Kabbalah Library

117. It is written, “Be Tamim [naive] with the Lord your God.” What is the connection between Tam [complete/naïve/finished]and Tamim? It is written about Abraham, “Walk before Me and be Tamim.” It is written about Jacob, who was more complete, “And Jacob was a Tam man.” He is called Tam because no waste at all was left in him, since there was a Priaa [removal of foreskin during the circumcision].

118. With what did he do the Priaa and was purified from that waste? That place which attacks the waste within, which is placed where the Priaa is present, is an ox, the shape of the left of his throne, since in the Merkava [chariot/structure] of the throne there is as it is written, “The face of a lion to the right, the face of an ox from the left.” That ox is called a “Tam” ox, since the Merkava of the throne has in it an impression from the covenant. This is why that ox is called a “Tam ox.” Jacob is gripped within it, and with this ox, he performed the Priaa and removed the filth entirely.

At the end of the Partzuf of holiness in Yesod, which is the Sium [end] of the Guf [body], the shells are attached. They are four shells: stormy wind, great cloud, blazing fire, and Noga. The first three shells are completely impure and are incorporated in the first skin, called “foreskin,” which is cut off and thrown to the dust.

The fourth shell, Noga, is impure while the three shells are adhered to it. After the three shells are removed from it, it returns to holiness. This is the second skin, called the “skin of Priaa.” After the foreskin is cut off from it, namely the three impure shells, it returns to holiness, to the Guf of the Partzuf.

However, filth and waste remain in it from the time when the foreskin was adhered to it. To remove the filth and the waste from it, the skin must be torn off and put aside, where by the tearing and removal, all the waste is canceled from it, and now it is complete in holiness.

This is why there is a need for the circumcision, which is the removal of all of the Sitra Achra, and Priaa, the cleaning of the waste and filth that remains in the skin of the Priaa, and then the Mochin are revealed in completeness.

It is written, “And Jacob was a Tam man.” He was called Tam because no waste whatsoever remained in him, since there was a Priaa in him, since the Priaa cleans and removes the waste that remains in the skin of the Priaa, which is contaminated by the three impure shells that were swallowed in it before they were cut off. And then he is called a Tam man.

Here it is said that the Tam ox is an ox of the holy Merkava, and the prone ox is the Sitra Achra, which connects to the donkey. Afterwards, it is said that a Tam ox is bottom Gevura, and a prone ox is upper Gevura, Gevura of ZA. However, it all goes to one place.

The thing is that from the Chazeh of ZA and above, from GAR, it is forbidden to draw Hochma from the left, which is upper Gevura, since all that is drawn from there is male light, which shines from above downward, which is GAR of Hochma that was concealed, and all that is extended from there falls to the authority of the shells, to the prone ox. However, one who draws from Malchut, which is female light, draws only from below upward, which is VAK of Hochma. This is Hochma of holiness, a Tam ox, the ox of the Merkava, which shines from below upward, like the illumination of Malchut, VAK of Hochma.

Thus, the prone ox is an extension of Hochma from above downward, as male light, which is extended from the upper Gevura from the Chazeh of ZA and above. This is the general Sitra Achra, whose passion is only to draw GAR of Hochma from the upper Gevura of ZA, while a Tam ox is extended from the bottom Gevura, which shines in the female light, like the Malchut, from the Chazeh of ZA and below, which is the general Mochin of Hochma on the left of holiness, called an “ox of the holy Merkava.

These two oxen are always goring at each other, since the winner and the one that draws Hochma from the phase of an ox of holiness is a Tam ox. It is known that Hochma is revealed only with judgments, that these judgments fall on the heads of the wicked, who draw the Hochma from above downward in the state of a prone ox. Thus, the Tam ox gores the prone ox with its judgments and puts it to death. It puts to death the prone ox from the side of the root of that person who drew the Tam ox.

Also, if one is not rewarded but wants to draw the Hochma from the upper Gevura from above downward, drawing the prone ox, then as it is written, “Sin crouches at the door,” the lock becomes revealed, and the Mochin of the Tam ox depart. This is why it is considered that the prone ox gores and puts to death the Tam ox. This is how these two oxen gore and put each other to death.

By this we will understand the internality of the verse, “If one man’s ox hurts another’s ox, which dies.” It concerns a Tam ox, and the other’s ox is the prone ox. When the Tam ox, the ox of the Merkava [structure/chariot], rules, its judgments put the prone ox to death.

It is known that even extending from Malchut, which is VAK of Hochma, the VAK cannot appear without the GAR. It follows that with the Tam ox, too, the GAR is revealed with its extension. However, since it is extended from Malchut, the verse, “they shall sell the live ox,” applies to it, as it is diminished by the force of the screen of Hirik of the middle line.

