Chapter Nine (פֶּרֶק תְּשִׁיעִי)

And you need to know (וְצָרִיךְ אַתָּה לָדַעַת), that when the Sefirot were within the spheres of Keter in this arrangement (כִּי בִּהְיוֹת הַסְּפִירוֹת בִּכְדוּרֵי הַכֶּתֶר בְּמַצָּב הַזֶּה), in a circle (בַּעִגּוּל), the aforementioned Yod would flow and shine upon it (הָיְתָה הַיוֹ״ד הַנִּזְכֶּרֶת מַשְׁפַּעַת וּמֵאִירָה עָלָיו), and upon all that is within it (וּבְכָל מַה שֶׁבְּתוֹכוֹ). For His wisdom, may He be blessed, hinted to that Yod (לְפִי שֶׁחָכְמָתוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ רָמְזָה אֶל הַיוֹ״ד הַנִּזְכֶּרֶת), that in her return upward (שֶׁבְּחָזְרָתָהּ לְמַעְלָה), she should not return fully upward (לֹא תַחֲזוֹר לְמַעְלָה לַגָּמְרֵי), to her original place (לִמְקוֹמָהּ הָרִאשׁוֹן), but rather she would remain hovering and floating above the Keter (אֶלָּא שֶׁתִּשָּׁאֵרָה חוֹפֶפֶת וּמְרַחֶפֶת עַל הַכֶּתֶר), with her lower tip over the surface of the vessel (בְּקוֹצָהּ הַתַּחְתּוֹן עַל פְּנֵי שֶׁטַח הַכְּלִי). And this is the secret of what the Zohar says in the portion of Bereshit (15b) (וְזֶהוּ סוֹד שֶׁאוֹמֵר הַזֹּהַר פָּרָשַׁת בְּרֵאשִׁית): “Mati veLo Mati [Reaching and Not Reaching]” (מַטִּי וְלָא מַטִּי), That is to say: Reaching, yet not arriving (כְּלוֹמַר: מַטִּי וְלֹא מַגִּיעַ), only with the lower tip (אֶלָּא בְּקוֹצָהּ הַתַּחְתּוֹן), perhaps it touched, perhaps it did not (סָפֵק נָגְעָה וְלֹא נָגְעָה). Concerning this it is said: “And the spirit of Elokim was hovering over the face of the waters” (עַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר: וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם) (Bereshit 1). For the Keter is simple Chesed-water (שֶׁהַכֶּתֶר הוּא מַיִם חֶסֶד הַפָּשׁוּט), and this is the secret of: “By His spirit the heavens were adorned” (וְזֶהוּ סוֹד: בְּרוּחוֹ שָׁמַיִם שִׁפְרָה) (Job 26). In this Keter, the Yod was beautifying and shining upon this sphere (בַּכֶּתֶר הַזֶּה הָיְתָה הַיוֹ״ד מְשַׁפֶּרֶת וּמוֹפַעַת עַל הַכַּדּוּר הַזֶּה), which is like the heavens (אֲשֶׁר הוּא כְּמוֹ שָׁמַיִם), and the wheel that surrounds all the Sefirot together (וְגַלְגַּל הַסּוֹבֵב אֶת כָּל הַסְּפִירוֹת כֻּלָּם).