Kabbalah Library
Zohar for All, Volume 1
General Explanation for All Fourteen Commandments and How They Are Divided into the Seven Days of Creation
1) The 613 commandments in the Torah are called deposits, as well as counsels. This is so because in all things there is the preparation for attainment, called “back,” and the attainment of the matter is called “face.” Similarly, in Torah and commandments there are “We shall do” and “We shall hear.” When keeping Torah and commandments in “we shall do,” prior to being rewarded with hearing, the commandments are called “613 counsels,” preparation, back. When rewarded with hearing, the 613 commandments become deposits. This is so because in each commandment, the light of a degree is deposited opposite a unique organ in the 613 organs and tendons of the soul and of the body. It follows that by performing the commandment he extends the light that belongs to that organ and tendon through his soul and body. This is the face of the commandments, hence the face of the commandments are called “deposits.”
Rabbi Shimon explains the fourteen commandments, which include all 613 commandments, as the seven days of creation include 7,000 years. This is why he divided them into seven days of creation and tied each to its ascribed day. And since they include all 613 commandments, it is worthwhile exerting to keep each day.
2) The first commandment is fear because He is great and rules over everything. This is the whole of the Torah and the commandments, the degree of AVI of Atzilut, Yod of HaVaYaH, pure air of GAR of Bina. “Great” refers to upper Aba, in whom the HS of AA, Yod, is hidden. “Rules over everything” refers to upper Ima, the filling of Vav-Dalet of Yod. And since the HS of AA is hidden in them, meaning that the worlds are unfit to receive her from them prior to the end of correction, they only give out light of Hassadim, called “pure air.” For this reason, they do not have a revealed verse in the Torah, as it is written, “In the beginning God created,” which is an obscure verse, for the speaker is not mentioned.
The second verse, “And the land was unformed and void, and darkness over the face of the deep, and the spirit of God,” is the punishment for one who does not keep the commandment of fear. They are four deaths: Tohu is strangulation, Bohu is stoning, darkness is burning, and wind is killing.
3) The second commandment is love on two sides: the side of Hesed [mercy/grace] and the side of harsh judgment. It is also to always include fear in love, to not part one from the other. We must include fear in love from the side of Hesed, too, and also in love from the side of harsh judgment. This is the degree of YESHSUT of Atzilut, ZAT of Bina, divided also into GAR—upper AVI—and ZAT—YESHSUT. This is the first verse, “Let there be light,” which is light that was created on the first day of the six days of creation, when Adam saw in it from the end of the world to its end. The Creator saw that the world was unfit for using, He stood and concealed it for the righteous in the next world.
It was said, “Let there be light” for this world. First, YESHSUT gave this great light down to this world, and then—to reveal the quality of love on two sides—He stood and concealed it for the next world, for AVI in YESHSUT from their Chazeh and above, which are called “the next world.” This light no longer shines from Chazeh of YESHSUT and below, which are called YESHSUT of YESHSUT, TNHY in them, which clothe in ZA, as when they clothe in ZA they are already regarded as “this world.”
4) When the light was concealed for the next world, the harsh judgment came out on the second day of the work of creation in the verse “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate between water and water.” In other words, Hell was created on the second day, the harsh judgment, enabling the keeping of the commandment of love on both sides—the side of harsh judgment, too—even when He takes his soul, as it is written, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.” That quality of love that he was awarded from the side of Hesed will not be deficient in any way even when he takes his soul and might.
Indeed, that harsh judgment emerged only below the firmament, in the lower water, in Malchut, Nukva of ZA, Rachel, who stands from his Chazeh and below. From the Chazeh down in each Partzuf indicates below the Parsa in him—the firmament that separates between the upper and lower waters in him. Thus, from the Chazeh down in each Partzuf it is the lower water of that Partzuf.
5) The third commandment is to know that there is a great and ruling God in the world, and to properly unify Him in upper VAK and in lower VAK, called “upper unification” and “lower unification.” The six words in the verse “Hear O Israel” are the unification of the upper VAK, and the six words in the verse “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingship forever and ever” are the lower unification.