By this, they “divide the money from it,” where its top half, GAR of Hochma, disappear, and its bottom half, VAK of Hochma, remains to the one who draws it.

It is also written, “and the dead [ox] they shall also divide,” since after the correction of the division by the middle line becomes revealed, it applies to the dead ox, too, that its bottom half is taken and is given to the one who draws, since it is pure.

But regarding the prone ox, it is written, “he shall surely pay ox for ox,” since the one who causes the prone ox to kill the Tam ox, since he drew Hochma from upper Gevura, loses everything. His only correction is to complement the Tam ox, and it is written, “the dead shall be his own.” The dead Tam ox will be his own so he will correct it.

By what did he perform the Priaa [removal] and was purified from that waste? Who is it who purifies and cleans the skin of the Priaa, Noga, from that waste that he swallowed from the three impure shells before the skin of the Priaa was cut off from him? That place that attacks the waste within, in the place where the Priaa is found, is an ox.

It follows that the oxen of holiness and of the shell gore and put each other to death, and you find that the control of the Tam ox, which gores and puts to death the prone ox, which is the three impure shells, also puts to death that waste that is swallowed in the skin of the Priaa, and reveals in it his Mochin of Hochma.

That ox is called a “prone ox” since the Merkava of holiness necessarily has the impression of the covenant, which are circumcision and removal [Priaa], which removes and puts to death the three impure shells, which are the prone ox.

This is why it is a Tam [whole] ox, and with this ox, he makes a Priaa, which puts that waste in the skin of the Priaa to death, and removes the filth of the waste entirely.

119. “And God remembered Rachel.” Why, concerning Sarah, it is written “visited,” “And the Lord visited Sarah,” and with regard to Rachel, it is written “remembered”? It is because “remember,” Yesod, is imprinted in Jacob, who is a complete covenant, when Joseph was born. He became a complete covenant when he took the ox with him, which attacks the Sitra Achra, since it attacks and puts to death the filth of the waste of the prone ox inside the skin of the Priaa.

For this reason, Joseph is called “the firstborn ox,” the firstborn of that ox, that Jacob took its firstborn ox and repelled the ox of the Sitra Achra, which is a prone ox.

120. A Tam ox is as it is written, “And Jacob was a Tam man,” meaning sovereign and ruler, the master of the house, the kingship [Malchut], from which the Tam ox is extended, and which is in it. There is a prone ox from the side of the foreskin and the Priaa, which is the entirety of the foreskin, and the filth of the waste that is swallowed in the skin of the Prriaa. Several litigants emerge from it, down to the bottom degree, called She’ia. That harm-doer drops houses in the world that are empty of people.

They all come out from that prone ox, in connection with the bad donkey, the harsh judgment of the lock, which connects to the prone ox. It is written about it, “Sin crouches at the door, meaning that the judgment of the lock, which is a donkey, is revealed. Thus, and ox and a donkey connect to destroy everything. This is why it is written, “Do not plow with an ox and a donkey together,” in order not to awaken them.

121. In the seminary of Bezalel, in the seminary of Matat, and in the seminary of the Creator, they said, “And Jacob was a Tam man,” that he was the husband of Tam, Malchut. Her husband is Aleph in the filling of Vav-Aleph-Vav.

Jacob is Aleph, and Malchut is Tam. When they are male and female incorporated together, Jacob takes all the letters Aleph Tav-Mem, which is Itam [with them], and it is the letters of Emet [truth], as it is written, “You will give truth to Jacob,” since truth consists of male and female together, as then they are the wholeness of everything.

Jacob is ZA, which is entirely covered Hassadim. Malchut is a Tam ox, the illumination of Hochma in the left line. When ZA and Malchut were incorporated and make a coupling together, and ZA is the husband of Tam, you find that ZA consists of Hassadim and Hochma together, and then he has his own Aleph, Hassadim, and has Tam, illumination of Hochma, from Malchut.

Aleph Tam has the letters of Emet [truth]. Mochin of GAR are called Emet, and it is written, “You will give truth to Jacob,” since he connected to Malchut with a Tam ox and because the husband of Tam, as then he was incorporated with Hochma and Hassadim together, which is all the wholeness.

122. Abraham was not commanded on the Priaa [removal of the foreskin]. When he circumcised himself, he went into that Tam and into his degrees, which together are called Yam [sea], and this is Tamim, with the letters of Tam-Yam. Afterwards, Abraham ascended and went into the internality and was connected to the upper right.

