The Sixth Discourse: Zohar I, 16a

מַאֲמָר שִׁשִּׁי: זֹהַר א, טז ע״א

Discourse Four (מַאֲמָר ד׳)p1-42

“And the earth was...” (וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה וְגוֹ׳) (Genesis 1:2), “it was” from primordial times (הָיְתָה מִקַּדְמַת דְּנָא), it is the Malkhut of the World of Tohu (הִיא הַמַּלְכוּת שֶׁל עוֹלָם הַתֹּהוּ), for it possessed existence and kingship before its nullification (הָיָה לָהּ הֲוָיָה וּמְלוּכָה לִפְנֵי בִּטּוּלָהּ), but afterward it was nullified (אֲבָל אַחַ״כ נִתְבַּטְּלָה), and consequently, “it was” refers to the time before the nullification, but not now (וּמִמֵּילָא הָיְתָה מִזְּמַן הַקּוֹדֵם אֶל הַבִּטּוּל אֲבָל לֹא עַתָּה). Half emerged from within the waters; from it impurity came forth, through the power of the snow within the waters (פַּלְגָא גוֹ מַיָּא נָפְקָא מִינֵיהּ זוֹהֲמָא בְּהַהוּא חֵילָא דְּתַלְגָּא בְּמַיָּא).

Its explanation is: she was dividing the waters and separating them from one another (פֵּרוּשׁוֹ הוּא שֶׁהָיְתָה מְחַלֶּקֶת הַמַּיִם וּמַבְדִּיל בֵּינֵיהֶם), one half being darkness and the other half being light (שֶׁהָיָה חֶצְיוֹ חֹשֶׁךְ וְחֶצְיוֹ אוֹר), and even from this darkness the Malkhut took a certain portion from it in order to sweeten it (וְאַף מֵהַחֹשֶׁךְ הַזֶּה לָקְחָה הַמַּלְכוּת חֵלֶק מַה מִמֶּנָּה לְמַתְּקוֹ), in the mystery of the Sanpira [Fin] in its darkness (בְּסוֹד סַנְפִּירָא בְּעַדְבּוֹי), mentioned in the Sifra diTzni'uta (הַנִּזְכָּר בְּסִפְרָא דִּצְנִיעוּתָא), and it is the one mentioned in the words of our Rabbis of blessed memory, “He slew the female and salted her for the righteous in the future to come, and He castrated the male, so that the eggs of the Tzifoni [Primeval Serpent] would not come forth into the world” (וְהִיא הַמּוּזְכֶּרֶת בְּדִבְרֵי רז״ל הָרַג אֶת הַנְּקֵבָה וּמְלָחָהּ לַצַּדִּיקִים לֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא וְסֵרֵס אֶת הַזָּכָר שֶׁלֹּא יֵצְאוּ בֵּיצֵי צִפְעוֹנִי בָּעוֹלָם) (Bava Batra 74b), and from there were made the four hundred Worlds of Longing (וּמִשָּׁם נַעֲשׂוּ ד׳ מֵאוֹת עָלְמִין דְּכִיסּוּפִין), concerning which it is said, “Four hundred shekels of silver, accepted by the merchant” (שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר עֲלֵיהֶם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שֶׁקֶל כֶּסֶף עֹבֵר לַסֹּחֵר) (Genesis 23:16).