Parashat Bamidbar

Daf 117a (דַּף קי״ז ע״א)

nd Hashem spoke to Moshe in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, etc. (Numbers 1) (וַיְדַבֵּר יְיָ אֶל מֹשֶׁה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וְגוֹ׳). Rabbi Abba opened (רִבִּי אַבָּא פָּתַח): (Bereshit 1) And Elohim created man in His image, etc. (וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ וְגוֹ׳). This verse was spoken (הַאי קְרָא אִתְּמַר).

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי), at the time when Kudsha Berikh Hu created man (בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּבָרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְאָדָם), He made him in the likeness of above and below (עָבֵד לֵיהּ בְּדִיּוּקְנָא דְּעִלָּאֵי וְתַתָּאֵי). And he was inclusive of all (וַהֲוָה כָּלִיל מִכֹּלָּא). And his radiance was shining from one end of the world to the other end of the world (וַהֲוָה נְהוֹרֵיהּ נָהִיר, מִסַּיְיפֵי עָלְמָא עַד סַיְיפֵי עָלְמָא). And all trembled before him (וַהֲווּ דַּחֲלִין קַמֵּיהּ כֹּלָּא). And even though this has been established (וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּהָא אוּקְמוּהָ), one must look into this verse (אִית לְאִסְתַּכְּלָא בֵּיהּ בְּהַאי קְרָא): And Elohim created man in His image; in the image of Elohim He created him (וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים בָּרָא אוֹתוֹ). Since it said in His image, what is in the image of Elohim He created him? (כֵּיוָן דְּאָמַר בְּצַלְמוֹ, מַאי בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים בָּרָא אוֹתוֹ). Rather surely, two levels that include male and female: one for male and one for female (אֶלָּא וַדַּאי תְּרֵין דַּרְגִּין דִּכְלִילָן דְּכַר וְנוּקְבָּא, חַד לִדְכַר, וְחַד לְנוּקְבָּא).

And because of this, two partzufim surely were (וּבְגִין כַּךְ דּוּ פַּרְצוּפִין הֲווֹ וַדַּאי). And the end of the verse proves it, as it is written: Male and female He created them (וְסֵיפָא דִּקְרָא אוֹכַח, דִּכְתִיב זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בָּרָא אוֹתָם). And he was inclusive of all sides (וְכָלִיל הֲוָה מִכָּל סִטְרִין). Some say: from two sides (נ״א מִתְּרֵין סִטְרִין). And even though the female was bound in his side (וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּנוּקְבָּא אֲחִידַת בְּסִטְרוֹי), behold she too was inclusive from two sides, to be complete in all (הָא הִיא נָמֵי כְּלִילָא מִתְּרֵין סִטְרִין, לְמֶהֱוִי שְׁלִים בְּכֹלָּא). And he would gaze in wisdom, above and below (וַהֲוָה מִסְתָּכַּל בְּחָכְמְתָא, לְעֵילָּא וְתַתָּא). When he sinned, the partzufim were diminished (כֵּיוָן דְּסָּרַח, אִתְמַעֲטוּ פַּרְצוּפִין), and wisdom was removed from him (וְחָכְמְּתָא אִסְתָּלָקַת מִנֵּיהּ). And he would gaze only into matters of his body (וְלָא הֲוָה מִסְתָּכַל אֶלָּא בְּמִלֵי דְּגוּפֵיהּ). Afterwards he begot children from above and from below (לְבָתַר אוֹלִיד בְּנִין מֵעִלָּאֵי וְתַתָּאֵי).

But these and those were not established in the world until he begot a son, and from him the world was completed (וְלָא אִתְיָשָׁבוּ דָּא וְדָא בְּעָלְמָא, עַד דְּאוֹלִיד בַּר, וּמִנֵּיהּ אִשְׁתְּלִים עָלְמָא). Some say: planted (נ״א אִשְׁתִּיל). This is Shet, and this has been established (דְּאִקְרֵי שֵׁת, וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ). And with all this, the lower world was not completed (וְעִם כָּל דָּא, עָלְמָא תַּתָּאָה לָא אִשְׁתְּלִים), and it was not whole (וְלָא הֲוָה שְׁלִים), and it was not found in its existence (וְלָא אִשְׁתְּכַח בְּקִיּוּמֵיהּ), until Avraham came and the world was sustained (עַד דְּאָתָא אַבְרָהָם, וְאִתְקַיָּים עָלְמָא). But it was not completed (אֲבָל לָא אִשְׁתְּלִים), until Avraham was found in the world and held it with the right hand, like one who grasps with his right hand the one who falls (עַד דְּאַבְרָהָם אִשְׁתְּכַח בֵּיהּ בְּעָלְמָא וְאָחִיד בֵּיהּ בִּימִינָא, כְּמַאן דְּאָחִיד בִּימִינֵיהּ, לְמַאן דְּנָפִיל).

Yitzḥak came and held the world in his hand with the left, and it was sustained more (אָתָא יִצְחָק, וְאָחִיד בִּידֵיהּ דְּעָלְמָא בִּשְׂמָאלָא, וְאִתְקָיָּים יַתִּיר). When Ya‘aqov came, he held in the middle, in the body, and was included in the two sides, the world was sustained and did not totter (כֵּיוָן דְּאָתָא יַעֲקֹב, אָחִיד בְּאֶמְצָעִיתָא בְּגוּפָא, וְאִתְכְּלִיל בִּתְרֵין סִטְרִין, אִתְקַיָּים עָלְמָא וְלָא הֲוָה מִתְמוֹטֵט). And with all this, it was not planted in its roots (וְעִם כָּל דָּא לָא אַשְׁתִּיל בְּשָׁרְשׁוֹי). Some say: it was not established (ס״א אִשְׁתַּלֵּם). Until he begot the twelve tribes and seventy souls, and the world was planted (עַד דְּאוֹלִיד תְּרֵיסָר שְׁבָטִין, וְשִׁבְעִין נַפְשָׁאן, וְאַשְׁתִּיל עָלְמָא). Some say: and the world was established (ס״א וְאִשְׁתַּלֵּם). And with all this, it was not completed until Yisrael received the Orayta at Mount Sinai and the Mishkan was erected (וְעִם כָּל דָּא לָא אִשְׁתְּלִים, עַד דְּקַבִּילוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹרַיְיתָא בְּטוּרָא דְּסִינַי, וְאִתְּקַם מַשְׁכְּנָא). Then the worlds were sustained and completed, and the upper and lower were perfumed (כְּדֵין אִתְקָיָּימוּ עָלְמִין וְאִשְׁתְּלִימוּ, וְאִתְבְּסָמוּ עִלָּאִין וְתַתָּאִין).