Daf 3b (דַּף ג׳ ע״ב)

Meaning (כְּלוֹמַר), the return of the Yod of S"G (הַחֲזָרָה שֶׁל הַיּוֹ״ד שֶׁל ס״ג), which is in the Garment (אֲשֶׁר בְּהַמַּלְבּוּשׁ), which made the impression in the Primordial Air (שֶׁעָשְׂתָה הָרוֹשֶׁם בַּאֲוִיר קַדְמוֹן), which is this sphere (אֲשֶׁר הוּא הַכַּדּוּר הַזֶּה), in the secret of the unspecified Tehiru (בְּסוֹד טְהִיר״ו סְתָם), which was like vapor (שֶׁהוּא הָיָה כְּמוֹ קִטּוֹר), like smoke (כְּמוֹ עָשָׁן), and just as smoke appears like an unformed mass (וּכְמוֹ שֶׁהֶעָשָׁן נִרְאֶה כְּמוֹ גֹּלֶם), and is not grasped (וְאֵינוֹ נִתְפָּס), so (כָּךְ), this sphere is an unformed mass (הַכַּדּוּר הַזֶּה הוּא גֹּלֶם), because it appears spherical (מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא נִרְאֶה כַּדּוּרִי), and is not grasped (וְאֵינוֹ נִתְפָּס), for there is in it neither Judgment, namely blackness (שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ לֹא דִּין דְּהַיְינוּ אוּכָם), nor whiteness, namely Chesed (וְלֹא חִיוָר דְּהַיְינוּ חֶסֶד), nor any color at all, namely Mercy (וְלָאו גָּוֶן כְּלָל דְּהַיְינוּ רַחֲמִים), but rather a luminous sphere (אֶלָּא כַּדּוּר זַהֲרִי), embedded in the ring through this Yod (נָעִיץ בְּעִיזְקָא בְּהַיּוֹ״ד הַזֹּאת), namely, embedded in the ring (דְּהַיְינוּ נָעִיץ בְּעִיזְקָא), which is called “ring” (שֶׁהִיא נִקְרֵאת טַבַּעַת), as mentioned in the Tikkunim (כַּנִּזְכָּר בַּתִּיקּוּנִים), in the Introduction (בַּהַקְדָּמָה), which is the secret of the saying of our Rabbis of blessed memory (דְּהוּא סוֹד אָמְרָם ז״ל), that the Holy One, Blessed Be He, carries the world with the seal that is upon His arm (שֶׁהַקב״ה נוֹשֵׂא הָעוֹלָם בְּחוֹתָם שֶׁעַל זְרוֹעוֹ), as it were (כְּבִיָּכוֹל). And because when the Yod returned (וּלְהִיּוֹת כְּשֶׁחָזְרָה הַיּוֹ״ד), to ascend Above (לַעֲלוֹת לְמַעְלָה), it could not cleave to its root (לֹא יָכְלָה לְדַבֵּק בְּשָׁרְשָׁהּ), because it became somewhat embodied (מִפְּנֵי שֶׁנִּתְגַּלְּמָה מְעַט), for it descended into an empty place (כִּי יָרְדָה בְּמָקוֹם פָּנוּי), and therefore it could not ascend and cleave to the Garment (וְלָכֵן לֹא יָכְלָה לַעֲלוֹת וְלִדְבֹּק בַּמַּלְבּוּשׁ), and it remained hovering over the Tehiru (וְנִשְׁאֲרָה חוֹפֶפֶת עַל הַטְּהִירוּ), and the Tehiru (וְטְהִירוּ), is embedded in it (נָעִיץ בָּהּ), for this is the secret of (דְּזֶהוּ סוֹד), “embedded in the ring” (נָעִיץ בְּעִיזְקָא), mentioned above (הָאָמוּר). And this is the secret of what it says, “black” (וְזֶה הוּא הַסּוֹד שֶׁאוֹמֵר אוּכָם), namely Judgment before Chesed in the World of Tohu (דְּהַיְינוּ דִּין קֹדֶם הַחֶסֶד בְּעוֹלָם הַתֹּהוּ), for there Judgment was complete (כִּי שָׁם הָיָה תַּכְלִיתוֹ דִּין), as our Rabbis of blessed memory said (כְּאָמְרָם ז״ל), “At first it arose in His Thought to create it with the Attribute of Judgment; He saw that the world could not