וביום השמיני ימול וגו׳

1“And on the eighth day he shall be circumcised,” etc.

2“For the conductor, on the eighth”: on circumcision, which was given on the eighth [day]. For in the bathhouse [David] saw himself naked, etc.; once he remembered the circumcision, his mind was set at ease, etc., as is found in Menachos, folio 43b. And so it is also in the Jerusalem Talmud, at the end of Tractate Berachos.

3Now we need to understand why the song was about its having been given on the eighth [day] specifically. However, it is written, “And on the eighth day he shall be circumcised,” etc., and even on Shabbos, for circumcision overrides Shabbos.

And to understand the advantage and superiority that circumcision, which is on the eighth day, possesses, [enabling it] to override the eminence and rank of the holiness of Shabbos, we must first explain the matter of Shabbos: “for on it He rested,” etc.

4The root of the matter is this. All the labors of the weekdays, the thirty-nine labors, plowing and sowing, etc., have the quality of rectification and refinement (tikkun and birur): to raise up from the vegetative power that is in the earth, to make grow all the food that a person eats and lives by;

For he makes a blessing over the food at the beginning and at the end, and draws holiness into it; and also afterward, when he receives life-force (chayus) from this food, the life-force of the food is included in the life-force of the person, and his strength and his intellect are reinforced; and with the strength

and intellect [that come] from this, he prays, studies and fulfills mitzvos. Therefore the life-force of the food also rises with him and is included in “One” and “You shall love,” etc. And in the same way are all the labors, such as baking and cooking, which are the rectification of the food so that it be fit for a person to eat.

5Likewise weaving two threads, etc., and the like, is a rectification, so that [the material] be fit for a person’s garments; and building and the like is a rectification, so that [the material] be fit for a house in which a person will live.

For, in general, all the labors without exception are in [the areas of] food, garments and houses; these are heichalos (chambers), etc., as is explained elsewhere. And all this refinement is of the 288 sparks that fell, in the shattering of the vessels, into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah,

and they must be raised from Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah to Atzilus. For Atzilus is the World of Tikkun (rectification), which has already been rectified, not through man; but man’s rectification is in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, which were given to man to rectify and refine, etc. (And see what is written in Parshas Bereishis, in the explanation on the verse “For as the new heavens.”)

This is a person’s service on the weekdays. But on Shabbos there is no refinement or rectification at all; rather, the eating is from above to below: “The righteous one eats to satisfy his soul,” etc.

(as is explained in Torah Ohr, Parshas Chayei Sarah, in the discourse beginning “May He reveal to us the reasons,” etc.). And these are the three meals of Shabbos, three times on the seventh day: three times the dew of Atika (the Ancient One) drips down, etc.,

which is from the level of the supernal delight. “And G‑d completed (vaychal) on the seventh day”: vaychal is an expression of kelos hanefesh, the soul’s consuming yearning, out of delight; that is, He drew down the supernal delight.

And this is the mayin duchrin (masculine waters) that refine the mayin nukvin (feminine waters). For all the elevation of the weekdays is the level of mayin nukvin, and on Shabbos the mayin duchrin are drawn down into Atzilus, into the World of Tikkun, which is from the level of [the Name] Mah (45),

for the elevations of the mayin nukvin are from the level of [the Name] Ban (52), and the rectification is the mayin duchrin that are drawn from Mah, which refines the Ban. And this is the arousal from above that follows the arousal from below: “One who toiled on Erev Shabbos,” etc. And see what is written about this on the verse “See

that G‑d has given you the Shabbos.” That is: in proportion to the elevation of the Ban that is refined, so is the drawing-down of the mayin duchrin that refine [it]. As it is written, “And G‑d saw all that He had made,

and behold, it was very good”: that it was very fitting in His eyes. Therefore “Vaychulu (they were completed)”: that they were included in the supernal delight, and their soul was consumed with yearning, etc.; and from this was drawn [the state of] “And He completed (vaychal) on the seventh day.” And this is the meaning of “for on it He rested”: like a person who rests from his work, with which he had been occupied,

as when he occupies his mind with writing something, so that his intellect is then invested in the act of writing, and when he rests, the intellect returns to its source, etc. So, too, all the elevations were included in the World of Tikkun.

Therefore there is no labor on it, because the refinement through man’s service, from below to above, has already been completed; rather, it is the drawing-down of the mayin duchrin into Atzilus, the World of Tikkun. And all this is the matter of Shabbos.

