Daf 56a (דַּף נ״ו ע״א)

And it also alludes to the Two Hundred and Thirty-One Alef-Bets, together with the inclusive Alef of ALBM (וְגַם הוּא מְרַמֵּז עַל רל״א אַלְפָא בֵיתוֹת עִם כְּלִילַת אַלְפָא דְּאַלְבָּ״ם), after the withdrawal, when everything became the mystery of the Alef-Bet of ALBM (אַחַר הַסִּלּוּק שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה כֻּלּוֹ סוֹד אַלְפָא בֵיתָא דְּאַלְבָּ״ם), and this likewise equals Yehi Ohr [Let There Be Light] in numerical value (וְהוּא גַּם כֵּן בְּגִי׳ יְהִי אוֹר), and this is the mystery that, “Bereshit is also an Utterance” (וְזֶהוּ סוֹד בְּרֵאשִׁית נָמֵי מַאֲמָר הוּא), for this is the revelation brought about through the Yod from the World of the Garment, which is called Reshit [Beginning] (שֶׁזֶּהוּ הַגִּלּוּי שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה ע״י הַיוֹ״ד מֵעוֹלָם הַמַּלְבּוּשׁ הַנִּקְרָא רֵאשִׁית), and this is the mystery of the large Bet of Bereshit (וְזֶהוּ סוֹד בֵּי״ת גְּדוֹלָה שֶׁל בְּרֵאשִׁית), whose explanation is “two beginnings” (שֶׁפֵּרוּשׁוֹ ב׳ רֵאשִׁית), namely the two hundred and thirty-one combinations, front and back, which are the beginning of all the worlds (כְּלוֹמַר שְׁנֵי רל״א פָּנִים וְאָחוֹר שֶׁהֵם רֵאשִׁית אֶל כָּל הָעוֹלָמוֹת), and since there is no Speech there at all (וְכֵיוָן שֶׁאֵין שָׁם דִּבּוּר כְּלָל), because it is not contracted into the mystery of the Voice, which is Ze'ir Anpin, and the Speech, which is Nukvah (שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְצוּמְצָם בְּסוֹד קוֹל שֶׁהוּא זְעֵיר וְדִבּוּר שֶׁהוּא נוּקְבֵיהּ), which are the Sefirot that were in the Tehiru and came into being through the Yod (שֶׁהֵם הַסְּפִירוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ בַּטְּהִירוּ וְנִתְהַווּ ע״י הַיוֹ״ד), therefore it is apprehended in the mystery of Thought in silence (לָכֵן נִתְפַּס בְּסוֹד מַחֲשָׁבָה בַּחֲשַׁאי), for even Thought has little relevance there (שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ מַחֲשָׁבָה אֵין לָהּ כָּל כָּךְ שַׁיָּכוּת שָׁם), because it too is a measured proportion of the letters grasped in thought according to the needs of the worlds (כִּי גַּם הוּא שִׁעוּר אֶל הָאוֹתִיּוֹת שֶׁתּוֹפֵס בְּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ הַצֹּרֶךְ אֶל הָעוֹלָמוֹת), like a person writing, who must first take into his thought which letters are needed for the word and how many letters (כְּמוֹ הָאָדָם הַכּוֹתֵב שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לִקַּח בְּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ אֵיזֶה אוֹתִיּוֹת שֶׁצָּרִיךְ אֶל הַתֵּיבָה וְכַמָּה אוֹתִיּוֹת), for this is the measure of Thought (שֶׁזֶּהוּ שִׁעוּר הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה), and this is why the Targum Yerushalmi says, “With Wisdom,” concerning the word Bereshit (וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאוֹמֵר הַתַּרְגּוּם יְרוּשַׁלְמִי בְּחָכְמְתָא עַל מִלַּת בְּרֵאשִׁית), therefore Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, peace be upon him, says, “Thought in silence” (וְלָכֵן אוֹמֵר רַשְׁבִּ״י ע״ה מַחֲשָׁבָה בַּחֲשַׁאי). And because this Yod is the Yesod [Foundation] within the Malkhut (וּלְהִיוֹת שֶׁהַיוֹ״ד הַזֹּאת הִיא יְסוֹד שֶׁבַּמַּלְכוּת), it is called Shabbat (וְהִיא נִקְרֵאת שַׁבָּ״ת), and all the abundance of the letters is hidden within this Yesod throughout all the worlds (וְכָל שֶׁפַע הָאוֹתִיּוֹת נִגְנָז בַּיְסוֹד הַזֶּה וּבְכָל הָעוֹלָמוֹת), therefore the Yesod is Judgment (לָכֵן יְסוֹד הוּא דִּי״ן), because the abundance is concealed within it (מִפְּנֵי שֶׁמִּתְעַלֵּם הַשֶּׁפַע בְּתוֹכוֹ), therefore the Zohar says, “It was hidden and concealed within the Holy Covenant” (לָכֵן בַּזֹּהַר אִתְגְּנִיז וְאִתְטַמַּר בִּבְרִית קַדִּישָׁא) (Zohar 92a), and all the more so in the World of the Garment, which requires protection (וּמִכָּל שֶׁכֵּן בְּעוֹלָם הַמַּלְבּוּשׁ שֶׁצָּרִיךְ שְׁמִירָה). For it is the final point (כִּי הִיא הַנְּקוּדָּה הָאַחֲרוֹנָה), and it requires guarding over the letters of the Chesedim [Kindnesses] (וְצָרִיךְ שְׁמִירָה אֶל הָאוֹתִיּוֹת הַחֲסָדִים), so that they should not spread and descend below through an abundance of Light (שֶׁלֹּא יִתְפַּשְּׁטוּ וְיֵרְדוּ לְמַטָּה בְּרִבּוּי אוֹר), and this is why it says, “And there was Light” (וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר וַיְהִי אוֹר) (Genesis 1:3), for the Garment ascended above (שֶׁנִּסְתַּלֵּק הַמַּלְבּוּשׁ לְמַעְלָה), and the Names M"H [45] and B"N [52] also went behind A"B [72] and S"G [63] (וְגַם הַשֵּׁמוֹת מ״ה ב״ן הָלְכוּ אֲחוֹרֵי ע״ב וְס״ג), while she remained last in her Tzimtzumim [Contractions] (וְנִשְׁאֶרֶת הִיא אַחֲרוֹנָה בְּצִמְצוּמֶיהָ), and everything was hidden there (וְהַכֹּל נִגְנַז שָׁם), and Yehi Or [Let There Be Light] also equals Rachel in numerical value (וְגַם יְהִי אוֹר בְּגִי׳ רָחֵל), for He contracted His Shekhinah upward (שֶׁצִּמְצֵם שְׁכִינָתוֹ לְמַעְלָה), because the Garment is called Shekhinah (כִּי הַמַּלְבּוּשׁ נִקְרָא שְׁכִינָה), in the mystery of Shakhen Yah [He dwells with Yah] (בְּסוֹד שָׁכֵ״ן יָ״ה), that is, in the place of Yah in the inner aspect (פֵּי׳ בִּמְקוֹם יָ״ה בַּפָּנִים), while the Heh is in the back aspect (וְה׳ בָּאֲחוֹרַיִים), as it is in the Limud (כַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא בַּלִּימּוּדִ),p1-60 therefore it says, “And there was Light” (וְלָכֵן אוֹמֵר וַיְהִי אוֹר), for the First Light was no longer there (שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה שָׁם עוֹד הָאוֹר הָרִאשׁוֹן),