Daf 34a (דַּף ל״ד ע״א)

“And it became strengthened within it” (וְאִתְתַּקַּף בָּהּ). Its explanation is: once the food was afterward separated from the refuse, and the Light of this food settled and found its resting place, in the mystery of, “Each kind found its own kind” (פֵּרוּשׁוֹ הוּא כֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּתְבָּרֵר אַחַ״כ אֹכֶל מִתּוֹךְ הַפְּסֹלֶת וְאוֹר הָאֹכֶל הַזֶּה נִתְיַשֵּׁב וּמָצָא לוֹ מְנוּחָה בְּסוֹד מָצָא מִין אֶת מִינוֹ), and there is its resting place (וְשָׁם הִיא מְנוּחָתוֹ), this Darkness must stand by itself (הוּא צָרִיךְ לַעֲמוֹד הַחֹשֶׁךְ הַזֶּה לְעַצְמוֹ), namely the Gevurot [Powers of Judgment], which are called Darkness in relation to the First Light (הֵם הַגְּבוּרוֹת הַנִּקְרָאִים חֹשֶׁךְ לְגַבֵּי הָאוֹר הָרִאשׁוֹן), and they are called Darkness in the sense of restraint (וְנִקְרָאִים חֹשֶׁךְ מִלְּשׁוֹן מְנִיעָה), as in, “He withheld nothing from me” (וְדוּגְמָתוֹ וְלֹא חָשַׂךְ מֵאִתִּי מְאוּמָה) (Genesis 39:9), and they are the mystery of the membranes that prevent the Direct Light from descending below, because those below are not fit for it (וְהֵם סוֹד הַקְּרוּמִים הַמּוֹנְעִים אֶת הָאוֹר יָשָׁר לֵירֵד לְמַטָּה מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵינָם רְאוּיִים לְכָךְ), and the strict rule of Judgment requires the withholding of His Light, for it does not perform Chesed [Kindness] (וְשׁוּרַת הַדִּין נוֹתֵן לְמָנֹעַ אוֹרוֹ כִּי אֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד), and the Judgments are called Night (וְהַדִּינִים נִקְרָאִים לַיְלָה), therefore the Malkhut is also called Night (לָכֵן גַּם מַלְכוּת נִקְרֵאת לַיְלָה), and since the Light departed by itself and the Darkness by itself (וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהָאוֹר מִסְתַּלֵּק לְחוּדֵיהּ וְגַם הַחֹשֶׁךְ לְחוּד), through this the Attribute of Day became a creation unto itself, and the Attribute of Night a creation unto itself (וּבָזֶה נַעֲשָׂה מִדַּת יוֹם בְּרִיאָה בִּפְנֵי עַצְמָהּ וּמִדַּת לַיְלָה בִּפְנֵי עַצְמָהּ), as it is said, “And the Darkness He called Night” (שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְלַחֹשֶׁךְ קָרָא לָיְלָה) (Genesis 1:5), and because Yitzchak is the mystery of the Gevurot [Powers of Judgment], therefore it is said, “And his eyes grew dim from seeing” (וּלְהִיוֹת שֶׁיִצְחָק הוּא סוֹד הַגְּבוּרוֹת לָזֶה נֶאֱמַר וַתִּכְהֶיןָ עֵינָיו מֵרְאֹות) (Genesis 27:1). For at the time of his old age he came to rectify the Darkness, which is Night (כִּי לְעֵת זִקְנָתוֹ בָּא לְתַקֵּן הַחֹשֶׁךְ אֲשֶׁר הוּא לַיְלָה), and because the Zohama [Impurity], which is Elohim Acherim [Other Elohim], has a greater attachment to the Darkness, namely the five Gevurot [Powers of Judgment] (וּלְהִיוֹת שֶׁיֵּשׁ לַזּוֹהֲמָא