בגמרא דב״מ פרק הפועלים קא מפלגי במתיבתא דרקיע…

1In the Gemara, [tractate] Bava Metzia, chapter HaPoalim: “They were disputing in the Academy of the Firmament (Mesivta deRakia): If the bright spot (baheres) preceded the white hair, [it is] impure; and if the white hair preceded the bright spot, pure. [In a case of] doubt, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘Pure,’ and the whole Academy of the Firmament said, ‘Impure.’ And they said, ‘Who will decide?’

‘Rabbah bar Nachmani will decide,’ for Rabbah bar Nachmani said, ‘I am unique in [the laws of] leprous afflictions (nega’im); I am unique in [the laws of] tent-impurity (ohalos),’” etc.,

up to “he said, ‘Pure, pure.’” And in the Gemara, in tractate Nazir (65b), the reason is explained: for the verse says, “to pronounce it pure or to pronounce it impure”: since Scripture opened with purity first. (This is cited by Rabbeinu Shimshon at the end of chapter 4 of Negaim.)

Now, we need to understand the matter of the Tannaim and Amoraim: we see the tremendous wonders they were able to perform, as with Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair

in the first chapter of Chullin, who said, “Ginai, river, divide your waters for me,” and at once it was fulfilled: something that, when Moshe our teacher and the six hundred thousand of Israel were gathered together, at the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, was a marvel.

Likewise they said, “The least among you revives the dead.” And they merited all this through their occupation with their Torah. We must first explain the meaning of the name “the Holy One, blessed be He” (HaKadosh Baruch Hu), by which our Sages, of blessed memory, called the Creator, may He be blessed, and the meaning of “the Academy of the Firmament.”

The explanation is this: “holy” (kadosh) is the level of Keser (the Crown) (as is known from the matter of “he shall be holy; he shall let the locks grow long,” etc., which is said of the nazirite; and see there in the Likkutei Torah of the Arizal).

And although the level of Tiferes (beauty) of the World of Atzilus (Emanation) is sometimes called “holy,” that is because the root of Tiferes is from the level of Keser

(for it is of the middle line; therefore the Tiferes of Imma becomes the Keser of Z’eir Anpin, and the Tiferes of Z’eir Anpin becomes the Keser of Nukva; thus Tiferes is connected with the level of Keser) (and see the Midrash Rabbah, Parshas Balak, on the verse “in whom I take glory,” etc.: “a crown, and He placed it on his head,” etc.; see there).

See what is written about this in the explanation of the verse “Let me see your countenance”; and also, as will be explained below, in Tiferes there is a great radiance from the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, more than in the attributes of Chesed and Gevurah, and through this it is what brings about the inter-inclusion of the attributes of Chesed and Gevurah, etc.

And this radiance is from the level of Keser. (As is written in the Zohar at the end of Parshas Terumah, 175b, on the verse “and the middle bar,” etc.)

Keser is called “holy,” meaning that it is the level of what is holy and set apart, above the bounds of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus). And “blessed” (baruch) is the level of Chochmah (wisdom), which is the beginning of the hishtalshelus and the beginning of revelation.

It follows that “holy” is the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), and “blessed” is the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin). This is why our Sages, of blessed memory, called [Him] by this name, the Holy One, blessed be He: for He, may He be blessed, is sovev kol almin and memalei kol almin.

2Now, the word baruch (“blessed”) also has two meanings. The first is in the sense of “and King Shlomo shall be blessed,” the meaning being that he has been blessed: that is, he receives the blessing until he becomes blessed.

The second meaning is that He is baruch in the sense of the source of blessings, who blesses everything; as is explained about this on the verse “You have captured my heart, my sister, [my] bride.”

Both meanings are true. For although it was explained that Chochmah (wisdom) is called baruch, as is written in Pri Etz Chaim that Yesod of Abba is called baruch, nevertheless Malchus (sovereignty) is sometimes called baruch,

and this is the meaning of “and King Shlomo shall be blessed.” (See the Zohar at the beginning of Parshas Bereishis, end of 3a, on the letter beis, that it is a sign of blessing; and Zohar HaRakia there, that it is the level of Malchus, etc. So it is also implied in the Zohar at the beginning of Parshas Vayigash, 205b, on the verse “For You are our Father.”)

(See Me’orei Or, the letter beis, sections 39 and 35; and see Parshas Pekudei, 261a, and the Mikdash Melech there, concerning baruch.)

This accords with the first meaning of baruch, namely that it is blessed and receives the blessing: so too, Malchus receives the blessing and the flow drawn down from above,

that is, from the level of Chochmah, which is called baruch in the second meaning, the source of blessing. And this is the acronym of baruch: rosh u’mekor kol berachah, “the head and source of every blessing,” as is written in the Pardes, in the entry baruch.

3It is like a pool (berechah), from which water is drawn for everyone; only, the pool is the flow that has already been drawn down from the level of Chochmah, which is called baruch, the source of the pool. This is [the meaning of] what is written in the Zohar: “He is baruch, and She is berachah.”

That is: “She,” Malchus, is called berachah (“blessing”), for she is the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin): “Your kingship (malchus) is a kingship over all worlds.” “He,” that is, Yesod of Abba, is called baruch, for it is the source of what bestows at the level of memalei kol almin.

But what is above Chochmah cannot come at all at the level of memalei kol almin, only as the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), for it cannot come into revelation at all so as to be at the level of “filling”;

rather, it encompasses and surrounds, and its radiance shines in concealment; as is known, the inner light and the surrounding light are joined to each other.

Only, the surrounding light does not shine inside the vessel in an inward and revealed manner, for its light is great and the vessel does not bound its light at all;

yet even so, a radiance from the surrounding light shines inside the vessel in concealment, for the surrounding [light] burnishes half of the vessel from outside, as is explained elsewhere.

4This is [the meaning of] what is written, “And Chochmah (wisdom) is found from ayin (nothing)”: for Chochmah is the beginning of revelation, and therefore from Chochmah onward the aspect of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus) applies.

