Chapter Thirty-Seven (פֶּרֶק שְׁלֹשִׁים וְשִׁבְעָה)

It is incumbent upon us to explain (חוֹבָה עָלֵינוּ לְבָאֵר), why the Malkhut in the male world is absorbed into his Yesod (לָמָּה הַמַּלְכוּת בָּעוֹלָם הַזָּכָר נִבְלַעַת בִּיסוֹד דִידֵיהּ), and you must know (וְצָרִיךְ אַתָּה לָדַעַת), that in this state of the World of Nekudim (שֶׁבְּמַצָּב זֶה שֶׁל הָעוֹלָם הַנְּקֻדִים), the Malkhut of the Yesod is not visible (הַמַּלְכוּת שֶׁל יְסוֹד אֵינָהּ נִרְאֵית), because it is attached to the Yesod (כִּי הִיא דְבוּקָה בִּיסוֹד), that is (כְּלוֹמַר), by the expression attached (בִּלְשׁוֹן דָּבוּק), it is called in the masculine form (נִקְרֵאת בִּלְשׁוֹן זָכָר), as it is said (כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר), and this is the matter by which Yehoshua circumcised (וְזֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר מָל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ) (Joshua 5:4). And circumcision is the revelation of the Atarah [crown] (וּמִילָה הִיא גִּלּוּי הָעֲטָרָה), and when the Atarah is covered and not visible (וּכְשֶׁהָעֲטָרָה מְכֻסָּה וְאֵינָהּ נִרְאֵית), then it is called in the feminine form, this (אָז הִיא נִקְרֵאת בִּלְשׁוֹן נְקֵבָה זֹאת), as it is written (דִּכְתִיב), and after my skin has been struck off, this, and from my flesh I shall behold God (וְאַחַר עוֹרִי נִקְּפוּ זֹאת וּמִבְּשָׂרִי אֶחֱזֶה אֱלוֹהַּ) (Job 19:26).

For the verse was said concerning Avraham after he circumcised himself (שֶׁהַפָּסוּק נֶאֱמַר עַל אַבְרָהָם אַחַר שֶׁמָּל), and made many converts who circumcised themselves with him (וְעָשָׂה הַרְבֵּה גֵּרִים וּמָלוּ עִמּוֹ). And thus is the explanation of the verse (וְכָךְ פֵּרוּשׁ הַפָּסוּק), after I cut my skin (אַחֲרֵי שֶׁחָתַכְתִּי הָעוֹר שֶׁלִּי), which is the foreskin (שֶׁהִיא הָעָרְלָה), also the nations of the world struck off this (גַּם אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם נִקְּפוּ זֹאת), which is their organ, when it is with the foreskin it is called “this [zot]” (שֶׁהוּא הָאֵבֶר שֶׁלָּהֶם כְּשֶׁהוּא עִם הָעָרְלָה נִקְרֵאת זֹאת), that is (כְּלוֹמַר), they struck it off, cut it, and revealed the Atarah [crown] (נִקְּפוּ חֲתָכוּהוּ וְגִלּוּ הָעֲטָרָה).

Behold, you have explicit proof (הֲרֵי לְךָ בְּהֶדְיָא), that while the Atarah is revealed (כִּי הָעֲטָרָה בְּעוֹד שֶׁהִיא גְּלוּיָה), it is called in the masculine form, “this [zeh]” (נִקְרֵאת בִּלְשׁוֹן זָכָר זֶה), and when it is covered by the foreskin (וּכְשֶׁהִיא מְכֻסָּה מֵהָעָרְלָה), it is called in the feminine form, “this [zot]” (נִקְרֵאת בִּלְשׁוֹן נְקֵבָה זֹאת), in the secret of “this [zot]” is the statute of the Torah (בְּסוֹד זֹאת חֻקַּת הַתּוֹרָה) (Numbers 19:2), in the secret of the Red Heifer [Parah Adumah] (בְּסוֹד פָּרָה אֲדֻמָּה), in the secret of the judgments of the red bull (בְּסוֹד דִּינִין שֶׁל פַּ״ר הָאָדוֹ״ם), and she is the lower Heh (וְהִיא ה״א תַּתָּאָה), and becomes in the secret of the Red Heifer [Parah Adumah] (וְנַעֲשֵׂית בְּסוֹד פָּרָה אֲדֻמָּה), and in the chambers of Malkhut (וּבְהֵיכְלֵי מַלְכוּת), which stand upon the twelve oxen (הָעוֹמְדוֹת עַל הַי״ב בָּקָר), and the cows that brought the Ark from the land of the Philistines (וּפָרוֹת שֶׁהֵבִיאוּ הָאָרוֹן מֵאֶרֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּים) (Zohar, Balak 202b; Shoftim 6–7), the gematria of ten Elohim (גִּימַטְרִיָּא י׳ אֱלֹהִי״ם), from the shells of the Nun of do not wrong one another (מֵהַקְּלִיפּוֹת שֶׁל נוּ״ן דְּאַל תּוֹנוּ) (Leviticus 25:17), and it is the Nun of the serpent (וְהִיא נוּן שֶׁל נָחָשׁ). And in the burning of the Red Heifer [Parah Adumah] (וּבִשְׂרֵפַת הַפָּרָה), the judgments shall rule (יִשְׁלְטוּ הַדִּינִין), over the impurity that covers Rachel of Beri’ah (בַּטֻּמְאָה הַמְכַסָּה אֶת רָחֵל דִבְרִיאָה), to fulfill (לְקַיֵּם), the graven images of their gods shall you burn with fire (פְּסִילֵי אֱלֹהֵיהֶם תִּשְׂרְפוּן בָּאֵשׁ) (Deuteronomy 7:25). And it is necessary that no labor ever be performed with it (וְצָרִיךְ שֶׁלֹּא יֵעָשׂוּ בָהּ מֵעוֹלָם מְלָאכָה), because labor comes from the shells (שֶׁהוּא בָּא מֵהַקְּלִיפּוֹת), which was decreed from the sin of Adam haRishon (שֶׁנִּגְזַר מֵחֵטְא אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן), as it is said (שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר), by the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread (בְּזֵעַת אַפֶּיךָ תֹּאכַל לֶחֶם) (Genesis 3:19). And from the Klipot comes labor (וּמֵהַקְּלִיפּוֹת בָּאָה הַמְּלָאכָה), and after six thousand years the world shall exist (וְאַחַר שִׁית אַלְפֵי שְׁנֵי הֲוֵי עָלְמָא), there will be no labor (לֹא יִהְיֶה מְלָאכָה), and rest and Shabbat for the Life of the Worlds shall prevail (וְיִתְגַּבֵּר הַמְּנוּחָה וְשַׁבָּת לְחַי עוֹלָמִים).

