Chapter Twenty-Two (פֶּרֶק עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁנַיִם)

And let us return to the matter of the formation of the fetus (וְנַחֲזוֹר לְעִנְיַן יְצִירַת הַוָּלָד), namely (דְּהַיְינוּ), the formation and configuration of Ze’ir Anpin in the womb of his mother (יְצִירָה וְצִיּוּר זְעֵיר אַנְפִּין בִּמְעֵי אִמּוֹ), for after the Dalet of the filling of the Yud illuminated (כִּי אַחֲרֵי שֶׁהֵאִירָה דָלֶ״ת שֶׁל מִלּוּי הַיוּ״ד), to give stature and measure to the attribute of Malkhut (לָתֵת קוֹמָה וְקִצְבָּה אֶל מִדַּת הַמַּלְכוּת), Abba added further (הוֹסִיף עוֹד אַבָּא), and gave Imma the Vav of the filling of his Yud (וְנָתַן לְאִמָּא הַוי״ו שֶׁל מִלּוּי הַיוּ״ד שֶׁלּוֹ), to stretch out and delineate all the limbs of Ze’ir (לִמְתּוֹחַ וּלְצַיֵּין כָּל אֵיבְרֵי זְעֵיר), in such a manner (בְּאֹפֶן), that each one would be recognizable by itself (שֶׁיִּהְיֶה נִכָּר כָּל אֶחָד מֵהֶם בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ), which is Chesed and which is Gevurah and the like (מִי גְּדוּלָה מִי גְבוּרָה וְכַדּוֹמֶה). And further (וְעוֹד), he gave the final Heh to the determination (נָתַן לְהַכְרָעָה דְה״י אַחֲרוֹנָה), which had been placed in the womb of Imma (שֶׁהָיָה נָתוּן בִּמְעֵי אִמָּא), folded and laid up like a ledger (מְקֻפָּל וּמוּנָח כְּפִנְקָס), and completed all the limbs of Ze’ir in their form and their rectification (וְהִשְׁלִים בִּזְעֵיר כָּל אֵיבָרָיו בְּצִבְיוֹנָם וּבְתִקּוּנָם), in the secret of skin, flesh, bones, and sinews (בְּסוֹד עוֹר וּבָשָׂר וַעֲצָמוֹת וְגִידִים). And you must know (וְצָרִיךְ אַתָּה לָדַעַת), that the skin of which we spoke (כִּי עוֹר שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ), is not actual skin (אֵינוֹ מַמָּשׁ עוֹר), Heaven forbid one should believe that it is according to its simple meaning (חָלִילָה לְהַאֲמִין שֶׁהוּא כִּפְשׁוּטוֹ), rather (אֶלָּא), it depends on the fivefold Name Elohim (הוּא תָּלוּי בְּשֵׁם אֱלֹהִים מְחוּמָשׁ), which equals two hundred (שֶׁעוֹלֶה מָאתַיִם), thus (כָּזֶה): Aleph, El, Eloah, Elohai, Elohim (א׳ א״ל אל״ה אלה״י אלהי״ם), namely the Resh of the word Ohr [Skin] (הַיְינוּ ר׳ שֶׁל מִלַּת עוֹר). And the Name El and the Name Havayah filled with Alephin (וְשֵׁם א״ל וְשֵׁם שֶׁל הֲוָיָה בְּמִלּוּי אַלְפִין), which equals forty-five (שֶׁעוֹלֶה מ״ה), together equal seventy-six (שְׁנֵיהֶם עוֹלִים ע״ו), the total being the numerical value of Ohr [Skin] (סַךְ הַכֹּל כְּמִנְיַן עוֹר). And this flesh of which we spoke (וּבָשָׂר זֶה שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ), is the Name Elohim in its filling (הוּא שֵׁם אֱלֹהִים בְּמִלּוּאוֹ), which equals the Shin of Basar [Flesh] (שֶׁעוֹלֶה שי״ן שֶׁל בש״ר), thus (כָּזֶה): Aleph-Lamed-Heh-Yud-Mem (אל״ף למ״ד ה״י יו״ד מ״ם), and the aforementioned fivefold Name Elohim equals two hundred (וְשֵׁם אֱלֹהִים מְחוּמָשׁ הַנִּזְכָּר עוֹלֶה ר׳), behold, this is the Shin, Resh from the word Basar [Flesh] (הֲרֵי ש״ר [מִמִּלַּת בש״ר]), and two inclusions from the two aspects and reckonings of Elohim (וּב׳ כּוֹלְלִים מִשְּׁתֵּי בְחִינוֹת וּמִסְפְּרֵי אֱלֹהִים), behold, this is Basar [Flesh] (הֲרֵי בש״ר). And within the flesh there are red streaks (וּבַבָּשָׂר יֵשׁ בּוֹ שׁוּרַיְיקֵי סוּמְקֵי), and among them are white ones (וְיֵשׁ מֵהֶם חִוָּרֵי), namely (הַיְינוּ), that the white ones are from the Name Peh-Vav filled with Yudin (שֶׁהַחִוָּרֵי הֵם מִשֵּׁם פ״ו בְּמִלּוּי יוּדִי״ן), for although it is Achorayim [Backs] relative to the simple form (שֶׁעִם הֱיוֹתוֹ אֲחוֹרַיִם בְּעֵרֶךְ הַפָּשׁוּט), nevertheless relative to the squared Name it is Panim [Face] (מִכָּל מָקוֹם לְפִי עֵרֶךְ שֵׁם מְרֻבָּע הוּא פָּנִים), and Ayin-Bet in Yudin is white (וְע״ב בְּיוּדִין [הוּא] חִוָּרֵי), [while the squared Elohim, which is Achorayim] and the squared form is red (וּבְרִבּוּעַ אֱלֹהִים שֶׁהוּא אֲחוֹרַיִם וּמְרֻבָּע סוּמְקֵי).

