ביום השמיני עצרת תהיה לכם

1“On the eighth day, an Atzeres shall there be for you.” And Onkelos translates: “A kenishin shall there be for you.” The meaning of kenishin is an assembling and a gathering together into one place; that is, that all the children of Israel will gather, all of them, to be included in one place, in their source and root.

The explanation is this: On Rosh HaShanah we say, “This day is the beginning of Your works, a remembrance of the first day.” And the explanation of the matter is that

the chain of descent (hishtalshelus) of the worlds, and their descent level after level from “the Head of all levels,” etc., are many and vast, beyond searching out and beyond number.

For from the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, who is as His Name [says], having no end and no limit, worlds could not have come to be as created worlds,

which are bounded and have an end and a limit, except after a great multiplicity of hishtalshelus [through] intermediaries, likewise without end or limit. And the matter of the intermediaries is

like the lower Gan Eden, which is the intermediary between the spiritual worlds and this physical world, as is written in the Zohar, that “all the forms of above and below are found there”; that is, because it is composed of above and below.

2Now, there is a river of fire (Nehar Dinur) between this world and the lower Gan Eden, into which even the completely righteous must go down and immerse,

in order to purify themselves of the physicality and coarseness of this world; for one must forget, so that he has no power of memory of the physicality of this world, which is a separating screen, and [with it] the soul cannot be in Gan Eden.

3It is like the matter of a foreign thought in prayer, which confuses a person in his prayer. (See what is written about this in the discourse beginning “Vayehi mikeitz,” and in the discourse beginning “Mar’eihem uma’aseihem” in Parshas Yisro; see there.)

And likewise, from the lower Gan Eden to the higher one, one must also forget the matter of the lower Gan Eden, for relative to the higher Gan Eden it is considered actually physical. And so on, up to the loftiest heights, there are many kinds of such intermediaries, beyond searching out and beyond number.

4As the saying [goes], “All shall exalt You, Selah,” and “All the living shall thank You, Selah”: without interruption; and as is known from the matter of the Shemittos and the Jubilees, etc.

And all of it is ascent after ascent, until the lower level, relative to the higher one, is considered as physicality. (See what is written in Parshas Vayeitzei on “and of all that You give me, I will surely give a tenth to You.”)

Now, “the beginning of Your works” is the lower Gan Eden, which is the beginning of the World of Asiyah (Action); and it is mentioned because it is the purpose and the main point of the creation of man, for whose sake he was created,

as it is written, “And He placed him in the Garden of Eden, to work it and to guard it,” etc.; and in it is the completeness of the deed, as it will be in the days of Mashiach, which is not so in this physical world at the present time, etc., as is written about this in the discourse beginning “Osrei lagefen.”

5Now, for there to be “the beginning of Your works” is through “a remembrance of the first day,” [the day] that precedes the hishtalshelus, for “their beginning is wedged in their end.”

For what causes the descent and the chaining-down of the levels is that the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place among the lower realms specifically.

62. But it is known that this descent is for the sake of an ascent. And one must understand: the descent is exceedingly great, for the soul descended into this physical world, to the point that when it rises even to the lower Gan Eden it must immerse in the river of fire in order to forget everything, etc.

7And likewise from the lower Gan Eden to the higher Gan Eden, etc. If so, the ascent too must be exceedingly great, so that the whole descent was worthwhile for the sake of this ascent. And by what does a person merit so great and wondrous an ascent through this great descent specifically?

8This will be understood from what is written, “I am Havayah; that is My Name.” For the Name Havayah indicates that He brings all the worlds into being through tzimtzum (contraction), expansion and drawing-down, etc.

And this is only the level of a “Name” alone, like the analogy of the radiance of the sun, etc. And about this our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “The righteous sit and delight in the radiance of the Shechinah (Divine Presence),” etc.

“In the radiance” specifically. That is, since they actually delight, [this is] because there cannot be enjoyment and delight for the intellectual soul, according to its intellect and comprehension in the light of G‑d,

except in the level of radiance alone, to which the soul’s comprehension and intellect can rise; whereas the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, itself is not grasped, for He is holy, etc.

