Daf 58a (דַּף נ״ח ע״א)

For before the coming of the Nekudah [Point], the Ohr [Light] of the Reshimu [Impression] had no barrier whatsoever within it (שֶׁהָאוֹר שֶׁל רְשִׁימוּ קֹדֶם בִּיאַת הַנְּקוּדָּה לֹא הָיָה לָהּ שׁוּם מָסָךְ בִּפְנִים), but after the Nekudah [Point] came (וְאַחַר שֶׁבָּא הַנְּקוּדָּה), although it was subtler than the subtlest (אַע״פּ שֶׁהִיא דַּקָּה מִן הַדַּקָּה), it restrained the Light so that it could not pass its sparks inward to the place of the Nekudah [Point] (הָיְתָה מְעַכֶּבֶת הָאוֹר שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה יָכוֹל לְהַעֲבִיר נִיצוֹצָיו לִפְנִים לִמְקוֹם הַנְּקוּדָּה), for if it had passed and entered within the Nekudah [Point], it would have been called Nekudah [Point] and not Ohr [Light] (וְאִם הָיָה עוֹבֵר וּמַכְנִיס בְּתוֹךְ הַנְּקוּדָּה הָיָה נִקְרָא נְקוּדָּה וְלֹא אוֹר), and afterward, when the Nekudah [Point] departed together with the Heh-Yod of the Garment (וְאַחַ״כ כְּשֶׁיָּצְאָה הַנְּקוּדָּה בַּחֲבֵרַת ה״י שֶׁל מַלְבּוּשׁ), and became the Light of the Tehiru (וְנַעֲשָׂה אוֹר הַטְּהִירוּ), which is the back aspect of the Ohr [Light] of the Reshimu [Impression] (שֶׁהוּא אָחוֹר שֶׁל אוֹר רְשִׁימוּ), for the Ohr [Light] of the Tehiru is not fit to be called Ohr [Light] in the presence of the Ohr [Light] that is far greater than it (כִּי אוֹר שֶׁל טְהִירוּ אֵינוֹ רָאוּי לְכַנוֹתוֹ בְּשֵׁם אוֹר בִּפְנֵי אוֹר שֶׁהוּא גָּדוֹל מִמֶּנּוּ הַרְבֵּה), rather it is called by the name Tehiru, which is the Aramaic translation of Ohr [Light] (אֶלָּא קוֹרְאִים אוֹתוֹ בְּשֵׁם טְהִירוּ שֶׁהוּא תַּרְגּוּם שֶׁל אוֹר), for Ohr [Light] is the front aspect (כִּי אוֹר הוּא פָּנִים), whereas Tehiru is the back aspect because it is the translation (וְטְהִירוּ הוּא אָחוֹר מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא תַּרְגּוּם), therefore these are the three levels from which the Tehiru was afterward built (לָכֵן הֵם שָׁלֹשׁ מַדְרֵגוֹת שֶׁנִּבְנָה מִמֶּנּוּ אַחַ״כ טְהִירוּ).

These levels are the mystery of General, Particular, and General (וְאֵלּוּ הַמַּדְרֵגוֹת הֵם סוֹד כְּלָל וּפְרָט וּכְלָל). Its explanation is: the Ohr [Light] of the Ein Sof of the parchment is the great General encompassing everything (פֵּי׳ אוֹר אֵין סוֹף שֶׁל הַנְּיָיר הוּא כְּלָל גָּדוֹל שֶׁכּוֹלֵל הַכֹּל), for had the parchment itself, Heaven forbid, been removed, the letters could not have continued to exist (כִּי אִם הָיָה ח״ו מְסַלֵּק הַנְּיָיר עַצְמוֹ לֹא הָיוּ יְכוֹלִים לְהִתְקַיֵּם הָאוֹתִיּוֹת), and this was the cause of the Shattering of the Kelim [Vessels] (וְזֶה הָיָה סִבַּת שְׁבִירַת הַכֵּלִים), and this Reshimu [Impression] the Yod removed from the sphere of the Tehiru upward, above the sphere (וְזֶה הָרֹשֶׁם הָיְתָה הַיוֹ״ד מְסַלְּקָה מִן כְּדוּר הַטְּהִירוּ לְמַעְלָה מִן הַכַּדּוּר), and from it Adam Kadmon came into being, as is known (וְנַעֲשָׂה מִמֶּנּוּ אָדָם קַדְמוֹן כַּנּוֹדָע), because this Reshimu [Impression] did not permit the coarse Light of the Kli [Vessel], which is the mystery of Elohim, namely the Particular, to become revealed (וְזֶה כִּי הָרֹשֶׁם הַזֶּה לֹא הָיָה מַנִּיחַ לְהִתְגַּלּוֹת אוֹר עָב שֶׁל הַכְּלִי שֶׁהוּא סוֹד אֱלֹהִים שֶׁהוּא הַפְּרָט), and when the General departed through the Yod, which is likewise the General of the entire Garment, because within it all the activities of the worlds are concealed (וּכְשֶׁהָלַךְ לוֹ הַכְּלָל ע״י הַיוֹ״ד שֶׁהִיא גַּם כֵּן כְּלָל כָּל הַמַּלְבּוּשׁ כִּי בָהּ נִגְנָזִים כָּל הַפְּעֻלּוֹת הָעוֹלָמוֹת), then the Kli [Vessel], which is the mystery of the Particular, came into being (נַעֲשָׂה הַכְּלִי שֶׁהוּא סוֹד פְּרָט), and this is called General (וְזֶהוּ נִקְרָא כְּלָל), and within the Primordial Avir [Air] there is a Particular, namely the mystery of the Nekudah [Point], the Yod of the Reshimu [Impression] (וְיֵשׁ בַּאֲוִיר קַדְמוֹן פְּרָט שֶׁהִיא סוֹד נְקוּדָּה שֶׁל י׳ שֶׁל הָרְשִׁימוּ), afterward the Yod was revealed in its General (וְאַחַ״כ נִתְגַּלָּה הַיוֹ״ד בַּכְּלָל שֶׁלָּהּ), and the Yod of the Nekudah [Point] attached itself to it (וְנִדְבַּק עִמָּהּ י׳ שֶׁל נְקוּדָּה), and from it the Tehiru was formed together with its Spelling in Full, Vav-Dalet, whose numerical value is ten (וְנַעֲשָׂה מִמֶּנָּה טְהִירוּ עִם הַמִּלּוּי שֶׁלָּהּ ו״ד שֶׁעוֹלֶה עֲשָׂרָה), and the Yod of the Nekudah [Point] attached itself to it (וְנִדְבְּקָה בָּהּ הַיוֹ״ד שֶׁל נְקוּדָּה), and afterward a second General came into being (וְנַעֲשָׂה אַחַ״כ כְּלָל שֵׁנִי), for the first General had departed through the repeated returns (שֶׁהַכְּלָל הָרִאשׁוֹן הָלַךְ לוֹ בַּהֲחָזָרוֹת), by which the Yod took the essentiality from the subtlest aspect of those aforementioned letters (שֶׁלָּקְחָה הַיוֹ״ד עִקָּרִיּוּת מֵהַיּוֹתֵר דַּק שֶׁבָּאוֹתִיּוֹת הַנִּזְכָּרִים).