Daf 39a (דַּף ל״ט ע״א)

Therefore it says, “a still, small Voice” (וְלָכֵן אָמַר קוֹל דְּמָמָה דַקָּה) (I Kings 19:12), therefore it says, “And He refined the Spirit” (וּלְכָךְ אָמַר וַאֲבָרִיר רוּחַ), it is the Spirit of Elohim (הוּא רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים), it is the mystery of Nogah [Brightness], spreading forth from the Heikhal [Palace] of Nogah [Brightness], the mystery of Hod (הוּא סוֹד נוֹגַהּ הַמִּתְפַּשֶּׁטֶת מֵהֵיכַל הַנּוֹגַהּ סוֹד הוֹד), “and it was included in its mystery” (וְאִתְכְּלִיל בְּרָזָא דִּילֵיהּ), namely the Still, Small Voice (קוֹל דְּמָמָה דַקָּה), and Nogah [Brightness] is included in Holiness through Metatron (וְנוֹגַהּ הִיא נִכְלֶלֶת בַּקְּדֻשָּׁה ע״י מַטַּטְרוֹן), and clothes Holiness (וּמַלְבֶּשֶׁת אֶת הַקְּדֻשָּׁה), for it is, “And you shall bruise him on the heel” (כִּי הִיא וְאַתָּה תְּשׁוּפֶנּוּ עָקֵב) (Genesis 3:15), whose numerical value is two times Elohim (גִּי׳ ב״פ אֱלֹהִים), and this Spirit of this Spelling in Full, the right and the left, requires the concealment of the Light of the Shekhinah (וְזֶהוּ הָרוּחַ שֶׁל הַמִּלּוּי הַזֶּה יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאל הוּא צָרִיךְ אֶל גְּנִיזַת <אוֹר> הַשְּׁכִינָה), so that the Klipot surrounding Holiness may not derive benefit from her (שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא מִמֶּנָּה הַקְּלִיפּוֹת הַמְסַבְּבִים אֶת הַקְּדֻשָּׁה), and this is why it says, “and it was included” (וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאוֹמֵר וְאִתְכְּלִיל), for it is included in Holiness (כִּי הִיא נִכְלֶלֶת בַּקְּדֻשָּׁה), and the expression Raza [Mystery] denotes something hidden (וּלְשׁוֹן רָזָא הוּא סוֹד גָּנוּז), alluding to the concealment of the Light of the Shekhinah and its hiddenness (לִרְמוֹז אֶל גְּנִיזַת אוֹר הַשְּׁכִינָה וְהֶעְלָמוֹ), so that none may benefit from it except through Nogah [Brightness], which is the intermediary (שֶׁלֹּא יֵהָנוּ מִמֶּנָּה כִּי אִם ע״י הַנּוֹגַהּ שֶׁהִיא אֶמְצָעִי), and it is of great necessity for Metatron and for the Shekhinah, who hides Herself within him during the six days of action (וְהִיא צוֹרֶךְ גָּדוֹל אֶל מַטַּטְרוֹן וְאֶל הַשְּׁכִינָה הַמִּסְתַּתֶּרֶת עַצְמָהּ בּוֹ שֵׁשֶׁת יְמֵי הַמַּעֲשֶׂה), the mystery of Yetzirah, which is the mystery of the six weekdays (סוֹד יְצִירָה שֶׁהוּא סוֹד שֵׁשׁ יְמֵי הַחוֹל), and the word Dakkah [Small] in the verse “a still, small Voice” consists of the letters Dak [Thin] and Heh (וְגַם מִלַּת דַּקָּה שֶׁל פָּסוּק דְּמָמָה דַקָּה הוּא אוֹתִיּוֹת דַּ״ק ה׳). Its explanation is: the Shekhinah is called the Lower Heh (פּ׳ הַשְּׁכִינָה הִיא נִקְרֵאת ה׳ תַּתָּאָה), alluding to the fact that she is the final