Kabbalah Library

47) Everything that the Creator created in the world is in association of Malchut, the quality of judgment, with Bina, the quality of mercy. There are many virtues in the world as a result of this association. Yet, if association means association of good and evil, which occurs in the creatures, it will increase dispute in the world.

48) Indeed, this would increase dispute in the world, since in truth, association means association of Malchut in Bina. Thus, all the degrees in the worlds were divided by her into KHB and TM, as well as to anterior and posterior, and to internality and externality. As a result, division was made in the world.

Everything that the Creator did, He did as body and soul. The body is from Malchut, and the soul is from Bina. And all that the Creator did was associate the quality of mercy with judgment. Thus, do angels have no bodies? So it is. But they cannot act prior to the association of the light of Bina, which is assistance from above from Him. The angels are the externality of Malchut. There is no strength in them before they receive the assistance and association from Bina, since until then, they are unfit for Mochin because before Malchut is sweetened in Bina, she is unfit for reception of Mochin.

49) At that time, when the Creator revives the dead, the end of all the troubles will be in the fortieth year after the gathering of the exiles. And He determined a law, as it is written, “Forty blows he may give him and not more.” Israel’s wandering in the desert was concluded in the fortieth year, and forty years prior to the revival of the body, the soul awaits it in the land of Israel.

It follows that on the fortieth year of the waiting of the soul in the land of Israel, the bodies will rise from the dust. At forty, the rain stopped at the time of the flood, as it is written, “And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened.” Similarly, the time of Israel’s redemption will be on the fortieth year, and on the fiftieth, the Yovel [a name for a fifty-year period], the settlement of the world will come.

The return of the soul to the body, which waits for it in the land of Israel, is on the fortieth year, as it is written, “And Isaac was forty years old” means he was waiting for the body. It is also written, “When he took Rebecca,” when she entered the body intended for it.

Malchut was erected on the fortieth year by the association of Malchut in Bina. This is so because there are five Sefirot, KHB TM, each of which consists of ten, thus fifty Sefirot. Hence, Malchut should have been the fiftieth year, since she is the last discernment among them. But because of the association of Malchut in Bina, her own essence was concealed and instead, the vessel of Tifferet was established instead of the vessel of Malchut.

After Malchut was hidden, there are only four vessels there, KHB and Tifferet. Hence, the light of Hochma rose and clothed in the vessel of Keter, the light of Bina in the vessel of Hochma, the light of Tifferet in the vessel of Bina, and the light of Malchut in the vessel of Tifferet. Then, Malchut is regarded as the fortieth year. In that state, she receives the lights of Bina like ZA, since she is clothed in his vessel. At that time, the body, too, which is extended from the Malchut, rises and receives the light of Bina, like Malchut. This is the clothing of the soul in the body, for the light of Bina is called “the soul.”

This is the meaning of all the redemptions and salvations being received on the fortieth year, when Malchut participates and receives the light of Bina. Even the end of correction will be on the fortieth year. This is the meaning of BON, which is Malchut, being destined to be SAG, which is Bina. However, there is a big difference because prior to the end of correction, Malchut is unfit to be the fortieth year in and of herself, but through association of the quality of mercy in judgment and by concealing her own essence. But at the end of correction, Malchut of the first restriction herself will be corrected in a way that she will no longer need association with the quality of mercy, but will receive the light of Bina through her own essence.

There are also judgments and troubles that are extended from Malchut with respect to the fortieth year, as long as the Hochma in her has not been clothed in Hassadim. And there are judgments and troubles that are extended from the unsweetened Malchut that was concealed. If he is not rewarded, he is wicked. This means that if he draws from above downward like the sin of the tree of knowledge, the point of Malchut that was concealed appears, and all the lights in her depart because the first restriction rides over her and she is unfit to receive light.

Prior to the end of correction and the revival of the dead, the judgments and the troubles that are extended from the fortieth year are not the end of all the troubles, since there are troubles from Malchut’s unsweetened own essence. This is, “If he is not rewarded, he is wicked.” But at the end of correction, when Malchut’s own essence is corrected and she no longer needs association with Bina, there will not be any troubles from this Malchut, but the judgments and the troubles that are extended from the fortieth year will be the end of all the troubles.