It is so because once the quality of fear appeared in the verse “In the beginning God created,” and the quality of love on the part of Hesed in the verse “Let there be light” for the next world, with the concealing for the next world on the first day of the work of creation, and the quality of harsh judgment on the second day, in the verse “Let there be a firmament,” we were given room to unify Him in love on both sides. This is all that is needed, for the quality of love is incomplete without it. Thus, we have the strength to make that unification in full.
This is the third commandment, the third day of the work of creation. Through an awakening from below in Torah, prayer, and good deeds, called “raising MAN,” we raise the discernment of “from Chazeh of ZON of Atzilut and above” to AVI of YESHSUT, and he receives from them the Mochin of “Let there be light,” which is the love from the side of Hesed from Chazeh of YESHSUT and above. This measure of light is called VAK of ZA, and they are the upper VAK, upper water from Chazeh and above, the next world where there is light of the first day.
It is called VAK because it indicates lack of HBD, as reception of complete light requires the Partzuf to have all ten vessels, called HBD, HGT, NHYM. We did not raise the entire Partzuf of ZON to AVI of YESHSUT, only the part from the Chazeh and above in it, HBD HGT, for we could not raise from Chazeh of ZON and below because of the harsh judgment there, which is the lower water.
Since we raised only six vessels from the Chazeh of ZA and above, we receive only six lights. Thus, the six lights, HGT NHY, clothe in the six vessels HBD HGT of ZA, and there is no room to receive the three lights HBD due to absence of NHY of the vessels from his Chazeh and below, which could not rise to AVI due to the coarseness and harsh judgment in them.
It follows that now we unify only VAK of ZA, lacking GAR of lights because of the absence of the bottom three of the vessels. And opposite those six lights, HGT NHY, there are six words in the verse “Hear O Israel,” receiving only in the upper unification from the upper water from the Chazeh and above in Mochin of love only from the side of Hesed.
6) However, fear should also be included in these Mochin of VAK, in the concealing of the light, which was done in the place from Chazeh of YESHSUT and below. It is called “dry” and “desolate” because the light remained entirely from Chazeh and above, and below the Chazeh became dry and devoid of light. This is the big Dalet in Ehad [“one”], implying to NHY of Tevuna that was dried of this light. This dry land is received in Nukva of ZA from the Chazeh and above, Leah, which can rise with him to AVI, as she is from his Chazeh and above. But now the small Nukva, Rachel, cannot rise with ZA in a higher unification, as she is considered lower water from the Chazeh and below, which is the place of the harsh judgment.
This upper unification is as it is written, “Let the waters gather unto one place, and let the dry land appear,” said in the third day of the work of creation, when the degrees below the heaven gathered into one place to be wholeness for VAK. “And let the dry land appear” means to also connect the degrees of ZA to the Dalet in Ehad, called “dry land,” who is received by Leah, the great Nukva of ZA from the Chazeh and above. That completes the upper unification, and this is the first, “It was good,” said in the third day of the work of creation.
7) Once this dry land was tied in the upper unification, Leah, Nukva of ZA, it must also be tied below, in the VAK below, which are “Blessed be,” “the name,” “of the glory,” “of His kingship,” “forever,” “and ever.” It is so because once the Chazeh and above of ZON extended and descended with the Mochin of the six words of “Hear O Israel,” to her place below, she bonded with his NHY below into a single Partzuf as before.
NHY cannot receive the Mochin of the upper unification, which are the next world and upper waters, since they are from the Chazeh and below, lower waters. Yet, the dry land that was included in these Mochin can still come down and be received below Chazeh of ZA, as it essentially comes from the lower water of YESHSUT, the place of the light’s departure.
Hence, we should extend Leah, the dry land, to the place of Rachel, from the Chazeh and below. Then, what was dry land becomes a land for bearing fruit and offspring, and for planting trees. In the unification below, “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingship forever and ever,” when it becomes Eretz [earth], a complete desire.
