Daf 28b (דַּף כ״ח ע״ב)

“And the enlightened ones shall shine like the radiance of the firmament”—these are the supports and foundations of that Appiryon [Palanquin] (וְהַמַּשְׂכִּילִים יַזְהִירוּ בְּזֹהַר הָרָקִיעַ אִינוּן קַיְּימִין וְסַמְכִין דְּהַהוּא אַפִּרְיוֹן). The mystery of the matter is: the Mem and the Samekh in the Tablets are those that illuminate Ze'ir Anpin and His Nukvah, and they are their eyes (סוֹד הַדָּבָר הוּא הַמֵּ״ם וְהַסָּמֶ״ךְ שֶׁבַּלּוּחוֹת הֵם הַמְּאִירִים בִּזְעֵיר וְנוּקְבֵיהּ וְהֵם הָעֵינַיִם שֶׁלָּהֶם), in the mystery of the Netzach of Imma, which is literally the Mem (בְּסוֹד הַנֵּצַח שֶׁל אִמָּא שֶׁהוּא מַמָּשׁ מֵ״ם), when it is squared in its structure (כַּד אִיהִי רְבִיעָא עַל בִּנְיָן אִיהִי מְרוּבַּעַת), and within it is the Name Havayah, whose numerical value equals Lu'ach [Tablet] (וְיֵשׁ בּוֹ שֵׁם הוי״ה הָעוֹלֶה לוּ״ח), namely Yod, Heh, Vav, Heh (הוּא שֵׁם יוּד הָא וו הָא), and within the Mem is another Mem in its Milui [Spelling in Full], alluding to the Kli [Vessel] of Abba, for it is always within the Kli [Vessel] of Imma (וּבַמֵּ״ם יֵשׁ בָּהּ מֵ״ם אַחֶרֶת בְּמִלּוּאָהּ שֶׁרוֹמֶז עַל כְּלִי אַבָּא הֵם תָּמִיד בְּתוֹךְ כְּלִי אִמָּא), and the Samekh is the Hod of Imma, enclosed on every side (וְסָמֶ״ךְ הוּא הוֹד דְּאִמָּא סָמֵךְ מִכָּל צַד), and no illumination emerges from it into the world (וְלֹא יָצָא מִמֶּנּוּ הֶאָרָה בָּעוֹלָם), and no prophet ever prophesied from within it (וְאֵין שׁוּם נָבִיא הָיָה מִתְנַבֵּא מִתּוֹכוֹ לְעוֹלָם), for the Klipot become entangled within it more than anywhere else (כִּי הַקְּלִיפּוֹת מִסְתַּבְּכִים בּוֹ בְּיוֹתֵר), and this is the mystery of the fifth Alef, the thousand days of חול [Weekday] mentioned in the Zohar (וְהוּא סוֹד הָאָלֶ״ף הַחֲמִישִׁי אֶלֶף יוֹמִין דְּחוֹל הָאָמוּר בַּזֹּהַר), the nations did not rule over Yisrael for more than one thousand years (לֹא נִשְׁלְטוּ עַמְּמִין בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל יוֹתֵר מֵאֶלֶף שְׁנִין), and this is why the prophet lamented, “And my splendor has been turned upon me into destruction” (וְזֶהוּ שֶׁמְּקוֹנֵן הַנָּבִיא וְהוֹדִי נֶהְפַּךְ עָלַי לְמַשְׁחִית) (Daniel 10:8). For there the Klipot are more entangled than anywhere else (כִּי הַקְּלִיפּוֹת שָׁם בְּיוֹתֵר מִסְתַּבְּכִים), until the bitter fruit came into the World of Yetzirah (עַד שֶׁבָּא הַפְּרִי מַר בְּעוֹלָם הַיְצִירָה), it is the class of the Bnei HaElohim [Sons of Elohim] (הוּא כִּתָּה שֶׁל בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים), corresponding to the Sefirah of Hod, and they also receive from it (הֵם כְּנֶגֶד סְפִירַת הוֹד וְגַם מְקַבְּלִים מִמֶּנָּה), and more than half of them are destroyers by their nature (וְיוֹתֵר מֵחֶצְיָם הֵם מַשְׁחִיתִים דַּרְכָּם), and among them are those who corrupt their