ושמתי כדכד שמשותיך

1“And I will make your windows of kadkod.” Two angels in the firmament disagreed about this, Michael and Gavriel: one said shoham, and one said yashfeh. And the Holy One, blessed be He, said: “Let it be like this and like this (kedein u’chedein).”

The explanation is this. It is known that an arousal from below (isarusa dilesata) [elicits] an arousal from above (isarusa dile’eila). Now we need to understand: from where does an arousal from below get this power, that in it and through it there should be an arousal from above? And we also need

to understand the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: “For two and a half years Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel disagreed whether it is more comfortable for man that he was created, or more comfortable that he not have been created than that he was created, until they took a count and concluded: It is more comfortable for man not to have been created than to have been created,” etc.

For it is written, “And G‑d saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good”; and this verse was said after the utterance “Let us make man,” when man had already been created, and what He had made was good and upright before G‑d.

2So how could they take a count and conclude that it is more comfortable for man not to have been created, etc.? To understand all this, we must first explain the matter of the soul’s descent into this world, for it is known

that it is for the sake of an ascent. But what is this ascent? For the source from which the souls were hewn, and their foundation, is from the level of the higher Thought (machshavah ila’ah),

since “Israel arose in [G‑d’s] thought,” and from there they descended to be clothed in a body and an animal soul. What further elevation, higher still, will the souls rise to after their descent into a body in this physical world?

However, it is known that the souls are from the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the vessels of the World of Atzilus (Emanation), and the angels are from the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) of the vessels. (See what is written about angels and souls in the discourse beginning “A psalm, a song of the dedication of the House.”) And to understand the matter of the vessels, what they are: “From my flesh I shall behold.”

For a person has a body and a soul. The soul is what gives life to the body, and the body is a vessel and a dwelling place for the soul, which is clothed within the body: the intellect is clothed in the brain, the power of sight in the eye, the power of hearing in the ear, etc.

And so it is with all the limbs: the limbs are in the category of vessels and a dwelling place for the resting of the soul’s light, which rests and is clothed within them, so that in them and through them there should be a revelation of the illumination of the soul and of its powers, which spread through them, in each limb according to its temperament and its nature.

3Now, the body is physical and bears no comparison to the soul, which is spiritual; there is no relation between them at all. Even so, the soul is clothed in it to give it life, and brings about the illumination of its powers through this physical body specifically. For the intellect,

which is spiritual, rests and is clothed in the brain in a person’s head; the brain is physical, and even so it becomes a vessel and a dwelling place for the resting of the intellect, which is the light of the soul and a power that spreads forth from it.

So too it will be understood Above as well: all the Sefiros are “like a body in relation to the soul,” [the soul being] the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, which dwells and is clothed in them.

That is: the level of the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah) is like the physical brain in a person’s head; as [the brain is] in relation to the intellect that rests and is clothed in it, so, by way of analogy, is the level of the higher Chochmah

(in relation to the hidden Chochmah (Chochmah Stima’ah); and likewise Chesed of Atzilus, in relation to the Chesed that is above Atzilus, is called “like a body in relation to the soul,” etc.; and all the more so)

in relation to the Infinite Light, blessed be He, which is simple with the utmost simplicity, “not of any of these attributes at all”; the level of Chochmah does not apply to it at all, and the level of Chochmah is the level of physical action, [as it says,] “You have made them all with wisdom,” for He, blessed be He, is high and exalted, etc.

Yet even so, the Infinite Light, blessed be He, rests and is clothed in the level of Chochmah, which is the level of self-nullification (bittul), koach mah [“the power of ‘what’”], etc.

Chochmah is only a vessel and a dwelling place for the resting of the Infinite Light, blessed be He; in it and through it the Infinite Light is revealed in the emanated beings, and also in [the worlds of] Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, etc.

4With this we will understand what is known, that creation is something from nothing (yesh me’ayin). On the face of it this is not understood, for it is written, “Everything is from You,” and as the Rambam writes, “From the truth of His existence all created beings exist,” etc. So why is creation called by the name “something from nothing”?

But with what was said above it will be understood. The very essence of the Infinite Light is not of the kind that its name could be called upon the bestowal and the coming-into-being, as a bestower [is related] to his bestowal. That is why it is said, “For He commanded and they were created.”

That is: He, His essence and being, blessed be He, commanded and they were created; for it does not apply to Him, blessed be He, to say that He created the worlds.

For the word bara (“created”) implies that the power of the maker is within the thing made, meaning that the very power of the bestower is drawn down and clothed in the bestowal.

But with the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, it is not so, for it does not touch Him at all. It is only as if He commanded and they were created of themselves, for they have no comparison or relation to Him at all.

In the same way we will understand what is written in the Zohar at the beginning of Bereishis (p. 1b) on “Who (mi) created these (eleh)”: “The Ancient One who stands open to question created these. And who is He? Mi, etc. And because He stands open to question, etc., He is called Mi; for higher up there is no question there.”

The meaning of “stands open to question” is: when the power of the maker is clothed in the thing made, for then it is fitting to investigate and ask who the maker is.

And this applies only to His Names, blessed be He, which are the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin); of this the word “created” is said, in the second person: “You created,”

and likewise, “And You give life to them all.” That is, after the light has already been clothed in the vessels of Atzilus, in them and through them He brings into being and gives life to Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.

For although the coming into being of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, which are a something (yesh) and a thing separate from Atzilus, which is G‑dliness, is called creation, something from nothing, and not by way of a chain of descent (hishtalshelus) from cause to effect (see Iggeres HaKodesh, the section beginning “He and His life-forces”),

nevertheless the vessels of Atzilus become a soul for Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah and are actually clothed in them, like a soul in a body, and they are called by the name “the light that fills all worlds” (see Iggeres HaKodesh on the verse “And He put on righteousness”). Of this it is said, “In the beginning Elokim created,” and this is exactly the meaning of “Who created these.”

