{
"title": "Baal HaSulam's Preface to Zohar",
"language": "en",
"versionTitle": "merged",
"versionSource": "https://www.sefaria.org/Baal_HaSulam's_Preface_to_Zohar",
"text": [
[
"The depths of wisdom in the holy Book of the Zohar are completely enclosed behind a thousand locks, and our human language is far too lowly to formulate for us sufficiently accurate expressions in order to interpret even a single idea in this book to its fullest extent. The commentary I have composed is merely a ladder to help the reader ascend to the heights of each matter, where he can see and examine the words of the book itself. Therefore, I have found it necessary to prepare the reader and provide him with a path, a passageway, by means of reliable definitions, to enable him to discover how one should contemplate and study the book."
],
[
"First of all, it is important to understand that everything discussed in the Book of the Zohar, including even its Aggadot (parables), are forms of the ten sefirot, which are called Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Ḥesed, Gevura, Tiferet, Netzaḥ, Hod, Yesod, and Malkhut, as well as combinations of their forms. Like the twenty-two letters of the spoken Hebrew language, whose combinations are sufficient for us to uncover every object and every wisdom, so too the concepts and combinations of forms in the ten sefirot are enough to reveal all the wisdom in the book of the heavens.",
"However, there are three principles here, which we must be extremely careful not to venture beyond while studying the words of the book. I will first present them in brief, after which I will explain them at length."
],
[
"The first principle: There are four aspects in the modes of perception, which are known as substance, form in substance, abstract form, and essence. The same applies to the ten sefirot, as I will explain below. Understand that the Zohar does not deal at all with the essence or the abstract form in the ten sefirot, but only with the substance in them, or the form that is in them, while it is still enclothed in the substance."
],
[
"The second principle: The entirety of the Divine reality, in relation to the creation of the souls and their modes of existence, are discerned by us on the following three levels: a) Ein Sof, blessed be He; b) the world of Atzilut; c) the three worlds that are called Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya. Understand that the Zohar deals only with the worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, and also with Ein Sof, blessed be He, and the world of Atzilut to the extent that Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya receive from them, but as for Ein Sof, blessed be He, and the world of Atzilut as they are in themselves, the Zohar does not engage with them at all."
],
[
"The third principle: There are three categories in each of the worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya:",
"a. The ten sefirot, which are the aspects of the Divine that shine in that world;",
"b. The neshamot, ruḥot, and nefashot of people;",
"c. The rest of reality it contains, which are called angels, clothing, and chambers, along with their innumerable details.",
"It is important to understand and grasp that although the Zohar explains all the details of each world at length, the statements of the Zohar are always focused on the souls of the people in that world. When mention is made, and explanations are given of other categories, this is only in order to understand the measure that the souls receive from them. As for those matters which do not relate to the receiving of the souls, the Zohar does not utter even a single word about them. Consequently, you should understand everything presented in the Book of the Zohar only in relation to the receiving of the soul.",
"Since these three principles are very fundamental, if the reader does not know how to be careful with them, but takes the ideas beyond their proper principles, he will immediately become confused. I have therefore found it necessary to go to the trouble of elaborating on the meaning of these three principles as much as I can, in such a way that they will be comprehensible to everyone."
],
[
"As you already know, there are ten sefirot, which are called Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, and their root, which is called Keter (they are ten because the sefira of Tiferet itself incorporates six sefirot: Ḥesed, Gevura, Tiferet, Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod; keep this in mind whenever we state the standard formula “ten sefirot that are Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut”). Generally, they include all four worlds of Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, as the world of Atzilut is the sefira of Ḥokhma, the world of Beria is the sefira of Bina, the world of Yetzira is the sefira of Tiferet, and the world of Asiya is the sefira of Malkhut. In particular, not only does each and every world contain the ten sefirot: Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, but even the smallest detail in each world also contains the ten sefirot: Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, as I wrote earlier (in my Introduction to the Book of the Zohar, 43, 50, and 56. Consequently, no explanation will be given here)."
],
[
"The Zohar analogizes these ten sefirot: Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, to four colors, which are: White for the sefira of Ḥokhma; red for the sefira of Bina; green for the sefira of Tiferet; and black for the sefira of Malkhut (as stated below, Bereshit II, page 14, section 27). The meaning is as follows: An analogy for this concept is a window with four panes colored in these four colors, such that although the light passing through is one color, when the light passes through the panes it becomes colored and turns into four kinds of light: White light, red light, yellow light, and black light. Likewise, the light in all the sefirot is simple Divinity and unity, from the beginning of Atzilut until the end of Asiya. The reason for the division into ten sefirot: Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, is due to the vessels that are called Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut. For each vessel is like a refined partition, through which the Divine light passes to the recipients, and therefore each vessel is considered as turning the light into a different color. Thus, the vessel of Ḥokhma in the world of Atzilut transports white (meaning colorless) light, since the vessel of Atzilut is like the light itself, and the Divine light does not undergo any change on account of Atzilut when it passes through it. This is the mystical meaning of the statement in the Zohar (Tikkunei Zohar, Introduction 3b) concerning the world of Atzilut, that “He, His life-force, and His attributes are one” (as explained below). Accordingly, the light of Atzilut is considered white light. This is not the case for the vessels of the worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, where the light already receives on their account a certain change and dullness, when it passes through them to the recipients. That is, the red light represents Bina, which is Beria; the yellow light, which is like the light of the sun, is for Tiferet, which is the world of Yetzira; and the black light is for the sefira of Malkhut, which is the world of Asiya."
],
[
"The Difference between the Light of Atzilut, Alluded to by “White,” and the Worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya",
"In addition to the above, this metaphor of the four colors includes a particularly important allusion. For the supernal lights are called sefer, book, as it is written (Sefer Yetzira, Chapter 1, Mishna 1): “He created His world with three books: With a book, an author, and a story.” It is also written: “The heavens shall be rolled together as a book” (Isaiah 34:4). Now, the manifestation of the wisdom in each book is not in the white background of the pages it contains, but only in the colors, i.e., the ink, from which the letters in the book, through the combinations of letters according to the wisdom, come to the reader. In general, there are three kinds of ink in a book: Red, green, and black.",
"Similarly, the world of Atzilut, which is the mystical meaning of Ḥokhma, which is entirely Divinity, is comparable to the white in a book. That is, we have no grasp of it whatsoever; rather, the entire manifestation in the book of the heavens is in the sefirot of Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, which are the three worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya. For they are considered the ink in the book of the heavens, whose letters and combinations are manifested through the three aforementioned types of ink, and it is only through them that the Divine light is revealed to the recipients.",
"At the same time, it must be noted that just as the white in a book is the primary medium [noseh] of the book, while the letters are all “borne” [nesu’ot] upon the white in the book – and were it not for the white, there would be no possible existence for the letters and all the manifestations of wisdom they contain – so too, the world of Atzilut, which is the sefira of Ḥokhma, is the primary bearer of the revelation of Ḥokhma, which is revealed through the worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya. This is the meaning of the verse: “In wisdom [Ḥokhma] You have made them all” (Psalms 104:24)."
