Chapter Three (פֶּרֶק שְׁלִישִׁי)

Behold, the Possessor of Will, blessed be His Name (הִנֵּה בַּעַל הָרָצוֹן יִתְבָּרַךְ שְׁמוֹ), foresaw that these worlds which He was contemplating to emanate (צָפָה שֶׁאֵלּוּ הָעוֹלָמוֹת שֶׁהָיָה מְשַׁעֵּר לְהַאֲצִילָם), required within them Din [Judgment] in order to give reward and punishment in the world (הָיָה צָרִיךְ בָּהֶם דִּין כְּדֵי לָתֵת שָׂכָר וְעוֹנֶשׁ בָּעוֹלָם). And if He had not delighted (וְאִלּוּ לֹא הָיָה מִשְׁתַּעֲשֵׁעַ), there would not have been a place for the Din [Judgment] that extends below (לֹא הָיָה מָקוֹם לַדִּין הַמִּתְפַּשֵּׁט לְמַטָּה), until from it came forth the breaking of the Kelim [Vessels] (עַד שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה מִמֶּנּוּ שְׁבִירַת הַכֵּלִים), from which the Dinim [Judgments] were made (אֲשֶׁר מֵהֶם נַעֲשׂוּ הַדִּינִים). And from them were made the Klipot (וּמֵהֶם נַעֲשׂוּ הַקְּלִיפּוֹת), which are called “other gods” (הַנִּקְרָאִים אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים), who draw their sustenance from the holy Elohim (הַיוֹנְקִים מֵאֱלֹהִים קְדוֹשִׁים), as it is said (שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר): “O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance” (אֱלֹהִים בָּאוּ גוֹיִם בְּנַחֲלָתֶךָ) (Psalms 79:1). For from the fire they went forth, and the fire shall consume them (כִּי מֵהָאֵשׁ יָצְאוּ וְהָאֵשׁ תֹּאכְלֵם). Therefore, all their desire and craving is to do evil and not to do good (לָכֵן כָּל תַּאֲוָתָם וְחֶשְׁקָם לְהָרַע וְלֹא לְהֵיטִיב), like the dog whose nature is to bite a man (כְּמוֹ הַכֶּלֶב שֶׁטִּבְעוֹ לִנְשֹׁךְ בְּבֶן אָדָם), and its nature is only evil all the day (וְהַטֶּבַע שֶׁלּוֹ רַק רַע כָּל הַיּוֹם). And even the angels who receive from the Sefirah of Hod (וַאֲפִלּוּ הַמַּלְאָכִים הַמְּקַבְּלִים מִסְּפִירַת הוֹד), it is said concerning them (נֶאֱמַר עֲלֵיהֶם): “And my glory was turned upon me to destruction” (וְהוֹדִי נֶהְפַּךְ עָלַי לְמַשְׁחִית) (Daniel 10:8). And they are called “sons of Elohim” (וְהֵם נִקְרָאִים בְּנֵי אֱלֹהִים); some of them make their way straight (מֵהֶם מְיָשְׁרִים דַּרְכָּם), and some of them corrupt their way (וּמֵהֶם מַשְׁחִיתִים דַּרְכָּם), and they become accusers at the time when the lower beings draw sustenance toward them (וְנַעֲשִׂים מְקַטְרְגִים בִּזְמַן שֶׁהַתַּחְתּוֹנִים מַמְשִׁיכִים עֲלֵיהֶם פְּרָיְמָר). And this is what is said (וְזֶהוּ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר): “And it was on the day when the sons of Elohim came to stand before Hashem, and Satan also came among them” (וַיְהִי הַיּוֹם וַיָּבֹאוּ בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים לְהִתְיַצֵּב עַל ה׳ וַיָּבֹא גַּם הַשָּׂטָן בְּתוֹכָם) (Job 1:6). And the first Din [Judgment] came from the power of the boundaries of the letters (וְהַדִּין הָרִאשׁוֹן בָּא מִן כֹּחַ גְּבוּלֵי הָאוֹתִיּוֹת), which were made from the impression that the Ein Sof, blessed be He, contracted and condensed into points (שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ מֵהָרוֹשֶׁם שֶׁהָיָה הָאֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְקַמֵּץ וּמְצַמְצֵם לִנְּקוּדוֹת). And from the points were made the letters (וּמִן הַנְּקוּדוֹת נַעֲשׂוּ הָאוֹתִיּוֹת). And this is the secret of the verse (וְזֶהוּ סוֹד הַפָּסוּק): “The light of the righteous rejoices” (אוֹר צַדִּיקִים יִשְׂמָח) (Proverbs 13:9). And it is said (וְנֶאֱמַר): “May the glory of Hashem be forever” (יְהִי כְבוֹד ה׳ לְעוֹלָם) (Psalms 104:31), that they may recognize His greatness and His glory (שֶׁיַּכִּירוּ גְּדֻלָּתוֹ וְכְבוֹדוֹ). “Hashem shall rejoice in His works” (יִשְׂמַח ה׳ בְּמַעֲשָׂיו) (Psalms 104:31). And even though we have said that the boundary of the letters is the root of Din [Judgment] (וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ כִּי גְבוּל הָאוֹתִיּוֹת הוּא שֹׁרֶשׁ הַדִּין), this applies only below (הוּא דַּוְקָא לְמַטָּה); but in this place, in the World of the Malbush [Garment] (אֲבָל בַּזֶּה הַמָּקוֹם בָּעוֹלָם הַמַּלְבּוּשׁ), it is the root of all the mercies below it (הוּא שֹׁרֶשׁ כָּל הָרַחֲמִים שֶׁלְּמַטָּה מִמֶּנּוּ); but in relation to Ein Sof (אֲבָל לְגַבֵּי אֵין סוֹף), it is called Din [Judgment] (נִקְרָא דִּין).

