The Firmaments over the Garden of Eden

292) In the Garden of Eden below, the Garden of Eden of the earth, the firmament that stands above it has high secrets. When the Creator made the firmament, He brought fire and water from the throne, the world of Beria, and joined them together, making the firmament below, on our earth, out of them. They expanded until they reached the place of the Garden of Eden, and did not expand further.

What did the Creator do? He took another fire and water—which are present and not present, revealed and not revealed—from the upper, holy heaven, HB de ZA, which is called “heaven of Atzilut.” Of these fire and water, which were taken from the upper heaven, He made the expansion of the firmament, and spread them over the Garden of Eden of below. That firmament, Daat, joins with the other firmament, on our earth, Tifferet.

The firmament is the new Sium [end] that was done in each degree due to the ascent of Malchut to Bina of each degree. Sometimes it is said that the middle line is called “firmament,” which is the heaven, Tifferet, since the new Sium was made at the point of Holam, where Malchut rose to Bina.

However, along with the exit of the point of Shuruk, the left line, a dispute was made, which wanted to completely annul that Sium and illuminate from above downward, until the middle line came and determined that the left would illuminate only from below upward and the new Sium would not be cancelled. At that time, Bina and TM, who were below the new Sium, were forced to rise above the new Sium and bond in their degree. Thus, the middle line made the new Sium that was made at the point of Holam so it would be constant and forever existing. It follows that the new Sium was made permanent in the middle line, Masach de Hirik, which is why at one time we called the firmament “the new Sium of Tzimtzum Bet [second restriction],” and another time, “middle line.”

And as there are heaven and earth in Atzilut, where the middle line, ZA, which includes HGT NHY, is called “the heaven of Atzilut,” and below it is the general Malchut, which is called “earth,” so there are heaven and earth in the world of Assiya. Heaven is the middle line, which includes HGT NHY, and below it is Malchut de Assiya, which is called “earth.”

It was said that the heaven below, in the world of Assiya, are ten curtains, since those HGT NHY in the middle line contain ten Sefirot because the Hesed includes KHB, and the Yesod in it includes Malchut, Ateret Yesod. There are ten curtains, as it is written, “Stretching out heaven like a curtain.” And yet, Malchut in it, the crown, is not the real Malchut, but is included in Yesod. This is why we regard them as only nine firmaments, and Malchut is the earth completely below the firmament, who is the tenth.

And as the heaven of Assiya include ten firmaments, the earth of Assiya includes ten Sefirot, which are seven lands. The top one among them, Bina, which includes GAR, is the earth on which we sit. However, this Bina of the lands of Assiya, on which we sit, also divides into ten Sefirot, and we sit only in the ZAT of this Bina, in which the land of Israel is the Yesod, and that Bina de Bina includes GAR, which is the Garden of Eden of the earth.

Every ten curtains of the heaven of Assiya are ten Sefirot de Tifferet, which includes HGT NHY. And where did the middle line come from? After all, it is an offshoot of the subduing of the two lines—right and left—in Bina, fire and water, in the matter of “Three come out of one, and one is rewarded with the three of them.”

Thus, from which Bina did the middle line of Assiya come out when the real Bina is neither in Assiya nor in Yetzira? From the fire and water of the world of Beria, which is called “the throne,” which the middle line associated and joined together. The firmament below came out as three that come out of one, which are the ten firmaments of Assiya, as in one that is rewarded with the three of them. From Beria, it extends to the world of Assiya because there is no level of Bina below the world of Beria, meaning that a middle line will connect the two lines in her.

Yet, the level of Bina that exists in the world of Beria is regarded as merely the exterior of Bina. The middle line that comes out of it is not Daat, but Tifferet, ZAT, which is enough for being firmaments on ZAT of the land of Assiya, as well as on the land on which we sit, ZAT de Bina of the land of Assiya. But how will the middle line suffice for the Garden of Eden, Bina de Bina of the land of Assiya, whose middle line should be Daat, the middle line of the actual GAR, which comes out of fire and water of Bina de Beria, being only the externality of Tifferet?

Since those firmaments extended from fire and water of Bina de Beria, which are externality and Tifferet, which includes ten curtains, how could they overlap the Garden of Eden, which is Bina de Bina of the land of Assiya, since the middle line that overlaps it needs to be actual middle line of GAR, which is Daat? Therefore, when they arrived at the Garden of Eden of the earth, they sat and could not expand over the Garden of Eden. And although our earth is from Bina of the earth of Assiya, too, but only from ZAT of this Bina, the externality of Bina, this is why the middle line from fire and water of Beria is enough for them. But the Garden of Eden, that Bina de Bina, is actual GAR and requires a middle line from actual GAR.

The Creator took from the middle line, which determines between HB de ZA, which is called “heaven,” who is the middle line of GAR de ZA, which is called Daat. From this Daat, the firmament over the Garden of Eden of the earth expanded and made the expansion of the firmament from them—determining between fire and water—which is the middle line, called “firmament,” Daat, and spread them over the Garden of Eden below, Bina de Bina of the land of Assiya. It connects with the other firmament like the nature of Daat that connects and spreads into HGT NHY, Tifferet, thus connecting this firmament, Daat, with the rest of the firmaments of Assiya, which are Tifferet.

It was said that they are present and not present, revealed and not revealed, that fire and water, HB de ZA, are not of upper AVI de ZA, that they are completely unattainable and the Hochma does not appear in them. Rather, they are HB de YESHSUT de ZA, in which the Hochma appears in Daat and they are attainable, though not in their own place, in ZA, but after they expand into Malchut. The present and not present, revealed and not revealed—on the one hand the Yod came out of their Avir and the Hochma appeared, hence they are attainable, and on the other hand they are not present and not revealed. Thus, in the place of ZA, they are unattainable, but only after they expand into Malchut, which is the place of disclosure of the Hochma.

