Chapter Thirty-Seven (פֶּרֶק שְׁלוֹשִׁים וְשִׁבְעָה)

As we said above, those one hundred thousand letters of each and every Sefirah (אָמַרְנוּ לְמַעְלָה, אוֹתָם הָעֲשָׂרָה רְבוֹא אוֹתִיּוֹת שֶׁל כָּל סְפִירָה וְסְפִירָה), that remained in the air after each and every Sefirah was broken (שֶׁנִּשְׁאֲרוּ בָּאֲוִיר, אַחַר שֶׁנִּשְׁתַּבְּרָה כָּל סְפִירָה וְסְפִירָה), would ascend into the womb of Binah (הָיוּ עוֹלִים לְמֵעֵי בִּינָה). And all the light and letters fit to surround each vessel (וְכָל הָאוֹר וְהָאוֹתִיּוֹת הָרָאוּי לְהַקִּיף כָּל כְּלִי), which it was unable to contain, descended below (מַה שֶּׁלֹּא יָכְלָה לְהָכִיל יָרַד לְמַטָּה), until Malkhut was completed in it to be crushed (עַד שֶׁנִּשְׁלְמָה בּוֹ לְהִתְמָעֵךְ מַלְכוּת), and to be made into a sandal (וְלְהֵעָשׂוֹת כְּסַנְדָּל). And all the letters of the inner shefa went out and ascended upward to the womb of Binah (וְיָצְאוּ כָּל הָאוֹתִיּוֹת שֶׁל שֶׁפַע הַפְּנִימִי וְעָלוּ לְמַעְלָה לְמֵעֵי בִּינָה), together with the essential letters of her vessel (עִם הָאוֹתִיּוֹת הָעִקָּרִיּוֹת שֶׁל הַכֵּלִי שֶׁלָּהּ), and also her ten myriad letters (וְגַם הַי׳ רְבוֹא שֶׁלָּהּ). And from the immense awe, Chokhmah and Binah cracked along their length (וּמֵרֹב הַיִּרְאָה נִסְדְּקוּ חָכְמָה וּבִינָה לְאֹרְכָן), from the force of the abundance of lights (מִכֹּחַ רִבּוּי הָאוֹרוֹת), for Binah gave them to Abba (כִּי בִּינָה נָתְנָה אוֹתָם לְאַבָּא), and Abba also did not want to contain them (וְאַבָּא גַּם כֵּן לֹא רָצָה לְהָכִילָם), and sent them into Keter (וְשִׁלְּחָם לְתוֹךְ הַכֶּתֶר), and Keter did not want to receive them (וְהַכֶּתֶר לֹא רָצָה לְקַבְּלָם), because they had already become materialized below (כִּי כְבָר נִתְגַּלְּמוּ לְמַטָּה). And in their descent downward, through the intention of the one who intends (וּבְיְרִידָתָם לְמַטָּה בְּכַוָּנַת הַמְכַוֵּן), into Chokhmah and Binah, which had cracked, and from which came forth novelet - fallen fragments (תּוֹךְ חָכְמָה וּבִינָה שֶׁנִּסְדְּקוּ וְיָצְאוּ מֵהֶם נוֹבְלוֹת). And afterwards (וְאַחַר כָּךְ), Ein Sof hinted to Binah to send them into Keter (רָמַז אֵין־סוֹף לְבִינָה שֶׁתִּשְׁלַחֵם לְתוֹךְ הַכֶּתֶר): the Keterim, the Chokhmot, and the Binot of all seven Sefirot (הַכְּתָרִים שֶׁלָּהֶם וְהַחָכְמוֹת וְהַבִּינוֹת שֶׁל כָּל ז׳ סְפִירוֹת). And she took from the seventy myriad letters twenty-one myriad (וְנָטְלָה מִן הַשִּׁבְעִים רְבוֹא אוֹתִיּוֹת כ״א רְבוֹא), to build Keter, Chokhmah, and Binah (לִבְנוֹת כֶּתֶר חָכְמָה בִּינָה), for twenty-one is three times seven (שֶׁהַכ״א הוּא ג׳ פְּעָמִים ז׳), to construct from them three Sefirot (לִבְנוֹת מֵהֶם ג׳ סְפִירוֹת). And there fell from Binah downward the forty-nine myriad letters - seven times seven (וְנָפְלוּ מִבִּינָה לְמַטָּה הַמ״ט רְבוֹא אוֹתִיּוֹת ז׳ פְּעָמִים ז׳), of the inner lights of the shattered Kelim (שֶׁל הָאוֹרוֹת פְּנִימִיּוֹת שֶׁל שִׁבְרֵי כֵּלִים), which were wandering and hovering below (שֶׁהָיוּ מְשׁוֹטְטִים וּמְרַחֲפִים לְמַטָּה), searching for their Kelim (לְבַקֵּשׁ כֵּלֵיהֶם), and they spread through the world of Atzilut (וְנִתְפַּשְּׁטוּ בְּעוֹלַם הָאֲצִילוּת), but did not find them (וְלֹא מְצָאוּם). And so they descended from world to world (וְכֵן יָרְדוּ מֵעוֹלָם אֶל עוֹלָם), and did not find rest for the sole of their feet (וְלֹא מָצְאוּ מָנוֹחַ לְכַף רַגְלֵיהֶם), until they reached the edge of the boundary of the world of Asiyah (עַד שֶׁבָּאוּ בִּקְצֵה גְּבוּל עוֹלַם הָעֲשִׂיָּה). And if, Heaven forbid, they