VaYetze [And Jacob Went Out]

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:

1. 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.”

2. 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:

1. 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.

2. Prophecy is in the right and left, Netzah and Hod, and the dream is in the left, in Hod.

3. 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.

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:

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

And Found Mandrakes in the Field,

190) “How manifold are Your works, O Lord! In wisdom You have made them all.” “How manifold are Your works, O Lord” indicates that there is no number to them, meaning Mochin de Hassadim [light of mercy]. “In wisdom You have made them all” indicates the Mochin of a number, of Hochma. And although they differ from one another, they all come out at the same time, simultaneously. As a hammer strikes a rock and elicits sparks to all sides at once, the Creator elicited several different kinds at once.

191) The world was made by speech and wind together, which are ZON, as it is written, “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” “By the word of the Lord” is speech, the Nukva, who shines in Hochma. And “By the breath of His mouth” is the wind, ZA, who shines in Hassadim. One does not go without the other; they are incorporated in one another and several armies and camps come out of them, which differ in their illumination in Hochma and in Hassadim, but they are all at the same time.

192) When the Creator wished to create the worlds, He elicited one hidden light, the light of Bina, because He inserted the Yod into the light of Bina and it became Avir [air]. This means that all the revealed lights come out and shine from that light, through the removal of the Yod from the Avir, when it returned to being Ohr [light]. And from that light, the rest of the lights were expanded and came out. This is the upper world, Bina.

193) The upper light, Bina, spread further and the craftsman, the Emanator, made a light that does not shine. He made the lower world, the Nukva. And because it does not shine, it must connect above and connect below, and through the connection below it becomes connected to shine in the connection above.

“How manifold are Your works, O Lord,” and “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made.” Even though this was said about illuminations that differ from one another, Hassadim and Hochma, they nonetheless came out at once, since the root of Hochma and Hassadim is in the upper world, Bina. Also, Bina spread in her left line, which is light that does not shine because it is Hochma without Hassadim, and then it made the lower world, the Nukva.

Since the left does not shine without Hassadim, it mated on the Masach de Hirik de ZON that rose there for MAN and elicited the level of the middle line on it, uniting right and left. Then the Hochma clothed in Hassadim and her illumination was complemented in three lines, HBD. And because three come out of one and one stands in all of them, meaning that ZON, too, obtained the illumination of those three lines, it follows that because of Bina’s left, which does not shine, Bina mated on the Masach de ZON, and thus obtained the Mochin from her. This is why it is written that the artisan, the Emanator, made a light that does not shine, and made the lower world, the Nukva. Because the Emanator made the light that does not shine in the left of Bina, He made and corrected the lower world with all His Mochin.

Also, because it is a light that does not shine, it must connect above and connect below, since the left line of Bina does not shine. Thus, it must connect in a connection of three lines in the two worlds. In the upper world itself, it does not shine for lack of Hassadim; and in the lower world itself, the Nukva, it does not shine because its root is in Bina. Hence, it must connect in Bina, which is its root, and connect to the Nukva to receive from her the Masach de Hirik, on which the level of the middle line comes out, which complements the left.

And although the Masach de Hirik is in ZA, each Masach is still considered the Nukva because the male is considered the light of the degree, hence the Masach de ZA is regarded as being in the Nukva. And through the connection below, meaning the Masach de Hirik in the lower world, the left line connects to shine in the connection of Bina above, since through the Masach de Hirik in the lower world, the left line connects to shine in the connection of Bina above. This is so because through the Masach de Hirik in the Nukva, which elicits the middle line, the left of Bina connects with her right and shines.

194) And that light which does not shine—the left line in the connection of the three lines above in Bina—elicits all the many different kinds of armies and camps, where one is in Hochma and the other is in Hassadim, as it is written, “How manifold are Your works, O Lord!”

“How manifold are Your works” means illuminations of Hassadim, Mochin that have no number. And “In wisdom You have made them all” is Mochin of a number. And yet, they came out at once because the illumination of the left is tied to the two worlds together, and its illumination is primarily in the upper world, which is governed by the illumination of Hassadim that are covered from Hochma, which have no number. Hence, although the two above-mentioned kinds of Mochin differ from one another, still, each illumination consists of both, since they come out at once.

195) All that exists on earth, exists above, as well. There is not a tiny thing in this world, in the Nukva, that is not dependent upon another thing, a higher one, which is appointed over it from above, in Bina. This is so because all that there is in the Nukva is from what she receives from Bina. This is why there is nothing in the Nukva whose root is not in Bina. Therefore, when something awakens below, in the Nukva, its appointed root awakens over it above in Bina, first, since all things are united with one another.

196) “And Rachel said to Leah, ‘Please give me some of your son's mandrakes.’” This does not mean that the mandrakes begot Rachel, but the Creator arranged that Issachar would be born through the mandrakes. He clung to the Torah more than all the other tribes because Rachel clung to Jacob and did not let him to go Leah, as it is written, “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband?” And it is written, “Therefore he may lie with you tonight in return for your son's mandrakes.”

The light that does not shine, the illumination of Hochma in the left line, can shine only in two worlds, Bina and Nukva. This is so because its root is in Bina, but it needs the Masach de Hirik, which is in ZON, to elicit the middle line over it, which decides. This is why it is written, “Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah.”

Mandrakes are illumination of the left, light that does not shine. It is called Dudaim [mandrakes] since it is the root of Ahavat Dodim [love of lovers]. The text tells us that Leah’s son found them and brought them to his mother, to teach us that the root of this light is in Leah, Bina, and not in Rachel. However, Rachel receives it from Leah, and this is the meaning of what she said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son's mandrakes,” meaning that she wanted to be rewarded with this light.

And Leah said to her, “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband?” ZA, the proprietor of the Masach de Hirik, who complements the illumination of the mandrakes with his decision, is constantly with the Masach in Rachel, for she carries the Masach de Hirik when ZA is with her. This is the meaning of Leah’s argument to Rachel: “You want both—to keep the Masach de Hirik, which I need in order to elicit the middle line, and you want my mandrakes, too, for without Jacob, the middle line, they do not shine even in me.” This is why Rachel’s reply to her was, “Therefore he may lie with you tonight.” And then, “And he lay with her that night.” “He” refers to the Masach de Hirik in him, so that from its Zivug, the level of the middle line that unites the two lines in Leah would be extended, and then the mandrakes are complemented in her. Afterwards, she gave them to Rachel, too, according to the rule, “Three come out of one, and one stands in three.”

197) They caused Issachar to appear in the world so that the scent of Torah would rise before the Creator, as it is written, “The mandrakes give forth fragrance.” This is because Issachar clings to the Torah more than all other tribes.

It is written, “And he lay with her that night.” He is called “the upper world” because he is concealed and is not revealed. And because the Torah came out from the upper world, it is implied in the Zivug for Issachar. “And he lay with her that night,” since Issachar is a Merkava [chariot/structure] for the Torah.

198) The upper world is called “he” in all the places since it is not revealed. Also, it is said, “But the Levites alone shall do the service,” which means that he is serving the upper world, called “he,” to extend blessings from there to all the worlds. And Issachar clings to the upper world, hence we call ZA, “the tree of life,” since it is a tree that extends from the upper life, in the upper, hidden world, called “he,” and not “you.” For the word “you,” indicates the revealed and the word “he” indicates the concealed.

199) Did those mandrakes open Rachel’s womb? They did not. It was the Creator who opened her womb and nothing else, as it is written, “And God gave heed to her and opened her womb.” Even though those mandrakes have the power to affect above, it is not in their power to bring about sons, since sons depend on luck, meaning Dikna de AA, and on nothing else.

200) Were the mandrakes created in vain because they do not affect anything? Indeed, they affect a special action, and they even help sons, those that are delayed in bearing and are not barren. However, it was not given to them to beget, but to luck. And if they are sentenced to beget in luck, but are detained for some reason, then the mandrakes are helpful.

201) From the illumination of Hochma in her, which shines—the wine that delights God and people—the Nukva is blessed only by the right side, Hassadim, since Hochma without Hassadim is darkness. For this reason, while the right was awakened to bestow into the cup of blessing, to the Nukva, the left would not support there because the right found a reason in the cup, for which to awaken to the upper world, which is Hassadim that are covered from Hochma.

The Nukva, while she is the left line, Hochma without Hassadim, is called “a cup.” At that time she does not shine and she needs the blessing, the extension of Hassadim from the right line, called “blessing.” Thus, while the right awakened to bestow unto the cup of blessing, to the Nukva, the left will not support there. When the right bestows Hassadim upon her, she will completely terminate the illumination of the left, Hochma, since the right has found a reason in the cup, in what was darkened and does not shine. Because of it, it abandoned the illumination of Hochma in the left and was evoked to extend Hassadim from the upper world, which is Leah, who is in Hassadim that are covered from Hochma. And if at that time there is some support from the left, the right will not be able to cling to the upper world, which is covered from Hochma, and extend Hassadim from there, since Dvekut [adhesion] means equivalence of form.

202) “And Reuben went” is the south side, right line, Hassadim. This is why his banner is on the south, the head and the beginning of the twelve boundaries. The twelve boundaries are the four directions—HG, Tifferet, and Malchut—in each of which are three lines. Hesed is the beginning of the twelve boundaries and the craving of the south to find reason and a gift for the Nukva, to bless her.

203) “And found mandrakes in the field.” He went looking through all the treasures of the Nukva, and in the field, the Nukva, he found the mandrakes. It was said about them, “The mandrakes give forth fragrance.” They are the two cherubim, the correction of the Nukva for awakening upwards, to Bina, since in all the corrections of this field, there is no correction that awakens upwards, to Bina, but the cherubim.

Mandrakes are illumination of Hochma in the left line. As long as she is devoid of Hassadim, she does not shine and is considered absent. Reuben is the light of Hesed. He went to search and disclosing the mandrakes in the field. Without him, they do not exist because by clothing them with the light of Hesed, they appear and shine. This is why it is considered that he found them, disclosed them.

Also, these are the two cherubim that come from the illumination of the left, the correction of the Nukva for awakening upwards, toward Bina, since Nukva receives all the corrections and the Mochin from ZA and not from Bina. From Bina herself, she receives only those Mochin of the illumination of the left, the mandrakes, and equally with ZA, since then she is in a state of the two great lights. This is so because in all the corrections of this field, there is no correction that awakens upwards, to Bina, but the cherubim.

204) The south side, Hesed, awakens to her to find reason to bless her, to extend Hassadim to her, during the harvest when he gives spoils to her armies, the angels. It is written about it, “She rises while it is still night and gives food to her household,” and to all the harvesters of the field, the souls that are rewarded with receiving the fruits of the Nukva, who is called “field.” And promptly, “And brought them to his mother Leah,” meaning he raised their scent and awakening to the upper world that was covered, Leah, so it would impart blessings upon the lower world, Rachel.

205) And when the mandrakes were blessed, meaning clothed in Hassadim, they receive and give to all the worlds, as it is written, “The mandrakes give forth fragrance.” When they give forth fragrance, meaning when they shine in Hochma from below upwards, the south side receives that scent, meaning the Hesed, to awaken it toward the upper world so it would shine from below upwards, as it is written, “And at our doors are all manner of precious fruits.” Then no abundance is missing in the world.

206) The lower world does not awaken toward the upper world to receive Mochin from it, unless when the mandrakes give forth fragrance to the right. When they give forth fragrance to the right, and the right awakens toward the upper world, the lower world immediately awakens to ask for what it needs. It is written, “Then Rachel said to Leah, ‘Please give me some of your son's mandrakes,’” meaning give me blessings from that awakening of the mandrakes that have awakened to be included in the right side, to clothe in the Hassadim on the right.

207) Then the upper world responds to her with joy and play and says, “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband?” but like a mother who entertains herself with her daughter, not with grievance. Hence, this means that the husband of the upper world, Bina, is Jacob, because she said about Jacob, “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband?” But isn’t Hochma the husband of Bina? He is not. Rather, the craving of Aba, Hochma, is always for that daughter, Nukva de ZA, because his love is always to her because she is an only daughter among six sons, HGT NHY. Also, he gave all six sons portions, pleasures, and gifts that contain two kinds of abundance: 1) Portions, Mochin de VAK, so they will not be deficient of them. 2) Pleasures and gifts, Mochin de GAR, which they sometimes lack.

But to her, he gave nothing. She has no inheritance whatsoever, since the Nukva has nothing of her own except what her ZA—her husband—gives her, meaning the HGT NHY, the six sons. For this reason, he regards her with more love and craving than all the others.

208) For his love, he called her “daughter.” But this was not enough for him until he called her “sister.” And this was not enough for him, and so he called her “mother,” with the name of his mother. And this was not enough for him so he called her by his name, as it is written about her, “But wisdom, where shall it be found?” He called her Hochma [wisdom]. He gave her the four letters HaVaYaH, first from the bottom Hey, called “daughter,” then from the Vav de HaVaYaH, called “brother,” and the Nukva is called “his sister,” then from the first Hey de HaVaYaH, called Ima [mother], and then from the Yod de HaVaYaH, called Hochma.

This is the reason why the upper world—Bina, Ima—told her, “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband,” referring to Hochma, Aba [father], for all his love is drawn out to you. This is why the mother spoke to the daughter playfully and lovingly.

209) If she was not resentful when she said, “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband,”
then why did Rachel respond, “Therefore he may lie with you tonight”? Indeed, wherever it is written, “therefore,” it is an oath. This is why what she said is not a reply to “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband,” but an oath and a resolution, for she told her, “If you give me the mandrakes, he will be obliged to lie with you tonight.

To lie is the correction of the Nukva in the male, so he instills the depiction of all the letters in her. Yishkav [will lie] consists of Yesh [310 in Gematria] and Kav [22 in Gematria]. Yesh is the upper world, Bina, who returned to being Hochma. Kav is the Torah, ZA, a hidden point in whom Kav (22) letters awaken, meaning the point of Hirik on which the middle line emerges, which elicits three lines in Bina. For this reason, it, too, receives three lines, which are twenty-two letters.

Yesh Kav [will lie] are Yesh, the next world. Twenty-two is the upper point, Hirik, which brings all twenty-two letters, the whole Torah, all the Kelim de ZA, who is called “Torah.”

210) The words, “Therefore he may lie with you” point to the hidden, upper Aba, who is fit to bond with you. This is so because Jacob is not the male of Bina, but rises to MAN to Bina. And upper Hochma, called Aba, who is the male of Bina, mates with her. Here, Leah implies to the upper Bina herself.

211) “And Jacob came from the field in the evening.” Jacob is Tifferet, ZA. “Came from the field” means that he captures all the blessings, as it is written, “Which the Lord has blessed,” the Nukva de ZA. “In the evening” is when the Nukva receives illumination of left without right, Hochma without Hassadim. This causes darkness in her and she is called “evening,” the time when his father, Isaac, awakened toward this field and holds it.

Isaac does not awaken toward this field because it belongs to Jacob, ZA, unless Jacob has departed there in the evening, since the day, Hassadim, has set and become darkness. At that time, he leaves this field for his father, Isaac, the left line, and at that time Jacob rises to Bina for MAN.

212) “And Leah went out to meet him.” Upper Ima, Bina, went out toward the only son, ZA, and said, “Come to me, under my wings, so I will bless you and satiate you with pleasures and sublime delights. Now is a good time and a delight to give you the pleasure of the upper Ruach, Hassadim from the pure Avir [air] for the field, Nukva, before the day is burnt out by the might of Isaac’s Din [judgment], meaning the left, which then shines without Hassadim from the right, which is a burning fire then.

213) Since she received Jacob under her wings, meaning he rose to her for MAN, “He lay with her that night.” “He” points to the hidden, from whom all the blessings depart, meaning upper Aba. It does not say, “Jacob lay,” but “He,” pointing to the one who was worthy of bonding with her, upper Aba, who imparts upon Bina.

