Chapter Thirty-One (פֶּרֶק שְׁלוֹשִׁים וְאֶחָד)

The letter Dalet (אוֹת הַדָּלֶת): its point is the Yod (נְקוּדָּתָהּ הַיּוּ״ד), which expanded in breadth (נִתְפַּשְׁטָה לְרָחְבָּהּ), and settled within its boundary (וְיָשְׁבָה בִּגְבוּלָהּ). Afterwards, its light increased and descended from it (וְאַחַר כָּךְ נִתְרַבֶּה אוֹרָהּ וְיָרַד מִמֶּנָּה), from the end of the width of the first line, a second line downward in a straight path (מִסּוֹף רֹחַב הַקַּו הָרִאשׁוֹן, קַו שֵׁנִי לְמַטָּה דֶּרֶךְ יָשָׁר). And if you ask why this second one extended in this manner and did not become lengthened like the Gimel and like the Bet (וְאִם תֹּאמַר לָמָּה נִתְפַּשֵּׁט הַשֵּׁנִי בְּאֹפֶן זֶה וְלֹא נִתְאָרֵךְ כְּמוֹ הַגִּ וּכְמוֹ הַבֵּ), this itself proves the matter (אֶלָּא הִיא הַנּוֹתֶנֶת), for she saw the pain that befell the Bet and the Gimel, which lengthened and went outside their boundary and were forced to fold back (לִהְיוֹת שֶׁרָאָה הַצַּעַר שֶׁהָיָה לְבֵ וּלְגִּ שֶׁהֶאֱרִיכוּ וְיָצְאוּ חוּץ מִגְּבוּלָם וְנִצְטַרְכוּ לְהִכָּפֵל). Therefore, she did not want to go outside her boundary (לְכָךְ הִיא לֹא רָצְתָה לָצֵאת חוּץ לִגְבוּלָהּ), and that light which was fit to expand downward instead spread to her sides within herself (וְאוֹתוֹ הָאוֹר שֶׁהָיָה רָאוּי לְהִתְפַּשֵּׁט לְמַטָּה נִתְפַּשֵּׁט מִצַּדֶּיהָ בְּעַצְמָהּ), and it became thicker than the line of the Bet and the Gimel (וְנִתְעַבֶּה יוֹתֵר מִקַּו שֶׁל בֵּ וְשֶׁל גִּ).