AND GOD SAID, LET THE WATERS FLOW: The word flow (yikavvu) implies that they were to go in a line (kav) so as to take a straight path. For from the first mystic point the Whole issues in secret, until it reaches and is gathered in to the supernal Palace, and from there it issues in a straight line to the other grades, until it comes to that place which collects the whole in a union of male and female; this is the “Life of worlds.”
THE WATERS: to wit, those that issue from on high, from under the upper He’. FROM UNDER THE HEAVEN: this is the lesser Vau (hence the word yikavva is spelt with two vau’s, one for “the heaven” and one for “under the heaven”). In consequence: LET THE DRY LAND APPEAR. This is the lower He. This is disclosed and all the rest is undisclosed; from this last we conclude by inference to that which is undisclosed.
TO ONE PLACE: so called because it is here that the whole of the upper World is linked into one. It is written: The Lord (Tetragrammaton) is one and his name is One (Zech. 14, 9). Two unifications are here indicated, one of the upper World in its grades, and one of the lower World in its grades. The unification of the upper World is consummated at this point. The Life of Worlds was there firmly based, and through its unity the upper World was bound together, and therefore it is called “one place”. All grades and all members were gathered there and became in it one without any separation; nor is there any grade in which they are embraced in one unification save this. In it, too, they all mysteriously conceal themselves in one desire. In this grade the disclosed World is linked with the undisclosed.
The disclosed World is similarly unified below, and the disclosed World is, in fact, a lower world. Hence such expressions as: “I saw the Lord” (Is. 6, 1), “And they saw the God of Israel” (Ex. 24, 10), “And the glory of the Lord appeared” (Num. 14, 10: XVII, 7), “So was the appearance of the brightness round about; this was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord” (Ezek. 1, 28). This, too, is the inner meaning of the words here, “and let the dry land appear”.
The same is referred to in the words, “My bow I have set in the cloud” (Gen. 9, 13): to wit, from the day on which the world was created. On the day of cloud, when the bow, “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord” appeared, the Left arose in might. Then “Rachel went forth and had pain in childbirth”. With her appeared Michael on one side, Raphael on another, and Gabriel on a third, these being the colours which appeared in the “likeness”.
Hence “the appearance of the brightness round about”, to wit, the radiance which is hidden in the pupil of the eye, becomes “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord”, to wit, corresponding colours, so that the lower unity is formed in correspondence with the upper unity.
This is signified by the formula, “The Lord our God the Lord” (Deut. 6, 4). The mysterious and undisclosed colours which are linked “in one place” form one higher unity; the colours of the bow below in which are united white, red, and yellow, corresponding to those other mysterious colours, form another unity, signified by the formula “and his name is One”. Further, the form “Blessed be the name of the glory of his kingdom for ever and ever” signifies the lower unity, while the upper unity is signified by the form “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God the Lord is one.” These forms correspond, each having six words.1i.e. in the original Hebrew.
(ר"ת יהו"ה) וַ'יֹּאמֶר אֱ'לֹקִים יִ'קָּווּ הַ'מַּיִם וְגו' בְּאֹרַח קַו לְמֶהֱוֵי בְּאֹרַח מֵישָׁר. דְּהָא מֵרָזָא דְהַהִיא נְקוּדָה קַדְמָאָה נָפַק כֹּלָּא בִּסְתִימוּ. עַד דְּמָטֵי וְאִתְכַּנִּישׁ לְהֵיכָלָא עִלָּאָה וּמִתַּמָּן נָפִיק בְּקַו מֵישַׁר לִשְׁאָר דַּרְגִּין. עַד דְּמָטֵי לְהַהוּא אֲתַר חַד דְּכָנִישׁ כֹּלָּא בִּכְלַל דְּכַר וְנוּקְבָא. וּמַאן אִיהוּ חַי עָלְמִין.
AND GOD SAID, LET THE WATERS FLOW: The word flow (yikavvu) implies that they were to go in a line (kav) so as to take a straight path. For from the first mystic point the Whole issues in secret, until it reaches and is gathered in to the supernal Palace, and from there it issues in a straight line to the other grades, until it comes to that place which collects the whole in a union of male and female; this is the “Life of worlds.”
הַמַּיִם דְּנַפְקֵי מִלְעֵיל מֵאֵת ה' עִלָּאָה. מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם ו' זְעֵירָא. וְעַל דָּא ו"ו חַד שָׁמַיִם וְחַד מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם. כְּדֵין וְתֵרָאֶה הַיַּבָּשָׁה דָּא ה' תַּתָּאָה. דָּא אִתְגְּלִי. וְכָל שְׁאָר אִתְכַּסֵּי. וּמִגּוֹ הַאי בַּתְרָאָה אִשְׁתְּמַע בְּסוּכְלְתָנוּ הַהוּא דְּאִתְכַּסֵּי.