214) Before he came under Bina’s wings, Jacob received those blessings. Before Jacob rose for MAN under the wings of Ima to receive the blessings for Rachel, the upper world—Bina—was not filled with blessings from the hidden point. This means that there was no renewal of the Zivug of Hochma and Bina on the Masach de Hirik because this point rises with Jacob. This is the reason why the mandrakes evoke everything, since it is because of them that Jacob rose for MAN to Bina, to clothe them in Hassadim. Afterwards, he imparted them to Rachel.

What is Reuben? The Creator placed names in the land. The Creator called him Reuben, Reu Ben [Look, a son].

“And Reuben,” Hesed, “Went ... and found mandrakes in the field,” meaning he clothed the mandrakes, which are a light that does not shine, with the light of Hesed, and then they illuminated. This is considered for him as finding them, disclosing their illumination.

“And brought them unto his mother Leah,” meaning raised their illumination to Bina, Leah, where they are covered. The place where they are disclosed is only in Rachel, the Nukva from Chazeh de ZA down. Hence, “Then Rachel said to Leah, ‘Please give me some of your son's mandrakes,’” since the place where they illuminate is only in me. “But she said to her, ‘Is it a small matter for you to take my husband?’” She spoke in a playful tone, “Is it a small matter for you” that the whole of the love of my man, Hochma, is only for you, and that he built you with HB TM, which is a daughter, sister, mother [Ima], and wisdom [Hochma]?

“So Rachel said, ‘Therefore he may lie with you tonight.’” “Therefore” means that she promised her that Jacob would rise to her for MAN if she gave her the mandrakes, since he would have to extend Hassadim and to clothe the mandrakes for Rachel. “In return for your son's mandrakes” means to complement them for me. And after Rachel received the mandrakes—Hochma without Hassadim—from Leah, the lights depart and become darkness. It is said about it, “And Jacob came from the field,” from Nukva, Rachel, who is called “field” at the time of Dinim [judgments]. “In the evening” means when it grew dark in her due to the mandrakes that she received. Hence, “And Leah went out to meet him, and said, ‘You must come in unto me,’” meaning to come to her and raise MAN to her through the point of Hirik, to subjugate and clothe the mandrakes in Hassadim.

“For I have surely hired you with my son's mandrakes.” She told him, “I gave the mandrakes to Rachel and it turned dark in her so you must rise to me for MAN to extend Hassadim to her so she will not be burnt by the Dinim of the left. This is considered that she hired him.

“And he lay with her that night.” She mated with upper Aba, He, from whom all the blessings extend to her, and she gave it to Jacob. And Jacob imparted them to Rachel. The illumination of the left, Hochma without Hassadim, receives the Nukva from Bina herself equally with ZA. Hence, she is at the same degree as ZA and their level is the same. However, she must receive the illumination of the right—the Hassadim that clothe the Hochma—from ZA, her husband. Here, too, Rachel received the mandrakes from Bina herself, from Leah, but she received the illumination of Hassadim from Jacob after he rose for MAN to Bina and caused a Zivug of HB, as it is written, “And he lay with her that night.”

215) “And Leah went out to meet him, and said, ‘You must come in unto me.” “You must come in unto me,” is this not insolent? On the contrary, here is where we learn of Leah’s humbleness. She did not say anything before her sister but went ahead to the road and informed him in a whisper, for she was in Rachel’s domain, as it is written, “For I have surely hired you,” meaning received permission. But to not displease Rachel, she told him outside and not inside the house.

216) Moreover, the door of Leah’s tent was outside, and she let Jacob through the door that is on the outside before he went into Rachel’s tent, so she would not say in front of Rachel and would not be insolent before her sister. Moreover, Leah said that if Jacob were to enter Rachel’s tent, it would be unjust to bring him out of there, and this is why she greeted him outside.

217) And all this was because the spirit of holiness was sparkling in Leah and she knew that all the upper tribes, all of whom are holy, came out of her, and she rushed because of the love for the Creator. And because she was rewarded with the spirit of holiness, she knew how to name them with wisdom.

219) It is written, “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread.” It is also written, “Seven days you shall eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction.” “Bread of affliction” is written without a Vav [in Hebrew], since when Israel were in Egypt, they were under another authority. When the Creator wished to bring them closer to Him, He gave them the degree of bread of affliction. The bread of affliction is King David, of whom it is written, “For I am afflicted and needy.”

King David is the Nukva. When she receives the illumination of the left from Bina, she is at the same level as ZA, the fourth leg of the throne, Bina. At that time the Nukva is attached to Bina and does not mate with ZA, her husband. Hence, she is poor and without light, and she is called “the bread of affliction,” since the Hochma does not shine without Hassadim. At that time, it is written, “For I am afflicted and needy.” And this degree of the Nukva is her first degree, since when He brought them out of Egypt, from the authority of the Sitra Achra, and wished to bring them closer to holiness, He gave them the degree of bread of affliction in the Nukva, as this is the first degree of the Nukva.

220) This bread of affliction is called Matza [unleavened bread], without Vav, ZA, since Nukva without a male is poor, devoid of Hassadim. First, Israel approached the state of Matza, as this is the first degree. And once He brought them closer, the Creator brought them into other degrees and the male connected with the Nukva, who mated with ZA and received Hassadim from him.

At that time, after the Matza has bonded with the male, she is called Mitzva [good deed/commandment], with an additional Vav, since Vav implies ZA, as it is written, “For this commandment.” This is why in her first degree, she is called “a Matza,” and later, in the other degrees, she is called “a Mitzva.”

224) The Creator gave Israel this bread, meaning Mochin, from the land of the living, from the Nukva, who is called Matza, and then this bread was bread from the heaven, from ZA.

225) When Israel went out of Egypt, they did not know anything until the Creator let them taste the bread from this land, the Nukva, who is called Matza, as it is written, “The earth, from it comes bread.” Then Israel came to know and to attain the Creator like an infant who does not know and does not attain until he tastes bread from this world. In other words, this bread that Israel received on Passover only from the Nukva, who is called Matza, is the first degree of attainment, like an infant who begins to taste the taste of bread.

226) Israel did not know and did not attain higher degrees until they ate the upper bread, which extends from ZA, from the heaven. And before they ate the upper bread, they knew and attained only in the place of the Nukva. But the Creator wished for Israel to know more, higher degrees, which shine from ZA to the Nukva, but they could not until they tasted bread from the high place, from the heaven, ZA, as it is written, “I will rain bread from heaven for you.” Then they knew and looked at that high place.

227) The beginning that Israel began to know was bread of affliction. However, we have nothing in the world that is without male and female, and all that there is on land exists at sea, as well.

228) “And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him.” How did she know he was coming? His donkey brayed, so Leah knew and went out to meet him. Also, the donkey made Issachar come out of Leah, as it is written, “Issachar is a large-boned donkey” [“made” and “boney” are spelt the same in Hebrew], meaning that the donkey caused his coming to the world. Leah said, “I know for certain that if Jacob comes to Rachel’s tent, I must not bring him out of there, so I will wait for him here and he will come to my tent.”

229) “For I have surely hired you with my son's mandrakes.” Why did she say, “With my son’s mandrakes”? It would have been enough for her to say “For mandrakes.” However, it was so that Jacob would be pleased that they are helping beget sons. However, Jacob knew that this did not depend upon the mandrakes, but upon luck, above, since “My son’s mandrakes” are mandrakes that beget sons, and she reminded Jacob of that so he would be pleased with the remedy that was given to Rachel to give birth to sons.

230) It is 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 the lower world, Nukva de ZA, Rachel. “A joyful mother of children” is the upper world, Bina, Leah. This is why “Hallelujah” comprises the words Hallelu [praise] Yah [the Lord], since the upper world was created with the letter Yod, and the lower world was created with the letter Hey.

231) All those tribes are corrections below, of the Nukva. They are all corrected to be as above, Bina. It is written about it, “For I have surely hired you,” to take a body from him. The body is Torah. “For I have surely hired you” means your very body, “I have surely hired you” to beget your form.

Leah is Bina, and the Zivug was with Hochma. This is why it is said, “And he lay with her that night,” but it did not say “Jacob.” “You must come in unto me,” meaning to raise MAN. It is written about it, “For I have surely hired you,” meaning many hires: 1) To take a body from Hochma, meaning Torah. Issachar, who is a Merkava [chariot/structure] for the Torah more than all the tribes, and the hiring falls on the Zivug with the Hochma because of him. 2) “For I have surely hired you,” your very body. The hiring is of Jacob’s body, to rise for MAN for a Zivug of Hochma and Bina. 3) “For I have surely hired you,” to deliver your form. The hiring is on the birth of the form, begetting a son.

All those three hires are included in the words, “For I have surely hired you.”

232) This implies that one who engages in Torah inherits the next world, Mochin de Bina, and inherits Jacob’s lot, the Mochin of upper AVI. The word Issachar has the letters of Yesh Sachar [there is reward] to your action—engagement in the Torah. And the reward is what is written, “That I may cause those that love me to inherit.” Yesh is Bina that returned to Hochma. “I will fill their treasures” is the Mochin of upper AVI, Jacob’s inheritance, which from whom he inherited unbounded inheritance. Those two Mochin are the reward of one who engages in the Torah.

233) “And Leah said, ‘...because I have borne him six sons.’” Above and below are NH, and the four directions of the world—Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, and Yesod. One who prolongs in the “One” of the Shema reading should crown the Creator above and below to the four directions of the world. This is the “One,” whose oneness appears in these VAK.

234) “Mountains of perfumes” are the six sons of Leah. They include six others—Joseph, Benjamin, and the sons of the maidservants. They are twelve and they are six. It can be said that they are twelve, and it can be said that they are six because each is incorporated in the other. The six main ones are six, and with those incorporated in them, they are twelve. And Leah stands over them, so it is thirteen, to keep the words, “As a joyful mother of children. Hallelujah.”

235) This is why it is written, “You shall not take the mother with the young,” since she is the hidden world, which is not revealed because the lower ones have no attainment in her. This is why it is written, “You shall certainly let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself,” since the mother is the hidden world and is completely undisclosed. “Take for yourself” means extend illumination of Hochma in them and disclose them. This is mandatory because the mother, Leah, is hidden, unattainable; hence, you will attain the sons.

236) “But the young you may take for yourself.” It is written, “For ask now of the days past ... and from the one end of heaven,” Hesed, the first end of ZA, heaven, “Unto the other end,” Yesod, the last end of ZA. The six ends, HGT NHY de ZA, are called “the six sons of Leah.” The text tells us that there is a question about them, meaning raising MAN for extension of Hochma. And all those are called “Mountains of perfumes.”

From here down, past Malchut de Atzilut, they are called “the mountains of Bether,” as it is written, “And from there it parted and became four heads,” which are mountains of separation. Until Malchut de Atzilut, it is the world of unity, where Israel, the Torah, and the Creator are one. Below it, they are the three worlds of separation, BYA.

237) The sons of the maidservants made connections, the four ties that require correction. This is why those ties bulge out from the body, although they are all one. In other words, even though they were already corrected, as it is written, “And all their hinder parts were inward,” they still bulge out of the body, since initially, before the unification, they were empty, without any light. Henceforth, the rest of the ties are all one, on a plain, not bulging out of the body. Hence, all the tribes rise upwards in a testimony, which is the Mochin de Bina, as it is written, “And a river went out of Eden.” This is why it is written that there the tribes rose, the tribes of Koh, a testimony to Israel, to thank the name of the Lord.

When Rachel Had Borne Joseph

238) “And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, ‘Send me away, that I may go.” What did Jacob see that he asked to go on his way when Joseph was born? And did he not ask to go on his way before Joseph was born? He saw that Esau’s Satan was born, since Joseph is Esau’s Satan, as it is written, “And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble.”

239) Joseph complemented the place of Jacob after him, since he is the Sefira Yesod, Jacob’s last Sefira. Also, Joseph was rewarded with being called “righteous,” Yesod, the Sium [end] of the Guf [body], the last Sefira. When Jacob saw that the Guf was completed with the birth of Joseph, the Guf asked to go on his way, and the Sium of the Guf is the circumcision, Joseph. This is why Benjamin completed the count, since the number twelve was completed along with him.

240) But did Jacob not know that thus far the tribes have not been completed even though Joseph was born? What is the reason that he did not wait until Benjamin would be born and the tribes were completed? Indeed, Jacob did wisely. He knew that the tribes have not been completed yet. He said, “Indeed, if all the tribes are completed here, I know that the upper correction will be upon them properly, and I do not want them completed in this land, but in the land of holiness.”

241) All twelve tribes are correction of the lower world, the Nukva de ZA from the Chazeh down. And when Benjamin was born and the twelve were completed, Rachel died and the lower world, Nukva de ZA, took a place to be corrected in them.

This is so because the Nukva is not corrected in less than twelve. When she is corrected in the twelve tribes, in the complete Mochin of illumination of Hochma, the two Nukvin [plural of Nukva] of ZA, Rachel and Leah, become one Partzuf, where Leah is internal and Rachel is external. When Benjamin was born and the twelve tribes were completed, the Nukva de ZA from his Chazeh down was erected. She rose and united with the Nukva from the Chazeh and above, Leah, since they have become one Partzuf.

However, before the twelve tribes were completed, Nukva de ZA divides into two Partzufim, both of which are incomplete, since the upper one, Leah, lacks TNHY de ZA, and the lower one, Rachel, lacks the GAR from Chazeh de ZA upwards. This is the meaning of Rachel dying at that time, that the Nukva from Chazeh de ZA down was cancelled because the two females became one. This is why it is written that when Benjamin was born, when the twelve tribes were completed, Rachel died, and the lower world, Nukva de ZA, took a place to be corrected in them. In other words, the Nukva from Chazeh de ZA down was cancelled because the lower world was corrected in the twelve tribes and hence became a single Partzuf with the upper world.

This is why Benjamin was born only in the land of holiness. It is written, “And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died on me in the land of Canaan.” Rachel died there, and the lower world, Nukva de ZA from the Chazeh down, received a place to settle in a complete home, in the full level of ZA, since he became one with the upper world above the Chazeh. As long as Rachel was alive, when he had two Nukvin, the lower world was not yet corrected with the twelve tribes. When Rachel died, since she became one with the upper Nukva, she received a complete home, corresponding to the full level of ZA.

242) Why did Leah not die at the time when the twelve tribes were completed and the two Nukvin de ZA became one? After all, at that time, the discernment of Leah was cancelled, too, like the discernment of Rachel. So did Leah, too, have to die like Rachel? The house is in the lower world, in the Nukva from the Chazeh down, which is called Rachel, and all must be corrected by it. The completion of all the lower ones in BYA depends on its completion, and not on the upper world. This is why the upper world, Leah, is not cancelled at all even after the twelve tribes are completed, since then, too, she is in covered Hassadim, as before the completion. And this is the reason why Leah did not die at that time, for she was not cancelled.

243) All the words of the upper world, Leah, are in concealment, and all the words of the lower world are revealed. For this reason, Leah was hidden and was buried in the Cave of Machpelah, and Rachel was buried in disclosure. Also, the upper world excelled in concealment, as it is written, “And Leah said, ‘Happy am I, for the daughters will call me happy.’” And this is why “She called his name Asher” [Asher is spelt like Osher, happiness].

The name Asher indicates covered Hassadim, Bina, which came out of Rosh AA, called Reshit [beginning], when she became covered and concealed from the Rosh, which is Hochma. The letters of Asher are the letters of Rosh in reversed order, the opposite of Rosh. From the side of the Nukva, who is Ima, she is called “Asher,” and from the side of the Dechura [male], she is called Rosh.

The Rosh of all the Roshim [heads] is AA, Hochma. “And she called his name Asher” means that she called him by her own name, after the covered Hassadim in her. Thus, Leah excelled in the covered Hassadim in her, and she is glorified with them, for even when the two females became one Partzuf and she could receive Hochma, she still did not wish for Hochma but remained in covered Hassadim. This is why Leah did not die at that time.

