ ‎from ‎the first restriction, who is considered Aba, for then he will be completely separated from the shells ‎and will not sin. This is why it is said in The ‎Zohar that Adam ‎HaRishon ‎has nothing of this world because he was entirely from Ima, who is Bina. But from Malchut of the first restriction, who is this world, included in Aba, Adam ‎HaRishon ‎did not have anything, since Ima did not want to include Malchut of the first restriction, who is in Aba.

164) When Adam sinned, it is written, “For your sins was your mother sent away.” The king, who is Aba, said to Ima: “Did I not tell you that he would sin? Why did you create him?” At that time, he exiled him and exiled his mother with him. This is why it is written, “A wise son is his father’s joy, and a foolish son is his mother’s woe.” “A wise son” is Adam in Atzilut, who is ZA. “A foolish son” is Adam of Beria, Adam ‎HaRishon, whose soul is from Beria.

165) All the friends arose and said to Rabbi Shimon with bewilderment, “Rabbi, Rabbi, is there such a separation between Aba and Ima that the emanated on the part of Aba will be Adam of Atzilut, and on the part of Ima will be Adam of Beria? After all, both are from the degree of Bina of Atzilut?”

Rabbi Shimon said to them, “Friends, friends, it is not to be interpreted so,” since Adam of Atzilut is male and female from the side of AVI—male from the side of Aba, and female from the side of Ima. It is written, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.’” “Let there be light” is from the side of Aba, and “And there was light” is from the side of Ima, that Adam was emanated in two Partzufim that were both attached to one another on the same level. Thus, the male and female that were emanated from AVI were both equal, which shows that AVI are also on the same degree.”

166) But Adam of Beria has neither image nor likeness from AVI. From his root, he has no relation to AVI to receive from them the Mochin ‎of image and likeness. But upper Ima had one appellation that amounts to 86, such as the count of Elokim, and that appellation is light and darkness.

There is the name of the essence, where the name is from the essence of the degree, and there is an appellation, which is a name that is borrowed from another degree. This is why upper Ima, Bina, had a different appellation, Malchut, who was the same number as Elokim. She rose to Bina and took from her the name Elokim. It is so because the Nukva in and of herself does not have that name. Rather, she borrowed it from Ima, and this is why the name Elokim of Nukva is an appellation from Ima.

In that appellation, in the Nukva, there is light and darkness. And because of that darkness in that appellation, Aba said that Adam of Beria would sin. Adam of Beria is the light of the upper clothing, meaning the light of Adam is from a clothing higher than him, who is the Nukva, in whom there is light and darkness, and he would sin because of the darkness in her.

It is so because although Nukva was sweetened in Ima and attained the name Elokim, like her, she still did not lose her own self completely, being the quality of judgment‎. Rather, her own self was concealed within her, and only the quality of mercy of Ima was apparent in her. Thus, there are light and darkness in her. If he is not rewarded, the darkness appears. This is why Aba said that Adam would sin, since Adam was created by the upper clothing, for those vessels of Bina and TM of Nukva that descended to the soul of Adam ‎HaRishon ‎during Katnut ‎became a clothing to the Nukva during her Gadlut, the soul of Adam ‎HaRishon ‎rises with them, and he receives the Mochin of Gadlut ‎through them. This is why he could fail, because of her darkness.

167) That light, which Adam received in the upper clothing, is the light that the Creator created on the first day of the work of creation, in which Adam saw from the end of the world to its end, and afterwards concealed it for the righteous. It was written about it, “Let there be light.” That darkness that is hidden inside the Nukva is the darkness that was created for the wicked on the first day. It is written about it, “And the wicked will be silenced in darkness.” Because that darkness would make that light of the soul of Adam sin, Aba did not want to partake in it when Ima told him, “Let us make man.”

This is why Ima said, “Let us make man in our image, after our own likeness.” “In our image” means in our light. “After our own likeness” means in our darkness, which is a clothing for the light, to separate it from that darkness that was created on the first day, of which it was written, “And the wicked will be silenced in darkness,” for it is not a clothing for the light, but rather makes the man sin. The darkness of Ima is a clothing for the light, like the body, which is a clothing for the soul, as it is written, “You shall clothe me with skin and flesh,” since the darkness of Ima was made by the ascent of Malchut ‎to her to receive the quality of mercy in her, at which time Bina and TM of Ima descended to ZON, and her GAR disappeared.

Ima did that on purpose to extend Mochin ‎and light to ZON. Thus, the darkness is a preparation and a clothing for the light, since those vessels, Bina and TM, which descended from Ima to ZON, later became a clothing for Ima, during Gadlut. ZON are attached to that clothing and receive the light through it. This is why it was said that the darkness of Ima is a clothing for the light.

Everyone rejoiced and said, “Happy are we that we have been rewarded with hearing such words that have not been heard thus far.”

This also settles the first question that he asked, “Who is it who said, ‘Let us make man’?” for any “And ... said” presented in the work of creation relates to Aba, and how can it be that Aba would say “Let us make,” for making is only in Ima? Rabbi Shimon replied that it indeed relates to Ima because Ima said to Aba, “Let us make.”