For Elokim is [the letters of] mi eleh. That is why this level is called “the Ancient One who stands open to question,” and “who is He? Mi.”

But “higher up,” that is, the level above the vessels of Atzilus, which is the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), the [idea of the] power of the maker within the thing made does not apply; rather, it is in the manner of “And wisdom, from where (me’ayin) will it be found?”

5It is like one who finds a lost object and does not know from where it came to him. And there is no place for the question, from whom the flow of bounty comes,

that is, “Who created these”; for at this level one cannot say “created” at all, but only in the manner of “He commanded and they were created,” etc., as above, which is far, far above the level and rank of “Elokim created,” which is the meaning of “Who created these.”

6This is also the meaning of “the Head that is not known” (reisha delo isyada), explained in the Zohar, and as is explained elsewhere on the meaning of “Blessed is He who spoke and the world came into being,” etc.; see there.

So too, the light drawn from the Infinite One, blessed be He, into the Ten Sefiros is the level of ayin (“nothing”). And the vessels, in relation to the lights, are “like a body in relation to the soul,” as above. See what is written about this in the explanation of the verse “After [Havayah your G‑d] you shall walk.”

72. Now we can understand the elevation that the souls will have after their descent to be clothed in a body. The source of the soul is from the level of the inner dimension of the vessels, which are the inner dimension of the Ten Sefiros of Atzilus, which are “like a body in relation to

the soul,” the level of the Infinite Light that rests and is clothed within them; and [the soul] is called “it is pure” at the level of Atzilus. Afterwards [comes] “You created it, You formed it,” etc., when it descended into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. And this descent is for the sake of an ascent.

For in fulfilling the mitzvos in this world we say, “Who has sanctified us with His commandments,” at the level of “holy” (kadosh), which is above the level of “pure” (tahor); as is known, the level of “pure” is said of the Levites, and the level of “you shall sanctify him” of the Kohanim.

8The point is that tahor (“pure”) is related to [the verse] “like the very heavens in purity (latohar),” and to the Targum’s rendering of tzohorayim (“noon”) as tihara, which denotes brightness: the soul is in a state of brightness of light in Atzilus.

Nevertheless, this term applies only to something that is a yesh (an existence), in which some substance is grasped, except that this entity is very bright and refined; and that is the level of the vessels of Atzilus.

But the level of kadosh (“holy”) means “separate”: it is separate and abstracted from any definition of an entity, so that one cannot even use the term “brightness” for it at all. This is the Infinite Light itself, which “no thought can grasp,” and which is “not of any of these attributes at all.”

9This ascent comes through teshuvah and good deeds. And this is the meaning of “the higher hei returns (tashuv hei) to the yud.” For

just as the soul has nefesh, ruach and neshamah, chayah and yechidah, where nefesh, ruach and neshamah are clothed in vessels (neshamah in the brain, ruach in the heart), while chayah and yechidah are of the category of encompassing [lights] (makifim).

10And teshuvah is the revelation of the level of yechidah. This will be understood likewise Above: thought, speech and action Above, by way of analogy, are the level of the vessels of the Ten Sefiros, which have three levels, inner, middle and outer; thought is the inner dimension of the vessel, etc.

The lights clothed in them are called nefesh, ruach and neshamah, and they are the three letters of the Name Havayah: hei, vav, hei. It is, by way of analogy, as in a person the intellect is clothed in thought.

But the yud and the tip of the yud are the level of a higher light, which is not drawn into or clothed in a vessel at all;

as, by way of analogy, in a person the faculty of intellect itself cannot be revealed in thought; only the revelation of the intellect, which is a mere glimmer of it, is drawn into and clothed in thought.

11So too Above: the level of the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah) is the level of chayah, and the tip of the yud is the level of yechidah, which is far, far above being clothed in vessels; rather, it is the level of encompassing [lights] (makifim), the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin).

See what is written about this in the explanation of the verse “For as the new heavens.” Now, through a person’s arousing in his soul the revelation of the level of yechidah within him, there is also drawn forth Above “the higher hei returns (tashuv hei) to the yud,”

that is, the ascent of the vessels, until the revelation of the encompassing lights is revealed in them: the level of the light that encompasses all worlds will be drawn down in revelation into the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), so that the encompassing [lights] become inner [lights] through teshuvah. See Reishis Chochmah, chapter 2 of the Gate of Teshuvah, on what is written: “They further explained in the Zohar that teshuvah rises,” etc.

12And this is the ascent of the souls: for their root at first is only from the level of the vessels. This is the meaning of “Israel arose in [G‑d’s] thought,” that is, the inner dimension of the vessels.

And although it was explained that the soul in its essence is also made up of nefesh, ruach, neshamah, chayah and yechidah, of which chayah and yechidah are above the level of vessels, this is along the lines of the vessels of Atzilus becoming lights for Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.

Nevertheless, in truth they are only from the level of vessels. And so it is explained at length in Sha’arei Kedushah by Rabbi Chaim Vital (Part Three, Gate Two):

that the light of the quarry of the souls has in it nefesh, ruach, neshamah, chayah and yechidah, and nevertheless all of them are the level of a garment for the Ten Sefiros; it is a light born of and drawn from the Ten Sefiros, etc.

And so it is clear from what is written in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 41, chapter 3: that there is a very small spark which is the level of G‑dliness, etc.,

and this spark is clothed in the power of one created spark, etc., which is called yechidah, etc.; see there. Thus the nefesh, ruach, neshamah, chayah and yechidah of the souls, taken as a whole, are drawn only from a very small spark, that is, from the vessels of the Ten Sefiros.

13And see Iggeres HaKodesh, in the section beginning “He and His life-forces” mentioned above: “And so too the soul of man,” etc., that they have already gone out and separated from the vessels of the Ten Sefiros, in which the kav (line of light) from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) is clothed, etc.

It follows that although the souls were drawn from the inner dimension of the vessels, even so there is no revelation in them of the kav from the Infinite Light; whereas in the vessels the kav shines, and “He and His life-forces and His vessels are one.”

