Chapter Eleven (פֶּרֶק אֶחָד עָשָׂר)

Now you must know one introduction (עַתָּה צָרִיךְ אַתָּה לָדַעַת הַקְדָּמָה אַחַת), concerning that which was said in the Zohar: "Yod that ascended from the Avir [Air] and Ohr [Light] remained" (עַל מַה שֶׁאָמְרוּ בַּזֹּהַר: ״י׳ דְּאִסְתַּלַּק מֵאויר וְאִשְׁתַּאֵר אוֹר״). And this is: "Yehi Ohr [Let there be Light]" (Genesis 1:3) (וְהַיְנוּ: יְהִי אוֹר), which is Kadma'ah [Primordial] (שֶׁהִיא קַדְמָאָה), meaning (פֵּירוּשׁ), the first Yod of the Ohr [Light] of the Malbush [Garment] (י׳ שֶׁל אוֹר הַלְּבוּשׁ). But the second Yod is the Yod of the Reshimu [Imprint] that was in the Avir [Air] (אֲבָל י׳ בָּתְרָאָה הִיא י׳ שֶׁל הָרְשִׁימוּ שֶׁהָיְתָה בָּאויר). And the matter is this (וְהָעִנְיָן הוּא): when the Yod of the Name S”G, which is from the Ohr [Light] of the Malbush [Garment] itself, descended below into this Avir [Air] (שֶׁכְּשֶׁיָּרְדָה הַיּו״ד שֶׁל שֵׁם ס״ג שֶׁהִיא מֵאוֹר הַלְּבוּשׁ עַצְמוֹ לְמַטָּה בְּאויר זֶה), it was joined with the Yod of the Reshimu [Imprint] (נִדְבְּקָה עִמָּהּ הַיּו״ד שֶׁל הָרְשִׁימוּ), and the Yod entered between the Vav and the Resh of the word Ohr [Light] (וְנִכְנַס יו״ד בֵּין וָ״ו לְרֵ״שׁ שֶׁל אוֹר), and it became Avir [Air] (וְנַעֲשֵׂית אוִיר). And afterward, when it ascended above a second time (וְאַחַר כָּךְ בְּהִסְתַּלְּקָהּ לְמַעְלָה פַּעַם שֵׁנִית), it expelled from itself the Ohr [Light] of Adam Kadmon (פָּלְטָה מִמֶּנָּה אוֹר אָדָם קַדְמוֹן). Afterwards, that Yod also ascended with it (אַחַר כָּךְ נִסְתַּלֵּק עִמָּהּ גַּם כֵּן הַיּו״ד הַזֹּאת), and the Reshimu [Imprint] returned to the letters of Ohr [Light] (וְחָזַר הָרְשִׁימוּ הַזֶּה לְאוֹתִיּוֹת אוֹר), for the Yod flew off and departed (כִּי הַיּו״ד פָּרְחָה וְהָלְכָה לָהּ). And this is what is meant there: "Yehi Ohr [Let there be Light]" (וְזֶהוּ אוֹמְרוֹ שָׁם יְהִי אוֹר), that is (הַיְנוּ), before the Yod entered the Avir Kadmon [Primordial Air], there was Ohr [Light] alone and not Avir [Air] (קֹדֶם שֶׁבָּאָה הַיּו״ד לְאויר קדמון, הָיָה שָׁם אוֹר לְבַדּוֹ וְלֹא אוִיר). And afterward it became Avir [Air] when it descended there (וְאַחַר כָּךְ נַעֲשֵׂית אוִיר כְּשֶׁיָּרְדָה לְשָׁם), and afterward it ascended above, and it returned to the word Ohr [Light] (וְאַחַר כָּךְ נִסְתַּלְּקָה לְמַעְלָה וְחוֹזֶרֶת לְמִלַּת אוֹר). And this is what is said: "Vayehi Ohr [And there was Light]" (Genesis 1:3) (וְזֶהוּ אוֹמְרוֹ וַיְהִי אוֹר), that is (דְּהַיְנוּ), the Ohr [Light] that already was before it descended below (אוֹר דְּכְבָר הֲוָה קֹדֶם שֶׁיָּרְדָה לְמַטָּה). The aforementioned Yod "pierced at first" (וְהַיּו״ד הַנִּזְכָּרֶת בְּקַע בְּקַדְמִיתָא), the Yod mentioned pierced into the Avir Kadmon [Primordial