Daf 68b (דַּף ס״ח ע״ב)

And from there it is called Shamayim [Heavens] (וּמִשָּׁם נִקְרָא שָׁמַיִם), which is Esh [Fire] and Mayim [Water] (שֶׁהוּא אֵשׁ וּמַיִם), which are the three divisions of ChaDaR [Chesed, Din, and Rachamim] (שֶׁהֵם ג׳ חֲלָקִים שֶׁל חד״ר), and Ze'ir Anpin, who is called Shamayim [Heavens], includes them within his aspect (וּזְעֵיר שֶׁהוּא נִקְרָא שָׁמַיִם כּוֹלֵל אוֹתָם בִּבְחִינָתוֹ), for he is called the Torah SheBiKhtav [Written Torah] (שֶׁהוּא נִקְרָא תּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב), which is formed from the twenty-two letters of the Orayta [Torah] (הַנַּעֲשֶׂה מִכ״ב אַתְוָון דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא), and they include the entire Torah SheBe'al Peh [Oral Torah] (וְהֵם הַכּוֹלְלִים כָּל הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה). And this is the meaning of what the Zohar says, “Afterward Choshekh [Darkness] emerged, and within it emerged seven other letters of the Alef-Bet, and they did not congeal, and they remained moist” (וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאוֹמֵר הַזֹּהַר נָפִיק חֹשֶׁךְ לְבָתַר וְנָפְקוּ בֵּיהּ שֶׁבַע אַתְוָון אַחֲרָנִין דְּאַלְפָא בֵיתָא וְלָא אִקְרִישׁוּ וְקַיְימוּ לַחִים), and these letters of Judgment, called Choshekh [Darkness], stood on the left side (וְאֵלּוּ הָאוֹתִיּוֹת שֶׁל דִּין הַנִּקְרָא חֹשֶׁךְ הָיוּ עוֹמְדִים לְצַד הַשְּׂמֹאל), and they were intermixed and did not stand in their proper order (וְהָיוּ מְעוֹרְבָּבִים וְלֹא עָמְדוּ כְּתִקּוּנָם), therefore it says that they were moist and did not congeal (לָכֵן אָמַר שֶׁהָיוּ לַחִים וְלֹא אִתְקְרִישׁוּ), meaning that they were not frozen in rigidity (שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ מוּקְפָּאִים בְּחוֹזֶק), nor did they stand with firm stability and strong structure in their levels (וְלֹא הָיוּ עוֹמְדִים בְּמַעֲמָד תַּקִּיף וּבִנְיָן אַמִּיץ שֶׁל הַמַּדְרֵגוֹת), until the letters passed over into the attribute of Ze'ir Anpin, who is the Torah SheBiKhtav [Written Torah], which includes them (עַד שֶׁדִּלְּגוּ הָאוֹתִיּוֹת לְמִדַּת זְעֵיר שֶׁהוּא תּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב הַכּוֹלְלָם), for had they congealed, it would not have been possible to bring them into the attribute of Ze'ir Anpin, called Shamayim [Heavens] (שֶׁאִם הָיוּ נִקְרָשִׁים לֹא הָיְתָה יְכֹלֶת לַהֲבִיאָם לְמִדַּת זְעֵיר הַנִּקְרָא שָׁמַיִם), just as a moist object that has become firmly fixed cannot be moved from its place (כְּמוֹ הַדָּבָר הַלַּח שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ מַעֲמָד תַּקִּיף וְאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לָזוּז אוֹתוֹ מִמְּקוֹמוֹ), and also because the mediating power had not yet been included (וְגַם מִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא נִכְלַל עֲדַיִן בְּכֹחַ הַמִּיצוּעִי), the powers of Chesed [Kindness] and Din [Judgment] could not yet emerge into actuality (לֹא הָיָה יוֹצֵא הַכֹּחַ שֶׁל חֶסֶד וְשֶׁל דִּין לַפֹּעַל), so that afterward they might unite in the mystery of the middle, namely Rachamim [Mercy] (כְּדֵי שֶׁאַחַ״כ יִתְחַבְּרוּ בְּסוֹד אֶמְצָעִי שֶׁהוּא רַחֲמִים), for if the Judgment had been harsh and had congealed (וְאִם הָיָה הַדִּין קָשֶׁה וְאִתְקְרִישׁ), it would afterward have had no mediating power to oppose it (לֹא הָיָה לוֹ אַחַ״כ כֹּחַ הַמִּיצוּעִי שֶׁהוּא מִתְנַגְּדוֹ), thus it follows that the essential Creation was founded upon the mediating principle (נִמְצָא שֶׁעִקַּר הַבְּרִיאָה הָיְתָה עַל הַמִּיצוּעִי). For before the Middle Bar came (כִּי קֹדֶם שֶׁבָּא הַבְּרִיחַ הַתִּיכוֹן), they did not emerge into actuality (לֹא הָיוּ יוֹצְאִים לַפֹּעַל), and even when they spread below into the Torah SheBiKhtav [Written Torah] (וְגַם כְּשֶׁנִּתְפַּשְּׁטוּ לְמַטָּה בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב), they were all included one within another (הָיוּ כְּלוּלִים זֶה בְּתוֹךְ זֶה), and there they became strengthened through the action of the mediating principle (וְשָׁם נַעֲשׂוּ חֲזָקִים בִּפְעֻלַּת הַמִּיצוּעִי), not each one separately (לֹא כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד לְבַדּוֹ), for this world is the mystery of the Ruach [Spirit] standing in perfect balance (כִּי הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה הוּא סוֹד הָרוּחַ שָׁוֶה בְּשָׁוֶה), in the mystery of what our Rabbis of blessed memory said, “He saw that the world could not endure, so He associated with it the Attribute of Mercy” (בְּסוֹד שֶׁאַרְזַ״ל רָאָה שֶׁאֵין הָעוֹלָם מִתְקַיֵּם שִׁתֵּף עִמּוֹ מִדַּת הָרַחֲמִים) (Bereshit Rabbah 12). “The Rakia [Firmament] emerged, separating the dispute between the two sides (נָפַק רָקִיעַ דְּאַפְּרִישׁ מַחֲלוֹקֶת דְּתְּרֵין סִטְרִין), and within it there emerged eight letters (וְנָפְקוּ בֵּיהּ תְּמַנְיָא אַתְוָון), then the twenty-two letters leaped over the seven of this side and the seven of that side (כַּדִּין כ״ב דְּלִיגוּ שִׁבְעָה דְּהַאי סִטְרָא וְשִׁבְעָה דְּהַאי סִטְרָא), and they were all engraved in this Rakia [Firmament] (וְאִתְגְּלִיפוּ כֻּלְּהוּ בְּהַאי <בְּהַהוּא> רָקִיעַ), and they remained moist (וְהֲווּ קַיְימִי לַחִים), the Rakia [Firmament] congealed (אִקְרִישׁ הַהוּא רָקִיעַ), and the letters congealed (וְאִקְרִישׁוּ אַתְוָון), and they were formed into their shapes (וְאִגְלִימוּ וְאִתְצַיְּירוּ בְּצִיּוּרַיְיהוּ), and there the Orayta was engraved to shine outward (וְאִגְלִיף תַּמָּן אוֹרַיְיתָא לְאַנְהָרָא לְבַר) (Zohar 16a).