],
[
"This, then, is the meaning of the statement above, regarding the second principle; that the Zohar does not speak of the world of Atzilut itself. This is because Atzilut is like the white in a book. Rather, the Zohar refers to Atzilut in accordance with its illumination into the three worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, since they are considered the ink, the letters, and their combinations in the book. This is so in one of two ways: One way is that the three worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya receive the illumination of the world of Atzilut in their own place. In this case the light is greatly diminished for them as it passes through the diaphragm that is below the world of Atzilut, until the light is considered merely illumination from the vessels of Atzilut. Alternatively, it occurs through the ascent of the worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya above the diaphragm, to the place of the sefirot of Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut of Atzilut, and Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya are found to enclothe the world of Atzilut. In this case, the lower worlds receive the light in the place of its illumination (as stated in Petiḥa LeḤokhmat HaKabbala (Introduction to the Wisdom of the Kabbala), from section 155 and onward)."
],
[
"However, the metaphor does not correspond precisely to the issue at hand, since in the book of wisdom that is in this world, both the white and the ink in its letters are lifeless. The manifestation of wisdom on their account does not occur in their essence itself but outside them, i.e., in the mind of the reader. This is not the case for the four worlds Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, which are the book of the heavens, as all the brains in the spiritual and corporeal realities are present in them and are drawn from them. Thus, you should understand that the white background it contains, which is the medium of the book, is itself the intelligible matter in the book, while the three colors of the ink serve to elucidate this intelligible matter."
],
[
"Four Modes of Perception, and the Two Modes Addressed by the Zohar",
"At this point in the discussion, it is necessary to understand the four modes of perceiving entities, which were mentioned earlier in connection to the first principle. They are: a) substance; b) form enclothed in substance; c) abstract form; d) and essence. I shall first explain them by means of tangible illustrations from this world. For example, when you say that someone is strong, truthful, or deceitful, and the like, you have the following aspects before you: a) His substance, i.e., his body; b) his form enclothed in substance, that is, whether he is strong, truthful, or deceitful; c) the abstract form; that is, one can remove the form of a strong, truthful, or deceitful person from the substance of the man, and perceive these three forms in and of themselves, unclothed in any substance or body, which means perceiving the attributes of strength, truthfulness and deceitfulness, and detecting merit or shortcomings in them when they are denuded of all substance; d) the essence of the person."
],
[
"Understand that we have no grasp at all of the fourth mode, which is the essence of the person himself, without the substance. For the five senses, and our imaginations, will suggest to us only manifestations of the essence, but nothing of the essence itself. Thus, for example, the sense of sight merely presents us with traces of a visible essence which are visible because of the light. Similarly, the sense of hearing is merely the ability to perceive sounds from air (sound) waves striking an entity. The air that is pushed away by its force strikes our eardrums, and thus we hear that there is some entity in our vicinity. The sense of smell is only air (odorant molecules) that emerges from an entity, which strikes our olfactory receptors, and so we can smell. Likewise, taste is nothing more than the result of the contact of some entity with our taste buds. Consequently, all of these four senses present us only with manifestations of the activities that are caused by some entity, but nothing of the entity itself.",
"Even the sense of touch, which is the most powerful of the senses – as it distinguishes hot from cold and the solid from the liquid – all these are merely manifestations of activities taking place within the essence of the entity. They are merely incidents of the essence of the entity. For the hot can be chilled, the cold can be heated, the solid can be transformed into liquid through chemical processes, and the liquid into air, i.e., mere vapor, at which point it entirely escapes any discernment with our five senses. And yet the essence still exists within it, since the air can be turned into liquid once again, and the liquid into solid. It should now be clear to your own eyes that the five senses cannot reveal to us any essence whatsoever, but only incidents and manifestations of activities taking place within the essence of the entity.",
"It is also well-known that anything that we cannot grasp with our senses, we cannot imagine either. And something that we cannot imagine will never appear in our thoughts and we have no way of perceiving it.",
"Thus, human thought has no way of perceiving an essence. Moreover, we do not even know our own essences. I feel and know that I take up space in the world, that I am solid, warm, and that I think, and other such manifestations of the operations of my essence. But if you ask me what my own essence is, from which all these manifestations stem, I would not know what reply to give you. You can thus see that Providence has prevented us from perceiving any essence. We perceive only manifestations and images of activities that arise from the essences."
],
[
"We do have a full grasp of the first mode, which is the substance, i.e., the manifestations of the activities that arise from every essence. These manifest to us the essence that lies within the substance in a comprehensive manner, such that we do not suffer at all from the lack of perception of the essence itself. We do not miss it at all, just as we do not miss a sixth finger on our hands. The perception of the substance, that is, the manifestations of the activities of the essence, is completely sufficient for all our needs and perceptions, both for the perception of our own beings and for the perception of all of existence outside of us."
],
[
"The second mode, which is form enclothed in substance, is also perceived clearly and comprehensively. For we perceive it through actual, practical experiences, as we find them in the conduct of every substance. It is through this mode that all our higher perceptions, upon which we can rely on unconditionally, come to us."
],
[
"The third mode is abstract form. That is, after the form has once been revealed to us, while enclothed in some substance, our imagination has the power to abstract it entirely from the substance and perceive it divested of any substance. This is like the virtues and good attributes that are described in works of ethics, in which we speak about attributes of truth, falsehood, anger, and strength, and the like, abstracted of any substance. We ascribe merits or shortcomings to them even when they are abstract.",
"Understand that this third mode is unacceptable to careful thinkers, as it is impossible for it to be one hundred percent reliable. For since the perceptions formed are ascertained by abstraction from a substance, one might err regarding them. For example, someone with idealistic moral values – by which I mean an irreligious individual – on account of his intensive focus on the quality of truth in its abstract form, even when he could save people from death by telling them a lie, he might decide that were the whole world to perish, he still will not let a deliberate lie escape his lips. This is not the Torah’s stance, as nothing takes precedence over saving lives (Yoma 82a).",
"In fact, had he perceived the forms of truth and falsehood when enclothed in substance, he would have comprehended them only with respect to their benefit or harm to the specific substance. In other words, after the many trials the world has endured with these attributes of truth and falsehood, people observed the tremendous ruin and harm that deceitful people have caused with their lies, and the great benefit that truthful people have brought about by confining themselves to speaking only true words, and they arrived at the conclusion that no attribute is more important than truth, and nothing is more despicable than the attribute of falsehood. Had the idealist understood that, he would certainly have agreed to the stance of the Torah and would have realized that falsehood which saves even one person from death is inestimably more important than however great and praiseworthy the abstract attribute of truth may be.",
"Thus, there is no certainty at all with regard to those perceptions of the third mode, i.e., abstract forms, and even less when it comes to abstract forms that have not yet been enclothed in any substance. Such perceptions are simply a waste of time."
