Daf 38b (דַּף ל״ח ע״ב)

By itself at night (לְבַדּוֹ בַּלַּיְלָה), in the mystery of, “In it all the beasts of the forest creep forth” (בְּסוֹד בּוֹ תִּרְמֹשׂ כָּל חַיְתוֹ יָעַר) (Psalms 104:20), and it is said, “And it came to pass, when Yitzchak was old, that his eyes grew dim from seeing” (וְנֶאֱמַר וַיְהִי כִּי זָקֵן יִצְחָק וַתִּכְהֶיןָ עֵינָיו מֵרְאֹת) (Genesis 27:1), and this is because the Klipot surround the Attribute of Night (וְזֶהוּ מִפְּנֵי כִּי הַקְּלִיפּוֹת סוֹבְבִים אֶת מִדַּת לַיְלָה), and they exercise greater dominion in the World of Asiyah, which is the mystery of Night (וְהֵם יוֹתֵר שׁוֹלְטִים בְּעוֹלָם הָעֲשִׂיָּה שֶׁהוּא סוֹד לַיְלָה), while Yetzirah is the mystery of the weekday (וְהַיְצִירָה הוּא סוֹד הַחוֹל), and Beri'ah is the mystery of the Shabbat (וְהַבְּרִיאָה הִיא סוֹד הַשַּׁבָּת), and concerning this Darkness the Zohar says in Parashat Balak, “This Darkness is the darkness from which the people of Esav were drawn...” (וְעַל הַחֹשֶׁךְ הַזֶּה אוֹמֵר הַזֹּהַר פּ׳ בָּלָק וְחוֹשֶׁךְ דָּא חֲשִׁיכוּ דְּאִתְמְשַׁךְ מִינֵיהּ עַמָּא דְּעֵשָׂו וְכוּ׳). And afterward it says, “And a flaming fire” (וְאוֹמֵר אַחַ״כ וְאֵשׁ מִתְלַקַּחַת), corresponding to the Darkness (לָקֳבֵלֵיהּ דְּחוֹשֶׁךְ), namely the Ox, the Donkey, and the Dog (שֶׁהוּא שׁוֹר חֲמוֹר כֶּלֶב), and the Ox is Esav (וְשׁוֹר הוּא עֵשָׂו), the Donkey is Yishmael (וַחֲמוֹר הוּא יִשְׁמָעֵאל), and the Dog is Amalek (וְכֶלֶב הוּא עֲמָלֵק), who was born from the two of them (הַנּוֹלָד מִשְּׁנֵיהֶם), as it is said, “Then Esav went and took Machalat the daughter of Yishmael...” (שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וַיֵּלֶךְ עֵשָׂו וַיִּקַּח אֶת מָחֲלַת בַּת יִשְׁמָעֵאל וְגוֹ׳) (Genesis 28:9). And when you combine the thirty-two Elohim with Darkness, which are the source of all the Elohim that exist, it equals three times one hundred and twenty (וְחֹשֶׁךְ כְּשֶׁתְּחַבֵּר ל״ב אֱלֹהִים עִמּוֹ אֲשֶׁר הֵם מְקוֹר כָּל אֱלֹהִים הַנִּמְצָאִים עוֹלֶה שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים ק״ך), corresponding to the three Klipot of the Ox, the Dog, and the Donkey, all of which Esav encompasses (כְּנֶגֶד ג׳ קְלִיפּוֹת שֶׁל שׁוֹר כֶּלֶב חֲמוֹר שֶׁעֵשָׂו כּוֹלְלָם), for he is the very left side of the Klipah, containing every dispute, every plague, and every judgment of the Other Elohim (כִּי הוּא שְׂמֹאל עַצְמוֹ שֶׁל הַקְּלִיפָּה שֶׁבּוֹ כָּל רִיב וְכָל נֶגַע וְכָל דִּין שֶׁל אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים), and from this Darkness comes forgetfulness, which prevents the Light of the Torah from descending below (וּמֵהַחֹשֶׁךְ הַזֶּה בָּאָה הַשִּׁכְחָה הַמּוֹנַעַת אֶת הָאוֹר שֶׁל הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁלֹּא לֵירֵד לְמַטָּה), and Elohim equals Esh [Fire] with the kollel (וֵאלֹהִים עוֹלֶה אֵשׁ עִם הַכּוֹלֵל), in the mystery of, “Whoever adds, detracts” (בְּסוֹד כָּל הַמּוֹסִיף גּוֹרֵעַ) (Sanhedrin 29a), and it is the fire of Gehinnom, flaming among the wicked (וְהוּא אֵשׁ שֶׁל גֵּיהִנָּם הַמִּתְלַקַּחַת בָּרְשָׁעִים), and Esav also equals Dinei Esh [Judgments of Fire] in numerical