For Binah (understanding) receives from Chochmah, and from Binah [the flow] is drawn into the emotive attributes (middos) by way of cause and effect; therefore Chochmah is called “blessed.” But of Chochmah [as it comes] from Keser it is written, “it is found from ayin,” not in the manner of hishtalshelus;

therefore it says “is found,” etc. And Keser (the Crown), too, is drawn from the Malchus of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), which is only a level of light and radiance from the Emanator Himself, as in the analogy of radiance, which effects no change in the essence, etc.

(Therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, called Him the Holy One, blessed be He: He is the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), that which is above hishtalshelus, and therefore He is called “holy”; and concerning this the language of acknowledgment is used, “We acknowledge You” (modim anachnu lach), as is explained concerning blessing and acknowledgment in the explanation of the verse “You have set all the borders of the earth,” and in the discourse beginning “Yehudah, you….” And the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin) is what is drawn down in the manner of hishtalshelus, and it is called “blessed.”

And because the encompassing [light] shines into the filling [light], only that its radiance shines in concealment, therefore the two levels, “holy” [and] “blessed,” are all one name: that He, may He be blessed, is sovev kol almin and memalei kol almin. See what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “Keep My Shabbosos,” on the meaning of “I am Havayah,” that all is one; see there.

Seemingly, it could be said that this is the matter of the three levels in the Kedushah: “Holy,” “Blessed,” “He shall reign.” “Holy” is the level of Keser; from it [the flow] is drawn into Chochmah, and this is “Blessed”; and afterwards it is drawn to the level of Malchus (sovereignty), as in “and King Shlomo shall be blessed,” and this is “He shall reign.”

However, Zohar HaRakia, in Parshas Bereishis there, explains “He shall reign” as a supernal drawing-down of its own, apart from the drawing-down of “Blessed,” etc. And the two aspects of baruch mentioned above are also the matter of “opening with baruch and closing with baruch,” which is explained elsewhere, in the discourse beginning “To understand the matter of the blessings.”)

52. The meaning of “the Academy of the Firmament” is this: it is written, “And there was the likeness of a firmament over the heads of the living creature (chayah), like the color of the ice,” etc.

There are lower chayos and upper chayos. The lower chayos are the chariot of [the worlds of] Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, the camp of Michael [and] the camp of Gavriel, and the firmament above their heads is from the level of Malchus (sovereignty) of the World of Atzilus (Emanation). The upper chayos are the Patriarchs,

Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, [who are] Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes of Atzilus, and the firmament above their heads is the level of Binah (understanding). As is written in the Zohar, Parshas Vayakhel, at the end of 213a, on the verse “The heavens, the heavens”: two levels of heavens, namely the upper heavens and the lower heavens, and these are the two levels of firmament mentioned above.

6As is written in the Pardes, in the entry rakia (“firmament”); and see what is written on this subject on the verse “He gives snow like wool.” The reason Binah (understanding) is called “firmament” is as explained elsewhere, on the verse “Praise Him in the firmament of His strength”: the matter of the three levels, light, water [and] firmament, which are the three levels Keser, Chochmah and Binah.

For, by way of analogy, in a person the “light” is the level of the source of wisdom, and it is called maskil, which is the source of the intellect; what is afterwards drawn from it, the revelation of the intellect, is called “water”; and afterwards, when the intellect comes to actual comprehension, it is called “firmament.”

For “firmament” is as it is written, “a firmament like the color of the ice”: ice is water that has congealed. For water moves, whereas ice cannot be changed or diverted.

7So too, when the intellect has already been drawn into the level of comprehension, it is called “ice,” etc. See what is written in the discourse beginning “On the eighth day he sent,” on “He casts forth His ice like crumbs.”

Therefore “Binah (understanding) nests in the Throne,” which is what shines in the Higher Gan Eden. Of this it is said, “And a river goes out from Eden to water the garden”: for only after [the light] has been drawn into the level of Binah and comprehension can it shine for the souls in Gan Eden.

Whereas the level of Chochmah (wisdom) is still above comprehension (see on this in the explanation of the verse “And [G‑d] spoke…, ‘I am…,’” and in the discourse beginning “See, I give”).

Therefore the Higher Gan Eden is called “the Academy of the Firmament”: for the level of Binah is called “firmament,” being the firmament upon the upper chayos, as mentioned above, and its spreading forth and being drawn down to shine in the Higher Gan Eden is called “the Academy of the Firmament.” And specifically from the level of Binah, which is the level of “firmament,”

that is, when the light is drawn into the bounds of comprehension, from this Gan Eden can be drawn forth, so that [the souls] will delight in the radiance of the Shechinah (Divine Presence) in actual comprehension

(see what is written in the discourse beginning “Go forth” (Lech lecha); see Sefer Shel Beinonim (Tanya), Part II, end of chapter 5; and see Zohar HaRakia, Parshas Vayakhel, on folio 212a).

Now, those who merit this rank of the Academy of the Firmament, which is a very high level, whose root is the firmament upon the upper chayos, that is, Binah of Atzilus, which shines in the Higher Gan Eden, and [for whom] “the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to delight with them” in Gan Eden, which is the radiance of Keser and Chochmah of Atzilus:

all this is a very lofty level, and it is through occupation with Torah for its own sake, through which one draws down added light in Gan Eden; as it is written, “Its ways are ways of pleasantness,” and as is explained in the discourse beginning “See…,” etc.

8This was the entire occupation of the Tannaim and the Amoraim; and Rav Yehudah would pray [only] once every thirty days. For the matter of Torah and prayer is that prayer is,

like, by way of analogy, a preface and preparation for occupation with Torah. For prayer is to contemplate the greatness of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He: how “His greatness is unsearchable,” and how the whole chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus), from the head of all levels to the end of all levels, the source of their coming into being and of their life-force is

only from a single radiance alone, which is, by way of analogy, only like a drop compared with the sea, and more than this, [for] there is no comparison, etc.;

and therefore, whatever is closer before Him, may He be blessed, is more in a state of self-nullification (bittul), because it is specifically “before Him” that “all is considered as nothing,” and “no thought can grasp Him at all.”

9From this contemplation there will follow worry and bitterness, along the lines of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “The secrets of the Torah are transmitted only to one whose heart worries within him.” Certainly this does not mean sadness, G‑d forbid, for the masters of the truth kept very far from sadness.

