Chapter Fifteen (פֶּרֶק חֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר)

And you must know that Chokhmah received the light of Keter (וְצָרִיךְ אַתָּה לָדַעַת כִּי הַחָכְמָה קִיבְּלָה אוֹר הַכֶּתֶר), and afterwards, when the great influx came face to face, its face turned toward its source, toward Keter, to receive (אַחַר כָּךְ כְּשֶׁבָּא הַשֶּׁפַע הַגָּדוֹל פָּנִים אֶל פָּנִים, שֶׁפָּנֶיהָ פָּנוּ אֶל מְקוֹרָהּ אֶל כֶּתֶר לְקַבֵּל). And Keter, its face is to Ein Sof, which is its source (וְכֶתֶר פָּנֶיהָ אֶל אֵין סוֹף שֶׁהוּא מְקוֹרָהּ), and in the point of Keter there is no aspect of back-side inherently, since it is pure mercy (וְאֵין בְּנְקוּדַּת הַכֶּתֶר מִדַּת אֲחוֹרַיִם בֶּעֶצֶם, לְפִי שֶׁהִיא רַחֲמִים פְּשׁוּטִים). And Binah, when it received the light of Chokhmah, it was back to back (וּבִינָה כַּאֲשֶׁר קִיבְּלָה אוֹר הַחָכְמָה הָיְתָה אָחוֹר בְּאָחוֹר), for being that the light is great relative to it, it could not receive more than this measure (כִּי לִהְיוֹת הָאוֹר גָּדוֹל בְּעֶרְכָּהּ לֹא יָכְלָה לְקַבֵּל יוֹתֵר מִזֶּה הַשִּׁעוּר). And this is the secret of “and a wise man from behind shall praise her” (Ecclesiastes 8:1) (וְזֶהוּ סוֹד: "וְחָכָם בְּאָחוֹר יְשַׁבְּחֶנָּה"). And its explanation is, “a wise man” who is Chokhmah, from behind shall praise her, meaning Binah (וּפֵירוּשׁוֹ, וְחָכָם שֶׁהוּא חָכְמָה, בְּאָחוֹר יְשַׁבְּחֶנָּה לַבִּינָה), for the word yeshabḥenah is feminine, and its meaning is, he shall give her praise (שֶׁמִּלַּת יְשַׁבְּחֶנָּה הִיא לִנְקֵבָה, וּפֵירוּשׁוֹ יִתֵּן שֶׁבַח לָהּ), and she shall have existence in being back-to-back and not face-to-face (וְיִהְיֶה לָהּ קִיּוּם בִּהְיוֹתָהּ בְּאָחוֹר וְלֹא פָּנִים בְּפָנִים). And this is the intention of what Rav Hamnuna Sava said in Zohar Parashat Bereshit (וְזוֹ הִיא כַּוָּנַת מַה שֶּׁאָמַר רַב הַמְנוּנָא סָבָא בְּזוֹהַר פ׳ בְּרֵאשִׁית), in the shape of the letter Tzadi, which is a Yod upon a Nun, in the secret of the points like this ץ, back-to-back, to receive the Nun the radiance of the Yod (בְּצוּרַת הַצַּדִּ"י שֶׁהִיא י עַל נוּ״ן בְּסוֹד נְקֻדּוֹת כָּזֶה ץ אָחוֹר בְּאָחוֹר לְקַבֵּל הַנּוּ״ן הַאֲרַת הַיוֹ״ד), for the Yod is Chokhmah, and it is the Yod of the Name Havayah, which includes the ten utterances (כִּי הַיּוֹ״ד הִיא חָכְמָה, וְהִיא הַיּוֹ״ד שֶׁל הַוָיָה הַכּוֹלֶלֶת עֲשָׂרָה מַאֲמָרוֹת), and the Nun is the fifty gates of Binah (וְהַנּוּ״ן הֵם חֲמִשִּׁים שַׁעֲרֵי בִינָה). Or perhaps the explanation is that “he shall praise her” refers to the letters Sha"ch of Binah (או יִהְיֶה פֵירוּשׁ יְשַׁבְּחֶנָּה אוֹתִיּוֹת ש״ח בִּינָה), the intention being to hint that the vessel of Chokhmah bends and lowers itself (שֶׁהַכַּוָּנָה לְרַמֵּז שֶׁכְּלִי הַחָכְמָה שׁוֹחַ וּמַרְכִּין אֶת עַצְמוֹ), in order to give praise to the vessel of Binah (כְּדֵי לָתֵת שֶׁבַח אֶל כְּלִי הַבִּינָה), in the manner of what our Sages of blessed memory said (עַל דֶּרֶךְ אָמְרָם ז״ל): “Your wife is short, bend down and whisper to her” (אִתְּתָךְ גּוּצָא גְּחִין וְלַחִישׁ לַהּ). For the female is always such that her limbs are smaller by a third (כִּי הַנְּקֵבָה לְעוֹלָם אֵיבָרֶיהָ קְטַנִּים מִשְּׁלִישׁ), in comparison to the limbs of the male (בְּעֵרֶךְ אֵיבָרֵי הַזָּכָר), and by way of the back side the vessel of Binah is praised (וְדֶרֶךְ אֲחוֹרַיִים הוּא מְשַׁבֵּחַ כְּלִי הַבִּינָה). And it is known that at the beginning of Atzilut there were no Partzufim (וְיָדוּעַ הוּא כִּי בִּתְחִלַּת הָאֲצִילוּת לֹא הָיוּ פַּרְצוּפִין), but only Nekudot (כִּי אִם נְקֻדוֹת), and at first three Nekudot emerged one upon the other - these are Keter, Chokhmah, Binah (וּבַתְּחִלָּה יָצְאוּ ג׳ נְקֻדוֹת זוֹ עַל זוֹ וְהֵם כַּח״ב), and at that