Chapter Two (פֶּרֶק שֵׁנִי)

From these returns and fallings and the like (מֵאֵלּוּ הַחֲזָרוֹת וּנְפִילָה וְכַדּוֹמֶה לָהֶם), came into being the shattering of the vessels (נִתְהַוִּית שְׁבִירַת הַכֵּלִים), and the judgments and the klipot came into being (וְנִתְהַוּוּ הַדִּינִים וְהַקְּלִיפּוֹת). And from this return of the aforementioned Yod, which is judgment (וּמֵהַחֲזָרָה הַזֹּאת שֶׁל הַיּו״ד הַנִּזְכֶּרֶת שֶׁהִיא דִּין), a portion of the primordial Air became embodied and thickened (נִתְגַּלֵּם וְנִתְעַבֶּה קְצָת אויר קדמון), and a sphere was formed called in the Zohar “Tehiru” (וְנַעֲשָׂה כַּדּוּר הַנִּקְרָא בְּסֵפֶר הַזֹּהַר טְהִירוּ). And this is what the Zohar says in its introduction (וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאוֹמֵר הַזֹּהַר בְּהַקְדָּמָתוֹ), in saying: “A vapor within a formless body is embedded in a ring, not black, and not white, and not any color at all” (Bereshit 15a) (בְּאֹמְרוֹ: קוּטְרָא בְּגוֹלְמָא נָעִיץ בַּעִזְקָא לָא אוּכָּם וְלָא חִוַּר וְלָאו גַּוָּן כְּלָל). That is to say, the return of this Yod that made the aforementioned impression (כְּלוֹמַר: הַחֲזָרָה מֵהַיּו״ד הַזֹּאת שֶׁעָשְׂתָה הָרוֹשֶׁם הַנִּזְכָּר), which is this sphere (שֶׁהוּא הַכַּדּוּר הַזֶּה), is like a formless body (הוּא כְּמוֹ גֹּלֶם). Because it is like smoke vapor (מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא כְּמוֹ קְטוֹר־עָשָׁן), and just as smoke appears as a formless body and is not graspable (וּכְמוֹ שֶׁהֶעָשָׁן נִרְאֶה גֹּלֶם וְאֵינוֹ נִתְפַּס), so too is this sphere like a formless body (כָּךְ הַכַּדּוּר הַזֶּה הוּא כְּגוֹלֶם), because it appears spherical but is not graspable (וּמִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא נִרְאֶה כַּדּוּרִי וְאֵינוֹ נִתְפַּס). It contains neither judgment, that is blackness (שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ לֹא דִּין דְּהַיְינוּ אוּכָּם), nor whiteness, that is kindness (וְלֹא חִוַּר דְּהַיְינוּ חֶסֶד), nor any color at all, that is compassion (וְלֹא גַּוָּן כְּלָל דְּהַיְינוּ רַחֲמִים). Rather, it is a luminous sphere embedded in the aforementioned Yod (אֶלָּא כַּדּוּר זֹהֲרַי נָעוּץ בַּיּו״ד הַנִּזְכָּרֶת), that is, “embedded in a ring” (דְּהַיְינוּ: נָעוּץ בַּעִזְקָא), which is called a tabba‘at (שֶׁהִיא הַנִּקְרֵאת טַבַּעַת), as mentioned in the introduction to the Tikkunim (כְּנִזְכַּר בְּהַקְדָּמַת תִּיקּוּנִים).