244) This is the reason why everything became one, and the two females became one Partzuf, since everything is from the upper world. And because the lower Nukva, from the Chazeh down, was completed and became completely similar to the upper Nukva, in that state only the lower Nukva, Rachel, was cancelled. She became like the upper one, Leah, but the upper one herself was not cancelled, which is why Leah did not die.

It is the same everywhere. Whether complete or incomplete, they are two worlds, one is revealed and the other is concealed. Even during completeness, when Rachel occupies the full level of ZA, even from the Chazeh down, there are still two worlds. However, this is internal, in concealment, and that is external, revealed, clothing one atop the other.

We bless the Creator only in two worlds, as it is written, “Blessed be the Lord from the world and unto the world.” This is the reason why we call the upper world, “He,” implying concealment. We call the lower world, “You,” implying presence and disclosure, since it is blessed by the upper world through the righteous. And it is written, “Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, who dwells in Jerusalem.” This is so because the lower world is blessed with Hassadim from the upper world. This is why it is revealed to us, since it is blessed form Zion, the Yesod of the upper world. For this reason, the upper world must always exist.

245) Similarly, it is written, “And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord.’” “The Lord, the Lord” in the beginning of the thirteen qualities are two worlds, one is revealed and the other is concealed. They are the two sides of the Rosh—the right one is covered Hassadim, and the left one is the disclosed illumination of Hochma. This is why there is a comma between the two HaVaYot [plural of HaVaYaH]. And from this world to that world, it is all one because the revealed world has nothing of its own. All that there in it is what it receives from the hidden world.

246) “And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph.” Come and see Jacob’s wholeness, who did not wish to go unless by permission from Laban, as it is written, “Jacob said unto Laban, ‘Send me away, that I may go.’” But why did he escape him the other time? It was because Jacob feared that he would not allow him to go from him and the twelve tribes would be completed in a foreign land. Hence, when Jacob saw that it was time for Benjamin’s birth, he fled.

247) When Benjamin was born, Divinity, the lower Nukva, was connected to all the tribes because she became one Partzuf with the upper Nukva, Leah. Also, the lower Nukva gripped to the six sons of Leah and received the house in all the tribes. A house means the Mochin of illumination of Hochma, as it is written, “Through wisdom is a house built.” Jacob knew through Hochma [wisdom] that when the twelve tribes are completed, Divinity would be adorned and tied in them, meaning that she would be adorned with Mochin of Gadlut through them and would tie in them into a single Partzuf with the upper Nukva above the Chazeh, and Rachel would die because she had been revoked, and Divinity would receive the house.

248) The lower world, Divinity, was fit for bonding with Jacob as it was fit for Moses. However, she could not connect to them before they were twelve tribes to connect to in the house. When the twelve were completed, Rachel was rejected and Divinity received the house in all twelve tribes, and became the landlady of the house. Then it was said, “Who makes the barren woman [also landlady in Hebrew] dwell in her house.”

249) Jacob said, “It is already time for Benjamin to be born and for the twelve tribes to be completed.” Certainly, the world above, Nukva from the Chazeh and above, descended here to the house to connect to them, so the two females would tie into a single Partzuf. And this poor one, Rachel, would be repelled before him. This is why Jacob said, “If she dies here, I will never leave here.” Moreover, this land is unfit for the completion of the house, but in the holy land. For this reason, “And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph,” meaning before the tribes were completed.

250) But he did not go on his way immediately. Rather, he was detained and worked six years in Laban’s flock, since as long as Rachel was not conceived with Benjamin, he was detained there. When the time came that she was impregnated with Benjamin, he fled and did not ask Laban for permission so he would not be detained there, and so that Jacob would unite with all the tribes in the required place, in the land of holiness.

251) It is written, “And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law.” Moses was the shepherd of Jethro, his father-in-law. He lived with him and when he wished to leave, he left only with his permission. But Jacob, who was a whole man, who always lived with Laban, why did he not ask him for permission as did Moses? It was for fear that he would manipulate him into staying there, since previously, he already told him that he wished to go to his home and he immediately manipulated him and he stayed there. Hence, now he feared him and did not ask his permission.

252) But Jethro was not so toward Moses, since Laban was a sorcerer, and he did all his deeds against Jacob with witchcraft. And because now Jacob did not wish to be detained there, since the Creator told him, “Return unto the land of your fathers,” he did not wish to be detained and forsake the commandment of his Master. This is why he did not ask his permission.

Maidens of Song

253) “For the Leader; a Psalm of the sons of Korah; upon maidens. A Song.” All those songs and praises that the sons of Korah were saying are not new. Rather, they renewed old songs and praises that already existed. Also, all those songs and praises that David and all those who were with him said—whose names are mentioned in the beginning of the songs in Psalms—were all the upper one, Bina, meaning Hochma.

The Mochin extend and spread through a song because the TANTA [Taamim, Nekudot, Tagin, Otiot] in the singing are the order of the unifications by which the Mochin spread. The songs in Psalms are orders of unification of the Mochin in the lower world, the Nukva de ZA. The roots of the Mochin in all their forms are in the upper world, Bina, and extend from the upper world to the lower world.

Also, there is a difference between the left line and the rest of the lines because the left line receives the Nukva from Bina herself and not from ZA, her husband at the time of the two great lights. Yet, she receives the rest of the lines from ZA, her husband, and not from Bina. It turns out that no change occurs in the left line of the Nukva as it passes from Bina to the Nukva, but the rest of the lines change as they are passed on to ZA, whose conduct is with covered Hassadim, and from whom the Nukva must receive.

All those songs and praises that the sons of Korah were saying are not new. Rather, they renewed old songs and praises that already existed. This is so because the singing of the sons of Korah is expansion of the left line in Nukva, in which there is no change from its order of illumination in Bina, but only renewal of Bina’s singing in the place of the Nukva. Hence, their singing is regarded as old singing that is renewed.

As for the rest of the lines, although they, too, extend from Bina, there are still changes in them because of their passing through ZA. It is written that all those songs and praises that David and all those who were with him said—whose names are mentioned at the beginnings of the songs in Psalms—all of them were in the upper one, Bina, in Hochma. This does not mean that only the singing of the sons of Korah is from Bina and not the singing of David and the other elders who were with him. Indeed, all those songs and praises are from Bina, but they are the upper one, Bina; they are not the actual singing of Bina because they change as they pass through ZA. But the singing of the sons of Korah does not change at all.

254) The Creator made the lower world, Nukva, like the upper world, Bina, as it receives from it. And all those things that David and his son, Solomon, arranged, as well as all the true prophets, they all arranged the lower world the same as above, in Bina.

255) As there are watches on earth, meaning that the twelve hours of the night divide into three times four, they are also in the firmament. Three companies of angels sing in them to their Master, always saying poems in them. And they all stand one atop the other according to their degrees, as it is written, “For one higher than the high watches,” and they are all in sets of songs and praises where each company sings according to its degree.

256) “Maidens of song,” as it is written, “There are sixty queens, and eighty concubines, and maidens without number.”

“Number” is the Mochin of illumination of Hochma, as it is written, “The heavens tell” [“number” and “tell” are spelled the same in Hebrew]. Mochin de Hassadim is regarded as being without number; this is why it is written, “And maidens without number,” since the name Alamot [maidens] indicates He’elem [concealment], for the Mochin are covered Hassadim and there is no illumination of Hochma in them. This is why it is written about them that they are without number, pointing to the Mochin of light of Hassadim in them. Also, “Maidens of song” points to the Mochin of light of Hassadim in them.

257) And all of them are arranged in these sets, one opposite the other, singing and praising their master. And these are the maidens of song. Because there are maidens that do not sing as these do, these are called “maidens of song.” Poetry and singing are used primarily in the degrees that extend from the illumination of Hochma in the left line. However, illumination of Hochma does not shine without clothing in Hassadim. Hence, there is singing in the light of mercy, too, which are mingled with illumination of Hochma.

Therefore, there are two kinds of concealment, which are light of Hassadim: 1) Those that are mingled with Hochma, which are the maidens of song of the sons of Korah. 2) There is no singing in those that are not included in Hochma and they are simply called “maidens.”

Each Set Is Only in three lines

258) Three sets divide into each of the four directions of the world. In each set within each direction are three other sets. Thus, the first set, in the east, has three sets, and they are nine, since each of those three sets contains three sets, thus they are nine. Similarly, there are nine in each of the three other directions of the world, and several thousands and myriads under them.

The tabernacle is in three, three, in those metals—gold, silver, and copper. In the rest of the things, it was four, HG TM. Some are in three, some are in four, some are in two, and some are in one, but each and every set is only in three.

Although the four directions of the world, HB TM, are included in one another, and each of them should have had HB TM, there are only HB and Tifferet in each, and Malchut is absent. Even in the west direction, Malchut, there are only HB and Tifferet, with her own essence, Malchut, absent. Malchut was mitigated in Bina. For this reason, she is regarded as Malchut de Bina, which is Ateret Yesod, and Malchut herself disappeared because of this mitigation.

Hence, although there are four directions, HB TM, the west, which is Malchut, is only regarded as Ateret Yesod, Tifferet, and not as Malchut. When they are included in one another, there are only three in each, HB and Tifferet, and even the west has only three, which are HB and Tifferet.

The three sets divide into each of the four directions of the world. Even to the west, Malchut, there are four orders. But in each set within each direction there are three other sets and not four. This is so because the actual Malchut is missing and the west is only Malchut that is mitigated in Bina and not Malchut herself.

Hence, two kinds of mingling of the Sefirot in one another are discerned: The first mingling is that HB TM are included in one another and they are twelve and not sixteen. This is not complete mingling because there should be sixteen here, hence a second mingling is required. The second mingling is that the three in each direction are included in one another, too, and three are made in each, making them nine in each direction. The second mingling is complete inclusion and it is all Rachamim [mercy], for there is not even a mingling of the west direction there.

And yet, by the corrections and the Mochin of the number twelve, which Malchut herself is missing, she still receives her correction from them. This is the several thousands and myriads under them, since the illuminations of Hochma that extend from YESHSUT are regarded as thousands because their ten Sefirot are in the thousands. And the illuminations of Hassadim that extend from upper AVI are regarded as myriads [tens of thousands] because their ten Sefirot are in the tens of thousands.

Opposite them are Klipot, opposite the discernment of one thousand. They cling to the mitigated Malchut, Ateret Yesod, which is fit for Mochin of one thousand. Also, there are Klipot opposite the discernment of ten thousand, which cling to the unmitigated Malchut, the actual Malchut. It is written about it, “A thousand may fall at Your side,” where through the Mochin of illumination of Hochma that extend from YESHSUT, which are regarded as one thousand, they extend from the left line, which is the meaning of “At Your side,” primarily from the left.

“And ten thousand at Your right hand; it shall not come near you.” Through the Mochin de Hassadim that extend from upper AVI, which are regarded as ten thousand, they are saved from the Klipot, which are regarded as ten thousand. They do not let them draw near a person and they extend from the right line. This is why he says, “At Your right hand.” The Klipot of ten thousand are strong; they cannot be dropped like the Klipot in the discernment of one thousand. This is why he says about them, “It shall not come near you,” since they cannot be cast away before the end of correction.

“And several thousands and myriads under them” refers to the two discernments of illuminations that drop the Klipot in the thousands and remove the Klipot of ten thousand. It turns out that the correction reaches the actual Malchut, too, which is missing in the number twelve, to the extent that the Klipot of the discernment of ten thousand are kept away.

259) These nine orders are all guided by certain recorded letters. Each order looks, meaning receives abundance into the recorded letters that relate to it. They journey when these letters fly in the air of the wind that is appointed over everything. One letter from below receives a strike and the letter goes up and down, and two letters fly over it. This letter below elevates the order from below upwards and bonds with them in two letters that fly. Thus, they become three letters, all of which are according to the letters Yod-Hey-Vav, which are three within the illuminating mirror, ZA. Three orders divide from those Yod-Hey-Vav, which are two letters and the letter that rises and bonds with them, which are three.

The nine orders in each direction are HB and Tifferet, where in each of them are HB and Tifferet that are guided by certain letters according to the Tikkun Kavim [correction of lines]. This is so because Nekudot [points] are in Bina, and Otiot [letters] are in ZON. Hence, the three lines in Bina are called “three points,” as well—Holam, Shuruk, Hirik—and in ZON they are three letters.

Those nine orders, HB and Tifferet that each has HB and Tifferet are all led by certain recorded letters, three letters on the right, left, and middle, which extend from the three points in Bina—Holam, Shuruk, Hirik. Each order in the nine orders looks into those recorded letters, receives from one letter in those three letters, right, left, and middle that relate to it—whether from the right in the right, from the left in the right, from the middle in the right, or from the right in the left, etc. similarly.

Now he explains the nature of the three letters. He says that they journey when these letters fly in the air of the wind that is appointed over everything. The right letter and the left letter extend from the two points in Bina, Holam, and Shuruk. This is so because when the Yod enters the light of Bina and the light becomes Avir, the letters ELEH [Aleph-Lamed-Hey] of Elokim fell from her to ZON and she remained with the letters MI [Mem-Yod] of Elokim, which are the point of Holam and Hassadim, and the root of the right.

Afterwards, when the Yod departed the Avir of Bina and the letters ELEH returned to her, the letters ELEH returned to her. Then the letters ELEH became the root of the left, Hochma without Hassadim, the point of Shuruk. At that time the two lines, MI and ELEH were disputed—one was entirely Hassadim and the other was entirely Hochma—and each wished to revoke the illumination of the other. For this reason, they were thrown from Din [judgment] to Rachamim [mercy] and from Rachamim to Din, since when the left line, ELEH, prevails, the Din strengthens and governs. And when the right line, MI, prevails, the Rachamim strengthen and govern, meaning the Hassadim in the right. Hence, even though the Yod has already departed the Avir, the two lines are still regarded as being in the Avir, in VAK, at the level of Ruach, since they are jolted back and forth and do not shine.

This is why it is written that when all these letters fly in the air, the right-hand-side letter that extends from the MI and the left-hand-side letter that extends from ELEH, before the coming of the middle line, they fly in the air of the wind of the one who is appointed over everything, in the Avir of Bina, appointed over all the Mochin in the worlds, from which all the Mochin are extended. This is so because the root of the flying in the air is the dispute of the right in left there, in Bina. When the left prevails, the Yod comes out of the Avir. And when the right prevails, the Yod reenters the Ohr [light] and it becomes Avir. At that time, they journey, jolted once to the right and Rachamim, and once to the left and Din.

To determine between right and left and unite them, ZA became MAN in Bina because he rose to her with the letters ELEH, to which he clung. Then a Zivug de Hakaa was made with the upper light on the Masach de ZA, and the level of Hassadim emerged, which decides and unites the two lines—MI ELEH—in one another. Then the name Elokim was completed, and this is the point of Hirik, the middle line.

One letter from below, a letter that extends from the point of Hirik in Bina, is struck, meaning that a Zivug de Hakaa is made in it. This is from below, from ZA that rose to Bina for MAN. Similarly, in all the degrees it is considered a middle one, coming for MAN from the lower degree, where the lower one always rises with the AHP of the upper one that clings to them, and where it becomes a middle line. This is why it is written that the letter goes up and down and two letters fly over it. It means that that middle letter rises from below and subjugates the two lines in the upper one, and the two letters in the upper one fly over it, meaning it makes peace between them because it keeps the illumination of the both of them—the left shining from below upwards, and the right from above downwards.

When it is written that this letter below elevates the order from below upwards, it means that the letter that comes from below raises the order, meaning illumination of the left, so it would shine from below upwards. It bonds with them, with the two letters that fly, and they become three letters where the letter that comes from below to MAN unites in the two upper letters in the right letter and in the left letter, and they become three letters—right, left, and middle—all of which are according to the letters Yod-Hey-Vav, which are three within the illuminating mirror, ZA.