Rather, it means that his heart will worry and be embittered because it is impossible to grasp a revelation of the essence of His G‑dliness, may He be blessed; for even the revelation in the higher worlds is only like a single drop, etc.,

as mentioned above; whereas the level of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, Himself: “no thought can grasp Him at all.” All this is the matter of prayer.

As is explained on this in the discourse beginning “And it shall be, from one New Moon to the next,” etc., in the explanation of the matter of “lovesick.” Now, concerning occupation with Torah it is said, “The precepts of G‑d are upright, gladdening the heart.”

(See what is written in the discourse beginning “Command… My offering,” in Parshas Pinchas.) And since it says “gladdening,” it implies that at first it was not so, namely because his heart worries within him, in the manner mentioned above.

Nevertheless, through occupation with Torah his heart will rejoice. That is: although “His greatness is unsearchable” and “no thought can grasp Him at all,”

yet through occupation with Torah, which the soul does grasp, through this it grasps and is enclothed in the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself; for “the Torah and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one,” as is written in [Sefer Shel] Beinonim, Part I, chapters 4 [and] 5; see there.

10See what is written on this in Parshas Acharei, on the verse “For on this day He shall atone,” etc. And this is the meaning of “Israel is bound to the Torah, and the Torah to the Holy One, blessed be He”:

like a knot, which joins two separate things so that they are tied and united together in a firm and strong bond, as in “And the soul of Yehonasan was bound up with the soul of David.”

Now, [the reason for] the mitzvah of reading words of Torah aloud, in speech, is this. It is explained in Sefer Yetzirah that “the ten Sefiros of nothingness (beli mah) are like a flame bound to a coal.” By way of analogy, the flame, while it is within the coal, is in a state of concealment

(see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “For on this day He shall atone,” on the level of the Supernal Rock, “the Rock of our lives,” which is the source of all that comes into being, etc.), and to draw the flame out of concealment into revelation is done by a wind (ruach) blowing with force.

So too, by way of analogy, through the breath of the mouth of one who speaks words of Torah, which is the level of “a speaking spirit” (ruach memalela), he thereby draws the light of the Torah from its source, out of concealment into revelation

(see Iggeres HaKodesh, at the end of the section beginning “And David made a name,” on “and through the Torah the world is sustained,” etc.: for through their speech they draw down, etc.).

This is why we bless [G‑d as] “Who gives the Torah,” in the present tense. For the root of ruach (breath) is very high, as it is written, “until a spirit (ruach) is poured upon us from on high”; and as is written in Sefer Yetzirah, “the ten Sefiros,” etc.,

“like a flame bound to a coal,” etc., “One: the spirit of the living G‑d,” etc.; for through the spirit the level of fire is afterwards drawn forth as well, which is the revelation of the flame, etc.; see there.

11See what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “On the eighth day, Atzeres,” on “And I have put My words in your mouth,” etc., [and] “what comes forth from the mouth of G‑d,” etc.; and see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “The matter of the recital of the Shema,” on the meaning of “one who reads in the Torah.” But this breath (ruach) all depends on what the person is.

And the Tannaim and Amoraim, who were of the level of the mature intellect (mochin degadlus), had the power to draw down through their speech the revelation of the light of the Torah and the flame, etc., which is the level of the Name Havayah, as it is written, “For Havayah your G‑d is a consuming fire.”

12Therefore they were able to perform great miracles and wonders. This is [the meaning of] what Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair said, “Ginai, divide your waters for me.” That is: sea and dry land are the concealed world (alma de’iskasya) and the revealed world (alma de’isgalya), namely the concealment and the revelation within the order of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus).

But the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) that is drawn down through the Torah is from above the order of hishtalshelus, and before it the concealment and the revelation in the chain of the worlds are equal, etc.; and this is the level of “from one end of the heavens to the other end,” etc.

13As is written in the Zohar, Parshas Terumah, end of 137a: “The end of the heavens: this is the upper world,” and it is the level of the concealed world, etc.

Whereas to the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, the notion of an “end” does not apply, G‑d forbid, for it is not bounded, G‑d forbid. Therefore, through the drawing down of the light that comes through the Torah, he caused the river to divide its waters for him, etc.,

as in “He turned the sea into dry land”: for the concealed world and the revealed world are equal relative to this drawing-down, which is from above the order of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus); as is explained elsewhere on the verse

“For your love is better than wine,” etc. (See what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “And these are the names,” and in the discourse beginning “I have come into My garden,” on “Your thoughts are very deep,” and in the discourse beginning “And I was with Him as a nursling (amon),” on “Your statutes have been songs to me,” etc.)

Now, these souls are the ones who merit to learn in the Academy of the Firmament. For the Torah exists also in the World of Atzilus (Emanation) and in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah,

as, for example, the mitzvah of tzitzis, which is of sheep’s wool; and this matter in Atzilus is as it is written, “And Yaakov separated the lambs,” and it is written, “and the hair of His head like clean wool,” and as is explained elsewhere. Likewise, the four sections of the tefillin are, in Atzilus, the four mochin, etc.,

and the knot of the tefillin, which is [shaped as the letter] dalet, is, on high, the level of the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) of Malchus of Tevunah. This is like below: the straps are made from the outer skin, whereas the parchment on which the sections are written is made by scraping and preparing the hide, etc.

14So too above, the knot is the level of the outer garment in Malchus (sovereignty) of Tevunah, which is the level of the garment of thought. There are several levels in the garments of thought. By way of analogy, in a person: when his thought is on a matter of wisdom, in G‑dly wisdom,

which is the Torah, this is the level of an inner garment of thought, for his soul is enclothed in this thought, which is very lofty. At times he thinks about other branches of wisdom that are needed for the wisdom of the Torah,

such as astronomy or grammar and the like, and these are intermediate garments; and at times he thinks about physical matters, which are the coarse garments of thought, etc.

15Likewise, in the same way it will be understood above: in Malchus (sovereignty) of Tevunah there are three skins, inner, intermediate and outer, that is, three levels of garments for the light of Binah (understanding),

just as in thought, too, there are the levels of thought, speech and action, as is explained elsewhere. And the level of the outer garment is what is called the knot of the dalet in the tefillin, which is, by way of analogy, the outer skin, etc.; and it is the level of the garment of the Chashmal, which is from the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) of Binah, etc.