had descended into the world of Asiyah (וְאִם חַס וְחַלִילָה יָרְדוּ תוֹךְ עוֹלַם הָעֲשִׂיָּה), they would have, so to speak, cleaved to their shattered Kelim (הָיוּ כִּבְיָכוֹל נִדְּבָקִים בִּשְׁבָרֵי כֵּלֵיהֶם), which were already dominated by the Klipot (שֶׁכְּבָר שָׁלְטוּ בָהֶם הַקְּלִיפּוֹת), to derive benefit from them (לֵהָנוֹת מֵהֶם). And, so to speak, it would have necessitated turning the world back into chaos and void (וְכִבְיָכוֹל הָיָה צֹרֶךְ לַהֲפוֹךְ הָעוֹלָם לְתֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ). And know that this movement with which the inner aspects of the lower seven Sefirot were moving (וְדַע שֶׁהַתְּנוּעָה הַזֹּאת שֶׁהָיוּ מִתְנוֹעֲעִים פְּנִימִיּוֹת הַז׳ אַחֲרוֹנוֹת הַנִּזְכָּרוֹת), namely the forty-nine myriad letters (דְּהַיְנוּ הַמ״ט רְבוֹא אוֹתִיּוֹת), is an allusion to the exile of Egypt (הוּא רֶמֶז לְגָלוּת מִצְרַיִם), which was destined to last four hundred years, as is known (שֶׁהָיָה רָאוּי לִהְיוֹת ת׳ שָׁנָה כַּיָּדוּעַ). And likewise, if Heaven forbid, all these seven Sefirot had descended through all four descents of the four worlds of A"B"Y"A (וְכֵן אִלְּמָלֵא חַס וְחַלִילָה יָרְדוּ כָּל אֵלּוּ ז׳ סְפִירוֹת כָּל אַרְבַּע יְרִידוֹת שֶׁל ד׳ עוֹלָמוֹת אבי״ע), since each world is one hundred years (כִּי כָּל עוֹלָם הוּא מֵאָה שָׁנָה), meaning: fifty from the five Chassadim included in ten (הַיְנוּ, חֲמִשִּׁים מֵה׳ חֲסָדִים כְּלוּלִים מִי׳), and fifty from the five Gevurot included in ten (וַחֲמִשִּׁים מֵה׳ גְּבוּרוֹת כְּלוּלִים מִי׳), behold, they are one hundred (נִמְצָא שֶׁהֵם מֵאָה) - then (הָיוּ), Heaven forbid, the Klipot would have ruled to derive pleasure from them (חַס וְחַלִילָה שׁוֹלְטִים הַקְּלִיפּוֹת לֵהָנוֹת מֵהֶם). And still, Heaven forbid, they and we would have sunk down (וְעֲדַיִן חַס וְשָׁלוֹם הָיוּ נִשְׁקָעִים הֵם וַאֲנַחְנוּ), and it would have been necessary to turn everything into Tohu vaVohu (וְהָיָה צָרִיךְ לַהֲפוֹךְ הַכֹּל לְתֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ). And if, Heaven forbid (וְאִם חַס וְחַלִילָה), the exile had reached four hundred years (הִגִּיעַ הַגָּלוּת לְת׳ שָׁנָה), we and our children would still have been enslaved in Egypt (עֲדַיִן אֲנַחְנוּ וּבָנֵינוּ הָיִינוּ מְשֻׁעְבָּדִים בְּמִצְרָיִם). But what did Ein Sof do, when He saw that they too were descending into the world of Asiyah? (אֲבָל מַה עָשָׂה אֵין־סוֹף כְּשֶׁרָאָה שֶׁהָיוּ יוֹרְדִים גַּם כֵּן אֶל עוֹלַם הָעֲשִׂיָּה) He hinted to Arich to fold the lower half (רָמַז לְאֲרִיךְ שֶׁיִּתְקַפֵּל חֶצְיוֹ שֶׁל מַטָּה), meaning his Netzach, Hod, Yesod (דְּהַיְנוּ נ"ה"י שֶׁלּוֹ), into his upper half - his Chesed, Gevurah, and Tiferet (בַּחֲצִיוֹ שֶׁל מַעְלָה, בְּגַ"ג"ת שֶׁלּוֹ), the thighs into the arms (הַשּׁוֹקַיִם בִּזְרוֹעוֹת). And when these seven saw this ascent and folding (וּכְשֶׁרָאוּ אֵלּוּ הַז׳, הָעֲלִיָּה וְהַקִּפּוּל הַנִּזְכָּרִים), they clung to Arich in order to ascend with him above (נִדְּבְּקוּ בְּאֲרִיךְ כְּדֵי לַעֲלוֹת עִמּוֹ לְמַעְלָה), for they longed to become purified and sanctified (לִהְיוֹת שֶׁהֵם תָּאִבִים לְהִטַּהֵר וּלְהִתְקַדֵּשׁ). And not, Heaven forbid, to cling to their shattered Kelim (וְלֹא חַס וְשָׁלוֹם לְדָבֵק בִּשְׁבָרֵי כֵּלֵיהֶם), and they had nothing upon which to rely (וְלֹא הָיָה לָהֶם עַל מָה לִסְמוֹךְ), except upon Arich mentioned above (אֶלָּא עַל אֲרִיךְ הַנִּזְכָּר), whom Ein Sof had hinted to elevate them through his thighs (שֶׁרָמַז לוֹ אֵין־סוֹף שֶׁיַּעֲלֵם בְּשׁוֹקָיו לְמַעְלָה).