It was said, and he made a law, as it is written, “He may strike him forty times but not more.” No more means he will not keep striking of her own essence past the forty, since then her own essence will be completely corrected.

Afterwards, The Zohar brings the great corrections that have appeared and that will appear on the fortieth year: Israel’s march in the wilderness and the waiting of the soul for the body in the land of Israel and the revival of the dead, the cessation of the waters of the flood and Noah’s opening of the ark, the redemption of Israel, and clothing of the soul in a body.

It is written, “And Isaac was forty years old.” Isaac is the soul. He waited forty years in the land of Israel when he took Rebecca, that is, to clothe in a body called Rebecca. At the time of Malchut’s disclosure, in the fortieth year, when she receives the light of Bina, the Guf [body], too, which is extended from Malchut—called Rebecca—becomes fit and worthy of receiving the light of Bina, which is the soul, called Isaac, which clothes it. This is why Isaac waited for the fortieth year.

50) The daughter of Bethuel, the daughter of the daughter of God [in Hebrew, Bet is like Bat (daughter) and El is God]. Bethuel has the letters of Bat El [daughter of God], Malchut. And the body that is extended from Malchut is considered the daughter of Malchut, the daughter of the daughter of God.

Yet, this is not so. Bethuel is not the name of Malchut. Rather, the spine bone that remains of the entire body in the grave, and which does not decay, is called “Bethuel the Fraud.” Its shape is as the head of the serpent, who is a fraud, more deceitful than all the other bones in the body.

51) Why does that bone remain and sustain more than all other bones? Because it is a fraud and cannot stand the taste of the people’s foods like the rest of the bones. For this reason, it is stronger than all the bones, and will be the root from which the body will be built at the time of the revival of the dead, as it was written, “The daughter of Bethuel the Aramean.”

Here is what we should consider:

1. How is it different from the rest of the bones?

2. Why is it resembling the head of the serpent?

3. Why is the head of the serpent a fraud?

4. Why can’t it stand the taste of food?

5. Why is this a reason that it does not decay in the grave?

6. What is the benefit in not eating?

7. Why does it become the core at the revival of the dead?

Malchut that is associated with the quality of mercy is considered the fortieth year, which is the light of Malchut, dressed in a vessel of ZA, in his Ateret Yesod. And the vessel of Malchut herself, which is the fiftieth year, is missing because she is unfit for clothing of the light. Hence, the Guf, too, which is extended from Malchut, lacks the Malchut herself because she remained empty in it without clothing of the light. She is the bone that he calls “the spine bone,” and it is called “Bethuel the Fraud.”

The reason he is called “a fraud” is that he comes from Malchut of the quality of judgment that is unsweetened by the quality of mercy, and hence cannot enjoy the Mochin that are extended from Bina. It turns out that he cannot stand the taste of foods, but he hides his existence from the quality of judgment and says that he enjoys as much as the rest of the bones in the body. Yet, he is a fraud because in truth, he does not enjoy. And he hides his existence to not blemish the rest of the body, because if his existence were to be sensed, the whole body would be flawed and the Mochin would part from the entire body because of it.

Its shape is as that of the head of the serpent, who is more deceitful than any other bone of the body, since the serpent, who incited Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge, was lying when he said, “You shall not surely die.” He concealed Malchut of the quality of judgment where death comes from, and thus both the serpent and the spine bone are deceitful in one thing: they hide the existence of Malchut of the quality of judgment. And what The Zohar says, “as the head of the serpent,” and does not say, “as the serpent,” is precise, since the act of lying and concealment of the existence of Malchut of the quality of judgment is only in the head of the serpent. After he incited to eating from the tree of knowledge, they said, “He is Satan,” and “He is the evil inclination,” and “He is the angel of death.”

Thus, the inciting serpent itself becomes the angel of death after the sin, for he descends and reveals Malchut of the quality of judgment over a person, and the lights of life depart him and he dies. This act of the serpent is in its tail. The Zohar says about him, “Bends his head and strikes with its tail.” It turns out that the force of concealing the quality of judgment is in the head of the serpent, and the force of revealing of the quality of judgment is in the tail of the serpent. This is why it is said here, “the head of the serpent.” Thus, the matter of what is the spine bone has been clarified, why he cannot taste the taste of foods, why he is a fraud, and why he is similar to the head of the serpent.