62. But circumcision is a level far, far loftier than the level of Atzilus, for it was given on the eighth. For of all the seven kings [it is said], “and he reigned … and he died,” etc.,

until the eighth king, who is Hadar, the root of tikkun, which is the Yesod of Adam Kadmon; from there comes the light of Mah, which is from the forehead (Metzach) of Adam Kadmon. (And the Yesod of Adam Kadmon is what bestows the inner level.)

This is higher than the level of Mah in Atzilus, which has already been drawn down and invested in the World of Tikkun; but the root of the Name Mah, above, in Adam Kadmon, is very high and exalted above the rank of the level of Atzilus.

(And this is [the meaning of] “Keser Elyon, etc.; within, it is the Name Mah, which is the path of Atzilus,” etc.; and in the same way in Adam Kadmon, which is the Keser of the whole (klalus). And see the discourse beginning “The matter of ‘the Patriarchs are the Chariot’”; from there it will be understood why Z’eir Anpin, too, is called the Name Mah. And see what is written in the explanation of “The mezuzah on the right,” on the matter of avir (air), which is also in Keser and in Z’eir Anpin.)

And it is called “the Will of all wills” (raava dechol raavin), meaning the source of all wills, which precedes all that is primordial. For the creation of the worlds is because, when it arose in His will, etc.;

but that there be a will to will, in [the One] who “is not of any of the attributes,” etc., is from the level of the Will of all wills. And it is called Adam Kadmon, primordial before all that is primordial,

for it is before Atzilus, to the point that even the level of Atzilus, which is the level of Chochmah, has no comparison to it. And it is written, “You have made them all with wisdom (chochmah)”: Chochmah and Asiyah (making) are equal there.

(This is along the lines of what is explained in Parshas Vayeira, in the discourse beginning “You are One, but not in number,” which refers to Keser Elyon, to which there is no comparison at all, for the coming-into-being of Chochmah from Keser is from absolute nothing, etc.; see there at length.

And it is explained in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 41, chapter 4, and in Sha’arei Kedushah, Part III, Gate 1, that in general Atzilus is Chochmah and Adam Kadmon is Keser, etc.)

Therefore Shabbos applies in every place: because the level and rank of Atzilus can spread forth and invest itself even in a place where there is “this opposite that,” since Atzilus is the World of Tikkun, which has already been rectified and invested. And through investment,

the Ten Sefiros of Atzilus are invested in Beriah, and Beriah in Yetzirah, and Yetzirah in Asiyah, so that it turns out that there is an investment of Atzilus in Asiyah as well (as is written in Sefer HaGilgulim, chapter 20, quoted in Sefer Shel Beinonim [Tanya]).

And in this investment it turns out that there is “this opposite that”: even opposite the World of Atzilus there are kelipos, and there is an Arich of the kelipah of Atzilus, etc.; as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Avraham, from whom Yishmael came out, and Yitzchak, from whom Esav came out”; and “the head of Esav is in the bosom of Yitzchak,”

for Esav is the Z’eir Anpin of the kelipah of Atzilus, etc. Only, the station and position of the kelipos of Atzilus are in Beriah, and nevertheless they draw their life-force from Atzilus, etc.

Therefore, even in the place of the kelipos, the light of the holiness of Shabbos can spread forth for Israel, and the kelipos do not prevent or hold it back, etc., since it comes by way of investment, as mentioned above.

7And this is specifically the matter of Shabbos: it is an arousal from above in proportion to the arousal from below, and it is from the level of tikkun, the mayin duchrin of Mah, to refine the mayin nukvin of Ban.

But there is an arousal from above that is far, far loftier than [what corresponds to] the arousal from below, for the arousal from below does not reach there; and this is the level of Adam Kadmon,

which is before Atzilus and does not invest itself in the worlds at all. And there is the place of circumcision: for the foreskin covers over and conceals this revelation, since it cannot be revealed in a place where there is a foreskin and kelipah, G‑d forbid.

And this is [the meaning of] “And you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations,” etc., and “An uncircumcised male who will not be circumcised,” etc.,

“that soul shall be cut off,” etc. And it must be said that milah is a term of cutting, as in “I will cut them off (amilam),” etc., and from the expression moleilin meililos (rubbing ears of grain); and mal is also a term of revealing,

meaning that there be a revelation of the level of Adam Kadmon: although investment does not apply to it, nevertheless the light of this revelation must be in Israel specifically.

