Pardes Rimmonim 2

Further Rabbi Yehuda wrote another reason, and he wrote that it is more sufficient than the reason of Rabbi Azriel which we have cited in the previous chapter, and this is what he says: ‘the comprising number is ten, there is no further one besides it. And this is because all that is above ten returns to the unities, be it from the side of the unities, as eleven, twelve, thirteen, be it from the side of the tens, as twenty, thirty, thirty, they are the multiplication out of the order of the tens. And since emanation enters into number it is suitable that it takes up the most comprising number among the numbers.’ End of citation.

And what did he mean by ‘since emanation enters into number’? Explanation: it is necessary that they possess number so that the created entities [below them] will possess number and boundary, as we have explained above. And what there is to object is: who brings about that the comprising number is ten and not twenty and not one hundred and not further, and [that] above [it there is] a return of degrees [towards ten]? And we will answer that the cause for this is that the Sefirot are [comprised of] ten, because if the Sefirot were twenty, the [comprising] number would thus rise [to] twenty. And this is surely the truth, and this is a more sufficient and more acceptable reason: that the Sefirot are the principle and the number is secondary, and not the contrary, that the number would be ten without reason, and that this would be the cause of the emanation with its number.

And further, the Sefirot are the cause that precedes all created entities, and they [= the Sefirot] are reasons for all that [comes] from them and downwards, and if this is so, how would number, that is following [afterwards], be a cause for the preceding Sefirot? And this is surely a large contradiction. And even if it is so that we are rejecting these replies to the reason of the emanation, we do not deny it to be true, because the number and the emanation have a big relation and subject, as the subject of the number is ten and it goes from ten to ten without end, but [yet] it never goes up above ten [as they are always multiplications of ten], and similarly the subject on the Sefirot.

And further, as the number is ten and from ten they go up to hundred and from hundred they go up to thousand (אלף), which is Aleph (אלף), which is one in the mystery of the return of the subject to the perfect unity, as the subject of the Sefirot, because in their totality, as ten times ten is one hundred, and we totalize them another time which makes one thousand (אלף), which is Aleph (אלף) in the mystery of miracle (פלא) [the level of Keter, the inverse (return) order of Aleph/אלף], which is the return of the matters to their source in the mystery of the unity. And similarly further many large roots that are dependent on the number which are the roots of the Torah as will be explained in the Gate of the Combination [Gate XXX] with help of HaShem. And we do not think that there is a matter in the world more similar to the emanation than the [principle of] number. And thus similarly we also do not deny that it is true that the emanation is “three of three each” [Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 33b, referring to the signal of the Shofar] and a totalizing power [making ten], which is three [principles], being Chesed/Mercy, Din/Judgement and Rachamim/Compassion, [and] in each one of them three. Which are in: Chesed the Secret (סתר, the first letters of End/סוף, Middle/תוך and Head/ראש), which are Chochma head, Chesed middle and Netsach end, and similarly in Din head [is] Binah, middle Gevurah and end Hod, and similarly in Rachamim Tif’eret head and Yesod middle and Malkut end. And upper Keter totalizes everything, as we will expand on this dssubject is profound, as we will elaborate there. But nevertheless, we believe truly in what is true, that these subjects are not sufficient for the reason of the emanation at all, as we have explained above. Further, Rabbi Menachem of Recanati of blessed memory wrote a reason for the seven Sefirot of the construction, one by one, in his book on the reasons of the commandments, in the subject of the explanation of the essence and the vessels, and Rabbi Yehuda Chayat of blessed memory copied his expression, and now we will explain how the world needs these seven extremities, which are Chesed, Gevurah, Tif’eret, Netsach, Hod, Yesod [and] Malkut. The beginning of the construction is Chesed/Mercy, as it is not possible for a building to be without this [degree], meaning to say that with this degree the Holy One, blessed be He, whitens the sins of Israel, and in Sefer Yetzirah this degree is called ‘whitener of the sins of Israel, and pardoning them’ [note that in our present version of Sefer Yetzirah we do not find this statement] on what has been done from the side of Gevurah/Rigor, as the evil inclination is emanated from there, and this Sefirah [Chesed] is emanated from Binah, which is above it. But the three first ones [the Sefirot Keter, Chochmah, Binah] are intellectual and are not called degrees, and we are not now [occupied with] their explanation. And this is [a] large Chesed which the Holy One, blessed be He does with his creatures, that he removes [their sins] one after the other and reconciles Himself with them even though Din/Judgement does not give thus, and therefore it is not possible for the world to exist without this pillar [of Chesed]. And in Sefer HaBahir I found: ‘Thus said the degree of Chesed: all the days when Abraham was in the world, I did not need to do my task, as see: Abraham stood there in my place and “observed my duty” [Genesis 26:5]. As I, this is my task, that I favor the world, even if they have been found guilty’ [Sefer HaBahir 191].