Even though ZA received his Mochin of from-Chazeh-and-above and descended to his place, he could not give them to his Nukva, Leah, for she received the dry land of Tevuna, which are unfit for reception of any light because the power of concealment governs them. Hence, at that time Leah is regarded as a place of desolation, which does not bear fruit. For this reason, there was also no wholeness in ZA, for the wholeness of the male is in bestowal upon the Nukva. And since he had no one upon whom to bestow, he was lacking wholeness.
The reason for it is that the concealment was only to disclose a complete quality of love on both sides, on the harsh side, as well. And since from Chazeh of ZA and above it is upper water, in which there is no harsh judgment at all, the concealing came up empty handed on both counts, since the concealing and the dry land were already governing there. Yet, it was not sufficiently completed, as she lacked the purpose—the harsh judgment that gives room for disclosing the complete love on both sides, complementing the Mochin from all sides, at which time the Mochin grow more than when they were only from the side of Hesed.
But before it is revealed in the Mochin of harsh judgment, the land in Leah is empty from here and from there. Hence, by extending the dry land to Chazeh of ZA and below, to the place of the small Nukva, Rachel—where the harsh judgment is revealed, since it is lower water—we are allowed to disclose a complete quality of love on both sides. With it, those Mochin were completed in all the desired completeness, and the Mochin grew even more than when they were in only the upper water, in the quality of love from only the side of Hesed.
Hence, her being thus far dry land from Chazeh of ZA and above, in the upper unification, has now, upon the descent to from-the-Chazeh-and-below, become the lower unification in the place of harsh judgment, discerned as earth, a settled place in which to bear fruit and offspring, and to plant trees, as it should be. When the love united on both sides, henceforth it was said, “Let the dry land bring forth grass,” since it was made to bear fruits and offspring as it should.
This is why it is called “lower unification,” since the unification is particularly in the lower water. This is the second “it was good” of the third day, said in the verse “Let the land bring forth grass,” of the work of creation. Now the Nukva receives all the Mochin of VAK in the upper unification because they were completed only in the place of the lower Nukva, and the lower one that complements the upper one takes the entire measure that he complemented in him. These VAK are implied in the six words [in Hebrew] “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingship forever and ever.”
8) The fourth commandment is “Know that the Lord He is the God,” to include the name Elokim [God], Nukva of ZA, in the name HaVaYaH, ZA, to know that they are one and there is no separation in them. This is the verse “Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven,” said on the fourth day of the work of creation. This is so because here the Nukva of ZA was included in ZA in a single name, “lights,” indicating that there is no separation between them, for they are of equal level.
We have already extended the VAK to Nukva in the lower unification of “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingship forever and ever” on the third day of the work of creation, in the verse “Let the land bring forth grass.” Now we must extend the GAR to it, so it will be face-to-face with ZA on an equal level without any difference of degree between them, as the name “lights” indicates—both of them together—that HaVaYaH is Elokim.
The unification was explained in the third commandment, in which we drew only VAK because the from-the-Chazeh-and-above of ZA rose with Leah to AVI, meaning only the six vessels HBD HGT of ZA. Because of the harsh judgment from Chazeh of ZA and below, they could not rise to AVI, which are pure without any judgment. And since there were only six vessels in ZA, he received only six lights, HGT NHY, and three lights, HBD remained outside because he did not have the vessels to receive them.
The mode by which the lights enter is that the lower ones enter first. Hence, the three upper ones remained outside. And since ZA had VAK lacking GAR, the Nukva, too, did not receive more from him.
However, now that the unification in Rachel, from Chazeh of ZA and below, who was dry, was already done and she became a land that bears fruits and offspring precisely because of the harsh judgment from Chazeh of ZA and below—who complemented the love on both sides—it becomes revealed that this harsh judgment in Rachel is a great merit, more than the great merit from Chazeh of ZA and above. This is so because from Chazeh of ZA and above, the Mochin could not receive in the upper Nukva because of the dry land. But now, through the harsh judgment, the dry land became a fruit bearing land.