way (וּמֵהֶם מַשְׁחִיתִים דַּרְכָּם), as it is said, “And the Bnei HaElohim [Sons of Elohim] came to present themselves before Hashem, and the Satan also came among them” (שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וַיָּבֹאוּ בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים לְהִתְיַצֵּב עַל ה׳ וַיָּבֹא גַם הַשָּׂטָן בְּתוֹכָם) (Job 1:6), from this you learn that some of them advocate on behalf of Yisrael and some of them prosecute Yisrael (לָמַדְתָּ מִזֶּה שֶׁמִּקְצָתָם הֵם מְלִיצֵי יֹשֶׁר וּמִקְצָתָם מְקַטְרְגִים עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל), in the mystery of, “All the day she is faint” (בְּסוֹד כָּל הַיּוֹם דָּוֶה), whose letters are Hod (הוּא אוֹתִיּוֹת הו״ד), which extend as “the days of her menstrual impurity” (שֶׁמִּתְפַּשְׁטִים יְמֵי נִדַּת דְּוֹתָהּ) (Leviticus 15:25), but in Imma there is great sweetening (אֲבָל בְּאִמָּא הוּא מִתּוּק גָּדוֹל), and it is closed on every side, having no four corners through which to spread by way of the extremities, like the Mem, which had previously been open (וְהוּא סָתוּם מִכָּל עֶבְרָיו שֶׁאֵין לוֹ אַרְבַּע מִקְצוֹעוֹת לְהִתְפַּשֵּׁט דֶּרֶךְ הַקְּצָווֹת כְּמוֹ מֵ״ם שֶׁהָיְתָה מִקֹּדֶם פְּתוּחָה), and because the Kelim [Vessels] of Abba are always within her, therefore the five Gevurot [Powers of Judgment] and this Elohim are always sweetened in the Hod of Imma (וּלְהִיוֹת שֶׁכְּלֵי אַבָּא תָּמִיד הֵם בְּתוֹכָהּ לָכֵן תָּמִיד הֵם הַה׳ גְּבוּרוֹת וֵאלֹהִים הַזֶּה בְּמִתּוּק בְּהוֹד אִמָּא), and for this reason this Samekh contains another Samekh (וְלָזֶה יֵשׁ בְּהַסָּמֶ״ךְ הַזֶּה סָמֶ״ךְ אַחֶרֶת), for Mem and Samekh equal sixty (כִּי מ׳ וְס׳ עוֹלִים ס׳), but as for the Hod of Imma, at present we have no power to sweeten through it the Hod of Ze'ir Anpin and His Nukvah (אֲבָל הוֹד דְּאִמָּא אֵין כֹּחַ בְּיָדֵינוּ עַתָּה לְמַתֵּק בּוֹ הוֹד דְּזְעֵיר וְנוּקְבֵיהּ), rather it has been closed off from us because of our sins, like the Samekh (אֶלָּא נִסְתַּם מִמֶּנּוּ בַּעֲוֹנוֹתֵינוּ כְּמוֹ הַסָּמֶ״ךְ), therefore we, the people of this world, have no prophecy from it (וְלָכֵן אֲנַחְנוּ בְּנֵי הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה אֵין לָנוּ נְבוּאָה מִמֶּנּוּ). But the people of the World to Come have a share in the sweetening of the Mem and the Samekh in the Tablets, for their delight (אֲבָל בְּנֵי עוֹלַם הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא יֵשׁ לָהֶם חֵלֶק בְּמִתּוּק הַמֵּ״ם וְהַסָּמֶ״ךְ שֶׁבַּלּוּחוֹת לַהֲנָאָתָם), for they are clothed through the power of Ze'ir Anpin and His Nukvah in their Netzach and Hod, with an exceedingly subtle power (אֲשֶׁר מִתְלַבְּשִׁים בְּכֹחַ דַּק מְאֹד ע״י זְעֵיר וְנוּקְבֵיהּ בְּנ״ה שֶׁלָּהּ), and they are at the head of the World of Beri'ah (וְהֵם בְּרֹאשׁ עוֹלָם הַבְּרִיאָה).