14And this is the descent for the sake of an ascent: through teshuvah they will rise to be absorbed into the very body of the King (le’ishtava begufa demalka), in the manner of the vessels of Atzilus, which are united with the light, which is the kav from the Infinite Light.

And further, they will rise to be united with the revelation of the encompassing lights, which is not revealed now even in the vessels of Atzilus, as mentioned above.

15And this is the meaning of “the higher hei returns to the yud.” Elsewhere it is explained that this is the union of “He and His life-forces are one,” which is above the level of the union with “His vessels” (garmohi), etc.

And this is the meaning of “On that day [Havayah] will be (yihyeh)”: [yihyeh] is twice yud-hei, meaning that the vav of the Name Havayah will be the level of yud, etc.

That is, also in the lower hei of the Name Havayah, which is the source of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, there will be revelation as in the higher hei, in the manner of “the hei returns to the yud” mentioned above.

So too there must be the level of higher teshuvah, from above to below; that is, through Torah and mitzvos, as is written in Iggeres HaTeshuvah, chapter 9. It is along the lines of what is explained in the Zohar, Vayikra (p. 16a), “Who will return (mi yashuv),” etc.; see there.

The point is that the mitzvos are themselves the drawing-down of the Infinite Light, which is holy and separate, etc., to be clothed in the level of vessels, which are “like a body,” etc.

The Infinite Light, which is holy and separate, etc., does not shine in the vessels, which are “like a body,” etc., and bear no comparison to Him, blessed be He; [it shines in them] through the mitzvos specifically, for in them

and through them specifically the Infinite Light is drawn down: through tzitzis, an encompassing light (or makif) of one level, and through tefillin, encompassing [lights] of another level, etc.; and so with all the mitzvos, for all of them are drawings-down of the Infinite Light, the level of “holy and separate,” etc.

16The reason is that the mitzvos are in physical action specifically; that is why they have this power for this drawing-down.

As is known, anything that is of a very high and exalted level and rank comes to revelation only in the lowest level and rank specifically.

17This is the meaning of “their beginning is wedged in their end”: the main revelation of their beginning is in their end specifically, whereas in a higher place this revelation is not seen.

For the beginning of creation, from the Infinite Light, blessed be He, was something from nothing; and from there onward the whole chain of descending levels (hishtalshelus) is something from something, and the power of something from nothing is not revealed in the entire order of levels in the chain of descent,

except in this lowest earth, in physicality specifically. For the power of growth within it is to make something grow from nothing; though there is [a plant] that grows through the sowing of a seed,

and it too rots and becomes nothing and naught; nevertheless, this is to some degree in the category of something. And there is what grows from actual nothing, such as grasses and barren trees.

This is because the earth is the lowest of the four elements, fire, air, water and earth; therefore it is in the earth specifically that the supernal power is clothed, to make something grow from nothing most of all. If so, we see that whatever is lowest has the highest power clothed in it.

18See what is written in the discourse beginning “And Yehudah approached him.” Therefore the practical mitzvos, which are in physical action, have in them the power of this drawing-down, of actual something from nothing, for they are from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, which is holy and separate, etc.; and this is the highest drawing-down, as at the beginning of creation.

And although they are clothed in physical things, lowest of the low, this is like bread, which gives life to a person: although bread is at a lower level than man, nevertheless it has the power to draw life-force into the person and to restore his soul to him.

So too the practical mitzvos have the power to draw life-force and the Infinite Light to be clothed in the vessels. That is, through Israel’s fulfilling the mitzvos, because the souls of Israel are from the level of the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the vessels of the Ten Sefiros (see what is written in the discourse beginning “And behold, a menorah all of gold”).

Therefore, by drawing the light and life-force of the mitzvos upon their souls, they bring about the drawing-down of the Infinite Light to be clothed in the vessels of the Ten Sefiros, which are themselves the source and root of their souls Above. See what is written on the verse “Remember the Shabbos day,” etc.

193. Now with this we will understand the matter of precious stones: they are inanimate, and even so they shine. From where do they have this power?

The explanation is that their growth comes chiefly from the stars; and not from the visible stars, for those have a number, a thousand

and some more, but from the stars that are not visible. Those stars truly have no number at all, and they are not revealed and seen; rather, their special property is to give light to precious stones.

That is, because [the stones] are inanimate, which is the lowest level and rank, they receive light, an illumination, from the stars that have no number at all and are not visible, which are above the stars visible to us.

20Now, as the stars are many beyond number, so are the many different illuminations in precious stones, and the many variations in their appearance and form. For there are many shades of white: there is the purest whiteness, and there is

whiteness that is not so pure; and so it is with all the colors: the colors divide into myriads of different aspects. In general they are twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes (shevatim) of the children of Israel (shevet denotes a drawing-out, from the term kochva deshavit, a comet, which is a star that is drawn out).

For the Patriarchs are Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes, and the tribes are extensions drawn out from the Patriarchs; and they are twelve tribes, corresponding to the twelve diagonal boundaries.

The explanation is that every body has six extremities, up and down and the four directions; and a diagonal is a line that blends one extremity with another, so that there is connection and inter-inclusion between them.

A diagonal is, for example, the connection of the top end of one with the bottom end of the second, or of the top of this one with the bottom of that one, such as upper-east with lower-west, etc.

Along these lines is the allusion of the vav in the middle of the alef, which is drawn diagonally from left to right: the end on the left side is high, and the end on the right side is low. For on the left side it is

raised up high, at the level of Gevurah, and on the right side it is drawn down, at the level of Netzach; and this line indicates the connection and inter-inclusion of Gevurah with Netzach. That is why a line is drawn from Gevurah to Netzach.

(See further what is written on the form of the letter alef at the end of the discourse beginning “Their appearance and their work.”) In the same way there is connection and inter-inclusion in the other attributes, so that the attributes are included in one another and blended with one another, so that there will not be

Chesed by itself and Gevurah by itself; for if that were so, the Chesed would be without any admixture of Gevurah, and the Gevurah without any admixture of Chesed. Rather, there must be the inter-inclusion of Chesed within Gevurah and Gevurah within Chesed.

