from the word “aryeh” (lion figure); and, finally, the fourth letter, formed by the final “N” (Noun), designates man, whose bodily position is upright. But by “figure of man” is always meant that of male and female together. All the thousands of angels of whom the Psalmist speaks derive their figures from the mystery expressed by the word “schinan.” Each company of angels of a particular figure is placed on the side reserved for it. Despite the diversity of their figures, the angels have one feature in common, and this feature comes to them from Michael, who has the figure of man and toward whom all the figures are turned; thus all the angels, whether they have the figure of the ox, the eagle, the lion, or man, have in common a feature peculiar to man and reflect one of the four mysterious names engraved upon the chariot of God. When the angels with the figure of an ox are turned toward Michael with the figure of man, they reflect the attribute of strength, called “El”; this reflection remaining ineffaceable, they retain, as it were, two figures when they go to take their place behind the throne of God: first, the figure peculiar to them, and then that which they have borrowed from man by looking upon him. When the angels with the figure of an eagle are turned toward Michael with the figure of man, they reflect the attribute of greatness called “gaddol”; this reflection remaining ineffaceable, they retain, as it were, two figures when they go to take their place behind the throne of God: first, the figure peculiar to them, and then that which they have borrowed from man by looking upon him. When the angels with the figure of a lion are turned toward Michael with the figure of man, they reflect the attribute of power called “ghibor”; this reflection remaining ineffaceable, they retain, as it were, two figures when they go to take their place behind the throne of God: first, the figure peculiar to them, and then that which they have borrowed from man by looking upon him. Since He who has the figure of man looks upon them all, and since they all look upon Him, it follows that they all receive the imprint peculiar to man, called “nora,” because it inspires terror; so that all the figures are synthesized in that of man, whose attributes they reflect, as it is written:
“And their forms resemble the form of man,” that is to say: all forms reflect that of man, and his is the synthesis of them all. That is why the Holy One, blessed be He, is called in Scripture: “The Mighty, the Great, the Powerful, and the Terrible”; for these four names are engraved upon the chariot of God, whence emanates the mystery of the four forms symbolized by the four letters of the name “Jehovah.” When this chariot of God, marked with the four forms, goes forth, it casts a bright radiance; rockets issue from it, spreading luminous sheaves that fall back as an infinite number of sparks. Like a branching tree laden with fruit, the chariot of God, marked with the four forms, gives birth to all the souls that constitute the seed of the world. Such is the meaning of the words of Scripture: “Herb yielding seed,” that is to say: the angels called “herb” cast around the chariot of God these bright radiances, which give birth to men whose form is the synthesis of all the others. Such is likewise the meaning of the following words: “…Fruit trees bearing fruit, each according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth.” These words designate man, who expends his seed only to good purpose. That is why Scripture says: “Whose seed is in themselves, upon the earth”; from this it is inferred that man is not permitted to expend his seed to no purpose. The angels called “hay,” who are synonymous with those called “grass,” have no seed; that is why they vanish and do not enjoy the stability of the other angels endowed with forms engraved upon the chariot of God. The angels called “hay” have no determinate form; and all the angels who have no…
Beings who have determinate features and forms have but a temporary duration; they are consumed by that fire which consumes fire; they are thereafter reborn and consumed anew, and this is renewed every day. The man below, although endowed with determinate features and a form, does not enjoy the stability enjoyed by the angels of determinate forms, seeing that the latter bear their form without needing any covering for this, whereas the form of the human soul needs the covering of the body, for the soul bears the form of the body only so long as it is attached to it. This is why the human soul, when it leaves the body each night, ascends and is consumed by the fire which consumes fire. At the moment of waking, the soul is reborn, returns to the body, and assumes its form anew. This is why the souls of men have not the stability of the heavenly beings of determinate forms. Such is the meaning of the words of Scripture: “It is renewed every morning,” that is to say: the soul of man is new every morning.
And to explain what precedes, Scripture adds: “Great is Thy faithfulness.” The faithfulness of God is indeed great and proportionate to His very greatness. God, being great, could absorb all souls and all that is above and below without His immensity being filled; and yet He restores souls to men and causes the angels, consumed by His fire and without form, to be born anew. This mystery is expressed in the words of Scripture: “All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.” Thus all the rivers flow into the sea, which absorbs them without overflowing; then the sea restores them as they were before. Therefore Scripture says: “Great is Thy faithfulness.”
In the work of the creation of this third day, Scripture uses the term twice: “And God saw that it was good,” because on this day the quarrel between the right side and the left side ceased, thereby producing the union of the two sides. God therefore said “good” to the right side and “good” to the left side, words which constituted peace. This is also why, for this day, Scripture uses the word “Vayomer” (and He said) twice. Herein is contained the mystery of the four-letter Name, capable of twelve transformations and corresponding to the four figures engraved on the four sides of the sacred Chariot.