Rather, He, may He be blessed, is the Source of life and the Source of delights, etc. And there is the nullification of the comprehension of created beings, and the self-nullification (bittul) of the souls and their union with their Emanator, blessed be He, beyond the measure of their power of comprehension; as it is written, “Then you shall delight upon Havayah.”

“Upon Havayah” specifically, as is written in the Zohar (Vayechi, p. 219a); that is, above the level of the Name Havayah, which is only radiance, etc.

And the revelation [by which one comes] to merit this level, in the mode of this bittul, is through the revelation of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, in this physical world specifically, in the mode of the nullification of comprehension, which is revealed in the mode of teshuvah (return), with the desire of the heart,

“from the inward part of a man and a deep heart.” And about this our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “One hour of teshuvah and good deeds is better,” etc. The meaning is not teshuvah in the physical sense, from sins, that is, merely abandoning the sin, for if so, why [say] “one hour”?

Rather, “teshuvah and good deeds” means that for the deeds to be good and shining with the light of G‑d, the Infinite Light, blessed be He, there must be the level of teshuvah

(as is written at the end of the discourse beginning “Yonasi bechagvei”), which is to return the soul to its source and root and to make it cleave to Him, to the Infinite Light, blessed be He, itself.

For teshuvah preceded the world. The “world” is what is drawn from the Name Havayah, which is only radiance, etc. (and see what is written in the discourse beginning “Vayar Yisrael es hayad”); and teshuvah is above the level of radiance,

for it is self-nullification and inclusion in the Infinite Light, blessed be He, itself; as it is written, “Whom do I have in heaven? And besides You I desire nothing on earth”: that one does not desire a revelation of comprehension and delight that is grasped in the intellectual soul according to its power of comprehension, for this is called [serving] “in order to receive a reward (peras).”

Peras is something sliced off and separate; that is, the level of radiance, which is separate and considered a thing unto itself relative to the essence of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, to which there is no comparison, etc. Rather, “the Rock of my heart.”

Tzur (“rock”) is from the term for a partition and a separating screen, which separates and conceals the light and the revelation of the radiance, [so] that there is no revelation of comprehension in it;

rather, it is in the mode of self-nullification and inclusion in the Infinite Light, blessed be He, itself, of which it is said, “He made darkness His hiding place,” and “before Him darkness is as light”: spiritual and physical are equal; “He equalizes and makes equal small and great,” etc.

“And my portion is Elokim forever”: this is the Infinite Light, blessed be He, itself, the root and source of the Name Havayah; for the Name Havayah in its source is considered as the level of Elokim relative to His essence and being, may He be blessed, as is written in the discourse beginning “Shuvah Yisrael,” etc.

(And in this way one can also explain what is written, “And I will place you in the cleft of the rock,” etc.: since there was to be a drawing-down of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, which are the level of “before Havayah,” it is therefore through the level of “rock,” which is a partition and screen, etc., from the level of “He made darkness His hiding place.” And see the Zohar

(Beshalach, p. 57a) on “When you come to see My face,” etc.: “What is ‘to see’? Rather, all those faces of the King are hidden in the depth, in a place

of darkness, as it is written, ‘He made darkness His hiding place.’” But the Mikdash Melech there explains it in another way. And see what is written further on “And I will place you in the cleft of the rock” at the end of the discourse beginning “Ki vayom hazeh yechaper,” in Parshas Acharei; see there.

And see what is written on “teshuvah preceded the world” in the discourse beginning “Haazinu hashamayim”: that this is the meaning of “until Your people pass over, Havayah,” and that about this it is said, “and the spirit shall return to Elokim who gave it”; see there at length. And this is as is written here in explaining “and my portion is Elokim forever.”

