Nefesh HaChayim, Gate III

And in accordance with our approach to the matter of the two aspects we mentioned—from His (blessed be He) perspective and from ours, as was described— will be explained another distinction and difference between the two names God-YHV”H and God-Elohi”m. For the name God-Elohi”m’s definition is Master of All Powers. (For a part of the explanation of its context, refer to the beginning of Gate 1.) And continuing in the explanation of the matter of Master of All Powers, each power, from the lowest of the terrestrials until the highest of the supernals, its continued existence and vitality is derived from the power above it that is its soul-Neshama, which permeates within it. And as is known in the Ariza”l’s statements, the light and the inner aspect of the soul-Neshama of each power and world is itself the exterior of the power and world that is above it. And so it goes according to this process, higher and higher, whether in the general context of the powers847The second part of the “whether” phrase seems to be missing. The complete phrase perhaps read: “whether in the general context of the powers or the specific”..

For the totality of all of the terrestrial creations and powers are an amalgamation of the four fundamental elements, and the root of the four fundamental elements are in the four angels that are called the four camps of the Sh’kheena, symbolized by A, R, G, MN848The four symbols taken together spell out the word ahr-gamahn, which translates as “crimson”.. And the four angels have their sources in the Vehicle’s four living beings849Heb.: ahr-ba chayyote ha-mehr-ka-va, who are, in turn, the totality of all the roots of the souls-Neffesh of all the terrestrial creations. For all the myriad varieties of wild animals, the root of their souls-Neffesh flows from the face of the lion in the Vehicle. And the souls-Neffesh of all varieties of domesticated animals flow from the face of the ox, and those of all varieties of birds from the face of the eagle. And as is stated in the Zohar (Pinkhas 240b): “The hidden aspect of the sacrifices…, the face of the ox extends soul-Ruakh to the domesticated animals from him”—refer there [for more details].

For that reason, each one is ruled by the same species whose form and name is like the form and name of a face from the Vehicle, as they (OBM) stated (Chagigah 13b and Sh’mote Rabba chapter 23): Lion is king of the beasts…, and man’s soul-Neffesh is from “face of man”, for that reason humanity is exalted over all of them, for the essence and inclusive principle of the four faces of the Vehicle is the face of man, as written (Yechezkel 1:5): “And in its midst was the likeness of four living beings. This was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.” And relating to this matter, refer to Zohar Yitro (chapter 72): “The man includes all of them…”, and in parshaht Tahzreeya (48, the end of second folio) is written: “And the likeness of their faces…”. And in parshaht B’midbar (118b): “And the likeness of their faces…”. And refer to Zohar Chaddash Yitro in the section about the Vehicle Event (32c and 33, top of first folio). (The source of the man’s source is from the Man on the throne, as discussed previously in Gate 1, chapter 6.) Their root and their sustenance come from the world above them, and so on, higher and higher.

Refer to Zohar Yitro (chapter 2, 2): “We learned in the supernal secret that the four living beings, it is that they are within… and they are the first, older than Ahteeka Ka-deesha… . We learned that just as is above, is below them, and so it is in all the worlds, each one is attached, this to that, and that to that.” And in the Raa-ya M’hemna: “And there are living beings that surround the throne of B’reeya…, and there are living beings of the world of Y’tzeera…, and there are four living beings of the four foundations… .” And refer to the Etz Chayyim, Sha-ar Keetzoor ABY”A (end of chapter 8), and there too at the end of the Gate in the context of the powers of soul-Neffesh of man, refer there [for more details].

And the root of all of their roots is from the four letters of the name YHV”H (blessed be He), and they are the original roots, the secret of the reliable One, ancestor of all the worlds that are mentioned in Zohar Va’eira 23, end of second folio.

And so too, all the specific powers and species, each one has a source, and a source of the source, higher and higher, as those (OBM) stated (Bereshit Rabba chapter 10): “There is no individual blade of grass that doesn’t have a guiding power in the heaven850Heb.: rah-kee-ah that strikes it and says to it: ‘grow’”, as stated in Iyyov (38:33): ‘Do you know the laws of heaven…’. And refer to Zohar T’rooma (151b) and in parshaht K’doshim (chapter 6a) for this matter somewhat at length.

For that star or guiding power is the inner aspect of its soul-Neffesh and its vitalizing force and the source of that plant—it receives from it the power to grow, that is its soul-Neffesh, as is known. And the source and the soul-Neffesh of that star or guiding power is the angel appointed over it; from it the star receives the power of growing to cause that plant to grow and mature, as is stated in the Zohar T’rooma mentioned above: “And over that star is appointed one…”. And the source and soul-Neffesh of that angel is from the power and the world above it.

And for that reason, coercing of angels is done with names, for that name is that angel’s soul-Neffesh and source of vitality and energizing light which the world and power that’s above him radiates upon him to maintain him. And refer to Zohar Ba-lahk (208a): “All of these holy angels above could not exist and could not survive without the supernal radiated light that shines upon them and sustains them. And if the supernal radiated light would be interrupted, it wouldn’t be able to survive.” Refer to the Etz Chayyim, Sha-ar Tzeeyoor Oh-la-mote ABY”A851Heb.: Sha’ar Tzee-yoor Ha-o-lah-mote ABY”A, in Rabbi Chayyim Vittal’s introduction, and there at the end of chapter 1, and in the Gate of Names852Heb.: Sha-ahr Ha-shei-mote, chapter 7, that the angels are the aspect of containers, and the names are their essence and their inner soul-Neshama, and therefore it operates within him and leads him where ever it desires as a soul-Neshama controls the body, and so on in this way until the highest heights.

And it’s the same in the matter of the souls-Neshama that are in each world. Each soul-Neshama, its source and the wellspring of its vitality is from the aspect of the soul-Neshama of the world that is above it, that relative to it is called the soul-Neshama of the soul-Neshama, and so too for all of them.

And He (blessed be His name), He is the God-Elohi”m, Master of All Powers, for He is the soul-Neshama and the sustenance and the source of sources for all of the powers, as is stated (Nechemyah 9:6): “and you give them all life”, truly in each instant, and for that reason He (blessed be He) is called the soul-Neshama of all souls-Neshama, and the essential feature and source of all the worlds.