It is written: “And Elohim said: Let there be lights.” The word “Meoroth” (lights) is written defectively, because the cause of the epileptic affliction in children was created on that day. When the primordial light had been hidden, a husk formed around the brain. This husk, having grown, produced a second one. When the latter emerged, it came near the “Lesser Countenance”; it then felt the desire to attach itself to the “Lesser Countenance,” to leave its imprint upon it, and never to part from it. The Holy One, blessed be He, separated it from the “Lesser Countenance” and cast it down below. When God created man for the purpose of preparing the advent of the “Lesser Countenance” in this world, the husk, seeing Eve attach herself to man, whose beautiful countenance is the image of that which is above, remembered the perfect Countenance that it had seen of old. It flew up from the earth and again tried to attach itself to the “Lesser Countenance”; but the keepers of the gates above would not let it enter. The Holy One, blessed be He, thrust it away vehemently and cast it into the depths of the ocean abyss. It remained there until the day when Adam and his wife sinned. On that day, the Holy One, blessed be He, brought it forth.
from the depths of the ocean abyss, and gave her power over children who, being of small stature, are punished on account of the sins of their ancestors. She roams the world in flight. She approaches the gates of the Garden of Eden and, seeing the “Cherubim” who guard the gates of Paradise, sits beside the flashing sword, for it was from a spark of this sword that she came into being. When she sees that this sword turns about, she flees, takes flight across the world, and, finding there children who are to be punished, kills them. This happens during the period when the moon is waning. Therefore the word “Meoroth” is written defectively. Until the birth of Cain, the shell could not approach Adam; but thereafter it drew near to him and bore evil spirits and flying demons. For a hundred and thirty years Adam had intercourse with female demons, until the birth of “Naàmâ,” whose beauty seduced the angels “Aza” and “Azaël,” whom Scripture calls “sons of God.” She bore offspring from their works, and this is what gave rise to the evil spirits and demons that swarm throughout the world. “Naàmâ” roams the world with Lilith during the night; she adorns herself and excites men to such a degree that they suffer seminal loss. Wherever a man sleeps alone in a house, she attaches herself to him; sinful desires provide the matter for her conception. She also attaches herself to men during illness. All this takes place while the moon is waning. But when the moon is waxing, the word “Meoroth” changes into the word “Imrath” (the Word), as it is written: “The Word of God is pure as gold that has passed through the fire; He is the protector of all who hope in Him,” that is to say, He is the protector of all those who unite in faith in the Holy One, blessed be He, against all these evil spirits and demons that roam the world while the moon is waning.
When King Solomon descended into the garden of nut trees, as it is written: “I went down into the garden of nut trees,” he took up a nutshell, which revealed to him the system whereby the demons form the shell of all that is holy, surrounding it; he also saw that all these shells are born only of pleasures, for it is only by means of pleasures that these shells seek to attach themselves to men and defile them, as it is written: “And the pleasures of men engender male and female demons,” since it is the pleasure that men experience at the moment of sleep that gives birth to male and female demons. It was necessary that the Holy One, blessed be He, create them in the world and make them its complement. In all things, the brain is in the midst, and several husks surround it. The whole world is formed in this way, above as well as below. From the mysterious Supreme Point down to the lowest degree of creation, everything serves as a garment to something else, and that other thing serves as a garment to a higher thing, and so on. Thus the brain, surrounded by a husk, itself serves as a husk to a higher brain; everything is therefore a brain to what is beneath it, and a husk to what is above it. The Supreme Point projected an immense light, of such purity, transparency, and subtlety that it penetrated everywhere. In this way, a palace was formed around this Point, serving it as a garment. The light of the Supreme Point being of inconceivable subtlety, that of the
The palace that is lower than it thus forms a dark circle around it. But the light of the first palace, although lower than that of the supreme Point, was nevertheless of immense splendour, and in the end formed another palace around it, which serves it, as it were, for a garment, and so on; thus, from the supreme Point onwards, all the scales of creation are but husks one within another; the husk of the higher scale forms the brain of the lower scale. This order above was likewise established here below, as it is written: “And Elohim created man in His image”; for man is composed of brain and membranes, of spirit and body; all this is necessary to the order of the world. So long as the moon was equal to the sun, it shone with its own light; but as soon as it was separated from the sun and assigned to its function, it diminished, and its light diminished; thus husks upon husks were formed, concealing the brain. Since all the husks are formed for the sake of the brain, those around the moon are likewise formed for the sake of the earth. Therefore Scripture says: “Let there be lights”; the word “Meoroth,” being written incompletely, designates the husks; and it adds: “To give light upon the earth,” that is, these husks are of use to the earth.