The letters Yod-Hey-Vav inside the illuminating mirror are HGT de ZA, and they are the three lines in him. He says that those three letters in the tabernacle, in Nukva, extend and are led by the three lines, Yod-Hey-Vav of ZA. Also, three orders extend from those Yod-Hey-Vav, three lines that are two letters, the right letter and the left letter, and the letter that rises and bonds with them, the middle letter, bonding with the two, and making them three—Yod-Hey-Vav de ZA.

The orders of the works of the tabernacle are divided: Some of them are in three, corresponding to HB and Tifferet, which are included in each direction. Some of them are in four, corresponding to the four directions HB TM. These are twelve because the four directions are HB TM that are included in one another, and there are only three in each, HB and Tifferet, lacking Malchut. Some of them are in two, corresponding to the two letters—right and left in the Nukva—which extend from Holam and Shuruk. And some of them are in one, corresponding to the middle letter that comes from below, from Nukva. It is extended in Hirik and MAN is made in it, on which a Zivug de Hakaa is elicited, which elicits the level of Ruach, and subjugates and unites the right and the left in one another.

260) Those two high letters that rise in the Avir, the right letter and the left letter, are included in one another, Rachamim in Din. This is so because the right letter is Hassadim and Rachamim, and the left letter is Hochma without Hassadim and Din. And because of their oppositeness, they are regarded as two. Also, they are from the upper world, the male, and this letter that rises and bonds with them, the middle letter, is Nukva, since the Zivug de Hakaa is made on the Masach in her. She is included in both, since the two letters—right and left—bond in the middle letter and three letters are made in her, herself—right, left, and middle.

The Nukva consists of two sides in general—right and left—which she receives from ZA, as it is written, “Let his left hand be under my head, and his right hand embrace me,” and she bonds with them. Similarly, the middle letter, Nukva, bonds with the two other letters and they become two sides in the middle letter—right and left. The two letters in her become superior while she herself is below them. Also, all three letters become one—male and female that became one in a Zivug, like male and female.

The two upper letters are males and the middle letter is a female. This is so because when the world was created, when the three lines in Bina emerged in order to create the world, which is ZON, those two letters—the right one and the left one—were from the upper world, from Bina. They procreated all the actions below in their form, and not the middle line in Bina. Hence, these two letters are regarded as males. For this reason, anyone who attains them and is cautious with them is loved above and loved below.

The creation of the world, which is ZON, was made by the ascent of ZON for MAN to the two lines—right and left—in Bina, where it was made into a middle line. Then it received all the Mochin in Bina, for three come out of one and one is rewarded with three. It turns out that only the two lines—right and left—in Bina give all the Mochin to ZON, since the middle line of Bina is regarded as ZON themselves. Thus, the creation of the world was through two letters only, right and left, and this is why they are considered males, while the middle one is a female.

261) All twenty-seven letters in the [Hebrew] alphabet are male and female, included in one another as one. The letters that belong to the right and to the left are males and those that belong to the middle line are females. The male letters impart upper water, and the female letters raise MAN, and everything bonds and becomes one. This is the complete unification. Hence, one who knows how to make those unifications and is cautious with aiming them, happy is he in this world and in the next world because this is the essence of the complete unification as it should be.

The letters divide into groups of three: two males above and one Nukva below, from this side and from that side, in one unification. The right and the left unite as one in the middle one, which is the completeness of everything. All the groups of three in the alphabet are in the higher order, such as above, in Bina. That order is three, three, as one. This is so because when the three original lines emerged in Bina, they were mingled with one another and three groups of three lines were made in her. Hence, all twenty-seven letters in the Nukva follow suit and divide into groups of three letters.

262) Once the nine orders in the first set, toward the east—Tifferet—was clarified, he explains the second set—of the south direction, Hesed. There are three orders to that direction, and in each order it is three by three, nine orders. All of them emerge from the order of the patriarchs, the three lines that are above, in Bina, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as in the order that the letters Yod-Hey-Vav were erected in the Holy Name. All of those nine orders are led in these three groups of three letters—right, left, and middle—and they journey in them. Also, several armies and tens of thousands of angels that are below in BYA journey and are led in this order that is toward the south.

263) The third set is to the north, Gevura, three orders to that direction, which are nine because there are three to each side in the three orders, thus they are nine. Also, those nine orders are from three sides—right, left, and middle.

264) The twenty-seven orders are the twenty-seven letters, which are twenty-two letters with the doubled MANTZEPACH [five final letters in Hebrew]. These twenty-seven orders divide into three orders to each direction: three to the east, three to the south, and three to the north. And since the three in each direction are included in one another, the three from this direction are nine, the three from that direction are nine, and the three from that direction are nine. And they are all together, which makes them twenty-seven letters.

265) Those twenty-seven are nine female letters united with the eighteen other male orders. It is all as it should be because each three letters are three lines that extend from the three lines in Bina, where the two upper letters, the right letter and the left letter are males, and the third letter below them is a female. Thus, the nine letters in each direction are in three groups of three.

It therefore turns out that within each direction are six male letters—which are three times the two right-hand-side letters and left-hand-side letters in each group—and three female letters, which are the three middle letters in each group. It turns out that there are six males and three females in the east, six males and three females in the south, and six males and three females in the north. Together, they are eighteen males and nine females, since the three female letters are in each direction and three times three is nine. There are six male letters in each direction, and three times six is eighteen. Thus, the twenty-seven letters divide into eighteen males and nine females.

266) Similar to these letters in the upper world, in Bina, there are other letters below in the Nukva. The upper letters in Bina are great and the lower letters in the Nukva are small. Everything is one opposite the other, where everything that applies to the letters in Bina applies to the letters in the Nukva, as well. And there are also all those males and females in the letters in them. Everything is one, in completeness, where all that applies to the upper world applies to the lower world, as well.

Remembering and Visiting

267) “And God remembered Rachel ... and opened her womb.” Sons depend on luck, which is the river that comes out of Eden, which drips and waters the garden, ZA. This is why remembering is mentioned in regards to her, since remembering is from remember, ZA, and visiting is from Nukva. It is written, “And God visited Sarah.” This is not from luck, since it does not say “remember” in regards to her. And if sons depend on luck and not below in the Nukva, then was there no luck here with Sarah? It is written, “And the Lord visited,” which means it includes everything as one, since “The Lord” is He and His courthouse, ZA together with the Nukva. Thus, here, too, with Sarah there is remembering from ZA, which is luck.

268) If “And the Lord” includes ZA and Nukva together—remembering and visiting—why does it say “visited”? After all, “And the Lord” includes visiting, as well. However, there was remembering here already before, and this key of the sons below was already given, as it is written, “But My covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear unto you.” It is also written, “And the Lord said ... ‘At the set time I will return unto you, when the season comes round, and Sarah shall have a son.’” And since there was already remembering—in the merit of ZA, since it is written, “But My covenant,” which is Yesod de ZA—afterwards, remembering was said, meaning the Nukva, so everything will be included together, there would be remembering and visiting together in her.

269) “And God remembered Rachel.” Remembering is above, in ZA, since this luck, which is above in the male, comes over visiting—which is the Nukva below, which is in exile—to redeem her. Similarly, it is written, “And God remembered Rachel,” which is as it is written, “And I have remembered My covenant.” The word “remember” means remembering, which is ZA. “And God remembered Rachel” is the Nukva, remembering. The remembering implied in “And ... remembered” relates to Rachel, who is visiting, and imparted her with the abundance of sons. Also, the name God in the words, “And God remembered,” is Bina.

270) It is written, “I have surely visited you.” Can there be visiting in the Nukva while she herself is in exile? And since she is in exile, how did she appear here to Moses, and how did she say, “I have surely visited you”?

271) But when the sun shines it is in heaven and its strength and might rules everywhere on the earth. Similarly, it is said about the Creator, “The whole earth is full of His glory.” When the Temple was standing, “The whole earth is full of His glory” is the holy land, the Nukva. At that time, there is disclosure of Divinity. But now that Israel are in exile, Divinity is above Chazeh de ZA where it is considered heaven, covered Hassadim, and it does not appear on earth. Rather, its strength extends to the earth like the sun that hides in the heaven and its strength and might fill the earth. It surrounds Israel to protect them, even though they are in another land, in exile.

272) There is Divinity below Chazeh de ZA and there is Divinity above Chazeh de ZA. Divinity above is in twelve boundaries of holy Merkavot [plural of Merkava (chariot/structure)], and twelve upper animals. The four Sefirot HB TM in each HB and Tifferet, which are twelve, are twelve boundaries, as well as twelve big animals because they are from the Chazeh and above. Divinity below is in the twelve holy tribes. And then when both are in twelve, Divinity is included above and below, meaning that both became a single Partzuf and everything shines at once, simultaneously. And then it is said, “The whole earth is full of His glory,” and there is disclosure of Divinity below in this world.

And even though Divinity was not corrected below the Chazeh while Israel are in exile, but rather rose to above the Chazeh, she was not corrected above, as well, since she is regarded as lacking GAR because she was not corrected below the Chazeh. For this reason, she is regarded as lacking NHYM below the Chazeh. This is why it was said that Divinity is in exile with Israel because she is in exile with them. This is so because due to her ascent, she was made deficient in GAR of lights and NHY of Kelim, and this is considered exile.

273) In what is the Nukva corrected during the exile so she can appear below? It is like a king whose son had died. He undid his bed because of the mourning for his son and did not remake it. Rather, he took thorns and thistles and threw them under his bed, and lied down on them. So is the Creator. When Israel were exiled and the Temple was ruined, He took thorns and thistles and placed them under Himself. It is written, “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.” He did that because Israel were in exile.

This settles the first question that since Divinity was in exile, how was she revealed to Moses? She was revealed to him out of the bush, which is imperfection and Dinim. In this way, she can appear even during the exile.

274) One who is not in his own authority but in exile, what can he visit and what can he do? Thus, how did Divinity say, “I have surely visited” while she is in exile? However, visiting means from above, from ZA, which means remembering. “Visited” is below in the Nukva. When she said “Visited,” it means remembering. She did not say “remember” explicitly because this remembering was already on her from before, as it is written, “And I have remembered My covenant.”

Because it is written, “And I have remembered,” it means that remembering has already been placed in her, and this is why she later said, “I have surely visited,” where the word “surely” implies the remembering that was already placed in her. This sign is given from Jacob and from Joseph. Jacob said, “Will surely visit you,” and Joseph said, “God will surely visit you,” since redemption requires remembering and visiting, and visiting points to remembering from before, “I have visited” over visiting.

276) In the blessings, one mentions the name of the Creator and two reply to him, as it is written, “For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness unto our God.” “For I will proclaim the name of the Lord” is one who mentions the Name.” “Ascribe greatness unto our God” are the other two, who reply. But in the Torah, even two who sit and engage in Torah give greatness, strength, and the glory of Torah to the Creator.

277) Why are three required in the blessings? Indeed, all the blessings are so—one to bless and two to respond so as to raise the merit of the Creator in three lines: one blesses—the middle line, which acts to reveal the light—and two to thank and to keep His blessings—the two lines that receive the action of the middle line and shine by its strength. This is the keeping of the blessings so they will be in the upper one properly, and in three.

278) There is remembering for better and there is remembering for worse, and there is visiting for better and visiting for worse.

Remembering for better is as it is written, “But for their sakes, I will remember the covenant of their ancestors,” “And God remembered Noah,” and “And God remembered His covenant.” Remembering for worse is as it is written, “So He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes away and does not return.”

Visiting for better is as it is written, “I will surely visit you.” Visiting for worse is as it is written, “Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with strokes.”

279) All those remembering and visiting for better are specific degrees, faith. They are male and female as one, remembering and visiting. Remembering is male and visiting is the female. Those are for the better. Remembering and visiting for worse are the other side, other gods, male and female as one, remembering in the male and visiting in the female, which always stand for the worse. They are opposite one another—the male and female of the Sitra Achra opposite the male and female of Kedusha [holiness].

All the meanings of faith and all the upper, holy degrees come out of the remembering and visiting of Kedusha. Conversely, all the types of evil, all the death, and all the sides of evil kinds in the world come out of the remembering and visiting of the Sitra Achra.

280) Happy is one whose lot is on the good side and who is not deviating himself toward the Sitra Achra and is saved from them. Happy is one who can be saved from that side, and happy are the righteous who can be saved from them and wage war on that side. Man must wage war against it, govern it, and be saved from it.

281) Jacob did so toward Esau in order to subdue that side of his, to outsmart it and to be as cunning as necessary with it so as to first rule, and finally, to make everything proper. The beginning and the end were as one, as it is written in the beginning, “He took away my birthright,” and in the end it writes, “And now he has taken away my blessing,” and their letters [of “birthright” and “blessing” in Hebrew] are the same. Thus, the beginning and the end were one, and all this was to rule it in an upright way. This is why happy is he who is saved from the Sitra Achra and can rule over them.

282) Remembering and visiting for the better are when they are as one in faith, in Nukva, meaning when ZA, remembering, and the Nukva, visiting, are in Zivug. Happy is one who strives after faith, to be rewarded with it, as it is written, “They shall walk after the Lord, who shall roar like a lion.”

283) When a person prays his prayer, he does not say about himself, “Remember me, visit me,” since there is remembering and visiting for the better and remembering and visiting for the worse. The slanderers are destined to receive the words, “Remember me, visit me,” from his mouth, and will come to mention the sins of a person and punish him. In other words, they will inflict him with remembering and visiting for worse, unless he is a complete righteous, for if those remembering and visiting are for worse, ZON de Klipa, they will look for his sins but will not find them. Then he is permitted to say, “Remember me, visit me.”

284) Wherever a person prays his prayer, he should incorporate himself in the public, in the manifold public, as it is written about Shunammite when Elisha told her, “Would you be spoken for to the king or to the captain of the army?” “Would you be spoken for to the king,” since that day was the festival of the first day of the year, and the day when Malchut of the firmament rules and sentences the world. At that time, the Creator is called “The king of the sentence,” and this is why he told her, “Would you be spoken for to the king,” since he called the Creator “King.”

285) And she said, “I dwell among my own people.” In other words, she said, “I have no wish to be mentioned above, but to put my head among the masses and not leave the public. Similarly, man should be included in the public and not stand out as unique, so the slanderers will not look at him and mention his sins.

Death and the Shadow of Death

286) “Have the gates of death been revealed unto you? Or have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?” This is what the Creator said to Job when he was afflicting himself over the Creator’s Dinim [judgments]. Job said, “Though He slay me, I will hope for Him.” He also said, “If he slew him, he will not hope for him.”

287) The Creator told him, “But do I kill people?” as it is written, “Have the gates of death been revealed unto you? Or have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?” Several gates are open on that side, by which they can be saved from death, but still death governs them. However, they are all hidden from people and they do not know of those gates. In the future, when the words, “And the whole earth shall be full of the knowledge,” he will say in truth, “Death shall be swallowed up forever.” It turns out that they are dying because they do not know how to beware, and it is not the Creator who kills them.

288) “Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?” Death and the shadow of death are as one, male and female in a single Zivug. Death is the angel of death, the serpent, a female. The shadow of death is the letters of shadow and death, the one who rides the death, SAM, who rides the serpent. It is his shadow and his strength, to mate together in one knot, and they are one.

289) All the degrees that come out of them and connect to those ZON de Klipa are their gates, as above in Kedusha [holiness], as it is written, “Lift up your heads, O gates.” Those are the ones who are called “rivers” and “streams,” the Yesodot [foundations] de VAK of the world, which are ZON of Kedusha. Here, too, the gates of death and the gates of the shadow of death from the Sitra Achra are degrees of them, which govern the world. The gates of death and the gates of the shadow of death are female and male that cling to each other as one.