שֶׁהוּא אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים יוֹתֵר דְּבֵקוּת בַּחֹשֶׁךְ שֶׁהֵם ה׳ גְּבוּרוֹת), it is the fire that kindles all the fires of Gehinnom, may the Merciful One save us (הוּא הָאֵשׁ הַמַּדְלִיק כָּל הָאֵשׁוֹת שֶׁל גֵּיהִנָּם רַחֲמָנָא לִיצְלַן), lest they say, Heaven forbid, that there are two authorities, and that it burns by itself (שֶׁלֹּא יֹאמְרוּ ח״ו שְׁתֵּי רְשׁוּיוֹת יֵשׁ וְהוּא דּוֹלֵק מֵעַצְמוֹ), and this cannot be (וְזֶה לֹא יִתָּכֵן), therefore the Zohar says, “That Darkness covered over the Tohu, over that refuse, and was strengthened within it” (לָכֵן אוֹמֵר הַזֹּהַר דְּהַהוּא חוֹשֶׁךְ חָפֵי ע״ג תֹּהוּ עַל הַהוּא פְּסוֹלֶת וְאִתְתַּקַּף בָּהּ). Its explanation is: the attachment of Tohu, namely the Klipot, is only to Bohu, which is the Darkness adjacent to the Light (פֵּרוּשׁ דְּבֵקוּתוֹ שֶׁל תֹּהוּ הֵם הַקְּלִיפּוֹת אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא בְּבֹהוּ שֶׁהוּא הַחֹשֶׁךְ הַסָּמוּךְ לָאוֹר), from which its fire is strong and mighty, enabling it to perform its function (אֲשֶׁר מִמֶּנּוּ אִשּׁוֹ חָזָק וְתַקִּיף וְיָכוֹל לִפְעֹל פְּעֻלָּתוֹ), and the mystery of Darkness is Elohim in the Spelling in Full of Yods, in which is the drop of Chesed [Kindness], namely the Yod in the Spelling in Full of the Heh, ascending in Rachamim [Mercy] (וְסוֹד חֹשֶׁךְ הוּא אֱלֹהִים בְּמִלּוּי יוּדִין שֶׁבּוֹ טִפַּת חֶסֶד שֶׁל הַיּוֹד שֶׁבְּמִלּוּי ה״י הָעוֹלֶה בְּרַחֲמִים), and it receives sweetening from the twenty-eight letters of the Spelling in Full of M"D [M"H] and the Spelling in Full of its Spelling in Full (וְקוֹנֶה מִתּוּק מִכ״ח אַתְוָון שֶׁל מִלּוּי מ״ד וּמִלּוּי מִלּוּאוֹ), in the mystery of, “And now, let the power of Hashem be magnified” (בְּסוֹד וְעַתָּה יִגְדַּל נָא כֹּחַ ידוד וְגוֹ׳) (Numbers 14:17), or Darkness is three hundred and twenty Judgments together with the eight Tikkunim [Rectifications] of Ze'ir Anpin that sweeten them (אוֹ חֹשֶׁךְ הוּא ש״ך דִּינִים וְח׳ תִּיקּוּנִים שֶׁל זְעֵיר הַמְמַתֵּק אוֹתָם), and it is the Judgment that restrains them so that the Light should not descend below until an abundance of Chesed [Kindness] comes to it (וְהוּא הַדִּין הַמְחַזֵּק אוֹתָם הַהֶבְדֵּל שֶׁלֹּא יֵרֵד הָאוֹר לְמַטָּה כִּי אִם שֶׁיָּבוֹא אֵלָיו שֶׁפַע חֲסָדִים), and then it likewise becomes like water, flowing downward and spreading below (וְנַעֲשֶׂה גַּם כֵּן כְּמוֹ מַיִם וְנוֹזֵל וְיוֹרֵד וּמִתְפַּשֵּׁט לְמַטָּה), but when it has no sweetening, then Darkness becomes Shor [Ox], Kelev [Dog], and Chamor [Donkey] (אֲבָל כְּשֶׁאֵין לוֹ מִתּוּק אָז חֹשֶׁךְ הוּא ש׳וֹר כ׳לֶב ח׳מוֹר), namely three times one hundred and twenty together with the thirty-two Elohim of the Work of Bereshit (הוּא ג׳ פְּעָמִים ק״ך עִם ל״ב אֱלֹהִים דְּמַעֲשֵׂה בְּרֵאשִׁית),