Kabbalah Library

153. When the letters fly, a person sees writing in the air, from big letters, which are Bina, for the time being. “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.” These words are from Bina, big letters. Afterwards, small letters strike them: Malchut ascends and strikes Bina, which diminishes her. This is the Yod that entered the light and became air, and they fly and the verse, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ … And God saw that the light was good,” is seen from them.

Afterwards, the small letters return and strike the big letters, when Malchut rises once again to Bina and diminishes her, and the verse, “And God said, ‘Let there be a firmament’” is seen from them. So it is with all the work of creation. The works of these letters is great wonders and a joy to the eyes. Happy is the people that awaits all this.

The whole of the work of creation came out at the entry of the Yod into the light of Bina and her becoming air. At that time, the Katnut [smallness/infancy] came out, and afterwards, upon the exit of the Yod from the air, the Gadlut [greatness/adulthood] came out, which is the words “Let there,” written in every utterance in the work of creation. “Let there be light,” all that emerges and is emanated in the worlds, is emanated in these words.

It was said, “a person sees writing in the air, from big letters, which are Bina, for the time being. ‘In the beginning, God created.’” This is for the time being. But when the words “Let there be light” come, small letters strike them, meaning that Malchut strikes Bina in the word “And there was.” Likewise, afterwards, the small letters return and strike the big letters, where Malchut rises once again to Bina and diminishes her, and the verse, “And God said, ‘Let there be a firmament’” is seen from them. In this verse, too, he precedes with beating Bina with Malchut in the words “And there was,” as so it was in every utterance.

154. One who guards the covenant places himself behind the Shechina [Divinity], and the Shechina in front of him. And who guards him from behind? The greatest and highest guarding guards him, the upper righteous, Yesod of ZA, who guards him with much love.

He enters between the righteous, Yesod, and justice, Malchut, and is guarded from all sides: Yesod behind him and Malchut in front of him. Happy is one who guards that covenant. This is why in Israel, all the males, who guard that token of the covenant before the Creator, will be seen, as it is written, “Three times a year all your males shall be seen.” Who is it who can harm a son whose father is here and whose mother is here, and he is in the middle between them? It is when he is behind the Hey, specifically behind the Malchut.

The covenant is circumcision and Priaa [removal of the foreskin]. Through the Priaa, the illumination of Hochma is revealed. For this reason, one who guards his covenant is rewarded with revealing of the illumination of Hochma. It is known that the illumination of Hochma comes from Malchut. Through the Priaa, she is received only from below upward. It follows that when he guards his covenant, he places Malchut in front of him, as he receives the illumination of Hochma from Malchut and above, and the Hochma does not come to him from Malchut, since she is not bestowed upon from Malchut and back.

Since he guards the covenant so as not to draw from Malchut from above downward, you find that he is behind Malchut, not drawing her face to him, not receiving from her.

Since he does not draw the Hochma from Malchut to himself, who guards him from behind? After all, the light of Hochma guards a person from all the harm-doers! There is great guarding because Yesod of ZA bestows upon him revealed Hassadim, and you find that the face of Yesod of ZA is toward him. Thus, the face of Yesod toward him is to his back, and the back of Malchut is toward his face, and he is between them, between Yesod of ZA and Malchut. Who can harm a son whose father is from here and whose mother is from here, and he is between them, since Yesod of ZA is his father and Malchut is his mother, since the souls of Israel are born from Yesod and from Malchut?