It is written: “Elohim made the two great lights.” The word “And He made” (Vayaas) expresses something general, a total creation. At first, the two lights, intimately united, shed an equal radiance. The mysterious names “Jehovah” and “Elohim” were then perfectly equal, although one of these two names, namely that of “Elohim,” had as yet been manifested only in a mysterious manner. This is why Scripture says: “The great lights,” in the plural and with the article, because both bore names absolutely identical, that is, the name of one light also designated the other. These names were “Maçpaç Maçpaç,” which form the two supreme degrees among the thirteen attributes of mercy, because all things emanate from the mystery they designate and because they constitute the foundation of the worlds. Likewise, the two lights at first shone simultaneously and held an equal rank. But when the moon could not rule simultaneously with the sun, when one light was hindered by the other, when the moon said: “Where wilt Thou feed?” and the sun answered her: “Where wilt thou lie down at noon?”, the moon’s light was diminished, to allow the sun to shine alone at noon. Scripture adds: “Lest I wander beside the flocks.” Hindered by being of the same rank as the sun, the moon humbled herself by diminishing her light and renounced her higher rank here below; this is why Scripture says: “Follow the tracks of the flocks.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the moon: “Go and abase thyself; thou shalt have no light other than that which thou receivest from the sun.” Thus the moon was at first of the same rank as the sun; it was only later that she took the lowest degree, although her true light is greater than the light she sheds; for woman can never shine save in union with her husband. The words: “The great light” designate “Jehovah,” and the words: “The small light” designate “Elohim,” who is the end of all the degrees, since, as the Word, he is the end of thought. At first, Elohim was marked above by the letters of the sacred name, which are four in number; only afterwards did He diminish, taking the name of Elohim. Nevertheless, the power of Elohim manifests itself in every direction; the letter “He,” which unites the first two letters of the sacred name of Elohim with the last two letters, participates on both sides, that is—
—namely, since “El” signifies God, and “Yam” (the sea) symbolizes matter, it follows that the letter Hé of the word “Elohim,” placed between “El” and “Yam,” partakes of both. The degrees formed above are called “those who preside over the day,” and the degrees formed below are called “those who preside over the night.” Scripture adds: “And He made the stars also.” These words designate the other legions and countless celestial hosts, all of which are suspended from the firmament of heaven, that is, from Him Who liveth for all eternity, as it is written: “And Elohim set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth”; that is to say, He brought down here below this mystery which constitutes the “earth (Ereç) above.” He Who liveth for all eternity proceeded in like manner, as Scripture says: “To give light upon the earth”; that is to say, so that the earth here below might be illumined by a light like that above. On that day the Kingdom of David was established, the fourth foot of the celestial throne was completed, and the letters of the sacred Name were arranged in their proper order. Nevertheless, the throne was not yet wholly completed until the sixth day, when the figure of man was formed; only then were the throne above and the throne below established, the worlds set in their places, and all the letters arranged in the order they were to occupy in the circle formed by the aerial gas which constituted the first state of creation. The fourth day is called in Scripture “the day rejected by the builders,” as it is written: “The stone which the builders rejected”; and elsewhere: “The children of my mother were incensed against me.” For the light of the moon having been diminished on that day, the husks came into being. All the lights that shine are suspended from the firmament of heaven to establish the throne of David. All these lights produce below figures like those from which they all emanate; and all these figures are contained within the inner figure, which is that of man; for this middle figure is called Man, and it is for this reason that all those whose figure resembles that of the middle one are called men. Wherefore it is written: “Ye are men”; that is to say: Ye are called by the name of man, but not the other heathen peoples. Every spirit is called man, for it emanates from the spirit of the holy side, whereas the body with which it is surrounded is but its garment. Wherefore it is written: “Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh”; this proves that man’s flesh is but his garment. Everywhere Scripture uses the expression “the flesh of man”; therefore the flesh does not constitute man: man is within, and the flesh forms his garment. The souls which here below transmigrate into the bodies of animals take on the form of the garment that surrounds them, the form of the pure animals enumerated in Scripture: an ox, a sheep, a kid, a stag, a wild goat, a buffalo, a goat-antelope, a gazelle, an oryx, or a giraffe. Thus, the spirits created to be enclosed in a human body, as soon as they are clothed in the body of an animal, take the name of that animal. Hence it is said: the flesh of the ox, because the spirit dwelling within the ox has the form and name of an ox. The ox is the spirit dwelling within this body, whereas the flesh is but the garment of that spirit; and the same is true of all the other animals. Wherefore the spirits of the other heathen peoples, which emanate from the side that is not holy, do not bear the name of man. For this reason, too, these impure spirits have nothing in common with the middle one who bears the name of Man. The bodies of the
the affairs of the household, as it is written: “She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household.” Scripture saith “she,” and not “he.” Thus “the light that ruleth the day” designateth the male being, and “the light that ruleth the night” designateth the female being. Scripture addeth: “And the stars.” As soon as the woman leaveth the affairs of the house during the night to converse with her husband, the direction of the household is reserved exclusively to the young maidens, who remain at home to attend to the housework. But as soon as day cometh, it is the husband who again taketh charge of everything.
