Kabbalah Library

155. When the firmament, ZA, revolves in a rolling, when it rolls its three lines in three places, at which time the Hochma is revealed, it plays a melody, for the Hochma is revealed in a melody. From the sound of the moaning of the springing water, meaning the abundance of Hassadim that control ZA, that melody is not known, for the lower ones cannot receive from it because Hochma is not revealed in the place of ZA, but in the place of Malchut, in the bottom Hochma.

All those basins on the four sides of ZA, the four Malchuts in the four sides, HG TM of ZA, which are called “basins,” are full of springing water, full of Hassadim, which they receive from the wellsprings of ZA, and they are covered from Hochma since they are in the place of ZA.

One who is inside, who is rewarded with receiving from it, stands there in two sides: One is in joy, as there is no joy in the world like that joy, to observe the verse, “Serve the Lord with gladness,” and one is with fear, as there is no fear in the world like that fear, to observe the verse, “Serve the Lord with fear.”

156. One wellspring of water that springs from the east, from Tifferet, the middle line of ZA, incorporates right and left. All the people in the world do not praise it, as it unites right and left and opens all the lights in Bina, Hassadim and Hochma together, and extends them to the lower ones.

In the place where it is born, to the east, its depth and height are no more than the little finger. That is, in the beginning of its birth, the origin of the middle line is only the strength of the screen of Hirik in it, called the “little finger.” With it, it subdues the left line and unites it with the right, and all the Mochin emerge from that unification.

157. When the water springs and rises, all kinds of gems in the world rise up. When the water in the east, in the middle line of ZA, bestow illumination of Hochma to Malchut, whose degrees are called “gems,” they rise up, since the illumination Hochma in them shines only from below upward. They do not fall outside as they do not shine from above downward, for then they would be regarded as having fallen outside, to the shells.

The illumination of Hochma that is received in them is in three lines, one at a time. They are three colors—white, red, green—and each of them contains all three.

Now they are seen in one color, and for the time being, they fall, meaning that that color has passed from them for the time being. At that time, other gems rise up, in a different color. It is likewise with all the colors in the world, all the colors of Malchut, who is called “world,” whose root is white, black, red. These gems fall one by one; one sinks and the other rises. They do not fall outside, for they do not bestow from above downward to the external ones.

158. A button and a flower, GAR of Hochma, surround that wellspring. They surround as surrounding light round about, and do not shine inside the wellspring. All the people in the world cannot grasp those colors in them, since they are GAR, for all of them are blazing flames and they cannot look at them. This is why the importance of their actions is unknown. The leaves in the flower sparkle in several colors.

159. A work of embroidery, which is the craft of the master of the world, covers the 375 Cherubim below them after other partitions inside, since these partitions surround the court from within.

The work of embroidery is an embroidery of three colors—white, red, green—three lines. Their correction is in four shapes: lion, ox, eagle, and man. Through this work of embroidery, the illumination of Hochma is corrected with Hassadim, and both shine in utter beauty and wholeness.

Cherubim are small Panim [face/anterior], posterior Mochin. It is called “not 375, falling of the face, as it is written, “but for Cain and his offering he had no regard … and his face fell,” fell to the posterior. However, anterior illumination is called 375, and in order to return the anterior illumination to the Cherubim, they must receive the cover of the work of embroidery that covers their GAR, so they do not shine, and then they return to the state of 375 and to the state of anterior Mochin.

The Cherubim suckle from the left line of Bina, after other partitions that are inside, standing after the partitions, which are Bina. A partition is made by mixing threads with one another. Likewise, for Bina to be able to bestow upon the world, she raised Malchut to her and mixed with her, like the threads of the partitions, without recognizing which is Bina and which is Malchut. That Bina is clothed in the internality of the court, which is Malchut. By the force of those around the court from within, who surround the court inside the court, as they are Bina, which is the internality of Malchut.

160. Above the Cherubim, those grapevines are spread. Under the grapevines there are the Cherubim, all spreading their wings. They are integrated in one another. Anyone who looks at these grapevines, his face shines like the sunlight.

The grapevines are anterior Mochin, which, under the grapevines, are the Cherubim. The posterior of the grapevines are the Cherubim, and they all spread their wings, as their wings cover the illumination of GAR. The Cherubim and the grapevines are incorporated in one another, and the Cherubim, too, return to the state of anterior, joined together with the grapevines. Anyone who looks at these grapevines, his face shines, as they are anterior Mochin, like the sunlight, like the light of ZA, called “sun.”

161. The partitions, which are the lights of Bina that are clothed in Malchut, which spread around the court from within, are all embroidered with threads that shine in many colors, where threads of Bina and threads of Malchut are embroidered and entangled with each other, and they shine together.