21The meaning of Chesed within Gevurah is that out of Gevurah one gives to him and bestows Chesed specifically, and this Chesed is itself the Gevurah, as in “and He repays

those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them.” And Gevurah within Chesed is that out of Chesed one gives and bestows through the attribute of Gevurah specifically, like a father who, out of his love for his son, chastises him with the rod.

Whereas another, who does not care about him at all, does not chastise him. See the Midrash Rabbah at the beginning of Parshas Shemos, on the verse “He who spares his rod

hates his son.” In the same way there is inter-inclusion and blending of the attributes in many different ways, so that they are intermediate and blended in many ways; and in general they are the twelve diagonal boundaries mentioned above.

And so are the twelve stones that were according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: blendings of colors, white in red, that is, the level of compassion (rachamim), blended between Chesed and Gevurah, etc.

22Now, even (“stone”) is alef [and] ban: [ban] is the level of behemah (“animal”), whose numerical value is ban (52); but drawn into it is the level of alef, which is the Name Mah (45) spelled out with alefs.

That is, the refinement of the animal soul through the G‑dly soul, which is from the level of the Name Mah and is clothed in [the animal soul]. And then, through this refinement, the stone becomes good and shining, in the manner of the ascent of [the Name] Ban into [the Name] Sag, which is above Mah, etc.

And this is why precious stones receive illumination from the stars, which are from the level of the root of the G‑dly soul, as it is written, “A star has stepped forth from Yaakov,” etc.

And it is written, “And count the stars, if you are able to count them; and He said to him: So shall your seed be,” etc. (See what is written elsewhere on the sukkah, that its shade must be more than its sun, and nevertheless the stars must be visible through it.

For the stars are in the eighth firmament, which is above the level of the sun, which is in the fourth firmament. So too Above, the level of shade is the level of the encompassing [light] (makif), which is above the level of the “sun” of Havayah, etc.; and the stars are sparks drawn from the encompassing light to shine into the inner [light], etc.

See Midrash Rabbah, Parshas Devarim: “He said before Him: Master of the world, why did You not compare Your children to the sun and the moon?” etc., up to “but the stars never have shame,” etc.

Therefore, of the precious stones, whose growth is from the stars, which is the refinement of the animal soul, it is said, “And Aharon shall carry the names of the children of Israel,” etc., “upon his heart,” etc., “before Havayah,” etc.)

Now, the twelve stones were on the heart of Aharon the High Priest (kahana rabba), the level of “holy” and not “pure”; as is known, the level of “holy” is in the Kohanim and the level of “pure” in the Levites. “And Aharon shall carry their names upon his heart

(and upon his two shoulders) before Havayah”: he illumined the level of the twelve diagonal boundaries in the twelve stones up to the level of “before Havayah,”

which is the level of “holy and separate,” which is above the level of Havayah, as is known. (See Zohar II, Pekudei, p. 229, end of side b, and p. 230a; and Zohar III, Naso, p. 134, beginning of side b.)

However, all this concerns the division of the colors and forms of the precious stones mentioned above, which divide in general into twelve levels and ranks, the level of the twelve diagonal boundaries;

that is, in terms of the extensions for the blending and inter-inclusion of the attributes (middos), in their colors: this one tends to Chesed and that one tends, etc.

But in the manner of their shining, taken as a whole, they divide into two kinds. There is a stone that shines in the manner of direct light (or yashar), that is,

it is a stone that gives light, and by its light, light is visible to others: if it is taken out in the dark, it gives light, because its illumination spreads from within it outward. And there is a stone

that flashes and throws arrows like lightning into the eye of the beholder, until the beholder’s eye blazes from its radiance and splendor; and this is in the manner of reflected light (or chozer), which is from below to above.

23And these are the two levels of tzaddik: the upper tzaddik, from above to below, and the lower tzaddik, from below to above; they are Yosef the tzaddik and Binyamin the tzaddik. Binyamin is from below to above, the level of reflected light,

that is, the level of the longing of created beings to be included in their source: “and your longing shall be for your husband”; the lower waters weep, “We want to be before the King,” for they do not want to remain below.

24And perhaps this is alluded to in the birth of Binyamin, where it says, “And she had hard labor in giving birth”: for Rachel is the level of Malchus, and in giving birth to him, which is the revelation of Binyamin’s soul to be at the level of a created being in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, she had

difficulty giving birth; that is, the revelation of the level of Binyamin in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah came with difficulty, contrary to the nature of his soul, for he was a chariot for the level of reflected light, from below, to be included in its source; and his birth means [his] revelation to be below, in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.

25And Yosef the tzaddik is the level of direct light, from above to below, to bestow upon Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah specifically, as it is written, “And Yosef sustained his father and his brothers,” and “Yosef was the one who supplied [grain],” etc.

Now, the stones were for the names of the tribes according to their births, and the order of the stones, odem, pitdah, etc., follows the order of the tribes’ births, as the Rambam writes. It follows that shoham is Yosef’s and yashfeh is Binyamin’s.

(Yashfeh is yesh peh, “there is a mouth”: that is, the level of Malchus, which is the level of “mouth,” rises to the level of yesh, etc., that is, to the level of “the utterance (motza) of the mouth of Havayah,” motza being the source of the level of “mouth.” See what is written in the explanation of the verse “the heads of the tribes,” and what is written on the verse “This is the statute of the Torah.”

And this is “there is a mouth, and it is silent”: for a wise man does not speak before one greater than he. See what is written in a similar vein about the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, on “and you shall keep silent”; and see what is written in the explanation of the verse “And the number [of the children of Israel] shall be”; and see Zohar III, Balak)

(188b), on the omer of the waving (tenufah), tenu peh (“give a mouth”); and see the Midrash Rabbah on Esther, on the verse “Esther did not tell,” etc. And this is why Michael said shoham and Gavriel said yashfeh.