Now, our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Fortunate is he who comes here with his learning in his hand” (and see what is written in explanation of this on the verse “When you come into the land,” in Parshas Behar): through this he merits to learn in Gan Eden as well what tzitzis and tefillin are in Atzilus, etc., and likewise all the mitzvos.

However, there are several places above where they learn, as is written in the Zohar; and see what is written in Parshas Mikeitz, in the discourse beginning “The mezuzah on the right and the Chanukah lamp on the left,” on “And he spoke three thousand parables,” etc. And the Academy of the Firmament is the souls in the Higher Gan Eden, where Chochmah, Binah and Daas of the World of Atzilus (Emanation) shine, as mentioned above.

163. Now let us return to our subject, to understand the matter of this study of the baheres: how does it apply above, in Gan Eden? But first we must understand what is stated in Etz Chaim, Shaar 48 and Shaar 49, chapter 3: that kelipas nogah (the glowing husk) of Atzilus is good and evil, half of it good, and the half facing outward evil.

For seemingly this is not understood at all: how can one speak at all of a kelipas nogah of the World of Atzilus (Emanation)? The meaning of Atzilus is known to be the level of G‑dliness, as is explained elsewhere, that it is from the term “and He drew (vaya’etzel) from the spirit,” said of Moshe.

17If so, how can one speak of kelipos (husks) of Atzilus? And all the more so, that half of it is evil! We must also understand what is stated in the Zohar and in Etz Chaim, Shaar Leah and Rachel, chapter 7: that the cause of the afflictions (nega’im) is the withdrawal of the light of Abba.

This is why the Targum of tzara’as is segiruta (“closing”): when the light of Abba is hidden and closed off and does not shine in Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes), the affliction is drawn forth and comes.

Therefore it says, “and he shall be brought to the kohen,” for the root of the kohen is in Chochmah (wisdom): the remedy of the affliction is by drawing down the light of Abba,

and this is through the kohen. (See the Zohar, Part I, Bereishis, 31a, on the verse “opposite the frame (misgeres)”: “This is a closed place that is not open,” that is, Supernal Chochmah, which is called Eden, [of which it is said,] “no eye has seen”;

“except through one narrow path,” which is explained in Sefer Hadras Melech, section 116, [as] Yesod of Abba, “which is known in concealment toward it,” that is, it shines into Binah and into Z’eir Anpin and Nukva. And as is written in Etz Chaim, Shaar 47, chapter 3, on the meaning of “You have made them all with Chochmah”:

that in Atzilus the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) is enclothed in Chochmah, and through it shines in all of Atzilus, etc. But the meaning of segiruta is that the light of Abba is closed off completely and does not shine even through the narrow path mentioned above.

This is along the lines of what is written there in Etz Chaim, that Beriah receives only from Binah, etc.; see there. And when the light of Abba is closed off in this way from the level of Z’eir Anpin of Atzilus, from this the affliction is drawn forth. And see Me’orei Or, the letter nun, section 7.

The remedy for this through the kohen can be explained along the lines of what is written in the Zohar, Part II, Yisro, 67b: that the kohen serves and draws down from the level of the Holy of Holies, which are the first three [Sefiros], Keser, Chochmah and Binah; and in Parshas Eikev, folio 271a, end, on “Blessed are You”:

“You (Atah) are a kohen forever”: the level of the kohen, which is called Atah (“You”), draws down from the level of Baruch (“Blessed”), Supernal Chochmah, etc. And see further in Parshas Balak, 193b.)

But when the light of Abba, which is the level of Supernal Chochmah, is closed off and hidden, then, even though the light of Binah shines in Z’eir Anpin, nevertheless afflictions can come into being

(for “from Binah judgments are aroused,” since it is the source of yesh (existence), etc.). This too is seemingly puzzling: how can it be that although the light of Binah shines, the affliction can nevertheless occur?

Let us first preface what is written in Etz Chaim: that the Name Kel is in Chesed, the Name Elokim in Gevurah, and the Name Havayah in Tiferes. Now, the Name Havayah is the first and greatest of all the Names; why then is Tiferes,

which is third in the order of the drawing-down of the supernal attributes, whose order is Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferes, called by a name loftier and higher than the Sefirah of Chesed, which is first among the attributes?

18The Maggid, may the memory of the righteous and holy be a blessing, answered this: as is known, the shattering of the vessels (sheviras hakeilim) that took place in the World of Tohu (Chaos) was because each attribute stood by itself,

and there was no inter-inclusion of the attributes with one another. And the matter of the World of Tikkun (Rectification) is that the inter-inclusion of the attributes came about, so that one needs the other: Chesed included with Gevurah, and Gevurah with Chesed. And through what does the inter-inclusion come about?

For this inter-inclusion is the joining of two opposites, Chesed (kindness) and Gevurah (restraint), fire and water. This comes about through the radiance of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) that shines in them: through this they are in a state of self-nullification (bittul) to the Infinite Light, blessed be He, that shines in them, and thereby they can join together.

This is the meaning of “He makes peace in His heights”: that no attribute should be so dominant that it cannot join with the attribute opposite it, as it was in the World of Tohu; but rather that it be included also with its opposite, because of the self-nullification, etc.

19Now, although the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, shines in the attributes of Chesed and Gevurah of Atzilus, for “He and His vessels are one” (ihu vegarmohi chad), nevertheless each attribute is called by a name of its own: this one is the level of Chesed,

and therefore it is the Name Kel, as it is written, “The kindness of Kel is all day long”; and this one is the level of Gevurah and is called the Name Elokim. Thus they are, after all, two opposite levels.

That is because only when the Infinite Light, blessed be He, shines in the supernal attributes in great revelation does the inter-inclusion and unification of the attributes come about, so that they become truly one.

20This is the meaning of “Havayah is One”: that the attributes be truly united, so that they are not “separated branches”; and this comes about through the drawing down into them of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, for “He is not any of these attributes at all.”

For the ches [of echad] signifies the seven firmaments and the earth, which is the dimension of above and below, and the dalet is the four directions of the world, east, west, north and south;

that is, the six extremities, whose root is in the six supernal attributes. And through the revelation of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, in them, which is the matter of the alef, the Master (Aluf) of the world, they are united as truly one.

