Chapter Five (פֶּרֶק חֲמִישִּׁי)

This Yod cleared with her arrows all the primordial Air (הַיּו״ד הַזֹּאת פִּנְּתָה בַּחִצֶּיהָ אֶת כָּל הָאויר קדמון), from the light that was included within the primordial Air (מִן הָאוֹר שֶׁהָיָה כָּלוּל בְּתוֹךְ הָאויר קדמון), and she would elevate this light upward (וְהָיְתָה מַעֲלָה הָאוֹר הַזֶּה לְמַעְלָה), and the aforementioned Yesod took it along the way (וְלָקַח אוֹתוֹ הַיְּסוֹד הַנִּזְכָּר בַּדֶּרֶךְ), and they did not allow her to ascend to cleave to her root as before (וְלֹא הִנִּיחוּהָ לַעֲלוֹת לְהִדָּבֵק שָׁרְשָׁהּ כְּמִקֶּדֶם). And afterward she herself entered into this Air and descended below (וְאַחַר כָּךְ הִיא עַצְמָהּ נִכְנְסָה בְּתוֹךְ הָאוִיר הַזֶּה וְיָרְדָה לְמַטָּה), and she shined her light within this Air (וְהֵאִירָה מֵאוֹרָהּ בְּתוֹךְ הָאוִיר הַזֶּה). And immediately when she descended below, she shined her light within this Air (וּתְכֵף כְּשֶׁיָּרְדָה לְמַטָּה הֵאִירָה מֵאוֹרָהּ בְּתוֹךְ הָאוִיר הַזֶּה), and filled it with light that was much more coarse, thousands of times over, than the light that was already within it (וּמִלְּאָה אוֹתוֹ אוֹר יוֹתֵר עָב כַּמָּה אֲלָף פְּעָמִים מִן הָאוֹר שֶׁהָיָה כְּבָר בְּתוֹכוֹ). For that earlier light needed to be concealed (לְפִי שֶׁאוֹתוֹ הָאוֹר הֻצְרַךְ לְהִיגָּנֵז), and even though it was concealed (וְאַף שֶׁנִּגְנַז), in any case its reshimu remained in the Air (מִכָּל מָקוֹם הָיָה הָרְשִׁימוּ שֶׁלּוֹ בָּאוִיר), but this reshimu, so to speak, did not have the power to surround or become a vessel (וְלֹא הָיָה כִּבְיָכוֹל כֹּחַ בָּרְשִׁימוּ הַזֶּה לְהַקִּיפוֹת לְהֵעָשׂוֹת כְּלִי). Therefore, she illuminated from her light, which was coarse (לָזֶה הֵאִירָה מֵאוֹרָהּ שֶׁהוּא עָב). And after she illuminated, she returned above (וְאַחַר שֶׁהֵאִירָה חָזְרָה לְמַעְלָה), and from that return the light which she had already shined was polished (וּמֵאוֹתָהּ חֲזָרָה הִגְלִיטָה הָאוֹר שֶׁכְּבָר הֵאִירָה), and a great sphere of Tehiru was made (וְנַעֲשָׂה כַּדּוּר גָּדוֹל שֶׁל טְהִירוּ). And through her return above, what she expelled below became visible (וּבְחֻזְרָתָהּ לְמַעְלָה נִרְאֶה מַה שֶׁפָּלְטָה לְמַטָּה), for at first that expulsion had been dimmed (כִּי מִקּוֹדֶם נִכְהָה הַפְלִיטָה הַזֹּאת). And since this sphere is very dark in comparison to that light which was already in the Air (וּלְפִי שֶׁזֶּה הַכַּדּוּר חָשׁוּךְ מְאֹד לְגַבֵּי אוֹתוֹ הָאוֹר שֶׁהָיָה כְּבָר בָּאוִיר), and in comparison to the worlds above it (וּלְגַבֵּי הָעוֹלָמוֹת שֶׁלְמַעְלָה מִמֶּנּוּ), it is called Tehiru, which means light in Aramaic (נִקְרָא טְהִירוּ שֶׁהוּא אוֹר בִּלְשׁוֹן תַּרְגּוּם), which is the aspect of achorayim, judgment (שֶׁהוּא אֲחוֹרַיִים דִּין), and it is dark in comparison to light (וְהוּא חָשׁוּךְ לְגַבֵּי אוֹר). And from this you will understand that when Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai mentions Tehiru simply, he refers to this sphere (וּמִכָּאן תָּבִין כְּשֶׁזוֹכֵר הָרַשְׁבִּ״י טְהִירוּ סְתַם הוּא עַל זֶה הַכַּדּוּר).