Chapter Twenty-One (פֶּרֶק עֶשְׂרִים וְאֶחָד)

And know that from the Ohr Penimi in Keter (וְדַע כִּי מֵאוֹר הַפְּנִימִי שֶׁבַּכֶּתֶר), it went out through its channel (יָצָא דֶּרֶךְ צִנּוֹרוֹ), into the Kli of Chokhmah, in the mystery of a window (לְתוֹךְ כְּלִי חָכְמָה בְּסוֹד חַלּוֹן), and also Chokhmah (וְגַם הַחָכְמָה), whatever it could contain, it bore (מַה שֶּׁיָּכְלָה לְהָכִיל סָבְלָה), and the rest became for it an Ohr Makif (וְהַשְּׁאָר נַעֲשָׂה לָהּ אוֹר מַקִּיף). And so too from Chokhmah to Binah (וְכֵן מֵחָכְמָה לְבִינָה), except that it did not transmit through its channel, which is the face (אֶלָּא שֶׁלֹּא הִשְׁפִּיעַ דֶּרֶךְ צִנּוֹרָהּ שֶׁהוּא הַפָּנִים), but rather through its back (אֶלָּא דֶּרֶךְ אֲחוֹרָיו), in the mystery of a perforation (בְּסוֹד נָקֵב), so that she could contain and not break (כְּדֵי שֶׁתוּכַל לְהָכִיל וְלֹא תִּשָּׁבֵר). Because her Kli is thicker than the Kli of Chokhmah (לִהְיוֹת שֶׁהַכֵּלִי שֶׁלָּהּ יוֹתֵר עָב מִכְּלִי שֶׁל חָכְמָה), and also she is distant from the Emanator, blessed be He, by six degrees (וְגַם הִיא רְחוֹקָה מִן הַמַּאֲצִיל בָּרוּךְ הוּא ו׳ מַדְרֵגוֹת): Binah, Chokhmah, Keter, Tehiru, Adam Kadmon, Primordial Air (בִּינָה, חָכְמָה, כֶּתֶר, טְהִירוּ, אָדָם קַדְמוֹן, אֲוִיר קַדְמוֹן), and therefore He transmitted to her from His back (וְלָזֶה הִשְׁפִּיעַ לָהּ מֵאֲחוֹרָיו). And know that even after He transmitted to her from His back (וְדַע כִּי אֲפִלּוּ אַחַר שֶׁהִשְׁפִּיעַ לָהּ דֶּרֶךְ אֲחוֹרָיו), He did not abandon her entirely (לֹא הִנִּיחָהּ מִכָּל וָכֹל), but forever He illuminates her from His back (אֶלָּא לְעוֹלָם הוּא מֵאִיר בָּהּ דֶּרֶךְ אֲחוֹרָיו), to sustain her and to praise her (כְּדֵי לְקַיְּמָהּ וּלְשַׁבְּחָהּ), as it is written: “And the wise one from the back shall praise her” (Ecclesiastes 10) (דִּכְתִיב: וְחָכָם בְּאָחוֹר יְשַׁבְּחֶנָּה), as we explained in the previous chapters (כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁנוּ בַּפְּרָקִים הַקּוֹדְמִים). And what was Ohr Penimi in Keter (וּמַה שֶּׁהָיָה אוֹר פְּנִימִי לַכֶּתֶר), from it was made Ohr Makif and Penimi for Chokhmah (נַעֲשָׂה מִמֶּנּוּ אוֹר מַקִּיף וּפְנִימִי לַחָכְמָה), and what was Ohr Penimi for Chokhmah (וּמַה שֶּׁהָיָה אוֹר פְּנִימִי לַחָכְמָה), from it was made Ohr Makif and Penimi for Binah (נַעֲשָׂה מִמֶּנּוּ אוֹר מַקִּיף וּפְנִימִי לְבִינָה) — that is to say, what she could not contain went to her companion (רָצָה לוֹמַר: מַה שֶּׁלֹּא יָכְלָה לְהָכִיל הָלַךְ אֶל חֲבֶרְתָּהּ). That from the supernal light which was first emanated (שֶׁמֵּהָאוֹר הָעֶלְיוֹן אֲשֶׁר נֶאֶצַל רִאשׁוֹנָה), was made an inner and upper light for Keter (נַעֲשָׂה פְּנִימִי וְעֶלְיוֹן לַכֶּתֶר), its meaning being that Keter did not have the power to bear all the light (פֵּירוּשׁוֹ שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה כֹּחַ בַּכֶּתֶר לִסְבֹּל כָּל הָאוֹר), and part of it entered and became an inner light, a Neshamah for it (וְנִכְנַס קְצָתוֹ וְנַעֲשָׂה פְּנִימִי נְשָׁמָה לוֹ), and the remainder became a Makif for Chokhmah (וְהַשְּׁאָר נַעֲשָׂה מַקִּיף לַחָכְמָה). And so too from Chokhmah to Binah (וְכֵן מֵחָכְמָה לְבִינָה), from the Penimi of Chokhmah was made a Penimi and a Makif for Binah (נַעֲשָׂה מֵהַפְּנִימִיּוּת שֶׁל חָכְמָה פְּנִימִי וּמַקִּיף לְבִינָה), like this (כַּזֶּה).

To support each one’s companion, so that they not break, Heaven forbid (לְהַחֲזִיק כָּל אֶחָד אֶת חֲבֵירוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יִשָּׁבְרוּ חַס וְשָׁלוֹם), and this is the secret of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “The first three are considered as one” (וְזֶהוּ סוֹד מַה שֶּׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז״ל: יְשַׁלֵּשׁ רִאשׁוֹנוֹת חֲשׁוּבוֹת כְּאַחַת).