Chapter Thirteen (פֶּרֶק שְׁלֹשָׁה עָשָׂר)

Even though we say that Abba is mercy (אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאָנוּ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁאַבָּא הוּא רַחֲמִים), nevertheless, since it possesses a boundary (עַל כָּל זֹאת אַחַר שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ גְּבוּל), that boundary comes through the power of the Gevurot that were there and established the boundary (הַגְּבוּל בָּא מִכֹּחַ הַגְּבוּרוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ שָׁם שֶׁנָּתְנוּ הַגְּבוּל), and this is what the Zohar says (וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר הַזֹּהַר), “Butzina deKardinuta [Hard Spark] struck within thought” (בּוּצִינָא דְקַרְדִּינוּתָא בָּטַשׁ גּוֹ מַחֲשָׁבָה). And the explanation is (וּפֵירוּשׁ), that the Yud which descended was one aspect (שֶׁהַיוּ״ד שֶׁיָּרְדָה הָיְתָה בְּחִינָה אַחַת) (daf 254b), and in order to build for it a house it was necessary to divide it into parts (וּכְדֵי שֶׁיִּבָּנֶה לָהּ בַּיִת צָרִיךְ לְחַלְּקָהּ לַחֲלָקִים), as it is said, “Through Chokhmah a house is built” (שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּחָכְמָה יִבָּנֶה בָיִת) (Proverbs 24:3), and these are the Thirty-Two Elohim of the Account of Creation (וְהֵם ל״ב אֱלֹהִים דְּמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית). And concerning these parts the verse says, “And like a hammer that shatters a rock” (וְעַל הַחֲלָקִים הָאֵלּוּ אָמַר הַכָּתוּב וּכְפַטִּישׁ יְפֹצֵץ סָלַע) (Jeremiah 23:29), for the Yud is the aspect of a rock (שֶׁהַיוּ״ד הִיא בְּחִינַת סֶלַע), and the hammer is the power of the Gevurot, striking it and dividing it (וְהַפַּטִּישׁ הוּא כֹּחַ הַגְּבוּרוֹת מַכֶּה בָּהּ וּמְחַלְּקָהּ). And it is written, “I said, the world shall be built through Chesed” (וּכְתִיב אָמַרְתִּי עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה) (Psalms 89:3), for the shattering of the rocks and the delimitation are through the power of the Gevurot (כִּי הִתְפּוֹצְצוּת הַסְּלָעִים וְהַהַגְבָּלָה הִיא בְּכֹחַ הַגְּבוּרוֹת), but the building and the stones are from the aspect of Chesed (אֲבָל הַבִּנְיָן וְהָאֲבָנִים הֵם מִבְּחִינַת הַחֶסֶד), which divides them into parts in order to sweeten them (הַמְחַלְּקָם לַחֲלָקִים לְהַמְתִּיקָם), so that they should not remain together as one unit specifically within Chokhmah (שֶׁלֹּא יִשָּׁאֲרוּ בְיַחַד בַּאֲגוּדָה אַחַת בְּחָכְמָה דַּוְקָא), for up to that point the need for sweetening reaches (כִּי עַד שָׁם מַגִּיעַ צֹרֶךְ הַמִּתּוּק). And this sphere is the three hundred and twenty sparks (וְהַכַּדּוּר הַזֶּה הֵם ש״ך נִיצוֹצִים), because they are the Thirty-Two Paths of Elohim (לְפִי שֶׁהֵם ל״ב נְתִיבוֹת אֱלֹהִים), and each and every path is included of ten (וְכָל נָתִיב וְנָתִיב כָּלוּל מֵעֶשֶׂר), and they are three hundred and twenty (וְהֵם ש״ך), and when the drop descended from above (וְהַטִּפָּה כְּשֶׁיָּרְדָה מִלְמַעְלָה), it passed through all the paths (עָבְרָה דֶּרֶךְ כָּל הַנְּתִיבוֹת), and from them these three hundred and twenty sparks were separated (וְנִתְבָּרְרוּ מֵהֶם אֵלּוּ הַש״ך נִיצוֹצִין), and they entered into Imma (וְנִכְנְסוּ בְּאִמָּא), while Abba remained pure air (וְנִשְׁאַר אַבָּא אֲוִירָא דַכְיָא). And this is the secret of “And He said” (וְזֶהוּ סוֹד וַיֹּאמֶר), appearing beside every occurrence of the word Elohim within the Thirty-Two Elohim of Bereshit (אֵצֶל כָּל מִלַּת אֱלֹהִים שֶׁבְּל״ב אֱלֹהִים דִּבְרֵאשִׁית), for it is the letters Air Mem (שֶׁהוּא אוֹתִיּוֹת אֲוִי״ר מ׳), descending from the open Mems in Adam Kadma’ah (הַיּוֹרֵד מֵהַמֵּמִי״ן פְּתוּחוֹת שֶׁבְּאָדָם קַדְמָאָה), where there is pure air (שֶׁיֵּשׁ שָׁם אֲוִירָא דַכְיָא), as I wrote concerning the eighteen thousand myriads of worlds (כַּאֲשֶׁר כָּתַבְתִּי בְּעִנְיַן י״ח אֲלָפִים רִבְבוֹת עוֹלָמוֹת). And it is also the letters Light Yud Mem (וְגַם הוּא אוֹתִיּוֹת אוֹ״ר י׳ מ׳), meaning that this light of the Yud descended (רָצָה לוֹמַר שֶׁיָּרְדָה אוֹר הַיוּ״ד הַזֶּה), and brought with it the open Mem in which is pure air (וְהֵבִיאָה עִמָּהּ מ״ם פְּתִיחָה שֶׁבָּהּ אֲוִירָא דַכְיָא), and understand this (וְהָבֵן). And this sphere remained in Imma (וְהַכַּדּוּר הַזֶּה נִשְׁאַר בְּאִמָּא), for there is the principal sphere (כִּי שָׁם הוּא הַכַּדּוּר הָעִקָּרִי), and this is called Havayah vocalized with the vowels of Elohim (וְזֶה נִקְרָא הֲוָיָ״ה בְּנִקּוּד אֱלֹהִים), into which these sparks of Elohim enter (שֶׁנִּכְנָסִין בּוֹ אֵלֶּה הַנִּיצוֹצִין שֶׁל אֱלֹהִים), namely the vowels of Elohim beneath the Havayah of Binah (דְּהַיְינוּ נְקוּדוֹת אֱלֹהִים שֶׁתַּחַת הֲוָיָ״ה שֶׁל בִּינָה), and understand this (וְהָבֵן זֶה).