It is written: “And Elohim made the two lights.” For there are two lights: that which ascends on high is called “the lamp of light,” and that which descends below is called “the lamp of fire.” For this latter light exercises its dominion throughout all the weekdays; therefore, at the end of the Sabbath, a blessing is recited over the light; in this liturgical blessing are found the words: “Blessed art Thou, Lord, who hast created the lamp of fire,” because from that moment the lamp of fire is permitted to exercise its dominion. The fingers of man are formed so as to symbolize the degrees of the celestial mystery. The fingers are formed with an inner and an outer part; the outer part is furnished with nails; therefore it is permitted to gaze upon one’s nails at the end of the Sabbath. For the light proceeding from the fire, the light whose dominion begins at that moment, is worthy only to serve for the contemplation of the outer part of the fingers, whereas it is not permitted to contemplate the inner part of the fingers by the light of this light. This mystery is expressed in the words of Scripture: “Thou shalt see Me only from behind, but thou canst not see My face.” For this reason, man must not contemplate the inner part of his
fingers at the end of the Sabbath, when he recites the liturgical formula that concludes with the words “Who hast created the light of fire.” By the words “Thou shalt see Me from behind,” Scripture designates the outer side of the fingers, which is provided with nails; and by the words “but My face shall not be seen,” Scripture designates the inner side of the fingers. The light by which one must contemplate the inner side of the fingers prevails only on the Sabbath day; and the light by which one must contemplate the nails prevails on the profane days. On the Sabbath day, the Holy One, blessed be He, alone reigns within the supreme throne; He synthesizes everything within Himself, and He directs all things. Therefore, on this day, rest is granted to all the worlds. The holy people, called the unique people on earth, inherited this “lamp of light” emanating from the right side; this light shone in the beginning and was later reserved for the Sabbath day. From this “lamp of light” emanate all the lights of the earth. But as soon as the Sabbath is over, the lamp of light is hidden and becomes invisible; then the lamps of fire begin to exercise their dominion. For how long do they exercise their dominion? From the end of the Sabbath until the beginning of the next Sabbath. For this reason, at the end of the Sabbath one must contemplate the nails by the light of a flame. It is written: “And the Hayoth went and returned like flashes of lightning.” No eye can behold these angels, since they go and return. The “Hayoth” glimpsed by the prophet Ezekiel were among those in whose midst is the “wheel” (Ophan). What is meant by the “wheel”? It is Metatron, who is the mightiest and highest of all the angels. Above Metatron, at a distance of five hundred leagues, are the “Hayoth,” hidden beneath the two supreme letters Yod and Hé; for these two letters are above the letters Vav and Hé. These “Hayoth” are invisible. And the most secret mystery, the inconceivable, rules over all and hovers above the “Hayoth.” The visible “Hayoth” are beneath the first ones, which are hidden; the lower “Hayoth” receive their light from those above. Thus all the “Hayoth” are placed in the region called the “firmament of heaven.” It is of them that Scripture speaks: “Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven,” that is to say: the “Hayoth” that are in the region called the “firmament of heaven.” For above the “Hayoth” there is another heaven, as it is written: “Above the heads of the ‘Hayoth’ there appeared a firmament, which looked like sparkling crystal and was terrible to behold”; this is the firmament above which no one can see, because everything lies beyond understanding. Why? Because everything there is enclosed within Thought; and the Thought of the Holy One, blessed be He, is hidden, secret, and too exalted for the understanding of man to reach and apprehend. And if the things suspended from supreme Thought are inaccessible, how much more so Thought itself. Within Thought, there is no one who can apprehend anything; how much more impossible, then, to know the Infinite (Ayn-Soph), which is intangible; every question and every meditation would be vain in seeking to grasp the essence of supreme Thought, center of all, secret of all secrets, without beginning and without end, infinite, of which one sees only a small particle of light, like the point of a needle; and even this particle is visible only by virtue of the material form it has assumed; for the Word assumed the form of the signs of the alphabet, which all emanate from the supreme Point. The letter Aleph (א) is the symbol of the beginning and the end; all the ladders of creation are synthesized in it. Although the Aleph has several parts, it forms but one letter. It is the letter whose…