(And this is the meaning of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said concerning circumcision on the eighth [day]: “so that one Shabbos should pass over him.” For after the revelation of Shabbos has been drawn down, which is the arousal from above that comes through the arousal from below,

then the arousal from above that is far, far loftier than the arousal from below can be drawn down and revealed in him, which is the matter of circumcision. And see what is written on the matter of “Open for Me,” etc., “and I will open for you,” etc., in the discourse beginning “I am asleep.”)

At first they were commanded only about milah, to remove the coarse and hard foreskin; afterward, in the wilderness, they were commanded about periah as well, to remove the thin skin too, so that there be a greater revelation, etc.

This is not so with the revelation of the level of Atzilus, the Name Mah of the World of Tikkun: since it comes through investment, the kelipos do not prevent or hold it back.

Therefore Avraham was a prophet even before the circumcision, and the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke many prophecies with him before the circumcision: “And G‑d said to Avram”; for he was a chariot (merkavah) for the level of Atzilus.

But in order that the revelation of the Yesod of Adam Kadmon shine upon him, he was commanded specifically about circumcision, to cut off the foreskin that covers over, etc.; for with this light

the foreskin conceals and hides, so that such a revelation, which is entirely without investment, cannot shine; for this light is not invested within the bounds of the worlds at all: [it is] the place of the eighth king, etc.

And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said in the Jerusalem Talmud, at the end of chapter 3 of Nedarim: “Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Avina said: ‘Mitzvos’ of Shabbos is written full” (with two vavs, as it is written, “And Your holy Shabbos You made known to them, and mitzvos and statutes”; and so it is in the Midrash Rabbah, Beshalach, end of section 25), “to teach you that it

is equal to all the mitzvos of the Torah” (and see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “See that G‑d has given you the Shabbos”);

“and circumcision overrides it. A parable: two matrons were walking side by side, and you do not know which is greater than the other; the one that steps aside before the other — you know that the other is greater than she,” etc.

And see language similar to this in the Midrash Rabbah, end of Parshas Bo, section 19. That is, through circumcision [light] is drawn down and shines into the level of Malchus from a higher level (and see Zohar I, 89a and 98a).

And this is the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, in the Mishnah, at the end of chapter 3 of Nedarim: “Great is circumcision, for thirteen covenants were made over it.” And the Mikdash Melech on Parshas Pinchas, folio 233b, explains

that it is drawn from the Yesod of Arich Anpin, in which are the thirteen tikkunei dikna (adornments of the beard), which are the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy; and this is above the level of Shabbos,

which is from the level of Chochmah, the mochin of Abba; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “It is a Shabbos of rest for you.” And this drawing-down is drawn into the level of Malchus; therefore through this she is called the greater matron.

83. And this is the meaning of what is written in the Tikkunei Zohar: “Where there is mal, there is Netzach.” For all the spreading forth of the supernal lights from the Head of all levels is only from the level of Netzach, Hod and Yesod of Adam Kadmon; above Netzach, Hod and Yesod, no thought can grasp it, and there is no revelation there at all. And it is not

like the other partzufim (configurations) of Atzilus, Atik, Arich Anpin, and Abba and Imma, etc., where the seven lower [Sefiros] of Atik are invested in Arich Anpin, and likewise the seven lower [Sefiros] of Arich Anpin are invested in Abba and Imma, etc.

And of this it says: “Abba is attached to and hangs upon Chesed,” that is, the Chesed of Arich Anpin, “and Imma is attached to and hangs upon Gevurah,” that is, the Gevurah of Arich Anpin; for Abba and Imma are what clothe the arms of Arich Anpin, etc. But in Adam Kadmon it is not so; [there is] only Netzach, Hod and Yesod alone, etc.

9And this is [the meaning of] “there is Netzach”: the Netzach of Adam Kadmon, meaning the revelation of the flow of bestowal. For bestowal comes from the side of Chesed, and Netzach is a branch of Chesed;

only, Chesed is bestowal on account of the attribute itself, for such is its nature, to do good, whereas Netzach is bestowal on account of its having been so decided and agreed upon; and it is the matter of the giving of the bestowal alone.

