Chapter Seven (פֶּרֶק שְׁבִיעִי)

And to explain how the Kelim were made from the returning Light (וּלְבָאֵר אֵיךְ נַעֲשׂוּ הַכֵּלִים מֵחֲזָרַת הָאוֹר), we have already said (כְּבָר אָמַרְנוּ), every return is judgment (כָּל חֲזָרָה הִיא דִּין), because that place remains dark (מִפְּנֵי שֶׁנִּשְׁאָר אוֹתוֹ הַמָּקוֹם חֹשֶׁךְ), as it is said: “Former of light and Creator of darkness” (כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: יוֹצֵר אוֹר וּבוֹרֵא חֹשֶׁךְ) (Isaiah 45). That is to say, when the Light departs, darkness remains (רָצָה לוֹמַר: כְּשֶׁמִּסְתַלֵּק הָאוֹר נִשְׁאַר חֹשֶׁךְ). And it says: “He reveals deep things from within darkness, and brings out to light the shadow of death” (וְאוֹמֵר: מְגַלֶּה עֲמֻקוֹת מִנִּי חֹשֶׁךְ וּמוֹצִיא לָאוֹר צַלְמָוֶת) (Job 12). Why does it say “deep things” and not “depth”? (לָמָּה אָמַר עֲמֻקוֹת וְלֹא עֹמֶק) Rather, because in darkness there are two “depths” (אֶלָּא שֶׁבַּחֹשֶׁךְ יֵשׁ ב׳ עֲמֻקוֹת), that is: two Milu’im (דְּהַיְנוּ: שְׁנֵי מִלּוּאִים). One Milui is that of A"B, S"G, M"H, B"N (מִלּוּי אֶחָד שֶׁהוּא: ע״ב, ס״ג, מ״ה, ב״ן), and the Achor of the Milui is 184, 166, 130, and 144 (וַאֲחוֹר הַמִּלּוּי: קפ״ד, קס״ו, ק״ל, קד״ם). The Achorayim of A"B rises to 184, such as this (אֲחוֹרַיִים שֶׁל ע״ב עוֹלֶה דפ״ק כָּזֶה): Yod (יוֹד), Yod–Heh (יוֹד הֵי), Yod–Heh–Vav (יוֹד הֵי וָיו), Yod–Heh–Vav–Heh (יוֹד הֵי וָיו הֵי). The Achorayim of S"G rises to 166, such as this (אֲחוֹרַיִים שֶׁל ס״ג עוֹלֶה קס״ו כָּזֶה): Yod (יוֹד), Yod–Heh (יוֹד הֵי), Yod–Heh–Vav (יוֹד הֵי וָאו), Yod–Heh–Vav–Heh (יוֹד הֵי וָאו הֵי). The Achorayim of M"H rises to 130, such as this (אֲחוֹרַיִים שֶׁל מ״ה עוֹלֶה ק״ל כָּזֶה): Yod (יוֹד), Yod–Heh (יוֹד הָא), Yod–Heh–Vav (יוֹד הָא וָאו), Yod–Heh–Vav–Heh (יוֹד הָא וָאו הָא). The Achorayim of B"N rises to 144, such as this (אֲחוֹרַיִים שֶׁל ב״ן עוֹלֶה קד״ם כָּזֶה): Yod (יוֹד), Yod–Heh (יוֹד הֵה), Yod–Heh–Vav (יוֹד הֵה וָו), Yod–Heh–Vav–Heh (יוֹד הֵה וָו הֵה). Their gematria, with the words and kollelim, rises to “Amukot [Depths]” (שֶׁעוֹלָה גִּימַטְרִיָּא שֶׁלָּהֶם עֲמֻקוֹת עִם הַמִּלּוּת וְהַכּוֹלְלִים). And the initial letters of “Reveals deep things from darkness” (וְרָאשֵׁי תֵבוֹת מ׳גַלֶּה ע׳מוּקוֹת מִנִּי ח׳שֶׁךְ), equal 158 (עוֹלֶה קנ״ח), which are 120 combinations of Elokim (שֶׁהֵם ק״ך צֵירוּפִים אֱלֹהִים), and an additional five letters of the simple form (וְעוֹד ה׳ אוֹתִיּוֹת הַפָּשׁוּט), and the Milui of the Milui (וּמִלּוּי הַמִּלּוּי). The simple letters are Elohim, and they are five letters (אוֹתִיּוֹת הַפָּשׁוּט הוּא אֱלֹהִים וְהֵם ה׳ אוֹתִיּוֹת), and the Milui of the Milui is 33 letters (וּמִלּוּי הַמִּלּוּי הֵם ל״ג אוֹתִיּוֹת), such as this (כָּזֶה): Alef–Lamed–Heh–Yod–Mem (אַל״ף לָמֶ״ד הֵ״י יו״ד מ״ם); Alef–Lamed–Peh (אַל״ף לָמֶ״ד פֵּ״א), Lamed–Mem–Dalet (לָמֶ״ד מֵ״ם דָּ״לֶת), Heh–Yod (הֵ״א יו״ד), Yod–Vav–Dalet (יו״ד וָו דָּ״לֶת), Mem–Mem (מֵ״ם מֵ״ם). Altogether they equal 158 (בֵּין הַכֹּל עוֹלִים קנ״ח). These are the judgments (שֶׁהֵם הַדִּינִים), and they are the Kelim that were broken (וְהֵם הַכֵּלִים שֶׁנִּשְׁבְּרוּ), totaling 158 (עוֹלֶה קנ״ח). Meaning: 120 combinations of Elokim (פֵּרוּשׁ: ק״ך צֵירוּפִים אֱלֹהִים), the five letters of the simple form (וְה׳ אוֹתִיּוֹת