During the upper and lower worlds. The upper stroke of the Aleph is the symbol of the mystery of the supreme Thought; beneath this stroke is a line symbolizing the upper firmament. Above this firmament dwells the inconceivable Thought; the line separating the upper stroke from the lower stroke represents the letter Vav, whose numerical value is six, to symbolize the six degrees that exist between the supreme Thought and the firmament above the hidden “Hayoth.” The light emanating from the supreme Thought was concealed; this light is expressed in the word “Bereschith.” Since the word “bara” in “Bereschith” is made up of the same letters as the beginning of Abraham’s name, Scripture alludes, as it is written: “The Lord appeared unto Abraham in the valley of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.” These words signify that, when Abraham placed himself at the door of his tent—that is, at the door between the upper world and the lower world, a door symbolized by the stroke of the letter Aleph—he felt the great heat of the day; that is, he was illumined by the celestial Light. Thus Abraham glimpsed the first light of the three hypostases. The second light was glimpsed by Isaac at the hour when the day was declining and evening drawing near. It was then that Isaac prayed for the advent of this light, as it is written: “He had gone out into the field to meditate, the day being in its decline.” It was at the moment when the day was declining that Isaac foresaw Jacob’s defeat in his struggle with the angel of Esau. The third light, which proceeds from the first two
had appeared to Jacob, as it is written: “As soon as he had passed Peniel, the sun rose upon him, but he halted upon one thigh.” At that declining hour of the day, Jacob had gazed too closely upon the light designated by the Séphirâ “Néçah” of Israel; from that moment he halted upon one thigh, since this Séphirâ constitutes the right thigh of the Sephirotic Tree. Therefore Scripture says: “Jacob was touched upon one thigh”; thus, he was not touched upon both thighs, but upon one alone, because he had gazed only upon the light of the Séphirâ “Néçah,” which forms the right thigh of the Sephirotic Tree. This light constitutes the fourth degree; therefore, from Jacob onward, no man was endowed with the gift of prophecy until the coming of Samuel. Then alone does Scripture say: “He that triumpheth in Israel.” It was only at that time that the thigh of the Sephirotic Tree had recovered from the weakness that had afflicted it from the day when Jacob was endangered by the angel of Esau. It is written: “And he touched the sinew of the thigh.” When the angel of Esau came to wrestle with Jacob, he perceived that Jacob drew his strength both from the first Sephirotic degree and from the second—that is, both from the Supreme Light, which forms the first hypostasis, and from the light called “Man,” which forms the second Séphirâ, as well as the second hypostasis. Therefore Scripture says: “This man, seeing that he could not prevail against him, touched the sinew of his thigh.” When the angel perceived that he could exercise no dominion over the trunk of Jacob, because Jacob represented the Supreme Light symbolized by the head called “Crown,” and the second light called “Man,” he touched him upon the sinew, which constitutes strength and is the symbol of the Séphirâ “Néçah,” which expresses severity. This is
why no man prophesied from that time until the coming of Samuel. Therefore Scripture says: “He who triumphs in Israel,” and a little further on: “For He is not a man,” that is to say, the gift of prophecy comes not from the sephirotic degree called “Man,” but from that called “Netsah.” Joshua did indeed prophesy, but it was only the reflection of Moses’ prophecy, as it is written: “Give him a reflection of your glory.” This prophecy emanated only from the fifth degree, which placed the Sephirah “Netsah” at the left thigh. It was only with the coming of David that it resumed its place on the right, as it is written: “The delights of ‘Netsah’ are at Thy right hand.” Scripture does not say: “Are in Thy right hand,” but “at Thy right hand,” that is to say, “Netsah” is restored to the right side from which it had been displaced following Jacob’s struggle with Esau’s angel. Why was Jacob’s thigh weakened? Because the impure side had attached itself to it and took from it the strength bestowed by the pure side. This weakness lasted until the time of Samuel. Therefore he came to remind the Israelites that “Netsah” constitutes the thigh of Israel, as it is written: “He who triumphs in Israel.” Therefore, from the beginning of Samuel’s prophecies to the end, all his words were words of severity. Moreover, the Holy One, blessed be He, later endowed Samuel with the Sephirah called “Hod.” When? After he had anointed kings. Therefore Samuel alone is equal to Moses and Aaron together; for, just as in Heaven Moses and Aaron each enjoy one of the two Sephiroth “Netsah” and “Hod,” so Samuel enjoyed these same two Sephiroth here below. All the Sephiroth are linked one to another, as it is written: “Moses and Aaron were His priests, and Samuel was among those who called upon His name.” The six sides of the sephirotic tree are all bound together; and, just as they united Moses and Aaron, so they united