For it is known that there are three joints (perakin) in bestowal: Chochmah, Chesed and Netzach. Chochmah within Chesed is when the love comes from Daas (knowledge); Chesed within Chesed is love that comes from nature;

but Netzach within Chesed is not from the attribute of love; it is rather like a way of stubbornness: he gives not in keeping with his attribute, but nevertheless it has so arisen and been settled with him to do kindness. And it is a revelation that comes into the level of action alone.

But in order that there be “there” a revelation of the Netzach of Adam Kadmon, there must first be “there is mal”: that there be a revelation of the level of the Yesod of Adam Kadmon, the inner dimension of bestowal. For mal is a term of revealing, and a term of cutting and of rubbing, as mentioned above.

(And see what is written in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar HaOna’ah, chapter 3, that the chasadim of Netzach and Hod of Z’eir Anpin do not descend to their place, etc., as long as the foreskin has not been cut away, etc.; see there.)

Also, mal in gematria is seventy, so that there be a revelation of all the seven supernal [levels] through this circumcision. For in order that there be a revelation of Netzach, there must be a light that comes from very high above.

For although Netzach is a low level and rank, at the level of the end of action, nevertheless its root is from a higher level; as is known from what is written,

“For it is a stiff-necked people, and You shall pardon,” etc.: the pardoning of sin depends on this, because Israel possess the trait of being stiff-necked.

For stubbornness comes from its having so arisen in one’s will, which is not given over to grasping and understanding a comprehensible reason; and this is above Daas. Only, when it comes down below, it is invested in the level that is below Daas, etc.

Therefore we see in an infant that walking on his feet comes to him last, after the mochin of nursing (yenikah) have been fully completed, etc., even though he understands and knows beforehand, and also knows how to speak a little, etc.

(And see what is written in the explanation on the verse “These are the journeys,” regarding the meaning of “the supreme G‑d, who bestows good kindnesses.” And elsewhere it is explained that Netzach is drawn from the level of greatness (gedulah): for whoever is broad of heart, with abundant greatness, in that measure does the trait of winning grow and spread in him, that the matter be specifically according to his will, that his own [side] should prevail.

This is not so with one who is small in his own eyes: he will not be so stirred to win, that the matter be specifically according to his will; rather, his heart immediately softens, etc.

In the same way it will also be understood in the service of G‑d: the level of Netzach, to be stiff-necked against the evil inclination that wants to make him sin, is drawn specifically from the greatness and exaltedness of the soul, in the manner of “His heart was lifted up in the ways of G‑d”; and as it is written,

“For which is a great nation,” etc.; and of this it was said, “And I will make you a great nation,” as is written in the Midrash Rabbah at the beginning of Lech Lecha. That is, the root of the souls is from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), of which [it is said], “and His greatness is unsearchable”; and as it is written, “And You have brought us near, our King, to Your great Name”; and as it is written, “And what will You do for Your great Name?”)

(in Joshua, chapter 7). And see what is written in the discourse beginning “I am Havayah your G‑d,” of the section of tzitzis, concerning “When Israel respond, ‘Amen, may His great Name be blessed,’” etc.; see there.

And this is [the meaning of] “Yours, G‑d, is the greatness,” etc., “and the Netzach.” And this is [the meaning of] “And also the Netzach (Eternal One) of Israel will not lie,” etc., “for He is not a man”: for the main strength of the level of Netzach is drawn from the level of

“for He is not a man,” which is a level above the order of hishtalshelus, as is explained elsewhere. And see Zohar III, Naso, folio 136b,

and the Midrash Rabbah, Emor, section 30. And see what is explained elsewhere on the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, “‘And the Netzach’: this is Jerusalem” (chapter 9 of Berachos, folio 58, end of side a). And Yerushalayim means yirah shalem (complete awe): “the fear of G‑d is his treasure.” It is drawn from the level of Netzach.

10This is also [the meaning of] what is said in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, near its end, on the verse “If she is a wall”: “If he stands his words firm like a wall,” etc.;

that is, along the lines of the level of “And also the Netzach of Israel will not lie.” “We will build upon her”: this is the building of Yerushalayim, yirah shalem (complete awe).

11And see what is written in the discourse beginning “And all your children,” on the matter of “your builders.” And the meaning of “And all your children shall be taught of G‑d” is: through circumcision, as is written in Parshas Emor, folio 91b. And this is because “where there is mal, there is Netzach,” as mentioned above, so that there be “I am a wall.”

And through this there will be the level of “your builders,” which is the matter of “We will build upon her.” And see what is written in the discourse beginning “To My mare among the chariots,” in Shir HaShirim, on the matter of “For I said: The world shall be built with kindness.”