For “your windows” (shimshosayich) means windows through which the sun (shemesh) shines, and it is an analogy for the shining of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) through two kinds of windows: either the Infinite Light will be drawn down below into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, or Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah will rise to be included in the Infinite Light.

26And this is the meaning of “And I will walk among you”: that is, there will be a revelation of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev) within the light that fills all worlds (memalei), which is the walking from above to below, and also the ascent of memalei into sovev, which is the walking from below to above.

See what is written in Parshas Vayeshev, at the end of the discourse beginning “And I will give you places to walk,” etc. It is, by way of analogy, as when one stands above and the second below, and they want to come close together: the closeness can come about in two

ways: either the upper one goes down, or the lower one goes up. And Michael, the prince of Chesed, which is the level of bestowal from above to below, said that it should be the level of shoham specifically, the level of Yosef, for such is his attribute.

Whereas Gavriel spoke according to his attribute, the level of Gevurah and withdrawal upward specifically. (Now, in the Gemara there [it says], “and some say” that two Amoraim in the West disagreed about this, Yehudah and Chizkiyah, the sons of Rabbi Chiya. The explanation is that it is stated in the Gemara in Bava Metzia)

(p. 85b) that Rabbi Chiya and his sons were like the Patriarchs, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. And it is also stated in the Gemara in Moed Katan (p. 25a): “Yehudah was at his father’s right, and Chizkiyah at his left.”

And it is explained in the book Chemdas Tzvi on the Tikkunei Zohar that Rabbi Chiya is the level of Yaakov, and that is why his chariot (goharki) “rose by itself,” in the manner of Tiferes, which rises up to Keser.

And also, of Yaakov it is said, “For you have striven with G‑d and with men,” so that he does not need angels, etc. (See what is written in the explanation of the verse “Rise up, O well,” etc., “the well that princes dug,” and what is written on the verse “As an eagle stirs up its nest,” etc.)

It can also be said that this is why he is called Chiya (“living”), along the lines of “Yaakov our father did not die,” etc. If so, it follows of itself that Yehudah, who was at his right, is of the level of Avraham, and Chizkiyah, at his left, is of the level of Yitzchak.

Therefore it is well understood that Yehudah and Chizkiyah, the sons of Rabbi Chiya, also disagreed about this: Yehudah said shoham, according to his attribute, from above to below, the level of Avraham; and Chizkiyah said yashfeh, according to his attribute, from below to above, the level of Yitzchak, etc.

27Now, according to the reading of the Gemara in Bava Basra, “two angels in the firmament, Gavriel and Michael; one said shoham,” it seems at first glance that Gavriel said shoham.

This way too can be reconciled, according to what is written elsewhere on the verse “And these are the generations of Yitzchak,” etc.: of Avraham it is written, “whom you love, Yitzchak,” for it is known to be nature to love the opposite,

as it is written, “Cold water to a weary soul”; and likewise the reverse: one who is very cold wants hot water.

28Therefore Avraham, whose attribute causes [the light] to rest from above to below, also loves the opposite, the level of Yitzchak, from below to above. According to this, it can be said that Gavriel said shoham and Michael said yashfeh.

But nevertheless the first explanation seems more likely; and so in Midrash Tehillim, at the beginning of section 87, the reading is “two angels in the firmament disagreed about it, Michael and Gavriel,” and so it is in the Yalkut on Isaiah 54, as mentioned above.

294. “And the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Let it be like this and like this.” For the meaning and explanation of the ascent of the levels and their inclusion in their source is the refinement of the matter in the lower level, which is material and physical relative to the level above it,

which is in the category of spirituality and soul relative to the lower one, which is in the category of a body compared to it. And when [the lower level] divests itself of its materiality and coarseness, until it is at the higher level, that is its ascent and inclusion in its source.

30And this is the ascent of Shabbos in the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the worlds, as we say, “Give to Havayah, O sons of the mighty; give to Havayah,” etc.

For the three times “give” are three levels of ascent: Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah rise into Atzilus, into Malchus; likewise Malchus rises into Z’eir Anpin, and Z’eir Anpin into Abba and Imma, up to the highest heights, as all this is written in the mystical intention of the “give” mentioned above;

that is, the levels are raised to a greater elevation than when they were in the order of the chain of descent (hishtalshelus). For Chochmah in the order of the chain of descent [extends] down to the Chochmah of Asiyah, until human intellect came into being.

Now, this human intellect is very material and coarse compared with the wisdom Above, and it bears no comparison or likeness to the level Above.

31So too the compassion below, in physicality, is very corporeal, with materiality and coarseness, and is unlike the compassion Above. For below, compassion comes from the soul’s being moved when it is distressed at the distress of a poor man, which it cannot bear, etc.

But Above, being moved by bodily occurrences does not apply at all. Rather, through the descents and the drawing-down of the levels by many and various contractions (tzimtzumim), human intellect and human compassion came into being; and Above is the source of wisdom, its spirituality and life-force, and the source of compassion and its life-force, from which it is drawn down to become wisdom and compassion below, in physicality.

But in the ascent of the worlds, in the inner dimension, the wisdom below will be raised, so that it is refined of its materiality and coarseness until it is nullified in its existence (bittul) and included in the source of wisdom Above, which has no equal or likeness in human intellect at all.

32And this is the meaning of “to be absorbed into the body of the King”: to be included in the actual Ten Sefiros of Atzilus, within which there will be the revelation of the encompassing lights, the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin).

And this is the union of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, with the soul of man in the body, when he will arise at the Resurrection of the Dead, in the manner of the supernal union of “He and His life-forces are one,”

and that is through the ascents of the worlds that will take place then. The matter of refinement can be further understood from what we see: the human body is more refined than the body of an animal. That is

because a human being has a rational soul, and his body too is in proportion to his soul; whereas an animal’s body is coarser and more material, and it could not contain a rational soul in its body at all.