293) There are four colors in the expansion of the firmament over the garden—white, red, green, and black. These are three lines—right, left, and middle, white, red, and green—and black is Malchut who receives these three lines. There are four openings below the expansion of the firmament in those four colors. These are opened to the four sides of the firmament over the garden. South and north are HG, and east and west are TM. Four lights open in these four openings from these fire and water, HB de ZA, from which the firmament was made.

294) Two lights illuminate in two openings on the right of that opening, out of the expansion of the side of water in the firmament, which was made of the fire and water, the light of Hassadim. That is, in the opening on the right, on the south side, Hesed, in the opening opposite the anterior, on the east, Tifferet. It is so because east and west are called Panim and Achor [anterior and posterior], and the light of Hassadim also illuminates in Tifferet.

295) A single letter is inscribed inside the light that illuminates to the right side. It illuminates, protrudes, and sparkles in a sparkling out of that light. This is the letter Mem, the first letter in Michael. It stands in the middle of the light in the opening. This letter rises and falls, and does not stand in one place. The light on the right takes that letter and takes it out. Hence, it does not stand in one place, as it is written, “And animals ran to and fro,” not standing in one place.

296) Within the light that illuminates opposite the Panim, east, Tifferet, a single letter is inscribed, illuminating, protruding, and sparkling in a sparkle within that light. This is the letter Reish, the first letter of the angel Raphael. Sometimes the Bet is seen, the first letter of Angel Boel, standing in the middle of the light of the opening, going up and down. Sometimes it appears and sometimes it does not appear. It does not stand in one place, as it is written, “and the animals ran to and fro.” Those two letters stand in the middle of the light of the two openings. When the souls of the righteous come to the Garden of Eden, those two letters come out of that light and stand over that soul, rising and falling, as it was written, “Ran to and fro.”

297) Two Merkavot [pl. of Merkava] rush and descend from above out of those two openings—the upper Merkava of Michael, master of the deputies. The second Merkava is of the high appointee, Boel, the honorable servant, Raphael. They come down and stand over the soul, telling her, “Come in peace; peace will come.” Then those two letters rise and stand in their places, and are hidden inside the light of the openings.

298) There are two other openings. Two other lights blaze out of the fire through those openings, one to the left and one to the back. Two other letters blaze in those lights and sparkle within them. One letter is Gimel, and one letter is Nun. These are the first letters of the angels Gabriel and Nuriel. When the first letters return to their places, those other two letters sparkle and rise and fall, coming out of those lights in the openings, and standing over the soul.

299) At that time, two Merkavot come down from these two openings. One Merkava is that of Gabriel, a high and honorable appointee. The other Merkava is that of Nuriel, a high appointee. They come down from these openings and stand over the soul, and the letters Gimel Nun return to their places.

In the new Sium [end] that was made in the middle of the degree, at the point of Holam, a new opening was made for the lower one due to Malchut’s ascent to Bina, so it could rise to the upper one and receive the Mochin from him. Were it not for this new Sium that was made in the middle of each degree, there would be no inlet and a way for the lower one to rise even a bit above its degree. Therefore, in the beginning, an opening was made in the middle, and from that opening, four openings came out and expanded to the four sides, under the firmaments.

The firmament is the middle line, which sustains the new Sium that was made in the middle of the degree, at the point of Hirik, in the place of the Bina in her. Even after Malchut returned and descended from Bina’s place to her own place, the new Sium was not cancelled because of that, and those half of Bina and TM that were purified from the new Sium by Malchut’s descent, do not connect to their degree while they are in their place. Rather, they must rise above the new Sium where they connect to their degree.

The last firmament of the nine firmaments, Yesod, is in the place of the new Sium that was established, in the middle of the degree in the place of Bina of the degree. That opening is the new Sium itself, which has become an opening for the lower one. It stands in the middle of the degree, in the place of the new Sium, and is below all nine firmaments, at the firmament of Yesod, at its end, where the new Sium in the middle of the degree stands.

Out of that opening in the middle of the firmaments in the garden comes a single light that divides into four sides in four openings. The opening that was done for the lower one, at the place of the new Sium, which stands in the middle of the degree, the place of Bina, the light comes out from there to the lower one, which are HG TM. First, the lower one ascends through the opening to the upper one with the Bina and TM of the upper one, from the firmament and above, where it receives the lights HG TM. Subsequently, the lower one descends to its place with these Mochin, and the light divides into four sides, HG TM, in four openings. Each Moach is distinct with a special opening. The opening on the south illuminates for the Moach of Hesed; the opening on the north illuminates for the Moach of Gevura; the opening on the east illuminates for the Moach of Tifferet; and the opening on the west illuminates for the Moach of Malchut.

Also, there are four colors in the expansion of the firmament on the garden, four Mochin HG TM, which are three lines and Malchut who receives them. They illuminate inside the firmament over the garden, which is Bina de Bina of Malchut de Assiya, and that firmament, too, divides into nine firmaments, receiving its illumination from HB de ZA de Atzilut. There are four openings below the expansion of the firmament in those colors. Yet, the openings are not in the place of the colors because the colors are in the firmament itself, from Yesod of the firmament and above, while the openings are under the Yesod of the firmament, actually at its Sium—the new Sium that was made in the middle of the degree—which became an opening for the lower degree, which is the souls of the righteous in the Garden of Eden. Also, they receive illuminations of four colors inside the firmaments, hence those colors extend from them, but the openings do not stand in the same place with them.

Four lights open in those four openings out of these fire and water, HB de ZA, from which the firmament was made. This is because these fire and water are two lines, right and left of ZA de Atzilut, where the firmament of ZA, Daat, is the middle line that unites them, and it is three colors, white, red, and green, and Malchut that is connected in Daat is the black color. These illuminations extend to the openings HG TM where each Moach illuminates through the opening on its side.

These four divide into two Behinot [discernments]—water and fire. Water is illumination of Hassadim, the light of Hesed on the south, and the light of Tifferet that is on the east. The fire of Hochma is the light of Gevura on the north, and the light of Malchut that is on the west. First, these two lights—water, in the south and in Tifferet, which are Hassadim—illuminate on the soul. Then two lights that are fire illuminate in the north and in the west, which are illumination of Hochma.