And see the commentary of the Ramaz on the Zohar (Bereshis, p. 4b, at the bottom) on the matter of “No eye has seen, Elokim, except You.” And see what is written further on “teshuvah preceded the world” in the discourse beginning

“To understand the meaning of the verse ‘Who is a G‑d like You.’” And the community of Israel as a whole merits this level of teshuvah on Yom Kippur, when at Ne’ilah we say, “Havayah, He is the Elokim,” through

“before Havayah you shall be purified”: above the level of Havayah, etc. And through this they merit that there be “Then you shall delight upon Havayah”: “upon” specifically.

93. Now, by the power of this teshuvah, there is drawn down on Shemini Atzeres [the ability] to have Simchas Torah. The explanation is this: the Torah as a whole is two Torahs, the Written Torah and the Oral Torah.

Now it is written, “Hear, my son, the instruction of your father”: this is the Written Torah; “and do not forsake the teaching of your mother”: this is the Oral Torah.

The Written Torah is the level of a father. By way of analogy, it is like a father to a son: although the son’s brain is drawn from the brain of the father himself, nevertheless the main part of his growth is through his remaining nine months in gestation in the mother’s womb and his nursing from the mother’s milk.

Thus the son’s growth is with the mother actually included and united with him, while the father is only the root and source of his coming into being, and all his growth is at a distance from the father.

10So too, the Written Torah is the root and source of all the laws that are in the Oral Torah. Nevertheless, all the main points of the laws are well explained in the Oral Torah specifically, and in it they are included

and actually grow; whereas in the Written Torah they are only hinted at in a mere allusion, by an extra letter or word, and from this a whole tractate is made in the Oral Torah, explaining all the details of the laws and their fine points.

Thus the Oral Torah is the level of a mother, in which all the laws are included, and they nurse from it at an actually close distance; whereas the Written Torah is the level of a father, which draws [them] forth in the mode of distance, by allusion, etc., because it is the level of Chochmah (wisdom): “The Torah comes forth from Chochmah.”

And it is written, “I said, ‘I will become wise,’ but it is far from me”: for it shines in the mode of distance. (As is written in the Zohar, Parshas Shemos (p. 12a, at the bottom),

on “And his sister stationed herself from afar,” and on “From afar G‑d appeared to me”; and in Parshas Bereshis (beginning of p. 6), and in the Mikdash Melech (there and there); and in Parshas Vayeira (p. 120a), and the end of Parshas Terumah (p. 125b, at the bottom), and in Parshas Vayikra (p. 20b, at the bottom).

And it is further noted above, in the discourse beginning “Hayom hazeh” in Parshas Tavo. And see the Raaya Mehemna, Parshas Pinchas (p. 223a), on this [verse], “I said, ‘I will become wise,’ but it is far from me.”

And in Parshas Toldos (p. 135a), and in Parshas Vayechi, p. 225b, at the bottom.) The Oral Torah, however, is the level of Binah (understanding), “the broad spaces of the river,” etc.

And the explanation of this matter in the service of G‑d: just as there are these two levels in the Torah, so are they in [divine] service. Now, “Binah is the heart,”

that is, to set the heart aflame and ablaze through the broadening of the mind and contemplation of the Name Havayah: tzimtzum, expansion and drawing-down, etc.,

and how praised and glorified is His great Name forever and ever, “and may Your Name be praised forever, our King,” etc.; so that through this “the mother of the children

is joyful”: to be in the level of a mother who gives birth to the children, which are love and awe; and the joy is their growth, with increase and abundance, so that they be with joy and gladness of heart, etc., as is written in the discourse beginning “Va’eira el Avraham.”

11Now, the growth of the flaming and blazing of the heart is through prayer, with the broadening of the mind and contemplation, as far as the soul is able to bear in its comprehension, for it is actually included and united with this comprehension, which is actually grasped within his heart, so as to give birth from it to love and awe, etc.