12Through this will be understood what is found in the Midrash, Bereishis Rabbah, chapter 11: a heretic (min) asked Rabbi Akiva, “If it is as you say, that the Holy One, blessed be He, honors the Shabbos, let Him not cause to blow on it

the winds; let Him not bring down rain on it; let Him not make grass grow on it.” And he answered him with a parable from eruv and carrying: in a single domain no eruv is needed for carrying; so, too, the whole world is His, etc.

(And see more about this in Shemos Rabbah, Parshas Mishpatim, chapter 30.) At first glance this is not understood, for all the other categories of labor do not depend on the distinction of domains at all, such as sowing, etc.

But according to the above it will be understood: the main purpose of the labors is the refinement of the 288 sparks that fell in the shattering of the vessels, and raising them from Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah to Atzilus, as mentioned above.

13Now, all the ascents are in the inner dimension of the worlds, as is known regarding the ascent of Shabbos: for the physicality of the earth has not been refined.

There is ascent only for the spirituality and the life-force within the world, which is not so in the outer dimension, etc. But we must understand: since it is the inner life-force that ascends, from where does the outer dimension receive the light to exist at the level of the outer dimension?

The explanation is according to what is known: that all the partzufim and supernal lights end in Atzilus, at the parsa (partition) between Atzilus and Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah;

only, they are invested in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah through their investment in Malchus, which breaks through the masach (screen), etc. But the feet of Adam Kadmon are in Asiyah itself: the bottom of its heel is the head of Asiyah, etc.

14The explanation of this is that all the partzufim are by way of hishtalshelus (a chain of descent): Chochmah and Binah, and the emotive attributes, etc.; and there is a difference in the place where they dwell, as the dwelling of the intellect (mochin) is specifically in the head, etc.

But the level of Adam Kadmon, which is far above the level and bounds of hishtalshelus: before it everything is equal, “the darkness is as the light.” And see what is written about this in the explanation on the verse “My dove, in the clefts,” regarding the meaning of “For My thoughts are not your thoughts.”

15Now, from this is drawn the life-force for the outer dimension of all the worlds, all on one equal footing; like the skin that surrounds a person’s flesh: there is no difference between the skin surrounding the head and the skin surrounding the foot, for it is all one skin, and there is no difference

except in the inner life-force: in the head it is the intellect (mochin), etc. Therefore the ascent is in the inner dimension (and see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “And Moshe said: Eat it today”): the emotive attributes and speech are elevated to be at the level of Chochmah and Binah.

But in the outer dimension there is no ascent, because it receives from the level that is far above, which encompasses them all equally (along the lines of what is explained in the discourse beginning “Let them bring royal apparel,” that the coming-into-being of the physical is from the light of the sovev kol almin, etc.; see there).

And this is why he answered with the parable of eruv and carrying, “because the whole world is His”: meaning that ascent from level to level does not apply there, as it does in the inner dimension, where there are many levels, which are like the parable of the division of domains;

but at the level of Adam Kadmon, which encompasses them all equally, the whole world is His, and everything is in one equality before Him: “the darkness is as the light.” (And see what is written along these lines at the end of the discourse beginning “Until he does not know the difference between,” etc., on why doing labor is permitted on Purim.)

But this is in the outer dimension of Adam Kadmon, the bottom of whose heel is the head of Asiyah, as mentioned above. As for the revelation of its inner dimension, which is the level of the revelation of the Yesod of Adam Kadmon, on the contrary, the foreskin covers [it], etc., as mentioned above.

(Something close to this was explained on the matter of “We were slaves to Pharaoh,” who grasps the nape (oref) of Arich Anpin, where “the darkness is as the light”; but with the revelation of the inner dimension, then “Havayah our G‑d brought us out,” etc.;

and as it is written, “May G‑d make His face shine upon you.” And see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “Let them bring royal apparel,” mentioned above, on the difference between the level of the royal garment and the level of the royal crown, which is the level of “with the crown with which his mother crowned him” specifically, etc.; and something like this will be understood here too.)

16In light of all the above, the reason that circumcision overrides Shabbos will be understood: all the Shabbos labor [in it], making a wound, uncovering (periah) and suction (metzitzah), is not considered labor at all relative to the level of Adam Kadmon, which encompasses them all equally, and “the whole world is His,” etc., as mentioned above.

