Daf 98a (דַּף צ״ח ע״א)

The Sixty-Seventh Tikkun

תִּקּוּנָא שִׁתִּין וְשֶׁבַע

Bereshit bara Elohim-this is Metatron (בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים דָּא מֶטַטְרוֹ״ן), whom Kudsha Berikh Hu created as first and beginning of all the hosts of the heavens below (דְּבָרָא לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא קַדְמוֹן וְרֵאשִׁית לְכָל צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם דִּלְתַתָּא). And this is the lesser Adam (וְדָא אִיהוּ אָדָם הַקָּטֹן), whom Kudsha Berikh Hu made in the likeness and image of above, without mixture (דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָבַד לֵיהּ בְּדִיּוֹקְנָא וְצִיּוּרָא דִלְעִילָא בְּלָא עִרְבוּבְיָא). And concerning him it is said: “Let the earth bring forth the living soul after its kind” (וַעֲלֵיהּ אִתְּמַר תּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה לְמִינָהּ) (Bereshit 1:24). And he is the tree of fruit producing fruit after its kind (וְאִיהוּ עֵץ פְּרִי עוֹשֶׂה פְּרִי לְמִינוֹ) (Bereshit 1:11), in the likeness of that above (כְּגַוְונָא דִלְעִילָא). Woe to him who makes mixture above and below, for this is the tree of mixture, mixture from the tree of death (וַי מָאן דְּעָבִיד עִרְבוּבְיָא לְעִילָא וּלְתַתָּא, דְּהַאי אִילָנָא דְעִרְבוּבְיָא, עִרְבוּבְיָא מֵאִילָנָא דְמוֹתָא). Because of this it is called staff, which was turned into a serpent to strike with it the guilty (בְּגִין דָּא אִתְקְרֵי מַטֶּה, דְּאִתְהַפַּךְ לְנָחָשׁ לְאַלְקָאָה בֵּיהּ לְחַיָּבַיָּא). And who is it that turned it? Kudsha Berikh Hu, who rules over it, and behold this has been established (וּמָאן אִיהוּ דְאַפִּיךְ לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּשַׁלִּיט עֲלֵיהּ וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ).

Rabbi El'azar said to him: Father, since Kudsha Berikh Hu knew that this tree was destined to bring death to Adam (אָמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אַבָּא, כֵּיוָן דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הֲוָה יָדַע דְּאִילָנָא דָא הֲוָה עָתִיד לְגָרְמָא מִיתָה לְאָדָם), and to all creatures destined to come after him (וְלְכָל בְּרַיֵן דְּעָתִידִין לְמֶהֱוֵי אַבַּתְרֵיהּ), why did He create for man that which was destined to cause him to sin before Him (אַמַּאי בָּרָא לֵיהּ לְאָדָם דְּעָתִיד לְמֶחֱטֵי קַמֵּיהּ)? He said to him: My son, the likeness of above was not complete until He created man (אָמַר לֵיהּ בְּרִי, דִּיּוֹקְנָא דִלְעִילָא לָא הֲוָה שְׁלִים עַד דְּבָרָא לְאָדָם). For thus was the Adam of above (דְּהָכִי הֲוָה אָדָם דִּלְעִילָא), in relation to the Adam below (כ״י לְגַבֵּי אָדָם דִּלְתַתָּא), like the soul in relation to the body (כְּגַוְונָא דְּנִשְׁמָתָא לְגַבֵּי גוּפָא). And just as there is no work for the soul without a body, so it was necessary to make the likeness below, to bring forth action through it (וּכְמָה דְּלָא אִית עוֹבָדָא לְנִשְׁמָתָא בְּלָא גוּפָא, הָכִי הֲוָה צָרִיךְ לְמֶעֱבַד דִּיּוֹקְנָא לְתַתָּא לְאַפָּקָא בֵּיהּ עוֹבָדָא). And all of it is in the likeness of above (וְכֹלָּא כְּגַוְונָא דִלְעִילָא). Adam is for the small reckoning of Enoch-nine points (אָדָ״ם אִיהוּ לְחֻשְׁבַּן זְעִיר דַּחֲנוֹ״ךְ תֵּשַׁע נְקוּדִין). His action is the Shekhinta encompassed in all the letters of the Orayta (פְּעוּלָה דִילֵיהּ שְׁכִינְתָּא כְּלִילָא בְּכָל אַתְוָון דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא). And all is in the likeness of above (וְכֹלָּא כְּגַוְונָא דִלְעִילָא).