],
[
"Now you have been thoroughly acquainted with these four modes – substance; form enclothed in substance; abstract form; and essence – with regard to tangible items. It has been explained that we have no grasp of any kind of the fourth mode, i.e., the essence, while the third mode is potentially misleading. Only the first mode, substance, and the second mode, form enclothed in substance, have been granted to us with a clear and sufficient perception by Supreme Providence. Through them, it will also be possible to comprehend the existence of spiritual entities, which are in the upper worlds of Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, since there is not the smallest detail in them that cannot be divided into these four modes.",
"For example, if you take a certain detail in the world of Beria, there are vessels there, which have a red color, through which the light of Beria passes to the inhabitants of Beria, as stated above. The vessel in Beria, which has a red color, is considered a substance, or an entity, i.e., the first mode. Although it is merely a color, which is the notion of the incidence and manifestation of an activity in the entity, we have already said that we have no perception of the essence itself, but only the manifestation of an activity of the essence. We refer to that manifestation as an entity, or a substance, or body, or vessel, as stated above (section #13#). The Divine light, which is enclothed and passes through the red color, is the form enclothed in the entity, i.e., the second mode. This is why the light itself appears red, indicative of its enclothing and illumination via the entity, which is considered the body and the substance, as stated above, i.e., the color red.",
"If you wish to dissociate the Divine light from the entity (the red color), and analyze it on its own, without the enclothing in the entity, this is already part of the third mode, i.e., form abstracted from substance, which is subject to errors, as stated above. For this reason, such an approach is strictly forbidden when studying the upper worlds, and no true Kabbalist would engage in it, and certainly not the authors of the Zohar. This is even more the case with regard to the “essence” of a detail in Beria, as we have no fundamental grasp even of the essences of corporeal entities, much less the spiritual ones.",
"You thus have four modes before you: a) the vessel of Beria, which is the mystical meaning of the red color, and which is considered the entity, or substance of Beria; b) the enclothing of the Divine light in the vessel of Beria, which is the form in the entity; c) the Divine light, abstracted from the entity in Beria; d) the essence of the individual detail.",
"The first principle has thus been thoroughly explained – that not a single word in the entire Zohar refers to the third and fourth modes; it deals solely with the first and second modes."
],
[
"The second principle will become clear with the above in mind. Understand that, as we explained, the four modes in a single detail within the world of Beria alone, are in general typically the same in the four worlds of Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya: The three colors red, green, and black, in the three worlds Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, are considered substance, or the entity. The white hue, which expresses the world of Atzilut, is the form enclothed in substance, i.e., in the three hues called Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya. The Ein Sof, when considered in isolation, is the mystical meaning of essence. This is what we said with regard to the first principle, that we have no grasp of the essence – which is the fourth mode that is hidden in all entities, even the entities of this world (as stated above in section #12#). The white hue by itself, when it is not enclothed in the three hues of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, that is, the light of Ḥokhma when it is not enclothed in Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, is form stripped of substance, with which we have no dealings. The Zohar says nothing about this mode, but only the first mode, which is the three hues of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, considered as substance – and these are the three sefirot Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut. It likewise speaks of the second mode, which is the illumination of Atzilut enclothed in the three hues of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, i.e., the light of Ḥokhma enclothed in Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, which parallels the form when it is enclothed in the substance. The Book of the Zohar deals with these two modes in all places. Consequently, if the reader is not careful to focus his thoughts and understanding in order to comprehend the words of the Zohar in all places as staying only within the principles of these two modes, the entire matter will immediately become confusing to him, as he will completely misunderstand the meaning of these ideas."
],
[
"Just as the four modes were explained with regard to the generality of Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, the same applies to each and every world, even a small detail in some world, from the beginning of the world of Atzilut until the end of the world of Asiya. For, as stated, every detail contains Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, and thus the sefira of Ḥokhma is considered a form, while Bina, Tiferet and Malkhut are regarded as the substance in which the form is enclothed – and these are the first and second modes, which are the subjects of the Zohar. However, the Zohar does not deal with the sefira of Ḥokhma when it is divested of Bina, Tiferet and Malkhut, as it is a form without a substance, and all the more so it does not speak of the essence, which is the aspect of Ein Sof, blessed be He, in that detail. Accordingly, we engage with the Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut that are in all the details, even in Atzilut, as stated, whereas we do not engage with the Keter and Ḥokhma of all the details – even in Malkhut at the end of Asiya – in and of themselves, when they have been abstracted, but only to the extent that they are enclothed in Bina, Tiferet and Malkhut. Thus, the first two principles have been thoroughly explained: The whole focus of the authors of the Zohar is only on the substance, or the form in the substance, which is the first principle, and likewise they focus on Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, or the illumination of Atzilut in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, which is the second principle."
],
[
"The Aspects of Mineral, Vegetable, Animal, and Speaking Being, Which Are in All the Worlds, and That the Speaking Being Is at Their Center",
"We will now explain the third principle. Although the Zohar deals with each and every world with respect to the sefirot which are the Divinity that illuminates into that world, and similarly with all details – mineral, vegetable, animal, and speaking creature (human) – which are the created beings in that world, the focus of the Zohar is only on the speaking beings of that world.",
"I will share a parable with you involving entities from this world. It was explained earlier (in the Sulam 's Hakdama LeSefer HaZohar, section 42) that the four aspects, mineral, vegetable, animal, and speaking, which are in each and every world, even in this world, are four parts of the will to receive, and each of them also contains within itself these four aspects, mineral, vegetable, animal, and speaking. Thus, a person in this world must receive nourishment and grow from the four aspects of mineral, vegetable, animal, and speaking that are in this world. For a person’s food also contains these four aspects, which are drawn from the four aspects of mineral, vegetable, animal, and speaking that are in a person’s body. These are: a) He wants to receive the indispensable means needed for his subsistence, in order to exist; b) he wants more than the indispensable means needed for his subsistence and yearns for luxuries; only this is limited to merely animal lusts; c) he yearns after human lusts, such as honor and power; d) he yearns for knowledge.",
"These are drawn for him through the four parts of the will to receive within him. His wanting his indispensable subsistence is the mineral aspect of the will to receive; his wanting animal lusts is the vegetable aspect of the will to receive, as their function is only to provide growth and pleasure for his vessel, which is the flesh of the body; his wanting human lusts is the animal aspect of the will to receive, as they cause his spirit to expand; and finally, his wanting knowledge is the speaking aspect of the will to receive."
