הקדמה

56. “And he swore an oath etc.”And he, the angel Metatron, swore an oath, that he had heard behind the partition that the King recalls every day and remembers the doe lying in the dust. At that hour, He kicks 390 firmaments, and all are startled and frightened of Him. And the King sheds tears over this, that the Divine Presence is in the dust. And the tears, boiling like fire, fall into the great sea. By the power of those tears, that one appointee over the sea, who is called Rahab, stands and is sustained, and sanctifies the name of the holy King. He accepts upon himself to swallow all the waters of Bereshit and gather them within himself when all the nations will assemble against the holy nation and the waters will dry up and they will pass through dry land.

Explanation: He swore an oath that the King recalls and remembers every day “the doe lying in the dust,” which is the holy Divine Presence. This is not referring to the entirety of the holy Divine Presence, as [Metatron] would not need to swear an oath over that, as that is clear to all. Rather, the reference is to Malkhut of Malkhut, which Rabbi Ḥiyya thought was captive among the kelippot and had been completely abandoned, and thus “he wept, declaring: “Dust, dust etc. for everything that the eye covets will wither in you etc.” [section 49]. For this reason, she is called “a doe lying in the dust.” Here this great secret was revealed to Rabbi Ḥiyya through Metatron, who came to the academy of Rabbi Shimon, that “the King visits every day and remembers the doe lying in the dust,” but in the manner that Metatron proceeds to explain to us.

[The Zohar] continues: “At that hour, He kicks 390 firmaments, etc.” The fusion through collision of the supernal light on the partition is considered like the supernal light kicking the partition, that is, the supernal light kicks and wishes to permeate below the boundary of the partition. But the partition blocks it and rebuffs the supernal light. This rebuffing is the mystical meaning of the returning light that ascends from the partition, from below to above, and enclothes the supernal light. This matter has already been thoroughly clarified (in the Introduction to the Wisdom of the Kabbalah, p. 4, section 14; see there in detail).

The concept of the “390 firmaments” is that the partition is called a dividing firmament, and it incorporates four levels, which are Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, which are the four letters of Havaya [heh-vav-yod-heh]. Since the Malkhut was tempered by Bina, the partition has [aspects of] Bina, as stated, and the sefira of Bina is alluded to as hundreds, as is known. Thus, those four levels in the partition, of Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut add up to four hundred. However, it was explained above that there is no fusion through collision on the [level of] Malkhut of the bottom heh, since [that level] is the mystical meaning of the sealed gate. Consequently, the one hundred of the sefira of Malkhut, which is the bottom heh, is considered to lack the ten of the Malkhut of Malkhut there, and it contains only the first nine, which add up to ninety. 1The four levels making up the partition, as explained at the beginning of this section, are Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut. The partition always rests upon the sefira of Malkhut, but when Malkhut ascends to Bina in the second constriction, the partition is there as well. The four aspects of the partition are now described as counted as "hundreds, " as that is a characteristic of the level of Bina. This should equal a count of four hundred, since there are four aspects. However, the bottom level of the sefira of Malkhut, the tenth level of Malkhut of Malkhut, cannot enter the "kicking" of the fusion through collision, as it is "sealed away. " Recall that each sefira is made up of all ten sefirot, so Malkhut of Malkhut refers to the tenth aspect (Malkhut) of the fourth aspect (Malkhut). This is the allusion, that the partition which is called “firmament”, upon which the supernal light engages in a fusion through collision, which is a “kick,” there are not four hundred there, but rather 390, with ten missing, Malkhut of Malkhut. Therefore, the firmament is called “390 firmaments.” This is the meaning of the statement: “He kicks 390 firmaments” every day, at the time of the fusion through collision with the Divine Presence. This is to the exclusion of “the doe lying in the dust,” who is not involved in that fusion through collision, as she is the mystical meaning of the ten who are lacking from the four hundred.