Hence, the harsh judgment was inverted into complete light, but was regarded as black light, a light that exists only by the power of the black—the harsh judgment. It follows that now there is no difference between Chazeh of ZA and above or from the Chazeh and below, since the whole difference was only because of the harsh judgment in Rachel, and now the harsh judgment has been turned into complete light.
For this reason, now the entire Partzuf of ZA and Nukva can rise to AVI, even the vessels NHY from Chazeh of ZA and below, regarded as black light. It is so because black light in white light are one, without any difference. Moreover, the black light enhanced the Mochin far more than when they were white light of above the Chazeh. And since all ten vessels of Partzuf ZON rose to AVI, he can now receive all ten Sefirot of lights, including the lights of HBD that he lacked, and which are called “light of the face.” The Nukva, Rachel, who caused all that to ZA, also takes these Mochin of the face from ZA, and ZA becomes face-to-face with Nukva, on an equal level, as it is written, “Let there be lights.” This explains the order of the unification of GAR of ZON on the fourth day of the work of creation.
We could ask, “But on the fourth day was the diminution of the moon, so why is he saying here that it is the unification of ZON face-to-face?” It is so because the emanation of the worlds and the commandments are separate and must not be compared to one another.
9) We could ask, “Why were the Mochin of ZON divided into two days—the third day, VAK of Mochin, and the fourth day, GAR of Mochin?” Also, “Why were they not both on the same day?” In the beginning, only Chazeh of ZA and above could rise to AVI, since from the Chazeh and below was the harsh judgment. Through extension of Mochin of VAK to from the Chazeh and above, Mochin of VAK were extended from the Chazeh and below, in the lower unification, too, and the harsh judgment became the black light on the third day.
Once it was completed, it became possible to raise the from-the-Chazeh-and-below of ZA on the fourth day, too, since after the harsh judgment became black light, the vessels from Chazeh and below could rise, as well, since black light and white light are one without any difference. And since the vessels NHY from the Chazeh and below rose, too, the GAR were extended to them. Thus, it was impossible to extend them at once because before the harsh judgment became light, it was impossible to raise the from-the-Chazeh-of-ZA-and-below along with Rachel to AVI, but only from Chazeh of ZA and above with Leah, who receive only VAK. After the completion of VAK, a second time is required—to raise from the Chazeh of ZA from below along with Rachel, and then they receive the GAR.
There is also a difference between Mochin of VAK and Mochin of GAR regarding the rise of ZON to AVI. ZON cannot rise to Mochin of VAK by themselves. Rather, YESHSUT raises them to him. But Mochin of GAR, ZON, rise by themselves and do not need YESHSUT to raise them, since upper and lower are discerned by the degree. It is so because the lower one is not as pure as the upper one, hence it is considered lower. Accordingly, it is difficult to understand how the lower one could rise to the upper one, who removed the difference between them to the point that the lower one would equal the upper one and rise to him. After all, it is necessary that if the lower one rises to the upper one, it is equal to it.
The explanation is in the association of the quality of judgment with the quality of mercy. When Malchut rose to the place of Bina, the degrees split into two halves—GE and AHP, or MI ELEH. This is so because the ten Sefirot are called Galgalta, Einayim, Ozen, Hotem, Peh, which are KHB ZON. These are the five letters of the name Elokim, and since the Malchut rose to the place of Bina, it follows that the bottom Hey of HaVaYaH was established as a place of coupling in NE, and the point, the bottom Hey, Malchut, rose to being a thought, Bina. It is so because she rose in her place and became the coupling of Rosh in the place of NE, where the Rosh ends. The three Sefirot, AHP, fell from the Rosh to the degree below it. This is considered that they did not remain there in the Rosh, but in the two vessels GE, called MI, with only lights of NR, and the three vessels AHP, called ELEH, departed and fell to the degree below it.