],
[
"You will find that with regard to the first aspect, which is the indispensable means necessary for his subsistence, and the second aspect, which is the means connected to animal lusts that go beyond the measure for his subsistence, he receives and is nourished by things that are lower than him, which are the mineral, vegetable, and animal. However, the third aspect, which is human desire such as power and honor, he receives and is nourished from his own kind, who are equal to him. And the fourth aspect of nourishment, which is knowledge, he receives and is nourished from a loftier aspect than his own kind, that is, from wisdom and intellect themselves, which are spiritual."
],
[
"The qualities of the lofty, spiritual worlds can be understood in a similar way. For the worlds are imprinted one from another, from above to below. All the aspects of mineral, vegetable, animal, and speaking that are in the world of Beria leave their imprint on the world of Yetzira, and the mineral, vegetable, animal, and speaking of Asiya are imprinted from the mineral, vegetable, animal, and speaking of Yetzira, and the mineral, vegetable, animal, and speaking of this world are imprinted from the mineral, vegetable, animal, and speaking of Asiya. As explained earlier, in the Sulam 's Hakdama LeSefer HaZohar, section 42, the mineral in the spiritual worlds is referred to as “palaces,” the vegetable is called “clothing,” the animal “angels,” while the speaking is the souls of the people in that world, and the ten sefirot in each world, are the Divinity. The souls of man are at the center of every world, and they are nourished from the whole spiritual reality of that world, just as the physical speaking being is nourished from the entire physical reality in this world.",
"Thus, the first aspect, which is the will to receive the indispensable amount needed for one’s subsistence, he receives from the illumination of the palaces and clothing that are there. The second aspect, which are the animal indulgences that make his body grow, he receives from the angels that are there, which are the spiritual illuminations that go beyond the amount needed for his subsistence, in order to enhance the spiritual vessels in which his soul is enclothed. Thus, one receives the first and second aspects from things that are lower than him, which are the palaces, clothing, and angels that are there, as these are lower than the souls of man. The third aspect, human lusts, which enhance a person’s spirit, and which he receives in this world from his own kind, he also receives there from his own kind, i.e., from all the souls that are found in that world, as it is through them that the illumination of the spirit of his soul is enhanced. The fourth aspect of the will, which is knowledge, he receives there from the sefirot that are in that world, as from them he receives Ḥokhma, Bina, and Da'at for his soul.",
"Accordingly, the soul of man, which is found in each and every world, must grow and complete itself from all the aspects found in that world. This is the third principle mentioned above: One must know regarding all the statements of the Zohar, every single detail from the lofty worlds it deals with, whether the sefirot, the souls, the angels, the clothing, or the palaces, even if it is discussing them on their own terms, the reader must nevertheless understand that they are stated mainly in reference to the measure that the soul of man that is there receives from them and is nourished by them. Thus, all its statements are focused on the requirements of the soul. If you comprehend everything along these lines, then you will understand and succeed in your undertakings.",
"The Changes Stated with Regard to the Sefirot, Which Exist Only in Relation to Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya "
],
[
"After all of the above, it remains for us to explain all of the physical descriptions that the Book of the Zohar provides for the ten sefirot, such as above and below, ascent and descent, diminishing and expansion, smallness and largeness, separation and fusing, as well as numbers and the like, which the lower creations, through their good deeds or their bad deeds, cause to occur in the ten sefirot. These notions are surprising. How is it possible for the Divinity to act upon itself and be subject to changes of this kind on account of the lower creations?",
"You might say that these concepts do not refer, God forbid, to the Divinity itself, which is enclothed and illuminates in the sefirot, but only to the vessels of the sefirot. These are not Divinity, one might suggest, but were newly formed together with the creation of the souls in order to conceal or reveal measures of perception in accordance with the appropriate amount and degree for souls, so as to bring them to the desired completed state of rectification. This suggestion is like what was stated earlier (section #7#) regarding the parable of the window with four panes with four different colors – white, red, green, and black – and similarly the white in a book and the substance of the letters in a book. Such a suggestion can be made with regard to the three worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, as there one finds that the vessels of the sefirot are newly formed and are not Divinity. However, it is completely unjustifiable to understand the world of Atzilut in this manner, as in Atzilut it is also the vessels of the ten sefirot that are fully Divine; they are one with the Divine light that is within them. This is as written in the Tikkunim (Tikkunei Zohar) (3b): “He, His life, and His attributes are one.” “He” means the essence of the sefirot, which is the mystical meaning of Ein Sof, blessed be He. “His life” is the mystical meaning of the light that illuminates in the sefirot, which is called the “light of vitality,” for the whole world of Atzilut is an expression of Ḥokhma, and the light of Ḥokhma is called the light of vitality, and therefore the Tikkunei Zohar states “His life.” And “His attributes” means the vessels of the sefirot. Thus, everything in that level of existence is Divinity and complete unity. If so, how is it possible in Atzilut to understand those changes caused by the lower creations? At the same time, it is necessary to understand the following: If everything is Divinity in that world, and there are no vessels there that are newly created entities, how can one make the three distinctions stated in the Tikkunei Zohar – “He, His life, and His attributes”? After all, it is an absolutely simple unity."
],
[
"In order to understand this, it is necessary to recall the earlier explanation, in section #17#, where it was explained that the Essentially Existing One is of the mystical meaning of essence, something of which we have no grasp. This inability to grasp essence applies even to physical essences, and even to our own essences; all the more so for the Essentially Existing One. The world of Atzilut is the mystical meaning of form, while the three worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya are the mystical meaning of substance, and the illumination of Atzilut in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya is the mystical meaning of form enclothed in substance.",
"From this it can be understood that the name Ein Sof, blessed be He, which we use, is not at all a designation for the essence of the Essentially Existing One, may He be blessed and exalted, for how can we define, by means of a name or a word, anything that we cannot grasp? Since the imagination and the five senses can suggest nothing to us of an essence, even with respect to physical entities, how can thought or language relating to it be possible? This is even more the case with regard to the Essentially Existing One Himself.",
"Instead, we must understand the name Ein Sof, blessed be He, in accordance with our definition of the third principle, that everything mentioned in the Book of the Zohar is specifically in relation to the souls (as stated in section #21#, above). Thus, the name Ein Sof, blessed be He, is not a general term for the Essentially Existing One Himself, but rather for how all the worlds and all the souls are incorporated in Him, in the mystical meaning of the thought of creation. This accords with the notion “last in deed, first in thought,” which is the bond through which the whole of creation in its entirety, until the completion of the rectification, is tied to Him – through the name Ein Sof, blessed be He. This is what we previously called the initial state of the souls (in the Sulam's Introduction to the Zohar, Section 13) in which all the souls exist in Him and they are filled with all the pleasure and the refinement of the supernal heights that they will receive in practice upon the completion of the rectification. Since these ideas are discussed there, they will not be repeated here."
