Chapter Forty-Nine (פֶּרֶק אַרְבָּעִים וְתִשְׁעָה)

The secret of the matter is (סוֹד הַדָּבָר הוּא), just as all the souls that are among the living (כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּל הַנְּשָׁמוֹת אֲשֶׁר בַּחַיִּים), are included, each and every one, in Malkhut (נִכְלָלוֹת כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד בְּמַלְכוּת), every night when we sleep (בְּכָל לַיְלָה כְּשֶׁאָנוּ יְשֵׁנִים), for she becomes impregnated from them (שֶׁהִיא מִתְעַבֶּרֶת מֵהֶם), and every morning the souls are renewed in the world (וְכָל בֹּקֶר מִתְחַדְּשׁוֹת הַנְּשָׁמוֹת בָּעוֹלָם), each and every one in the body in which it was originally (כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד בְּגוּפוֹ אֲשֶׁר הָיָה בּוֹ מִתְּחִלָּה), as it is said, “New every morning, great is Your faithfulness” (חֲדָשִׁים לַבְּקָרִים רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ) (Lamentations 3:23). The initials are Rachel (רָאשֵׁי תֵּבוֹת רח״ל), who becomes great and enlarged from the souls of Israel (שֶׁנַּעֲשֵׂית רַבָּה וּגְדוֹלָה מִנִּשְׁמוֹת שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל), in the city of Jerusalem, filled with souls dwelling within her (בְּעִיר יְרוּשָׁלַיִם מְלֵאָה נְשָׁמוֹת הַדָּרִים בָּהּ). And she is called Emunah [Faith] (וְהִיא נִקְרֵאת אֱמוּנָה), corresponding to Ze’ir Anpin who is called Emet [Truth] (כְּנֶגֶד זְעִיר שֶׁנִּקְרָא אֱמֶת), and this is the secret of “Emet [Truth] and Emunah [Faith]” (וְזֶהוּ סוֹד אֱמֶת וֶאֱמוּנָה). And therefore we say, “Into Your hand I entrust my spirit” (וְלָכֵן אָנוּ אוֹמְרִים בְּיָדְךָ אַפְקִיד רוּחִי) (Psalms 31:6), every night (בְּכָל לַיְלָה), to allude to the Shekhinah who takes the soul unto herself (לִרְמוֹז עַל הַשְּׁכִינָה שֶׁתִּקַּח הַנְּשָׁמָה אֵלֶיהָ), in the secret of Mayin Nukvin [Feminine Waters] for the Zivug [Union] (בְּסוֹד מַיִן נוּקְבִין לְזִוּוּג).

Thus Binah is included from Ze’ir Anpin and his Nukvah (כָּךְ הִיא בִּינָה נִכְלֶלֶת מִזְּעִיר אַנְפִּין וְנוּקְבֵיהּ), and becomes impregnated from them (וּמִתְעַבֶּרֶת מֵהֶם), and both of them become Mayin Nukvin [Feminine Waters] for the Zivug [Union] of Abba and Imma (וְנַעֲשׂוּ שְׁנֵיהֶן מַיִן נוּקְבִין לְזִוּוּג אַבָּא וְאִמָּא), in order that they should give them Mochin [Mental Lights] (כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתְּנוּ לָהֶם מוֹחִין), and this is the secret of “after she nursed them, she returned and became impregnated from them” (וְהוּא סוֹד בָּתַר דְּיָנְקָא לְהוֹ הֲדַרַת וְאִתְעַבְּרַת מִנַּיְיהוּ), as we explained (כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁנוּ), and everything is in order to make the matter understandable (וְהַכֹּל כְּדֵי לְשַׁכֵּךְ הָאֹזֶן). And the intention of Abba and Imma in becoming impregnated from them is for their benefit and for their advantage (וְכַוָּנַת אַבָּא וְאִמָּא לְהִתְעַבֵּר מֵהֶם לְטוֹבָתָם וּלְהֲנָאָתָם), and behold, Ze’ir Anpin is in the secret of Katnut [Smallness] until the nursing of the milk (וְהִנֵּה זְעִיר הוּא בְּסוֹד הַקַּטְנוּת עַד הַיְנִיקָה שֶׁל הֶחָלָב), and now he has become great (וְעַתָּה נַעֲשָׂה גָּדוֹל), as I shall explain to you (כְּמוֹ שֶׁאֲבָאֵר לְךָ), his enlargement with the help of Kudsha Berikh Hu and His Shekhinta (הַגְדָּלָתוֹ בְּסִיַּיעְתָּא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וּשְׁכִינְתֵּיהּ).