But the level of Chochmah is the level of koach mah (“the power of ‘what’”), that is, to be [in the mode of] “and what are we,” which is the nullification of comprehension. About this it is said, “And Chochmah is found from ayin (nothing)”: from the level of ayin,

that is, from the level of the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, itself, “no thought can grasp Him”; for since He is not grasped, and He is holy and set apart, etc.,

and He is the Source of life and the Source of delights, therefore the soul yearns for Him and expires for Him, to be nullified in actual existence. (And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “Re’eh anochi nosen,” that these two levels of Chochmah and Binah are called “two companions” and are called “the point in its palace”; and see there.)

Now, through the teshuvah (return) of Yom Kippur, which is the level of “before Havayah,” etc., the souls of Israel rise and are bound to their source and root above, and become united with their Emanator, blessed be He, in the mode of gestation, like a fetus in its mother’s womb, which eats of what its mother eats, etc.

(See Pri Etz Chaim, Shaar Yom HaKippurim, beginning of chapter 3: “from the place where Binah itself,” etc. And see what is written in the explanation of “And I shall be sanctified among the children of Israel,” on the matter of the first “Kadosh,” and in the explanation of “Set me as a seal,” on the matter of the level of gestation, which is the level of utter self-nullification (bittul), and through this there is afterward drawn a very lofty drawing-down, etc.; see there.)

And through this they have this power to draw down the level of Chochmah and the level of ayin into revelation, so that there be the level of ani (“I”): that the level of a father shine at a close distance, in revelation, like the level of a mother.

And see what is written above on “A wise son makes a father rejoice.” And this is what is written, “Today I have given birth to you,” and not “I have begotten you”: that is, that there be the revelation of ani from the level of ayin in the mode of a mother who gives birth, and not in the mode of a father who begets.

However, the birth and the actual revelation are on the seventh [day] of Pesach, of which it is written, “an Atzeres to Havayah your G‑d,” from above to below (and this is the level of the Splitting of the Sea; see below); while on Shemini Atzeres it is written, “an Atzeres shall there be for you,” from below to above.

For atzeres is a term for absorption: that is, to be grasped and well absorbed in this level, in the mode of gestation, like a fetus in its mother’s womb, which eats of what its mother eats, etc.; and not only of what its mother eats,

but also of what its father eats: that the drawing-down of the level of ayin be rooted and absorbed within the Congregation of Israel, so that they cleave to the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, Himself. And this is the meaning of Simchas Torah.

That is, to gladden the Torah through the joining of the two levels, the Written Torah and the Oral Torah (see what is written below in the discourse beginning “Torah tzivah”); and this is through the revelation of the level of ayin.

As it is written, “I have made Your Torah [my] delight” (sha’asha’ti): sha’asha’ti is a transitive verb, that is, that he makes the Torah into delights, as it is written, “And I was delights,” etc.

(And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “Va’ehyeh etzlo amon,” on “And I was delights.”) And this is through the revelation of ani from ayin, which is the drawing-down of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, so that there be the Chochmah [of which it is said], “The Torah comes forth from Chochmah.”

And this is [the meaning of] “From Havayah was this”: that from the level of Havayah it is the level of Chochmah, as it is written, “Havayah founded the earth with Chochmah,” etc.,

which is the level of a father; “was this (zos)”: this is the level of Nukva, the level of the mother who gives birth, through “it is wondrous in our eyes”: “wondrous” (niflas) is the level of the Supernal Wonder,

the level of ayin; it becomes “in our eyes,” in the mode of a seeing eye and revelation, that is, the revelation of ani from ayin. Therefore the level of Chochmah becomes the level of a mother who shines at a close distance.

124. And this is what is written of the Future to Come: “As a man whom his mother comforts, so will I (Anochi) comfort you.” For at the present time it is the level of “the mother of the children is joyful,” whereas in the Future to Come there will be the revelation of the level of Anochi, etc.