However, when the Infinite One, blessed be He, does not shine in them in great revelation, but only according to the level of light that belongs to that particular attribute, then the attributes are Chesed, a level by itself, and Gevurah, by itself.

Only when inter-inclusion is needed does the Infinite Light shine in them in great revelation, beyond their own measure, and through this the attribute is included in its opposite, so that they become truly one.

It follows that the Infinite Light, blessed be He, does not shine in them constantly (that is, in great revelation), but only at times, at a time of favor, when they need to be included in each other in complete unity.

Now, this unity and inter-inclusion between the attributes of Chesed (kindness) and Gevurah (restraint) is through Tiferes (beauty), whose attribute is that it mediates between Chesed and Gevurah,

and it is the level of inter-inclusion; and it is into it that the radiance from the Infinite One, blessed be He, is drawn and shines in great revelation. As was explained above, Tiferes is called “holy” because there is drawn into it from the level of Keser (the Crown), which is above the order of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus)

(see Iggeres HaKodesh, in the section beginning “And the work of tzedakah shall be peace,” and the Zohar, Part II, Terumah, 175b, on the verse “and the middle bar”). And through this revelation the inter-inclusion of the opposites comes about: that is, it is what joins Chesed and Gevurah and draws this revelation into them.

It follows, then, that since the entire nature and essence of the attribute of Tiferes is the inter-inclusion of the attributes in complete, true unity, there must necessarily be in it the radiance of the Infinite Light constantly, since this is the attribute of Tiferes,

namely, inter-inclusion (and see the Ramaz, Parshas Yisro, on folio 78: “Now, in every Tiferes Chesed and Gevurah are encompassed together as one,” etc.).

And inter-inclusion cannot exist without the radiance of the Infinite Light. Therefore Tiferes is called by a Name loftier and higher than all the attributes, namely the Name Havayah, since there must necessarily be in it a revelation of the Infinite Light constantly (and see what is written in the discourse beginning “Arm yourselves”).

Whereas in Chesed and Gevurah there is no radiance of the Infinite Light in the way there is in Tiferes, except at the time when the unity is drawn down, which is the matter of “You have made Him King above and below and to the four directions”: for then the inter-inclusion of the attributes comes about, so that they are included in each other in complete unity; but not constantly, as mentioned above.

21Now, according to this, the matter of kelipas nogah (the glowing husk) of the World of Atzilus (Emanation) will be understood: it is called by the name kelipah although it is on the level of Atzilus; and since it is on the level of Atzilus, you are compelled to say that it receives a radiance of G‑dliness, and nevertheless it is called kelipas nogah.

The explanation is this: the inter-inclusion that exists in the Ten Sefiros of Atzilus, in which the radiance of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) shines so that they are included in one another, as mentioned above, is a level that is not present at all in the nogah of Atzilus.

Rather, the attributes in kelipas nogah of Atzilus are “separated branches”: the Chesed is not included with the Gevurah, and they do not unite with each other at all.

22As is known, the waste from the shattering of the vessels (sheviras hakeilim) of the World of Tohu fell into kelipas nogah, and the first of them is kelipas nogah of Atzilus; and in the World of Tohu there was no inter-inclusion, and all the more so after the shattering of the vessels, etc.

Therefore the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) is not drawn into them and enclothed in them at all in the way it is enclothed in the Atzilus of holiness, since they are not a vessel for the revelation of the Infinite Light, which rests only in a place of self-nullification (bittul) and a place of inter-inclusion, etc.;

it only shines upon them as an encompassing light (makif), as is explained elsewhere on the verse “See, the fragrance of my son,” etc. Therefore they are called kelipos, for a kelipah (husk) is something that has no taste and no moisture, etc.,

as with the fruit. (It may be said that the Name Mah is called “the watering of the tree,” the level of moisture and the drawing down of the Infinite Light, through which true inter-inclusion comes about, so that they become one; by way of analogy, it is the nature of water to bind, for the particles of flour become one mass through the water.

And this revelation comes about because they are first in a state of rectification (tikkun), in the manner of “soft as a reed,” etc., so that afterwards “the Holy One, blessed be He, dwells in a complete place”; and this is the revelation of the Name Mah within, “which is the path of Atzilus and is the watering of the tree,” etc.

Whereas kelipas nogah of Atzilus derives from the World of Tohu, from the shattering of the vessels, in which there is no inter-inclusion at all; and even its self-nullification is in the mode of yesh (self-existence), as is known from the matter of “See: mah (‘what’)!”, which makes a yesh and a ‘something’ out of its own self-nullification, etc.

Therefore the level of the Name Mah within is not drawn into them at all, and so they are called kelipos, for they have no moisture from the level of “the watering of the tree,” etc.)

From kelipas nogah of Atzilus there is afterwards drawn into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah the level of actual yesh, and “the host of heaven,” etc. With this, what is stated, that kelipas nogah is half good and half evil, will also be understood.

The explanation, as is known: evil came into being because of the shattering of the vessels in the World of Tohu, and the shattering came about because they were “separated branches”; and from this the level of evil afterwards came into being in the chain of descent (hishtalshelus).

Now, from the shattering of the vessels of the World of Tohu [fragments] fell into the nogah of Atzilus. Therefore, although it receives from Atzilus, and therefore its half that faces inward is good,

yet because even in this half there is no inter-inclusion at all, and consequently the revelation of the Infinite Light does not shine in it in an inward manner, as mentioned above,

therefore it can be that its outward-facing half is evil (just as the kelipos came into being from the World of Tohu, etc. With this will be understood the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, in the Midrash Rabbah at the end of Parshas Naso, end of section 14, on the verse “And there has not arisen another prophet in Israel like Moshe”:

“In Israel none arose, but among the nations of the world one did arise,” etc., “this is Bilaam son of Beor,” etc. Now, Moshe’s prophecy was from Atzilus; if so, how did a prophet like Moshe arise among the nations of the world? Rather, the explanation is that Bilaam’s prophecy was from kelipas nogah of Atzilus, etc.)

