Pardes Rimmonim 2

And now, after we have removed the obstacles from the vineyard of this saying in the previous chapters, we will examine it closely a bit, and after this we will explain its intention in short, with help of HaShem, and what [there] is to examine is this: First: On the order of the sages [in the Gemara text], as Rav Yosef was [given word in the text] prior to Rabbi Yochanan, whereas [in reality] Rabbi Yochanan preceded him for a long time. Second: Since the [Ten] Commandments and the [Ten] Utterances [of creation] and the [ten] expressions of Hallel [are] all of them an allusion to the ten Sefirot, if this is so, in what do they differ? Third: His [= Rabbi] saying ‘Ten expressions of Hallel which David spoke in the Book of Psalms’, that this is long unnecessary, as it is sure that David did not speak [any] expressions of Hallel except in the Book of Psalms, to the extent that he, in his length [of saying], almost gave room to err as it [the Gemara] objected that there would be ‘many expressions of Hallel’ which the questioner understood to be in what he [= David] said in the Book of Psalms, that the intention would [thus] be on the whole of the Book [and not only those that are connected with the Shofar in Psalm 150]. Fourth: His [= Rav Yosef] saying ‘The Ten Commandments that were said to Moses at Sinai’, why did he extend thus, and that there could be others? And what there is to examine further in its expression will be explained through our methods with help of HaShem. And this saying [of the Gemara] can be understood with what we had before in the Tikkunim [Tikkunei HaZohar], that the Rashbi, of blessed memory, explained there that the kingships are in Malkut, and remembrances in Tif’eret, and the shofars in Binah1 There are three sets of biblical texts (consisting of ten verses each) surrounding the sounding of the Shofar in the Mussaf of Rosh HaShana: kingships, remembrances and shofars.. And although on this there are different explanations among the later commentators, nevertheless all of them affirm that the kingships are in Malkut, and [concerning] the questioner, it already preceded him that surely the ten kingships are in the ten Sefirot. But was he doubtful: - if the ten Sefirot are comprised in Malkut itself, just as each one [of them] is comprised out of ten, as we will explain in the Gate of the What-ness and the Conduct [Gate VII] in chapter two with help of HaShem, or - if the ten Sefirot will be [on] themselves but [that] their reality will be in their influence on Malkut, or - could we say that the [ten] Sefirot are each in their [own] place. And if you say that they are called ‘kingships’/melachiyot, and that they will by force be in Malkut/Kingdom, because their name speaks for them. We will reply that there are ten ‘kingships’ which are Malkut, which are in each Sefirah, and the Sefirah is on its place. And with these methods we could explain the remembrances and the shofarot, as is explained [on the kingships]. And this, that it [= the Gemara] said: ‘See, ten kingships, corresponding to what?’ Since they are ten, I know that their number proves that they correspond to the ten Sefirot, but the question is this: regarding which aspect of them, of these three aspects which we have [just] mentioned. And in this [matter] these three sages [in the Gemara] are divided, as this one says ‘regarding this [aspect]’, and the other one says ‘regarding that’. And Rabbi responded that they correspond to the ten expressions of Hallel which David spoke in the Book of Psalms. And with the lengthiness of his expression ‘which David spoke’ he intended what our sages of blessed memory had explained already, that everything David spoke in the Book of Psalms, he said it uniquely corresponding to Malkut, which was his degree2Malkut is the Sefirah that is connected to King David..