And circumcision is for there to be a revelation of the Yesod of Adam Kadmon, Hadar, the eighth king: circumcision, which was given on the eighth [day]; and relative to this revelation all the labors are nullified. Consider this carefully.

Along the lines of the above we can also understand the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, at the end of the second chapter of Arachin, folio 13b: “Rabbi Yehudah says: The harp (kinor) of the Sanctuary had seven strings, as it is said, ‘Fullness (sova) of joys is in Your presence’ (Psalms 16): do not read sova (fullness) but sheva (seven);

(and so it is in the Midrash Rabbah, Behaaloscha, chapter 15) and that of the days of Moshiach [has] eight, as it is said, ‘For the conductor, on the eighth’: on the eighth string.”

The Maharsha explains there: seven strings, [for] all holy things go by seven, like Shabbos, which is the seventh, etc.; and to that of the days of Moshiach one level is added, from which freedom is drawn, etc. (And see on this also in Rabbeinu Bachya, at the beginning of Parshas Naso.)

But according to what was written above, it can be explained [thus]. The meaning of kinor is explained in the Tikkunei Zohar, at the end of Tikkun 20, in these words: “Kinor: kaf-vav (26), ner (lamp): the Holy One, blessed be He, who is Havayah, shines in the ner, which is His Shechinah,” etc. And see the Pardes, the entry “kinor,” and Me’orei Or, letter kaf, section 35.

17Now, the explanation of the light of the Name Havayah [shining] in the level of a lamp (ner) will be understood from what is written in Torah Ohr, Parshas Mikeitz, on the verse

“For You are my lamp, Havayah,” etc.: that is, the level of the Name Havayah shining in “the lamp of Havayah, the soul of man.”

And it is explained there, in the interpretation of the end of the verse, “and Havayah illuminates my darkness,” that there are two Names Havayah, and a pause (pesik) separates them.

18And this is the difference between the harp of seven strings, which is the drawing-down from the first Name Havayah into the level of “lamp” and “soul of man,” [and the harp of eight].

Therefore it is of seven strings: that is, it shines from the level of the seven attributes in the verse “Yours, Havayah, are the greatness and the might,” etc.

19And see Zohar I, end of Parshas Mikeitz, folio 204b. But in the days of Moshiach, as it is said, “Behold, My servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up,” etc.,

[light] will shine and be revealed in the level of “lamp” and “soul of man” from the level of the Name Havayah that is above the order of hishtalshelus, from which is the root of the drawing-down of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, etc.; see there. And of this it is said, “And Havayah will circumcise your heart,” etc., “and He will bring you,” etc., “and He will do you good and multiply you more than your fathers,” etc.

20Therefore there will be a harp of eight strings: the revelation will be drawn from above the level of the seven (zayin) attributes mentioned above, which are what is called “the days of the world (yemei olam)”; rather, a light will shine from the level of “the days of old (yemei kedem),” etc.

And see what is written in the discourse beginning “And you shall make a tzitz,” regarding “kodesh lamed” below and Havayah above. The level of the Name Havayah above is what the arousal from below does not reach.

21And this is as mentioned above regarding the revelation that comes through circumcision, etc., and it was given specifically on the eighth [day]. And of this kind is the harp of eight strings, etc. And see further on the matter of “For the conductor, on the eighth” in Zohar III, Pinchas, folio 223b.

And its words can be explained together with what is written in the Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 20, folio 51, end of side a, which explains “on the eighth” as the joining of the four letters of Havayah with the four letters of Ado-nai,

for He is in Netzach and She is in Hod. And along these lines the Megaleh Amukos, Ofan 66, explains “For the conductor, on the eighth” as referring to the eight days of Chanukah.

But it is possible to say something further about this, along the lines of the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, at the end of chapter 3 of Pesachim, on the verse “On that day Havayah will be One and His Name One”: that it will be read as it is written, etc., which is not so now, etc.; see there.

Now, the written form (kesiv) is in the hidden world, and the read form (kri) is the revealed world (alma de’isgalya) (as is explained in the explanation on the verse “And the Jews accepted,” at its end).

And in the Time to Come, when it will be read as it is written, the hidden will then be joined with the revealed. And this is “on the eighth”: that the four letters of Havayah, which are at the level of the written and the hidden, will shine and be revealed in the four letters of the reading.