Thus it is found (נִמְצָא) that the first Tzimtzum (הַצִּמְצוּם הָרִאשׁוֹן) was that He removed the first light to make an empty space (שֶׁסִּלֵּק הָאוֹר הָרִאשׁוֹן לַעֲשׂוֹת מָקוֹם פָּנוּי); and the second Tzimtzum (וְהַצִּמְצוּם הַשֵּׁנִי) was that the impression of the light which had been removed remained (הוּא שֶׁנִּשְׁאַר הָרוֹשֶׁם שֶׁל הָאוֹר שֶׁנִּסְתַּלֵּק); and that Reshimu [Impression] contracted itself into points (וְאוֹתוֹ הָרוֹשֶׁם צִמְצֵם לִנְקוּדוֹת). And this Tzimtzum was made through the movement of joy (וְזֶה הַצִּמְצוּם נַעֲשָׂה עַל יְדֵי תְּנוּעַת הַשִּׂמְחָה), like a man who laughs from great joy (כְּמוֹ הָאָדָם הַשּׂוֹחֵק עַל רֹב שִׂמְחָה)—he moves himself (הוּא מִתְנוֹעֵעַ), meaning (רָצָה לוֹמַר), he sparkles and flashes the points and sparks like lightning to the eyes (מִתְנוֹצֵץ וּמַבְרִיק הַנְּקוּדוֹת וְהַנִּיצוֹצוֹת כַּבָּרָק לָעֵינַיִם), and he was joining the points one to another (וְהָיָה מְחַבֵּר הַנְּקוּדוֹת אַחַת אֶל אַחַת), until the letters were made (עַד שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ הָאוֹתִיּוֹת), in their likeness and image as His wisdom decreed, blessed be He (כְּדִמוּתָם וּכְצַלְמָם אֲשֶׁר גָּזְרָה חָכְמָתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ). Upon which there is no place to ask concerning their form (אֲשֶׁר אֵין מָקוֹם לִשְׁאוֹל עַל דְּמוּתָם): Why did Ein Sof (לָמָּה בָּרָא אֵין סוֹף) create the form of the letters thus (דְּמוּת צוּרַת הָאוֹתִיּוֹת כָּךְ), and not in another likeness (וְלֹא בִּדְמוּת אַחֵר)? Because the first world is exceedingly hidden (מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהָעוֹלָם הָרִאשׁוֹן נֶעֱלָם מְאֹד), and their reasons will not be revealed except in the future (וְלֹא יִתְגַּלּוּ טַעְמָם כִּי אִם לֶעָתִיד), through Rabbi Akiva ben Yosef, peace be upon him (עַל יְדֵי רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא בֶן יוֹסֵף ע״ה), that through him shall be revealed the reason of the crowns of the letters (שֶׁיִּתְגַּלּוּ עַל יָדוֹ טַעַם כְּתָרֵי הָאוֹתִיּוֹת), which are the secret of the light of the Malbush [Garment] of Ein Sof (שֶׁהֵם סוֹד אוֹר לְבוּשׁוֹ שֶׁל אֵין סוֹף), and they are called crowns upon the letters which are beneath them (וְהֵם נִקְרָאִים כְּתָרִים אֶל הָאוֹתִיּוֹת אֲשֶׁר תַּחְתֵּיהֶן). And the light of these points (וְאוֹר הַנְּקוּדוֹת הָאֵלּוּ), how they withered and flowed to be made into the form of the letters (אֵיךְ הָיוּ נוֹבְלִים וְנוֹזְלִים לֵהָעָשׂוֹת מֵהֶם צוּרַת הָאוֹתִיּוֹת), was revealed through Eliyahu, of blessed memory (נִתְגַּלָּה עַל יְדֵי אֵלִיָּהוּ ז״ל), to our master and teacher, the Light of the Seven Days, the Ari, may his memory be a blessing for life in the World to Come (לְמוֹרֵנוּ וְרַבֵּנוּ אוֹר שִׁבְעַת הַיָּמִים הָאַרִ״י זל״ה״ה), about whose words there is nothing to add and nothing to diminish (אֲשֶׁר עַל דְּבָרָיו אֵין לְהוֹסִיף וּמִמֶּנּוּ אֵין לִגְרֹעַ); “Let the wise man hear and increase learning” (יִשְׁמַע חָכָם וְיוֹסֶף לֶקַח) (Proverbs 1:5).