Chapter Ten (פֶּרֶק עֲשִׂירִי)

Fortunate is the people for whom it is thus (אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם שֶׁכָּכָה לּוֹ) (Psalms 144:15), whose numerical value is Moshe (גִּימַטְרִיָּא מֹשֶׁה), the secret of the Ra’aya Meheimna [Faithful Shepherd] (רָזָא דְרַעְיָא מְהֵימְנָא), whose spark was in our master and teacher, the Holy of Holies, the Arizal, of blessed memory (נִיצוֹץ שֶׁלּוֹ בְּמוֹרֵנוּ וְרַבֵּנוּ קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים הָאֲרִ״י זלה״ה), who illuminated our eyes in the mysteries of the Torah from the World of Tohu (שֶׁהֵאִיר עֵינֵינוּ בְּרָזֵי הַתּוֹרָה מִן עוֹלָם הַתֹּהוּ), and had he not come (וְאִלּוּלֵי הוּא לֹא בָא), we would never have merited the light of the Torah (לֹא זָכִינוּ לְאוֹר הַתּוֹרָה מֵעוֹלָם). For it is impossible to attain the separate intellects, the mysteries of the Torah, in completeness (כִּי אִי אֶפְשָׁר לְהַשִּׂיג הַשְּׂכָלִים הַנִּבְדָּלִים רָזֵי הַתּוֹרָה בִּשְׁלֵמוּת), except through the spark of Moshe Rabbenu, peace be upon him (כִּי אִם עַל יְדֵי נִיצוֹץ מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ ע״ה), as it is said (שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר), there the lawgiver’s portion was hidden (שָׁם חֶלְקַת מְחֹקֵק סָפוּן) (Deuteronomy 33:21), and it is said (וְנֶאֱמַר), remember the Torah of Moshe My servant (זִכְרוּ תּוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה עַבְדִּי) (Malachi 3:22). And especially in the mysteries of the World of Tohu (וּבִפְרָט בְּרָזֵי עוֹלָם הַתֹּהוּ), for all Atzilut and all the inner and outer systems (שֶׁכָּל אֲצִילוּת וּמַעֲרָכוֹת פְּנִימִיִּים וְחִיצוֹנִיִּים), were all created from one Atzilut of the seven Sefirot of the shattered vessels (כֻּלָּם נִבְרְאוּ מֵאֲצִילוּת אֶחָד שֶׁל הַז׳ סְפִירוֹת שֶׁל שִׁבְרֵי כֵלִים), namely from their Inner Light [Ohr haPenimi] (דְּהַיְינוּ מֵאוֹר פְּנִימִי שֶׁלָּהֶם), were created seven and seven castings (נִבְרְאוּ שֶׁבַע וְשֶׁבַע מוּצָקוֹת) (Zechariah 4:2), the seven holy Heikhalot [Palaces] of Beri’ah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah (ז׳ הֵיכָלוֹת דבי״ע הַקְּדוֹשִׁים), and the seven impure Heikhalot [Palaces] (וְז׳ הֵיכָלוֹת הַטְּמֵאִים), together with the eleven Klipin (עִם י״א קְלִיפִּין), and all seven impure princes (וְכָל ז׳ שָׂרִים הַטְּמֵאִים), and all of them were created from the shattered vessels themselves (וְכֻלָּם נִבְרְאוּ מִשִּׁבְרֵי כֵלִים עַצְמָן). And their Inner Light [Ohr haPenimi] and their vessels (וְאוֹר פְּנִימִי וְכֵלִים שֶׁלָּהֶם), all of them were emanated from the Atzilut of Teshuvah [Return] (כֻּלָּם נֶאֶצְלוּ מֵאֲצִילוּת הַתְּשׁוּבָה), namely the Binah of the World of Tohu (דְּהַיְינוּ הַבִּינָה שֶׁל עוֹלָם הַתֹּהוּ), and the entire Atzilut of impurity is a separating screen between the holy levels (וַאֲצִילוּת הַטֻּמְאָה כּוּלּוֹ מָסָךְ מַבְדִּיל בֵּין הַמַּעֲלוֹת הַקְּדוֹשׁוֹת). And when the Holy One, blessed be He, created the seven Sefirot that were shattered and nullified (וּכְשֶׁבָּרָא הקב״ה אֶת הַז׳ סְפִירוֹת שֶׁנִּשְׁבְּרוּ וְנִתְבַּטְּלוּ), they were emanated from Binah (מִן הַבִּינָה נֶאֶצְלוּ), from the beginning upon a condition (מִתְּחִלָּה עַל תְּנַאי), that from it there would be emanated emanations both for good and for evil (שֶׁיִּתְאַצְּלוּ מִמֶּנָּה אֲצִילוּת הֵן לַטּוֹב הֵן לָרָע), both for eternal existence and establishment (הֵן לְקִיּוּם וּלְהַעֲמָדָה נִצְחִית), and both for desolation and everlasting contempt (הֵן לְשִׁמָּמוֹן וּלְדֵרָאוֹן עוֹלָמִית). For Ein Sof created the World of Tohu upon a condition (כִּי אֵין־סוֹף בָּרָא עוֹלָם הַתֹּהוּ עַל־תְּנַאי), that it would be destroyed and from the vessels of the six Sefirot evil would be built (שֶׁיֶּחֱרַב וְיִבָּנֶה מִכֵּלָיו שֶׁל שֵׁשָׁה סְפִירוֹת רַע). And were it not for the Arizal, of blessed memory (וְאִלּוּלֵי הָאֲרִ״י ז״ל), who illuminated our eyes with his secrets (שֶׁהֵאִיר עֵינֵינוּ בְּסוֹדוֹתָיו), there would be among created beings neither above nor below anyone who could attain the secret of these worlds (לֹא הָיָה בַּנִּבְרָאִים מַעְלָה וּמַטָּה שֶׁיַּשִּׂיגוּ סוֹד הָעוֹלָמוֹת הָאֵלֶּה). And if in this blind generation there is someone to whom secrets are revealed through His blessed emissary (וְאִם יֵשׁ בַּדּוֹר הָעִוֵּר הַזֶּה מִי שֶׁיִּתְגַּלֶּה אֵלָיו סוֹדוֹת עַל יְדֵי שְׁלוּחוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ), if he does not already possess beforehand the foundational secrets of the Arizal, of blessed memory (אִם לֹא יִהְיֶה לוֹ מִקּוֹדֶם הַקְדָּמוֹת סוֹדוֹת הָאֲרִ״י זלה״ה), he will merit only the secrets of our teacher Rabbi Moshe Cordovero (לֹא יִזְכֶּה כִּי אִם לְסוֹדֵי מוֹרֵנוּ הָרַב מֹשֶׁה קוֹרְדּוֹאֵירוֹ), because it was decreed that these secrets be revealed through Moshe Rabbenu, peace be upon him (לִהְיוֹת שֶׁנִּגְזַר לְהִגָּלוֹת סוֹדוֹת הַלָּלוּ עַל יְדֵי מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ ע״ה), for his spark exists in every generation (כִּי נִיצוֹצוֹ הוּא בְּכָל דּוֹר), and the matters are ancient (וְהַדְּבָרִים עַתִּיקִים), from the treasuries of Hashem they come (אוֹצַר י״י יָבֹואוּ).