הקדמה

42. “However, we saw etc.”However, we saw with regard to the secrets of Bereshit that he said as follows: That hidden, holy one engraved [galifei] a carving in the intestines, which is the mystical meaning of Bina, of one hidden one, the mystical meaning of the Nukba of Atik, that is dotted with the embedded point, the mystical meaning of the point of the Malkhut of the first constriction, which ascended to Bina and ejected the ears, nose, and mouth of Arikh Anpin out of his head. That carving, which was engraved in Bina, was engraved and concealed in [Bina], like one who hides everything behind a single key, and the whole of that one key is hidden in a single palace. And although everything is hidden in that palace, the essence of everything is in that key, because it is that key which closes and opens.

Explanation: Galifei refers to the engraving [that led to] the lack of ears, nose, and mouth of the vessels.1This refers to the previously mentioned ejection of the vessels called "ear, " "nose" and "mouth" through the ascent of Malkhut in the second constriction. The “holy, hidden one” is Arikh Anpin, who is called “the holy sealed Ḥokhma”; “of one hidden one” – the Nukba of Atik; “in his intestines, of one hidden one” – meaning in the interior of Nukba of Atik. “Dotted” is referring to the establishment of the partition for the mystical meaning of a fusion through collision. “With the imbedded point” means with a dot that is embedded in a circle. This is the Malkhut of the first constriction, which is called the middle point, on which the first constriction was performed. This is in contrast to the partition that is established with the coronet of Yesod, which is the case for the six extremities of all the partzufim, as stated just earlier.2In the previous section the author of the Sulam described how from Arikh Anpin and below, there is no full Malkhut, but only the nine sefirot preceding Malkhut. The coronet of Yesod, the sefira at the bottom of the six extremities, plays the role of Malkhut to an extent. This partition of the coronet of Yesod is called “the point of the settlement,” rather than “the middle point.”3Malkhut is often referred to as a "point." Here, the author is indicating the distinction in terminology between these two kinds of "points."

The meaning is that Arikh Anpin is engraved and becomes lacking in its first three [sefirot] as a result of the internal makeup of [the level] above. [This level above is[ Nukba of Atik, which is established with the lower heh in the apertures of its eyes, as stated above.4As described in previous sections, the lower heh refers to Malkhut ascending in the second constriction. The position of Malkhut within Nukba of Atik is mirrored by the levels below.

[Rabbi Ḥiyya] then states: “That carving was engraved and concealed in her, like one who hides everything behind a single key.” This “key” refers to the aspect of Malkhut that is the coronet of Yesod, which is established in every [level of] six extremities of the partzufim of Atzilut, as stated in the previous section. As explained there, in the partzufim of the six extremities the yod emerges from their avir [air] and they become or [light]. This means that the partition descends from the apertures of the eyes [of those partzufim of the six extremities] to the mouth, and this returns the ears, nose, and mouth back to the level. Subsequently, once these [aspects of the six extremities] have the ears, nose, and mouth of the vessels, they also acquire the first three of lights.5The lights of nefesh, ruaḥ neshama ḥaya and yeḥida always enter the vessels from lowest to highest. Thus, when the ears, nose and mouth are ejected from the level, the higher lights of neshama ḥaya and yeḥida are lost from the level. Upon the return of these vessels, the "first three" of the lights, meaning the three highest lights of neshama ḥaya and yeḥida, are able to return to the level. Accordingly, the partition in the apertures of the eyes is called a “key,” because [the partition] closes the partzuf from the illumination of the first three while [the partition] is in the apertures of the eyes, before reopening [the partzuf] to the lights of the first three when [the partition] descends back to its place, to the mouth. For this reason, it is also called “the opening of the eyes” (as stated in section 7, and in the Sulam there, second paragraph).

[Rabbi Ḥiyya] thus says: “And concealed in her, like one who hides everything behind a single key.” In other words, although Atik itself was engraved with the lower heh, as stated above, nevertheless, that carving which was engraved in Arikh Anpin as a result of [its mirroring] of Atik is dissimilar to the carving of Atik itself, since Arikh Anpin was carved with a “key,” the coronet of Yesod, for [Arikh Anpin] lacked the Malkhut, as stated. It follows that only the coronet of Yesod operates in the apertures of the eyes of Arikh Anpin, not the lower heh.6This means to say that since Arikh Anpin lacks a true bottom sefira of Malkhut, and only has the Malkhut of Yesod (the coronet) at the bottom of its structure, when this Malkhut ascends to the aperture of the eyes of Arikh Anpin, its impact on the partzuf is different from the impact of the lower heh (a full Malkhut) on the partzuf of Atik. Therefore, the air of Arikh Anpin is known, because it is established with that key, whereas the air of Atik is unknown, since the Malkhut of the middle point is within [Atik], and it does not draw the first three [lights] through [Atik], as stated.7The "air" of Arikh Anpin is "known, " meaning the lights of Arikh Anpin can be accessible to the levels below, unlike the lights of Atik. [As an aside, ] you should not find problematic the statement here that Arikh Anpin possesses gulgalta and eyes, even though we said above that [Arikh Anpin] has only ears, nose, and mouth, which are the lower half of the Keter. The reason is that with respect to Atik, Arikh Anpin has only ears, nose, and mouth, but with respect to itself, Arikh Anpin [possesses] the gulgalta and eyes and lacks ears, nose, and mouth, as explained (in my book, Introduction to the Wisdom of the Kabbalah, page 25, s.v., Ve-al zeh).

[Rabbi Ḥiyya] next states: “And the whole of that one key is hidden in a single palace.” Arikh Anpin emanated Abba and Imma Ila'in and also engraved Abba and Imma Ila'in without the first three of lights and [without] the ears, nose, and mouth of the vessels. [Abba and Imma Ila'in] are the “palace” in which all the lights of the first three [sefirot] were hidden – the first three [sefirot of the light] of neshama, the first three [sefirot of the light] of ḥaya, as well as the first three [sefirot of the light] of yeḥida. When [Rabbi Ḥiyya] states “the whole [of that one key] is hidden,” he means that Arikh Anpin also drew the lower heh of Atik into this palace, as well as the aspect of [Arikh Anpin] itself, the “key.”8In other words, within Abba and Imma Ila'in lies the force of blockage, resulting from the lower heh of Atik, as well as the capacity to "unlock" that, derived from the version of the lower heh in Arikh Anpin (the coronet of Yesod), called a "key."

[Rabbi Ḥiyya] continues: “And although everything is hidden in that palace, the essence of everything is in that key.” The “palace” is Bina, which is a palace for Ḥokhma. In [Bina] are [a set of] first three [sefirot] and six extremities. The lower heh rules over [this aspect of] the first three [sefirot of Bina], while the “key,” the coronet of Yesod, rules over [the aspect of] the six extremities [of Bina]. This is the meaning of the statement: “And although everything is hidden in that palace,” i.e., even the lower heh from Atik, nevertheless, “the essence of everything is in that key,” in the coronet of Yesod alone.9This means to say that the influence of the lower heh in Atik only impacts the six extremities component of this Bina. The reason [the essence is only in the six extremities] is that it is only in the six extremities of Bina, called Yisrael Sabba and Tevuna, that the concealment is discerned, [the concealment] meaning [there is a level of] six extremities without a head of the first three [sefirot]. This [concealment] is not the case for the first three [sefirot] of Bina, which are Abba and Imma (father and mother), in which, while the lower heh is in the apertures of the eyes, the [aspect of the] first three [sefirot] is not lacking at all. This is because the [the light of giving] of Abba and Imma are considered like the Ḥokhma and the first three [for the level of Bina] (as stated above, in Marot HaSulam, section 2, s.v. Ve-hu).10The presence of Malkhut in the partzuf aspect of Abba and Imma (the aspect of the "first three" of Bina) does not cause a concealment of the light in that aspect. This is because the light of Abba and Imma Ila'in is the light of giving, a light that is unaffected by the presence of Malkhut (the lower heh). In contrast, the aspect of the six extremities of Bina (Yisrael Sabba and Tevuna) draws the illumination of the light of Ḥokhma. As a result, the presence of Malkhut causes a concealment, since the light of Ḥokhma flees before a vessel of Malkhut as a result of the first constriction.

[Rabbi Ḥiyya] concludes: “It is that key which closes and opens.” The closing and opening are performed by means of the lower heh in the apertures of the eyes, for when [Malkhut] ascends to the apertures of the eyes, it closes off the brains of the first three, since [as a result of the ascension of Malkhut] the partzuf is left lacking the ears, nose, and mouth of the vessels, as well as the first three of the lights. When [Malkhut] descends from the apertures of the eyes back to the mouth, it opens [the conduit] for the brains of the first three [sefirot] so that they will illuminate in the partzuf. [The descent of Malkhut] returns the ears, nose, and mouth of the vessels and the first three of the lights back to the partzuf. This illustrates that it is only the lower heh itself that closes and opens. Nevertheless, since the opening of the brains is not in the first three, but only in the lower seven, where the lower heh does not rule, but rather the coronet of Yesod, which is called the “key,” and the first three of each level – where the lower heh rules – always remain in the state of air that is unknown (as stated), the closing and opening are therefore attributed to the “key,” not to the lower heh.