Jacob, Moses, and Joseph. At first Jacob was the Master of the house; afterwards Moses became its Master after Jacob’s death, for Joseph enjoyed it during his lifetime only through Jacob. Moses could have taken possession of the house immediately after Jacob’s death, without allowing Joseph to enjoy it during his lifetime. But Moses was a righteous man, and he left the house to Joseph during his lifetime. Thus, instead of bequeathing his house to Moses, Jacob first bequeathed it to Joseph, as it is written: “These are the children of Jacob: Joseph.” Jacob having bequeathed the house to Joseph, Moses took possession of it only after Joseph’s death. When the Shekhinah came out of the captivity of Egypt, she could unite only with Joseph, as it is written: “And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him.” Why does Scripture say: “With him”? Because a man can unite with a woman only through a covenant. Moses therefore needed the bones of Joseph in order to unite with the Shekhinah. She had, as it were, three husbands: Jacob first, Joseph next, and finally Moses. Now, Jacob having been buried in Palestine, his body already belonged to the celestial beings; but Joseph, having been buried outside Palestine, still counted as an earthly being. Thus the Shekhinah, who after Jacob’s death had united with Joseph, could not unite with Moses so long as Joseph’s bones rested outside Palestine. Therefore Moses took the bones of Joseph with him; only then did the Shekhinah regard her second husband, Joseph, as no longer belonging to this world. Only Joseph’s bones were buried in Palestine, and not his flesh, because the bones are the symbol of the celestial hosts, all of which emanate from the Righteous One called Tsebaoth. Why is He called Tsebaoth? Because all the celestial hosts and armies emanate from Him. Therefore only Joseph’s bones, the image of Tsebaoth, entered Palestine. Since Moses was not granted the favor of entering Palestine, nor even of having his bones carried there, the Shekhinah entered Palestine after Moses’ death and returned to her first husband, who was Jacob. From this we infer that a woman who marries twice
Here below, after his death, he goes to dwell in Heaven with his first husband. During his life, Moses enjoyed greater favor than Jacob. Jacob dwelt with the Shekhinah only in Heaven, whereas Moses dwelt with Her here below. Lest one should think that dwelling with the Shekhinah here below, as was Moses’ lot, is a lesser favor than dwelling with Her in Heaven, we shall point out that, at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, the Israelites belonged to the side of “Jobel,” so that all six hundred thousand who went forth from Egypt belonged to the upper world. None of them left the wilderness to enter Palestine, because men belonging to the image of “Jobel” were not to enter the Holy Land. Their children alone were granted this favor. Moses dwelt with the Shekhinah, who is symbolized by the moon, even while his spirit abode in his body, and he subjected Her to his desires. When he left this world, he ascended to the supreme ascent of the Holy Spirit and rose by the Spirit to the degree of the supreme Jubilee (Jobel). There, too, were joined the six hundred thousand Israelites who went forth from Egypt and belonged to him. Jacob did not attain to this degree; by the Spirit he rose only to the degree of the Sabbatical Year (Schemita). Jacob did not share this happiness of dwelling with the Shekhinah during his life, because he had kept another house. The Holy Land can be attained only through strength from above. Therefore, only those who belong to the upper world can cleave to it, being wholly spirit, while those who belong to the lower world stand apart, being wholly body. And they cannot dwell together in the moon; but some, those of the upper world, dwell therein, while the others remain outside it. The former are illumined by the latter, and those who entered the Holy Land are the likeness of their forefathers, that is, of the generation that died in the wilderness, but they are not as exalted in degree as they, lest they constitute a generation. There was no generation to whom the radiance and splendor of their Master appeared face to face as it did to them. Jacob continued to dwell with his body, with his wives, after his spirit had cleaved to the Spirit. Moses separated from his wife, and although in the body, he dwelt with the Holy Spirit. After his death, his spirit cleaved to the supreme, mysterious Spirit from above. And all the degrees were joined together to form a whole. The soul of Moses belongs to the degree of “Jobel,” his body to that of “Schemita”; the soul of Jacob cleaved to “Schemita,” while his body, during his life, remained cleaved to his wives. All these celestial lights are the likeness of those that are on earth. And all these lights are suspended from the firmament. Scripture here employs two synonyms to designate Heaven; this is to indicate to us the mystery of the two names united together and completed in three; they form but one, each answering to the other. This is the graven Name that contains them all in the mystery of Faith.
