הקדמה

154. “And there are two controlling officials there, etc.”And there are two appointed ruling [angels] there who rule, one over darkness and the other over light. They were hostile toward one another. At the time that Cain descended there they joined with each other and became united as one. Everyone saw that they were Cain’s offspring. Therefore they have two heads, like two serpents, except when the official that rules over the light is in control, [as then] he is victorious over his own, that is, the light, and is victorious over the other official, the one appointed over the darkness. Consequently, those in the darkness were incorporated into those in the light and [they] became one.

Explanation: In order to understand this, it is necessary to delve further into the issue of Cain and Abel in greater depth. It has already been explained (section #14#, above) that during the emergence of the holy name Elohim, the letters alef-lamed-heh first ascend and join mem-yod, in a state of the concealed name, since they lack the light of giving. The holiness, which is [the light of] Ḥokhma, cannot be enclothed in the [structure of these letters forming this concealed name] without a garment of the light of giving. [These letters] are therefore concealed [in their structure of] the name Elohim. Subsequently, a second [fusion through collision] is performed in Mi to draw out [a height of] the light of giving, such that now Ḥokhma is enclothed in the light of giving and the name Elohim is complete. As stated there, this is the mystical meaning of: “Who [Mi] has created these [eleh],” [Isaiah 40:26], because He created light for His light, that is, the precious garment of the light of giving, and enclothed [the light of Ḥokhma] in the [light of giving], and thus alef-lamed-heh joined with mem-yod, and Elohim was complete.

The explanation is that in Mi, which is Bina, there are [a set of the] first three [sefirot], which are called Abba and Imma Ila'in. They were established in the mystical meaning of “pure air” [avira dakhia] in the mystical meaning of: “Because He delights in mercy” [Micah 7:18] [which refers to the light of giving], and they do not receive [the light of] Ḥokhma. Only the lower seven [sefirot] of Mi, [forming the partzuf called] Yisrael Sabba and Tevuna, receive [the light of] Ḥokhma. Therefore, at the beginning of the ascent of the letters alef-lamed-heh to Mi, they ascend to the lower seven [sefirot] of Mi that receive Ḥokhma, and then they are [in the] concealed [form] in the name Elohim, as stated. However, afterwards there occurs the second [fusion through collision] of the first three [sefirot] of Mi, which are “pure air,” and [these first three sefirot] bestow the precious garment [which is the light of giving] that shines for alef-lamed-heh, and then [the letters] are completed in the holy name Elohim.

The soul of Cain was from alef-lamed-heh [of the aspect of] when they are still in a state of concealment in the name, and therefore the holiness, which is Ḥokhma, was concealed for him due to the lack of a garment of the [light of giving]. Yet not only did he fail to raise feminine waters to draw the Mi of the [light of giving], but he also wished to draw Ḥokhma from Abba and Imma Ila'in. As a result, he killed Abel, for he uncovered the backside of the Nukba of Ze’er Anpin, as stated. He himself dropped his soul to the kelippot of alef-lamed-heh, and the place of these kelippot is in arka [which is the level of the land described in the previous sections].

The concept of the two appointed [angels] that are there is [that they] are from the alef-lamed-heh of the kelippot, since “God made one thing corresponding to the other” [Ecclesiastes 7:14]. As explained above, the Nukba possesses a backside [of the aspect] of Ma in a concealed state, and of the aspect of Mi in a revealed state. [In this state, the Nukba] can then illuminate to the souls using the holy name Elohim in complete fullness. [This is] because the Ḥokhma of the letters alef-lamed-heh, which [the Nukba] received from the lower seven [sefirot] of Mi, are then enclothed in the light of giving of the first three [sefirot] of Mi, and [as a result] the holy name is revealed.

However, in the Sitra Aḥara, whose entire suckling [of divine light] is from the backside of holiness, which is Ma, the letters alef-lamed-heh have two deficiencies: 1) They lack the light of giving entirely; 2) Even the Ḥokhma in alef-lamed-heh cannot be enclothed there, due to the lack of the light of giving of Mi, and therefore they reside in darkness rather than in light.

This is the male of alef-lamed-heh of the kelippa, for its vessels are vessels of Ḥokhma, which are alef-lamed-heh, but [these vessels] are devoid of Ḥokhma on account of the lack of the light of giving of Mi, such that [this male aspect] is entirely dark, from both the light of Ḥokhma and the light of giving. Nevertheless, [this male aspect] is of a high caliber in terms of the power of its vessels, for [these vessels] would be fit for Ḥokhma, were it possible for the [male aspect] to receive a garment of the light of giving. The Nukba of alef-lamed-heh of the kelippa is from the backside of the [aspect of] Ma of the Nukba of holiness, which is a vessel of the light of giving. But [in this kelippa version, the Nukba] is very flawed, and [this Nukba] is the root of separation which falsifies in the name of the King. This [Nukba] contains many names of impurity in accordance with its corruptions. However, [this Nukba] has a thin light as a result of the power of its vessels, which are from the backside of Ma, [and these vessels] at their root are vessels of the light of giving.

