Chapter Eight (פֶּרֶק שְׁמִינִי)

And regarding the mystery of this Tav (וְעַל סוֹד הַתָּיו הַזֹּאת), our Rabbis of blessed memory said (אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה): "Bohu [Void]—hewn stones" (בֹּהוּ – אֲבָנִים מְפֻלָּמוֹת). And regarding the verse: "A line of Tohu [Chaos] and stones of Bohu [Void]" (Isaiah 34:11) (וְעַל פָּסוּק: ״קַו תֹּהוּ וְאַבְנֵי בֹהוּ״)—a line of Tohu [Chaos] refers to the Tav, whose line extends downward, as mentioned (קַו תֹּהוּ הַיְנוּ הַתָּיו שֶׁנִּתְפַּשֵּׁט הַקַּו שֶׁלָּהּ לְמַטָּה כַּנִּזְכָּר), and stones of Bohu [Void]—that is to say (רָצָה לוֹמַר), every letter is called a stone (שֶׁכָּל אוֹת נִקְרֵאת אֶבֶן), as it is written in Sefer Yetzirah: "Two stones build two houses, and three build six houses" (כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּסֵפֶר יְצִירָה: ״שְׁתֵּי אֲבָנִים בּוֹנוֹת שְׁנֵי בָּתִּים וְשָׁלוֹשׁ בּוֹנוֹת שִׁשָּׁה בָּתִּים״). And the letters are called stones for two reasons (וְהָאוֹתִיּוֹת נִקְרָאוֹת אֲבָנִים לִשְׁתֵּי סִבּוֹת). The first reason is (הַסִּבָּה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה): because just as houses are built from stones (לִהְיוֹת כִּי כְּמוֹ שֶׁהָאֲבָנִים בּוֹנִים בָּהֶם בָּתִּים), so too from these letters are formed many combinations (כֵּן מֵאֵלֶּה הָאוֹתִיּוֹת נִבְנִים מֵהֶם כַּמָּה צֵירוּפִים), and each combination is called a house (וְכָל צֵירוּף נִקְרָא בַּיִת), as it is written in Sefer Yetzirah (כַּכָּתוּב בְּסֵפֶר יְצִירָה). And just as a man dwells in a house and benefits from it (וּכְמוֹ שֶׁהַבַּיִת דָּר בּוֹ הָאָדָם וְנֶהֱנֶה מִמֶּנּוּ), so too from these combinations were built all the worlds, the heavens, the earth, and all that is within them, and man (כֵּן מִצֵּירוּפִים אֵלּוּ נִבְנוּ כָּל הָעוֹלָמוֹת וְשָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ וְכָל אֲשֶׁר בָּם וְהָאָדָם), and thus they all dwell in them and benefit from them (כֵּן כֻּלָּם דָּרִים בָּהֶם וְנֶהֱנִים מֵהֶם), the dead who have already died together with the living who are still alive (הַמֵּתִים אֲשֶׁר כְּבָר מֵתוּ, עִם הַחַיִּים אֲשֶׁר הֵם חַיִּים עַדֵּנָה). And the second reason is (וְהַסִּבָּה הַשֵּׁנִית), that the stone—before it was hewn from the mountain—was called a mountain, not a stone (שֶׁהָאֶבֶן קֹדֶם שֶׁנֶּחְצְבָה מִן הָהָר הָיְתָה נִקְרֵאת הַר וְלֹא אֶבֶן), and after it was hewn from the mountain it is called a stone (וְאַחַר שֶׁנֶּחְצְבָה מִן הָהָר נִקְרֵאת אֶבֶן). So too the letters, when they are engraved in the Malbush [Garment], are not yet called by their names and their Milu'im [Spellings] (כֵּן הָאוֹתִיּוֹת כְּשֶׁהֵן נֶחֱקָקִין בַּמַּלְבּוּשׁ אֵינָם נִקְרָאִים בִּשְׁמוֹתֵיהֶם וּבְמִלּוּאֵיהֶם), but rather the Alef without the Lamed and Peh—that is, without its Milui [Spelling] (אֶלָּא הָאָלֶ״ף בִּלְתִּי ל״ף, שֶׁהֵם הַמִּלּוּי שֶׁלָּהּ). And when they descend below and are uprooted from their place (וּכְשֶׁיּוֹרְדִים לְמַטָּה וְנַעֲקָרִים מִמְּקוֹמָם), each and every letter by itself (כָּל אוֹת וְאוֹת לְבַדָּהּ), then they acquire this Milui [Spelling] (אָזַי קוֹנִים הַמִּלּוּי הַזֶּה), and it is called Alef with Lamed (וְנִקְרָא אַל״ף עִם ל״ף). And this is what he said in Sefer Yetzirah (וְהַיְנוּ מַה שֶׁאָמַר בְּסֵפֶר יְצִירָה): "He engraved them and hewed them" (חַקְּקָן וְחָצְבָן). He engraved them in the Malbush [Garment], in the mystery of engraving (חַקְּקָן בְּמַלְבּוּשׁ בְּסוֹד הַחֲקִיקָה), whose Targum is Galifo [Engraving] (שֶׁתַּרְגּוּמוֹ גְּלִיפוֹ). He hewed them when they were uprooted and descended below (חָצְבָן כְּשֶׁנַּעֲקְרוּ וְיָרְדוּ לְמַטָּה). And in the world of the Malbush [Garment] (וּבְעוֹלַם הַמַּלְבּוּשׁ) they are without their Milu'im [Spellings] (הֵם בְּלִי מִלּוּאֵיהֶם), and afterward they emanated below (וְאַחַר כָּךְ הֶאֱצִילוּ לְמַטָּה), and placed there their Milu'im [Spellings] and the Milui [Spelling] of their Milu'im [Spellings] (וְהִנִּיחוּ שָׁם מִלּוּאֵיהֶם וּמִלּוּי מִלּוּאֵיהֶם), and through the power of their return above (וּבְכֹחַ חֲזָרָתָם לְמַעְלָה), and from all these particulars the judgments were formed (וּמִכָּל אֵלּוּ הַפְּרָטִים נַעֲשׂוּ הַדִּינִים), for Milui [Spelling] is the gematria of Elohim (כִּי מִלּוּי גִּימַטְרִיָּא אֱלֹהִים). And the proof is from the Yod, which placed below its Milui [Spelling], that is, Vav-Dalet (וְהָרְאָיָה מֵהַיּו״ד שֶׁהִנִּיחָה לְמַטָּה הַמִּלּוּי שֶׁלָּהּ דְּהַיְינוּ ו״ד), which is the gematria of the ten Sefirot (שֶׁהוּא גִּימַטְרִיָּא י׳ סְפִירוֹת), and this is what our Rabbis of blessed memory said (וְהַיְינוּ אָמְרָם ז״ל): Adam haRishon was created with two Partzufim [Configurations] (אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן ד״וּ פַּרְצוּפִין בְּרָאוֹ), and therefore it said two and not ten (וְלָכֵן אָמַר ד״וּ וְלֹא עֶשֶׂר), and the one who understands will understand (וְהַמֵּבִין יָבִין). And in the future to come there will pour upon us a spirit from above (וְלֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא יַעֲרֶה עָלֵינוּ רוּחַ מִטְּרוֹם), that is, this Ruach haKodesh [Holy Spirit] which descends from the Primordial Air to us (דְּהַיְינוּ הָרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ הַזֶּה הַיּוֹרֵד מֵהָאֲוִיר קַדְמוֹן אֵלֵינוּ), through the breath of the living spirit of the nose of Atik (דֶּרֶךְ נְשִׁיבַת רוּחַ דְּחַיֵּי שֶׁל חוֹטְמָא דְעַתִּיקָא), and this is the secret of the Yenuka [Child] in the Zohar (וְזֶהוּ סוֹד הַיַּנוּקָא בַּזֹּהַר), who walked in his garments (דְּאָרֵחַ בְּלְבוּשַׁיְיהוּ), who did not recite Keriat Shema that day (שֶׁלֹּא הִתְפַּלְּלוּ קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע אוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם), for he attained in the Keriat Shema the scent through Metatron the youth (שֶׁהִשִּׂיג בָּהּ בִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע הָרֵיחַ עַל יְדֵי מְטַטְרוֹן נַעַר), who is the teacher of children (שֶׁהוּא רַבָּן שֶׁל תִּינוֹקוֹת), who is from Yetzirah (שֶׁהוּא מִיְצִירָה), who is called the pleasing scent of the offerings (הַנִּקְרָא רֵיחַ נִיחוֹחַ שֶׁל הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת), and he receives it from above (וְהוּא הַמְקַבְּלוֹ מִלְמַעְלָה). And through this scent, the Mashiach of Hashem will discern all the sins and iniquities of mankind (וּבָזֶה הָרֵיחַ יַשִּׂיג מְשִׁיחַ ה׳ כָּל הַחֲטָאִים וְהָעֲווֹנוֹת שֶׁל בְּנֵי אָדָם), and also the actions of the mitzvot that they performed (וְגַם מַעֲשֵׂה הַמִּצְווֹת שֶׁעָשׂוּ), and if they possess awe (וְאִם יֵשׁ לָהֶם יִרְאָה), and in it is Chesed to the Tzaddik (וְיֵשׁ בּוֹ חֶסֶד לַצַּדִּיק), through the nose of Ze'ir, which has two nostrils (עַל יְדֵי חוֹטְמוֹ דְּזְעֵיר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ ב׳ נְקָבִים), one is Chesed and one is Din (אֶחָד חֶסֶד וְאֶחָד דִּין). But the nose of Atik is not so (אֲבָל חוֹטְמָא דְעַתִּיקָא אֵינוּ כֵן), from one nostril is life (מִנְּקֵבָא חַדָּא חַיֵּי), and from the second nostril is life of life (וּמִנְּקֵבָא תִּנְיָינָא חַיֵּי דְחַיֵּי), and judgment for the wicked (וְדִין לְרָשָׁע), as it is said: "And he shall smell in the fear of Hashem" (Isaiah 11:3) (שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַהֲרִיחוֹ בְּיִרְאַת ה׳״), and "with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked" (Isaiah 11:4) (וּבְרוּחַ שְׂפָתָיו יָמִית רָשָׁע). And it is also said: "And there shall rest upon him the spirit of Hashem, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might" (Isaiah 11:2) (וְגַם נֶאֱמַר: וְנָחָה עָלָיו רוּחַ ה׳ רוּחַ חָכְמָה וּבִינָה עֵצָה וּגְבוּרָה). Amen and amen, so may it be His will (אָמֵן וְאָמֵן כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן).