Daf 18a (דַּף י״ח ע״א)

In accordance with (ע״ד), that He would constrict His Shekhinah between the two poles of the Ark (שֶׁהָיָה מְצַמְצֵם שְׁכִינָתוֹ בֵּין שְׁנֵי בַּדֵּי הָאָרוֹן). “And Et [Alef–Tav], the secret of VYHVH [And Hashem]” (וְאֶת רָזָא וידוד), as our Rabbis of blessed memory said (כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָרְז״ל), every place where Vav-Heh is stated, it is He and His Court (כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ו״ה הוּא וּבֵית דִּינוֹ), meaning (ר״ל), Ze'ir Anpin and his Nukvah (זְעֵיר וְנוּקְבֵיהּ), it comes through inclusion (הוּא בָּא בְּרִיבּוּי), and all is one (וְכֹלָּא חַד), its explanation being (פֵּירוּשׁ), Ve'et [And Et] or VYHVH (וְאֶת אוֹ ויהו״ה), all is one allusion to Ze'ir Anpin and his Nukvah (כּוּלּוֹ רֶמֶז אֶחָד עַל זְעֵיר וְנוּקְבֵיהּ). “The earth—this is Elohim” (הָאָרֶץ דָּא אֱלֹהִים), the Heh is Malkhut (ה״א מַלְכוּת), which is called the lower Earth (הַנִּקְרֵאת אֶרֶץ הַתַּחְתּוֹנָה), and Elohim filled with Alefs (וֶאֱלֹהִים בְּמִילּוּי אַלְפִין), has the numerical value of Eretz [Earth] (עוֹלֶה אֶרֶץ), and the Heh of the word haAretz [the earth] (וְה״א שֶׁל מִלַּת הָאָרֶץ), alludes to the five letters of Elohim (הֵם רוֹמְזִים עַל ה׳ אוֹתִיּוֹת אֱלֹהִים), or it alludes to Rachel (אוֹ הוּא רוֹמֵז עַל רָחֵל), who became a rival to her companion, who is Leah (שֶׁנַּעֲשֵׂית צָרָה לַחֲבֶרְתָּהּ שֶׁהִיא לֵאָה), and the word haAretz [the earth], with the word itself, has the numerical value of Tzarah [Rival] (וּמִלַּת האר״ץ גִּימַטְרִיָּא עִם הַמִּלָּה צָרָה), and this is the secret of “A window shall you make for the Ark” (וְזֶהוּ סוֹד צֹהַר תַּעֲשֶׂה לַתֵּיבָה) (Genesis 6:16), <for there were three kinds of structures in the Ark (שֶׁג׳ מִינֵי בִּנְיָנִי׳ הָיוּ בַּתֵּיבָה), lower, second, and third (תַּחְתִּיִּם וּשְׁנִיִּ׳ וּשְׁלִישִׁיִּים), which is Rachel of Beri'ah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah (שֶׁהוּא רָחֵל שֶׁל בי״ע), who needs guarding (שֶׁצָּרִיךְ שְׁמִירָה), for she is Malkhut (שֶׁהִיא מַלְכוּת), which needs this Elohim (שֶׁצָּרִיךְ אֱלֹהִי׳ זֶה), to protect her from the Klipot (לְהָגֵן עָלֶיהָ מִן הַקְּלִיפּוֹת), as I will write in the statement of Rabbi Chizkiyah in this Parashah (כְּמוֹ שֶׁאֶכְתּוֹב בְּמַאֲמַר ר׳ חִזְקִיָּה בְּפ׳ זֹאת). And why is she called Earth in the supernal manner (וְלָמָּה נִקְרֵאת אֶרֶץ בְּגַוְונָא עִילָּאָה), like the Malkhut of Reisha d'Lo Ityada [the Unknowable Head] (כְּמוֹ מַלְכוּת דל״א), for she too is called Earth (שֶׁגַּם כֵּן הִיא נִקְרֵאת אֶרֶץ), for Holy Seed is sown in her (שֶׁנִּזְרַע בָּהּ זֶרַע קֹדֶשׁ), the root of the twelve tribes (שׁוֹרֶשׁ י״ב שְׁבָטִים), in the secret of Yechidah (בְּסוֹד יְחִידָה), as I explained above (כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּירַשְׁתִּי לְמַעְלָה). And this Malkhut also acts through the Judgments (וְגַם מַלְכוּת הַזֹּאת הִיא פּוֹעֶלֶת בְּהַדִּינִין), which give measure to create Neshamot (הַנּוֹתְנִים שִׁיעוּר לִבְרוֹא נְשָׁמוֹת), they are called the grasses and herbs of the Garden of the Land of Life (הֵם הַנִּקְרָאִי׳ עִשְׂבֵי וְדִשְׁאֵי הַגַּן שֶׁל אֶרֶץ הַחַיִּים), and therefore (וְלָכֵן) it says, “The earth—this is Elohim” (אוֹמֵר הָאָרֶץ דָּא אֱלֹקִים), from whom the Nefesh and Ruach come (שֶׁמִּמֶּנָּה בָּא הַנֶּפֶשׁ וְרוּחַ), as is known (כַּנּוֹדָע), in the secret of Eleh [These] and Yam [Sea] (בְּסוֹד אֵלֶּה וְיָ״ם), of Elohim (שֶׁל אֱלֹהִי׳). And also (וְגַם), five times Elohim (ה׳ פְּעָמִים אֱלֹהִי׳), have the numerical value of Nefesh (עוֹלִים נֶפֶשׁ), alluding to every Partzuf of Nefesh, Ruach, Neshamah, Chayah, and Yechidah (לִרְמוֹז עַל כָּל פַּרְצוּף שֶׁל נרנח״י), for each is included from all of them (שֶׁהוּא כָּלוּל מִכֻּלָּם), according to the worlds and the Partzuf (לְפִי הָעוֹלָמוֹת וְהַפַּרְצוּף), and within the Nefesh there are five levels, as is known (וְיֵשׁ בַּנֶּפֶשׁ ה׳ מַדְרֵגוֹת כַּיָּדוּעַ). And also Ruach (וְגַם רוּ״ח), is the filling of Elohim with Yods (הוּא מִלּוּי אֱלֹהִים בְּיוּדִין). And through this you will understand the secret of Nefesh and Ruach (וּבָזֶה תָּבִין סוֹד נֶפֶשׁ וְרוּחַ), how they have a root from Elohim Himself (הֵיאַךְ יֵשׁ לָהֶם שׁוֹרֶשׁ מִן אֱלֹהִים עַצְמוֹ), in the supernal manner of Imma Ila'ah and the Malkhut of Reisha d'Lo Ityada [the Unknowable Head] (בְּגַוְונָא עִילָּאָה שֶׁל אִימָּא עִילָּאָה וּמַלְכוּת דל״א), to produce fruits (לְמֶעְבַּד פֵּירִין), from the secret of the Nefesh of the Malkhut (מִסּוֹד נֶפֶשׁ הַמַּלְכוּת), which is called the fruit of the tree (הַנִּקְרֵאת פְּרִי הָאִילָן). When it has grown to its proper measure (כְּשֶׁהוּא גָּדוֹל כְּדֵי שִׁעוּרוֹ), it falls from the tree by itself (הוּא נוֹשֵׁר עַצְמוֹ מִן הָאִילָן), and these too (וְאִינוּן הֵם גַּם כֵּן), are the Neshamot of his Nukvah (נְשָׁמוֹת דְּנוּקְבֵיהּ), which after a time produce fruits like itself (הָעוֹשִׂים לְאַחַר זְמַן פֵּרוֹת כָּמוֹהוּ), and it is the Name Elohim (וְהוּא שֵׁם אֱלֹהִים), which includes every likeness above it (דְּכָלִיל כָּל דִּמְיוֹנִין שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מִמֶּנָּה), like “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Hashem” (כְּמוֹ מַרְאֵה דְּמוּת כְּבוֹד ה׳) (Ezekiel 1:28), and it is called “the appearance of Elohim” (וְנִקְרֵאת מַרְאֵה אֱלֹהִים), for the Names Elohim are seen within her more than anywhere else (כִּי שֵׁמוֹת אֱלֹהִים מִתְרָאִים בָּהּ בְּיוֹתֵר), and this is the meaning of what our Rabbis of blessed memory said (וְזֶהוּ אָרְז״ל), “A woman whose blood is abundant, her children are abundant” (אִשָּׁה שֶׁדָּמֶיהָ מְרוּבִּים בָּנֶיהָ מְרוּבִּים) (Ketubot 10b), and they acquire sweetening through the Names Havayah (וְקוֹנִים מִיתּוּק בְּשֵׁמוֹת הוי״ה), it is the seed (הוּא זֶרַע), the Inner Light of the Male (אוֹר פְּנִימִי שֶׁל זָכָר). This Name (שְׁמָא דָא), its explanation being (פֵּירוּשׁ), the Name Elohim (שֵׁם אֱלֹהִים), is included in three places (כָּלִיל בִּתְלַת דּוּכְתֵּי).