Threads are illuminations of Hassadim. They blaze in four kinds of radiance of fire, which are illuminations of the left line, illuminations of Hochma that shine with judgments, and which are called “fire.” The flames subside, and lights and colors rise up, shining only from below upward, as during the Katnut [smallness/infancy], they shine only from below upward. At that time, they beat one another, as the illuminations of Malchut beat the illuminations of Bina and diminish them.

162. There are 6,000 basins in those partitions, Malchuts that receive VAK of Hochma from the partitions, which are six, corresponding to HGT NHY, and they are one-thousand since Hochma is called one-thousand. Four colors are to the four sides of the court, HG TM. These are big, VAK of Gadlut [greatness/adulthood], and a wellspring of living water to each side, Hassadim and Hochma together.

“Water” is after the Hassadim. “Living” is after the Hochma. They fall into those basins and are swallowed in their places, as they are not bestowed from above downward, outside their place. These waters do not know where they are going, for because they are with Hochma, which is not bestowed from above downward, they have no knowledge where they are going.

163. In the middle of the court, in the middle line of Malchut, all of Israel will rise and fear the holy king. All of Israel receive from her Hochma, which is called “seeing.”

On the south side of the court, the right line of Malchut, Hesed, a wellspring of water is born, and it seems as though the water will wash over the whole world. One who enters it, enters knee deep. Should a mighty one enter it, he will enter knee deep. If a baby enters it, it will enter knee deep. One who drinks from it grows wise; he will be grow wise in wisdom.

The root of the three lines is the dots Holam-Shuruk-Hirik. The wellspring of water is the light of Hesed, whose source is the right line, the south of the court. The birth of the light of Hesed is through the ascent of Malchut to Bina, which was diminished from GAR to VAK. This is the dot of Holam. On the south side of the court, on the right line, which is the dot of Holam, through the ascent of Malchut to Bina, the wellspring of water is born, the root of Hesed.

At that time, it seems as though Malchut will no longer emerge from Bina, and Bina will not return to GAR so that the Hassadim will not be canceled. It seems that the water, Hassadim that were born by the ascent of Malchut, will wash over the whole world, destroying the world from the construction of GAR, and the GAR will no longer return to the world, which is regarded as the ruin of the world.

However, this was not so. Rather, through the left line and the middle line, the GAR returned to Bina. However, at the time when the right line came out, one who entered them lost its GAR, it was therefore said, one who enters them will enter knee deep, for the water will make his NHY, called knees, disappear, and when the NHY of the vessels disappear, the GAR of lights disappear.

Concealing these GAR applies both at the moment of the birth of the right line, through the ascent of Malchut to Bina, at which time she is called a “day-old infant.” Even afterwards, when the dot of Shuruk comes out, when Malchut exits the Bina in the left line, and Bina returns to GAR, then, too, Malchut does not come out from Bina in the right line. Hence, a dispute between right and left has been created.

The overcoming of the right over the left is regarded as the left line, called mighty and great, enters the water on the right, and his NHY of vessels and GAR of lights disappear. It was said, “Should a mighty one enter it, he will enter knee deep,” for if the left line enters it since the right has overcome it, its knees will disappear, the NHY. “If a day-old infant enters it, it will enter knee deep,” for right at the birth of the right line, anyone who receives them, his knees disappear, as well as the GAR.

It is known that all the Mochin that are revealed to the lower ones, it is because of the ascent of Malchut to Bina. It was said, “One who drinks from it grows wise; he will be grow wise in wisdom,” since through them, he has become suitable to receive all the upper Mochin.

164. That wellspring always comes out from one small gem on the south wall. These waters are swallowed in their place, and from there they exit the Temple until they rise to the Brook of Acacias and wash off that lewdness that the water of the Brook of Acacias engendered.

Hence, these waters are in the court since those males that come to be seen there, when they would drink from the water, they did not fear the females when they came to be seen before the holy king. Moreover, through the water, they will come to know hidden things of the upper king. All the thoughts are forgotten in that Temple, except for the thought of the joy of the holy king.

Although Malchut exits from Bina in the left line, and Bina returns to the light of GAR, since the Yod exits the air of Bina and Bina returns to light, the right line still does not take the Yod out from its air, as it is written, “For He desires mercy,” and does not desire the light of Hochma.

That wellspring comes out from one small gem, from Malchut of Malchut, called a “small gem,” which rose to Bina of Malchut to correct her right line in the Yod that entered the air. These waters are swallowed in their place, meaning when the right unites with the left and Hesed is incorporated with Hochma, and the Hassadim that are incorporated with Hochma are bestowed downward, then the force of the Yod in the air, which causes the prevention of Hochma, which is not drawn with the Hassadim, but they are rather swallowed in their place.

However, if Israel sin and adhere to the left, as it was in the Brook of Acacias, which is left, which they drew through their sin with the daughters of Moab, then the force of the Yod in the air, the right, which is mixed with the water on the south, awakens and exits its place to diminish the left and erase the filth.

