Chapter Ninety-Three (פֶּרֶק תִּשְׁעִים וּשְׁלֹשָׁה)

We return to our subject (נַחֲזוֹר לְעִנְיָנֵינוּ), that we said that Malkhut emerged “from behind him, from between his chest” (שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ שֶׁהַמַּלְכוּת יָצְאָה מֵאֲחוֹרוֹי מִבֵּין חֲדוֹהִי), to save him from the grasp of the Chitzonim [External Forces] and the Klipot (לְהַצִּילוֹ מֵאֲחִיזַת הַחִיצוֹנִים וְהַקְּלִיפּוֹת). And if you should say (וְאִם תֹּאמַר), that according to this reason (שֶׁהָיָה רָאוּי לְזֶה הַטַּעַם), she should have emerged from the head of Ze’ir Anpin (לָצֵאת מֵרֹאשׁ זְעֵיר), so that they would have no grasp upon the head (כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא לָהֶם אֲחִיזָה בָּרֹאשׁ), and not only from between his chest (וְלֹא מִבֵּין חֲדוֹהִי בִּלְבַד), but from his head itself (אֶלָּא מֵרֹאשׁוֹ).

It may be said (וְיֵשׁ לוֹמַר), that even though the Chitzonim [External Forces] possess a very slight grasp of nourishment from afar (אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לְהַחִיצוֹנִים אֲחִיזַת יְנִיקָה רָפָה מְאֹד מֵרָחוֹק), from the hairs which are “black as a raven” (מֵהַשְּׂעָרוֹת שֶׁהֵם שְׁחוֹרוֹת כָּעוֹרֵב) (Song of Songs 5:11), as is known in the secret of “His locks are curled” (כַּנּוֹדָע בְּסוֹד קְוֻצּוֹתָיו תַּלְתַּלִּים) (Song of Songs 5:11), and these are the ten right-sided and left-sided Elohim (וְהֵם י' אֱלֹהִים יְמָנִיִּים וּשְׂמָאלִיִּים), nevertheless (עִם כָּל זֹאת), their grasp is exceedingly weak (אֲחִיזָתָם רָפָה מְאֹד), from these hairs (מֵהַשְּׂעָרוֹת הַלָּלוּ), or from the Oref [Nape] (אוֹ מֵהָעֹרֶף), because of the sin of Israel (בְּסִבַּת חֵטְא יִשְׂרָאֵל), since the head is far above the arms (לִהְיוֹת שֶׁהָרֹאשׁ הוּא לְמַעְלָה הַרְבֵּה מֵהַזְּרוֹעוֹת), and their grasp there is exceedingly weak (וַאֲחִיזָתָם שָׁם רָפָה מְאֹד), and there is no root of grasp there for the Klipot (וְאֵין לָהּ שֹׁרֶשׁ אֲחִיזָה לַקְּלִיפּוֹת), except from the arms of Ze’ir Anpin and below (רַק מִזְּרוֹעוֹת זְעֵיר וּלְמַטָּה). For from there and below (כִּי מִשָּׁם וּלְמַטָּה), the Shevirah [Shattering] occurred in the World of Tohu (הָיְתָה הַשְּׁבִירָה בְּעוֹלַם הַתֹּהוּ), in the secret of the Broken Vessels (בְּסוֹד מָאנִין תְּבִירִין), for from there is the grasp of the Klipot (שֶׁמִּשָּׁם אֲחִיזַת הַקְּלִיפּוֹת), and from there his Nukvah emerges (וּמִשָּׁם יוֹצֵאת נוּקְבֵיהּ), “from between his chest” (מִבֵּין חֲדוֹהִי), behind him (מֵאֲחוֹרָיו), to protect him from them (לְהָגֵן בַּעֲדוֹ מֵהֶם). And furthermore (וְעוֹד), Leah protects him (לֵאָה מָגֵן בַּעֲדוֹ), from the head until the chest (מִן הָרֹאשׁ עַד הֶחָזֶה), which is until his navel (שֶׁהוּא עַד טַבּוּרוֹ), for she is the upper Partzuf of Malkhut (שֶׁהִיא פַּרְצוּף הָעֶלְיוֹן שֶׁל מַלְכוּת), even though (אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינָהּ), she is only an illumination alone (אֶלָּא הֶאָרָה בְּעָלְמָא), and her protection is slight (וּשְׁמִירָתָהּ מוּעֶטֶת), for the head of Ze’ir Anpin is sufficiently protected by this (שֶׁכֵּן רֹאשׁוֹ שֶׁל זְעֵיר סַגִּי לֵיהּ בְּהָכִי). For their grasp there (כִּי אֲחִיזָתָם שָׁם), is “like one who throws a bone to a dog” (הוּא כְּמָאן דְּשָׁדֵי גַּרְמָא לְכַלְבָא), and “the dogs are fierce of appetite; they never know satisfaction” (וְהַכְּלָבִים עַזֵּי נֶפֶשׁ לֹא יָדְעוּ שָׂבְעָה) (Isaiah 56:11), and they are servants to holiness (וְהֵם עֲבָדִים לַקְּדֻשָּׁה), from this grasp (מִזֹּאת הָאֲחִיזָה), for it is holiness (שֶׁהִיא [הַקְּדֻשָּׁה]) far above the arms (לְמַעְלָה מֵהַזְּרוֹעוֹת הַרְבֵּה). But below (אֲבָל לְמַטָּה), if, Heaven forbid, their grasp is great there (אִם חַס וְשָׁלוֹם אֲחִיזָתָם שָׁם מְרֻבָּה), this is the secret of the verse (הוּא בְּסוֹד הַפָּסוּק): “Under three things the earth trembles... under a servant when he reigns, and a vile man when he is filled with bread... and a maidservant when she inherits her mistress” (תַּחַת שָׁלוֹשׁ רָגְזָה אֶרֶץ... תַּחַת עֶבֶד כִּי יִמְלוֹךְ וְנָבָל כִּי יִשְׂבַּע לָחֶם... וְשִׁפְחָה כִּי תִירַשׁ גְּבִרְתָּהּ) (Proverbs 30:21–23). And if you are a person of understanding (וְאִם בַּעַל נֶפֶשׁ אַתָּה), you will understand the allusion (תָּבִין הָרֶמֶז), that if their grasp is beneath these three (אִם אֲחִיזָתָם מִתַּחַת שָׁלוֹשׁ אֵלֶּה), which are Chokhmah, Binah, Da’at (שֶׁהֵם חב״ד), namely from the arms and below (דְּהַיְנוּ מֵהַזְּרוֹעוֹת וּלְמַטָּה), it causes (הוּא פּוֹעֵל), that “a servant shall reign,” Heaven forbid (שֶׁעֶבֶד יִמְלוֹךְ חַס וְשָׁלוֹם). And it also alludes to the three first ones (וְגַם יְרַמֵּז תַּחַת ג' רִאשׁוֹנוֹת), beneath which stand the six extremities (שֶׁהֵם שֵׁשׁ קְצָווֹת שֶׁעוֹמְדִים תַּחְתֵּיהֶם), for “Eleh [these]” equals in gematria six times six (כִּי אֵלֶּה הוּא גִּימַטְרִיָּא ו' פְּעָמִים ו'), the secret of the six extremities (סוֹד ו' קְצָווֹת), each one included with six (כָּל אֶחָד כָּלוּל מִשִּׁשָּׁה), and if their grasp is there (אִם אֲחִיזָתָם שָׁם), it causes, Heaven forbid, all these things (הִיא גּוֹרֶמֶת חַס וְשָׁלוֹם כָּל אֵלֶּה).