It is written: And Elohim said: “Let us make man.” And elsewhere it is written: “The Lord maketh known His secrets unto them that fear Him.” The Ancient of Ancients made His voice heard: “Simeon, Simeon,” said He, “what meaneth this verse? Who is it that saith unto Elohim: Let us make man? What doth the word Elohim mean in this place?” Scarcely had the Ancient of Ancients finished speaking when He disappeared, and Rabbi Simeon saw Him no more. Since Rabbi Simeon had heard that the voice had called him: “Simeon, Simeon,” and not: “Rabbi Simeon,” he said to his colleagues: “It is evident that He who hath just called is the Holy One, blessed be He, of whom Scripture saith: ‘And the Ancient of Days sat.’”
Therefore, this is the moment to examine the mystery contained in the verse of Genesis, which certainly was not to be disclosed until this day. But now we have received permission to disclose it. Rabbi Simeon opened his discourse with the following parable: “There was a king who proposed to build several edifices. This king had an architect, who did nothing without the permission of his king, as it is written: ‘I was His architect.’ The king is the supernal ‘Wisdom’ above. The king below is the Middle Column. Elohim is the heavenly architect called ‘the Mother above.’ Elohim is likewise the architect below; and it is He Who is designated by the name of ‘the Shekhinah below.’ As a woman is not permitted to do anything without her husband’s permission, all the edifices were created by way of ‘emanation.’ The Father addressed the Word to the Mother: ‘Let such and such a thing be made,’ and forthwith the thing was made, as it is written: ‘And Elohim said: Let there be light, and there was light’; that is to say, the Word said to Elohim: ‘Let there be light’; the master of the palace commands, and the architect obeys forthwith. Likewise all the edifices were created by way of emanation, as it is written: ‘Let there be a firmament,’ and further on: ‘Let there be luminaries,’ and everything was made forthwith. When they came to the ‘world of separation,’ that is, to that state of the world wherein things seem separate from one another, the architect said to the Master of the edifices: ‘Let us make man in our image and after our likeness.’ The Master of the edifices answered him: ‘Certainly, it is good to make him, but he will end by sinning against Thee, for he is foolish, and it is written: “A wise son is the joy of his father, and a foolish son is the sorrow of his mother.”’ The Mother answered: ‘Since man’s sin will grieve the Mother and not the Father, I wish to create him in my image.’ Therefore Scripture says: ‘And Elohim created man in His image,’ the Father not wishing to take part in it. When man sinned, what does Scripture say? Scripture says: ‘I declare unto you that it is because of your sins that your Mother was sent away.’ The King said to the Mother: ‘Did I not tell thee that man would end by sinning?’ At that moment man was driven out, and the Mother was driven out with him. Therefore it is written: ‘A wise son is the joy of his father, and a foolish son is the sorrow of his mother.’ By the words ‘the wise son,’ Scripture designates man on the path of ‘emanation,’ and by the words ‘the foolish son,’ Scripture designates man on the path of ‘creation.’ At these words, all Rabbi Simeon’s companions arose, crying: ‘Rabbi, Rabbi, is there then a division between the Father and the Mother, so that man is on the path of emanation on the Father’s side and of creation on the Mother’s side?’ Rabbi Simeon answered them: ‘Friends, friends, such is not my intention, since “emanated” man is composed of a male and a female, who emanate from the Father and the Mother, as it is written: “And Elohim said: Let there be light, and there was light.” By the words “let there be light,” Scripture designates the part of man that emanates from the Father, that is, the male; and by the words “and there was light,” Scripture designates the part of man that emanates from the Mother, that is, the female. Therefore man was created with two faces. But “emanated” man is devoid of image and likeness; and it was the celestial Mother who wished to provide man of the “world of creation” with an image and a likeness. Now, since the two celestial lights emanating from the Father and the Mother are called in Scripture “light” and “darkness,” the image—that is, man’s body—was likewise to be composed of the active light emanating from the Father and the passive light, called “darkness,” emanating from the Mother. But since the Father had told the Mother that man would end by sinning in the “world of creation,” He refused to join the Mother in creating the garment, that is, man’s body. Therefore the light created on the first day of Creation was hidden by the Holy One, blessed be He, for the righteous, and the darkness created on the first day of Creation was hidden for the wicked, as it is written: ‘And the wicked shall be silent in their darkness.’ And since it was because of the darkness that man was to end by sinning against the ‘light,’ the Father did not wish to join in the creation of man below. Therefore the Mother said to the Father: ‘Let us make man in our image,’ that is, of ‘light,’ ‘and after our likeness,’ that is, of passive light, called ‘darkness,’ which serves as a garment for active light, just as the body serves as a garment for the soul, as it is written: ‘Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh.’’ All Rabbi Simeon’s companions were filled with great joy and cried: ‘Happy is our lot, happy that we have been deemed worthy to hear these words, which no one until this day has ever heard.’”