290) Hence, in response to what Job said, “As the cloud is consumed and vanishes away, he that goes down to the grave shall come up no more,” the Creator told him, “Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death,” to know that they are all in My domain and all will be swallowed up from the world, as it is written, “And death shall be swallowed up forever?”

Then God Remembered Rachel

291) “Then God remembered Rachel, and God heeded her and opened her womb.” Why does it write “God” twice here? Would it not be enough to say, “God heeded her and opened her womb”? However, one is from the male world, which is Bina, called Elokim, and one is from the female world, the Nukva de ZA, who is called Elokim, too. This is so because the matter depends on luck, which is from the male world, as it is written, “Sons depend on luck.”

292) When Rachel was awakened in this name, Benjamin, as it is written, “The Lord add to me another son,” Benjamin. Jacob knew that it would be so because she was worthy of completing all the tribes in the number twelve. Also, he knew that afterwards she would no longer be in the world. This is why that was the time when he wanted to go to the land of Israel, so the tribes would be completed in the land of Israel and so that Rachel would not die abroad. But he could not go because Laban was detaining him. When Benjamin’s time came, after his mother was conceived, he fled and went on his way so the house would not be completed with twelve tribes, and the holy world, Nukva de ZA, would then be tied in him in another land.

293) It is written, “And the Lord said unto Jacob, ‘Return unto the land of your fathers, and to your kindred; and I will be with you.’” The Creator told him, “Thus far, Rachel, the landlady of the house, was with you. Henceforth, I will be with you and take the house,” Divinity, “with you,” in the twelve tribes. It is written, “And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died on me.” It was “On me” and it was for me that Rachel was repelled and another dweller came, Divinity, and took the house for me, to be with me.

Name Me Your Wages

294) “And he said, ‘Name me your wages, and I will give it.’” What is “And I will give it”? That wicked one said, “I see that Jacob is looking only at females, and therefore he will work for me. This is why he said, “Name me your wages” [here “Name” is spelled the same as “female” in Hebrew], meaning your reward will be a female, as in the beginning. “And I will give it” means “Say which female you were looking at and I will give her to you, you will work for me for her.”

295) “And Jacob said, ‘You shall not give me anything.’” Jacob said, “Absolutely not, for all that I did, I did for the glory of the Holy King, and not for my own lust. Hence, you shall give me nothing because this was never my intention.”

296) “And he removed that day the he-goats.” This is as it is written, “O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? ... He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart.” “He who walks with integrity” is Abraham, for when he was circumcised he was called “whole,” “And works righteousness” is Isaac, and “Speaks truth” is Jacob. Jacob certainly clung to the quality of truth, so why did he peel the rods with Laban, as it is written, “Then Jacob took fresh rods ... and peeled ... them”?

297) Indeed, Jacob was testing the hour of luck in all the actions that he took, since man is permitted to test his time before he returns to his land. If his luck endures for him in what he does, good. If not, he will not set out until he has a stroke of luck. This is so because nourishments do not depend on merit, on purification of the Kelim, but on luck, the thickness of Malchut on which the middle line—whose root is Dikna de AA—comes out.

Also, the land of Israel is the Malchut when she dresses Ima, whose Kelim are very pure, for this is not luck for Israel. Hence, there was a need to extend luck while he was still abroad, before he returns to the land of Israel. And he extended it with the rods that he made.

298) Thus, he did not do it to take something from Laban for free. Rather, he did everything in truth and in a complete desire. Moreover, he received permission for all that from Laban. It is written about that that he replied to him, “I have observed the signs and the Lord has blessed me for your sake.” This is so because Laban made several spells and tested his luck to see if he was succeeding because of Jacob. Each month, he found one hundred flocks, one hundred sheep, and one hundred goats added to his herd because of Jacob, and this is why he permitted him.

299) One thousand flock, one thousand sheep, and one thousand goats did Jacob add to him each and every month. It is written, “For you had little before I came and it has increased to a multitude, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned.” The blessing above is no less than a thousand of each kind. There were a thousand flocks, a thousand sheep, and a thousand goats. Wherever there is a blessing from above, it is no less than a thousand, until Laban’s wealth increased into great wealth because of Jacob.

Laban’s root is the left line of Bina. Before Jacob came to raise MAN and extend the middle line, he is darkness. It is written about Laban, “I have observed the signs and the Lord has blessed me for your sake.” It is also written, “For you had little before I came.” This is so because before Jacob came, he had little because he was dark for absence of Hassadim. When Jacob, who is ZA, came and extended the middle line to him, then, “And it has increased to a multitude, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned.” This is so because through Jacob, the three lines in Bina came out, and three come out of one. And then Laban gained the Sefirot from Bina, which are the number 100, or of Aba, which are the number 1,000. But Jacob—who is the middle line—and not Bina, took only the level of ZA, whose number is 10.

300) When Jacob wished to receive his reward he found only ten of each kind, since he was the middle line, ZA, whose Sefirot are tens. Jacob regarded it as great wealth because he received the Daat in the Rosh, he saw the difference, how much of Laban’s he took, meaning of what he was giving to Laban with his merit.

And all this came to Jacob only thanks to those rods that he placed in the flock. This is so because the rods are the Aviut [thickness] of Malchut, from which the Masach de Hirik is erected. By the force that reduces the left line from GAR to VAK, by that force he unites it with the right line, and this diminution from GAR to VAK is called “an arm.” All this came to Jacob only by the force of those rods, where by extending the middle line on the Masach of the rods and the elicitation of the three lines in Bina, as three that come out of one, Jacob, too, was rewarded with the three lines, as one who is rewarded with three.

301) Come and see how the wholesome Jacob troubled after Laban. It is written, “And he set three days' journey.” He brought him all this wealth, and this is why Laban did not wish that this would be Jacob’s rewarded, as was the condition he had made with him, but took ten of this kind and ten of that kind and gave to him. He told him, “Take these, and if they procreate, as it is written, ‘speckled and spotted,’ you will thus have your reward,” taking ten of each kind. It is as it is written, “And you have changed my wages ten times,” ten of this kind and ten of that kind.

“Times” comes from the word “stealing” [in Hebrew], as it is written, “And your father has mocked me, and changed my wages ten times.” With those ten, he was exerting after the Creator and blessed Him. And all that Laban agreed on with Jacob, he went back on his word and took everything from Jacob until the Creator pitied him and took of Laban by force, by the force of the Masach de Hirik, which is the rods, which diminish the left line from GAR to VAK.

The Rods

302) All those texts come to teach wisdom. There are sublime things, some of which depend on deeds, such as Tefillin and Tzitzit, and some on words, such as reading the Shema and prayer, and some—on the intention in the heart, such as love and fear. One who wishes to extend blessings, it is by prayer in speech and in intention, and some that are not extended by prayer but depend on actions.

303) The complete Jacob did all that he did with wisdom. It is written, “And he set the rods which he had peeled over against the flocks in the gutters.” He did everything with wisdom, to extend blessings from the source of everything to all the upper degrees that are his lot and share.

304) Rods are degrees of the Din that are mingled with the Aviut of Malchut. “Which he had peeled” means that he lifted the Din from them by extending the level of Hassadim over them. “Against the flocks in the gutters” is as it is written, “The king is held captive in the tresses.” This is so because the blessings come to all the worlds from the upper king, Bina. The tresses are the Kelim of the left line in Bina, which shine only from below upwards due to the unification of the middle line. This is the meaning of “The king is held captive in the tresses,” since Bina, which is called “the high King” is captive in those tresses so he will not spread from there down. This was done because Jacob presented the rods, on which the middle line came out in the midst of the tresses and they can no longer shine from above downwards.

305) “The king is held captive in the tresses” is ZA, who is held captive and tied to the upper tresses, which are the Kelim of the left line in Bina, from which everyone is watered from the high King. The King, ZA, is captive, meaning He does not shine from above downwards due to the tresses, which are the Kelim de Bina in Him.

“In the gutters, in the watering-troughs” are the streams that extend and gather in the Nukva de ZA, to which the tresses of Bina extend and where they become watering-troughs. “Where the flocks came to drink,” means that there the waters gather, in the Nukva, all of them, all the dwellers of BYA come to drink from it.

306) “And they were rutting.” When the north wind, the illumination of the left, Hochma without Hassadim, blows on the Nukva, water, the abundance freezes and does not leak outside to the three worlds BYA. When the south wind awakens, meaning the illumination of the right, Hassadim, the water heats up and their freezing is lifted, and they are extended to the worlds. At that time everyone drinks because the warmth of the south opens the freezing of the water and they all warm up and are happy to drink, since that chill of the north that they had before has been lifted from them. This is why it is written, “And they were rutting.” It writes, “And they were rutting” and not “And he was rutting,” since although flock is in male form [in Hebrew], because they come to drink from the degrees of the Nukva, they are all regarded as females, like her.

And Jacob Took Him Rods of Poplar

307) It is about that that Jacob intended to act in wisdom, to aim his actions according to the upper degrees, as it is written, “And Jacob took him rods of fresh poplar, of hazelnut and of chestnut.” It is also written, “For the Lord has chosen Jacob unto Himself, and Israel for His own treasure.” Who chose whom [in Hebrew it is not as clear as in the English translation]? Did the Creator choose Jacob or did Jacob choose the Creator? Indeed, the Creator took Jacob into His lot, as it is written, “For the portion of the Lord is His people, Jacob the lot of His inheritance.”

308) Jacob, too, chose his lot and his share into His inheritance, and rose above all the degrees. He took to his share a rod of fresh poplar—the degree of white from the right side, light of Hassadim—and hazelnut and chestnut—the degree of the red on the left side, the Dinim of Bina after she returned to Hochma, since the two discernments of Dinim, from the right and from the left, were included in the rods.

309) “And peeled white streaks in them, making the white appear which was in the rods.” This means that he lifted the Din from the hazelnuts and the chestnut, which are left, and connected it to the right line, while he himself, the middle line, entered between them and took them as one, and everything became one in two colors. This means that he elicited the level of Hassadim on the Masach in the Aviut of the rods at the level of the middle line, which includes white and red, right and left, Hassadim and illumination of Hochma.

And atop all that, “Making the white appear,” which means that the white would appear over the red, that the illumination of Hochma—red—would clothe in Hassadim—white—to extend blessings to his degree, the middle line, from the source of everything, Bina, which is the source of the three lines, and to correct this degree with correction of lines, three lines as one.

310) Through this act of Hochma [wisdom], the correction of the three lines—as it is written, “In the gutters, in the watering-troughs”—the blessings extend downwards and all the worlds are watered and the blessings are upon them. It is written about it, “In the morning he devours the prey,” and then, “And in the evening he divides the spoil,” so all the worlds BYA below are blessed. Jacob took his share from those blessings that are on him below because he is the lot and the inheritance of the Creator. Jacob is the middle line, and the middle line is the part of the Creator. And the middle line below receives all those lights that the middle line causes in its subjugation above. And Jacob took his share from those blessings that are on him below.

311) “And Jacob took him rods of fresh poplar.” The aim of this act was for the ties of faith, meaning to extend three ties, three lines to the Nukva, who is called “faith.” The voice of the voice of the voices awakens from above downwards and has become open-eyed. The wheel that turns to several directions and the voice of the melodies have awakened. A wheel is the turning of the illumination in three places, Holam, Shuruk, Hirik, in three lines. It turns to several directions because the illuminations are included in one another and three lines come out, each of which contains three lines—the three lines HBD, right, Moach [mind] of Hochma, the three lines HBD, left, Moach of Bina, and the three lines HBD, middle, Moach of Daat.

The middle line is rewarded with the full measure of illumination that it causes to come out in the two upper lines. This is why it is considered that the Moach of Daat, the middle line, consists of three lines in and of itself. This is because each of them comprises three lines so there are HBD in Hochma de Moach of Daat, HBD in Bina de Moach of Daat, and HBD in Daat de Moach of Daat. The wheel turns to several directions, which are three sides in the Moach of Hochma, and three sides in the Moach of Bina, nine sides in the Moach of Daat.

It is known that the two lines—right and left—always belong to the upper one himself, and only the middle line spreads below, meaning the Moach of Daat. It turns out that the three sides in the Moach of Hochma and the three sides in the Moach of Bina do not spread downwards. Rather, the Moach of Daat spread downwards alone. Not all nine sides in the Moach of Daat expand from above downwards, but only one of those sides—the middle side in the three lines of Daat in the Moach of Daat. This is so because HBD de Hochma of the Moach of Daat, HBD of Bina of the Moach of Daat, and HB of Daat of the Moach of Daat are regarded as the two upper lines and do not spread below, except for the Daat de Daat in Daat, meaning only one of the nine in the Moach of Daat.

The voice of the voice of the voices has awakened from above downwards. The Daat—which is ZA who rises to MAN and becomes a middle line between HB—is called “a voice.” As a result, the Moach of Daat in general is called “a voice.” And since there are nine sides to the Moach of Daat, three times HBD, it follows that HBD de Daat of the Moach of Daat is considered the middle voice, of two voices, which are HBD de Hochma de Daat and HBD de Bina de Daat. The Daat in this voice is regarded as the voice of the voice of the voices, who is the only one that awakens from above downwards, and not the other eight sides. It is on this voice that spreads downwards that he says, “The voice of the melodies has awakened.”

Now The Zohar explains the turn of the wheel to several directions: three of Hochma, three of Bina, and nine of Daat, from the perspective of negation and loss. Those who cling to the left are considered asleep and in slumber, and they are subtracted. The Zohar says, “The one who are asleep and those who are in slumber, with sleep in the holes of their eyes, and who cling to the left line, ‘Awaken!’” It details their loss from all fifteen directions that come out with the middle line.

Corresponding to their loss of HBD on the right, the Moach of Hochma, he says, “And they do not know,” which is Daat. “And they do not look,” which is Bina, “And they do not see,” which is Hochma.

Corresponding to their loss of HBD on the left, the Moach of Bina, he says, “Of closed ears,” which is Hochma, “Heavy-hearted,” which is Bina, “Asleep without knowing it,” which is Daat.

Corresponding to their loss of HBD on the right, the Moach of Daat, he says, “The Torah stands before them,” which is Daat, “And they do not notice and do not know what they are looking at,” which is Bina, and “They see and they do not see,” which is Hochma.

Corresponding to their loss of HBD on the left, the Moach of Daat, he says, “The Torah raises voices, ‘Look, you fools,’” which is Bina, “Open your eyes,” which is Hochma, “And know,” which is Daat.

And corresponding to their loss of HBD on the middle line of the Moach of Daat, he says, “There is no one to watch,” Hochma, “And there is no one to lend an ear,” Bina, “How long will you be in the dark due to your ill will?” Daat, “Observe to know through the middle line and the light that shines will appear to you, meaning the light of ZA, the middle line, called ‘the illuminating mirror.’”

312) Because of the plight of being in another land and another authority, not in the holy land and within foreign degrees, the complete Jacob repelled them all and chose his lot and share in the middle line. Light out of darkness is the right line, and wisdom out of folly is the left line. He honored his Master while he was still in a foreign domain, in Padan-Aram, the middle line. At that time, it was said about him, “Jacob shall not now be ashamed.”

313) “And Jacob took him rods of fresh poplar,” which is the middle line, the Aviut of Masach de Hirik that became a pure knot by which to tie the three lines to one another in purity. He rose within, to Bina, by raising MAN, and there the middle line came out on him, extended from there to the Nukva, and she became a place for settling people, to bestow all the wholeness upon them. Before he found a settlement in the Nukva by raising MAN, that place of left in the Nukva was not a place. It was lost of any light and abundance. It was perdition from all the lower ones, who had nothing to receive from there.