(And one may explain that “whom his mother comforts” is the Oral Torah, in which we have comprehension, whereas the Written Torah is only allusions;

and also that the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the Torah is not grasped at all; and in the Future to Come there will be “so will I comfort you”: that the inner dimension of the Torah will be revealed. And see what is written about this regarding the Splitting of the Sea, in the discourse beginning “Levaer inyan krias Yam Suf,” that this is the matter of the revelation of the level of Eden, which is above the level of “And a river goes out,” etc.;

see there. That is, that the level of Eden itself, of which it is said, “No eye has seen,” etc., will shine in the mode of closeness of place, like the level of “And a river goes out,” etc. And this is the meaning of “And a spring shall go out from the House of G‑d,” and as is written in the explanation of “There are sixty queens.”

And see what is written further on the matter of the revelation of the level of Eden in the discourse beginning “Ka mipalgi bemesivta derekia: im baheres kodmah,” etc. And see what is written further in the discourse beginning “Ki Avraham lo yeda’anu,” in the name of Pri Etz Chaim, etc., and on the matter that Purim and Yom Kippur are on one level.

From this one will understand somewhat more of this matter mentioned here, that the level of Chochmah (wisdom) becomes the level of a mother who shines at a close distance. And see what is written similarly regarding Moshe, who was “heavy of mouth” with respect to the Oral Torah and “heavy of tongue” with respect to the Written Torah, because he was from the level of “and what are we,” the essence of supernal Chochmah;

but the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “And I (Anochi) will be with your mouth”: that through the revelation of the level of Anochi, “who I am,” through this the level of supernal Chochmah will be drawn to shine below. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “Aromimcha Havayah

ki dilisani,” etc. And see what is written in Parshas Behaaloscha on the matter of the quail, on “Is the hand of G‑d too short?” etc. And see what is written in Parshas Va’eira at the end of the discourse beginning “Vayedaber Elokim el Moshe,”

on “And I will be to you for Elokim”: the meaning is that the level of Havayah alone, He Himself, will be to you in the level of Elokim that rests upon you. And this was Yaakov’s intention in his prayer, “and Havayah will be to me for Elokim”: the meaning is that Havayah alone, He Himself, will be to me in the level of Elokim.

And this is exactly like the matter mentioned here in explaining “From Havayah was this.” And see what is written in Parshas Yisro at the end of the discourse beginning “Zachor es yom haShabbos lekadsho,” on the matter that “Remember” and “Keep” were said in one utterance through the revelation of the level of Anochi, which is the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, that is above the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus), etc.; see there.

Now, to bring this matter closer to the intellect, that the level of Chochmah will shine at a close distance, etc.: it is because Chochmah is what is above comprehension.

And it is called “the intellect that is hidden from all conception”; and what is drawn from it in the mode of understanding and comprehension is only a mere glimmer, like lightning flashing from the power of the intellect into comprehension; whereas the very essence of the power of the intellect is not grasped at all.

And in this way the analogue above will also be understood, in the levels of Chochmah and Binah (understanding) of the World of Atzilus (Emanation): that the level of Chochmah is above every level of comprehension, etc. Now, it is explained in Pri Etz Chaim)

(Shaar 16, chapter 1) that the Arizal grasped in one hour what, were he to sit and expound for eighty consecutive years, would not suffice to explain.

And how did he grasp this in one hour? Rather, the matter is that his comprehension was in the manner of the level of sight, into the essence and being of the level of Chochmah;

except that his comprehension was in the Chambers of the World of Yetzirah (Formation), as is known. Nevertheless, in this way it will also be understood regarding the level of Chochmah of Atzilus: that Chochmah itself actually shines in the mode of closeness is the revelation from above the order of hishtalshelus;

that is, what is above the bounds of comprehension will also shine in the mode of closeness, etc. And about this it is said of the Future to Come, “Eye to eye they shall see,” etc.

13And in this way is also the matter of the Splitting of the Sea of Reeds, which is the level of the revelation of the World of Atzilus (Emanation) itself in [the World of] Beriah (Creation), as is written elsewhere. And Atzilus is, in general, the level of Chochmah (wisdom), and Beriah is the level of Binah (understanding). If so, the Splitting of the Sea

means that the sea of Chochmah shines in the mode of actual closeness, like Binah. And this is the meaning of “For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of G‑d, as the waters cover the sea,” etc.

