The Great Serpent – Arich Anpin

הַתַּנִּין הַגָּדוֹל - א״א

now (דַּע), that the secret of the Great Dragon alludes to the first point that emerged from Ein Sof (כִּי סוֹד הַתַּנִּין הַגָּדוֹל רוֹמֵז לַנְּקוּדָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה שֶׁיָּצְאָה מֵא״ס), and from it spread nine points (וּמִמֶּנָּה נִתְפַּשְּׁטוּ ט׳ נְקוּדוֹת), and each point is a river (וְכָל נְקוּדָה הִיא יְאוֹר), for ten times Yod are two hundred (כִּי י׳ פְּעָמִים יו״ד הֵם ר׳), and its root is ten (וְשָׁרְשָׁהּ עֶשֶׂר), and with the Kollel behold “ye’or (river)" (וְהַכּוֹלֵל הֲרֵי יְאוֹר), and they are nine Yodin (וְהֵם ט׳ יוּדִי״ן).

And the highest of all of them is the most exalted (וְהָעֶלְיוֹן שֶׁבְּכֻלָּם הוּא הַמְעוּלֶה), and it is a lion in concealment (וְהוּא אַרְיֵה בַּמִּסְתָּרִים), and it alludes to Arich Anpin (וְהוּא רוֹמֵז לְא״א), which is clothed in its nine points themselves which are called its rivers (שֶׁהוּא מְלוּבָּשׁ בְּט׳ נְקוּדוֹת שֶׁלּוֹ מַמָּשׁ הַנִּקְרָאִים יְאוֹרָיו), and as it were so below (וּכְבִיָּכוֹל כָּךְ לְמַטָּה), and therefore the Holy One Blessed Be He Himself needed to wage war against it (וְלָכֵן הֻצְרַךְ הַקב״ה בְּעַצְמוֹ לְהִלָּחֵם בּוֹ), as it is said (שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר), “Behold I am against you Pharaoh king of Egypt, the Great Dragon that crouches within his rivers” (הִנְנִי עָלֶיךָ פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם הַתַּנִּין הַגָּדוֹל הָרוֹבֵץ בְּתוֹךְ יְאֹרָיו), a likeness of that which is above (דֻּגְמָא שֶׁל מַעְלָה), and it was necessary that its counterpart be destroyed (וְהֻכְרַח לִהְיוֹת דֻּגְמָתוֹ לְהַחֲרִימוֹ).

And this Dragon crouches within its rivers (וְזֶה הַתַּנִּין רוֹבֵץ בְּתוֹךְ יְאֹרָיו), an allusion to the nine points that emerged from it, that each one equals the number “ye’or (river)" (רֶמֶז לְט׳ נְקוּדוֹת שֶׁיָּצְאוּ מִמֶּנּוּ שֶׁכָּל א׳ עוֹלָה לְמִנְיַן יְאוֹר), as explained above (כַּנַּ״ל). And each river goes and swims in it one Dragon (וְכָל יְאוֹר הוֹלֵךְ וְשָׁט בּוֹ תַּנִּין א׳), and “Tanin” alludes to the inner light, Ehyeh, Havayah (וְתַּנִּין רוֹמֵז לְאוֹר פְּנִימִי אֶהי״ה יְהוָ״ה), and “ye’or (river)" alludes to the surrounding light (וְיְאוֹר רוֹמֵז לְאוֹר מַקִּיף), Ehyeh (אֶהי״ה).

And afterward (וְאַחַר כָּךְ), “the first river emerges from the side of the left” (יְאוֹרָא קַדְמָאָה נָפְקָא סִטְרָא שְׂמָאלָה), an allusion to the secret of Butzina deKardonita [The Hard Spark] that gives rectification to the worlds (רוֹמֵז לְסוֹד בּוּצִינָא דְּקַרְדוּנִיתָא שֶׁנּוֹתֵן תִּקּוּן לָעוֹלָמוֹת), for until now he was speaking in the world of Nekudim and now he speaks in the rectification (כִּי עַד עַתָּה הָיָה מְדַבֵּר בְּעוֹלָם הַנְּקוּדִים וְעַתָּה מְדַבֵּר בְּתִקּוּן).

And he says (וְאוֹמֵר), “it emerges from the side of the left through one channel that flows and issues three drops,” etc. (נָפְקָא סִטְרָא שְׂמָאלָה בְּחַד צִנּוֹרָא דְּנָגִיד וְנָפִיק ג׳ טִיפִּין וְכוּ׳), this channel alludes to the measuring line, the power of the Gevurot (רֶמֶז זֶה הַצִּנּוֹר לְקַו הַמִּדָּה כֹּחַ הַגְּבוּרוֹת), as explained above (כַּנַּ״ל), and it gives rectification to the worlds by drawing light from Ein Sof (וְנוֹתֵן תִּקּוּן לָעוֹלָמוֹת שֶׁהִמְשִׁיךְ אוֹר מֵא״ס), and it produced three drops (וְהוֹצִיא ג׳ טִיפּוֹת), an allusion to three heads, which are the three Mochin of Arich Anpin (רֶמֶז לְג׳ רָאשִׁים הֵם ג׳ מוֹחִין שֶׁל א״א), and each one is included of three, they are nine (וְכָל א׳ כָּלוּל מִג׳ הֵם ט׳), and its essence and root are ten (וְעַצְמוּתוֹ וְשָׁרְשׁוֹ הֲרֵי י׳), and the enlightened one will understand (וְהַמַּשְׂכִּיל יָבִין אַב״י).