THE WATERS: to wit, those that issue from on high, from under the upper He’. FROM UNDER THE HEAVEN: this is the lesser Vau (hence the word yikavva is spelt with two vau’s, one for “the heaven” and one for “under the heaven”). In consequence: LET THE DRY LAND APPEAR. This is the lower He. This is disclosed and all the rest is undisclosed; from this last we conclude by inference to that which is undisclosed.
אֶל מָקוֹם אֶחָד בְּגִין דְּהָכָא הוּא קִשּׁוּרָא דְיִחוּדָא דְעָלְמָא עִלָּאָה יהו"ה אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד (תרומה קלד ע"א) תְּרֵין יִחוּדִין חַד דְּעָלְמָא עִלָּאָה לְאִתְיַחֲדָא בְּדַרְגּוֹי, וְחַד דְּעָלְמָא תַּתָּאָה לְאִתְיַחֲדָא בְּדַרְגּוֹי. קִשּׁוּרָא דְּיִחוּדָא דְּעָלְמָא עִלָּאָה עַד הָכָא אִיהוּ. חַי עָלְמִין תַּמָּן אִתְבְּסִים וְאִתְקַשַּׁר עָלְמָא עִלָּאָה בְּיִחוּדָא דִילֵיהּ. וּבְגִין כָּךְ אִקְרֵי מָקוֹם אֶחָד. כָּל דַּרְגִּין וְכָל שַׁיְיפִין מִתְכַּנְשִׁין תַּמָּן וְהֲווּ כֻּלְהוּ בֵּיהּ חַד בְּלָא פִּירוּדָא כְּלָל. וְלֵית דַּרְגָא דְּאִתְיַחֲדָן תַּמָּן בְּיִחוּדָא חַד אֶלָא הַאי, וּבֵיהּ אִתְכַּסְּיָין כֻּלְהוּ בְּאֹרַח סָתִים בְּתִיאוּבְתָּא חַד. עַד הָכָא בְּדַרְגָּא דָּא אִתְיַיחַד עָלְמָא דְאִתְגַּלְיָיא בְּעָלְמָא דְאִתְכַּסְיָיא.
TO ONE PLACE: so called because it is here that the whole of the upper World is linked into one. It is written: The Lord (Tetragrammaton) is one and his name is One (Zech. 14, 9). Two unifications are here indicated, one of the upper World in its grades, and one of the lower World in its grades. The unification of the upper World is consummated at this point. The Life of Worlds was there firmly based, and through its unity the upper World was bound together, and therefore it is called “one place”. All grades and all members were gathered there and became in it one without any separation; nor is there any grade in which they are embraced in one unification save this. In it, too, they all mysteriously conceal themselves in one desire. In this grade the disclosed World is linked with the undisclosed.
עָלְמָא דְאִתְגַּלְיָיא אִתְיַיחַד אוּף הָכִי לְתַתָּא, וְעָלְמָא דְאִתְגַלְיָיא אִיהוּ עָלְמָא דְתַתָּאָ"ה. (ישעיה ו) וָאֶרְאֶה אֶת יְיָ (שמות כ״ד:י׳) וַיִּרְאוּ אֶת אֱלהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (במדבר י״ד:י׳) וּכְבוֹד יְיָ נִרְאָה (במדבר י״ז:ז׳) וַיֵּרָא כְבוֹד יְיָ (יחזקאל א׳:כ״ח) כְּמַרְאֶה הַקֶּשֶׁת וְגו' כֵּן מַרְאֶה הַנֹּגַהּ סָבִיב הוּא מַרְאֶה דְּמוּת כְּבוֹד יְיָ. וְדָא אִיהוּ רָזָא וְתֵרָאֶה הַיַּבָּשָׁה.
The disclosed World is similarly unified below, and the disclosed World is, in fact, a lower world. Hence such expressions as: “I saw the Lord” (Is. 6, 1), “And they saw the God of Israel” (Ex. 24, 10), “And the glory of the Lord appeared” (Num. 14, 10: XVII, 7), “So was the appearance of the brightness round about; this was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord” (Ezek. 1, 28). This, too, is the inner meaning of the words here, “and let the dry land appear”.
