Questions and Answers on the Meaning of the Words

1. What is the Aleph in the Vav of SAG?

There are two roots to the letters: Yod and Aleph. In truth, Yod is regarded as the real root of the letters, since when we want to write any letter, we begin with Yod, meaning with a dot. When we stretch the dot sideways and downward, the desired letter is formed. Thus, the Yod is the root of each and every letter. Despite that, the Aleph at the beginning of the twenty-two letters.

The thing is that the letters, in their upper root, are vessels for reception of the abundance. It is known that the expansion of the light and its departure causes the making of the vessels. This is so because the vessels are made of the records that remain after the departure of the light. From this you will understand that the root of all the kinds of departure is the root of the vessels, which is the letters. It is known that the first restriction is the root of any departure in the worlds. Hence, the point of restriction, which is the Yod, is regarded as the root of all the letters.

However, it is known that the first restriction is still not regarded as the root of the worlds, but only as the root of the root, because the real root of the worlds is the second restriction. The difference between them is that the first restriction was only on one point, namely phase four, which is Malchut, the bottom Hey. The second restriction was also on Bina, meaning that two points joined in this restriction, the point of Malchut and the point of Bina, which is the association of the quality of mercy with judgement.

It is known that connecting two dots together creates a line, longitudinally or across. Hence, the second restriction is called a line, because of the two dots that joined in this restriction, as it says, “and they two went.” Because of this, it is called firmament, or Parsa, which is like a line laid across, separating the upper ones from the lower ones.

It has been explained inside the book that the primary innovation that occurred in the second restriction is the matter of the division of the ten Sefirot to two phases in all the degrees. This is because Bina, ZA, and Malchut of each degree went outside the degree and acquired the value of the degree below it. Thus, from a single degree, an upper one and lower one were made, where Keter and Hochma in it became the upper one, and Bina, ZA, and Malchut became a lower degree to Keter and Hochma. These two innovations, which are the connection of the two dots together like a line, and the division of the degree into upper one and lower one manifest in the shape of the Aleph [א]: The connection of the two dots in the restriction is the line of the Aleph in this manner – []. The upper phase of each degree is the Yod [י] over the line, containing Keter and Hochma of the degree, as upper water, like this []. The lower phase of each degree is the lower Yod below the line, containing Bina, ZA, and Malchut, which became the lower ones, meaning lower waters, like this [].

Thus you can see how there are two roots to the worlds: Yod is the first root, made in the first restriction, only on the point of Malchut. Aleph is the second root, made in the second restriction on the two points Bina and Malchut together. The first restriction is a root that is far from the worlds, and only the second restriction is regard as the root of the worlds. Hence, the Yod is not considered the root of the letters until it is fit to head all twenty-two letters. Only the Aleph is considered the root of all the letters, since it is regarded as the second restriction, which is the real root of the worlds. Hence, the Aleph is at the head of the twenty-two letters, and the Yod is considered a primordial root, serving the letters in hiding.

Now you can understand the meaning of the four fillings operating in the Name HaVaYaH. They are: AB – Yod, Hey, Viv, Hey, SAG – Yod, Hey, Vav, Hey, MA – Yod, He, Vv, He, BON – Yod, Heh, Vav, Heh. The main difference is whether the vessels in them come from the first restriction or the second restriction. The filling of letters with Yods indicates that they come primarily from the first restriction, and filling the letters with Alephs indicates that they come from the second restriction. Now you can understand that if all the letters of HaVaYaH are filled with Yods, which is HaVaYaH of AB, then the vessels of that Partzuf have nothing of the second restriction, but only of the first restriction. Conversely, if the letters of HaVaYaH are filled with Alephs, which is MA in Gematria, the vessels of that Partzuf have none of the first restriction, but only the second restriction. However, in HaVaYaH of SAG, the letters are not filled equally, as they are all with Yods, except for the Vav of HaVaYaH, which is with Aleph.