‘And I further am making them return and am bringing [it] in their hearts to do the will of their Father who is in the heavens; all this did Abraham.’Further the world needs a second pillar and this is Din/Judgement, and it is the opposite of the first degree [Chesed] which we have mentioned, and if there were not this pillar, it would not be bringing punishment to the wicked ones, and each person would be robbing and killing his fellow, and he would not be punished for it, therefore it is necessary for the world to be conducted by this pillar so that it [the world] will be ridded from the wicked ones. And this Sefirah is emanated out of Chesed as we have mentioned, and is called ‘fire out of waters’, which means to say: fire that has gone out from waters, and just as the waters are contrary to fire, similarly the actions of this degree are contrary to the actions of the other degree [of Chesed]. And both of them are called ‘arms of the world’, as it is said (Deuteronomy 33:27): ‘And from below the arms of the world’. Further the world needs the third pillar, and this is Tif’eret, and it is the degree being placed in the middle and receiving from the two of them [= Chesed and Gevurah], and it stands between the two of them. And the world’s necessity for this degree is that there is for the world no sufficiency in the two first degrees, as he who has been found guilty, when he will be judged with the second degree, which is the degree of Din/Judgement, it will judge him without compassion, as this degree of Din/Judgement is harsh, thus [punishing] the innocent and the good above [him] completely. And if one would be judged with the degree of Chesed/Mercy, the smallness of his sins would not be considered even in this world. Therefore, the world needs the degree placed in the middle, as a person who connects two matters as one and connects them in one theme in order to give each person to his needs and as the fruit of his deeds, because if the righteous ones sin, they are punished for them [sins] in this world, and if the wicked ones perform commandments, they recompensate them their reward in this world. And this degree is called East, as from there the light goes out to the world, and the sun disk corresponds to it, as the degree of the day extends from it. Further the world needs the fourth and fifth pillar, which are Netsach and Hod, which extend and are being emanated from Gedolah and Gevurah [respectively] as we have mentioned above, as it is said (Psalms 16:11) “… the delights in your right hand forever (נצח)”, which means to say that Netsach is at the right directed below Chesed, and Hod at the left directed below Gevurah.

And the subject of Netsach is from the subject of victory, meaning to say that in this degree mercy and merit are victorious over the accusers. And if this is so, it is necessary to thank (הודות) HaShem, and this is Hod (הוד), from the expression of thanksgiving (הודאה) for the sake of that He has founded this pillar (עמוד), as if not for the help of HaShem, it is not possible for man to stand (עמוד) against Satan. Further the world needs a sixth pillar and a seventh pillar, which are Yesod and Malkut, and they are the model of male and female, and everything is extended to Malkut who is called ‘Shechinah’ (שכינה) and ‘assembly of Israel’, as all the Sefirot dwell (שכן) in her, and we have already explained this above. And therefore, our sages of blessed memory called her ‘bride’ (כלה), and also in Song of Songs she is called ‘bride’ [Song of Songs 4], because she is totalized of everything, and she is in the west (מערב), just as our sages of blessed memory said: ‘Shechinah in the west’ [Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 25a], because there everything is mixed (מתערב). Until here the citation on the reason of the emanation [of Rabbi Menachem of Recanati]. And when it is true that the majority of his words are correct, nevertheless these words are not sufficient for the reason of the emanation, because as whereas judgement and punishment, and mercy and reward are in two degrees, Chesed and Gevurah, and the degree in the middle is Tif’eret, what need [is there] further for the rest of the Sefirot, as why could there not be the victor of the accuser and of the evil inclination in Gevurah, as this is according to the truth, and thus the Rashbi of blessed memory explained, that, being that a person conquers his [evil] inclination, this is from the side of Gevurah, and we will extend [on this] in the Gate of What-ness and Conduct [Gate VIII] in chapter 3. And similarly, thanksgiving (Hod) is not a degree of action according to his words, but [it is there so] that a person is thanking the Name, and [just] for thanking HaShem -for which a person has need [to do so]-, it would be necessary to have emanated one [further] Sefirah? How strange! Further Yesod and Malkut, why [the world needs them]? As when Chesed and Din come in the middle [in Tif’eret] uniting themselves, what need [is there] for the male and female at all for the mixing, as the forces have already been mixed in the middle [in Tif’eret].

And further that we cannot in this way give a reason to the three first ones [Keter, Chochma, Binah] at all, as he said in his explanation.

And further, heaven forbid, the reduction reduces the hand of the Emanator to emanating only one emanation, meaning to say: [only] one Sefirah, that in it will be the force of punishment, of reward and of mediation. And there is no answer from the expression of the Mishna (Pirkei Avot 5:1) ‘With ten utterances the world was created, but couldn’t it be created with one utterance etc.’. As on the contrary the intention of the Mishna is opposite to what he [= Rabbi Menachem of Recanati] said, that when the creation of the world was with changing subjects that indicate judgement and compassion and mediation, nevertheless it was [still] possible that its creation was with the force of one utterance, which is one Sefirah, as it can be seen that it is not withheld from His force that the force of all ten [Sefirot] is in one Sefirah. And this is the intention of ‘but not with one utterance etc.’: sure that the creation of the world [is] as He now is speaking [HaShem is right at this moment still punishing the sinners and rewarding the good]! And its saying ‘but to punish’ [Pirkei Avot 5:1] is not intended as Rabbi Menachem imagined, but the intention [is] on the aim or not possessing aim besides it, as we will extend the explanation in the chapters that follow, with help of HaShem. And therefore, this reason is not filling our desire or quenching our thirst at all.