The three impure shells are the skin of the foreskin, and they are the phases of the prone ox. Noga is the skin of the Priaa, which, after the foreskin, the impurity, has been separated from it, it became a Tam ox. Through the Priaa, a Tam ox is extended from Malchut, to gore and put to death the filth and waste in it, and then Noga became a Tam ox and it is all holiness.

Abraham was not commanded on the Priaa, but only on the circumcision. It follows that through the circumcision, the removal of the foreskin, which is the prone ox, Abraham came into a state of Tam ox, which is the skin of the Priaa.

Abraham was not commanded on the Priaa. When he circumcised himself, he went into that Tam and into his degrees, which together are called Yam. That is, he did not extend the Tam ox from Malchut, to purify the skin of the Priaa, the Noga, and for the Hochma to be revealed, as did Jacob. Rather, he extended the degrees of Hassadim from Malchut, who is called a Tam ox. These Hassadim are incorporated with Tam, but they are not really a Tam ox, which is the state of the left.

He went into his degrees, which together are called Yam, which are degrees of Hassadim that are included and emerge from the Tam, and they are called Yom. This is Tamim, Yam that is incorporated with Tam, but not the actual Tam since he did not make the Priaa, and waste still remained in the skin of Noga.

Afterwards, Abraham ascended and went into the internality, meaning he rose up to ZA and connect with the upper right, Hesed of ZA, and left the correction of the skin of Priaa to Jacob.

123. It is written, “Be Tamim [complete/naive] with the Lord your God.” As he is Tamim, one whole, for the Yam is incorporated with Tam, so you will be Tamim with him. Indeed, with him, with ZA, who is all covered Hassadim, and the Hochma on the left, which is Tam, is not revealed in him before he makes a coupling with Malchut, when he becomes the husband of Tam.

By what does one become Tamim? By being Tam-Yam incorporated as one. All those holy degrees of Malchut, who is called Tam, are called Yam, and are never separated from her.

Likewise, you should remove from yourself all the foreign degrees, the three impure shells, and connect to the Tamim, so you will have in you the holy degrees, which are Yam, and the holy degree Tam, which will afterwards be worthy of receiving the Aleph, Jacob, and the combination Aleph-Mem-Tet [Emet-truth] will be made. Just so, one should be Tam-Yam each day.

124/a The holy moon, Malchut, is white, the light of Hesed, and all the colors glitter and are embroidered in her, including the light of Hochma. It is truly like that beauty and the whiteness of the sun, which is ZA. In the sea of Malchut, a fish comes out within seventy years, and she extracts from it the color azure. She takes that color and corrects it and covers herself from outside with that color.

Malchut receives three lines from the sun, ZA. These are the three colors white, red, and green. For this reason, she has twelve phases in her: HG TM, where in each there are three lines, which are three colors. However, her own color, black or azure, is not there, since there is a lock in her, for the black is red, but it has been blemished, and that color is regarded as her Malchut of Malchut.

In the sea of Malchut, within seventy years, which are HGT NHYM, where each comprises ten, a fish comes out, Malchut of Malchut. She extracts from it the color azure, the judgment that is incorporated in the lock, and covers herself from the outside with that color. Only from the outside, so there will be guarding from the external ones. However, within, she has but three colors white, red, and green.

124/b It is not because the color azure is her clothing that she covers herself with it from the outside, since it is written, “Her clothing is fine linen and purple.” However, azure is not fit for wearing. Rather, this color is only an outside cover over Malchut. It was like that in the tabernacle, which is all in beauty and embroidery inside, and a completely azure clothing on the outside, since under that sea, Malchut, there are the depths of the sea, the shells that consist of male and female, and which have an evil eye to look.

When they look at Malchut, wanting to draw illumination of Hochma from her from above downward, as do the shells, the color azure, the judgments incorporated with the lock, is ready for their eyes. Through it, the light of Hochma departs and their eyes cannot control Malchut. But this is only on the outside.

However, inside, she is established with all the embroidered colors—white, red, green—as befits the extension of the Hochma. They spread to the four directions of the world, where these three colors, three lines, are each incorporated with HG TM, which are the four directions of the world, which are twelve phases.

125. Similarly, a person who wears a Tzitzit [garment with four fringes] becomes Tamim each day. He receives the phase of Tam of Malchut in the four fringes of the garment that are established properly. He receives the phase of Yam from Malchut in that azure of the Tzitzit, which is the fish of the seventy degrees in the sea. When the evil side looks at that person, it cannot harm him with the evil eye; it cannot draw him to the authority of the prone ox since the azure detains them.

At that time, he is Tam-Yam with the Lord his God in one correction, since Malchut, too, is corrected and covered on the outside with the color azure; she on top and he below.