33So too in the Time to Come the body will be infinitely more refined than the human body now, for the body will be only from that bone which will remain for the time of

the Resurrection, from which the structure of the body will be built, like leaven in dough, through the dew that will be drawn down from Above; and that is in proportion to the soul, which will then be from a higher, more exalted place.

34In the same way there will be further refinement and ascents, until the wisdom below, in man, is raised to be like the level of the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah);

and likewise the Chesed in man will be like the level of Chesed, “the right arm,” Above, and likewise Gevurah, etc. All this is the ascent of the worlds from below to above.

And this is the level of Binyamin. The level of drawing down from above to below, however, means that even into the vessels of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, as they are, there will be drawn the revelation of the actual Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof),

just as it is drawn into the vessels of Atzilus; as is explained elsewhere on the saying of the Zohar at the beginning of Parshas Vayetzei, that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to David: “By your life, even My own vessels (manin dili) I will not use, but only your vessels (manin dilach).” Manin are vessels.

35Now, in Atzilus too there is the level of vessels, but there, in Atzilus, “He and His vessels are one” (ihu vegarmohi chad), so that the vessels too are in a state of unity; which is not so in Beriah: “from there it divides.” And even in Beriah

there are nefesh, ruach, neshamah, chayah and yechidah; the neshamah, chayah and yechidah are included in G‑dliness, and only the ruach and nefesh are actual vessels.

36And this is “in My vessels”: they are the vessels of Atzilus, and the neshamah, chayah and yechidah of Beriah, which are the level of G‑dliness; therefore they are called “My vessels.”

But “your vessels” are the ruach and nefesh of Beriah, which are created beings and are not G‑dliness. They are called “your vessels” because they are vessels for the level of David, which is Malchus,

which is the head of Beriah. And the Holy One, blessed be He, promised him that the Infinite One (Ein Sof) would rest even in “your vessels,” even in the vessels of the ruach and nefesh of Beriah;

as there truly was the lion that consumed the offerings, the face of the ox that consumed the cattle, and the face of the eagle, the birds, turtledoves and young pigeons; and these are the actual level of the chayos of the Chariot, and not only from the level of chayah, yechidah and neshamah, etc.

Or as in “And Havayah descended upon Mount Sinai”: there was a revelation of the Infinite Light below, not through so tremendous a refinement of the vessels, in the manner mentioned above of the ascent of the worlds, in which Beriah is included in the actual level of Atzilus;

rather, there can be a revelation of Atzilus in Beriah as Beriah is, at the level of Beriah. For He, blessed be He, is all-capable.

37In the same way there can also be a revelation of the Infinite Light, the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), within the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), from above to below. And this is the analogy of the upper one going down, etc.

And the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Let it be like this and like this”: in the Time to Come there will be both: there will be the ascent of the worlds from below to above, the lower one rising up, and there will also be revelation in the manner of from above to below, the upper one coming down; “and both alike are good”

(for each of the two has an advantage. Through the ascent of the worlds, in which the lower is refined with so tremendous a refinement as to be like the level of the upper, it is thereby more united with the revelation of the light, in the manner of “He and His life-forces are one,” literally, like the union of the vessels of Atzilus with the lights.

Whereas in the descent of the upper one below, since the vessel has not been refined with so tremendous a refinement as above, then, even though the revelation of the actual supernal light is nevertheless drawn into it, for He, blessed be He, is all-capable,

nevertheless the revealed light is not so united with the vessel, in the manner of “He and His life-forces and His vessels are one,” etc. And there is also an advantage in the descent of the light below, as was explained elsewhere on the verse “And I will walk among you”: for in the matter of comprehension, too, there is a difference.

For when so great a revelation is revealed that the light that encompasses all worlds can be revealed to the actual body without so tremendous a refinement as in the ascent of the worlds, the source and root of the revelation must be from a higher place, so that the revelation can come down

and descend by stages below, into the actual body. If so, in the revelation of sovev within memalei, the comprehension attained below has its root drawn from a higher place than what is comprehended in the ascent of memalei to sovev, that is, when the body will be refined to rise on high, in the manner of the refinement of the actual ascent of the worlds;

for then the revelation need not be from so high a place as the root of the revelation that is from above to below. As is known, whatever has its source and root in a higher place can come and be revealed further below.

Along these lines one can explain what is written in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Leidas HaMochin, chapter 2, on the meaning of “And I will make your windows of kadkod”: that the Keser of Nukva is drawn from two thirds of the Tiferes of Z’eir Anpin, which are twice kad (24), two thirds of the Name Av (72), etc.

See the Likkutei Torah of the Arizal, Parshas Bereishis, in the discourse on the four who entered the Pardes, and in Parshas Chayei Sarah on the verse “and she filled her pitcher (kadah)”; and the Ramaz on Parshas Vayera, on p. 97b, wrote, and these are his words: “And her Keser is rectified, which shines also from the upper third of Tiferes, in the mystery of ‘And I will make your windows of kadkod,’” etc. And so it is written in a gloss in Otzros Chaim)

(p. 58a), that the meaning of “And I will make your windows kad kad” is the two upper thirds of Tiferes, apart from the lower third, etc.

See what is written in Parshas Vayigash on the three treasures that Yosef hid, etc., “and one is stored away for the righteous in the Time to Come,” which is the upper third, etc.

And see the Ramaz at the beginning of Parshas Pekudei, on the verse “How great is Your goodness,” etc. At any rate, the meaning is that the Keser of Nukva will be drawn in the Time to Come from two higher levels.

The point is along the lines of what is written in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 41, chapter 3: that Keser is the intermediary between the Emanator and the emanated beings, and therefore it has in it both levels: first, the lowest level of the Emanator; second, the root of the emanated beings.

38Now, likewise, in the same way, the Keser of Nukva, which is drawn from the Tiferes of Z’eir Anpin, also has in it something like the two levels mentioned above.