And you already know that above there is no conception, nor milk, nor any physical thing whatsoever (וּכְבָר יָדַעְתָּ שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה לֹא שַׁיָּיךְ לֹא עִיבּוּר וְלֹא חָלָב וְלֹא שׁוּם דָּבָר גַּשְׁמִי), and everything that we say is only to make the matter understandable (וְכָל מַה שֶּׁאָנוּ אוֹמְרִים הוּא לְשַׁכֵּךְ הָאֹזֶן), and “the Torah speaks in the language of man” (וְדִבְּרָה תוֹרָה כִּלְשׁוֹן בְּנֵי אָדָם) (Berakhot 31b), thus we speak here (כָּךְ אָנוּ מְדַבְּרִים כָּאן). Therefore you must know the order of his enlargement, how it is done (אִם כֵּן צָרִיךְ אַתָּה לָדַעַת סֵדֶר הַגְדָּלָתוֹ כֵּיצַד נַעֲשֶׂה). And the intention is that you must first know one introduction, and it is this (וְהַכַּוָּנָה הִיא שֶׁצָּרִיךְ שֶׁתֵּדַע קֹדֶם הַקְדָּמָה אַחַת וְהִיא זֹאת), know that when Ze’ir Anpin is in the womb of Imma (דַּע כְּשֶׁזְּעִיר הוּא בִּמְעֵי אִמָּא), he is in the secret of the Vav which is within the Heh (הוּא בְּסוֹד ו׳ אֲשֶׁר הִיא בְּתוֹךְ הַה״י), like this: Heh (כָּזֶה: ה׳), and the end of the point of the Vav that is within the Heh is a step extending outward (וְסוֹף קוֹץ הַוָּ״ו שֶׁבְּתוֹךְ הַה״י הִיא פְּסִיעָה לְבַר), like this: (כָּזֶה: ה׳). For this leg, the left leg of the Heh (שֶׁזֶּה הָרֶגֶל הָרֶגֶל הַשְּׂמָאלִית שֶׁל ה׳), appears like a Tav (נִרְאֶה כְּמוֹ תי״ו), this is what we said, a step extending outward (הוּא מַה שֶּׁאָמַרְנוּ פְּסִיעָה לְבַר). For the Zohar says, concerning the reason that she was a tail (שֶׁאוֹמֵר הַזֹּהַר בְּטַעַם זָנָב הָיְתָה), and the intention is that the Vav itself includes the Six Extremities of Ze’ir Anpin (וְהַכַּוָּנָה הוּא שֶׁהַוָּ״ו עַצְמָהּ כּוֹלֶלֶת שֵׁשׁ קְצָווֹת דִּזְעִיר), which folded “three within three” in the womb of Imma (שֶׁנִּתְקַפֵּל תְּלָת גּוֹ תְּלָת בִּמְעֵי אִמָּא), according to the meaning of “folded and laid away like a ledger” (כְּטַעַם מְקוּפָּל וּמוּנָח כְּפִנְקָס). And the matter of the outward step of the Heh (וְעִנְיַן הַפְּסִיעָה שֶׁל הַה״י לְבַר), is an allusion to his Nukvah who emerged from behind him (הוּא רֶמֶז לְנוּקְבֵיהּ שֶׁיָּצְאָה מֵאַחֲרָיו), as you will know in its place, with the help of Hashem (כְּמוֹ שֶׁתֵּדַע זֶה בִּמְקוֹמוֹ בְּעֶזְרַת ה׳). And when Ze’ir Anpin emerged outside (וּכְשֶׁיָּצָא ז״א לַחוּץ), then he is in the secret of the Vav of the Name (אָז הוּא בְּסוֹד הַוָּ״ו מֵהַשֵּׁם), and the head of the Vav, the Yud (וְרֹאשׁ ו׳ י׳), alludes to the Three Upper Sefirot (רוֹמֵז לְג׳ עֶלְיוֹנוֹת), and the middle of the Vav alludes to the Six Extremities (וְאֶמְצָעִית הַוּ׳ רוֹמֵז לְשֵׁשׁ קְצָווֹת), for it is like a small Vav (שֶׁהִיא כְּמוֹ ו׳ קְטַנָּה), and the thin lower part, which is called the outward step (וְהַחֵלֶק שֶׁלְּמַטָּה הַדַּק הַנִּקְרָא פְּסִיעָה לְבַר), alludes to Malkhut (רוֹמֵז לְמַלְכוּת). And the head of the Vav that we mentioned (וְרֹאשׁ הַוָּ״ו שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ), is in the secret of Katnut [Smallness], for he is still only in the secret of the Six Extremities (הוּא בְּסוֹד קַטְנוּת שֶׁעֲדַיִן הוּא בְּסוֹד שֵׁשׁ קְצָווֹת בִּלְבַד), and then the limbs of Ze’ir Anpin are “like the horns of small and slender grasshoppers” (וְאָז הֵם אֵיבָרָיו שֶׁל זְעִיר אַנְפִּין כְּקַרְנֵי חֲגָבִים קְטַנִּים וְדַקִּים). And through the milk that he nurses (וְעַל יְדֵי הֶחָלָב שֶׁיּוֹנֵק), his limbs become enlarged and he becomes a complete Partzuf [Configuration] (נִתְגַּדְּלוּ אֵיבָרָיו וְנַעֲשָׂה פַּרְצוּף שָׁלֵם), and then he is called Ze’ir Anpin (שֶׁאָז נִקְרָא זְעִיר אַנְפִּין). However, he was not enlarged properly through the extension of his limbs (אָמְנָם לֹא נִתְגַּדֵּל כָּרָאוּי בִּמְתִיחַת אֵיבָרָיו), except through the Netzach, Hod, and Yesod of Imma entering within him (אֶלָּא עַל יְדֵי נה״י דְּאִמָּא הַנִּכְנָסִים בְּתוֹכוֹ), and stretching his limbs strongly in their length and breadth (וּמוֹתְחִים בְּחֹזֶק אֵיבָרָיו לְאָרְכּוֹ וּלְרָחְבּוֹ), and therefore the principal growth is through the joints of the Netzach, Hod, and Yesod of Binah (וְלָכֵן עִיקַּר הַגִּדּוּל הוּא עַל יְדֵי הַפְּרָקִים שֶׁל נה״י שֶׁל בִּינָה), which enter and illuminate within him (הַנִּכְנָסִים וּמְאִירִים בְּתוֹכוֹ), and that illumination is the principal source of his enlargement (וְאוֹתָהּ הַהֶאָרָה הִיא עִיקַּר הַגְדָּלָתוֹ), and it is also called the first Gadlut [Greatness] (וְנִקְרָא גַּם כֵּן גַּדְלוּת רִאשׁוֹן).