“And all are startled and frightened of Him.” The mystical meaning of the impact of the partition upon the supernal light lies in the mystical meaning of "startling and fright, "2This is a phrase commonly used in Torah literature to describe two types of fear with which one must receive the divine presence. that is, the fear that [the level] might receive more than its capacity.

[The Zohar] continues: “And the King sheds tears over this.” The brains of the level of Ḥokhma are called eyes, since the five sefirot of the head are called gulgalta, eyes, and ears, nose, and mouth. Just as those drops that the eyes emit are called “tears,” so too these drops that the level of Ḥokhma emits are called “tears.” The meaning of this emission of tears is, as explained just earlier (third paragraph), with regard to the mystical meaning of the fusion through collision. The supernal light that is drawn to the lower [level] and hits the partition, kicks and strikes [the partition], that is, it wants to continue to below the boundary in the partition. However, the partition immediately prevails over [the supernal light] and rebuffs it, as [the partition] does not let [the supernal light] cross its border; see there.

However, in the meantime, that is, before the partition rebuffed [the supernal light], very small drops from the supernal light were necessarily drawn below the boundary of the partition, as for all the speed of the partition, it did not manage to rebuff them from itself upward. You should know that these drops cannot be incorporated in the height of Ḥokhma that emerged in the lower level, 3The supernal light of the level of Ḥokhma flows "downward" and then impacts the partition. A few "droplets" of this light manage to make it across to the level below. The rest of the column of supernal light is first enclothed in the returning light, which then allows it to become the partzuf of Ḥokhma for the level below. The droplets that preceded it to the level below, however, cannot join this enclothed column, because they are not similarly enclothed in the returning light. since they are without the enclothing of returning light, and they are emitted and exit the partzuf of Ḥokhma. These [emissions] are called “tears.”

This is the mystical meaning of the [phenomenon that] when a corporeal person is filled with compassion and love for his friend, he sheds tears from his eyes, as this is drawn from the aforementioned root of the spiritual tears. Anything spiritual that occurs in the higher [realms] impacts and creates a branch in the corporeal creatures, as is known. The fact that the supernal light kicks and strikes upon the partition, to breach its boundary, that is because the supernal light is constantly drawn from Ein Sof, blessed be He, which is above the world of constriction, where no boundary can be discerned, God forbid.

Since the supernal light yearns and longs to spread, in the manner that the Sages said: “The Holy One, blessed be He, yearned to dwell in the lower realms,” and likewise that the [dwelling of the] Divine Presence in the lower realms is a need of the Most High, [the supernal light] therefore kicks and strikes on the boundary of the partition, [trying] to be drawn below its boundary. The partition rebuffs [the supernal light] as returning light, and at the same time, tears are emitted, as stated. Thus, these tears are expressed due to compassion and love for the lower realm. Therefore, in the corporeal branch as well, tears are always emitted when a person is moved by love and compassion for his friend. However, spiritual tears do not disappear like corporeal ones, as explained below.

[The Zohar] continues: “And the tears, boiling like fire, fall into the great sea.” This is the mystical meaning of the verse: “For love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave; its flashes are flashes of fire, a flame of the Lord” (Song of Songs 8:6). As explained, these tears are the result of the compassion and love of the supernal light toward the lower realm. Just as you find in the corporeal branch, [that] when a person is filled with love and compassion for his friend, the tears are boiling, in accordance with the measure of his feelings for him, the same applies to these tears – they are as scorching as fire, in the mystical meaning of “its flashes are flashes of fire, a flame of the Lord.” This is the meaning of “tears, boiling like fire, fall into the great sea.” The attribute of Malkhut from the frame of reference of Ḥokhma is called “the great sea,” since great waters are drawn from it, “mighty breakers of the sea” [Psalms 93:4].

[The Zohar] continues: “By the power of those tears, that one appointee over the sea stands and is sustained.” This is referring to that ministering angel of the sea who was killed at the time of the creation of the world. This is as the Sages said (Bava Batra 74b) on the verse: “And by His understanding He smites Rahab” [Job 26:12], that when he was instructed: “Let the waters be gathered together to one place” (Genesis 1:9), he did not want to swallow the waters of Bereshit. It [thus] states that he “stands and is sustained” on those tears that fall into “the great sea,” as he is revived through them.