And for there to be this revelation, it is through the level of the Supernal Wonder, the level of ayin, as is written in the Zohar regarding the Splitting of the Sea, that “it depends on Atika.”

And as mentioned above on the matter of “Today I have given birth to you,” etc. And see what is written further elsewhere on the saying of the Zohar at the beginning of Parshas Vayeitzei (p. 148b) on “And Your pious ones shall sing for joy”:

“It should have said, ‘And Your Levites shall sing for joy,’” etc. And this is also mentioned in the Zohar, Parshas Pinchas (p. 242a), and it too is somewhat related to the matter above.

145. Now, all this is by the power of the teshuvah (return) of Yom Kippur, “before Havayah you shall be purified.” And this is [the meaning of] “This is the day Havayah has made,”

for “the day” is the matter of teshuvah, as Mashiach said to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi when he asked him, “When will the master come?” and he said to him, “Today”; that is, “Today, if you will listen to His voice.”

And the meaning of “the day” is “a remembrance of the first day”: the first, which precedes the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus); and as is written in M.A., “on the first day” (bayom harishon) is numerically equal to Keser (the Crown), which is called “the day,” “[the day] that is entirely day,” etc.

(See what is written in the explanation of “And the number of the children of Israel shall be,” on “For great is the day of Yizre’el.” And see the Raaya Mehemna, Parshas Teitzei)

(p. 278a) on “On his day you shall give,” etc., up to “Today, if you will listen to His voice,” and the commentary of the Ramaz there. And see what is written in the discourse beginning

“Ki sishma bekol” in Parshas Re’eh, that the meaning of “bekol” (“to the voice”) is what is enclothed in the level of the voice, etc.; see there. And this is [why] for there to be the revelation of the level of “the day that is entirely day,” it is through “if you will listen to His voice,” etc.,

in the manner stated above. And see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “Be’etzem hayom hazeh nimol Avraham.” And this is also the meaning of “today, im”: that is, in the manner of what is written in the Zohar, Parshas Terumah (p. 163a),

on the matter of im, that it is the level of the left included in the right, as the Mikdash Melech explains there, that it is the level of Chochmah (wisdom) and Binah (understanding); and they are what clothe the level of “the day.” And all this is drawn through “if you will listen to His voice,” etc. And the explanation of this enclothing is set out elsewhere, at the end of the discourse beginning

“Lehavin mipnei mah Yom Tov dePesach.” And this is the level of teshuvah, which preceded the world, and the level of “the day”: “This is the day Havayah has made.”

(And see what is written in the discourse beginning “BaParshas nesachim kesiv,” on the matter of “the great hand that Havayah did in Egypt”; see there.) For it is written, “All that Havayah desired, He made,” etc.:

that He made and drew down the level of Havayah into the whole hishtalshelus, from the level of “all that He desired,” etc. And this is through “this day,” that is, the first day, which precedes the hishtalshelus, which is the matter of teshuvah,

for “their beginning is wedged in their end” specifically: in this physical world specifically, the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, which is above the hishtalshelus, shines; therefore there can be the level of teshuvah, to turn one’s heart from one extreme to the opposite extreme.

Like Rabbi Elazar ben Durdaya, who acquired his world in one hour, etc.; whereas in the World to Come each one is already set apart in his place, and every righteous person has a dwelling of his own. (And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “Tzav es Bnei Yisrael … es korbani lachmi.”)

And this is “Today I have given birth to you”: “today” specifically can there be the revelation of ani from ayin, and “it is wondrous in our eyes”: “this is the day” specifically; and it is what causes there to be “made Havayah.”

“And therefore let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (And in the Zohar it is mentioned on “You are my son, today I have given birth to you,” in Parshas Balak) (p. 191b and p. 203b); and see there. And it is further mentioned in Parshas Mishpatim (p. 98a and p. 101a) in another connection.

And on “This is the day [Havayah] has made,” etc., in Parshas Emor (beginning of p. 105); and see there. And Parshas Bechukosai, p. 114b.