126. Afterwards, Malchut ascends to the degrees of ZA. Likewise, afterwards, a man ascends to the upper degrees of ZA. It is written about it, “Be Tamim [whole] with the Lod your God.” Certainly, with Him. Indeed, Malchut is corrected above at one time and in one moment, first with Tam-Yam, and then with a coupling with ZA. So is one corrected below. First, he is corrected with a Tzitzit, the degree of Tam-Ym, and then with a Tefillin [phylacteries], the degree of ZA.

127. The whole of the generation of the desert are corrected to each be Tam-Yam with the Lord. It is written about that, “In this desert they shall come to a full end,” having received the phase of Tam. This was said negatively, not to praise them, since each of them should have been Tamim with the Lord in the holy land, in the place where the Creator is face-to-face with Malchut. And now, behold, each one is Tamim in this desert, outside the holy land, for Malchut does not look face-to-face, to be with the Creator properly. It is written, “and there they will die,” as they do each day: dying and returning to life.

128. Happy are you, holy friends, that you have been rewarded with all this. These two other caves of yours, you will find no one there, since they are in Moses’ seminary. They sit from afar, which is why it is written about Moses, “Very humble, more than all men,” since the high prophet has received them into his seminary. Indeed, since the day when those righteous began to see all this until that time, seven days had passed, and they did not look into this world at all, for they were stripped of any corporeality.

129. Rav Ilay said to them, “Holy righteous ones, I will tell you the things of above. The first of the things that are there, when you know the measurement of the measure in the explicit engraved name, Yod-Hey Vav-Hey, you will know that Bezalel is the fourth among the upper lights, as it is written, “And I will fill him with the spirit of God, with Hochma [wisdom] and Tvuna [understanding] and Daat [knowledge].”

The measure of the Guf is four covenants, since all that there in the Guf, in ZA, incorporates the Yesod. Since there are twelve combinations of HaVaYaH in the Guf, HB TM, with three lines in each, you find that Yesod incorporates those HB TM of the Guf, which, in Yesod, are called “four covenants,” where each covenant consists of three lines.

It is written, “And I will fill him with the spirit.” This is Tifferet, Vav of HaVaYaH. Elokim [God] is Malchut, Hey of HaVaYaH. In Hochma, Tevuna, and Daat is Yod-Hey of HaVaYaH, and Bezalel contains all of them, since the Yesod contains all that is in the Guf.

This is why it is written, “And I will fill him with the spirit of God, with Hochma and Tvuna and Daat,” which are Yod-Hey Vav-Hey, and in Bezalel, they are called “four covenants.” It is the fourth part of Israel because it is a fourth part that contains three lines. It is the fourth of the three lines of Hochma, and a fourth to the three lines of Bina, and a fourth to the three lines of Tifferet, and a fourth to the three lines of Malchut. This is why it is called “the fourth part of Israel,” since Israel is ZA, in which there are four letters HaVaYaH, with three lines in each letter, and the Yesod is a fourth to them and contains them.

Rabbi Ilai said, “When you know the measurement of the measure in the explicit engraved name, the measurement is in the twelve borders of the diagonal, twelve combinations in the explicit name Yod-Hey Vav-Hey, where each letter consists of three lines. Know that Bezalel, Yesod, is a fourth to the upper lights, for in each of the four letters of HaVaYaH, he is a fourth to the three lines that are there, and he incorporates them.

This also explains what was said before, that Joseph is the fourth in the lights of Adam HaRishon, for Adam HaRishon is ZA and Joseph is Yesod, which is the fourth light to the three lights incorporated in each of his HB TM. Since he contains these four covenants, the Yesod ascends up to HBD, as it is the fourth light of HBD, and it is the ascent of Yesod to Mochin. This ascent is the most favored since it is done during the coupling.

130. A second matter: One who does not look, sees, and becomes sober, meaning one who does not look at these three hidden things—what is above, what is below, what is before, and what is behind—is bound to develop in the Torah and open his eyes in it.

A third matter: When the tree of the Eighteen bends itself, it will be erect and persist. That is, man’s spine, which has eighteen vertebrae, when he bows it before his master, when he kneels in the prayer, “We Give Thanks,” will be erected and exist to the revival of the dead. If he does not bow during the “We Give Thanks,” he becomes a serpent and has no resurrection in the future [end of correction].

131. A fourth matter: One who enters between two Cherubim inside, who enters the measure of two doors into the synagogue, adheres to his master and his will is done.

A fifth matter: One who delves is far from His will. One who examines the prayer and looks at it, who says in his heart that his request will be granted, since he prays with intention, is far from doing his will that he asked.

A sixth matter: The offering of a boy is complete to be received. When a person offers his son to the school or to circumcision, it is an offering that is complete to be accepted.