The place from which the heaven of the Garden of Eden receives is the firmament over the garden, from those fire and water that were taken from the upper heaven, ZA de Atzilut. And from which place does the earth in the Garden of Eden receive, the garden itself? Each Behina [singular of Behinot] receives from its corresponding Behina above. Therefore, as the heaven of the Garden of Eden receive from the fire and water of the upper heaven, ZA, the earth in the Garden of Eden, the garden itself, receives from the earth above, Malchut de Atzilut, through her Merkava, which is the four angels—Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Nuriel, called “four Merkavot”—on which Malchut rides and appears.

However, they also cannot expand and illuminate below to the souls in the garden unless through the four openings, since those four angels are also the four Behinot HG TM. For this reason, Michael illuminates through the opening on the south of the firmament; Gabriel illuminates through the opening on the north of the firmament, Raphael illuminates through the opening on the east of the firmament, and Nuriel illuminates through the opening on the west of the firmament.

We should also know that these four angels illuminate to the souls themselves, as long as they did not complete their giving. However, once they have completed their giving, they return to their places above, leaving in their places, in the four openings, only four Reshimot, which are the first letters of their names—Mem from Michael, Reish from Raphael, Gimel from Gabriel, and Nun from Nuriel.

This is so because a Reshimo is considered Nefesh everywhere, and the four letters in each angel are four Kelim for four lights NRNH in them. Also, it is known that there is an inverse relation between Kelim and lights, so when there is only Nefesh of lights in a degree, it should clothe in the bigger Kli. Hence, because only a Reshimo remained of the light of each angel, his Nefesh, the first letter of his name had to remain as a Kli for that Reshimo, since the first letter is the biggest Kli of all the letters in his name.

Therefore, we should discern two kinds of lights in these openings in the firmament over the garden.

1. What the firmaments themselves receive from the upper heaven, ZA de Atzilut. It was said, “Four lights open in these four openings from these fire and water, HB de ZA, from which the firmament was made.”

2. Reshimot of lights that the earth of the Garden of Eden—the garden itself—receives from the upper earth, Malchut, through the four angels. These Reshimot are the first letters of their names. It was said, “A single letter is inscribed inside the light that illuminates to the right side. It illuminates, protrudes, and sparkles in a sparkling out of that light. This is the letter Mem, the first letter in Michael. It stands in the middle of the light in the opening.” It is likewise in the rest of the openings.

Thus, there are two kinds of lights in these openings, from the upper heaven and from the upper earth. When the souls of the righteous come to the Garden of Eden, these two letters come out from that light and stand over that soul. This is because right at the arrival of the soul of the righteous to the Garden of Eden, the four Reshimot of the four angels who remained in the openings from the giving that had ceased illuminate for him. Afterwards, two Merkavot rush to descend from above out of those two openings. That is, the angels themselves come to give to the soul in the Garden of Eden and divide the four angels into doubles: 1) two to the side of Hassadim, on the south and the east, Michael and Raphael, Hesed and Tifferet, 2) two to the side of Gevurot, which illuminate in illumination of Hochma, on the north and on the west, Gabriel and Nuriel.

Michael and Raphael illuminate in Hassadim, descend, and stand over the soul, telling her, “Come in peace; peace will come.” They illuminate for it the light of Hassadim on the right through the middle line, which places peace between the right and left lines. At that time those two letters rise and stand in their place, and they are concealed inside the light of the openings, for because the angels themselves came, there is no need for their Reshimot. The two letters, Gimel Nun, and the angels Gabriel Nuriel, who are on the north and the west, Gevura and Malchut, are interpreted likewise.

It was said, “In the middle of all the firmaments—over the land of Israel, in the middle of the world—there is a door called Gvilon.” The new Sium in the middle of the degree became an opening for the lower one, so it could rise and receive from the upper one. Under this opening there are 70 other openings below, through which to receive the 70 names in Malchut de Atzilut, the illumination of the name AB, the 70 ministers of the 70 nations. From that opening, a road goes up above until it reaches the upper throne because through there it is possible to ascend to Malchut de Atzilut.

Four openings to each side in the firmament expand from this opening. These are the four Behinot HG TM, up to the gate of the opening, called Megadon, and there is the Sium of the firmament of the land of Israel. That is, the opening on the west is Malchut, where the degree ends.

300) At that time, those two Merkavot ascend into a hidden palace, called “aloes,” where 12 kinds of perfumes are concealed, as it is written, “Nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all the trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest perfumes.” These are the 12 kinds, opposite the 12 boundaries of the diagonal in ZA. However, they are governed by the Hochma that is from below upward, which are called “perfumes” and “scent.” They, too, are 12 kinds of perfumes in the Garden of Eden below.

And since their root is from ZA, they are concealed, since the illumination of Hochma does not appear in ZA. Rather, only those two Merkavot, Gabriel and Nuriel—considered the left in Malchut, in which the Hochma appears, and of which Gabriel is Gevura and Nuriel is Malchut—are permitted to enter there and receive garments for clothing of the soul, as they are illumination of Hochma that extends from the 12 kinds of the aforementioned perfumes.

301) There, there are all those garments of the souls, which are fit for wearing, each according to what she deserves. All the good deeds that one has done in this world are written in that garment, and all are written in it and declare, “This is the garment of so and so.” Then the angels take a garment and the souls of the righteous in the garden wear it, similar to the form in this world.

302) These matters apply only from 30 days onward, for during all 30 days after the demise, there is not a soul that is not punished before it arrives in the Garden of Eden. Once she has been given its fitting punishment, she enters the Garden of Eden. And after she is whitened, purified from the filth of this world by the punishment, she wears a garment and is given her fitting place. Then the letters Mem-Reish-Gimel-Nun, the acronym of the names of the angels, come down and the Merkavot of the four angels rise to their places, for once the angels return, the Reshimot of their illuminations should remain, being the four letters, Mem-Reish-Gimel-Nun.