And see, it points to the first aspect, which is: ten Sefirot comprised in Malkut, as we have explained. But the one who objects [in the Gemara] did not understand the arrangement of the subtility of when he [= Rabbi] said ‘in the Book of Psalms’, and likened it to the intention to teach the [exact] location, and [thus] to this he objected: ‘there are many’. And they answered that the intention is only those [expressions of Hallel] with which the shofar is mentioned. And these are at the end of the Book [of Psalms]. “Praise God in His sanctity” [Psalms 150:1], this is Keter3sanctity corresponds to Keter.. “Praise Him in the firmament of His power” [Psalms 150:1], this is Chochma4Firmament can refer to Chochma or to Binah.. “Praise Him in His works of might” [Psalms 150:2], this is Binah5The works of might extend from Binah.. “Praise Him as befits His greatness” [Psalms 150:2], this is Gedolah6Greatness is related to Chesed.. “Praise Him with the blast of the shofar” [Psalms 150:3], this is Gevurah7As Gevurah extends from Bina, and Bina is called ‘shofar’.. “Praise Him with lyre and harp” [Psalms 150:3], this is Tif’eret. “Praise Him with drum and dance” [Psalms 150:4], this is Netsach. “Praise Him with lute and pipe” [Psalms 150:4], this is Hod. “Praise Him with resounding cymbals” [Psalms 150:5], this is Yesod. “Praise Him with clashing cymbals” [Psalms 150:6], this is Malkut8Malkut makes everything sound below.. And these are all in Malkut as is proven by their being in the Book of Psalms which corresponds to Malkut. And Rav Yosef aimed at the second aspect, which is that the intention in the ten kingships is that they are all the [ten] Sefirot, influencing in Malkut, and this is the aim in his saying ‘corresponding to the Ten Commandments’ etc. And it was explained that in the giving of the Torah [at Mount Sinai] each degree of the degrees was giving one of the [Ten] Commandments in[to] the Sefirot of Malkut, and Malkut was influencing this commandment and showed it to Israel9The visibility of a matter is always the aspect of Malkut of the matter.. And this is its expression (Exodus 20:15): “And all the people were seeing the voices”, they saw the voices coming to Malkut in order that Malkut would say the commandment with the force of each and every Sefira. And this is the intention of Rashbi, of blessed memory, in the book of Tikkunim ([Tikkunei Zohar 11b] in the Introduction), and this is what it says: ‘And on the seventh day the Torah was given; this is the righteous one, foundation of the world [the number seven is linked to the degree of the righteous one], and Malkut in its degree spoke with them, and this they established to the ten kings: ‘perhaps they were not able to speak with one mouth’ [Sefer HaBahir 49]; [one] touched the house and included all ten in it. End of citation.

And see, the intention is explained without us now examining minutely its expression, which is not to be extended, and [see] further that the speech is from the side of Malkut, as it [= Malkut] was speaking from the side of the force of each and every Sefirah [that is] influencing in it. And this intended Rav Yosef in his saying ‘the Ten Commandments which were said to Moses on Sinai, and the intention [is] that they were said to him by means of the Sinai which is Malkut as is explained. And you should not say: ‘How are they ten without Malkut?’. As see, Malkut has an aspect with the ten [Sefirot] and an aspect [where it is] receiving from the ten and in what it is receiving from itself in the mystery of the reality of Yud/ten and He/five which are in it, as will be explained in the Gate of the Reality [Gate XIV]. And with this the expression of the Rashbi of blessed memory should be minutely examined, as he said: ‘touched the house’, that the reality of house/Bet in Malkut is the reality of He/five, and they are lower degrees in it in the order of the aspect of the Yud/ten, as will be explained in the mentioned Gate. And therefore, he said: ‘and included all ten in it’, as even Malkut needs to include it [= all ten] with it [= Malkut].

And see, Rav Yosef intended the second aspect, which is [that the] ten Sefirot are influencing [in]to Malkut. And Rabbi Yochanan intended the third aspect, and it is the aspect of the Sefirot concretely in their place. And this he intended with his saying ‘With ten utterances the world was created’, which are the realities of the Sefirot in their place. And what is meant by Malkut, with their being in the kingships, is, that is intended the ten Sefirot in their place, or [that is intended] Malkut which is in each and every Sefirah, as we have explained above.

And the subject ‘they were nine’ was explained above. And it [= the Gemara] replied: ‘Bereshit is also an utterance’: although it is spoken in the reality of the emanation, yet it is [actually] the reality of an utterance, and the necessity to this [is in the verse] “With the word of HaShem the heavens were created” [Psalms 33:6], explanation: as the reality of the emanation, [which is] the heavens which are Tif’eret, their emanation is from Keter, as we will explain in the Gate of the Order of the Emanation [Gate V], with help of HaShem.

And see, it said “With the word…” [is] an expression of an utterance teaching [read המורה instead of תורה] on this, as the reality of the emanation will attribute itself to the utterance.

See, out of this saying [from the Gemara] is seen, with the explanation, that the reality of Ten Commandments and Ten Utterances and Ten Expressions of Hallel are [all] faithful witnesses in our Holy Torah on the reality of ten Sefirot without any doubt, and a root. And besides to what we have written in the previous Gate in chapter one, with help of Heaven, there is no room to question our tradition on this, to say [that] they are perhaps twenty or five at all.