Daf 42a (דַּף מ״ב ע״א)

Its explanation is: once the Hod became Darkness (פֵּרוּשׁ כֵּיוָן שֶׁהַהוֹד נַעֲשָׂה חֹשֶׁךְ), it became the face of evil (נַעֲשָׂה פְּנֵי רַע), and the head of impurity, Heaven forbid, gained dominion over the heel of Holiness (וְנַעֲשָׂה שֶׁגּוֹבֵר ח״ו רֹאשׁ הַטֻּמְאָה עַל עָקֵב הַקְּדֻשָּׁה), turning Ge'a Ar [Touching and Pouring] into Ra [Evil] (וּמְהַפֵּךְ ע״ר לְרַע), as explained in its place concerning Er and Onan (כַּנִּזְכָּר בִּמְקוֹמוֹ אֵצֶל עֵר וְאוֹנָן), and then it shows favor to evil (וְאָז הוּא מַסְבִּיר פָּנִים לְרַע), and the side of evil is the world of evil (וְסִטְרָא דְּרַע הוּא עוֹלָם הָרַע), and once it shows favor to evil (וְכֵיוָן שֶׁמַּסְבִּיר פָּנִים לְרַע), then it is called Darkness, which rests upon it (כַּדֵּין אִתְקְרֵי חֹשֶׁךְ דְּשָׁארֵי עָלֵיהּ), upon that Darkness which is Shor [Ox], Chamor [Donkey], and Kelev [Dog], the initials of Choshekh [Darkness] (עַל הַהוּא חֹשֶׁךְ שֶׁהוּא שׁוֹר חֲמוֹר כֶּלֶב ר״ת חֹשֶׁךְ), and it is written defectively (וְהוּא חָסֵר כְּתִיב), and it is the forgetting of the Light of the Torah (וְהוּא שִׁכְחַת אוֹר הַתּוֹרָה). And the mystery of the matter is found in the sin of Adam, in the Midrash HaNe'elam on Parashat Lech Lecha in the Zohar Chadash (וְסוֹד הַדָּבָר הוּא בְּחוֹבָא דְּאָדָם מִדְרַשׁ הַנֶּעְלָם פּ׳ לֶךְ לְךָ זוֹהַר חָדָשׁ): “Through the first sin, the Supernal Faces were lost” (קַדְמָאָה אֲבָדוּ הַפָּנִים עִלָּאִין), “and through the sin of the Calf, the lower faces were lost” (וּבְחוֹבָא דְּעֶגְלָא אֲבָדוּ הַפָּנִים תַּתָּאִין). That is to say: through the sin of Adam HaRishon, the Faces of Abba and Imma were lost (ר״ל בְּחוֹבָא דְּאָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן נֶאֶבְדוּ הַפָּנִים שֶׁל אַבָּא וְאִמָּא), which sweetened the MNTZPKH of the World to Come (שֶׁהָיָה מְמַתֵּק הַמנצפ״ך שֶׁל עָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי), for it is the mystery of the World to Come, the mystery of the Neshamah [Soul] (כִּי הִיא סוֹד עוֹלָם הַבָּא סוֹד נְשָׁמָה), and when Adam HaRishon mixed good with evil (וּכְשֶׁעֵרַב א״ר טוֹב בְּרַע), the MNTZPKH remained bitter without sweetening (נִשְׁאַר מנצפ״ך מַר בְּלִי מִתּוּק), because the Faces were lost and departed above (עַל הַפָּנִים שֶׁנֶּאֶבְדוּ וְהָלְכוּ לְמַעְלָה), and the Faces are Havayah, A"B, and KSA [161] (וְהַפָּנִים הוּא הוי״ה וְע״ב וקס״א), whose numerical value is Zakhor [Remember] (שֶׁהוּא סוֹד גִּי׳ זָכוֹ״ר), while “do not forget” is the mystery of Darkness (וְאַל תִּשְׁכַּ״ח שֶׁהוּא סוֹד חֹשֶׁךְ). And through the sin of the Calf the lower Faces of Ze'ir Anpin and His