303) This firmament returns twice each day in the journeying of another firmament that clings to it. Also, this firmament does not go outside the Garden of Eden, as it overlaps only with the Garden of Eden. This firmament is formed of all sorts of colors—white, red, green, and black, which are HG TM.

The firmament of the Garden of Eden is Daat, and the firmaments of the world of Assiya are Tifferet, which includes HGT NHY. This firmament of the Garden of Eden connects to the firmament of Assiya as the Daat that expands to HGT NHY of the Guf [body]. However, the Daat does not expand to VAK de Tifferet, unless when it ascends to it in the middle line, when the Daat itself divides into two lines, HB, right and left, and the Tifferet that rose to it becomes a middle line, connecting them with one another and clothing them in one another.

Also, Tifferet receives that same measure of illumination that Tifferet causes to be added in Daat, since the lower one is rewarded with full measure that it causes to come out in the upper one. And once the Tifferet received the illumination of the Daat, it expands to its place, the Guf. This illumination is called “the expanding Daat,” and it is known that three lines are called “three times” or “three places,” and the disclosure of their illumination is only in journeying.

It was said that this firmament returns twice each day, that the firmament of the Garden of Eden, Daat, divides and illuminates in two lines—right and left—and the two lines of Daat connect in the journeying of another firmament of Assiya that clings to it. This means that the firmament of Assiya, Tifferet, becomes the middle line, connecting the two lines of Daat in the journeying. At that time the illumination of the firmament over the Garden of Eden expands to the rest of the firmaments of Assiya, which are Tifferet, as the Daat that expands to the Guf. However, for itself, it does not go outside the Garden of Eden to the firmaments of Assiya, though its illumination does expand.

304) 22 letters are inscribed and engraved in the firmament over the Garden of Eden. Each of them drips over the garden dew from the dew of above. From that dew, which is illumination of Hassadim, these souls bathe and are healed after they have bathed themselves in the river Dinur to be purified. The dew comes down only from the letters inscribed and engraved in that firmament because these letters are the whole of the Torah, extending from ZA de Atzilut, who is called Torah, as he was made of the fire and water of the Torah, the fire and water of ZA de Atzilut.

305) For this reason, they cast dew on all those who engage in Torah Lishma [for the sake of the Torah] in this world. These words are inscribed in the Garden of Eden and rise up to the firmament over the Garden of Eden, taking dew from those 22 letters that are there to nourish the soul, as it is written, “Let my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew.”

306) In the middle of that firmament is one opening, opposite the opening of the palace above in Yetzira. In that opening, the souls fly out of the Garden of Eden above in a pillar that is nailed to the earth of the Garden of Eden, and reaches up to that opening.

The opening that was made in the middle of the firmament is the new Sium that was made in the middle of the degree of the Garden of Eden due to Malchut’s ascent to the place of Bina. Because of that Sium, half of the degree, Bina and TM, fell to the lower degree—the earth of the Garden of Eden. At the time of Gadlut, when Malchut returns to her place and Bina and TM rise up to their degree, to the firmament, they take the lower degree along with them, those souls that are in the earth of the Garden of Eden. It follows that the new Sium that was made in Bina has become an opening for the lower one through which to rise to the upper one.

And those Bina and TM that initially fell down to the earth of the Garden of Eden, by clinging to the degree of the earth of the Garden of Eden, it is considered that they were nailed to the soil of the garden while they themselves are considered a tall pillar that reaches up to that opening in the middle of the firmament. Through that pillar, the souls rise from the earth of the Garden of Eden to the firmament of the Garden of Eden. That is, at the time of Gadlut, when Bina and TM, which are considered a pillar, rise back to the firmament of the Garden of Eden, they also take with them the souls in the earth of the Garden of Eden, raising them to the firmament of the Garden of Eden.

307) Inside the firmament, in the opening in the middle of the firmament over the garden, three colors of light enter, included together. They are HBD, and they illuminate to the colors of the pillar that rose up there. At that time, that pillar sparkles and blazes in several blazing colors, and the righteous that rose with that pillar to the firmament receive the lights from the firmament through that pillar. Every hour, the righteous illuminate from that upper brightness, and this is applied always. However, each Sabbath and each beginning of a month, Divinity is revealed in that firmament more than on other times, and all the righteous come and bow to her.

308) Happy is he who has been rewarded with those garments. These garments are from good deeds that a man made in this world with the Mitzvot of the Torah, the Mitzvot that depend on actions. The soul stands in them in the lower Garden of Eden, and dresses in those honorable garments.

309) When the soul rises through the opening above, other high and honorable garments are provided to her, which are made by Mitzvot that depend on the will and the aim of the heart in the Torah and in the prayer. It is so because when that will rises, those who are crowned in it are crowned, a part of it remains for that person, and garments of light are made of it for the soul to dress in and rise. And although these garments of the soul in the lower Garden of Eden depend on an act, those that rise up to the firmament depend only on the will of the spirit, to stand among the angels, the holy spirits. This is what Rabbi Shimon learned from Elijah—the garments of below in the Garden of Eden of the earth depend on the action, the garments of above depend on the will and the aim of the spirit in the heart.

310) It is written, “And a river went out of Eden to water the garden.” However, that river in the garden below comes out of its Eden, like the river that comes out of Eden in Atzilut, from Hochma de Atzilut. But Eden is Hochma in the firmaments in the Garden of Eden below. If it were given for disclosure below, the place of the upper, holy Eden would also be given to know. Yet, because of the concealment of the honor of the upper, holy Eden, Hochma de Atzilut, so it would not be revealed, the lower Eden was hidden and concealed, meaning the Hochma in the firmaments in the lower Garden of Eden, from which that river in the Garden of Eden extends. Therefore, this Eden was not given for disclosure even to the souls in the Garden of Eden.

Hochma de AA that is hidden in the upper AVI de Atzilut is called Eden. This Hochma was hidden from the lower ones, and there is no attainment in her at all. Also, the Hochma that appears to the lower ones is from Bina, which went outside of Rosh de AA, who is called “A river that comes out of Eden” due to the Malchut that rose to the place of Bina. Afterwards, when she returned to the Rosh at the time of Gadlut, she receives Hochma from HS in Rosh de AA, and then Bina became Hochma once again, and her illumination of Hochma appeared in the place of Malchut, and from Malchut to the lower ones.

