Chapter Five (פֶּרֶק חֲמִישִּׁי)

The Holy One Blessed Be He hinted to this Yod that it should shine and illuminate in the vacant place (הקב"ה רָמַז לַיּו״ד הַזֹּאת שֶׁתִּזְרַח וְתָאִיר בַּמָּקוֹם הַפָּנוּי). And so it did (וְכֵן עָשְׂתָה). And afterwards it returned above with the light of Ein Sof and the light of the garment (וְאַחַר כָּךְ חָזְרָה לְמַעְלָה עִם אוֹר אֵין סוֹף וְאוֹר הַלְּבוּשׁ), which prevent the revelation of the sphere of Tehiru and its ten Sefirot contained within it (הַמּוֹנְעִים גִּלּוּי כַּדּוּר הַטְּהִירוּ וַעֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹתָיו הַכְּלוּלִים בְּתוֹכוֹ), which are called the World of Tohu (הַנִּקְרָאִים עוֹלַם הַתֹּהוּ). And in her return she established letters of judgment (וּבְחֻזְרָתָה הִצִּיבָה אוֹתִיּוֹת שֶׁל דִּין), which are letters of returning that go backward (שֶׁהֵם אוֹתִיּוֹת הַחֲזָרָה הַחוֹזְרִים לְאָחוֹר), as in the verse “and he came” (כְּמוֹ פָּסוּק וַיָּבֹא) (Bereshit 28). And this return made a revelation below (וְהַחֲזָרָה הַזֹּאת עָשְׂתָה גִּלּוּי לְמַטָּה), and made an imprint like a spherical formless body from upper radiance (וְעָשְׂתָה רוֹשֶׁם כְּמוֹ גֹּלֶם כַּדּוּרִי מִזֹּהַר עֶלְיוֹן), and it is called in the Zohar “Tehiru” in general (וְנִקְרָא בַּזֹּהַר טְהִירוּי סְתָם), and it is called “first matter” (וְנִקְרָא חֹמֶר רִאשׁוֹן). And it is hinted at in the Zohar in its introduction where it says (וְנִרְמַז בַּזֹּהַר בְּהַקְדָּמָתוֹ בְּאֹמְרוֹ): “A vapor within a formless body is inserted in a ring not black and not white and not any color at all.” (קׇטְרָא בְּגוֹלְמָא נָעִיץ בְּעִזְקָּא לָא אוּכָּם וְלָא חִוַּר וְלָאו גַּוָּן כְּלָל.) Meaning, the return from this Yod made the aforementioned imprint (כְּלוֹמַר הַחֲזָרָה מֵהַיּו״ד הַזֹּאת שֶׁעָשְׂתָה הָרוֹשֶׁם הַנִּזְכָּר), which is this sphere (שֶׁהוּא הַכַּדּוּר הַזֶּה), which is like vapor, like smoke (שֶׁהוּא כְּמוֹ קְטוֹר כְּמוֹ עָשָׁן). And just as smoke appears as a formless body (וּכְמוֹ שֶׁהֶעָשָׁן נִרְאֶה גֹּלֶם), yet is intangible (וְאֵינוֹ נִתְפַּס), so too this sphere is like a formless body (כָּךְ הַכַּדּוּר הַזֶּה הוּא כְּגוֹלֶם), because it appears spherical yet is intangible (מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא נִרְאֶה כַּדּוּרִי וְאֵינוֹ נִתְפַּס). For it contains neither judgment, meaning blackness (שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ לֹא דִּין דְּהַיְינוּ אוּכָּם), nor whiteness, meaning Chesed (וְלֹא חִוַּר דְּהַיְינוּ חֶסֶד), nor any color at all, meaning Rachamim (וְלֹא גַּוָּן כְּלָל דְּהַיְינוּ רַחֲמִים). Rather, this luminous sphere is inserted into this very Yod mentioned above (אֶלָּא כַּדּוּר זֹהֲרַי נָעוּץ בַּיּו״ד הַזֹּאת הַנִּזְכָּר), that is, inserted into the ring, which is called the ring as mentioned in the introduction to the Tikkunim (דְּהַיְינוּ נָעִיץ בְּעִזְקָּא שֶׁהִיא הַנִּקְרֵאת טַבַּעַת כַּנִּזְכָּר בְּהַקְדֶּמֶת הַתִּיקּוּנִים).