Air] (הַיּו״ד הַנִּזְכֶּרֶת בָּקְעָה בְּאויר קדמון), and brought forth one concealed point from its mystery (וְאַפֵּיק חַד נְקוּדָה סְתִימָאָה מִרָזָא דִילֵיהּ). Meaning (פֵּירוּשׁ), it illuminated from its Milui [Spelling] of Vav-Dalet, which is another Yod (שֶׁהֵאִירָה מִן מִלּוּי ו״ד שֶׁלָּהּ שֶׁהִיא יו״ד אַחֶרֶת), a very coarse Ohr [Light] (אוֹר עָב בְּיוֹתֵר), and the points were gathered there in the mystery of a great concealed Yod (וְנִתְקַבְּצוּ שָׁם הַנְּקוּדוֹת בְּסוֹד יו״ד סְתִימָאָה גְּדוֹלָה). "For Ein Sof pierced through its Avir [Air]" (דְּהָא אֵין סוֹ״ף בָּקַע מֵאוירא דִילֵיהּ). Ein Sof is the Malbush [Garment], which is the Yod that received an influx of power from there (אֵין סוֹף הוּא הַלְּבוּשׁ שֶׁהִיא הַיּו״ד שֶׁהִשִּׂיגָה שֶׁפַע כֹּחַ מִשָּׁם), and it pierced through its Avir [Air], which is its Reshimu [Imprint] of the lower half of the Malbush [Garment] (וּבָקַע בְּאוירא דִילֵיהּ שֶׁהוּא רְשִׁימוּ שֶׁלּוֹ שֶׁל חֲצִי מַלְבּוּשׁ הַתַּחְתּוֹן), meaning (דְּהַיְנוּ), of itself (דִילֵיהּ), and this point, the Yod, was revealed (וְגַלֵּי הַאי נְקוּדָה יו״ד). "Since this Yod expanded upward" (כֵּיוָן דְּהַאי יו״ד אִתְפַּשֵּׁט), when it cleaved to the primary Yod and went upward (לְמַעְלָה שֶׁנִדְבְּקָה עִם הַיּו״ד הָעִקָּרִית וַהֲלָכָה לָהּ), "what remained was Ohr [Light]" (מַה דְּאִשְׁתְּאָר אִשְׁתַּכַּח אוֹר), from that mystery of that concealed Avir [Air] (מֵהַהוּא רָזָא דְּהַהוּא אויר סְתִימָא), which is outside the circle of the sphere of Tehiru (שֶׁהוּא חוּץ לְעִגּוּל כַּדּוּר הַטְּהִירוּ), therefore it is concealed (לְכָךְ הוּא סָתוּם). "When the first point, Yod, departed from it" (כְּד אִסְתַּלַּק מִינֵיהּ נְקוּדָה קַדְמָאָה יו״ד), as we explained (כְּדְּפֵירַשְׁנָו), "afterward it was revealed upon it" (לְבָתַר אִתְגַּלֵּי עֲלֵיהּ), because it was pushed downward (כֵּיוָן שֶׁדָּחְפוּ אוֹתָהּ לְמַטָּה), "reaching and not reaching" (מַטִּי וְלָא מַטִּי), in the insertion of the lower thorn there (בְּתַחִיבַת הַקוֹץ הַתַּחְתּוֹן שָׁם). "When it expanded, it emerged" (כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְפַּשֵּׁט נָפַק), meaning (פֵּירוּשׁ), it returned above to expel from itself the Reshimu [Imprint], from which Adam Kadmon was made (חָזְרָה לְמַעְלָה לִפְלוֹט מִמֶּנָּה הָרְשִׁימוּ שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה מִמֶּנּוּ אָדָם קַדְמוֹן). And that is the Ohr [Light] that remained from the Avir [Air] (וְאִיהוּ הוּא אוֹר דְּאִשְׁתְּאָר מֵאויר), and this is the Ohr [Light] that had already been (וְהַיְנוּ אוֹר דְּכְבָר הֲוָה). See in the small Zohar, Daf 16b, and you will find its explanation clearly (עֲיֵן בַּזֹהַר קָטָן דַּף ט״ז עַמּוּד ב׳ וּתְמְצָא בֵּיאוּרוֹ עַל נָכוֹן).