Daf 71a (דַּף ע״א ע״א)

Which is in the World of Beri'ah (אֲשֶׁר בְּעוֹלָם הַבְּרִיאָה), and afterward this Elohim, namely the Binah [Understanding], separated (וְאַחַ״כ הִבְדִּיל אֱלֹהִים הַזֹּאת שֶׁהִיא הַבִּינָה), within which afterward the food was separated from the refuse (שֶׁבָּהּ נִתְבָּרֵר אַחַ״כ אוֹכֶל מִתּוֹךְ הַפְּסֹלֶת), and it separated all the Judgments, called Laylah [Night], from the Ohr Penimim [Inner Lights], called Yom [Day] (וְהִיא הִבְדִּילָה כָּל הַדִּינִין הַנִּקְרָאִים לַיְלָה מִן אוֹרוֹת פְּנִימִיּוֹת הַנִּקְרָאִים יוֹם), and from the Judgment of Choshekh [Darkness] He called Laylah [Night] (וּמֵהַדִּין דְּחֹשֶׁךְ קָרָא לַיְלָה), and this is the mystery of the World of Asiyah (וְהוּא סוֹד עוֹלָם הָעֲשִׂיָּה), while the lower Yom [Day] is the mystery of the six weekdays (וְהַיּוֹם הַשָּׁפָל הוּא סוֹד שֵׁשֶׁת יְמֵי הַחוֹל), which are in the World of Yetzirah (שֶׁהֵם בְּעוֹלָם הַיְצִירָה), where there are six hundred thousand mighty angelic hosts (שֶׁשָּׁם שִׁתָּא <מֵאָה> אַלְפֵי גּוּבְרִין חֵילֵי הַמַּלְאָכִים), for there is Ze'ir Anpin, called the Vav of the Name (כִּי שָׁם זְעֵיר הַנִּקְרָא וָי״ו שֶׁל שֵׁם), and from this Vav emerge six hundred thousand angels (וּמֵהַוָּי״ו הַזֹּאת יוֹצְאִים שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף מַלְאָכִים), while the World of Beri'ah is the Yom [Day] of Shabbat, a reflection of the World to Come of Atzilut (וְעוֹלָם הַבְּרִיאָה הוּא יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת מֵעֵין עוֹלָם הַבָּא שֶׁל אֲצִילוּת), and from the harsher left side, which could not be separated because it was refuse (וּמֵהַשְּׂמֹאל הַיּוֹתֵר קָשֶׁה שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה יָכוֹל לְהִתְבָּרֵר כִּי הוּא פְּסֹלֶת), it was cast outside (נִשְׁלַךְ לַחוּץ), and from it Gehinnom and the Sitra Achra [Other Side] were formed (וְנַעֲשָׂה מִמֶּנּוּ גֵּיהִנֹּם וְסִטְרָא אַחֲרָא), and all this was accomplished through Imma Ila'ah [Supernal Mother] (וְכָל זֶה נַעֲשָׂה ע״י אִמָּא עִלָּאָה), and this is the meaning of what the Zohar says, “And Elohim separated between the Ohr [Light] and between the Choshekh [Darkness]; He separated the dispute so that everything might become complete” (וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאוֹמֵר הַזֹּהַר וַיַּבְדֵּל אֱלֹהִים בֵּין הָאוֹר וּבֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ אַפְרִישׁ מַחֲלוֹקְתָּא לְמֶהֱוֵי כָּלָא שְׁלִים).

Its explanation is: Elohim is Imma Ila'ah [Supernal Mother] (פֵּי׳ כִּי אֱלֹהִים הִיא אִמָּא עִלָּאָה), as it says later in this section, “Elohim—this is Imma Ila'ah [Supernal Mother]” (כְּאוֹמְרוֹ אֱלֹהִים דָּא אִמָּא עִלָּאָה לְקַמָּן בְּפָרָשָׁה זוֹ), and she was separating and distinguishing the disputes of the two sides, of Ohr [Light] and Choshekh [Darkness] (הִיא הָיְתָה מְבַדֶּלֶת וּמְפָרֶשֶׁת מַחֲלוֹקוֹת שֶׁל הַתְּרֵין סִטְרִין שֶׁל אוֹר וְהַחֹשֶׁךְ), and each one emerged to its activity and service (וְכָל אֶחָד יָצָא אֶל פְּעֻלָּתוֹ וַעֲבוֹדָתוֹ), to perform service before Hashem over that matter appointed to it (לַעֲבוֹד עֲבוֹדָה פְּנֵי ה׳ עַל אוֹתוֹ הַדָּבָר הַמְמֻנֶּה עָלָיו), and this is its completion (וְזֶהוּ שְׁלֵימוּתוֹ), for it emerged from potential into actuality (שֶׁהָיָה יוֹצֵא מִן הַכֹּחַ אֶל הַפֹּעַל), and this is the power given to it by the blessed Creator on the second day (וְזֶהוּ הַכֹּחַ הַנִּתָּן לוֹ מֵאֵת הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּיוֹם שֵׁנִי). Nevertheless, the holy Ohr [Light] was included within the holy Din [Judgment], which is also called Choshekh [Darkness] (וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן נִכְלַל אוֹר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בְּהַדִּין הַקָּדוֹשׁ הַנִּקְרָא גַּם הוּא חֹשֶׁךְ), and from it one day was formed, included of the attribute of Yom [Day] and the attribute of Laylah [Night] (וְנַעֲשָׂה מִמֶּנּוּ יוֹם אֶחָד כָּלוּל מִמִּדַּת יוֹם וּמִדַּת לַיְלָה), and this was the completion that it meant by saying, “so that everything might become complete” (וְזֶה הָיָה שְׁלֵימוּתוֹ שֶׁאָמַר לְמֶהֱוֵי כָּלָא שְׁלִים), that each one would attain its completion (שֶׁיַּשִּׂיג כָּל אֶחָד שְׁלֵימוּתוֹ), by being included of Din [Judgment] and Rachamim [Mercy] (שֶׁיִּהְיֶה כָּלוּל מִדִּין וּמֵרַחֲמִים), in the mystery of what our Rabbis of blessed memory said, “At first it arose in His Thought to create it with the Attribute of Judgment; He saw that the world could not endure, so He joined with it the Attribute of Mercy” (בְּסוֹד שֶׁאַרְזַ״ל <בַּתְּחִלָּה עָלָה בְּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ לִבְרֹאוֹ בְּמִדַּת הַדִּין רָאָה שֶׁאֵין הָעוֹלָם מִתְקַיֵּם שִׁתֵּף עִמּוֹ וכו׳> שִׁתֵּף עִמּוֹ מִדַּת הָרַחֲמִים), understand this (וְהָבֵן).