The reason for this is that HaVaYaH of SAG itself is also divided into four Partzufim, which are Hochma, Bina, ZA, and Malchut, by the order of her letters. Thus, the Vav in her is the phase of ZA of Partzuf SAG. It is known that the second restriction was only in Partzuf SAG, and not in the first two Partzufim in her, which are YH, meaning Hochma and Bina in her, but only in ZA in her, which stands below the Tabur of SAG (see Inner Observation, Item 15). Thus, the beginning of the root of the Aleph, meaning the second restriction, was not in YH of SAG, but only in the Vav of SAG. Hence, the YH of SAG are filled with Yods as in HaVaYaH of AB. Only the Vav of SAG is filled with the Aleph, as the second restriction is not apparent whatsoever before ZA of SAG. The matter of HaVaYaH filled with Heys indicates that she lacks the filling, but receives from her upper Partzuf. Hence, she is only double HaVaYaH, as two HaVaYot are BON in Gematria. The reason for this is that the filling indicates the measure of the level extending by the coupling of the upper light on the screen there. The screen in Partzuf ZA, which is in coarseness of phase one, draws the light for Malchut, too, whose screen is very faint, without the sufficient coarseness for a coupling by striking with the upper light. Therefore, she lacks the filling of her phase. All she has is double HaVaYaH, indicating the part of ZA in her.

Now you can see why Hochma and Bina are not considered the root of the world, and the world begins only in ZA. This is the meaning of the six days of creation, as their vessels contain only from the phase of the first restriction, and the worlds begin only from the second restriction. Thus, only ZA, which is the phase of HaVaYaH of MA with a filling of Alephs, meaning the second restriction, is the root for all the worlds.

2. What are letters?

See answer No. 1.

3. What are AHP in their place?

The first three corrections of the thirteen corrections of Dikna are called “AHP in their Place.” It means that they did not come out from the phase of Rosh, and they are the phases of GE of the Rosh of Dikna. They are named AHP only with respect to the Rosh of SAG. (Part 6, Item 20)

4. What is Butzina of Kardinuta?

Butzina means illumination, and Kardinuta means hardness or darkness. It implies the bottom Hey, meaning phase four. This is the meaning of the bottom Hey in the Einayim in the Keter of Nekudim, whose illumination is uncovered. It is the dot inside the Vav, meaning the Melafum that Yesod of AK bestowed upon HB of Nekudim. Only the Vav was revealed, but the dot is concealed in it. This means that Butzina of Kardinuta is concealed in Yesod of Ima. (Part 6, Item 37)

5. What is the breaching of the Parsa?

The breaching of the Parsa implies the annulment of the boundary in it, which separates Keter and Hochma from Bina and ZON inside the degree. Through the breaching, Bina and ZON return to the degree as in the beginning. (Part 6, Item 15)

6. What is “one over the other”?

One over the other means that the Sefirot stand by themselves and cannot receive or bestow upon each other. This is due to the disparity of form between each and every one of them, which separates them from each other. In that state, they stand one over the other according to the order of degrees: the anterior of the lower one in the posterior of the upper one. For instance, ZA, whose anterior is phase one, equalizes with the posterior of Bina, who is also phase one. Also, the anterior of Bina, which is phase two, equalizes with the posterior of Hochma, which is also phase two, etc., similarly. In that state, they are opposite from one another and separated from each other. (Part 4, Chapter 3, Inner Light, Item 30)

