Daf 56b (דַּף נ״ו ע״ב)

And because everything was hidden within the Yesod [Foundation] (וּלְהִיוֹת שֶׁהַכֹּל נִגְנַז בִּיסוֹד), and all the abundance of the Ein Sof coming from the Garment passes entirely through this Yod (וְכָל שֶׁפַע שֶׁל אֵין סוֹף הַבָּא מֵהַמַּלְבּוּשׁ הַכֹּל הוּא ע״י הַיוֹ״ד הַזֹּאת), which is called Shabbat (שֶׁהִיא נִקְרֵאת שַׁבָּת), therefore the Zohar says, “From here is the beginning of discovering the hidden things, for here the world was created in particular” (לָכֵן אוֹמֵר הַזֹּהַר מֵהָכָא אִיהוּ שֵׁירוּתָא לְאַשְׁכְּחָא גְּנִיזִין הָכָא אִתְבְּרֵי עָלְמָא בִּפְרָט) (Zohar 16b).

Its explanation is: “From here is the beginning” (פֵּרוּשׁוֹ הוּא מֵהָכָא אִיהוּ הַתְחָלָה), to discover the hidden abundance (לִמְצוֹא הַשֶּׁפַע הַגָּנוּז), that is to say, from this Yod is the beginning of the entire structure of the worlds (ר״ל מֵהַיוֹ״ד הַזֹּאת הִיא הַתְחָלָה לְכָל הַבִּנְיָן שֶׁל הָעוֹלָמוֹת), therefore it is called the hidden things (וְלָכֵן נִקְרָא גְּנִיזִין), since it is the Yesod [Foundation] within the Malkhut, upon which the expression “hidden away” is applied (כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִיא יְסוֹד שֶׁבַּמַּלְכוּת שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר עָלָיו לְשׁוֹן גְּנִיזָה), and it brought forth the abundance to create this Elohim (וְהִיא הָיְתָה מוֹצִיאָה שֶׁפַע לִבְרוֹא הָאֱלֹהִים הַזֶּה), through the abundance of the Two Hundred and Thirty-One Gates, which emerged to become the Inner Light of the worlds (ע״י הַשֶּׁפַע שֶׁל הרל״א שֶׁהָיָה יוֹצֵא לִהְיוֹת אוֹר פְּנִימִי אֶל הָעוֹלָמוֹת), and this is the mystery of, “Bereshit created Elohim” (וְזֶהוּ סוֹד בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים), that is to say, Bereshit consists of the letters of be-sheiruta [at the beginning] (כְּלוֹמַר בְּרֵאשִׁית הִיא אוֹתִיּוֹת בְּשֵׁירוּתָא), which denotes beginning (שֶׁהוּא לְשׁוֹן הַתְחָלָה), and it is also the mystery of Bara Shit [He Created Six] (וְהוּא גּ״כ סוֹד בָּרָ״א שִׁי״ת), namely the Yesod [Foundation], which is the sixth (שֶׁהוּא יְסוֹד שֶׁהוּא שִׁשִּׁי), and it is also called Ever [Limb] (וְגַם הוּא נִקְרָא אֵבָ״ר), and through the concealment of this Ever [Limb], the Ein Sof concealed within it the entire power of the order of Creation (וְע״י גְּנִיזַת הָאֵבָר הַזֶּה אֵין סוֹף גָּנַז בּוֹ כָּל כֹּחַ סֵדֶר הַבְּרִיאָה), afterward decreeing that it should bring forth the powers through Elohim (אַחַ״כ גָּזַר עָלֶיהָ לְהוֹצִיא הַכֹּחוֹת בְּסוֹד אֱלֹהִים), to give measure and limit to each created being individually (לָתֵת גְּבוּל וְשִׁעוּר אֶל כָּל בְּרִיאָה בִּפְנֵי עַצְמָהּ), and this is the mystery of the Kli [Vessel] (וְהוּא סוֹד הַכְּלִי), and likewise the Shitin [Channels] of David (וְגַם שִׁיתִין שֶׁל דָּוִד), are the Yesod [Foundation] of the Altar, which is the mystery of the Shekhinah (הוּא הַיְסוֹד שֶׁל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ שֶׁהוּא סוֹד שְׁכִינָה), and this is the intention of the Zohar in dividing the word Bereshit into these expressions (וְזֶהוּ סוֹד כַּוָּנַת הַזֹּהַר שֶׁמְּחַלֵּק מִלַּת בְּרֵאשִׁית לַתֵּבוֹת הַלָּלוּ), therefore through this Yod was the beginning of bringing forth the hidden operation (וְלָכֵן בַּיוֹ״ד הַזֹּאת הָיְתָה הַתְחָלָה לְאַשְׁכַּח <ר״ל לְהוֹצִיא פְּעֻלַּת גְּנוּזַת), which had been deposited within it (אֲשֶׁר נִפְקְדוּ בָּהּ), and it also brought forth the operations themselves through hidden power, which is the mystery of the Kli [Vessel] (וְגַם הַפְּעֻלּוֹת עַצְמָם הוֹצִיאָה בְּכֹחַ גָּנוּז שֶׁהוּא סוֹד הַכְּלִי), and the expression “le'ashkecha” means that they should become manifest (וּלְשׁוֹן לְאַשְׁכְּחָא הוּא כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיוּ נִמְצָאִים), in this Yod the Ein Sof placed all the abundance in concealed potential (בַּיוֹ״ד הַזֹּאת נָתַן לָהּ אֵין סוֹף כָּל הַשֶּׁפַע בְּכֹחַ גָּנוּז), and this is the mystery of how the world was created through the Name Elohim (וְזֶהוּ הוּא הַסּוֹד הֵיאַךְ נִבְרָא הָעוֹלָם ע״י שֵׁם אֱלֹהִים), for the Yod brought forth the letters from the Alef-Bet (שֶׁהוֹצִיאָה הַיוֹ״ד מִן הָאַלְפָא בֵיתָא), and joined them either to Judgment or to Mercy (וְחִבְּרָה אוֹתָם לְדִין אוֹ לְרַחֲמִים), so that the words required for Creation might come into being (כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיוּ תֵּבוֹת הַצְּרִיכִים אֶל הַבְּרִיאָה), and thereby the Name Elohim was created (וּבָזֶה נִבְרָא שֵׁם אֱלֹהִים), which is the Attribute of Judgment, namely the existence of the Kelim [Vessels] through the Yod (שֶׁהוּא מִדַּת הַדִּין מְצִיאַת הַכֵּלִים ע״י הַיוֹ״ד), and this Name Elohim is called the Particular (וְשֵׁם אֱלֹהִים הוּא נִקְרָא פְּרָט), for everything explicit is derived from the hidden, which is the General (כִּי כָּל מְפֹרָשׁ אָנוּ לְמֵדִין מִן הַסָּתוּם שֶׁהוּא הַכְּלָל), alluded to by the word Bereshit, namely the Yod that was in the Primordial Avir [Air] (הַנִּרְמָז בְּמִלַּת בְּרֵאשִׁית שֶׁהִיא הַיוֹ״ד שֶׁהָיְתָה בַּאֲוִיר קַדְמוֹן), called Thought in silence (הַנִּקְרֵאת מַחֲשָׁבָה בַּחֲשַׁאי), which is the power of the Butzina d'Kardinuta [The Hard Spark], flashing downward with great speed (שֶׁהוּא כֹּחַ בּוּצִינָא דְּקַדְרִינוּתָא הַמִּתְנוֹצֵץ בִּמְהִירוּת לְמַטָּה).