234. According to this, what was said above in the name of the Zohar and Etz Chaim will also be understood: that the withdrawal of the light of Abba from Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes) is the cause of the coming into being of the affliction.

The explanation is this: the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) is enclothed specifically in Chochmah (wisdom), as is written in Sefer Shel Beinonim (Tanya), chapter 35, in the gloss; therefore, for there to be complete inter-inclusion in Z’eir Anpin, this comes about through the revelation of the light of Abba.

(And although it comes about through Tiferes, this is as is written in Pri Etz Chaim concerning the kadosh of the Yotzer blessing: the meaning is that Tiferes, which is called vav, ascends and receives a radiance from Supernal Chochmah, which is called kodesh, and through this it is called kadosh. See what is written on this in the explanation of the verse “And I shall be sanctified among the children of Israel,” in Parshas Emor.

And although we said above that Tiferes is called “holy” because it receives from the level of Keser, that is because the light of Keser shines in Atzilus through Supernal Chochmah, as is written in Etz Chaim that the Infinite Light is enclothed in Atzilus in Chochmah alone, etc.)

Therefore, when the light of Abba shines, in which the Infinite Light, blessed be He, is enclothed, and through this the inter-inclusion and unity of the Ten Sefiros of Atzilus come about, then kelipas nogah of Atzilus cannot draw nurture from the level of the skin of the Supernal Man,

that is, the level of Z’eir Anpin; since in it [nogah] no radiance of the Infinite Light shines so that [its attributes] would be included together, for the root of nogah is from the shattering of the vessels of the World of Tohu, in which there is no inter-inclusion.

However, when the light of Abba withdraws from Z’eir Anpin, then there is no inter-inclusion in the attributes of Atzilus, as mentioned above, for inter-inclusion comes chiefly through the radiance of the Infinite Light that shines through Chochmah.

24And then, because this inter-inclusion is not there, kelipas nogah (the glowing husk) of Atzilus can draw nurture from the skin of Malchus or of Z’eir Anpin. This is the matter of the affliction: that kelipas nogah of Atzilus draws nurture from the skin of Z’eir Anpin and Nukva of Atzilus.

Therefore the remedy for this is “and he shall be brought to the kohen,” which is the drawing down of the light of Abba, which repels the external forces, so that the kelipos draw nurture only from the hairs of Nukva and not from the skin itself.

25Now, the affliction is a white baheres. By way of analogy, below, in a person, it is the withdrawal of the blood from that place, for “the blood is the soul.”

See what is written in the explanation of “When they put ‘we will do’ first,” and in the discourse beginning “To My mare.” So too above: the level of Chochmah is “and Chochmah gives life,” and this is the level of Adam, alef [and] dam (“blood”); and the withdrawal of the light of Abba is the withdrawal of the level of “and Chochmah gives life” from that level of skin.

And this is the matter of the baheres. See what is written on this also at the end of the discourse beginning “On the eighth day, Atzeres”: that the baheres is what holds back the flow of influence and the drawing down of life-force. And see Me’orei Or, the letter beis, section 8.

Afterwards, when there is white hair, kelipas nogah draws nurture from the skin through the white hair, etc., and therefore quarantine is needed. (The meaning and matter of “skin” will be understood in the way explained above on the meaning of the knot of the tefillin above, which is from the level of skin, etc.

In the same way, here too will be understood the meaning and matter of kelipas nogah of Atzilus drawing nurture from the skin of Z’eir Anpin. And see Etz Chaim, in the discourse on the afflictions, there: “And therefore, in place of three lights that go out and rectify Leah and Rachel,” etc.,

“and do not wonder at this, for the affliction is not impurity in itself, but only a level of harsh judgment,” etc.; see there. That is: from the affliction nurture is afterwards drawn for kelipas nogah of Atzilus, etc., and this is the impurity when the affliction is pronounced impure. And see the Ramaz at the end of Parshas Tazria.)

With this, the matter of “if the white hair preceded the baheres, it is pure” will be understood. For this is how things are: kelipas nogah of Atzilus does draw nurture from the hairs of Nukva,

for since the Holy One, blessed be He, created them, they must necessarily have nurture, namely from the last flow of influence of Atzilus,

that is, the level of hairs, which grow from the skin. The hairs are the very last level, lower even than the skin; for from the skin blood comes out through a puncture

(and if so, the very essence of the light and life-force from the level of Supernal Chochmah, which is enclothed in the blood, is enclothed in it; and see the Likkutei Torah of the Arizal, Parshas Vayera, on the matter of the pulse, etc.), which is not so with the hairs.

Therefore they are given nurture from the hairs; and since the white hair came before the baheres, they have no nurture in the skin, only from the hairs, and therefore it is pure.

But if the baheres came before the white hair, this means that nogah of Atzilus has nurture from the skin of Nukva; for the Targum of tzara’as is segiru: “the closing of the light,” which is the mochin of Abba that have not been revealed in Z’eir Anpin and Nukva.

26This is the matter of the baheres: it holds back the circulation, flow and spreading of the soul and the life-force in that place. And spiritually, above, this is the holding back and prevention of the revelation of the intellect (mochin) of Abba, etc.; and so with all four appearances of afflictions.

Therefore, when the baheres preceded the white hair, kelipas nogah (the glowing husk) of Atzilus draws nurture from the very essence of the skin of Nukva through the white hair, etc., the nurture being named after the white hair

(for “He made one opposite the other,” as is known from the matter of Lavan and Yaakov: there is the supernal whiteness in holiness, the white garments and “the hair of His head like clean wool,” and opposite it there is also the “white” (lavan) of kelipah, etc.; as is written in the Pardes, Shaar 3, chapter 7, and as is also explained elsewhere on the verse “The mound is witness,” etc.).

Now, from kelipas nogah of Atzilus [nurture] is afterwards drawn also into Asiyah, where the depths of the kelipos are. Therefore, if the baheres preceded the white hair, it is impure and requires rectification through quarantine, etc.

[In a case of] doubt, “the Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘Pure,’ and the whole Academy of the Firmament said, ‘Impure.’” For according to the comprehension of the Academy, this is the law of the Torah: every doubt in a Torah law is [resolved] stringently.