This perdition is male, SAM, who came out of Isaac’s Gevura, since this left precedes the emergence of the middle line and is regarded as waste; it is SAM’s lot. Death is his Nukva, and she is the primordial serpent, called “a woman of harlotry,” of whom it is written, “Her legs go down to death.” Those two—perdition and death—heard the force of the commandment of the King, who is ZA, who revokes the Dinim of perdition and death by extending Hassadim, and it is considered as though He had commanded them not to destroy the world and they heeded Him.

314) AA, the hidden secret, the concealed upper one, who is more hidden than all that is hidden, more than any concept and thought, who is implied in the upper tip of the Yod de HaVaYaH, from him emerged the letter Yod in the name, HaVaYaH, who is the uppermost point, AVI, which together are called Aba. Everything comes from that uppermost point, Hochma, as well as Hassadim. The Yod extended and elicited the letter Hey from the name HaVaYaH, which is upper Ima, YESHSUT, which are called Ima, who waters everything.

Mochin de Hochma are called “drinking,” and they are unique to Ima. Out of this Hey emerges the letter Vav of the name HaVaYaH, the six Sefirot HGT NHY, ZA, the middle line that unites the right side and the left side with each other. It is called “Rods of fresh poplar, of hazelnut and of chestnut,” implying to the three lines included in the middle line. The rod of fresh poplar is the right line in it, the hazelnut is the left line in it, and the chestnut is the middle line in it.

315) The two upper lines, right and left, which are called arms, are included in ZA, the middle line. Those arms come out and are included in the lower Hey in the name HaVaYaH, the Nukva de ZA, at which time the Hochma in the left arm dresses in the Hassadim in the right arm, connecting the tabernacle, which is the Nukva, as one, to be one with ZA. Then the thirteen qualities of Rachamim become one because one is thirteen in Gematria, and the white, the Hassadim, is engraved on the colors HB TM in the rods and rises, meaning governs all the colors in them, as it is written, “Making the white appear.” Then it is said, “The Lord is one and His name, One,” meaning that both are one. It is written about it, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” This is the right line. “He makes me lie down in green pastures” is the left line, “He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul” is the middle line.

316) “And Jacob took him,” meaning he chose for his share and his lot, “a rod of fresh poplar,” which is the right line. “Fresh” means water, Hassadim. “Hazelnut” is left line, red like a rose. “Chestnut” is the middle line that includes them in one another. And all are held by the right, whose color is white. And he governs them, as it is written, “Making the white appear.” Although ZA is the middle line, holding both lines—right and left—it still leans to the right. And he engraved the illumination of the right in all of them, and then he is called, “a whole man,” complete in everything.

317) There are sublime degrees among the camps of the upper angels, one atop the other. Some are inwards and some are outwards. The inner ones connect to the Holy King, ZA, and connect to Israel—the Creator’s Holy Sons. They are called, “the connected flock,” as it is written, “And it came to pass, whenever the connected flock were rutting,” meaning camps of angels connected above, in the right line, and below, in the middle line.

Sons are light of consequence, which does not appear through the cascading of degrees from one another, but through raising MAN from lower to Upper. This is the Masach of Hirik, by which the lower one becomes a middle line in the right and left of the Upper One, inducing renewal of light in it, as in, “three emerge from one.” And to that extent, the lower one is rewarded with it, as well, as in, “one is rewarded with all three.”

And this measure, with which the lower one has been awarded, is called, “a son to the upper one.” And the two lines in the upper one, which received the middle line from the lower one, are called AVI to the lower one.

This is why the souls of Israel are called, “sons of the Creator,” as in, “You are the sons of the Lord your God.” It is so because prior to the Zivug, ZA and his Nukva are two lines—right and left—that do not shine, unless Israel raise MAN to ZON—the Masach of Hirik—on which the deciding middle line emerges and copulates ZA and Nukva. Then the light in them is renewed, in “three emerge from one.” Through the lower one that rose to MAN, three lines were renewed in the upper one, and to that extent, Israel are rewarded because they raised MAN and caused the renewal of that light in three Mochin, too, which are called, “souls,” in “one exists in three.” These Mochin are sons to ZON, and ZON are considered their AVI, as it is written, “You are the sons of the Lord your God.”

Holy angels are born from ZON together with the souls, comprising two discernments: internal and external. This is so because those who emerge from the general three lines are considered internal, and those who extend from the time of the domination of the left line during the Zivug, before it is included in the middle line, are external angels.

Those who extend from the correction of three lines are internal, and those who extend from the left are external. The internal ones connect to the holy King, ZA. They connect to Israel—the holy sons of the Creator, who is the holy King, ZA, the right line. Israel are the middle line and they are the ones who caused the Zivug. The connection, the Masach de Hirik, on which the level of Hassadim emerges, is called “the middle line,” by which the left line, too, is connected in Hesed and shines.

It turns out that there are two connections here that extend Hassadim: right line and middle line. This is why it is written that they connect to the holy King, the right line, and connect to Israel, the middle line. It is written, “Israel are the holy sons of the Creator” because they extend from the renewal of light that they cause to ZA and Nukva, who is called “a son,” as it is written, “You are the sons of the Lord your God.”

318) When their desire is for the upper brightness, the middle pillar, the complete Jacob, takes these rods, which are the four portions of the head-Tefillin, meaning the four Mochin HB TM. The rod is a Masach, on which the Zivug of fresh poplar—the right line—was made, and the portion, “Sanctify unto Me all the first-born.” The hazelnut is the left line and the portion, “And it shall be when the Lord shall bring you.” Chestnut is the middle line, which includes ZA and Nukva, which are the portions, “Hear O Israel” and “And it shall come to pass, if you listen diligently.”

He placed them in tresses, which are the place and the receptacle for placing the Tefillin. From here all these upper armies and camps receive light and brightness. They connect above in the right line and they connect below in the middle line, the connecting sheep, since they receive from the tresses and the watering-troughs. At that time, they become fountains and springs to descend below to BYA and to give abundance to all.

319) This is the reason why Jacob separated the upper holy degrees from the degrees of the rest of the nations, as it is written, “And put his own droves apart.” He separated herds for himself and his share will not be as the rest of the nations. Jacob separated the degrees of faith for himself above, which are the connected sheep that are born from the Nukva, faith, which he separated from the external camps that extend from the left. Similarly, he had to separate the degrees of the holy camps below, the dark ones that were born from the connected sheep, which he separated from the feeble ones, which are the ones that are born from the external camps, and tie them to him in the palaces of the sovereign one, the Nukva. It is said about them, “And Jacob separated the lambs.”

320) And all are written in the Reshimo of the high King, ZA, the middle line. As Israel are written and marked among the rest of the nations, the degrees of the camps of upper holy angels are written for the share of the Creator among the rest of the armies and camps of angels that are not from the middle line. This is why Jacob chose faith, Nukva, for his share and lot. And the Creator, too, chose Jacob from among all the armies and camps in the world.

321) The upper camps are separated from one another because when the brightness of the fire in the illumination of Divinity appears, all the other degrees that extend from the left are ashamed and become feeble. They faint with the lust for that brightness that they cannot approach, and all those holy degrees that are in its correction—of the middle line, Jacob—rejoice when the brightness appears and promptly rises to approach it and connect, and the brightness is corrected in them. It is written about it, “So the feebler were Laban's,” meaning those who extend from the left, who faint when the brightness appears, “And the stronger Jacob's,” meaning those who are corrected so as to connect to him.

322) Jacob had to choose and to separate the holy degrees for his lot, the connected ones, from the degrees of the other nations, the feeble ones. Jacob had to do all that, which is why the Creator wrote of Jacob’s loyalty and righteousness in the Torah. Happy is he.

Blessings Are Upon the Head of the Righteous

323) It is written, “Blessings are upon the head of the righteous.” Should it not have said, “To the righteous”? However, the head of the righteous is the holy crown, Ateret Yesod. The head of the righteous is Jacob, Tifferet, and Guf [body]. He is called “the head of the righteous” because he receives the blessings and imparts them upon the righteous, to Yesod, who is called “righteous,” and from there they are thrown to all directions—right and left in Malchut—and all the worlds are blessed.

324) “Blessings are upon the head of the righteous” means the place that is a covenant called “righteous” that springs come out of it. It is like the hole in the pitcher through which the wine is poured. The head of the pitcher is like the head of the righteous. When He throws fountains to the Nukva, that place is called “the head of the righteous.” The righteous is the head because all the blessings are in it and are given abundance from it.

325) A man who has been rewarded with keeping the holy covenant, who keeps the Mitzvot [commandments] of the Torah is called “righteous.” He is righteous from head to toe. The writing says about him, “Blessings are upon the head of the righteous,” since when the blessings are extended to the world, they are on his head and from him are the blessings in the world, in the holy and righteous sons that he begets.

I Have Not Seen the Righteous Forsaken

326) It is written, “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken.” This was said about the holy unification.

327) “Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken.” The merit of the unification of ZA and Nukva is that there is no day, ZA, without a night, Nukva, since the night is always attached to the day, ZA to the Nukva. And the righteous, Yesod, is gripped above, in ZA, who is day, and grips below, to the Nukva—night. This is the complete unification in a perpetual, never-ending Zivug.

328) “Nor his seed begging bread.” However, when he imparts the seed and it is continued, he does not demand and ask for the Nukva because at that time she is with him, for they are in a never-ending Zivug. She is ready for him because the seed continued only when the Nukva is ready for him and both their lusts are as one, in one Dvekut [adhesion] that never stops. This is why he does not need to demand and to seek her.

There are two Hochmot [plural of Hochma] in the world of Atzilut: 1) The upper Hochma in AA; 2) The lower Hochma in Nukva. All the degrees in between do not contain Hochma. This is the craving of ZA to the Nukva, to be completed through her by the illumination of Hochma. And the Nukva craves for ZA, to receive his seed, Hassadim, since Hochma without Hassadim is darkness and freezing. The seed that Yesod de ZA, meaning righteous, gives to the Nukva is Hassadim. When he gives the seed and is extended, he does not demand or seek the Nukva, since when the righteous imparts the seed, Hassadim, he does not demand to receive the illumination of the Nukva, Hochma.

This is so for two reasons:

3. The Nukva is in a never-ending Zivug with him. At that time, ZON clothe upper AVI, whose Zivug does not stop and who are always in Hassadim that are covered from Hochma. Hence, their Zivug does not stop either, and they, too, are only in Hassadim, like upper AVI. Therefore, at that time, the righteous does not wish to receive the illumination of Hochma from the Nukva.

4. He was already included with illumination of the Nukva. His seed is extended only when the Nukva is ready for him, he is already included in her illumination, and both their lusts are as one. Hence, now their lust is one, meaning that now both of them crave only Hassadim. Prior to the Zivug, ZA craved to be mingled with Hochma, and the Nukva with Hassadim. But now that ZA has been mingled with Hochma, he no longer craves after Hochma but only after Hassadim, in one never-ending Dvekut. This, itself, is the reason why they are in a never-ending Zivug, since there is no grip to the Klipot in the abundance of Hassadim, to force the Zivug to stop. However, if Hochma were in the illumination of the Zivug, they would not be in a never-ending Zivug because when the lower ones blemish their actions, the grip of the Klipa is in the Zivug of ZON and the Zivug stops.

329) But during the exile, ZON is not in a never-ending Zivug, but only when Israel are in their land and the Temple exists. However, it is written, “Nor his seed begging bread.” The seed comes out only when the Nukva is in a Zivug with the male. In other words, the text does not speak of the righteous himself, but of his seed, which is necessarily during the Zivug and not during the exile. It is written, “Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken.” But is this not about the righteous himself when the righteous is forsaken during the exile and has no Zivug with the Nukva?

330) Indeed, during the exile, too, he grips above, in ZA. He never leaves ZA, which is why the text says, “Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,” even during the exile. At another time, when the Temple existed, the righteous is not forsaken from the Nukva, too, for then he grips above, in ZA, and grips below, in Nukva. It turns out that during the exile he grips above, in ZA, and at another time, he grips to both sides, above and below, in ZA and Nukva. But either way, he is never forsaken.

And ... Placed Them in the Firmament of the Heavens

331) “And God placed them in the firmament of the heavens” is righteous, Yesod. Although it was said, “The firmament of the heavens,” and the heaves are ZA and not Yesod, “The firmament of the heavens” is still the conclusion of the Guf [body]. The heavens, ZA, which is Tifferet, is the Guf of the Sefirot HGT NHY, and Yesod is the last Sefira in it. It is regarded as standing at the Sium of the Guf. This is the reason why the text calls it “The firmament of the heavens,” the Yesod that stands at the end of the heavens, the end of ZA.

Two Firmaments—Beginning and End

332) There are two firmaments—beginning and end—and one equals the other.

The beginning is the eighth firmament, in which all the stars—small and great—are stuck. It is the upper, hidden firmament that sustains everything and from which everything emerges. It is the eight from below upwards and it is the beginning, bringing everything out from it.

333) Such is the eighth firmament from above downwards, in which all the stars are stuck, all the lights and the candles. It receives everything and it is the end of everything.

The firmament is the Parsa, the new Sium from Tzimtzum Bet [second restriction], which brings Bina and TM of each degree out and lowers them down to the degree below them. During Gadlut [greatness/adulthood], the Parsa—firmament—returns to the Sium of Tzimtzum Aleph [first restriction], and brings the Sefirot Bina and TM back to the degree.

As a whole, there are three Parsas [plural of Parsa] in the world of Atzilut. The first firmament is in Peh de AA. It brings Bina and TM outside of Rosh de AA, and into the degree of AVI, leaving only Keter and Hochma in Rosh de AA. It is the first firmament because there is no Tzimtzum Bet in Partzuf Atik, but either a fissure or no fissure. The second is the middle firmament in Chazeh de AA, which brings Bina and TM of HGT de AA to the place of YESHSUT and ZON below the Chazeh. The third is the bottom firmament at the Sium of Atzilut, which brings Bina and TM de ZON de Atzilut to BYA.

Here The Zohar speaks only of the first and last firmaments. It says, “There are two firmaments, beginning and end, and one is equal to the other. The firmament at Peh de AA is the beginning of everything and the firmament at the place of Ateret Yesod de ZA ends the whole of the world of Atzilut.

It is written that the beginning is the eighth firmament, in which all the small and great stars are stuck. Stars are Mochin, and both Katnut and Gadlut depend and come from the first firmament. This is so because when it brings Bina and TM de Rosh AA outside, Mochin de Katnut are imparted upon all the Partzufim. And when the firmament returns to the Sium in Tzimtzum Aleph, Bina and TM of Rosh de AA are brought back, and the Gadlut is imparted through all the degrees. This is the hidden, upper firmament, which is called “hidden” because it is below the hidden Hochma de AA. The one who keeps everything, all the types of Gadlut—and from which everything come out, meaning all the types of Katnut—is the eighth from below upwards. This is so because AA is Hochma de MA, and it is a count of eight Sefirot, HB, and HGT NHY from Ateret Yesod to Hochma. This is why it is regarded as the eighth, and it is the beginning from which everything emerges because no Mochin extends to ABYA from Partzuf Atik before it.

So is the eighth firmament from above downwards, the firmament at the place of Ateret Yesod de ZA, the eighth from above downwards, when beginning to count eight Sefirot from AA, from Hochma to Yesod. All the stars are stuck in it, all the lights and the candles, from which all kinds of Mochin come to the Nukva and to all the lower ones, the dwellers of BYA. This is so because when it brings Bina and TM de ZON outside of Atzilut, the Nukva and all the lower ones are in Katnut. And when Tzimtzum Bet is cancelled, bringing back Bina and TM de ZON de Atzilut, all the lower ones receive Mochin de Gadlut.

It receives everything, taking from the upper ones all the Mochin for the lower ones, and this is the Sium of everything, for it ends the whole of Atzilut. We could ask, “But isn’t Malchut ending Atzilut, and not Yesod?” The whole of Partzuf Malchut is built from Ateret Yesod. This is the reason why the Sium is regarded as Ateret Yesod.