And of this it is said, “Your Teacher will no longer hide Himself,” etc. And this is along the lines of what is written, “And He called: Havayah, Havayah”: He calls and draws down from the higher Havayah, which is above the order of hishtalshelus, to the lower Havayah, which is within the order of hishtalshelus. For there had been a pause between them, etc., and now there comes to be a bond and joining of the two [Names] Havayah, as mentioned above.

22Then it is “on the eighth,” etc., a harp of eight strings, on account of the bond and joining of the two Names Havayah. From this it follows that it will be read as it is written; and this is “and His Name One.”

And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “Who will go up for us to heaven?”: its initial letters [spell] milah and its final letters Havayah. That is, through guarding the sign of the covenant one draws the level of Havayah down to the end of all levels,

which is what will be in the Time to Come, “[your Teacher] will no longer hide Himself,” etc.: there will be a revelation of the Name Havayah below too, etc.

23A summary of the matter. “For the conductor, on the eighth.” Also, the harp of the days of Moshiach, of eight strings. We must first explain the matter of circumcision overriding Shabbos.

All the elevation of the weekdays is called the arousal from below and the raising of mayin nukvin from Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah; and the main revelation of the arousal from above, called mayin duchrin, from the level of Atzilus, is drawn down on Shabbos.

And this is the matter of the inner court “that faces east,” etc., “and on the day of Shabbos it shall be opened.” And see what is written about this revelation on Shabbos in the discourse beginning “And it shall be, from one New Moon to the next.”

But circumcision is a drawing-down from above Atzilus. That is why thirteen covenants were made over it, which are the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, which are above Chochmah,

which is Atzilus. And it is from the level of the Will of all wills, called Adam Kadmon, which is above Chochmah, called “the beginning” (reishis); whereas the inner court is only “that which faces east (kadim).”

24And see what is written in the discourse beginning “When Israel put ‘we will do’ first,” and in the discourse beginning “Six days you shall eat matzos,” regarding “with a strong east (kadim) wind.”

And in every soul there must be a revelation from this level. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “But Havayah your G‑d would not listen to Bilam,” on the matter of the Name Havayah that is in the soul and what the level of the tip (kotz) of the yud is; and what is written in the discourse beginning “The matter of the reading of the Shema,” in Parshas Va’eschanan.

25And this is the matter of the arousal from above that is above the arousal from below. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “Havayah is for me among my helpers,” on the meaning of “every citizen (ezrach) in Israel.”

And this is also the matter of the Mah that is given to him: the root of this drawing-down is from the Name Mah of Adam Kadmon; and in Me’orei Or, letter mem, section 111: “The lights of Mah came by way of a gift.”

26The meaning of “gift” is the arousal from above from a level that the arousal from below does not reach; therefore it comes only by way of a gift. And therefore it was given on the eighth.

For the shattering of the vessels was only in the seven attributes, and this is the arousal from below: to refine the seven evil attributes; and through this the arousal from above is drawn down on the seventh day, which is Shabbos. This is not so with the level of the eighth king, Hadar:

this is from a level that is above the arousal from below of the seven attributes. And see what is written on the meaning of “seven shepherds and eight princes of men,” at the end of the discourse beginning “Our Rabbis taught: The Chanukah lamp.”

And this is what they said in the Jerusalem Talmud: “mitzvos” of Shabbos is written full, with two vavs (in Nechemiah, chapter 9, [verse] 14), to teach you that it is equal to all the mitzvos of the Torah. And nevertheless circumcision is a higher level.

The matter of the two vavs you will find in Zohar II, Yisro, folio 68a, that they are the level of Moshe and Yosef; and see there in the Ramaz. Also in Parshas Terumah, [folio] 155, regarding the twelve loaves of the showbread,

which are two vavs, as the Mikdash Melech and the Ramaz write there. And see the Pardes, Sha’ar HaOsiyos, on the letter vav, and Me’orei Or, at the beginning of the letter vav.

27It may be explained that the vav is a drawing-down, the level of “And a river goes out of Eden to water.” And the level of one vav is when the source of the drawing-down flows from the level of Binah, from which is the root of the six attributes, as in “He established the heavens with understanding (tevunah).”

Therefore in every mitzvah there is vav-hei: a drawing-down, the level of “And a river goes out of Eden,” as it is written, “And He placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to guard it”: “to work it”: these are the 248 positive commandments.