But the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Pure”: that is, here it does not make impure unless the baheres certainly came first; but if it is a doubt, and it is not known to us whether the baheres came first, it is pure.

Even though it may be that the baheres came first, nevertheless here it is a decree of Scripture that whatever is a doubt to us, where it is not known to us that the baheres came first, is not impure.

This is either because, as long as it is not known that the baheres came first, no more nurture than is proper is drawn to them, or because no arousal of judgments will come from this nurture.

(Some reason can be found for this, that in this doubt concerning the impurity of tzara’as the matter depends on knowledge, based on what the Ramaz writes at the end of Parshas Tazria. These are his words: “Understand a great matter: the impurity of tzara’as is not like all other impurities, for its impurity is not known, and it does not make impure, until the kohen comes, as is known,” etc. End of quotation.

See there the reason, according to Etz Chaim. If so, even with tzara’as that is fit to be certainly impure, it is nevertheless a decree of Scripture that it does not make impure until the kohen comes and its impurity becomes known from the kohen, etc.;

therefore it may well be said that the reason this doubt is pure is that whatever is a doubt, where it is not known that the baheres came first, is pure.) And similar to this is the matter of a doubtful mamzer, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: a certain mamzer may not enter [the congregation], but a doubtful mamzer is fit by Torah law to enter the congregation.

275. But we must understand: although the Academy of the Firmament merited this revelation, that the Holy One, blessed be He, said “Pure,” they nevertheless did not know the reason, so that they said, “Who will decide?” etc.

The explanation is this. It was explained above that for the Tannaim and Amoraim, whose Torah was their occupation, it was all to draw down from the Supernal Keser (Crown), from above to below, from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) to the level of Malchus (sovereignty), which is the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin).

Now, the level of sovev kol almin cannot shine in the vessel in actual revelation, in comprehension, even in Gan Eden, until the Resurrection of the Dead (as is written in Iggeres HaKodesh, in the section beginning “It is known that through an arousal from below,” etc.; see there); only its radiance shines in concealment,

for since the inner light and the encompassing light are joined together with each other, a radiance from the encompassing [light] shines into the inner [light] in concealment, as was written above

(see what is written in the explanation of the verse “Let them bring a royal garment,” on how the encompassing [light] burnishes half of the vessel, etc. And see Pri Etz Chaim, Shaar HaShabbos, chapter 12, on the covering (sechach) of the sukkah, which ideally should be such that stars are visible through it: these are sparks of the chasadim (kindnesses) that shine from their place through the openings, etc.;

and the sechach is the level of the encompassing lights, as is known, but the radiance of the encompassing [light] nevertheless shines into the inner light, and this is the matter of the openings, etc. And see what is written in Iggeres HaKodesh on the verse “And He donned tzedakah like armor.”) Now, it is known that “today [is] to do them, and tomorrow to receive their reward.”

Therefore in Gan Eden, when they learned the Torah there by way of receiving reward, then, although the light revealed in Gan Eden is from the level of memalei kol almin,

nevertheless, because the encompassing light, which is sovev kol almin, shines into the inner light, they saw the light shining from sovev kol almin; and this is “the Holy One, blessed be He, says, ‘Pure.’”

28As mentioned above, “holy” is the level of Keser (the Crown), sovev kol almin; and according to the radiance of Keser and Chochmah that shines in Gan Eden, the law is that this doubt is pure. However, they comprehended

only the revelation of the will, that it is pure; but the light, the inner dimension and the reason of the will, why this doubt is pure, they did not comprehend.

That is because this revelation is from the level of the encompassing [light] and sovev kol almin, which shines into the inner light only in concealment, and not in actual revelation

(and therefore they comprehended the ruling that this doubt is pure, but the reason, which is the inner dimension, they did not comprehend; as in the manner of “the skull (Gulgalta) that covers the brain.”

For the hidden brain (Mocha Stima’ah), which is the inner dimension of Keser, cannot come into revelation at all until the Time to Come, when the reasons of the Torah will be revealed; and the revelation in the Torah as we have it is from the level of the Gulgalta, which is the will, the level of the outer dimension (chitzoniyus), etc. But this is in “today, to do them.”

So too in Gan Eden: although it is the level of “to receive their reward,” since the revelation there is from the level of memalei kol almin, and from the level of sovev kol almin there shines only, in concealment, the radiance that the encompassing [light] shines into the inner light,

therefore this revelation, which is not a complete revelation, is like the revelation from the level of the Gulgalta that covers the Mocha Stima’ah: they knew the ruling that it is pure, but the reason, which is from the level of the Mocha Stima’ah, they did not comprehend at all.)

On the contrary: according to the comprehension in the Academy of the Firmament, which is from the level of memalei kol almin, as mentioned above, for the firmament is from the level of Binah (understanding), etc., according to this comprehension they all said “impure,” in accordance with the law that a doubt in a Torah law is [resolved] stringently.

They said, “Who will decide? Rabbah bar Nachmani will decide,” for Rabbah bar Nachmani said, “I am unique in [the laws of] leprous afflictions,” etc.; and therefore he knew the law at its source.

29And he found a verse and expounded it: that it is also written in the Torah that it is not impure unless the baheres certainly came first, but its doubt is pure.

Whereas according to the comprehension of the Academy of the Firmament, they did not find this in the Torah, that its doubt should be pure; they only heard, by way of receiving reward in Gan Eden, that the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Pure.”

But according to their comprehension of the Torah, it seemed to them that it is impure; that is because their comprehension in Gan Eden is from the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), etc.

30According to this, it seemed to them that this doubt must be impure, as mentioned above. And what is above the level of comprehension is called Eden, of which our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “No eye has seen,” etc., and it is the level of the encompassing [light]; but nevertheless, what the encompassing [light] shines inwardly, in concealment, this they saw in Gan Eden;

therefore they grasped that the Holy One, blessed be He, said “Pure,” but they did not grasp the reason for it, for the encompassing [light] shines into the inner light and the vessel only in concealment.

But Rabbah bar Nachmani, who was “unique in nega’im”: that is, his rank was from the level of this very radiance itself, what the encompassing [light] shines into the inner light; and therefore he is called “unique,”

for he is above the rank of all the other sages, who are from the level of the inner light, and for whom what the encompassing [light] shines into the inner light is hidden;

but Rabbah bar Nachmani is himself from the level of this radiance of the encompassing light, what shines into the inner light, etc. Therefore he found its actual reason: that according to the law written and stated explicitly in the Torah, this doubt must be pure, “since Scripture opened with purity first,” etc.