Rabbi Siméon began to speak again in this wise:
It is written: “See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no Elohim with Me.” Rabbi Siméon cried out: Colleagues! Hear the words of great antiquity which I shall reveal to you, now that Heaven has given me leave to speak. Who is it that says: “See now that I, even I, am He”? It is the Supreme of all the supreme things, He Who is called the “Cause of all causes,” He Who brings forth all causes followed by effects, and without Whom nothing is done and nothing exists; He without whose leave nothing is done in Heaven, as we have already indicated in the interpretation of the words: “Let us make man in our image.” These words truly indicate that in the divine essence there are two hypostases that spoke to one another at that moment. The second said to the first: “Let us make,” because it must do nothing without the leave and word of the first; likewise, the first does nothing without consulting the second. But He Who is called the “Cause of all causes,” He Who has no equal either above or below, as it is written: “To whom (mi) will ye liken Me? To whom will ye compare Me? saith the Holy One.” He, we say, said: “See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no Elohim with Me,” that is: “See that there is no Elohim whom I have consulted, as Elohim did when creating man.” All Rabbi Siméon’s colleagues rose and said to him: Master, grant us leave to interrupt thee at this point. Didst thou not say that the “Cause of causes” said to the first hypostasis, called Kether: “Let us make man”? Rabbi Siméon answered them: Let your ears hear what your mouths utter. I did not tell you that He Who is called the “Cause of all causes” is the same as Elohim, nor did I tell you that He Who is called the “Cause of all causes” is other than Elohim. In the divine essence there is neither union nor number: all there is One. The union that exists in the divine essence is comparable to that between male and female, who are called one only, as it is written: “For I have called them one.” But in truth the divine essence is one; there is neither union nor number. Therefore God said: “See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no Elohim with Me.” That is: Elohim is not “with Me,” but I am Elohim, and Elohim is I. All Rabbi Siméon’s colleagues rose, prostrated themselves before the Master, and cried out: Happy is the man to whom the Lord has granted leave to reveal mysteries that have not been revealed even to the Angels.
Rabbi Siméon said unto them: We must finish the interpretation of this verse, for it still contains many mysteries. It is written: “I am He that killeth, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; neither is there any that can deliver out of My hand.” By the words: “I am He that killeth, and I make alive,” Scripture meaneth that the Séphiroth which give life are on the right side of the séphirothic tree, and the Séphiroth which bring death are on the left side. Were these two sides not united by means of the Middle Column, there would be no heavenly justice, seeing that every tribunal is composed of three judges assembled together.
When the three hypostases constitute themselves as a tribunal, the right hand is stretched forth to receive the penitents. This hand is called, in the Sephirothic Tree, “Jehovah”; it is the Shekhinah who is the right hand of God; it is found on the side of the Sephirah called “Hesed.” The left hand is found on the side of the Sephirah called “Geburah.” The hand, called in the Sephirothic Tree Jehovah, belongs to the Middle Column. When a man is repentant, this hand is stretched forth to save him from the severity of the tribunal. But when it is “the Cause of all causes” alone that judges, then Scripture says: “And none can deliver out of My hand.” Moreover, this verse contains the word “ani” (אני) (I, or I am) three times; therefore, the letter Aleph occurs three times and the letter Yod three times, letters contained in the name Jehovah written in full. This verse further contains the letter Vav three times: “Va-ahayeh, va-ani, v’en,” which are likewise contained in the name Jehovah. The colleagues have interpreted the word Elohim in this verse to mean “Elohim aherim,” that is, false gods. According to this interpretation, the meaning of the verse is this: “See that I, even I, am He,” that is, I, the Holy One, blessed be He, am the Shekhinah of whom it is said “ani vaho,” and Elohim is not with Me, that is, the demons called Samael and Nahasch are not with Me; “I kill, and I make alive,” that is, it is through the Shekhinah that I put the guilty to death, and through her that I give life to the righteous; “and none can deliver out of My hand,” that is, no power can deliver anything from the three hypostases whose names are composed of fourteen letters: Jehovah, Elohénou, Jehovah, letters which are transformed into: Couzou, Bemoucsaz, Couzou. Such is the
truth; and what we have explained above concerning the Supreme Being, the “Cause of all causes,” is a mystery that had not yet been revealed to any sage or any prophet. Behold how mysterious are the degrees of the divine essence; they are enveloped in the Séphiroth, and the Séphiroth serve them as chariots; but the very essence of these degrees is inaccessible to man’s understanding. Of them Scripture says: “For He that is high hath another higher than he; and there be higher than they.” They are resplendent lights, one above another, and those among the Séphiroth which receive their light from the higher Séphiroth appear dark in comparison with these. But the “Cause of all causes” hath no light that can shine in His presence, so immense is His splendour, and all lights appear dark in His presence.