This matter applies in every degree through the world of Assiya and the firmaments in the Garden of Eden, since there are ten Sefirot in each degree, and the Hochma in them is called Eden, while she herself is hidden, like HS de AA above. However, through Malchut’s ascent to Bina in the degree, and Bina and TM falling to the degree below her, this is why they are called “A river that went out of Eden” of that degree. At the time of Gadlut, when these Bina and TM return to their degree, they receive Hochma from their Eden, and from them the Hochma goes out to the Malchut in that degree.

If the Eden in the firmaments of the Garden of Eden were given for disclosure below, the place of the upper, holy Eden would also be given to know. This is so because the Hochma in all the degrees is Eden, and if the Eden of the lower degree were revealed to Daat, it would reveal with it the Eden of the upper degree through HS. This is why there is no attainment at all in the GAR of each degree.

Once, the river that comes out of Eden is called Bina and once it is called TM, and once it is called Yesod, since everything goes toward the same place. This is so because these Bina and TM are only half of Bina and TM, for GAR de Bina are not regarded as coming out of Eden, but only ZAT de Bina, which mean TM that are included in Bina. It follows that there is no Bina here, but TM. Thus, they are all regarded as merely Tifferet. With respect to the Partzuf whose ten Sefirot divide into Rosh-Toch-Sof, it is considered that Bina and TM that fall from the degree begin from the Chazeh and below. It is so because HGT de Guf are considered GAR de Guf, who also did not exit their Eden, but only NHY de Guf. And since the essence of NHY is the middle line, Yesod, we call Bina and TM that fell from the degree by the name Yesod.

311) Just as the river, Bina and TM, parts and goes out of Eden—Hochma in the Rosh of AA—to water the garden above, Malchut de Atzilut, a single light that divides into four sides in four openings goes out of that opening in the middle of the firmaments in the Garden, the place where those inscribed letters Mem, Gimel, Reish, Nun stand. And this light that divides into four lights and four sparkling letters comes out of Eden—a place where the point above illuminates Hochma of the firmaments in the Garden of Eden of the earth, the upper point that is there.

312) That upper point illuminated and became Eden to illuminate, and there is no one to govern, to see, and to know that point except for the light that expands from it through the opening in the middle of the firmaments, before which the righteous in the Garden of Eden bow. That bottom point, Malchut in the Garden of Eden, is a garden to the upper Eden, the upper point, Hochma, a place that cannot be known or looked at.

313) It is written about all that, “Neither has the eye seen a God besides You.” The name Elokim [God] is explained:

1. “A God besides You” is the bottom holy point, Malchut de Atzilut, who is called Elokim. She knows that Eden below in the Garden of Eden of the earth, which is hidden in the garden and there no one else who knows it except Malchut de Atzilut.

2. “A God besides You” is the highest Eden of all, the next world, Hochma de Atzilut, who appears in Bina de Atzilut, and who is called “the next world,” Elokim. He knows the bottom point, Malchut de Atzilut through a righteous who comes out of it, the river that satiates her, the river that goes out of Eden, Yesod, righteous. There is no one who knows her but him, as it is written, “A God besides You,” who gripped up above through Ein Sof.

The eye is Hochma. Seeing is the giving of Hochma, and there are two interpretations on the verse, “Neither has the eye seen a God besides You”:

1. Implying Malchut de Atzilut, which is called Elokim, where the Hochma does not appear in any Sefira but her. And the meaning of the words, “Neither has the eye seen” is to impart Hochma upon Eden in the Garden of Eden of the earth, “Besides God,” Malchut, in which the Hochma appears.

2. Implying Bina de Atzilut, who is also called Elokim. And the meaning of the words, “Neither has the eye seen” is to impart Hochma upon Malchut de Atzilut. “Besides God” means Bina de Atzilut, from whom the root of the light of Hochma in Malchut begins, and not from another Sefira, since Malchut was built of the left line of Bina, from which she receives the Hochma in her.

314) This river that goes out of Eden in the Garden of Eden below for the wise is as it is written, “And satisfy your soul in purities.” This matter is explained above and below because the soul that comes out of this dark world craves to see the light of the upper world like that man who craves to drink water in his thirst. Thus, each is in drought, as it is written, “Parched with thirst.” Drought means pure, purity, thirsty for the purity of the lights of the garden, the firmament, and the palaces in the garden.

315) “And a river went out of Eden.” All the souls sit by the river in garments of honor. Were it not for the garment, they would not be able to tolerate the lights. Then they sit and satiate themselves in those purities and can tolerate. The river is a correction of the souls, to sit and to be nourished and enjoy those purities. And the souls are corrected by the river and settle in it.

316) As the upper river—Yesod de ZA—brings out souls that fly away from it to the garden, Malchut de Atzilut, the river below, in the Garden of Eden of the earth, corrects the souls to be corrected and settle in those purities. Similar to this external world, the souls settle to illuminate in a scent of water because they initially came out in this way. And because the souls are corrected by the river that extends and goes out of Eden, they can settle in these upper purities and rise up through the opening in the middle of the firmament, and in the pillar that stands in the middle of the garden. The purities below are the lights of the garden and the firmaments, and palaces, and both are made by the river that goes out of Eden.

317) The souls of the righteous rise through the opening in the firmament of the Garden of Eden in the pillar in the middle of the garden. Around it is a cloud, and smoke, and a shining, as it is written, “And the Lord will create over the whole habitation of Mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud by day, and smoke and a shining of a flaming fire by night.” The cloud and smoke outside, and a shining within are to cover those who rise, so they are not seen by those who dwell below.