And we return to our subject (וְנַחֲזוֹר לְעִנְיָנֵנוּ), and it is obvious that when she is by herself (וּפְשִׁיטָא כְּשֶׁהִיא לְעַצְמָהּ), below the Yesod (לְמַטָּה מֵהַיְסוֹד), namely in her place (דְּהַיְינוּ בִּמְקוֹמָהּ), she is called in the feminine form (נִקְרֵאת בִּלְשׁוֹן נְקֵבָה), and because this World of Nekudim is called male (וּלְהִיוֹת שֶׁזֶּה עוֹלָם הַנְּקֻדִים נִקְרָא זָכָר), therefore she is not mentioned at all (לָכֵן אֵינָהּ נִזְכֶּרֶת כְּלָל), for she is always included in the Yesod of each one of them (כִּי לְעוֹלָם הִיא נִכְלֶלֶת בִּיסוֹד שֶׁל כָּל אֶחָד מֵהֶם), even up to Abba and Imma (וְעַד אַבָּא וְאִמָּא), all alike (הַכֹּל כַּאֲשֶׁר לַכֹּל), it is included in the male world (הוּא נִכְלָל בָּעוֹלָם הַזָּכָר), entirely (וְעַד וּבִכְלָל). And because the Nekudot are the souls of the letters (וּלְהִיוֹת שֶׁהַנְּקֻדּוֹת הֵם נִשְׁמוֹת הָאוֹתִיּוֹת), and direct them in pronunciation (וּמַנְהִיגֵיהֶם בַּמִּבְטָא), therefore until this point it is also called the World of Nekudim (לָכֵן גַּם עַד כָּאן נִקְרָא עוֹלָם הַנְּקֻדִים), for from there come the Nekudot to Ze’ir Anpin and Nukvah (שֶׁמִשָּׁם בָּאִים הַנְּקֻדּוֹת לְזו״ן), whose letters are without vowels (שֶׁאוֹתִיּוֹתֵיהֶם הֵם בְּלִי נִקּוּד), as we see today (כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָנוּ רוֹאִים הַיּוֹם), that the Sefer Torah is without vowels and without cantillation marks (שֶׁהַסֵּפֶר תּוֹרָה בְּלִי נִקּוּד וּבְלִי טְעָמִים), and through our intention during the reading (וַאֲנַחְנוּ מַמְשִׁיכִין בְּכַוָּנָתֵינוּ בַּקְּרִיאָה), from Arich Anpin and Abba and Imma (מֵאֲרִיךְ וְאַבָּא וְאִמָּא), the Chesadim which are literally the Nekudot and the Atarin [crowns] (אֶת הַחֲסָדִים שֶׁהֵם מַמָּשׁ הַנְּקֻדּוֹת וְהָעַטְרִין). And beware lest you err and exchange them (וְהִזָּהֵר שֶׁלֹּא תִטְעֶה [וְתַחֲלִיף]), when you see written the World of Nekudot (כְּשֶׁתִּרְאֶה כָּתוּב עוֹלָם הַנְּקֻדּוֹת), which is the World of Tohu (שֶׁהוּא עוֹלָם הַתֹּהוּ), for those are the geometric points of the draftsmen (כִּי הִיא נְקֻדּוֹת צִיּוּרִית שֶׁל בַּעֲלֵי הַהַנְדָּסָה), whereas in the World of HaMatkela [the Balance] (וּבְעוֹלָם הַמַּתְקְלָא), they are the Atarin [crowns] that descend every day to Ze’ir Anpin and Nukvah (הֵם הָעַטְרִין הַיּוֹרְדִין בְּכָל יוֹם לְזו״ן), and they are the vowel points of the letters that fell and receive rectification (וְהֵם הַנְּקֻדּוֹת שֶׁל הָאוֹתִיּוֹת שֶׁנָּפְלוּ הַמְקַבְּלִים תִּקּוּן), and know it (וְדָעֵהוּ).