],
[
"I will share a parable with you from the affairs of this world. Say a person wishes to build a grand house. Now, in his initial contemplation he sees before him an elegant house, with all of its rooms and myriad details, exactly as it will be when its construction is completed. Next, he formulates a practical plan of execution for all of its myriad details, which he will specify to the laborers, each detail at its proper time, including how to work with the wood, bricks, metal, and the like. He will then start building the house in actuality until it is finished, just as it was conceived before him in his initial contemplation.",
"Understand that Ein Sof, blessed be He, is the mystical meaning of that initial thought, as the whole of creation, in its final, completed state, was already manifest before Him. However, the metaphor is not exactly precise, since for Him the future and present are the same. Additionally, the thought itself is the completion, as unlike us, He does not require practical tools to complete the construction. Consequently, in Him it is actual reality. Accordingly, the world of Atzilut is a mystery like the design in one’s thoughts, with all of its details, which will later have to become manifest when the builders actually start building the house.",
"It is necessary to understand that in these two – the initial thought, which is Ein Sof, blessed be He, and also the imagined design of the details for execution at the right time – there is not yet there even so much as a trace of created beings, since everything is still in potential, not realized in actuality. It is the same for people: Even if one calculates all the details, from the wood and the bricks to the metal – including what must be done at the time of the execution – it is as yet only a free-floating mental substance, without even a trace of any actual wood or bricks. The only difference is that in the case of people, the imagined design is not considered actual reality, whereas in the Divine thought it is actual reality, inestimably more so than the actual, real created beings themselves.",
"The mystical meanings of Ein Sof, blessed be He, and the world of Atzilut have thus been explained to you: Everything stated with regard to them applies only in relation to the creation of beings, when they are merely in a potential state, before their entities have yet to become manifest at all. This is similar to the parable of a man who thinks up a plan of action, which contains nothing at all of the actual wood, bricks, or metal."
],
[
"The three worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, and this world, are considered the actualization of the potential, like a man who actually builds his house in practice, by bringing the wood, bricks, and laborers together, until the actual completion of the house. Therefore, the Divinity that illuminates in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, that is, in the measure that souls require in order to come to their state of completion, is enclothed in the ten vessels, Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Ḥesed, Gevura, Tiferet, Netzaḥ, Hod, Yesod, and Malkhut. Relative to His divinity, these are actual vessels, i.e., they are not Divine but are novel creations formed for the sake of the souls."
],
[
"If you reflect on the above parable, you will discover how the three modes of one who plans to build a house are intertwined in the manner of cause and effect. The root of them all is the initial thought, since no detail of his planned design will come into being other than by the “last in deed” that emerged from him “first in thought.” Likewise, he will execute something at the time of construction only in accordance with the details he prearranged from the planned design.",
"From here you can understand with regard to the worlds, that there is not even a small novelty in the worlds that is not drawn from Ein Sof, blessed be He, i.e., from the first state of the souls, which are found there in their whole completed state of the completion of the rectification. This is in accordance with the notion “last in deed, first in thought,” stated above, and thus everything that will become manifest until the completion of the rectification is incorporated there. At first, it is drawn from Ein Sof, blessed be He, to the world of Atzilut, like the parable, in which the planned design is drawn from the first thought. Then, each and every detail is drawn from the world of Atzilut to the worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, as in the parable, where all the details are drawn from the planned design when they are actually executed in the building of the house.",
"Thus, there are no small details, newly formed in this world, which are not drawn from Ein Sof, blessed be He, from the first state of the souls. From Ein Sof, blessed be He, each detail is drawn to the world of Atzilut, that is, into a particular conceptualization unique to the newly-formed entity which will appear in this world in actuality. And from the world of Atzilut, the novelty is drawn to the three worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, where the novelty is manifested in actual reality, and where it emerges from a status of Divinity to that of a created being, and to Yetzira, and Asiya, until it is drawn to the lower created entity which is situated in this world. Understand this thoroughly and compare everything to the practice of building a house by a corporeal person, and then you will comprehend it well.",
"It has been explained that there is no novelty that can come into being in the world that will not be drawn from the general root in Ein Sof, blessed be He, and from its particular root in Atzilut, after which it passes via Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, and attains the status of a created being, and then it comes into being in this world. Understand this thoroughly."
],
[
"With the above you will comprehend that all of these changes which are depicted in the world of Atzilut are not stated with regard to the Divinity Himself, but only with respect to the souls, in the measure that they receive from Atzilut, via the three worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya. The reality of that world is the relationship of the planned design to the initial thought, which is Ein Sof, blessed be He. However, in both cases, both in Ein Sof, blessed be He, as well as in the world of Atzilut, nothing of the souls as yet exists there. This is similar to the planned design of a person who thinks it, where nothing of the actual word, be it bricks, or metal exist in his brain.",
"The existence of the souls starts to become manifest in the world of Beria. For this reason, the vessels of the ten sefirot, which measure the amount and portion for the souls in actual reality, are necessarily not Divinity but are newly formed, as there is no possibility of any changes or numbers in Divinity. Accordingly, we attribute three hues to the ten sefirot in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya: Red, green, and black, so that it is impossible to even imagine that they have an aspect of Divinity, as nothing newly formed applies to Him, God forbid.",
"By contrast, the light enclothed in the ten vessels of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya is Divinity, and simple unity without the slightest change. Even the light enclothed in the lower vessel that is in Asiya is simple Divinity, without change, God forbid. For the light in and of itself is one, and all the changes that occur to its illumination are achieved by means of the vessels of the sefirot. These are not divine, as in general they have those three aforementioned hues, and in particular, an endless multitude of changes are fashioned from those three hues."