318) Here lies the secret of secrets. When the point of the garden, Malchut de Bina of the earth of Assiya, called “a point,” wishes to be corrected in her corrections and decorated on Sabbath and on special times and festivals, the Creator sends her four faces of an eagle, which stand over the palace, called “freedom,” as it is written, “free myrrh.” This is the reason for the need to declare freedom on the 50^th year [the Yovel], as it is written, “Proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants.” These four faces make a sound, calling upon all the dwellers of the garden, but there is no one to hear it but the souls that are worthy of rising, and they gather there in the palace of freedom. Also, these four faces take them and usher them in through the pillar that stands in the middle of the garden.

On Sabbath and on special days and beginnings of months, great Mochin illuminate in all the worlds. They do not expand from above downward, but the lower ones rise in the place of the upper degrees, and there receive the Mochin, and not in their place. For every lower one to be able to rise to the upper one, an opening of the openings in the middle of the firmaments is required, through which the lower one rises to the place of the upper one.

This opening is done by three names EKYEH, which lowers Malchut from the place of Bina to her place. At that time, that boundary of the new Sium that was in the place of Bina opens, and this is the firmament. Then Bina and TM that fell from the upper one can return to their degree. Along with them, they also take the lower one to which they clung while they were fallen, raising it to the upper one. There is only one change here: what is called Avir there, Bina and TM of the upper one, is called “the pillar that stands in the middle” here. And as it is said there that the Avir carries the lower one and raises it to the upper one, it is said here that the pillar that stands in the middle carries the lower one and raises it to the upper one.

When the point of the garden, Malchut de Bina of the land of Assiya, wishes to be corrected in her corrections and decorated on Sabbaths, special times, and festivals—meaning receive the illuminations of the three EKYEH that cancel the boundary at the Sium [end] of the firmament because they return Malchut from there to her place—the Creator sends her four faces of an eagle, HG TM in the middle line, called “the face of an eagle.” Three EKYEH are clothed in these HG TM, and their illumination lowers the Malchut from the Sium of the firmament to her place, thus canceling all the Dinim and the boundary above the garden. They stand over the palace, which is called “freedom,” whose illumination is the illumination of freedom and liberation. It is called “the freedom palace,” releasing all the Dinim and the boundaries from the whole of the reality of the garden by raising them from the Sium of the firmament and above through the middle pillar in the garden.

This illumination is similar to the illumination of the Yovel, as it is written, “And proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Yovel for you.” Here, too, these four faces make a sound, meaning the call of freedom to all the dwellers of the garden, that all the Dinim and the boundaries have been cancelled, and anyone may rise up with the pillar that is standing in the middle. But there is no one to hear him except for the souls who are worthy of climbing. Those who are not worthy of climbing do not feel any of that liberation. They gather there in the palace of freedom, and those four faces take them and bring them inside through the pillar that stands in the middle of the garden. With that pillar, they rise from the firmament and above according to their degree, as it is written, “And each of you shall return to his property.”

319) At that time, that pillar raises a cloud, a fire, smoke, and a shining from within. The illumination of the freedom and the souls are called “habitation of Mount Zion” and “her assemblies,” as it is written, “And the Lord will create over the whole habitation of mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud by day, and smoke, and a shining of a flaming fire by night.” It is so because the habitation of Mount Zion is a correction above, when the lower point is decorated—the illumination of freedom through the four faces of the eagle above. The souls are the assemblies of that point, to be decorated. Those souls that heard the calling of the freedom are called “her assemblies,” from the [Hebrew] words, “those whom she summons.”

Although Malchut descended from Bina’s place to her place, the Sium and the boundary made due to the ascent of Malchut was not yet cancelled because the middle line sustains the boundary by the force of the Masach de Hirik in it, and the Bina and TM that connect to their degree do not connect while standing below the new Sium, but must rise above the new Sium and become a left line to KH that remained in the degree.

These Dinim that extend from the keeping of the boundary through the Masach de Hirik in the middle line are called “A cloud by day, and smoke and a shining,” for which the illumination of freedom does not extend from the Sium of the firmaments downward into the garden, but illuminates from the Sium of the firmaments and above. For this reason, the souls, dwellers of the garden, must rise with the pillar that stands in the middle into the firmament, and there receive their illumination.

If the boundary were cancelled altogether, and the illumination of the firmaments would be drawn below into the garden, all the souls would receive the upper illumination without needing any preparation. But now that the boundary exists through a cloud and smoke and a shining, the upper illumination does not expand below, but the souls need to rise up to the firmament along with the pillar. Therefore, the souls that are not worthy of it do not know anything of the illumination of the freedom and do not rise. Only souls that are worthy of it hear a herald from the illumination of freedom and rise.

It follows that the keeping of the boundary that was made through a cloud, smoke, and a shining covers those souls who are not worthy, who do not know of the ascents of the worthy souls, since the light does not extend at all to the place of the souls below.

This is why it was said, “A cloud by day, and smoke and a shining” from within, to cover those who ascend so they will not be seen by those dwelling below. At that time, that pillar sends up a cloud, smoke and a shining from within, as for that reason the pillar cannot stay below, for it cannot bond with the KH of the firmaments until it rises above the Sium of the firmaments. It follows that the cloud, fire, and smoke, force the pillar, Bina and TM that fell from the firmaments, to not stand still, but rise up. At that time he takes with him all the souls in the garden that are worthy of it, and elevates them with it to the firmaments.

They gather there in the freedom palace, and these four faces take them and usher them in through the pillar that stands in the middle of the garden. For the pillar to rise up to the firmaments, that pillar raises a cloud, fire, smoke, and a shining from within. Because of it, it must rise up, taking the souls with it. Yet, we should remember that there is no absence in the spiritual, and although the pillar rises up, it is also considered that it remained below as it was. This is why it is considered that this pillar is always planted in the garden, even though it rises up.

It is written, “And the Lord will create over the whole habitation of mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud by day, and smoke and a shining of a flaming fire by night.” The Creator created with the middle line, with the Masach de Hirik in it. “Over the whole habitation of mount Zion” is illumination of freedom. “And over her assemblies” are the souls that are rewarded with hearing the calling of freedom. “A cloud by day, and smoke and a shining of a flaming fire by night” are to restrict the upper lights above in the firmament from being extended below, for by that the illumination of the freedom would disappear from the unworthy souls.