This discernment is apparent primarily in Partzuf YESHSUT, in which there are only VAK of lights in GE of the vessels, for which reason it is called MI. Her AHP, which are the three letters ELEH, fell to the degree below it, to ZON. Also, ZON have only GE in lights of VAK, and their AHP fell to the degree below them, which are three worlds BYA.
When we wish to extend Mochin of Gadlut to the ZON, which are a complete Partzuf of ten Sefirot, which are themselves divided into GAR and VAK of GAR—VAK of Gadlut and GAR of Gadlut—we need two Iburim [plural of Ibur] for that, two raisings of MAN. First, MAN is raised to ZON through the top degree, and Mochin are drawn out of AB SAG of AK to YESHSUT. Through these Mochin, the point comes out of a thought and arrives at its place, to Malchut. The bottom Hey descends from NE to Peh, and her coupling in the Peh is done as prior to the association. Thus, the three vessels AHP, ELEH, rise to her once more, and connect to her degree. And since the five letters Elokim, five vessels, have now been completed for her in the Rosh, she also obtains GAR of lights, and YESHSUT are completed in ten Sefirot of lights and ten Sefirot of the vessels.
However, when YESHSUT raise the three letters ELEH to them, for their completion, ZON rise along with them, since the upper one that descends to the place of the lower one becomes like it. Hence, since the three letters ELEH previously fell to ZON, by that, they became as a single degree with the ZON. Hence, now that YESHSUT return and raise the three letters ELEH to them, ZON are drawn out with them to YESHSUT, for they are already attached to one another at a single degree. And since ZON rose with ELEH to YESHSUT, they receive there the Mochin of YESHSUT.
This explains how YESHSUT raise ZON to Mochin of VAK with their letters ELEH. Were it not for that, ZON would be unable to rise by themselves, for anyone who is lower than his friend is necessarily coarser than him, so how can he rise to him?
In this ascent, the unification of the Shema reading was made on the third day in the verse “Let the waters be gathered onto one place,” as well as the lower unification of “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingship forever and ever.” Through the Mochin that YESHSUT received, they extended to them the three letters ELEH, with whom the ZON rose and received Mochin of VAK in their inclusion there with YESHSUT, since there were only six vessels there. It follows that this whole unification is primarily YESHSUT, since they are the ones who receive the Mochin, and they are the ones who raise the ZON to them.
However, only after ZON obtained the Mochin of VAK and came to their place, and—through the lower unification—extended the Mochin of VAK to the Nukva from the Chazeh and below, whose harsh judgment became light, the ZON can rise for MAN by themselves, to obtain Mochin of GAR, and do not need ELEH of YESHSUT to raise them. This is because they equalize with one another, since now the whole difference between YESHSUT and ZON has been revoked. The coarser ZON are, the more the judgment from YESHSUT is completely sucked out, so even the harsh judgment becomes black light of ZON, which is now regarded as white light of YESHSUT.
Hence, ZON rise to YESHSUT because they are now one without any difference, receiving there GAR of Mochin of Gadlut. Thus, for the purpose of GAR, ZON can rise by themselves without the assistance of YESHSUT. For this reason, the unification of GAR is considered a special day, as it greatly differs from the unification of VAK, both on the part of the vessels of ZON—since Mochin of VAK rise only half a Partzuf from Chazeh and above—and from the perspective of the ascent, since ZON cannot rise by themselves to Mochin of VAK. These two kinds of ascent are called “the first Ibur for VAK” and “the second Ibur for GAR.” They apply to all the degrees, for it is possible to extend any degree only in two times.
10) The fifth commandment comprises three commandments: 1) to engage in Torah, 2) to engage in procreation, 3) to circumcise after eight days. This is the verse of the fifth day of the work of creation, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let fowl fly above the earth.” In the four commandments thus far, we have completed the correction of Atzilut through Mochin of GAR of ZON face-to-face. Through the first commandment, the fear of greatness—because He is great and rules over everything—we extended the correction of upper AVI in the first verse in the Torah, “In the beginning God created.”