],
[
"It is certainly the case that the vessels of the ten sefirot of Beria, i>Yetzira and Asiya receive from Atzilut all the details of the changes, and their specifics, since it is there that the aspect of the planned design of all the details that will be arranged exists in the practical construction of the house in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya. It can therefore be discerned that the vessels of the ten sefirot: Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, receive from their corresponding aspect, from Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut in Atzilut, i.e., from the planned design that is there. This is because every detail in the implementation is the result of each detail in the planned design, as explained above at length. Therefore, for this reason we call the vessels of Atzilut the color white, which is not a color at all and yet is the source of all the colors. In terms of the metaphor of the white in a book of wisdom – while there is no grasp of its white, and the white in the book says nothing to us, the white nevertheless carries the entire content of the book of wisdom, for it illuminates around every letter and within each letter, and gives each letter its particular shape and every combination its unique place. Thus, one can say the opposite to what we said above, namely that we have no grasp of the substance of the red, green, or black letters, and that any grasp or perception we might have of the substance of the letters in the book is only through its white. For by means of its illumination around and within every letter it forms them into shapes, and these shapes reveal to us all of the wisdom in the book.",
"This is comparable to the ten sefirot of Atzilut: Although, they are compared to the color white, nothing can be discerned within them, neither a number nor any change, or some similar attribute. Nevertheless, by means of the illumination of the white into the worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, which are the three hues of the substance of the letters, all the changes come necessarily from the ten vessels of the sefirot of Atzilut, despite the fact that there are no vessels there with respect to it itself, as it is entirely white. This is like the metaphor of the white in the book, in relation to the letters and their combinations, as its illumination into Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya fashions the vessels within them."
],
[
"You can understand, through the above explanation, the division by the Tikkunei Zohar of the world of Atzilut into three aspects, which are “He,” “His life,” and “His attributes,” even though there is a simple unity there, and nothing of the aspect of created beings. For “He” means the Divinity in and of itself, of which we have no grasp and which cannot be grasped, as has been explained regarding all essences, even corporeal ones (see section #12# above). “His attributes” refers to the ten vessels, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut that are there in Atzilut, which we compared to the white in the book of wisdom, as it is not possible even to speak of a number with respect to the white, since there is no function for a number there, because it is entirely white. And yet not only do we apply a number to them, but we first find all the myriad changes that are manifested in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, which correspond to the substance of the letters, in the vessels of Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut that are in Atzilut itself. However, this is only in the manner of the white, which fashions all the shapes of the letters in the book without having any shape itself, and thus the white is fragmented into myriad shapes even though it has no shape in itself. Similarly, the ten vessels in Atzilut are differentiated by myriad variations, in accordance with their illumination in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, like the planned design that is implemented in the actual work of the construction of the house. Thus, all these changes that are effected in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya are only from the illumination of the vessels of the ten sefirot Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut in Atzilut, and we find myriad changes in the white from the perspective of the recipients in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya. From the frame of reference of Atzilut relative to itself, it is like the white itself, which is not enclothed in the ink of the letters, where no number or anything at all can be found. The mystical meaning of “His attributes,” which are the vessels, has been thoroughly explained, as in respect to themselves they are simple unity, like “He.”"
],
[
"“His life” refers to the light that is enclothed in the white, which is the vessels, as stated above. This light is also comprehended by us only in relation to the souls that receive from Atzilut, and not, God forbid, within the Divinity in and of itself, for that is the mystical meaning of “He,” as stated above. That is, when the three worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya ascend to Atzilut with the souls of people, the light they receive there is considered the light of Ḥokhma, which is called the “light of vitality.” It is from this perspective that we call the light “His life.”",
"This is the meaning of the statement in the Tikkunei Zohar that “He, His life, and His attributes are one,” for all three of these aspects are stated in relation to the recipients. The aspect of “His attributes” is the illumination of the vessels in the place of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya that is below the diaphragm of Atzilut. For the light of Atzilut will never pass below the diaphragm of Atzilut, but only the illumination of the vessels will pass below the diaphragm. The aspect of “His life” is the illumination of the light of Atzilut itself, i.e., when Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya ascend to Atzilut. “He” is the mystical meaning of the essence of Divinity, which cannot be grasped at all, as stated above. It is stated in the Tikkunei Zohar that even though we recipients should discern these three aspects of Atzilut, these distinctions only apply in relation to the recipients. By contrast, from the perspective of the world of Atzilut itself, even “His attributes” is an expression of “He,” i.e., the essence of Divinity, and for this reason the world of Atzilut itself cannot be grasped at all. This is the mystical meaning of the color white, which cannot be grasped in and of itself, and everything there is complete simple unity."
],
[
"When the Zohar describes the vessels of Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut that are in Atzilut as growing or diminishing as a result of people’s actions, and we likewise find that “Israel... give force and power to the Holy one, blessed be He,” which implicitly refers to the Divinity itself, these statements cannot be understood in accordance with their plain meaning, since no change in the Divinity is possible, God forbid, as it is written: “I, Havaya, have not changed etc.” Rather, since the initial intent for the Creation was to bestow benefit on His created beings, we can learn from this that He has a will to bestow. And since we find in this world that the satisfaction of one who gives grows when those who receive from him increase, and he desires that there be more recipients, it is from this perspective that it is said that the brains grow in Atzilut when the lower creations merit receiving the shefa of Atzilut, or that they nurture it. The same applies to the reverse case – when the lower creations are unworthy of receiving His shefa, it is as though the brains diminish to that extent, meaning that there is no one to receive from them."
],
[
"This can be compared to a lamp. Whether one lights many thousands of myriad candles from it, or whether one lights nothing from it at all, there will not be any consequential changes in the lamp itself. This is also similar to Adam the first man: Whether he had fathered thousands of offspring like us today, or whether he had not fathered anyone at all, this would not have effected any change whatsoever in Adam the first man himself. Likewise, there is no change at all in the world Atzilut in and of itself, God forbid, whether the lower creations receive its shefa in great abundance or whether they receive nothing from it at all. All of this growth applies solely to the lower creations."
],
[
"However, if that is the case, for what purpose did the authors of the Zohar describe all of these changes in the world of Atzilut itself? They should have referred explicitly to the recipients in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya alone, rather than speaking at such great length about Atzilut such that we had to provide explanations for the authors.",
"In fact, there is an absolutely vital secret here, which is the mystical meaning of the verse “and by the ministry of the prophets have I used symbols.” For in fact there is a Divine will here that these symbols, which operate only in the souls of the receivers, should appear to the souls as though He Himself participates in them, in order to greatly increase the understanding of the souls. This is similar to a father who restrains himself and shows his dear little son a suffering face or a contented face, even though there is nothing of either sadness or contentment within him. He does this only to stimulate his beloved son and deepen his understanding, in order to play with him. Only when he grows up will he learn and realize that everything his father did was no more than simply playing with him.",
"The same applies to the case at hand: Although the purpose of all of these symbols and variations from beginning to end is only the activation of the souls, nevertheless, as a result of the will of God they imagine that they are seeing them in He Himself. The blessed and exalted One does this in order to enhance and increase the understanding of the souls to the utmost extent, which is part of His intent for the Creation, in order to bestow benefit on His created beings."