(יחזקאל א׳:כ״ח) כְּמַרְאֵה הַקֶּשֶׁת זֶה חַי עָלְמִין. וְזֶהוּ אֶת קַשְׁתִּי נָתַתִּי בֶּעָנָן דָּא מַלְכוּת. נָתַתִּי מִן יוֹמָא דְאִתְבְּרֵי עָלְמָא. בְּיוֹמָא דְּעִיבָּא דְּאִתְחַזֵּי קֶשֶׁת (דאתער שמאלא לאתתקפא). מַרְאֶה דְמוּת כְּבוֹד ה' אִתְעַר שְׂמָאלָא לְאִתְתַּקְּפָא. נָפְקַת רָחֵל וַתְּקַשׁ בְּלִדְתָּהּ. מִיכָאֵ"ל בְּסִטְרָא דָא, רְפָאֵ"ל בְּסִטְרָא דָא, גַּבְרִיאֵ"ל בְּסִטְרָא דָא. וְאִנּוּן גְּוָונִין דְּאִתְחַזְּיָין בְּהַהוּא דְמוּת חִיוַר וְסוּמָק וְיָרוֹק.
The same is referred to in the words, “My bow I have set in the cloud” (Gen. 9, 13): to wit, from the day on which the world was created. On the day of cloud, when the bow, “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord” appeared, the Left arose in might. Then “Rachel went forth and had pain in childbirth”. With her appeared Michael on one side, Raphael on another, and Gabriel on a third, these being the colours which appeared in the “likeness”.
כֵּן מַרְאֶה הַנֹּגַהּ סָבִיב. נְהִירוּ דְאִתְכַּסְיָיא בְּגִלְגּוּלָא דְּחֵיזוּ דְעֵינָא. הוּא מַרְאֶה דְּמוּת כְּבוֹד יְיָ. גְּוָונִין דְּאִתְיַחֲדָא יִחוּדָא תַּתָּאָה לְפוּם יִחוּדָא דְּאִתְיַחַד יִחוּדָא דִלְעֵילָא.
Hence “the appearance of the brightness round about”, to wit, the radiance which is hidden in the pupil of the eye, becomes “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord”, to wit, corresponding colours, so that the lower unity is formed in correspondence with the upper unity.
יְיָ אֱלהֵינוּ יְיָ. גְּוָונִין סְתִימִין דְּלָא אִתְחַזָן וְאִתְקַשְּׁרָן אֶל מָקוֹם אֶחָד יִחוּדָא חָדָא בְּעִלָּאָה. גְּוָונִין בַּקֶּשֶׁת לְתַתָּא לְאִתְיַחֲדָא בְּהוּ. חִוָּור סוֹמָק וְיָרוֹק כִּגְוָונִין סְתִימִין. וְאִנּוּן יִחוּדָא אָחֳרָא רָזָא וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד. בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד יִחוּדָא דִלְתַתָּא. יִחוּדָא עִלָּאָה (דברים ו׳:ד׳) שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יהו"ה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יהו"ה אֶחָד. דָּא לָקֳבֵיל דָּא.
This is signified by the formula, “The Lord our God the Lord” (Deut. 6, 4). The mysterious and undisclosed colours which are linked “in one place” form one higher unity; the colours of the bow below in which are united white, red, and yellow, corresponding to those other mysterious colours, form another unity, signified by the formula “and his name is One”. Further, the form “Blessed be the name of the glory of his kingdom for ever and ever” signifies the lower unity, while the upper unity is signified by the form “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God the Lord is one.” These forms correspond, each having six words.1i.e. in the original Hebrew.
יִקָּווּ מְדִידוּ דְּקַו וּמִשְׁחָתָא. הָכָא שִׁית תֵּיבִין. וְהָכָא שִׁית תֵּיבִין. מִשְׁחָתָא בּוֹצִינָא דְקַרְדִינוּתָא דִּכְתִיב, (ישעיהו מ׳:י״ב) מִי מָדַד בְּשָׁעֳלוֹ מָיִם. וְדָא אִיהוּ יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם. הָכָא שִׁעוּרָא דְיוֹצֵר עָלְמִין (בראשית כג ע"א) יוּ"ד ה"א וא"ו ה"א,
קָדוֹ"שׁ קָדוֹ"שׁ קָדוֹ"שׁ דָּא אִיהוּ יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם. יְיָ צְבָאוֹת. דָּא אִיהוּ אֶל מָקוֹם אֶחָד בְּרָזָא דִשְׁמָא דָא. מְלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ. דָּא וְתֵרָאֶה הַיַּבָּשָׁה. רָזָא גְלִיפָא שְׁמָא דְיִחוּדָא כוז"ו במוכס"ז כוז"ו.