As the eighth firmament is the beginning of everything, and all the lights that it receives from the upper ones depend on it, and from it, they come out to all the Partzufim of Atzilut, similarly, all the lights depend on the eighth, bottom firmament, which it receives from the ones above it. And from it, they come out to all the worlds, to Nukva and to BYA.

334) The beginning and the end, meaning the two firmaments, are in one form. The lower firmament—the river that stretches out and whose waters never stop—is all to equalize the end with the beginning. This is why it is written, “And God placed them in the firmament of the heavens,” the lower one. They are there to illuminate the earth, the Nukva, and BYA.

335) And even though the upper firmament and the lower firmament are in one form, the difference between them is that the upper firmament sustains and nourishes the upper world and all those upper discernments, and the lower firmament sustains and nourishes the lower world, the Nukva, and all the lower discernments in BYA.

336) But is that hidden eighth firmament not the upper world itself? Can it be that it nourishes the upper world, which means that it is a different discernment than the upper world? Indeed, the upper firmament itself is the upper world, and all the degrees that come out of it are called by his name, “the upper world.”

The upper and lower firmaments are all one. Therefore, it should not perplex you that the upper firmament is in Peh de AA, while here he says that it is the upper world, and the upper world is Bina. He says that they are two worlds because there are no more than two worlds in each Partzuf—above the Chazeh is considered the upper world, and below the Chazeh is considered the lower world. Hence, above the Chazeh de AA is considered the upper world entirely, and it is also regarded as Bina, since the firmament, which is Tzimtzum Bet, was made only on Bina of AA, which he took outside the Rosh.

The Trees of the Lord Have Their Fill

337) “The trees of the Lord have their fill, the cedars of Lebanon, which He has planted.” “Lebanon” is Bina that returned to Hochma. This is so because Lebanon is Lamed-Bet Nun, the letters Lamed-Bet [32] paths of Hochma [wisdom], and Nun [50] gates of Bina. “There the birds make their nests. As for the stork, the fir-trees are her house.” In Lebanon is upper Bina de AA that returned to Hochma, and they are two birds, two females of ZA, Leah and Rachel. Of those, several other birds part in BYA, but those two birds are above in Atzilut, and they come out from Lebanon, from above. It is written, “Laban had two daughters,” two birds, Leah and Rachel. Laban is Lebanon because Laban is male and Lebanon is male with female.

338) “As for the stork, the fir-trees are her house,” in those six upper sons, HGT NHY, that come out of the upper world, Bina, and are regarded as the house of Bina. Bina is called “a stork” because although this upper world is female, Bina, she is called “a male” because every good thing and every light spreads out of her, and the giver is considered a male.

339) Because Bina is a stork, the light of Hesed came out of her, which is the first light. It is written about it, “And God said, ‘Let there be light.’” This is why it is said, “The fir-trees are her house.” Do not call it Broshim [fir-trees] but BeRoshim [in the heads], since Bina is GAR and “her house,” her HGT NHY, are in the Roshim [heads], Rosh and GAR. This is so because the lower world, the Nukva, her house is in the lower ones, and not in the Roshim, which is VAK and not Rosh and GAR. She is the courthouse of the world. Sometimes it is called “the lower world,” Nukva, as the upper world, Bina, is called by all its names when the Nukva rises and dresses the Bina.

340) It is written about the Nukva, “And it repented the Lord ... and it grieved Him,” since Dinim and sadness are in this place. However, in everything that is above, in Bina, it is all in light and life to all directions, and there is no sadness before the place, which indicates to the inner one, Bina, who is the only one in whom there is no sadness. But the external one, the Nukva, there is sadness in her. This is why it is written, “Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.” “Serve the Lord with gladness” corresponds to the upper world. “Come before His presence with singing” corresponds to the lower world.

The Two Rods

341) Woe unto the wicked of the world who do not know and do not look at words of Torah. And when they do look at it, because there is no wisdom in them, the words of Torah seem to them as though they were empty and useless words. It is all because they are devoid of knowledge and wisdom, since all the words in the Torah are sublime and precious words, and each and every word that is written there is more precious than pearls, and no object can compare to it.

342) When all the fools whose heart is blocked see the words of Torah, not only do they not know, but they even say that the words are spoiled, useless words, woe unto them. When the Creator seeks them out for the disgrace of the Torah, they will be punished with a punishment fit for one who rebels against one’s Master.

343) It is written in the Torah, “For it is no vain thing.” And if it is vain, it is only vain for you, since the Torah is filled with every good stone and precious gem, from all the abundance in the world.

344) King Solomon said, “If you are wise, you are wise for yourself.” This is so because when one grows wise in the Torah, it is to his benefit, not for the Torah, since he cannot add even a single letter to the Torah. “And if you scorn, you alone shall bear it,” for nothing shall be subtracted from the praise of Torah because of that. His scorn is his alone and he will remain in it, to annihilate him from this world and from the next world.

345) All the upper letters, the degrees of Bina, join in that degree, which is the end of all the upper, holy degrees, the Nukva. She is filled by them and she is blessed by the upper world, Bina. At that time that degree is poised to water all the herds, to each as it should be, and each one is watered with Din and with Rachamim.

346) It is written, “And he set the rods.” Jacob came to establish the evening prayer, the Nukva in the discernment of left and darkness, and to shine upon the moon, Nukva, in the government of the night, to water her, and to bless her from all sides, from the right and from the left. It is written, “And he set the rods,” which are Dinim from the Malchut, the Masach in her, and Gevurot that come out of the upper Gevura, from the left line of Bina. Also, the rods include two kinds of Dinim—of Malchut and of Bina.

347) When Jacob wished to establish the Nukva, he removed all those Dinim and Gevurot from the rods, opposite their Dinim, as it is written, “And peeled white streaks in them,” meaning extending Hassadim on the Masach and on the Gevurot, “Making the white appear.” which was in the rods. And placed rods in the tresses, meaning in four tresses, the four Kelim HB TM under the well that the princes dug, the Nukva that is corrected in HGT de Bina, who are called “princes.”

She consists of four Kelim HB TM, which are called “tresses.” She is filled by the upper streams and fountains, from the Sefirot of Bina, since when the water come out of that holy well, those four HB TM take everything. This is why they are called “tresses,” and from there the angels and the souls come to drink.

348) All those Dinim and Gevurot that he removed from the rods stand in the tresses so that each and every one will receive what he should from there, as it is written, “Against the flocks in the gutters in the watering-troughs where the flocks came to drink.” He says, “flock” twice, one opposite the other. These are the degrees that should receive Hassadim standing opposite the degrees that should receive Dinim and Gevurot.

“And they were rutting when they came to drink,” when the angels, called “flock,” are crowned in Hassadim and receive the Din, they warm up in that Din because the reception of Din within them is called “heating.” And they wander and roam in the world, to observe the ways of people, to do good, as well as to harm, to reward and to punish, since they are made of Hassadim and of Dinim.

349) “And the flocks were rutting at the sight of the rods.” Because those rods are Dinim and Gevurot, they were heating and watching the Dinim in the world. They were appointed over them and people were sentenced in them.

350) King David always attached himself to the Creator. He did not worry about anything else in the world except to cling unto Him with his soul and his will, as it is written, “My soul cleaves unto You.” And since he clung to the Creator, He supported him and He did not leave him, as it is written, “Your right hand holds me fast.” We learn from this that when a person comes to cling to the Creator, the Creator holds him fast and does not leave him.

351) “My soul cleaves unto You,” so that his degree would be crowned above. This is so because when his degree clings to the upper degrees, to rise after them, the right side, Hassadim, holds him so as to elevate him and connect him with the right in one bonding, as it should be. It is written about it, “Your right hand would hold me,” and it is written, “And his right hand embrace me.” This is why “Your right hand holds me fast.”

352) When he grips to the Creator, it is written, “Let his left hand be under my head, and his right hand embrace me.” This is one unification and one bonding with the Creator. And when it is one bonding with Him, his degree is filled and blessed.

353) When all those tresses are filled, they are filled to the four winds of the world, HB TM, and all the herds are watered by those four Behinot [discernments] HB TM, each according to its own Behina [discernment]. When Jacob came to correct the Nukva, he chose for himself the right side, which befits him, and the other side, which does not befit him, parted him, as it is written, “And put his own droves apart, and did not put them unto Laban's flock.” “His own” means he was on his own, not using the other gods that are on the other sides. Happy are Israel, of whom it is written, “For you are a holy people.”

354) Jacob is the senior patriarch, the inclusion of everyone, since the middle line, Jacob, contains the two lines—right and left—within it, meaning Abraham and Isaac. And because it is the inclusion of everyone, it is poised to shine for the moon, the Nukva, since Jacob is poised to correct the evening prayer, the Nukva.

355) He made that whole correction as he should. He set up all those holy Behinot in the correction in his own Behina, in the middle line, and separated his own share from the share of the rest of the peoples, which are in the left. Those were high, holy discernments, in upper Kedusha [holiness], and those were discernments that were defiled by the filth of impurity. It is written, “And put his own droves apart.” “And put” means he set up corrections for faith, the Nukva, alone, as it is written, “The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples.” “And did not put them unto Laban's flock” means that he did not place his share and lot with them.

357) This is why Jacob, the senior patriarch, established the faith and separated his own share and lot from the share and lot of the rest of the peoples, as it is written, “And you who cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day.”

358) Happy are Israel for they are superior to the idol worshipping nations because their degree is above, meaning they receive illumination of the left from below upwards. The degrees of the idol worshipping nations are below because they extend the light of the left from above downwards. These are on the side of Kedusha [holiness] and those are on the side of impurity; these are to the right, and those are to the left.

359) It is written that when the Temple was ruined, “He has drawn back His right hand from before the enemy.” This is why it is written, “Save with Your right hand, and answer me,” meaning that then the left prevailed and impurity increased, until the Creator builds the Temple, sets the world straight, things return to their perfection as it should be, and the side of impurity vanishes from the world. It is written about it, “And I will cause the ... unclean spirit to pass out of the land,” and it is written, “Death shall be swallowed up forever.”

360) Then the Creator will remain alone, as it is written, “And the idols shall utterly pass away,” and as it is written, “And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.” It is also written, “And there was no strange god with Him” because the force of impurity will pass away from the world and only the Creator will remain above and below, and Israel will be a holy nation to His work, and they will be called “holy.” It is written about it, “And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remains in Jerusalem, shall be called ‘holy,’ even every one that is written unto life in Jerusalem.” Then there will be one King above and below and one nation to serve Him, as it is written, “And what one nation in the earth is like Your people Israel.”

361) Divinity connects with those who walk on ways, to keep them. Anyone who engages in words of Torah and exerts in it is rewarded with extending it, meaning ZA, who is the Torah. Then ZA and Nukva, meaning Divinity, will be connected in them in one unification.

The Lord Lives, and Blessed Be My Rock

362) “The Lord lives, and blessed be my Rock; and exalted be the God of my salvation.” It is written, “The Lord lives.” But do I not know that the Lord lives? Yet, even a righteous, Yesod, is called “alive,” since a righteous extends the illumination of Hochma, the light of Haya, and this is why he is called Hay [alive].

“Lives” means that he is righteous above and righteous below. ZA above and his Yesod below are called “alive.” Above, he is called “the Creator,” who is ZA, alive, as it is written, “The Lord lives,” and below, the righteous is called “alive,” Yesod de ZA, as it is written, “And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a living man,” which points to Yesod.

And why is the Creator called “alive”? It is so because He is righteous, containing the righteous Yesod, as well, since “righteous” is called “alive,” “the One who lives forever,” since He extends illumination of Hochma, which is called “light of Haya [living/animal].” Also, the Creator imparts Hochma only after NHY de Kelim—which are primarily the righteous Yesod—are complemented. At that time, it is said, “The Lord lives,” after the extension of Hochma.

“The Lord lives, and blessed be my Rock.” Everything is one, “lives” and “blessed,” since they are not separated from one another. “Lives” means illumination of Hochma, and “blessed” means illumination of Hassadim. They must clothe one another because Hochma without Hassadim is darkness, and this “The Lord lives” and “blessed” are Hochma and Hassadim together.

“My Rock” is the Nukva de ZA. When “Lives,” “the Lord,” and “Rock” unite as one, the rock is called “a well of living water,” springing from within the well, which is “Lives,” “the Lord,” and “Blessed.” The well is filled by the rock, and she is called “a well of living water” because water is Hassadim that she receives from “blessed.” Life is illumination of Hochma that she receives from “Lives.” She is called “a well” after the fountain that springs in her, these two illuminations. This explains the words, “The Lord lives, and blessed be my Rock.” It indicates to the perfection of the Zivug of ZA and Nukva when she receives the complete Mochin from him, which are implied in the words “lives” and “blessed.”

363) “And exalted be the God of my salvation.” This is the upper world, Bina. “High and lifted up” means higher than all because from Him, from Bina, emerges all the Mochin in ZON and in BYA, and every springing that springs, from which to fill the well. And the Nukva is blessed from there, to shine for all that is below Atzilut. And when everyone is filled with abundance from her, then “And exalted be the God, my ... salvation,” since the upper one rises and is lifted up by the proliferation of abundance that He imparts upon the lower ones.

He Does Not Withdraw His Eyes from the Righteous

364) “He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous.” When the wicked ones do not rule over the world and perish from the world, a righteous governs the world, as it is written, “He does not keep the wicked alive, but gives justice to the afflicted,” meaning that the wicked will pass away from the world. Afterwards, it is written, “He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous.” “His eyes” are as it is written, “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,” who are then rewarded with Mochin of illumination of Hochma, which are called “eyes.” At that time, the righteous rules the world, which is the middle line because there is domination only in the light of Hochma.

365) “But with kings on the throne” are the ruling kings, in whom there is illumination of Hochma, which is the governance, meaning those who hold the throne.

“He has seated them forever” means that they persist in the throne in complete existence.

“And they are exalted” means that they have been exalted to govern the world, and the throne exists on its pillars.

When the left line governs without mingling with the right, its illumination extends from above downwards. Then the wicked receive liveliness and power to rule the world from its illumination, and they destroy and ruin everything they find, as it is written, “The earth is given into the hands of the wicked.” When the lower ones raise MAN to ZON, ZA rises for MAN to Bina with its Masach de Hirik, and the level of Hassadim from Behina Aleph emerges on it. This diminishes the GAR of the left line and its illumination no longer extends from above downwards, but only from below upwards. At that time, the liveliness of the wicked is revoked and they are lost, as it is written, “He does not keep the wicked alive.”

And even though the GAR of the left line, which is illumination of Hochma, have been revoked, the text tells us, “He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous,” meaning that the eyes, the Hochma, was not reduced to the righteous—middle line—as a result of that. This is so because he receives VAK de GAR of the left, which are included in the right, and this is the whole perfection of the illumination of Hochma. When the wicked do not govern the world and are lost from the world, when ZA raises the Masach de Hirik for MAN to Bina, the wicked are lost and the righteous governs the world, meaning that then the righteous receives illumination of Hochma, which is the dominion.

This is why it is written, “But with kings on the throne.” These are the ruling kings who have illumination of Hochma in them, which is governance, who hold the throne. These are the kings that govern the earth and receive domination from Malchut, the throne. They are considered Mochin of sitting because when a person sits on the throne, his height lessens by the sitting, which is comfortable for him. Similarly, these Mochin diminish from GAR to VAK de GAR to root out the wicked from the world. When it writes, “He has seated them forever,” it means that they exist in the chair in complete existence and their domination will never stop because the wicked have been uprooted and will no longer be able to cling to those Mochin.

“And they are exalted” means that they have risen to govern the world, and the throne will exist on its pillars. They receive the Mochin from below upwards and must therefore rise to the place of Gevura, Nukva de ZA, to receive Mochin there. Why are they exalted? They do it to govern the world, to receive the Mochin de Hochma and to sustain the correction of the throne on its pillars—the correction of lines of the throne, the Nukva—in a way that they may live forever.