],
[
"Do not consider this surprising, as you will find a similar occurrence with our corporeal perception as well. For example, our sense of sight: We see a great, wide world before us, along with all of the wonders that fill it. However, in fact we see all of that only within our own interior being. That is, in the back of our brains there is a kind of a photographic machine depicting everything that we see there, and nothing outside of us. God has made for us there, in our brains, a kind of polished mirror that inverts everything seen there, so we will see it as outside our brains, before our faces. Although what we see outside of us is not a real thing, how grateful we must still be to His Providence, may He be blessed and exalted, for having made that polished mirror within our brains, enabling us to see and perceive everything appearing outside of us. He thereby granted us the power to perceive everything with clear knowledge and perception, to measure every object on the inside and the outside, and the like. Without that, we would lose most of our perceptions.",
"The same applies to the Divine will, to our perceptions of the Divine: Although all these changes occur in the interior of the receiving souls, they nevertheless see everything as in the Giver Himself, since it is only in this manner that they merit receiving all the perceptions and all the pleasantness in God’s intent for the Creation. You can infer the same from the above parable: Even though in practice we see everything in front of us, every intelligent person nevertheless knows clearly that everything we see is only perceived within our own brains. Likewise with regard to souls: Despite the fact that they see all the images in the Giver, they still have no doubt whatsoever that all these are only within their own interiors and not at all in the Giver. Examine this matter and you will understand it, as it is not within my capacity to elaborate further."
],
[
"Since these matters are from the concealed matters of the world, and I am very concerned that the reader might err in understanding them, it is worthwhile for me to make an extra effort and cite the golden words of the Zohar itself on these issues, and then to interpret them as best as I can.",
"Here is its wording, in its pure style: A person might ask: But it is written in the Torah (Deuteronomy 4:15): “For you did not see any image,” and how, then, do we expound names and sefirot as applying to Him?",
"One would answer: I saw this form, as in the verse: “And the image of the Lord he beholds.” This refers to the sefira of Malkhut, in which all the souls and the worlds are rooted, as she (Malkhut) is the root of all the vessels. Regarding the ones that receive from her, those that must acquire the vessels from her, she is considered to them like an image. For it is regarding her that it is stated “and the image of the Lord he beholds,” as the Zohar proceeds to explain.",
"Even that image, which we call the sefira of Malkhut, does not exist in the place of Malkhut relative to herself, God forbid, but only when the light of Malkhut descends upon people and expands over them. It then appears to them, to each and every one, according to their own perception, vision, and imagination, i.e., only with respect to the recipients and not at all in the sefira of Malkhut herself. This is the meaning of “and by the ministry of the prophets have I used symbols.” ",
"Because of the above, the Holy One, blessed be He, will say to them: Although I manifest Myself to you in your forms, i.e., in vision and imagination, nevertheless, “to whom will you liken Me, that I should be equal?” For before the Holy One, blessed be He, created an image in the world and before He fashioned a form, the Holy One, blessed be He, was singular in the world, without a form or image.",
"One who grasps Him above the level of Beria which corresponds to the sefira of Bina, above which He is beyond any likeness, is forbidden to compare Him to any form or image in the world, neither by the letter heh nor by the letter yod, or even to call Him by the holy name Havaya the four-letter name of God, or by any letter or dot. This is the meaning of the verse: “For you did not see any image.” In other words, the verse “for you did not see any image” refers to those who merit grasping Him above the level of Beria which is Bina. For in the two sefirot, Keter and Ḥokhma, there is no form or image at all, meaning vessels and boundaries, as stated in section #18#, above. The vessels start from the sefira of Bina and downward, and therefore all the allusions in letters, dots, or holy names, are only from Bina downward, and even then, they are not in the place of the sefirot themselves but only exist with respect to the recipients, as stated earlier with regard to the sefira of Malkhut."
],
[
"(Apparently there is a contradiction in the statements of the authors of the Zohar: They initially said that actualized forms extend to the recipients only from the sefira of Malkhut, according to the statement: “but only when Malkhut descends upon people...,” which is the mystical meaning of “by the ministry of the prophets have I used symbols.” And yet here the Zohar states that the forms extend to the recipients from Beria downward, i.e., from Bina downward.",
"The meaning of this is, in fact, that form and similitude extend only from the fourth level, which is Malkhut. The vessels are drawn from it, in the place of the recipients, but not at all from the first nine sefirot, which are Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, and Tiferet. However, in the world of Tikkun (rectification), there is a combination of the attribute of judgment with the attribute of mercy. This means that [God] raised the sefira of Malkhut, which is considered the attribute of judgment, and brought it into the sefira of Bina, which is considered the attribute of mercy. Therefore, from that point onward, the vessels of Malkhut become rooted in the sefira of Bina, as stated here. This is why when the Zohar begins to speak about the actual root of the images, which are the vessels, it states that they are in Malkhut, and then afterward it states that they are in Beria. This is because of the force of the combination that was performed for the sake of the rectification of the world. The Sages likewise stated: “The Holy One, blessed be He, initially created the world with the attribute of judgment; [when] He saw that the world could not exist, He combined with it the attribute of mercy.”",
"Understand that the ten sefirot Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut are called by many names in the Book of the Zohar, in accordance with their numerous functions. When they are called Keter, Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, their function is to distinguish between the vessels of the front, which are called Keter and Atzilut, i.e., Keter and Ḥokhma, and the vessels of the back, which are called Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, that is, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut. This distinction emerged among them through the combination of the attribute of judgment with the attribute of mercy. Since the Zohar wishes to allude to the combination of Malkhut with Bina, it therefore calls the sefira of Bina by the name of Beria, since before that combination there was no image or form in Bina, even with respect to the recipients, but solely in Malkhut.)"
],
[
"The above passage in the Zohar continues: However, after He made the form of the chariot of the “supernal man” He descended and was enclothed there. Within it He is called by the form of the four letters of Havaya, yod-heh-vav-heh, that is, the ten sefirot: Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut. For the upper point of the yod is Keter, yod is Ḥokhma, heh is Bina, vav is Tiferet, and the last heh is Malkhut. This is so that they would grasp Him through His attributes, i.e., the sefirot, and through each and every attribute within Him."