[The Zohar] continues: “And he sanctifies the name of the holy King, and he accepts upon himself to swallow all the waters of Bereshit.” At the time of the creation of the world, no rectification reached Malkhut of Malkhut, since the Emanator rectified the worlds of Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya with the mystical meaning of the feminine waters of Bina, not the feminine waters of Malkhut. This was enough only for the first nine [sefirot] of Malkhut, but not for Malkhut of Malkhut, as stated above.

This is the mystical meaning of the Sages’ comment on the verse: “You are My people” (Isaiah 51:16) – “you are My people in partnership; I started the worlds, and you finish them.” The entire rectification of Malkhut of Malkhut is solely the responsibility of the lower [beings]. Accordingly, when it was said to the ministering angel of the sea: “Let the waters be gathered together to one place,” he refused and did not want to swallow all the waters of Bereshit, because the kelippot would have overcome him due to the lack of rectification of Malkhut of Malkhut. For this reason he was killed. However, these aforementioned tears are the ones that purify and rectify the Malkhut of Malkhut, which is why they vitalize the ministering angel of the sea, so that he can stand and sanctify the name of the holy King, that is, to observe his Master’s command and “swallow all the waters of Bereshit.” Then all the kelippot in the world, and all the evil powers, will be nullified and they will all be gathered to one place, which is the mystical meaning of Atzilut. The world of Atzilut will expand, equal to the legs of Adam Kadmon, [reaching] until this world. This will be the completion of the rectification because Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya will return to being Atzilut. This is the meaning of: “By the power of those tears, that one appointee over the sea, who is called Rahab, stands and is sustained, and sanctifies the name of the holy King, and he accepts upon himself to swallow all the waters of Bereshit.”

[The Zohar] continues: “When all the nations will assemble against the holy nation.” This will occur in the future, at the [time of the] completion of the rectification, when all the nations of the world will gather together to destroy Israel, God forbid. It will then be revealed that the ministering angel of the sea will swallow all “the waters of Bereshit.” The waters will dry up and the children of Israel will pass through [on] dry land [see Exodus 14:29]. This is the mystical meaning of [the verse]: as it is written, “As in the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt, I will show him marvelous things” (Micah 7:15). However, that [in the past] was only the beginning, as that happened only in the Red Sea and only for a limited time. At [the time of] the completion of the rectification, by contrast, death will be swallowed up forever [see Isaiah 25:8].

Metatron thereby thoroughly clarified the oath he had taken, when he swore, “that the King recalls every day and remembers the doe lying in the dust.” Although the fusion through collision that He performs with His Divine Presence every day is only of the “390 firmaments,” that is, only in the first nine [sefirot] of Malkhut, and the [the final sefira of] Malkhut of Malkhut remains “lying in the dust,” such that it seems to us that the King does not remember it at all, that is not the case. Rather, He recalls it with each and every fusion through collision, since at each fusion tears are emitted, from the force of the kicking against the 390 firmaments. [These tears] do not perish, but rather they fall into “the great sea,” which is the mystical meaning of the aforementioned Malkhut of Malkhut, which gradually receives its rectification through those tears. [As explained, ] the ministering angel of the sea is revived by that measure [of tears], until the tears accumulate in sufficient amount to purify the entire Malkhut. This will occur when all the nations in the world will gather together simultaneously against Israel. At that time, the ministering angel of the sea will be revived and will swallow all “the waters of Bereshit,” since the Malkhut of Malkhut will receive its rectification in its entirety. Thus, the King recalls “the doe” every day until she receives her rectification in its entirety. Here, all [the answers to] Rabbi Ḥiyya’s questions revealed to him, as he saw that nothing withers in the dust, God forbid. On the contrary, a fusion through collision is performed upon [the doe] each and every day, as Metatron swore to him.