The interpretation of the punishment in the second verse, “And the land was Tohu [formless],” and through the second commandment, of love, on the side of Hesed, we extended the correction of YESHSUT of Atzilut that is in the verse of the first day of the work of creation, “Let there be light.” This is a light that was created in the six days of creation, in which Adam saw from the end of the world to its end.
Through a third commandment, of the Shema reading, and “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingship forever and ever” in the upper unification of Shema, we extended Mochin of VAK to ZA and Leah through their ascent to YESHSUT. These are the six words of “Hear O Israel.”
We also included the concealing of the light in it, as it was said, “And there was light for the next world,” of YESHSUT, and not for this world of YESHSUT. This is so because it was hidden from Chazeh of YESHSUT and below and became dry land there. This extension is in the big letter Dalet in Ehad [one], and Leah receives it because the rule is that any deficiency or screens are not in the male, but in the female of that Partzuf.
Through the lower unification “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingship forever and ever,” we sweetened the harsh judgment of from the Chazeh of ZA and below, which extends from the verse of the second day of the work of creation, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters,” in which Hell, the harsh judgment, was created. Its place is from the Chazeh of ZA and below, though it is in the Nukva, Rachel, and not in the male, ZA.
The sweetening is through completion of the commandment of love, so it will be on both sides, even if He takes your soul. For this reason, we must assume the complete devotion in the Dalet in Ehad prior to the lower unification, to complement the quality of love on both sides in extending the Mochin to Rachel’s place, since then the lower VAK of the Mochin are drawn to Rachel in the six words “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingship forever and ever,” and the harsh judgment becomes light, called “black light.”
The upper unification is the verse “Let the waters be gathered onto one place, and let the dry land appear.” This is the first “It was good” in the third day of the work of creation.
The lower unification is the verse “Let the earth put forth grass.” This is the second “It was good,” in the third day of the work of creation.
The fourth commandment is to know that the Lord [HaVaYaH], He is the God [Elokim], to completely equalize the Nukva, Rachel, to ZA without any difference, through completion of the love on both sides in such wholeness that the harsh judgment becomes light. Also, there is no separation between black light and white light because by completing the love on both sides, the black light becomes even more important. Thus, Rachel and ZA truly united into one and can both rise to YESHSUT by their own strength.
Through it, ZON are completely equal to YESHSUT because ZON being coarser than him is not a deficiency but a merit and advantage over them. At that time, ZON receive from YESHSUT Mochin of GAR, as well, and ZON become of equal level in one unification, face-to-face. This is the verse of the fourth day of the work of creation, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven,” where Nukva, Rachel, and ZA are both equally included in the name Ehad of lights, which is “HaVaYaH He is the Elokim.”
Thus, through these four commandments, we have now completed the entire correction of Atzilut, through ZON face-to-face on an equal level. Now we should copulate ZON once more by raising MAN and good deeds, to draw Mochin of the face to us from them. These are the three phases of Mochin: NRN of Katnut, NRN of the first Gadlut, and NRN of the second Gadlut. They are drawn to us through the rest of the commandments.
NRN of Katnut, the fifth day of the work of creation, are in the verse “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures.” The completion of the Katnut is in the sixth day. Also, VAK and GAR of the first Gadlut, and VAK of the second Gadlut, are on the sixth day of the work of creation, and GAR of the second Gadlut is on the Sabbath day.
11) These are the three commandments included in the fifth commandment: 1) Engage and toil in the Torah daily, by which one acquires holy Nefesh from the ZON. 2) Engage in procreation, by which one acquires holy Ruach from the coupling of ZON. 3) Circumcise after eight days and remove the foreskin from there, by which one acquires Neshama from the coupling of ZON.
All these NRN are only NRN of Katnut. This is the verse of the fifth day of the work of creation, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let fowl fly above the earth over the firmament of heaven.” “Living creatures” are Nefesh, “Let fowl fly” is Ruach, and “Over the firmament of heaven” is Neshama.