הַפָּשׁוּט), and the 33 letters of the Milui of the Milui (וְל״ג אוֹתִיּוֹת מִלּוּי הַמִּלּוּי), altogether totaling 158 (בֵּין הַכֹּל עוֹלֶה קנ״ח). and "He brings out Tzalmavet [Shadow of Death] into the Ohr [Light]" (וְ׳יוֹצִיא לָ׳אוֹר צַ׳לְמָוֶת), its initial letters equal 126 (רָאשֵׁי תֵבוֹת עוֹלֶה קכ״ו), which are 120 Elokim and the five letters with the kollel (שֶׁהֵם ק״ך אֱלֹהִים וַחֲמִשָּׁה אוֹתִיּוֹת הַכֹּלֵל). And when He brought out the light (וּכְשֶׁהוֹצִיא הָאוֹר), meaning, upon the withdrawal (רָצָה לוֹמַר: בְּהִסְתַּלְּקוּת), of the light (הָאוֹר), the shadow of death remained (נִשְׁאַר צַל־מָוֶת), which equals two times MNTZPKH (שֶׁעוֹלֶה ב׳ פְּעָמִים מַנְצָפ״ךְ), for these letters are doubles (שֶׁהָאוֹתִיּוֹת הֵם כְּפוּלוֹת), therefore they entered the count twice (לָכֵן בָּאוּ ב׳ פְּעָמִים בַּחֶשְׁבּוֹן), and they equal 488 (וְעוֹלִים תַּמְנ״ע). And the extra Vav in the word Tzal-mavet [Shadow of Death] (וְהַוָּיו יְּתירָה בְּמִלַּת צַל־מָוֶת), corresponds to what is written in the verse (הִיא כְּנֶגֶד מַה שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּפָּסוּק): as it is said: “And Timna” with an extra Vav (וּתִמְנַ״ע בְּוָא״ו יְתוֵירָה), as it is said: “And Timna was a concubine to Eliphaz” (שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְתִמְנַע הָיְתָה פִילֶגֶשׁ לְאֱלִיפַז), and not his wife (וְלֹא אִשְׁתּוֹ), for she was not death but only shadow of death (מִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא הָיְתָה מָוֶת אֶלָּא צַל־מָוֶת). For Tzel [Shadow] has the numerical value of 120 holy Elohim (כִּי צֵל גִּימַטְרִיָּא ק״ך אֱלֹהִים קְדוֹשִׁים), that is, the judgments (הַיְנוּ הַדִּינִים), and this is the shadow of the judgments (וְזֶהוּ הַצֵּל שֶׁל הַדִּינִים), from which death was formed (שֶׁמִּמֶּנּוּ נִתְהַוֶּה הַמָּוֶת), meaning: 120 other Elokim (דְּהַיְנוּ ק״ך אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים). That is, from them were formed the Klipot (דְּהַיְנוּ מֵהֶם נִתְהַוּוּ הַקְּלִיפּוֹת), and therefore Ya'akov did not want to take her even as a concubine (וְלָכֵן לֹא רָצָה יַעֲקֹב לְקַחְתָּהּ אֲפִלּוּ לְפִילֶגֶשׁ), to flee from the judgments (לִבְרֹחַ מִן הַדִּינִים), as you will know further below (כְּמוֹ שֶׁתֵּדַע לְקַמָּן). It is therefore found that when the light departs (נִמְצָא שֶׁבְּהִסְתַּלְּקוּת הָאוֹר), darkness remains (נִשְׁאַר הַחֹשֶׁךְ), which is the cause of the Butzina deKardinuta (The Hard Spark) (שֶׁהִיא סִבַּת בּוּצִינָא דְּקַרְדִּינוּתָא), which gives measure and estimate to the vessels (שֶׁהוּא נוֹתֵן מִדָּה וְאוֹמֶד לַכֵּלִים), and says to His world: “Enough” (וְאוֹמֵר לְעוֹלָמוֹ דַּי), and this is the secret of the Kav HaMidah [Measuring Line] (וְהוּא סוֹד קַו הַמִּדָּה). And behold, Tzal-mavet [Shadow of Death] exceeds by six the number of two times MNTZPKH (וְהִנֵּה צַלְמָוֶת עוֹדֵף ו׳ עַל מִסְפַּר ב׳ פְּעָמִים מַנְצָפ״ךְ), which are the letters MNTZPKH and the kollel, counted twice (שֶׁהֵם אוֹתִיּוֹת מַנְצָפ״ךְ וְהַכֹּלֵל ב׳ פְּעָמִים), corresponding to the Vav of Tzal-mavet [Shadow of Death] (שֶׁכְּנֶגְדָּהּ ו׳ שֶׁל צַלְמָוֶת), and likewise “And Timna” in the verse - with an extra Vav (וְכֵן וּתִמְנַ״ע בְּוָי״ו יְתוֵירָה). And this is sufficient (וְדַּי בָּזֶה).