But on Shabbos another vav is drawn down, and it is a drawing-down from the mochin of Abba, as is explained elsewhere on the passage of Zohar III, Emor,

folio 100b, on the matter of “at the time that she receives from the house of Abba,” etc. One can also say that the root of the two vavs is that Abba and Imma draw from the two mazalos, “Notzer” and “Venakeh,” etc.

28Nevertheless circumcision overrides Shabbos, because it is a drawing-down from a level that is above even Chochmah, as mentioned above.

And the thirteen covenants made over it are the vav [spelled in full], vav-alef-vav: the alef that fills [the space] within the two vavs is the level of the Supernal Wonder (Pele Elyon), the level of Keser, which is above the two vavs themselves, as is written in Zohar III, Parshas Acharei, folio 66b.

293. And this is the meaning of “For the conductor (lamnatzei’ach), on the eighth”: “where there is Netzach, there is mal.” For there are three joints, Chochmah, Chesed and Netzach, and Netzach is the very last level.

And from the level of the Will of all wills the revelation can come only from the level of Netzach, as is written at the end of the discourse beginning “The voice of my beloved,” on the matter of “leaping over the mountains.”

30And this is the meaning of “And His feet shall stand,” specifically. And for there to be a revelation of Netzach there must first be mal; and this is lamnatzei’ach. It also hints that through this, too, the revelation of all the seven supernal [levels] that are above Netzach, Hod and Yesod is drawn down.

Netzach and metzach (the forehead) are all one. And the forehead is the gulgalta (skull) that covers the mocha stima’ah (hidden brain), the level of “Be silent; so it arose in thought,”

which is the primordial thought, the Will of all wills. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “And you shall make a tzitz.” Also, Netzach is drawn from greatness (gedulah), the level of “and His greatness is unsearchable.”

314. And this is what is said in the Midrash Rabbah, Bereishis, chapter 11, [and] Mishpatim, chapter 30: the parable from eruv and carrying, that in a single domain no eruv is needed for carrying; so too, “the whole world is His.” The intent is that the flow comes from a level

that is above the division of domains in the order of hishtalshelus, which encompasses all the worlds equally; if so, this is higher than the ascents of the worlds on Shabbos. And as mentioned above, the level of Adam Kadmon, the Will of all wills, is higher than Shabbos, which is only “that which faces east (kadim),” as mentioned above.

Therefore circumcision, which is for there to be a revelation from this level, overrides Shabbos: for all the labors of Shabbos are not considered labor at all relative to the revelation of this level, which is above the division of domains, etc.

325. According to this, one can further explain “on the eighth”: that they are the joining and union of the four letters of Havayah with the four letters of the Name Ado-nai, which are a sanctuary (heichal) for the Name Havayah.

And this is also the matter of the eight garments of the Kohen Gadol: the four white garments, which are mercy, drawn from the four letters of the Name Havayah, and the four golden garments, drawn from the four letters of the Name Ado-nai, etc.

For both levels are needed; see what is written in Torah Ohr, Parshas Lech Lecha, on the matter of “Shield of Avraham,” and see what is written in the explanation on the verse “And all your children.”

33And in the Time to Come there will be a revelation of the actual Name Havayah, as it is written, “[your Teacher] will no longer hide Himself”; that is, through a revelation from the level that is above the order of hishtalshelus. That is: there are two Names Havayah, and a pause between them.

And in the Time to Come there will be a revelation of the Name Havayah that is above the order of hishtalshelus, and then “Havayah will be my G‑d (Elokim).” And this is “For the conductor, on the eighth”: the bond and joining of the two Names Havayah.

34And this is the matter of the harp of eight strings. And all this is drawn down through circumcision, which is the removal of the dividing screen, etc. And see what is written in Parshas Lech Lecha, in the discourse beginning “And the curtain shall divide.”

One may further note, regarding the two vavs mentioned above, which are Tiferes and Yesod, from what is written in the Raaya Mehemna at the beginning of Parshas Tisa, on the verse “The rich shall not give more”: it is explained that Tiferes is called “rich” because it rises up to Keser. And this is [the meaning of] “none is rich except in knowledge (daas),” for Tiferes and Daas are all one.

“And the poor shall not give less”: this is the Tzaddik, that is, Yesod, which is called “poor (dal).” And this is the matter of Yosef’s being “an orphan of his mother,” for Binah spreads forth only as far as Hod, etc. If so, from this is understood the superiority of the mitzvos of Shabbos, [spelled] with two vavs, etc.