value, within Gehinnom (וְכֵן עֵשָׂו גִּי׳ דִּינֵי אֵשׁ שֶׁבְּתוֹךְ הַגֵּיהִנָּם), and the nature of fire is to rise and, Heaven forbid, receive strength from this fire of Darkness (וְהָאֵשׁ טִבְעוֹ לַעֲלוֹת וּלְקַבֵּל תִּגְבֹּרוֹת ח״ו מֵאֵשׁ הַחֹשֶׁךְ הַזֶּה), which is within His Nukvah (שֶׁבְּתוֹךְ נוּקְבֵיהּ), therefore at night the Klipah prevails, in the mystery of, “In it all the beasts of the forest creep forth” (וְלָכֵן בַּלַּיְלָה הַקְּלִיפָּה גּוֹבֶרֶת בְּסוֹד בּוֹ תִּרְמֹשׂ כָּל חַיְתוֹ יָעַר) (Psalms 104:20), whose numerical value is MNTZPKH (גִּי׳ מנצפ״ך). Therefore, certainly not in this impure fire is Havayah (וְלָכֵן וַדַּאי לֹא בָאֵשׁ הַטָּמֵא הַזֶּה יהו״ה), for He is complete Rachamim [Mercies] (שֶׁהוּא רַחֲמִים גְּמוּרִים), because there is no mercy in the judgment of the wicked in Gehinnom (כִּי אֵין רַחֲמָנוּת בְּדִין הָרְשָׁעִים שֶׁבְּגֵיהִנָּם), but Nogah has no actual Klipah within it (אֲבָל נוֹגַהּ אֵין בּוֹ מַמָּשׁ קְלִיפָּה), rather it is Yega'er [He Rebukes] (אֶלָּא שֶׁהוּא יִגְעַ״ר), for by this means it gives them life (שֶׁהוּא נוֹתֵן חַיּוּת לָהֶם בְּדֶרֶךְ זֶה), and it is called the Spirit of Elohim (וְהוּא נִקְרָא רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים), clothing itself in this Spelling in Full of Elohim, whose numerical value is Ruach [Spirit] (וְהוּא מַלְבִּישׁ עַצְמוֹ בְּמִלּוּי אֱלֹהִים הַזֶּה שֶׁעוֹלֶה רוּחַ), and it drives away the excess so that it may derive sustenance from it (וְדוֹחֶה הַמּוֹתָרוֹת לִהְיוֹת נִזּוֹן מִמֶּנּוּ), and pours Holiness forth from there (וּמְעָרֶה הַקְּדֻשָּׁה מִשָּׁם), in the mystery of, “I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea” (בְּסוֹד חוֹל שַׂמְתִּי גְּבוּל לַיָּם) (Jeremiah 5:22), it is the extension of this MNTZPKH, each one consisting of ten, totaling fifty, the numerical value of Yam [Sea] (הוּא הִתְפַּשְׁטוּת הַמנצפ״ך הַזֶּה כָּל א׳ כָּלוּל מִי׳ עוֹלֶה חֲמִשִּׁים כְּמִנְיַן יָם), and this Chol [Sand] is the boundary surrounding it (וְחוֹל הַזֶּה הוּא גְּבוּל סָבִיב לוֹ), and within it is the mystery of the shoe in which the Shekhinah clothes Herself during the weekdays (וּבָהּ סוֹד נַעַל אֲשֶׁר בּוֹ הַשְּׁכִינָה מִתְלַבֶּשֶׁת עַצְמוֹ בִּימֵי הַחוֹל), and the shoe is the mystery of KNA [151] of Imma (וְנַעַל הוּא סוֹד קנ״א דְּאִמָּא), and the Shekhinah is called the Kol Demamah Dakkah [Still Small Voice] (וְהַשְּׁכִינָה הִיא נִקְרֵאת קוֹל דְּמָמָה דַקָּה) (I Kings 19:12). Its explanation is: the Shekhinah, in complete union with Ze'ir Anpin, is the mystery of the Voice clothing itself in Speech (פֵּרוּשׁ הַשְּׁכִינָה בְּחִבּוּר אַחַת עִם זְעֵיר הֵם סוֹד קוֹל הַמִּתְלַבֵּשׁ עַצְמוֹ בְּדִבּוּר), and the Zivug there is in silence (וְהַזִּוּוּג שָׁם בַּחֲשַׁאי), in the mystery of the King's Daughter (בְּסוֹד בַּת מֶלֶךְ), the mystery of Livnat HaSapir [Sapphire Pavement], who smelled the soot of the cooking pots (סוֹד לִבְנַת הַסַּפִּיר שֶׁהֵרִיחָה צִיקֵי קְדֵרָה), and this is precisely the mystery of “Blessed be the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever” (וְהוּא מַמָּשׁ סוֹד בשכמל״ו) (Pesachim 56a).