Know that these male and female [aspects] of alef-lamed-heh of the kelippa are the two appointed [angels] in the land of arka: The male is appointed over the darkness, while the female is appointed over the light there. Therefore, they are hostile to one another because they are the opposites of each other. The male, because he contains the empty vessels of Ḥokhma from the letters of alef-lamed-heh, hates the power of falsification and separation in the vessels of his Nukba and prefers the darkness within himself. The female, who has the thin light from the light of giving, has no desire for the light of Ḥokhma whatsoever, much less the darkness of the male, and therefore she is hostile toward him and flees from him.

[Rabbi Shimon] thus states: “Two appointed ruling [angels] there who rule, one over darkness and the other over light. They were hostile toward one another.” The male rules over darkness and the female over light, and they are hostile towards one another and hate each other. Since they remain separate from each other, they are unable to spread at all, and they do not have the power to cause harm.

However, after Cain sinned and caused the letters alef-lamed-heh of holiness in his soul to fall to the kelippot in arka, his letters alef-lamed-heh, which were also blocked from the light of giving, became enclothed in the light of the Nukba of alef-lamed-heh of the kelippa. [Through this enclothing] small sparks of the aspect of Ḥokhma that remained in Cain’s vessels of alef-lamed-heh were thereby revived, as the light of the evil kelippa revived them like the light of giving of holiness. As a result, the male of alef-lamed-heh of the kelippa also mated with this Nukba that enclothed the alef-lamed-heh of Cain, for [that male aspect] also possessed those same vessels of Cain. Through this mating, Cain begot offspring, which [emerged] from the sparks of Ḥokhma that remained in those letters alef-lamed-heh of his that were mingled with the vessels of alef-lamed-heh of the male of the kelippa, and which became enclothed in the light of the evil Nukba of the kelippa.

This is why [Rabbi Shimon] states that “when Cain descended there they joined with each other and were completed as one,” since the sparks of Ḥokhma that remained in the alef-lamed-heh of Cain became enclothed in the light of the female of the kelippa. As a result, the male of the kelippa also desired her, in order to receive and enjoy Cain’s sparks of Ḥokhma of alef-lamed-heh. They mated with each other, that is, they joined with each other as one, and were completed through one another as one. [Rabbi Shimon] continues: “And everyone saw that they were Cain’s offspring,” [meaning that] the union produced offspring, which were of the aspect of the enclothing of Cain’s sparks of alef-lamed-heh in the light of the kelippa. The sparks of Ḥokhma of Cain’s soul were thereby revealed, and everyone saw that they were Cain’s offspring, born from that evil coupling.

“Therefore they have two heads, like two serpents.” Since the [offspring] emerged from the bonding of the male and female of alef-lamed-heh of the kelippa, who are opposites from their roots, as stated, therefore the offspring that Cain bore with the help [of the kelippa] have the same two heads as those two kelippot: One leans toward the darkness of vessels of Ḥokhma, while the other leans toward the light in the vessels of impurity of the Nukba of the kelippa.

[Rabbi Shimon] says that they are “like two serpents” because they are the corresponding opposite of the two animals in the Divine Chariot, which are the ox and the eagle, as detailed below.

Now, regarding his statement that they have two heads, this is the case only when the male dominates, meaning, the dominion of [his tending toward] the darkness. By means of his enclothing in the light of Nukba, in order to enjoy Cain’s sparks of Ḥokhma, as stated, he thereby also maintains the dominion of his Nukba against his will, because he needs her light. Consequently, at that stage the offspring have two heads, one pulling one way while the other pulls the other way.

This is not the case for the Nukba of the kelippa, for she does not need her male at all, since he does not give her anything, because he is all darkness, as stated. Therefore, when the Nukba governs and wishes to win with her impurity, she has complete control and leaves nothing of the aspect of the male. Then the two heads of Cain’s offspring also return to be one [since there is no aspect of the male].

This is the meaning of the statement: “Except when the [appointed one] that rules over the light is in control. He is victorious over his own, and is victorious over the other.” In other words, when the Nukba of the kelippa, which is the mistress of the light, is in control, she strengthens herself in order to defeat the male, the other appointed one. “He [referring to the Nukba] is victorious over his own,” since the strength [of the Nukba] wins, “and is victorious over the other” as well, defeating the other appointed [angel], who is the male, because she completely triumphs over the male under her control. “Consequently, those in the darkness were incorporated into those in the light and became one.” As a result, the dominion of the male, which is darkness, is incorporated within the dominion of the female, which is the light, and the two heads become one.