],
[
"The meaning of this is as follows: From Beria and downward, i.e., from Bina, after it had been combined with the attribute of judgment, which is Malkhut, the images and the forms were drawn forth to the recipients, which are the souls, not in Bina’s own place, God forbid, but only in the place of the recipients, as stated. The Zohar then states that He then made the form of the chariot of the “supernal man,” and descended and enclothed in the form of this man. In other words, the whole form of man in his 613 vessels are drawn from the vessels of the soul. For the soul has 613 vessels, which are called the 248 limbs and 365 spiritual sinews. These are divided into five parts, according to the four letters of Havaya and the upper point of the yod: Its head is considered Keter; the part from the mouth to the chest is Ḥokhma; from the chest to the navel is Bina; and from the navel to the end of the legs is the two sefirot, Tiferet and Malkhut.",
"Similarly, the Torah as a whole is regarded as the mystical meaning of the structure of man, which is the mystical meaning of the 248 positive mitzvot, which correspond to the 248 limbs, and the 365 negative mitzvot, corresponding to the 365 sinews. It contains five parts, which are the mystical meaning of the five books of the Torah. This is called “the image of the chariot of the supernal man,” i.e., the man of Beria, which is Bina, from where these vessels begin to be drawn in the place of the souls. He is called “upper man” because there are three levels of man in the sefirot, namely man of Beria, man of Yetzira, and man of Asiya. However, in Keter and Ḥokhma there is no image at all that could be denoted by some letter or dot, or by the four letters of Havaya, as stated. Since here the Zohar is speaking of the world of Beria, it is being precise when it states “supernal man.”",
"However, you must always remember the words of the Zohar, that these images do not exist in the realm of the sefirot of Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, but only in the realm of the minds of the recipients. And yet, these sefirot provide those vessels and this clothing, “so that the recipients will grasp Him through His attributes,” in order that the souls will grasp Him by means of the light that is drawn to them in bounded quantities, in accordance with their 613 limbs. Because of this, we also call these bestowers by the name “man,” even though there, in their place, they are merely considered the color white (as stated in section #8# above)."
],
[
"You should not find it perplexing that the four letters of Havaya and the upper point of the yod are the five aforementioned vessels, as the vessels are invariably called letters, and they are the mystical meaning of the five sefirot: Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, as stated. It is thus explicitly stated that there are vessels of Keter and Ḥokhma as well, which are alluded to by the upper point of the yod and the yod of Havaya.",
"The meaning is that when the Zohar speaks of the images and the attributes, which are the vessels, beginning from Beria and downward, i.e., only the three sefirot Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, and not Keter and Ḥokhma, this is from the perspective of the essence of the sefirot. However, it is known that the sefirot are incorporated in one another, and there are ten sefirot: Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut in Keter, and likewise Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut in Ḥokhma, and similarly Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut in Bina, and the same applies to Tiferet, and Malkhut. Accordingly, the three sefirot: Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, from which the vessels come, are found in each of the five sefirot: Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut. Accordingly, each of the five sefirot: Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut contains the three sefirot: Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, from which the vessels originate.",
"You will thereby understand that the upper point of the yod, which is the mystical meaning of the vessels of Keter, indicates Bina and Tiferet and Malkhut that are incorporated in Keter. And similarly, the yod of Havaya, which is a vessel of Ḥokhma, indicates Bina and Tiferet and Malkhut that are incorporated in Ḥokhma. Thus, the Keter and Ḥokhma that are incorporated even in Bina and Ze’er Anpin and Nukba do not have vessels, whereas Bina and Tiferet and Malkhut that are incorporated even in Keter and Ḥokhma do have vessels.",
"From this perspective, there really are five levels of spiritual man, as the Bina, Tiferet and Malkhut in all five sefirot bestow shefa through the mystical meaning of the chariot of man. For this reason, there is man in the aspect of Keter, called Adam Kadmon, and there is man in the aspect of Ḥokhma, called Adam of Atzilut, and man in the aspect of Bina, called Adam of Beria, and man in the aspect of Tiferet, called Adam of Yetzira, and man in the aspect of Malkhut, called Adam of Asiya."
],
[
"The Zohar continues: He called Himself by the names El, Elohim, Shaddai, Tzeva’ot, and Eheyeh, so that they would know Him through each and every one of His attributes, how He conducts the world with kindness and might, corresponding to the acts of people. For the ten names in the Torah that must not be erased are the mystical meaning of the ten sefirot, as written in the Zohar: The sefira of Keter is called Eheyeh; the sefira of Ḥokhma is called Yah; the sefira of Bina is called Havaya with the vowels of the name Elohim; the sefira of Ḥesed is called El; the sefira of Gevura is called Elohim; the sefira of Tiferet is called Havaya; the two sefirot Netzaḥ and Hod are called Tzeva’ot; the sefira of Yesod is called El Ḥay; and the sefira of Malkhut is called Adonai."
],
[
"For if His light had not spread over all created beings by its enclothing, as it were, in these holy sefirot, how could the created beings merit recognizing Him and how could the verse be fulfilled: “The whole earth is full of His glory”? The author of the Sulam explains: The meaning is that the Zohar is thereby explaining the Divine desire to appear to the souls as though these changes in the sefirot are in Him. This is in order to give the souls the possibility of sufficient recognition and perception of Him, since then the verse “the whole earth is full of His glory” will be fulfilled, as we stated in section #33# above."
],
[
"Despite all of the above, woe is he who ascribes to Him any attribute, i.e., who claims that the attribute is found in God Himself, even with regard to these spiritual attributes of His, through which He appears to the souls. All the more so regarding the corporeal attributes of the nature of people, whose origin is dust, and who are fleeting and transitory.",
"This is as we stated (section #34#, above), that although it is the Divine desire that the receiving souls should see the changes in the attributes as in the Giver, it must nevertheless be clear to the souls that there is no change or attribute in Him, God forbid. Rather, it is simply the Divine desire that they should imagine it as such, in the mystical meaning of the verse: “And by the ministry of the prophets have I used symbols.” Should they err in this regard, God forbid, woe to them, for in an instant they will forfeit the Divine shefa. There is no need to say this with respect to those dim-witted ones who ascribe to Him some of the incidents that can befall a fleeting, transitory, flesh-and-blood creature. This concludes the citation from the Zohar. It would be advantageous for the reader to study the entire continuation of this section of the Zohar, as it clarifies the topic of the ten sefirot and three worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, but this is not the place to elaborate any further."
]
],
"versions": [
[
"The Sefaria Sulam, 2023",
"https://www.sefaria.org"
]
],
"heTitle": "מבוא לספר הזוהר",
"categories": [
"Kabbalah",
"Baal HaSulam"
],
"sectionNames": [
"Chapter",
"Paragraph"
]
}