7. What is Holam?

The dots indicate primarily the illumination of the coupling that emerges through the connection between the bottom Hey and the first Hey, called dots. There are three phases in that: 1. When the bottom Hey is in the Keter of Nekudim in the form of the bottom Hey in the Einayim, and YHV in the AHP. In that state, she is called Holam, which is above the letters YHV, since the light of Keter is not bestowed upon the HB from the phase of the bottom Hey, but only from the phase of the first Hey. 2. As dots under the letters YHV, which are the vessels of HB. This is so by the upper coupling of AB and SAG, lowering the bottom Hey from the Einayim to the Peh in the form of Kamatz under the letters. Even now, the bottom Hey is concealed in the Kamatz, which is the phase of Yesod of Keter, and the YHV still have no illumination of the bottom Hey. 3. In the form of dots inside the letters YHV. This is so by the illumination of Yesod of AK on the phase of Melafum, where the dot of the bottom Hey is inside the Vav. This illumination comes inside the letters YHV, which are HB, from which the lower seven of Nekudim are born. (Part 6, Item 31, and Inner Observation, Item 19)

8. What is Taffel [subordinate]?

The top Sefira in each degree contains all the phases below it. Hence, the top phase is always considered the core of the degree, to which all other phases are subordinate, and do not merit a name. (Part 6, Item 8)

9. What is “coming out strongly”?

The greater the coarseness in the screen, the more strongly the light comes out. If the coarseness is weak, the light does not come out strongly, meaning there is little reflected light, and the level of light that it draws does not expand downward. Since the bottom Hey connected to the Nikvey Einayim, the lights there are come out forcefully, and expand downward. (Part 6, Item 11)

10. What are twenty-two letters?

The letters are the vessels where the self is clothed. They contain twenty-two heads of discernments, from which all the Partzufim are built. They are called twenty-two letters. See above, answer No. 1. (Part 6, Item 53)

11. What is male upper water?

See answer No. 1. It explains there that the Keter of Nekudim is the upper water above the firmament, which is the Parsa, and HB of Nekudim is the lower water under the firmament. It is known that Keter is the male, and HB is its female (Inner Light, Item 23). Thus, upper water is considered male, and lower water, which is HB, is the phase of female. (Part 6, Item 9)

12. What is female lower water?

See answers Nos. 11 and 1.

13. What is Melafum?

See answer No. 7.

14. What is Mazla?

Se’arot Dikna are called Mazla [dripping/luck], as it is written, “Water shall flow from his branches, etc.” This is so because their abundance drips bit-by-bit until they accumulate into the greatest lights in the worlds, and see below answer No. 29. (Part 6, Item 2)

15. What is Mayin Nukvin?

It is known that through the expansion of the Nekudot of SAG to MA and BON of the inner AK, two phases of records were joined in the screen: the phases of the first Hey in SAG, and the bottom Hey in the inner AK. You find that the screen consists of two females, Bina and Malchut, and from here comes the name of the screen “Mayin Nukvin” [female water]. From here on, these two females are incorporated in it in every coupling it makes with the upper light. (Part 6, Item 15)

16. What is death?

Life is up to the place where the line of light of Ein Sof is extended. After the end of the line, meaning below the point of restriction, the light of life ceases. This is the phase of death. Hence, the vessels that fell to BYA, below the new point of restriction, are considered to have died there, as they were departed from the light of life. (Part 6, Item 39)

17. What are upper dots?

See answer No. 7.

18. What are the dots under the letters?

See answer No. 7. Three illuminations operated in Nekudim: the vapor of the Tabur, the vapor of Yesod, and the vapor of the Tzipornayim of the Raglayim. The vapor of the Tabur is the phase of dots above the letters, meaning Holam. The vapor of Yesod is the phase of dots inside the letters, which is the Melafum, and the vapor of the Tzipornayim of the Raglayim is the phase of dots under the letters. (Part 6, Item 28, and Inner Light there)

19. What is a spark of Kardinuta?

See answer No. 4.

20. What are Nikvey Einayim?

Phase one in the Rosh is called Nikvey Einayim [holes of the eyes] because Hochma of the Rosh is called Einayim. Through the ascent of the bottom Hey there, the phase of Nukva was also made in Hochma, and it is called Nikvey Einayim. (Part 6, Item 7)

21. What are Nikvey Ozen [holes in the Ozen]?

See answer No. 20. The two Heys joined in the association of the quality of mercy with judgement, and the bottom Hey rose to the Einayim. From then on, the phase of Nukva was made in all the Sefirot up to Hochma. These are the holes made in the Hotem, Ozen, and the Einayim. However, before they were connected, the phase of Nukva was only in the Peh.