320) When the souls rise up to that opening in the firmament, that firmament turns itself around the garden three times. The firmament travels in three places, three lines, whose majority of illumination is only during the traveling. Out of the voice of the melodies of the turning of the firmament over the three lines, all the souls in the opening of the firmament come out, hearing the tunes of the firmament, and seeing that pillar that raised them, who raises fire, a cloud, smoke, and a flaming shining, meaning the blazing Dinim from Masach de Hirik in the middle line, which sustains the boundary in a way that the lights would not be drawn from above downward, but only from below upward.

All of them bow, lower their heads, indicating that they are accepting the boundary that they will not be drawn from above downward, which is GAR, called Rosh. Rather, they diminish their Rosh, to receive the light only from below upward, meaning illumination of VAK de Hochma, and not GAR de Hochma. After the souls take upon themselves the boundary of drawing only from below upward, the souls rise through that opening until they rise into the circle that surrounds that point into the firmament that circles the garden, which is called “a point.” That firmament is Hochma. At that time, they see what they see, meaning receive illumination of Hochma, which is called “seeing.” And for the light and joy from what they see, they rise and fall, moving closer and farther back and forth.

321) Hochma, the upper point, craves them and is adorned by them with her light. The souls that rose to her become MAN in her, and then one high righteous, Yesod of the world of Yetzira, wore envy and looked in the light and beauty of that point, and in her corrections, gripping her and raising her to him, to Yetzira, illuminating a light within a light, the light of Hassadim in Yesod illuminating within the light of Hochma in the point, becoming one, meaning they unite. At that time all the armies of heaven start and say, “Happy are you righteous, keepers of the Torah, happy are you that you engage in Torah, for your Master’s joy is in you, for the crown of your Master is crowned in you” because they caused that Zivug.

It was said, “Then one high righteous ... wore envy,” for then the love is in complete perfection because all who love and to whom envy is not connected, his love is not love. The essence of envy is that the external ones will not grip to it due to the absence of Hassadim.

322) Then, since a light shines within a light—the light of Hassadim in the light of Hochma—the two lights join together and shine. Afterwards those colors, the lights of that Zivug, come down and look, to play with those souls of the righteous that rose to MAN, and correct them to be crowned above. It is written about it, “Neither has the eye seen a God besides You, who works for him that waits for Him.”

323) It is written, “And over the heads of the animals was the likeness of a firmament, like the color of the terrible ice, stretched forth over their heads above.” Yet, there is a firmament, and there is a firmament. The firmament below—the Parsa at the place of Chazeh de ZA—stands over the four animals in Malchut—Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Nuriel. From that firmament, Parsa de ZA, the form of Nukva, Malchut, spreads and stays in the back of the male, ZA, as it is written, “And you shall see My back.” Malchut is in the back of ZA, as it is written, “You have formed me behind and before,” implying ZA and Malchut, where ZA is the before, and Malchut is the behind. It is written, “And He took one of his ribs,” implying ZA and Malchut that were initially two Partzufim behind and before, but were cut off. This is what the text, “And He took one of his ribs,” implies.

324) The firmament above, the Parsa in the place of Chazeh de Bina, YESHSUT, stands over the upper animals, HGT de ZA, and from there, from that firmament, the form of a male, ZA, superior to the Nukva, spreads out and stays. These two firmaments—one is called “the end of heaven,” the Parsa in the place of Chazeh de ZA, the tip and Sium of ZA, who is called “heaven,” and one is called “from the end of heaven,” the Parsa in Chazeh de Bina, from whom ZA, called “heaven,” begins. It is written, “From the end of heaven to the end of heaven.” The heads of the animals below in Malchut are four animals, superior lights to those four letters that are written in these four openings in the Garden of Eden. These four animals are four angels.

It is known that a firmament means the new Sium that was set up in the middle of the degree because Malchut of each degree rose to Bina of each degree. This Sium is also called “the Sium in the entrails,” standing in the middle of Tifferet, Bina de Guf, at the place of Chazeh, in the middle of the degree, and there the degree ends. This Parsa includes within it three Sefirot—half of Tifferet, and NHY, Bina and TM that fell from each degree to the degree below it.

For this reason, each lower one clothes the three Sefirot NHY of the upper one because they fell to its place due to the Sium that was set up in the place of the Parsa. This is the meaning of ZA clothing from Parsa in the middle of YESHSUT and below, their half of Tifferet and NHY, as they are considered Bina and TM de YESHSUT that fell into his place. And because there is no absence in the spirit, they remained there permanently. Similarly, the Malchut clothes from Parsa in the middle of ZA and below, meaning his half of Tifferet and NHY that fell from ZA to her place.

It follows that ZA begins in the firmament of YESHSUT, which is the Parsa in his middle. He is the upper firmament, and ends in his own firmament, the Parsa in the middle of ZA because from there down he is clothed in Malchut. This is called “the lower firmament,” as it is written, “From the end of heaven to the end of heaven.” “From the end of heaven” is the firmament of YESHSUT, from which ZA, called “heaven,” begins. “The end of heaven” is the firmament of ZA, where it ends.

325) But it was said that Eden is below, on earth, and the garden receives from Eden below, so how is it said here that the garden receives from the four animals? However, it is all a high secret. As the point, Malchut de Atzilut, has a portion above in Atzilut, it has a portion below in the earth. As it is the tenth part of Atzilut, it is the tenth part of the earth, the garden.

The garden below is the portion of that point in the earth, entertaining with the spirits of the righteous in the earth and enjoying all the sides, above and below. Above, she enjoys the righteous, Yesod de ZA, and below, she enjoys the fruit of the righteous—the souls of the righteous that are born from Yesod de ZA. There is entertainment for Malchut above and below only in a righteous because his fruit is considered righteous, like him.