And this is why the Tiferes of Z’eir Anpin is divided into three thirds: the lower third is the level of Netzach, Hod and Yesod within it, and this level

will be drawn in the Time to Come as an inner dimension (pnimiyus) and revelation in Malchus; and from the two upper thirds, that is, Chochmah, Binah and Daas, Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes, the two levels of the Keser of Nukva are made. Of this it is said, “And I will make your windows kad kad.”

39The matter of these three levels can be understood in light of what was explained elsewhere on the three times “holy,” in the explanation of the verse “After Havayah your G‑d [you shall walk].” And see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “He will revive us after two days.”

And this is also the matter of the two crowns that Israel received at Sinai; except that it can be said that those were from the two lower thirds, and in the Time to Come the upper third will be revealed, etc.

At any rate, in the Keser of Nukva there will be the two levels: the first like the lowest level of the Emanator, and the second like the root of the emanated beings.

And their root is from the two levels in the general Keser, which are Atik Yomin and Arich Anpin, etc. See what is written at the beginning of the discourse beginning “And Korach took.” That is, from there are drawn the two kinds of revelation mentioned above, of sovev within memalei and memalei within sovev.

40Now, according to what was explained above, that for there to be a revelation of sovev within memalei the source and root of the revelation must be from a higher place, it must be said that this drawing-down is from the higher level within Keser.

But this needs examination in light of what is written elsewhere, that in the Time to Come the Gevuros will be raised and Yehudah will be above the level of Yosef; and also according to what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “Return, O Israel, unto”: and also, “but My face shall not be seen” is in the mode of drawing down, but in the mode of raising up, “Your face, Havayah, I will seek.”

It follows that in the mode of raising up there can be a revelation from a higher level. See what is written in the discourse beginning “You shall keep My Shabbosos,” on the ascents of Shabbos; and see what was written above on “the sun of Havayah” and “a sun of righteousness.” This needs examination.

41Now, these drawings-down come through “Blessed be the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever,” morning and evening, which are the two levels of kad mentioned above, as is written in the Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 28: “And of these twenty-four (kad) letters it is said, ‘And I will make your windows kad kad.’”

The point is that it is explained elsewhere, on the meaning of “doing the will of the Omnipresent,” that the Keser of Nukva is the level of “with all your might (me’odecha),” etc.

And in the level of “with all your might” there is also the level of will and the level of delight, which is called desire (chefetz), the inner dimension of will: love with delights, at the level of me’od, without limit, like “the eyes of man are never satisfied,” etc.

42And this is the two levels of twenty-four (kad) of “Blessed be the Name…,” morning and evening: for “joy in the morning and song in the evening,” etc.

And this is “A woman of valor (eshes chayil) is the crown of her husband”: a woman of chayil specifically; as is written in Etz Chaim, chayil means twice twenty-four, the “Blessed be the Name…” of morning and evening, through which the level of “the crown of her husband” is drawn down, etc.

43And one may say, on the meaning of “the crown of her husband,” that they also draw down from Keser to Z’eir Anpin, from the highest level; along the lines of [the teaching] that on Shavuos Keser is drawn to him from the actual Atik Yomin and Arich Anpin, as is written elsewhere. And see what is written about “Blessed be the Name…” at the end of the discourse beginning “Hear, O Israel.”

And see Pri Etz Chaim, on the mystical intention of the reading of the Shema: in the evening Shema the root of the drawing-down is drawn from the level of Arich Anpin, and in the morning Shema it is drawn from the level of Atik, etc.; and that accords with the raising of mayin nukvin (“feminine waters”), “song in the evening and joy in the morning,” as mentioned above.

(See what is written in the main text on this matter of morning and evening in another way: for “first darkness,” etc., “He made darkness His hiding place,” etc.; and what is written elsewhere on the discourse beginning “And the light of the moon shall be,” etc.; and consider this carefully.)

And this is also the meaning of “through an arousal from below (isarusa dilesata), an arousal from above (isarusa dile’eila)”: the power that the arousal from below has, that in it and through it there is an arousal from above, comes from this: that first an arousal from above is drawn of itself, from above to below,

and it is what gives power and strength to the arousal from below, which is the level of from below to above, so that in it and through it there is an arousal from above and a revelation of light, etc.

44Summary

45(1) The matter of “it is more comfortable for man not to have been created.” See on this Avodas HaKodesh (Part II, chapter 22), quoted in the Shelah in the introduction Beis Yisrael (pp. 21b–22a).

The Akeidah on Parshas Bereishis (Gate 8) and the Ikkarim (Essay 4, end of chapter 29) struggled with this; and Emek HaMelech (Sha’ar Kiryas Arba, chapter 55) also struggled with this.

But the souls were drawn from the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the vessels of the Ten Sefiros. And “vessels” means the very essence of the level of Chochmah and Chesed,

whereas the light and soul drawn into them from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) is the level of “not of any of these attributes at all.” (2) And this is the meaning of “the soul You have placed in me is pure,” from the term “like the very heavens in purity”; and afterwards, “You created it.”

See what is written in the discourse beginning “The sea saw and fled.” And this is what the inquiry is about, whether it is more comfortable for man that he was created: that is, that he descended from the level of “it is pure” to the level of “You created it, You formed it, You breathed it into me,” that is, from the vessels of the Ten Sefiros of Atzilus to Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, until it is clothed in a body.

For this descent is for the sake of a great ascent: through it they will rise to the level of “holy,” which is above the level of “it is pure,” as it is written, “And you shall be holy people to Me”; and that is to the level of the actual Infinite Light, which is above the level of the vessels.

46And that is through teshuvah and good deeds, through which one draws down the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), that which is not clothed in vessels. See what is written about this ascent in the discourse beginning “‘Remember’ and ‘Keep’ in a single utterance.” And this power is in the practical mitzvos specifically, because “their beginning is wedged in their end.” See what is written about this also in the discourse beginning “A Shabbos of complete rest.”