22. What is the opening of the Einayim?

The illumination of Hochma is called “the opening of the Einayim” because Einayim [eyes] are Hochma. (Part 6, Item 51)

23. What is the Parsa?

The Parsa is the premises of the liver [diaphragm], which separates the breathing organs, which are the vitality, from the feeding organs. It seemingly creates two bodies within a single body. Similarly, when Partzuf MA and BON came out of the Nikvey Einayim of the Rosh of SAG, it was divided into two Partzufim on the Tabur and the Parsa. From the Peh of the Rosh of SAG to the Parsa is the phase of GAR of MA and BON, considered a complete Partzuf in itself. Its Sium Raglayim is on the Tabur because it came out from the phase of records of the tastes of SAG that did not connect with the bottom Hey. From the Parsa downward emerged the lower MA and BON, which are the ten Sefirot of Nekudim. They emerged from the records of the Nekudot of SAG, which are connected with the bottom Hey below the Tabur. Thus, the Parsa divides a single Partzuf of MA and BON into two Partzufim. (Part 6, Item 9, and Inner Observation, Item 34)

24. What is the second restriction?

The restriction of NHY of AK is called the second restriction because as in the first restriction on phase four in Ein Sof, here, too, there was a restriction on phase two. As the line of light of Ein Sof stopped at the Malchut of the NHY of AK in the first restriction, so the line of light of Ein Sof stopped here on the Bina of NHY of AK. Thus, Bina, ZA, and Malchut remained under the point of restriction without light, forming the three separated worlds, called BYA, where Beria is from Bina, Yetzira is from ZA, and Assiya is from Malchut. (Part 6, Item 7)

25. What are Tzipornayim of the Raglayim?

The Sium of each Partzuf, which is the Malchut of NHY of the Partzuf, is called Etzbaot Raglayim [toes] . From the time of the correction of Parsa onward, another force was made on the Sium of the Partzuf, which relates to the association of the point of Bina in the restriction. When that additional force is in the place of Tabur, it is called Parsa, and when it is in the place of the Sium of the NHY, it is called Tzipornayim, namely the Tzipornayim of the Raglayim. (Part 6, Item 29)

26. What is a separating firmament?

The “separating firmament” is the Parsa placed in the ten Sefirot of each degree by connecting the two points Bina and Malchut. It distinguishes Keter and Hochma in it as male upper water, from the Bina, ZA, and Malchut in it, which is the phase of lower water, females, see answer No. 11 and answer No. 1. (Part 6, Item 9)

27. What is Shuruk?

The Melafum is also called Shuruk, explained above in answer No. 7. (Part 6, Item 31)

28. What are Se’arot Rosh?

The first coupling for Partzuf Nekudim was in Nikvey Einayim of the Rosh of SAG. It did not take the AHP of the Rosh of SAG outside, since there is no absence in the spiritual. The matter of the division of the degree did not affect the Rosh of SAG itself whatsoever, but only as an addition to the Partzuf, and this is the Partzuf Se’arot. From the Nikvey Einayim upward emerged the Se’arot Rosh, and from there downward emerged the Se’arot Dikna in the phases of AHP. (Inner Light, Item 2)

29. What are Se’arot Dikna?

See answer No. 28.

30. What is Shibolet HaZakan [the Beard Patch]?

Shibolet HaZakan are phases of AHP that emerged from the first Rosh of Dikna, for the first three corrections of Dikna are GE, meaning the Rosh of Dikna. Shibolet HaZakan is AHP that emerged from the Rosh of Dikna to the phase of Guf, where the abundance of the first three phases of correction of the Dikna accumulate. (Part 6, Item 20, and Inner Light, Item 23)