And in every river there is one Dragon (וּבְכָל יְאוֹר תַּנִּין א׳), they are inner light and surrounding light (הֵם אוֹר פְּנִימִי וְאוֹר מַקִּיף), and the inner light alludes to the secret of the points (וְאוֹר פְּנִימִי רוֹמֵז לְסוֹד הַנְּקוּדוֹת), and the surrounding light alludes to the secret of the surrounding (וְאוֹר מַקִּיף רוֹמֵז לְסוֹד הַמַּקִּיף), and the point indicates the point of death (וְהַנְּקוּדָה מוֹרָה לְנְקוּדָה שֶׁל מָוֶת), and the cantillation indicates the secret of the rectification, the taste clarifies the חלמות (וְהַטַּעַם מוֹרֶה לְסוֹד הַתִּקּוּן טַעַם בָּרִיר חַלָּמוֹת), and the sign is this above and this below, and the enlightened one will understand (וְסִימָן זֶה לְמַעְלָה וְזֶה לְמַטָּה וְהַמַּשְׂכִּיל יָבִין).

And that which was said above (וּמַה שֶּׁאָמַר לְמַעְלָה), “and the earth was tohu va-vohu,” etc. (וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ וְכוּ׳), that they are thirteen (שֶׁהֵם י״ג), they are garments of garments like the form of a serpent that spreads to here and to there (הֵם לְבוּשֵׁי דְלְבוּשִׁים כִּדְמוּת נָחָשׁ שֶׁמִּתְפַּשֵּׁט לְכָאן וּלְכָאן), its tail in its head and it passes and returns, the head after the shoulder (זָנָב בָּרֹאשׁ וְעָבַר וְחָזַר הָרֹאשׁ אַחַר הַכָּתֵף), and it rages and guards, and one of these thirteen is hidden to the Aleph (וְזָעַם וְנָטַר וְגָנוּז א׳ מֵאֵלּוּ הַי״ג לְאָלֶ״ף), the intention is that their light ascended above and was hidden in the Aleph (הַכַּוָּנָה שֶׁאוֹר שֶׁלָּהֶם עָלָה לְמַעְלָה וְנִגְנַז בְּאָלֶ״ף), and then darkness emerges, meaning Gevurah, and spreads upon its head and it is punctured in its head and crushed (וְאָז יוֹצֵא חֹשֶׁךְ ר״ל הַגְּבוּרָה וּמִתְפַּשֵּׁט עַל רֹאשׁוֹ וְנִיקַּב בְּרֹאשׁוֹ וְנִמְחַץ), and another thread is divided between that light and that darkness (וְנֶחְלַק חוּט אַחֵר בֵּין אוֹתוֹ הָאוֹר וּבֵין אוֹתוֹ הַחֹשֶׁךְ), and then the Chesedim are revealed, this is the secret of the union as alluded in Sifra deTzeniuta (וְאָז מִתְגַּלִּים הַחֲסָדִים הוּא סוֹד הַיִּחוּד כַּרָמוּז בְּסִפְרָא דִצְנִיעוּתָא), “the knot in its knot, its fin in its branch, its head was broken in the waters of the great sea” (קֻלְטְרָא בִּקְטְרוֹי סְנַפִּירָא בְּעַדְבּוֹי אִתְבַּר רֵישֵׁיהּ בְּמַיִּן דְּיַמָּא רַבָּא), meaning by the abundance of the Chesedim that are revealed, and the darkness covers over them (ר״ל בְּרִבּוּי הַחֲסָדִים שֶׁמִּתְגַּלִּים וְהַחֹשֶׁךְ מְכַסֶּה עֲלֵיהֶם), and then the light is revealed and their heads are broken from the side of the abundance of the light (וְאָז מִתְגַּלֶּה הָאוֹר וּמְשַׁבֵּר רָאשָׁם מִצַּד רִבּוּי הָאוֹר נִשְׁבָּרִים), and this is “You broke the heads of the Dragons upon the waters” (וְזֶהוּ שִׁבַּרְתָּ רָאשֵׁי תַּנִּינִים עַל הַמָּיִם), and the expression “heads” is like “and the likeness upon the heads of the living creature” (וּלְשׁוֹן רָאשֵׁי כְּמוֹ וּדְמוּת עַל רָאשֵׁי הַחַיָּה וְכוּ׳), meaning the abundance of the light that came into their heads broke them (ר״ל רִבּוּי הָאוֹר שֶׁבָּא בָּרָאשִׁים שֶׁלָּהֶם נִשְׁבָּרוּ), thus (ע״כ).

‘Discourse of the Dragons’ – Manuscript – The Short Version

(דְּרוּשׁ הַתַּנִּינִים כ״י - הַנּוּסַח הַקָּצָר)