Another interpretation: they take the throne, the Nukva, and place it above in Bina’s place, to properly unite her in her place. This is so because the Mochin de Nukva are complete only after she rises to Bina and clothes her.

The Offerings of My Bread

368) “The offering of My bread.” The offering of the Creator each day is to nourish the world, to give provision above and below because by the awakening below with the offering of the perpetual offering, imparting of abundance awakens above. By that, each is given proper provision. Food is abundance of light of Hassadim, and provision is Hochma that is clothed in Hassadim, comprising both sides. This is the meaning of the word, “provision.”

369) “The offering of My bread,” as it is written, “I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk,” which indicates provision. The Creator commands to evoke nourishments above to impart nourishments below from that food of above. One who gives nourishments to an afflicted, to keep the soul, the Creator blesses him several times over and imparts upon him nourishments of above, and the world is blessed because of him.

370) It is said about it, “No man should ever slight another person in the world.” This is so because in the beginning, they consider him a commoner and were almost deriding him. However, there are two ways by which one can be rewarded through that man: to be rewarded with the next world through him, by giving charity, and to be rewarded with hearing innovations in the Torah from him.

371) Another meaning to “The offerings of My bread to My fire, of a sweet savor unto Me”: “The offerings” is the assembly of Israel, the Nukva, “The.” “Offering” means approaching and connecting the Nukva to ZA. “My bread” is the nourishment, the abundance of Mochin that goes above due to the awakening below through the perpetual offering. “To My fire” includes all the other angels that must be nourished from here, each according to his essence. “Of a sweet savor unto Me” is the desire and the unification for everything to unite in the upper world, Bina, the disclosure of illumination of Hochma from the upper world, which shines from below upwards, which is the savor.

372) “Shall you observe to offer unto Me in its due season.” When Abraham awoke to do His will, as it is said, “And Abraham rose early in the morning,” it is the time of the perpetual offering of the morning. When Isaac was tied on the altar at twilight, it was the time of the perpetual offering of the afternoon. Thus, why does it say, “In its due season,” in singular form? It should have said, “In their due season,” in plural form, since there are two times. At the time of the offering of the perpetual offering, the quality of Abraham, water, is included with the quality of Isaac, fire, and vice versa. This is why it writes, “In its season” in singular form, since they were incorporated into being one.

373) With all the offerings, it does not say, “Observe,” as it is written, “Shall you observe to offer,” since observing is the Nukva, who should bring closer above, to ZA, as it is written, “Shall you observe to offer unto Me,” offer the Nukva in its time, in the right and left of ZA, who are Abraham and Isaac.

The Idols

375) “When Laban went to shear his flock, Rachel stole the household idols that were her father's.” The idols were idol worshipping. They were called Teraphim [household idols] in disgrace, as in “the house of Torpah [weakness].” They were idolatry because it is written, “Why have you stolen my gods?” It is also written, “With whomsoever you find your gods.” Laban was the sorcerer of all the sorcerers in the world. He knew all that he needed to know about the idols.

376) The idols were made by magic. They were made with spells. They were made at certain times and they were called Teraphim because at a certain time, they were beaten, and at another time they were let loose. Because of the need to let loose at certain times, they were called Teraphim [Marpeh means loosening up].

377) When the artisan makes it, meaning the one who knows the moments and times to act or to loosen the hands, he stands over it and says, “Now let go,” and “Now do.” And you will not find another action that requires letting the hands go at a specific time, other than the Teraphim. Also, he always speaks and gives bad advice to harm man’s soul.

378) Rachel feared that the Teraphim would give a harmful advice to Jacob. And because of the disgrace of idolatry, she placed them under her until they could not speak, since when they are set up to speak, they are beaten and swept, for the need to be honored. “And sat upon them,” meaning she disgraced them and they could not speak. The Teraphim were male and female, and they were worshiped by many worships until they began to speak. Because the Teraphim were gone, Laban was stopped for three days, since he did not know that Jacob had fled, as it is written, “And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.”

379) He prepared himself with two things: he armed himself with all the magic that he had, and he armed himself with arms, to destroy Jacob from the world, as it is written, “A wandering Aramean was my father” [in Hebrew the phrase can also mean “The Aramean who destroyed my father”]. When the Creator saw that he wished to destroy Jacob, it is written, “Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.” It is also written, “It is in my power to do you harm”; this is how he trusted the spells in his hand.

380) In a single day, Laban traversed what Jacob traversed in seven days, to uproot him from the world: 1) because he left him, and 2) for the Teraphim that were stolen from him. And even though it was Rachel who did it, to uproot her father from idolatry, she was still punished with not raising Benjamin and not being with him for even a single hour in the world, because of her father’s grief, although she meant for the best.

381) All the admonition that Jacob had with Laban made Laban repent and thank the Creator, as it is written, “See, God is witness between you and me,” that he mentioned the name “God.” It is written, “The God of Abraham and the god of Nahor ... judge between us,” meaning that that wicked returned to his bad ways. When he said “The God of Abraham,” who is holy, he mentioned the god of Nahor again, who is idolatry.

382) “And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.” Why did he swear by the fear of Isaac and not by the God of Abraham? He did not want to be heavy on the right, Abraham, to extend it for Laban. This is why he did not swear by the God of Abraham, the right. One should not swear by the highest place, even though he swears in truth. He did not swear by the God of Abraham because he is Hesed, who is above the seven Sefirot HGT NHYM, and one should not swear by such a high place.

383) Jacob certainly swore in this way to keep it properly. He aimed for the fear of his father Isaac to strengthen his oath, for this is how it should be. Jacob regarded the matter and said, “But Laban had already said, ‘The God of Abraham,’ and left my father Isaac. I will complement everything.” Promptly, “And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.” Another meaning: it is to be included in the Din so as to stand before Laban.

And the Angels of God Met Him

384) It is written, “He created them male and female.” We should consider the words of Torah, ZA, the middle line. Woe unto them, those whose heart is uncircumcised and whose eyes are blocked, who cling to the left line and who were blocked out of Hochma, which is eyes, and from Bina, which is heart. The Torah, which is from the middle line, calls before them, “Come, eat of my bread,” which extends from the right line of the Torah, “And drink of the wine which I have mingled,” the left line of the Torah. “Whoever is a fool,” who clings to the left, “Let him turn in here, to him who lacks understanding she says,” and there is none to watch over her.

385) It is written, “He created them male and female.” This applies internally and externally. There is connection of male and female internally, in Gadlut, and there is connection of male and female externally, in Katnut. In one way, it is considered internal, and in another way, it is considered external. It means that the sun and the moon, ZON, are in one bonding. It is written, “Created them,” male and female internally. The text implies that Adam and Eve were created and came out of a single Zivug from the upper ZON, that they first came out in externality. And since they were in a single Zivug, promptly, “And God blessed them,” since there is blessing only where there are male and female. Afterwards they became male and female in internality.

386) When Jacob went out to go to Haran, he was alone, since he had not married a wife. It is written, “He came to a certain place.” But they answered him only in a dream. But now that he married a wife and came into all the tribes, it is as though the upper camps met him and begged him, as it is written, “And the angels of God met him,” meaning they returned to meet him, to beg of him.

In the beginning he was the one who begged, as it is written, “He came to a certain place.” Now they were doing the begging, as it is written, “And ... met him.” This is so because they were watered by the waters of the great sea—the abundance of the Nukva in Gadlut—for Jacob and the tribes. This is why they begged him to extend this abundance to them. First, he saw them at night, in a dream, as it is written, “And behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” But now he saw them with the eye, at daytime, as it is written, “And Jacob said when he saw them, ‘This is God's camp.’”

Above, it is written, “He came to a certain place.” And here it writes, “And ... met him.” Why does it say “Met” in both places [in the Hebrew]? Meeting means reconciliation, extension of illumination of the left at the beginning of the Zivug. Thus, what is the difference between them? There Jacob was ZA, appeasing the Nukva, and here the angels of the Nukva were appeasing him.

To explain that, the text begins with bringing, “He created them male and female,” that there is an internal and external Zivug. “He came to a certain place” is illumination of the left from externality. This is why it is written that he was alone then, that he had not married a wife, that the Nukva was still not corrected for him PBP [Panim be Panim—face-to-face].” “He came to a certain place” means he had to appease the Nukva, to extend to her in a Zivug from the illumination of the left line, externality. This is why it is written that they answered him only in a dream because a dream is externality.

And now that he has already married a wife, when the Nukva was corrected into being PBP with him, it is written, “And ... met him.” This means that they returned in order to meet him because once the Nukva is in Gadlut, he no longer needs to extend to her from the left line, but gives her Hassadim only from the right. It is to the contrary with the illumination of the left, since because the Nukva is already corrected with lower Hochma, her angels affect him from the illumination of the left, which is, “And the angels of God met him.”

387) Because Jacob had already married a woman and was corrected in the twelve tribes, meaning that he was PBP, they were watered from the waters of the great sea. They were already watered by illumination of Hochma in the left, which is called “the great sea.” Hence, “And ... met him” means that they imparted upon him of the illumination of the left. However, in the beginning, he saw them at night, in a dream, since in the beginning, when Jacob had to appease her and extend upon her from the illumination of the left line, this was possible only at night, since during the illumination of the left without right, it became darkness and night. Now, however, he saw them with the eyes, at daytime, since now there was no need to impart upon her from the left, but from the right, illumination of Hassadim, whose impact is during the day.

388) When he saw them, he recognized that they were God’s angels because he saw that they were the same angels that he saw in the dream. This is why he called them, “Mahanaim” [two camps], as it is written, “And behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it,” meaning he saw in his dream that they were seen above and seen below, that they were two camps.

389) Why did the angels appear now to meet him, to appease him with illumination of Hochma? Rather, Divinity went to Jacob to take his home, to be incorporated with the upper Nukva, Leah, into being a single Partzuf, for then she would have the whole of the house of Jacob, all twelve tribes, including the six sons of Leah. Also, Divinity waited for Benjamin, to take the house with Jacob in all twelve tribes. This is why the angels appeared before him, in reconciliation, illumination of the left, to complement him entirely. It is written, “And Jacob shall again be quiet and at ease, and none shall make him afraid,” since the illumination of Hochma subdues all the Klipot in the world, and none shall be afraid.

390) “And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.” The protectors of the ministers are upstanding from above, and the blaze of the fiery sword is appointed over all the armies and camps. Ministers are AVI. The Mochin in the left line of AVI are the protectors of the ministers. Upstanding are GAR, which erect the Mochin de VAK, which are regarded as bent.

The protectors of the ministers are upstanding from above means that the GAR shine in the left line of AVI, who are called ministers, and this is when they are upstanding. At that time, the Nukva that receives from AVI becomes the blaze of the sword that turns every way, and with that power of Din, it governs all the armies and camps of angels that extend from her, from the right and from the left, and they all operate in Din. It is written about it, “The well, which the ministers dug.” The well is the Nukva, the ministers are AVI, and they dug it by the force of the Dinim [judgments].

391) The blazing sword is red because those Dinim extend in her from the left line of Bina, which is red. It is written about it, “The sword of the Lord is filled with blood.” The inversion depends on that sword, meaning that those angels turn to several forms: once they are women and once they are men. In that discernment, other discernments spread to several degrees, since there are two more discernments, which are called “angels” and “spirits” in women and in men.

Questions to explain the text:

7. “And Jacob went on his way,” but he did not know which way?

5. “When he saw them is redundant.” Since they met him, he obviously saw them.

6. Why does it say “The angels of God” in regards to the meeting, and in the calling of a name, God’s camp?

Indeed, “And Jacob went on his way” is for extension of Mochin from AVI to the Nukva. In the beginning, when he extended the left line in AVI, the angels of Din appeared in the Nukva, as it was said, “And the angels of God met him.” Jacob awakened to guard the Nukva from those Dinim, as it was said, “And Jacob said when he saw them,” meaning he revealed the seeing in them by extending the middle line that unites the two lines. Then he said, “This is God's camp.” A camp means he tied the four discernments in the angels into one camp, and afterwards four legs were made for the Nukva in her four corners. Then, “And he called the name of that place,” referring to Nukva, which is called “place.” Now he called her “Mahanaim” [two camps], since God’s camp had spread into four camps in her four corners.

Therefore, first he had to clarify the place of the elicitation of the Mochin, which are from AVI, that the Nukva receives from AVI and that the angels spread from the Nukva. Also, he needed to clarify these three discernments in the domination of the left: 1) The issue of the protectors of the ministers that are upstanding from above, meaning Mochin of the left in AVI. 2) That Nukva in Mochin of the left extends from them to the blaze of the sword, and 3) That the inversion depends on that sword. Those three angels turn to several manners, and the angels that extend from the Nukva are once men, once women.

392) From the side of the tree of life, the middle line, those that unite, the three lines, come out in one unification in AVI through the connection of the Masach de Hirik that Jacob raised as MAN.

These three holy lines are always filled by the dew of heaven. This means that although there are all three lines as one there, the left still does not govern them at all, and only the right governs them, covered Hassadim, which are called “the dew of heaven,” since there is no disclosure to the left except in the Nukva. This is Behina Aleph [first discernment] of the middle line.

The name God, the Nukva, corrects them in Mochin de AVI, and this is Behina Bet [second discernment] in the middle line.

The Mochin became the pillars of the throne, which is Nukva, called “throne,” by the four winds of the world, which is Nukva. This refers to the four legs of the throne—the four angels—Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael. This is Behina Gimel [third discernment] of the middle line, and this explains the three Behinot [discernments], which are AVI, Nukva, and the angels, from the perspective of the middle line, as well.

All three Behinot—gems, organs, and pillars—never part from the name Elokim [God], the Nukva. They are Jacob’s tied ones, whom he has chosen for his lot, and they were connected to that name, the Nukva, and everyone came out in Jacob.

The source of the exit of all three Behinot is in AVI, and their arrival to the Nukva and expansion in angels connect in the Nukva. In her, they are called “gems,” “organs,” and “pillars” because NHY de AVI clothe the Nukva with their Mochin, where these NHY are Ima, who lends her clothes to her daughter. They are called “gems” from the words, “And uncovered his feet,” since NHY are called “feet” [“gems” and “feet” have the same root in Hebrew].

When these Mochin spread in her, she is called “a throne.” The angels that spread from her become the four legs of the throne, and the Mochin that expand in the Nukva herself are called “organs,” meaning organs and parts of the throne itself. The ones that expand to the angels are called “pillars,” who support the throne and are not the throne itself. This explains the bonding of the three Behinot together within the Nukva. And even though the Nukva receives these three Behinot from AVI, she does not receive them directly from AVI. Rather, they first come out in Jacob, ZA, and the Nukva receives them from Jacob.

393) “And Jacob went on his way,” when he went to receive three Behinot from AVI for the Nukva, for four sides, HB TM. They surrounded him, meaning he rose to AVI for MAN and in the middle line he discovered four lights there—HB TM in Ohr Makif. The four corners of the world, the Nukva, kept him, meaning he extended HB TM from AVI to Nukva in the full perfection, and only for a short time was he excited from the high place, from the governance of the left in AVI, from which the turning angels spread to several colors. It was said about them, “And the angels of God met him,” meaning he met and was excited by the Din in them. This was so as to keep the tree below so it would raise MAN to AVI and reveal the middle line there, for keeping the tree below— the Nukva—from the Dinim.

After he extended the middle line, “And Jacob said when he saw them,” when he disclosed the vision in them, meaning the Mochin of HB TM that come out on the middle line. He said, “This is God's camp,” meaning he united the angels of God into a single camp and they became pillars for the Nukva, for her four corners. And then, “And he called the name of that place Mahanaim,” since they became four camps to the four corners of the Nukva, the four legs of the throne.