Heh of the Four-Letter Name (לִרְמוֹז עַל שֶׁהִיא אוֹת ה׳ אַחֲרוֹנָה שֶׁל שֵׁם ב״ד), or alluding to the five letters of Elohim within her (אוֹ לִרְמוֹז עַל ה׳ אוֹתִיּוֹת אֱלֹהִים שֶׁבָּהּ), and within her are two B"Ns, right and left, whose numerical value is Dak [Thin], as mentioned above concerning the removal of the Klipat Nogah [Brightness] (וְיֵשׁ בָּהּ ב״פ ב״ן יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאל כְּמִנְיַן דַּ״ק כַּנִּזְכָּר בְּסוּר תִּקּוּן קְלִיפַּת נוֹגַהּ וְהָבֵן). “Tohu is a place in which there is no color and no form” (תֹּהוּ אֲתַר דְּלֵית בֵּיהּ גָּוָון וְלָא דִּיּוּקְנָא), “and it is not included in the mystery of form” (וְלָא אִתְכְּלִיל בְּרָזָא דִּדְיוּקְנָא), “now it appears to have a form, but when one looks at it, it has no form whatsoever” (הַשְׁתָּא אִיהוּ בִּדְיוּקְנָא כַּד מִסְתַּכְּלָן בֵּיהּ לֵית בֵּיהּ דִּיּוּקְנָא כְּלָל). Its explanation is: Tohu is the place where the Manin Tevirin [Shattered Vessels] stand (פֵּרוּשׁ הוּא תֹּהוּ הוּא מָקוֹם שֶׁעוֹמְדִים בּוֹ הַמָּאנִין תְּבִירִין), and it is the mystery of the Judgments extending from Imma Ila'ah [Supernal Mother] (וְהוּא סוֹד הַדִּינִים הַמִּתְפַּשְּׁטִים מֵאִמָּא עִלָּאָה), in which there is no color (דְּלֵית בֵּיהּ גָּוָון), for it does not acquire Darkness until after its descent through three levels (שֶׁאֵינוֹ קוֹנֶה הַחֹשֶׁךְ עַד לְאַחַר יְרִידָתוֹ שָׁלֹשׁ מַדְרֵגוֹת), and it is the Gevurot [Powers of Judgment] of Binah, from the five Gevurot of MNTZPKH (וְהִיא גְּבוּרוֹת בִּינָה מֵה׳ גְּבוּרוֹת שֶׁל מנצפ״ך), which cast away the excess (הַדּוֹחָה אֶת הַמּוֹתָרוֹת), and there it does not build a Heikhal [Palace], nor a place for its impurity (וְשָׁם מַמָּשׁ אֵינוֹ בוֹנֶה הֵיכָל וּמָקוֹם שֶׁטֻּמְאָתוֹ), for there is within it no white, red, crimson, or green color (אֵין בּוֹ גָּוָן אֹדֶם וְחִוָּר וְסוּמָק וְיָרוֹק), because from it and below the colors spread forth (כִּי מִמֶּנָּה וּלְמַטָּה מִתְפַּשְּׁטִים הַגְּוָנִים), and there also, in Imma, they have no color until after they emerge (וְגַם שָׁם בְּאִמָּא אֵין לָהֶם גָּוָן עַד לְאַחַר שֶׁיָּצְאוּ), and as long as Tohu remains mixed with good and evil (וְכָל זְמַן שֶׁהַתֹּהוּ מְעוֹרָב בְּטוֹב וָרָע), the good has no place by itself, nor does the evil have a place by itself (אֵין לַטּוֹב מָקוֹם בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ וְלָרַע מָקוֹם בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ), but once Bohu is formed, it is afterward refined (אֶלָּא כְּשֶׁנַּעֲשֶׂה בֹּהוּ נִצְטָרֵף אַחַ״כ), and then the place of the good within it becomes distinguishable (וְנִכָּר מְקוֹם הַטּוֹב שֶׁבּוֹ), and this is what the word Bohu alludes to (וְעַל זֶה מְרַמֵּז מִלַּת בֹּהוּ).