For this reason, as Malchut above rides over four animals, the Malchut below, the garden, receives from four animals, and that garden extends from a point called Eden, such as Malchut above. It is so because she is regarded as lower Hochma because she extends from the upper Eden, and likewise the garden, Malchut below, extends from the lower Eden. Thus, he receives from both, but the four animals are from the actual Malchut, and Eden is the upper light that extends to Malchut above and below.

326) These heads of the animals are four heads of faces:

1. Lion, as it is written, “The face of a lion on the right,” Hesed, Michael;

2. Ox, as it is written, “The face of an ox on the left,” Gevura, Gabriel;

3. An eagle, as it is written, “The face of an eagle to the four of them,” Tifferet, Raphael;

4. A man includes everything, as it is written, “Each had the face of a man,” Malchut who receives from all of them, Nuriel.

In another respect, Michael is to the right, lion, Gabriel to the left, an ox, Uriel is in the middle Tifferet, and Raphael has the face of a man. These are the four heads of the animals that carry the holy throne, Malchut. And because of their load, they sweat, and the river Dinur is made of that sweat from their load.

The holy throne, Malchut, is the bottom Hochma. The Hochma in her appears through the four animals that carry her. This is the burden that the animals carry, and there is no disclosure of Hochma unless by disclosing the Dinim of the point of Shuruk. The disclosing of these Dinim is the sweat of the animals due to their load, due to the disclosure of Hochma. Also, the river Dinur is made of these Dinim.

327) When the souls rise, they bathe in that river Dinur and rise as an offering. But they do not burn but bathe, like the salamander, from which a garment is made. Since it is born from fire, that garment is washed only in fire. The fire consumes the filth in it and the garment is washed. So is the soul, which is from fire, taken from the holy throne, Malchut, of whom it is written in Daniel, “His throne was sparks of fire.” When she needs to wash from the filth in her, she passes through the fire and is bathed, the fire consumes all of that filth in the soul, and the soul is washed and whitened.

328) Is there punishment for the soul in it? After all, she only washes. Woe unto a soul that suffers a strange fire. Although she is whitened by it, when the filth increases on her, woe to the soul that suffers that punishment because that filth is whitened in the fire twice.

329) The first time is after he receives the bodily punishment. The soul goes and is taken and brought into a place called Ben Hinom. It is called Ben Hinom because there is a place in Hell where the souls are purified by the purifier, to be whitened before they enter the Garden of Eden. There are two angels, messengers, ready in the Garden of Eden. They stand at the gate and scream to the appointees over that place in Hell to accept that soul.

330) Before the soul is whitened in fire, the messengers scream to the appointees and say, “Hinom,” and when she is whitened, the appointees come out with her from that place and place her by the door to the Garden of Eden, where those appointees stand. And the appointees tell the messengers, Hinom [here they are], meaning here are the souls that have been whitened. Then that soul is admitted into the Garden of Eden, and this is why that place in Hell is called Ben Hinom.

331) And how broken is the soul from the breaking of the whitening in Hell, for it is a shattering from a lower fire. And although it descends from above, from the river Dinur, because it reaches the earth below, it becomes fire that is not thin, and the soul is punished with it and breaks. Then the Creator brings out the sun, the upper light that illuminates from those four openings that illuminate in the firmament over the Garden of Eden, it reaches the soul, and she is healed, as it is written, “But unto you that fear My name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings.”

332) The second time a soul is whitened in fire is after she sits in the lower Garden of Eden as much as she sits. It is so because until now it still did not part from all the things in the vision of this world. When she is elevated to the upper Garden of Eden, she must part from every vision and every thing of below, for which reason she is brought through the river Dinur. At that time the soul is completely whitened in it, and comes and appears before the Master of the world when she is clarified on all sides. Once she has looked in that light, she is completely healed and perfected. At that time these souls stand in garments and are crowned before their Master. Happy are the righteous in this world and in the next world.

333) These souls in the lower Garden of Eden roam on all beginnings of months and Sabbaths, and rise up to a place called “the walls of Jerusalem,” the exterior of Malchut de Atzilut, where several appointees and Merkavot guard these walls, as it is written, “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem.” They rise up to that place and do not come in before the Malchut until they are whitened. There they bow and delight with the light, and return to the lower Garden of Eden.

334) They come out of the Garden of Eden and roam the world, seeing these bodies of the wicked in that punishment of theirs, as it is written, “And they shall come out and look at the carcasses of the men that have rebelled against Me, for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh,” to the rest of the corpses around them. Afterwards they roam and look at the tormented and sick, and those who suffer for the unification with their Master return to the Garden of Eden and tell the Messiah in the Garden of Eden.

335) When they tell the Messiah of their sorrow for Israel in their exile, and those wicked among them who do not look to know their Master, he raises his voice and weeps over those wicked among them, as it is written, “But he was violated by our transgressions, depressed because of our iniquities.” The souls return and stand in their places.

336) In the Garden of Eden, there is the hall of the sick. At that time the Messiah enters that hall and reads all the illnesses and pains and sufferings of Israel, which they will suffer. And they suffer all of them. And if he did not make it easier on Israel and took them on himself, there would not be a man who could tolerate the suffering of Israel for the punishment of the Torah, as it is written, “Indeed, our diseases he did bear, and our pains he carried.”

337) Because there is no number to the sufferings that stand over a person each day from the punishments of the Torah, and they all came down to the world when the Torah was given, and when Israel were in the holy land they would remove all those ails and sufferings from the world by the work of the offerings that they performed, now the Messiah removes them from the world until a person of this world dies and receives his punishment. If the iniquities are plentiful, they are brought into Hell, into those other, lower sections, where they suffer a great punishment because of all the filth in the soul. Then additional fire is lit up, so it would consume that filth.

338) Happy are those who keep the commandments of the Torah because the holy point, Malchut, wishes to entertain above, in her place, and below, in the Garden of Eden. When the point wishes to entertain below—in the Garden of Eden—with the souls of the righteous, it is like a mother delighted with her sons and playing with them. Similarly, at midnight, she comes down to the Garden of Eden and plays with them.