endure, so He associated with it the Attribute of Mercy” (מִתְּחִלָּה עָלָה בְּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ לְבָרְאוֹ בְּמִדַּת הַדִּין רָאָה שֶׁאֵין הָעוֹלָם מִתְקַיֵּם שִׁתֵּף עִמּוֹ מִדַּת רַחֲמִים) (Bereishit Rabbah 12:15). And because Judgment is something revealed (וּלְהִיּוֹת שֶׁהַדִּין הוּא דָּבָר מִתְגַּלֶּה), and has boundary and measure (וְיֵשׁ לוֹ גְּבוּל וְשִׁעוּר), therefore this aforementioned sphere was also visible (לָכֵן גַּם הַכַּדּוּר הַנִּזְכָּר הָיָה נִרְאֶה), nevertheless it could not be grasped (אַף עַל פִּי כֵן לֹא הָיָה נִתְפָּס), before the Yod descended a second time (קֹדֶם שֶׁיָּרְדָה הַיּוֹ״ד שֵׁנִית), and the Ten Sefirot within it were revealed (וְהָיְתָה מִתְגַּלָּה הָעֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת שֶׁבְּתוֹכוֹ), everything being intermingled (הָיָה הַכֹּל מְעוֹרָב), with a very subtle power (כֹּחַ דַּק מְאֹוד), within this sphere (בַּכַּדּוּר הַזֶּה), until it could not be grasped (עַד שֶׁלֹּא נִתְפָּס), even though the World of Tohu is Judgment and revelation (אַף שֶׁעוֹלָם הַתֹּהוּ הוּא דִּין וְהִתְגַּלּוּת). For not only in the World of Tikkun is there the secret of the concealment of the Judgments (דְּלֹא בִּלְבַד בְּעוֹלָם הַתִּיקּוּן יֵשׁ סוֹד הִתְעַלְּמוּת הַדִּינִין), but also in this matter (וּבְזֶה הָעִנְיָן), of “the knot in the shapeless mass” (שֶׁל קוּטְרָא בְּגוּלְמָא), it is joined with “The Hard Spark” (מְחֻבָּר עִם בּוּצִינָא דְקַרְדִּינוּתָא), and this is sufficient for one who understands (וְדַי לַמֵּבִין).

“When the Mashiach measured” (כַּד מָדִיד מְשִׁיחָא), its explanation is: when the measuring Yod measured (פֵּירוּשׁוֹ כְּשֶׁמָּדְדָה הַיּוֹ״ד הַמְּדִידָה), to measure every letter (לְשַׁעֵר כָּל), and to arrange all the intermixed letters (וּלְסַדֵּר כָּל הָאוֹתִיּוֹת הַמְעוֹרָבוֹת), in the secret of a drop (בְּסוֹד טִפָּה), and they have no arrangement into words (וְאֵין לָהֶם סֵדֶר תֵּיבוֹת), rather they are like a drop intermixed (אֶלָּא הֵם כְּמוֹ טִפָּה מְעוֹרֶבֶת), from the letters of the Names (מֵאוֹתִיּוֹת שֶׁל שֵׁמוֹת), which are not in order (אֲשֶׁר לֹא כְּסֵדֶר), and the letters are measure and boundary (וְהָאוֹתִיּוֹת הֵם שִׁעוּר וּגְבוּל), as is known (כַּיָּדוּעַ), that this is the secret of the Judgment (שֶׁהוּא סוֹד הַדִּין), of the Hard Spark (שֶׁל הַבּוּצִינָא דְקַדְרִינוּתָא), which measures below (הַמּוֹדֵד לְמַטָּה), and measures all the worlds (וּמְשַׁעֵר בְּעָלְמִין כֻּלָּם), for “You made them all with Chokhmah” (שֶׁכֻּלָּם בְּחָכְמָה עָשִׂיתָ) (Psalms 104:24), and the Zohar says (וְאוֹמֵר הַזֹּהַר), “all of them were selected in Thought” (דְּכֻלְּהוּ בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה אִתְבָּרִירוּ), through the thirty-two Elohim (בְּל״ב אֱלֹהִים), which are called the Thirty-two Paths of Chokhmah (הַנִּקְרָאָה ל״ב נְתִיבוֹת חָכְמָה).