The Adam of above was not complete without a Nukvah (אָדָם דִּלְעִילָא לָא הֲוָה שְׁלִים בְּלָא נוּקְבָא). This is what is written: “Male and female He created them, and He called their name Adam” (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בְּרָאָם וַיִּקְרָא אֶת שְׁמָם אָדָם) (Bereshit 5:2). Adam male, and Adam female (אָדָם דְּכַר, וְאָדָם נוּקְבָא). And when Adam below was created, who is Nukvah (וְכַד אִתְבְּרִי אָדָם דִּלְתַתָּא דְּאִיהוּ נוּקְבָא), this is what is written: “And Elohim created the Adam in His image” (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ) (Bereshit 1:27). The likeness of above was completed (אִשְׁתַּלִּים דִּיּוֹקְנָא דִלְעִילָא). And this is the secret: “For Hashem Elohim had not caused it to rain…” (וְדָא אִיהוּ רָזָא כִּי לֹא הִמְטִיר יְהו״ה אֱלֹהִים וְגוֹ׳) (Bereshit 2:5). And why? Because Adam was not (וְאַמַּאי, בְּגִין דְּאָדָם אַיִן). And because of this, man had to be created, to complete in him the likeness of above (וּבְגִין דָּא מוּכְרַח הֲוָה אָדָם לְמִבְרֵי לֵיהּ, לְאִשְׁתַּלִּים בֵּיהּ דִּיּוֹקְנָא דִלְעִילָא). And the Nukvah in this Adam was in her that was one (וְנוּקְבָא בְּהַאי אָדָם בָּהּ הֲוָה חָד). This is what is written: “For I called him one…” (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב כִּי אֶחָד קְרָאתִיו וְגוֹמֵר) (Isaiah 51:2). And this is the secret of the soul (וְדָא רָזָא דְּנִשְׁמָתָא). Afterward it is said: “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a help opposite him” (לְבָתַר אָמַר לֹא טוֹב הֱיוֹת הָאָדָם לְבַדּוֹ אֶעֱשֶׂה לּוֹ עֵזֶר כְּנֶגְדּוֹ) (Bereshit 2:18). This is the body, which is the maidservant made from good and evil (דָּא גוּפָא דְּאִיהוּ עִבֶד שִׁפְחָה כְּלִיל מִטּוֹב וָרָע), in order that he might have reward and punishment (בְּגִין לְמֶהֱוֵי לֵיהּ אַגְרָא וְעוּנְשָׁא). And because of her it is said: “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil” (וּבְגִינָהּ אָמַר רְאֵה נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ הַיּוֹם אֶת הַחַיִּים וְאֶת הַטּוֹב אֶת הַמָּוְת וְאֶת הָרָע) (Deuteronomy 30:15). And He said to him: “And you shall choose life” (וְאָמַר לֵיהּ וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים) (Deuteronomy 30:19). For if it were not given into his hand, he would not have reward and punishment, and would be as a beast (דְּאִם לָא יַהֲבָה בִּידֵיהּ, לָא הֲוָה לֵיהּ אַגְרָא וְעוּנְשָׁא, וַהֲוָה כִּבְעִירָא). And with all this Kudsha Berikh Hu showed him whatever would befall him (וְעִם כָּל דָּא אַחֲזֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לֵיהּ, כָּל מַה דְּאִירַע לֵיהּ), whether he turned toward Chesed, which is toward merit (אִם הֲוָה מַטֶּה כְּלַפֵּי חֶסֶד דְּהוּא כְּלַפֵּי זְכוּ), or if he turned toward guilt (אוֹ אִם הֲוָה מַטֶּה בָּהּ כְּלַפֵּי חוֹבָא).

For if Kudsha Berikh Hu had willed his death, He would not have shown him his two paths, which are death and life in the hand of the tongue (דְּאִי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בָּעָא בְמִיתָתֵיהּ לָא הֲוָה אַחֲזֵי לֵיהּ תְּרֵין אוֹרְחִין דִּילֵיהּ, דְּאִינוּן מָוְת וְחַיִּים בְּיַד לָשׁוֹן). And He showed him that good should not be mixed with evil (וְאַחֲזֵי לֵיהּ דְּלָא הֲוָה מְעָרֵב טוֹב בְּרָע), for Kudsha Berikh Hu separated them (דְּאַפְרִישׁ לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא), as you say: “And Elohim separated between the light and between the darkness” (כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר וַיַּבְדֵּל אֱלֹהִים בֵּין הָאוֹר וּבֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ) (Bereshit 1:4). And the secret of the matter: “And the veil shall separate for you” (וְרָזָא דְמִלָּה וְהִבְדִּילָה הַפָּרֹכֶת לָכֶם) (Exodus 26:33). And thus Kudsha Berikh Hu did in the body of man, the diaphragm which separates between the levels of the Tree of Good and the levels of the Tree of Evil. (וְהָכִי עָבַד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּגוּפָא דְבַר נַשׁ טַרְפְּשָׁא, דְאַפְרִישׁ בֵּין דַּרְגִּין דְּאִילָנָא דְטוֹב, וּבֵין דַּרְגִּין דְּאִילָנָא דְרָע). And He counted them, that good should not be mixed with evil (וּמַנִּי לוֹן דְּלָא לְעָרְבָא טוֹב עִם רָע), as you say: “But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat from it” (כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר וּמֵעֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע לֹא תֹאכַל מִמֶּנּוּ) (Bereshit 2:17). Kudsha Berikh Hu commanded him to guard himself from it (קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מַנִּי לֵיהּ לְאִסְתַּמְרָא מִנֵּיהּ). And afterward he said: “The woman whom You gave to be with me, and so forth” (וּלְבָתַר אָמַר אִיהוּ הָאִשָּׁה אֲשֶׁר נָתַתָּ עִמָּדִי וְגוֹמֵר) (Bereshit 3:12).