(The matter of this level, that his soul is from the radiance of the encompassing [light], may be explained along the lines of what is written on the verse “Then Moshe sang,” on “for I drew him out of the water,” said of Moshe: that is, from the level of the concealed world, which is the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), from there the soul of Moshe was drawn;

and this is what the encompassing [light] shines into the inner, for “out of the water I drew him” onto dry land, etc. And see also what is written on the verse “And these are the ordinances,” that Moshe’s root is from the level of the circles and encompassing lights, sovev kol almin, etc.

And see what is written in Parshas Yisro, at the end of the discourse beginning “Their appearance and their deeds,” on the meaning of “Moshe, you have spoken well”; and from there it will be understood that there can be a drawing of an actual spark of Moshe in Rabbah bar Nachmani, and this is why he too was “unique” in this level, namely that he was from the level of the radiance of the encompassing [light], etc.)

(And see what is written about Eden in the explanation of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, on “and He shall wave His hand over the river.”) Now, for further explanation of “the Holy One, blessed be He, says ‘Pure,’” it may be said according to what is written in the Zohar, Parshas Bo, 36b: “When the Holy One, blessed be He, appears over the garden,” etc., up to “and it does not separate from Eden.”

It follows that this revelation is from the level of Eden, which is the level of Chochmah (wisdom) and Keser (the Crown); whereas the comprehension of the Academy of the Firmament itself in Gan Eden is drawn from the level of Binah of Atzilus, which is the level of the upper firmament, etc.

But the level of the revelation of “the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to delight with the righteous in Gan Eden” is a revelation from far above the level of Binah.

31See what is written on the verse “I have come into My garden,” etc., and on the Zohar in Parshas Bereishis, 27b, [on] “I will make him a helper,” concerning the superiority of this revelation, that “the Holy One, blessed be He, comes,” etc.

And this is also like the matter explained elsewhere on the verse “And there was a voice from above the firmament”: “voice” means a drawing-down and revelation from above the level of the firmament and the partition (parsa), and it is from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin).

32So too, this revelation is from above the root of the comprehension of the Academy of the Firmament, whose comprehension is rooted in the level of the upper firmament of Binah (understanding).

But this drawing-down from the level of Eden is “above the firmament,” etc. And all this is drawn to them because, in their Torah study during “today, to do them,” they also drew down from the level of the Supernal Keser (Crown), the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin); and through this they merit in Gan Eden as well the revelation of this radiance, that “the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to delight,” etc.

(See what is written in the discourse beginning “For as the new heavens,” on “and He placed him in Gan Eden to work it,” etc.) One may further explain according to what is written elsewhere, in the discourse beginning “Go out and see,” on the meaning of “Lift up your hands [in] holiness and bless Havayah,” etc.

And this is why He is called “the Holy One, blessed be He”; see there at length. And this blessing comes through occupation with Torah, as is written in the Zohar, Vayikra, 13a; and therefore “from their blessing they too will be blessed,” which is why the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to delight with the righteous in Gan Eden, etc.

And see the Ramaz, Parshas Ki Seitzei, on folio 278a; he writes: the Academy of the Holy One, blessed be He, is in Beriah, where the Higher Gan Eden is, and the Academy of the Firmament is in Yetzirah. (And see the Zohar, Parshas Balak, 203b.)

Now, the Rambam, at the end of chapter 2 of the Laws of the Impurity of Tzara’as, ruled like the Academy, that its doubt is impure; and the Kesef Mishneh writes that this is because the Tanna Kamma and Rabbi Yehoshua disagree about this at the end of chapter 4 of Negaim, and the law follows the Tanna Kamma; and although the Holy One, blessed be He, said “Pure,” “it is not in heaven,” etc.

However, from Rabbeinu Shimshon, at the end of chapter 4 of Negaim, it is implied that the law follows Rabbi Yehoshua, because the Holy One, blessed be He, said “Pure,” etc. The explanation may be given according to what is written elsewhere concerning what our Sages, of blessed memory, said about Rabbi Meir, that he would say of the impure, “pure,” and show a face (panim) for it, etc.;

for wisdom is drawn from above through hairs, which are the thirteen tikkunim of the beard: zaken, “one who has acquired wisdom,” the root of the thirteen principles by which the Torah is expounded; and the hairs are contractions (tzimtzumim).

But when wisdom is in Keser, there it is in great expansiveness, the level of the Infinite (Ein Sof); and this is the meaning of “and show a face for it”: he would shine and draw down from the level of the Face (panim) of Arich Anpin, which is free of hairs and above the level of the contractions (and see what is written about this at length in the explanation of the verse “These are the journeys”).

Therefore he was able to say even of the impure, “pure,” etc., and this was the matter of Rabbi Meir. But most of the sages of his generation comprehended the Torah only

as it had already been drawn into Chochmah of Atzilus, which receives through the hairs of the thirteen tikkunim of the beard; and this is [the meaning of] “the unripe fruit of the supernal wisdom is Torah,” etc., as is explained in the explanation of the verse “Moshe commanded us the Torah.”

33Therefore they did not fix the law in accordance with him, for “follow the majority to decide”; and see the Midrash on Tehillim, on the verse “The words of G‑d,” etc.,

“refined sevenfold,” etc. And this is the meaning of “it is not in heaven”: for “heaven” is the encompassing levels of chayah and yechidah, and the Torah has already been drawn down from the encompassing levels into the inner light, in the attributes of the World of Atzilus (Emanation).

According to this, the view of the Rambam, who ruled like the Tanna Kamma, may be explained: Rabbah, who was “unique in nega’im and ohalos,” was from the level of the encompassing [light] of chayah [and] yechidah;

and nevertheless, “follow the majority to decide.” Yet in truth it can be said that here it is different: this is not comparable to “follow the majority to decide,” which applies only to a dispute of the sages of the Mishnah with one another; but here it is different, for the Holy One, blessed be He, says “Pure,” etc.