Bone depends upon the squared Name [86 - Elohim] (עֶצֶם תָּלוּי בְּשֵׁם פ״ו מְרֻבָּע), therefore it is hard (לְכָךְ הוּא קָשֶׁה), for Etzem [Bone] equals two hundred (כִּי עֶצֶ״ם עוֹלֶה מָאתַיִם). The veins depend upon the Name Ehyeh (הָעוֹרָקִים תְּלוּיִים בְּשֵׁם א״ך [אֶהְיֶ״ה]), which equals one hundred and sixty-one in its filling with Yudin (שֶׁעוֹלֶה קס״א בְּמִלּוּי יוּדִין), namely (דְּהַיְינוּ), two times one hundred and sixty-one and two times Ben (ב׳ פְּעָמִים קס״א וּב׳ פְּעָמִים ב״ן), equal the numerical value of Orakim [Veins] (עוֹלֶה כְּמוֹ עוֹרָקִי״ם), and therefore among the veins some are redder than others (וְלָכֵן יֵשׁ בָּעוֹרָקִים מֵהֶם אֲדֻמִּים יוֹתֵר זֶה מִזֶּה). The sinews depend upon the Chesadim [Kindnesses] (גִּידִים הֵם תְּלוּיִים בַּחֲסָדִים), therefore they are white and soft (עַל כֵּן הֵם לְבָנִים וְרַכִּים), and they depend upon the Name Samekh-Gimel (וּתְלוּיִים בְּשֵׁם ס״ז), Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh (יו״ד ה״י וי״ו ה״ה), which equals Gidim [Sinews] (כְּמִנְיַן גִּידִי״ם). And the surplus of this final Heh that remained (וּמוֹתַר ה״ה הַזֹּאת אַחֲרוֹנָה שֶׁנִּשְׁאֲרָה), which is like a kind of Dalet (שֶׁהִיא כְּמִין דָּלֶ״ת), he gave it to the Nukvah of Ze’ir through Imma (נָתַן אוֹתָהּ לְנוּקְבָה דִזְעֵיר דֶּרֶךְ אִמָּא), in order to complete her (כְּדֵי לְהַשְׁלִימָהּ).

It follows (נִמְצָא), that Ze’ir and his Nukvah received from the Name of Ayin-Bet (שֶׁזְּעֵיר וְנוּקְבֵיהּ קִבְּלוּ מִשֵּׁם שֶׁל ע״ב), three Yudin from the filling of Heh-Yud, Vav-Yud-Vav, Heh-Yud (ג׳ יוּדִי״ן שֶׁל מִלּוּי ה״י וי״ו ה״י), and also the Vav of the filling of the Vav (וְעוֹד הַוי״ו שֶׁל מִלּוּי הוי״ו), and also the Vav and the Dalet of the filling of the Yud (וְעוֹד הַוי״ו וְהַדָּלֶ״ת שֶׁל מִלּוּי הַיוּ״ד), and also the final Heh (וְעוֹד הַה״י אַחֲרוֹנָה), namely the leg of its Vav (דְּהַיְינוּ כַּרְעָהּ דְּוי״ו שֶׁלָּהּ), and the remainder of the Heh, which is the Dalet (וּמוֹתַר הַה״י שֶׁהִיא דָּלֶ״ת), which together equal ten (שֶׁבֵּין שְׁנֵיהֶם הוּא עֶשֶׂר). For the Heh is Vav-Dalet, equaling ten (כִּי הַה״י הִיא ו׳ ד׳ עוֹלֶה עֶשֶׂר). All together equal fifty-six (הַכֹּל עוֹלֶה נ״ו), which equals two times twenty-eight (שֶׁעוֹלֶה ב׳ פְּעָמִים כ״ח), an allusion to two powers, one of Abba and one of Imma (רֶמֶז לִב׳ כֹּחוֹת אֶחָד דְּאַבָּא וְאֶחָד דְּאִמָּא), whose numerical value is Yom [Day] (בְּגִימַטְרִיָּא יוֹ״ם), and this is the meaning of what is written (הַיְינוּ דִּכְתִיב), “And there was evening and there was morning, one day” (וַיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר יוֹם אֶחָד) (Genesis 1:5). Namely (דְּהַיְינוּ), evening is the attribute of Malkhut (עֶרֶב מִדַּת מַלְכוּת), and “there was morning” is the secret of Ze’ir (וַיְהִי בֹקֶר שֶׁהוּא סוֹד זְעֵיר), both of them together are one day (שְׁנֵיהֶם יַחַד הוּא יוֹם אֶחָד). It still remains to explain (נִשְׁאַר עֲדַיִן לְבָאֵר), what became of the Yud at the head of the Vav of its filling (מַה נַּעֲשָׂה מִיוּ״ד שֶׁבְּרֹאשׁ וא״ו שֶׁל מִלּוּאָהּ), and the simple Heh and the simple right Heh (הַה״י וְה״י פְּשׁוּטָה יְמָנִית).