Because he cannot stand the taste of foods, he does not decay in the grave, since the reception of Mochin from the middle line causes the body to decay in the ground. And since this bone does not tolerate the Mochin and does not enjoy them, for it enjoys only the Mochin of GAR of GAR that will shine at the end of correction, it does not rot in the grave.

52) The spine bone is a fraud, and it comes from a fraudulent world, from Paddan-Aram. Also, the evil inclination is a fraud, being the serpent’s head, which is the evil inclination and the angel of death. It is written, “the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean,” the fraudulent spine bone. From Paddan-Aram means that it is coming from a fraudulent world, from a pair of frauds. Lavan’s sister is the sister of the deceitful evil inclination. Paddan-Aram is the place from which the body nourishes and feeds, and consists of the two Malchuts. When the Guf [body] goes in the right path, the Malchut of the quality of judgment is concealed for it there, and only the Malchut of the quality of mercy is revealed over it.

This seems like deceit, that the place covers for the quality of judgment, and the Guf receives the Mochin as though it was not incorporated in the Malchut of the quality of judgment. But when the Guf does not go by the right path, the place reveals the Malchut of the quality of judgment over it, and all the Mochin depart it.

This, too, seems like deceit because these Mochin that are clothed in the vessel of Bina of the Guf were meant to remain in it, since only the vessel of Malchut was flawed, but not the vessel of Bina. But due to the association of the quality of mercy with the judgment, which occurred earlier and mingled Bina and Malchut in each other, the Mochin departed from the vessel of Bina, too. Thus, there is a pair of frauds here: the first fraud from the sweetened Malchut, and the second fraud from the disclosure of Malchut of the quality of judgment.

As we learned, in the beginning he was defiled by sins in this world, and he was called “Lot.” In the future, when he is not defiled as in the beginning, he will be as one who has bathed and washed off his impurity, and then he will be called Lavan [white]. Still, the evil inclination is not revoked from the world.

53) Lot’s two daughters are two forces of the body that awaken to the evil inclination. Now that he is not so evil and dips in his own filth, he is called Lavan [white], and those two daughters are not actually canceled, as it is written, “Lavan had two daughters.” Here it is written elder and younger, and there it is written, big and little.

54) However, they have no power to do harm and awaken to the evil inclination as in the beginning. The meaning of the words “The name of the older was Leah [Hebrew: tired],” meaning she was weary of her strength and wickedness. “And the name of the younger was Rachel [Hebrew: sheep],” in whom there is no force that awakens, as it is written, “As a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.”

This is the evil inclination, and his two daughters change from how they were in the beginning. At first, Lot is cursed and a villain. Now he is Lavan, whitened, not cursed in his evil as in the beginning. At first, his two daughters are strong, each with her own strength. Now, the name of the older is Leah, Leah without power, Leah without reinforcement, Leah from her first actions. And the name of the younger was Rachel, and not as they were at first.

55) “And Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife because she was barren.” Why was she barren? It is because the evil inclination has no power in the world. For this reason, there is no multiplication, unless through prayer. What is written? “And the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” When the evil inclination awakens, there is multiplication.

56) What is the difference between this world and that time, if then there will still be the evil inclination? Moreover, it is written, “And the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” Does that mean that the Creator Himself evokes the evil inclination at that time? The Creator evokes only the evil inclination that is needed for the coupling, but not for all time, to always be with man, as it is now, that it is always with man and men sin because of it. The awakening of the evil inclination only for the time of the coupling will be the awakening of the Creator.

It is written, “And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.” A heart of flesh is a heart to educe flesh and not for something else, meaning for begetting of sons. “And I will give you” means that the Creator Himself will evoke the evil inclination for the time of the coupling.

57) The evil inclination is needed in the world like the rain is needed in the world. Without the evil inclination, there would be no joy of studying in the world. But then it will not be defiling as before, to sin by it, as it is written, “They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain.” “My holy mountain” is the heart, the dwelling place of the evil inclination.

A good heart is the structure of the body and the soul. This is why it is written, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,” for the heart is the core of everything.

58) The two structures of the body are the liver and the heart. They lead the body with all its organs. The leader of the head is the brain, but in the body, they are two—the liver and the heart, as it is written, “And the children struggled together within her,” which are the brain and the heart, the structures of the body.