47(3) Now, precious stones grow from the stars; and this is the meaning of “And he took of the stones of the place,” which were twelve, as is written in Zohar I, Vayechi

(p. 231b). And see Me’orei Or, letter alef, section 4, on stones, and letter kaf, section 2, on “star.”

In general there are two kinds among them, shoham and yashfeh, direct light and reflected light. See what is written about direct light and reflected light in the discourse beginning “Then Israel sang,” etc., “Rise up, O well,” on the matter of “a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters.”

48(4) And this is “Let it be like this and like this”: there will be both levels. There will be the ascent of the worlds, that is, the refinement of the worlds; see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “You shall keep My Shabbosos.” And there will also be drawing down from above to below; see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “For the mountains may depart,” on “He shall be called the G‑d of all the earth.”

And this is “And I will make your windows kad kad”: this is twice the twenty-four letters of “Blessed be the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever,” morning and evening. See Me’orei Or, letter dalet, section 33; and see the Midrash Rabbah on Eichah, on the verse “the city that was great

with people”: many aspects of twenty-four are mentioned there, and their root is in the twenty-four permutations of [the Name] Ado-nai. And see what is written on the verse “And now, let the power of Ado-nai be great.”

495. Nevertheless, they took a count and concluded that it is more comfortable for man not to have been created and to have remained at the level of “it is pure.” And as for what is written, “and behold, it was very good,” there is no difficulty.

For this verse must be [explained] even without this. For we see, in the creation of the vegetative, animal and speaking creatures, that some of them were created not for their own sake alone but to serve man.

For example, the creation of horses is so that man should ride on them and they should carry people; if so, [the horse] was created only as secondary to the main thing; and many created beings, most of them, are like it.

50Yet it is written, “all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” The point is that the horse too gains benefit and rectification from

its being a mount for man: both physically, for man provides it with its food well, and chiefly spiritually, for the life-force within it is refined through this; and needless to say the food that a person eats, which is absorbed into his very inner being.

51And likewise the garments that a person wears. Nevertheless, the main intent in the creation of the horse, for example, is not the benefit that comes to it; that is only secondary, so as not to withhold the reward of any creature. Rather, the intent in its creation is the good of man.

And we find even more than this: on the verse “For this is the whole of man,” our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “The whole world was created only to be a companion to this one,” in the first chapter of Berachos (p. 6, end of side b); and the Rambam elaborated on this in his introduction to the Commentary on the Mishnah.

(See on this the Kuzari, Essay 1, sections 95, 103 and 111, and Essay 2, sections 14 and 44.)

And see the Midrash Rabbah on Bamidbar, section 3: “Rabbi Levi said: You find that the Holy One, blessed be He, created many things in the world and chose one of them for Himself: the Holy One, blessed be He, created seven days and chose Shabbos,” etc.;

see there; and in Parshas Acharei, at the beginning of section 22. And if this is so among the created beings themselves, how much more so with the created beings in relation to the Creator. For an explicit verse states, “And for My glory I created him.”

52And it is written, “Havayah made everything for His own sake.” And as our Sages, of blessed memory, said at the end of chapter 6 of Avos: “Everything the Holy One, blessed be He, created, He created only for His glory.”

If so, the ultimate intent in the creation of man is not for the sake of man himself alone. Although in truth his ascent is very wondrous, nevertheless this alone is not the ultimate intent, but rather His glory, blessed be He.

53And so that “Havayah will rejoice in His works”; “this Leviathan You formed to play with.” And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said in the Mishnah at the end of Kiddushin: “They were created only to serve me, and I was created to serve my Maker.”

So, just as the creation of the animals is only secondary, to serve man, except that they nevertheless have a good reward for it, so too, in the same way, the creation of man is for His glory, blessed be He. And therefore it is said, “To a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots have I likened you, My beloved.”

54See what is written about this in Shir HaShirim, at the end of the discourse beginning “To a mare among chariots.” And along these lines they said in the Midrash Rabbah at the beginning of Devarim: “My children were like bees: just as this bee, everything

it gathers, it gathers for its owner, so everything that Israel gather, mitzvos and good deeds, they gather for their Father in heaven.” And this is the supernal delight, the delight of the King in His very essence from the fulfillment of the Torah and the mitzvos.

55Nevertheless, man receives a good reward without end, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Better one hour of serenity in the World to Come than all the life of this world.”

Yet even so, this is the level of something secondary compared with the delight of the King in His very essence. Therefore this drawing-down is likened to the level of “and the hair of His head”:

just as, by way of analogy, the hairs bear no comparison to the essence of the brain, so the revelation of delight and the reward of a mitzvah that is drawn down and revealed to the souls bears no comparison to the essence of the supernal delight, which is the essence of the mitzvah.

56Therefore, “better one hour of teshuvah and good deeds in this world than all the life of the World to Come.” And this is why they took a count and concluded that it is more comfortable for man not to have been created; and they did not say, G‑d forbid, that it is good for him not to have been created.

For that is impossible to say, since the descent and creation from the level of “it is pure” to the level of “You created, You formed, You breathed into me” is for the sake of a great and infinitely wondrous ascent, to the level of the supernal “holy,” which is far, far above the rank of “pure,” as mentioned above. And therefore it is said, “Say of the righteous that he is good.”

“How great is Your goodness that You have hidden away for those who fear You.” But even so, this alone is not the ultimate intent in his creation,

but rather that he be at the level of “To a mare among chariots,” etc., and like this bee, etc., as mentioned above, and not serve for his own sake and to receive a reward.

57Therefore they said that it would have been comfortable and easy for him not to have been created, even though he would remain at the level of “it is pure,” rather than enter into the tremendous war with the evil inclination, and “would that his leaving be like his coming.”

And therefore, now that he has been created, “let him examine his deeds”: that is, let him know that he was created for His glory, blessed be He, to serve his Maker, etc.; and then he will merit the great goodness that is hidden away, etc. “And in the future the righteous will have ‘holy’ said before them,” etc.