We could ask, “Why did we not engage in drawing NRN of Katnut in ZON, while in our Mochin we must draw NRN of Katnut?” It is so because ZON are never deficient of anything from the Katnut, since this has already been corrected by the Emanator Himself. Hence, the beginning of extension is from VAK of Gadlut, through the Shema reading. Yet, we must correct everything by ourselves, since in one who is born, there is only Nefesh on the part of a pure beast. He does not even have Nefesh of Kedusha [holiness] on the part of the Ofanim.
Hence, we must always begin in Nefesh of Katnut. Thus we have explained the three commandments in the fifth commandment. The fifth is to engage in Torah to correct the Nefesh of Katnut, the sixth is to engage in procreation to correct the Ruach of Katnut, and the seventh is to circumcise oneself and remove the foreskin from oneself for the correction of the Neshama of Katnut. All these are the fifth day.
12) The eighth commandment is to love the proselyte who comes to be circumcised and be admitted under the wings of the Shechina [Divinity], to extend from there the Nefesh of the proselyte from the holy Shechina. By that, we draw for ourselves Neshama from the body of the tree of life—the end and completion of our Katnut. This is the verse of the sixth day of the work of creation, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind,” each as it should.
13) The ninth commandment is to pardon the poor and to willingly give them prey. By that, we cause the association of the quality of judgment with the quality of mercy above, since Bina partakes with Malchut in the bottom Hey in NE and returns from there into MI, which is GE in lights of NR. Her ELEH descend to ZON, ZON return to GE in lights of NR, their ELEH descend to BYA, inside our NRN in BYA, and we receive from ZON the lights of VAK of Gadlut. This is the verse “‘Let us make man’ of the sixth day of the work of creation,” since Bina said, “Let us,” and partook with Assiya, Malchut, to beget VAK for man.
14) The tenth commandment is to wear Tefillin and to complement oneself in the upper form. By that, we cause the return of Gadlut above, when the bottom Hey descends from NE to Peh once more, and the letters ELEH return to their degree. When ZON raise their letters ELEH from BYA to their degree, to Atzilut, our NRN rise along with them. Then we receive from ZON GAR of the first Gadlut, regarded as Mochin of Neshama of the first Gadlut.
This is the verse of the sixth day of the work of creation, “And God created man in His own image.” These Mochin of GAR of Gadlut are drawn in the Tzelem of YESHSUT, which is called Elokim, HBD. The Mem in Tzelem is Hochma, upper AVI; the Lamed in Tzelem is Bina, YESHSUT, and the Tzadi in Tzelem is Daat, ZON.
Also, they are the four portions in the Tefillin: 1) “Sanctify” is the Mem in Tzelem; 2) “And it shall be when the Lord brings you” is Lamed in the Tzelem; 3) “Hear” is Hesed of Tzadi in the Tzelem; and 4) “And it shall come to pass, if indeed you listen” is Gevura of Tzadi in Tzelem. These are the four Mochin of ZA in the head Tefillin.
The four portions of the hand Tefillin are the four Mochin received by Nukva of ZA, Rachel. It is the two times Tzelem, presented in the verse “And God created man in His own image; in the image of God did He create them.” “In His own image” applies to the head Tefillin, the Tzelem of ZA, and the image of God applies to the hand Tefillin, the Tzelem of Nukva. This completes the NRN of the first Gadlut for a person, meaning NR of the first Gadlut, through the commandment to pardon the poor, and GAR—Neshama, Haya, Yechida of the first Gadlut—through the commandments of wearing Tefillin.
15) The eleventh commandment is to give tithing [ten percent] of the land. Through this commandment one is rewarded with receiving Nefesh of light of Haya from upper AVI, since once a person has been completed with NRNHY of the first Gadlut through the Tefillin, he should begin to obtain the second Gadlut: the light of Haya. This divides into four phases—Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Haya—and to obtain them we were given the four commandments.
One is rewarded with Nefesh by the commandment of giving the tithing of the land, since Eretz [earth] is considered Nefesh, as it is written, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed upon the face of all the earth,” said on the sixth day of the work of creation. Here it writes, “Behold, I have given,” and it is written, “And to the sons of Levy, I have given every tithing in Israel.” As it is tithing there, it is the tithing of the earth here, as well.