From there, they exit the Temple, only at the time of sin, until they rise to the Brook of Acacias, which is the control of the left without right, when they adhere to the daughters of Moab and to the Baal of Peor. They wash that lewdness that the water of the Brook of Acacias engendered, where through the force of the Yod in their air, they diminish the left line, and then the filth is erased since all those that are drawn from his side are erased.

Israel were commanded as it is written, “Three times a year all your males shall be seen.” Through the three lines, called “three times,” they draw the Hochma, called “seeing,” in the state of the males, Hassadim, so Hochma will not be drawn from the left line where the females are, since it is forbidden to draw the Hochma on the left from above downward. Rather, it is permitted to draw down the Hassadim, the males, although seeing, Hochma, is incorporated in them.

It is written, “all your males shall be seen,” that there will be seeing in the males. To be sure that they do not draw anything from the left side, which are females, they would drink from that fountain on the south, in which the Yod is in the air, whose force repels Hochma. This is why these waters were in the court, meaning with the Yod that is in their air, since those males, the Hassadim, which come to be seen there, when they would drink from the water and receive the strength of the Yod that is in their air, they did not fear the females when they came to be seen before the holy king.

When they came to be seen means drawing Hassadim, in which Hochma is included. They will not awaken in the females means that they will not awaken to draw from their side, which is the left line, since it is forbidden to draw the Hochma on the left from above downward. Moreover, through the water, they will come to know hidden things of the upper king, since all the Mochin of ZA are drawn and come out from that correction of the Yod in the air.

165. A branch emerges in the middle of that wellspring. The Yesod [foundation] and root of that branch is in the water. That branch covers worlds; all the colors in the world are seen in its leaves; its fruit is not known and cannot be known; the fruit is concealed for man, as it is written, “with his staff in his hand because of the many days.” One who is rewarded with knowing it knows.

Although the wellspring is the right line, it contains three lines since each of the three lines consists of the three of them. They are equal to each since in all of them there are right, left, and the middle line that incorporates them together. There is a big difference between the general middle line and the middle line incorporated in the right.

This is why it was said, “A branch emerges in the middle of that wellspring,” which is the middle line incorporated in that wellspring, which is right. It is not like the general middle line, in which the right and left are attained, one from above downward and one from below upward. Rather, the middle line that is incorporated in the right, the closer we come to it, the more it departs upward.

All this is because the Yesod and the root of that branch is in the water, since in each line, its Yesod rules. If the Yesod and the root is Hesed, all three lines are under the control of the Hesed. If the Yesod and the root are Gevura, all three lines are under the control of the Gevura. Since the Yesod and the root of that branch is in the water, Hesed, then even the middle line in it is also in the phase of Hesed, and the phase of the left is not apparent in it.

That branch covers worlds so they do not receive from the illumination of Hochma. Yet, all the colors of the world are seen in its leaves, for in terms of its leaves, which are not for eating, they only serve the branch itself. There are all the colors there, white, red, and green, where for itself, there is also illumination of Hochma there.

However, its fruit, which is for eating—to draw from it to the lower ones—it is not known what it is, and they cannot know since there is no attainment in it whatsoever, as it is Hassadim without any Hochma at all.

That fruit is concealed before man, as it is written, “with his staff in his hand because of the many days.” That is, in the future [end of correction], when they are rewarded with all the degrees, they will receive Hassadim from the holy Atik, which are far more important than Hochma, and will be drawn below, to the lower ones. These important Hassadim are the fruit of that branch, as they are received through it.

166. There is a firmament on that middle branch from the phase of the right, which is spread over it from above. From that firmament, dew goes to that wellspring and not more. When a person looks to that firmament from afar, it is similar to azure. When he comes closer, it is similar to red. When he comes closer, it is similar to green, and when he comes closer, it is similar to white, and there is no white like this in the world. The dew that goes from it is sucked into the branch and makes that fruit, and it grows. That firmament goes in rolling more than the eyes can look at it.

ZA is called a “firmament,” heaven. The phase corresponding the branch in the middle of the water, which is in ZA, is called a firmament that there is on that middle branch from the phase of the right, for the firmament, too, is the middle line of the right side. From that firmament, dew goes to that wellspring and not more, since it corresponds to the branch in the middle of the wellspring. Hence, he bestows only to it. One who is rewarded with receiving from that firmament, receives and goes from below upward in his four degrees.

When a person looks at that firmament from afar, when he is far and wants to receive the first degree, he is similar to azure, the color of Malchut. One who is rewarded more, sees left in it, red. One who is rewarded more sees the green color, the middle line, Tifferet, which contains HG. One who is rewarded more sees white, which is Hesed, and there is no white like it in the world. That Hesed bestows upon the branch and bears fruits, meaning that from that Hesed grows fruit on the branch in the middle of the spring.

Although there are all four colors in the firmament, their phase is still not drawn down, as with the general middle line. That firmament rolls more than the eyes can look at it, for the colors revolve so quickly that the eyes cannot control them, and all four colors are under the control of Hesed.