Nukvah were lost (וּבְחוֹבָא דְּעֵגֶל אָבְדוּ הַפָּנִים תַּתָּאִין שֶׁל זְעֵיר וְנוּקְבֵיהּ), which are likewise the mystery of Havayah, namely M"H and B"N (הֵם גַּם כֵּן סוֹד הוי״ה שֶׁהוּא מ״ה וּב״ן), and only the backs remained (וַאֲחוֹרַיִים נִשְׁאֲרוּ), and they did not remain in the mystery of the Matkela [Balance] (וְלֹא עָמְדוּ בְּסוֹד מַתְקְלָא), and the left side extended farther downward (וְהַשְּׂמֹאל נִתְאָרַךְ יוֹתֵר לְמַטָּה), until all the fires burned from the MNTZPKH and their Elohim (עַד שֶׁכָּל הָאֵשׁוֹת הָיוּ בּוֹעֲרִים מֵהַמנצפ״ך וְהָאֱלֹהִים שֶׁלָּהֶם), and below there began the dominions of the power of MNTZPKH and the Other Elohim (וּלְמַטָּה הִתְחִילוּ הַמֶּמְשָׁלוֹת שֶׁל כֹּחַ מנצפ״ך וֶאֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים), corresponding to their five letters (כְּנֶגֶד ה׳ אוֹתִיּוֹת שֶׁלָּהֶם), namely Babylon, Media, Greece, Edom, and Yishmael (וְהֵם בָּבֶל מָדַי יָוָן וֶאֱדוֹם וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל), and they are called in the Zohar the Five Foreign Crowns (וְהֵם נִקְרָאִים בַּזֹּהַר חָמֵשׁ קוּטְרִין נוּכְרָאִין), and this is the mystery of what it says, “when it shows favor to evil” (וְזֶהוּ סוֹד אוֹמְרוֹ כַּד אַסְבַּר אַנְפִּין לְרַע) (Zohar 16a).

Its explanation is: when the Faces, Heaven forbid, are withdrawn (פּ׳ כְּשֶׁמְּסַלֵּק הַפָּנִים ח״ו), then it shows favor to the Klipot, which are called evil (אָז אַסְבַּר אַנְפִּין לַקְּלִיפּוֹת הַנִּקְרָאִים רַע), and they are not driven away from their hold (וְאֵינוֹ נִדְחִים מֵאֲחִיזָתָם), but when there is a time of favor (וּכְשֶׁיֵּשׁ עֵת רָצוֹן), He drives them away through the illumination of the Countenance (הוּא דּוֹחֶה אוֹתָם בְּהֶאָרַת אַנְפִּין), and does not receive them with a pleasant countenance (וְאֵינוֹ מְקַבְּלָם בְּסֵבֶר פָּנִים יָפוֹת), and understand this (וְהָבֵן). Or for this reason it is called Darkness (אוֹ לְטַעַם זֶה נִקְרָא חֹשֶׁךְ), because it rests upon this Darkness to give it mighty and powerful strength and to sustain it (מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא שׁוֹרֶה עַל הַחֹשֶׁךְ הַזֶּה לָתֵת לוֹ כֹּחַ אַמִּיץ וְחָזָק וּלְהַחֲזִיקוֹ), and this is the mystery of the verse, “And Darkness was upon the face of the Tehom [Deep]” (וְזֶהוּ סוֹד הַפָּסוּק וְחֹשֶׁךְ עַל פְּנֵי תְהוֹ״ם) (Genesis 1:2), whose reverse is Mavet [Death] (הִיפּוּכוֹ הַמָּוֶ״ת), for the Darkness rests upon this Tehom [Deep] (כִּי הַחֹשֶׁךְ שׁוֹרֶה עַל הַתְּהוֹם הַזֶּה), strengthens it to carry out its activities (וּמַחֲזִיקוֹ לִפְעֹל פְּעֻלּוֹתָיו), and then it is called Darkness (וְכַדֵּין אִתְקְרֵי חֹשֶׁךְ).