time there was no Zivug at all (וְאָז לֹא הָיָה שׁוּם זִוּוּג). Afterward, Chokhmah and Binah returned to be side by side (וְאַחַר כָּךְ חָזְרוּ חָכְמָה וּבִינָה לִהְיוֹת זוֹ בְּצַד זוֹ), and Keter above them (וְהַכֶּתֶר עַל גַּבַּיהוֹן), and then there was a Zivug of Abba and Imma in the secret of Nekudot (וְאָז הָיָה זִוּוּג אַבָּא וְאִמָּא בְּסוֹד נְקֻדוֹת). For anything that is not in the secret of a Partzuf, meaning with a scale (כִּי כָל מָה שֶׁאֵינוֹ בְּסוֹד פַּרְצוּף דְּהַיְינוּ מִתְקַלָּא), is in the secret of a Nekudah that is individuated within its parts (הוּא בְּסוֹד נְקוּדָה שֶׁמִּתְיַיחֶדֶת בְּחֶלְקֶיהָ), and it has no connection with its companion (וְאֵין לָהּ חִבּוּר עִם חֲבֶרְתָּהּ), especially since they were one beneath the other (וּבִפְרָט שֶׁהָיוּ זוֹ לְמַטָּה מִזּוֹ). And how could there be connection and unification (וְהֵיאַךְ יִהְיֶה חִבּוּר וִיחוּד), if it has no help opposite it in exact correspondence (אִם אֵין לוֹ עֵזֶר כְּנֶגְדּוֹ מַמָּשׁ), that is, male and female joined side by side (דְּהַיְינוּ: זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה זֶה אֵצֶל זֶה מְחֻבָּרִים).

And understand this distinction between the World of Tohu and the World of Tikkun and the Mitkala [Scale] (וְהַבֵּן זֶה הַחִלּוּק שֶׁבֵּין עוֹלַם הַתֹּהוּ לְעוֹלַם הַתִּקּוּן וְהַמִּתְקַלָּא), and because they were one beneath the other (וּמִפְּנֵי שֶׁהָיוּ זֶה תַּחַת זֶה), therefore they had no unification (לָכֵן לֹא הָיָה לָהֶם יִחוּד), and this caused the Shevirah [Breaking] of the Kelim [Vessels] (וְגָרַם שְׁבִירַת הַכֵּלִים). And afterward Chokhmah and Binah returned to be side by side (וְאַחַר כָּךְ חָזְרוּ חָכְמָה וּבִינָה לִהְיוֹת זוֹ בְּצַד זוֹ), and Keter upon them (וְהַכֶּתֶר עַל גַּבַּיהוֹן), and then there was a Zivug [Union] of Chokhmah and Binah in the secret of Nekudot [Points] (וְאָז הָיָה זִוּוּג חָכְמָה וּבִינָה בְּסוֹד נְקֻדוֹת). And the Zivug [Union], when it is back-to-back, is not for the benefit of the offspring (וְהַזִּוּוּג כְּשֶׁהוּא אֲחוֹר בְּאֲחוֹר אֵינוֹ לְתוֹעֶלֶת הַוָּלָד), but only for the benefit of the woman herself (כִּי אִם לְתוֹעֶלֶת הָאִשָּׁה בְּעַצְמָהּ). And this is what the verse says (וְזֶה שֶׁאוֹמֵר הַכָּתוּב): “And the wise one, in the back, shall praise her” (וְחָכָם בְּאָחוֹר יְשַׁבְּחֶנָּה). That is to say (רָצָה לוֹמַר): “yishabbachena” [shall praise her] (יְשַׁבְּחֶנָּה) is a feminine expression (הוּא לָשׁוֹן נְקֵבָה), that is to say (דְּהַיְינוּ), the woman is praised (מְשֻׁבַּחַת הָאִשָּׁה), and not the offspring (וְלֹא הַוָּלָד). And likewise, when the seven Nekudot [Points] emerged from Imma (וְכֵן בְּצֵאת הַז׳ נְקֻדוֹת מֵאִמָּא), they emerged in the secret of Nekudot [Points] (יָצְאוּ בְּסוֹד נְקֻדוֹת), and at that time the existence of each and every one was by itself alone (וְאָז הָיָה מְצִיאוּת כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ), and none of them had any support or backing (וְלֹא הָיָה לְשׁוּם אֶחָד סַעַד וְסָמֶךְ), from its companion (מֵחֲבֵירוֹ). And this is the secret of: “And he died, and reigned in his place...” (וְזֶהוּ סוֹד: וַיָּמָת וַיִּמְלֹךְ תַּחְתָּיו...), the cause of the death and the Shevirah [Breaking] was because of the word “tachtav” [in his place] (תַּחְתָּיו), that is to say (דְּהַיְינוּ), because each and every one was beneath its companion (מִכֹּחַ שֶׁהָיָה כָּל אַחַת וְאַחַת תַּחַת חֲבֵרְתָּהּ), and not side by side (וְלֹא זֶה אֵצֶל זֶה), and this caused the Shevirah [Breaking] (וְזֶה גָּרַם שְׁבִירָה), and this is the third explanation of the word “yishabbachena” [shall praise her] (וְהַיְנוּ פֵירוּשׁ הַשְּׁלִישִׁי עַל מִלַּת יְשַׁבְּחֶנָּה). And understand this well (וְהַבֵּן).