“Upon the face of all the earth” because one who is rewarded with Nefesh of light of Haya governs all the earth, since all the shells surrender before him. It is written about this Nefesh, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this, …if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.” Nefesh is called “tithing,” after Malchut who is the tenth. But Nefesh of the light of Haya is the whole tithing, the complete wholeness of the tithing.
16) The twelfth commandment is to bring the first fruit of the tree. Through this commandment, one is rewarded with receiving the light of Ruach from the light of Haya that comes from AVI. It is so because “first fruit” comes from the word “firstborn,” and AVI are first, beginning, as explained in the first commandment. And since it is from the tree, the first fruit of the tree, they are regarded as Ruach, since the tree is vegetative, regarded as Ruach.
The still, vegetative, animate, and speaking correspond to NRNHY—still to Nefesh, vegetative to Ruach, animate to Neshama, and speaking to Haya-Yechida. It is written about it, “And every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed.” It is written, “Of the fruit of the tree,” and it is written, “Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s.” As it is the first fruit in the fruit of the tree there, it is the first fruit here, as he explains the words “is the Lord’s,” as “Anything that befits Me is forbidden for you to eat.”
17) The thirteenth commandment is to redeem one’s son, to tie him to life, and to weaken the appointee over death, of whom it was said, “Very.” This is the angel of death. By that, he is rewarded with Neshama from the light of Haya.
In terms of order, he should have been rewarded with Haya from the light of Haya by this commandment, since speaking is the light of Haya. Once he has been rewarded with NR through the fruit of the land and the fruit of the tree, since they are still and vegetative, he should have been rewarded with Neshama from the light of Haya through the firstborn of a beast, as it is animate, and with Haya Yechida through the firstborn of man, as it is the speaking.
However, the redemption of the firstborn does not completely surrender the angel of death, only weakens him. Upon the giving of the Torah, he became completely liberated from the angel of death, but then through the sin of the calf the work was taken from the firstborn of Israel and was given to the priests, since the filth of the serpent from the sin of the tree of knowledge that the angel of death brought to the world was mingled in Israel again through the calf.
It is about this correction of the firstborn of Israel that the commandment of redeeming the firstborn was given in five rocks, corresponding to the correction of all ten Sefirot, which are five phases KHB ZON. The firstborn reaches through KH, upper AVI, Resheet [beginning/head]. Through the correction of five rocks, we reconnect the firstborn to the upper life, weakening the angel of death so he cannot govern them, though we do not completely remove him, as he was liberated from the angel of death prior to the sin with the calf.
Hence, the commandment of redemption of the firstborn is not enough to draw Haya out of the light of Haya, as it is meant to be, canceling the angel of death as it was upon the giving of the Torah, before the sin with the calf. Rather, it is a degree below it, the degree of Neshama, light of Neshama from upper AVI, and not more.
It was said on the sixth day of the work of creation, “And God saw all that He has done, and it was very good.” “Good” is the angel of life, and “Very” is the angel of death, since then the angel of death was sweetened and was more important than the angel of life. However, now, during the 6,000 years, he does not arrive at this great sweetening. Rather, this was said only for the end of correction. Yet, by redemption of the firstborn, which only weakens him and not more, he is rewarded only with Neshama of Haya, VAK of Haya, by the redemption.
18) The fourteenth commandment is to keep the Sabbath day and to connect the Sabbath day to its Kedusha. Through these two commandments, one is rewarded with Haya of Haya on the Sabbath day, as it is written, “And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it,” since by keeping from desecrating the Sabbath, one is rewarded with a blessing. And by sanctifying the Sabbath with delights of the Sabbath, one is rewarded with Kedusha.
The light of Haya is Kedusha because upper AVI are called holy, and in the afternoon prayer of Sabbath, VAK of light of Yechida is extended. Yet, it is impossible to extend GAR of Yechida during the 6,000 years, but only at the end of correction.
