IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED. The word reshith (beginning) refers to the supernal Wisdom; the letter beth (i.e. bayith, house) designates the world, which is watered from that stream which enters it, and which is alluded to in the verse, “A stream went forth from Eden to water the garden.” This stream gathers all the waters from a supernal hidden source, and flows perenially to water the Garden. (This hidden source is the First Temple.)
In reshith all the letters were enclosed by a secret path hidden within it. From this source went forth two entities, as it is written, “the heavens and the earth”.
The earth was at first included in the heavens, and they emerged together, clinging to one another. When the first illumination came, the heavens took the earth and put it in its place.
Thereupon the earth, being separated1The text of our translation varies somewhat from that of the Hebrew. from the side of the heavens, was amazed and dumbfounded, desiring to cleave to the heavens as before, because she saw the heavens bathed in light while she was enveloped in darkness. At length, however, the celestial light descended upon her, and from her place she looked at the heavens face to face; and so the earth was firmly established.
Light came forth on the right side and darkness on the left, and God afterwards separated them in order again to unite them, as it is written, “And God divided the light from the darkness.” This does not mean that there was an absolute separation, but that day came from the side of light, which is the right, and night from the side of darkness, which is the left, and that, having emerged together, they were separated in such a way as to be no longer side by side but face to face, in which guise they clung to one another and formed one,
the light being called day and the darkness night, as it says, “And God called the light day and the darkness he called night.” This is the darkness that is attached to night, which has no light of its own, although it comes from the side of the primordial fire which is also called “darkness”. It remains dark until it is illumined from the side of day. Day illumines night, and night will not be light of itself until the time of which it is written, “the night shineth as the day, the darkness is even as the light” (Ps. 139, 12).1There seems to be here a lacuna in the text.
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים. רָזָא דְּרֵאשִׁית עֲרִיסוֹתֵיכֶם חַלָּה תָּרִימוּ תְּרוּמָה. דָּא חָכְמָה עִלָּאָה דְּאִיהִי רֵאשִׁית. ב' בֵּיתָא דְעָלְמָא לְאִתְשַׁקָּאָה מֵהַהוּא נָהָר דְּעֲיִּיל בֵּיהּ. רָזָא דִכְתִיב וְנָהָר יוֹצֵא מֵעֵדֶן לְהַשְׁקוֹת אֶת הַגָּן. וְנָהָר דְּאַכְנִישׁ כֹּלָּא מֵעוּמְקָא עִלָּאָה וְלָא פְּסִיקוּ מֵימוֹי לְעָלְמִין לְאַשְׁקָאָה לְגִנְתָּא.
IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED. The word reshith (beginning) refers to the supernal Wisdom; the letter beth (i.e. bayith, house) designates the world, which is watered from that stream which enters it, and which is alluded to in the verse, “A stream went forth from Eden to water the garden.” This stream gathers all the waters from a supernal hidden source, and flows perenially to water the Garden. (This hidden source is the First Temple.)
וְהַהוּא עִמְקָא עִלָּאָה בַּיִת רִאשׁוֹן בְּרֵאשִׁית אִסְתַּיְימוּ בֵּיהּ אַתְוָון בְּחַד שְׁבִיל דַּקִּיק דְּגָנִיז בְּגַוֵּיהּ. וּמִגּוֹ הַהוּא עוּמְקָא נָפְקוּ תְּרֵין חֵילִין דִּכְתִיב אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם. שָׁמַיִם לָא כְּתִיב אֶלָּא הַשָּׁמַיִם. מִגּוֹ הַהוּא עוּמְקָא דְסָתִים מִכֹּלָּא. וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ סְתִימָא דָּא אַפִּיק לְהַאי אָרֶץ.
In reshith all the letters were enclosed by a secret path hidden within it. From this source went forth two entities, as it is written, “the heavens and the earth”.
אֲבָל בִּכְלָלָא דְשָׁמַיִם הֲוָה. וּנְפָקוּ כְּחֲדָא מִתְדַּבְּקָא בְּסִטְרוֹי דָּא בְּדָא. כַּד אִתְנְהִיר רֵאשִׁיתָא דְּכֹלָּא, שָׁמַיִם נַטְלוּ לָהּ וְאוֹתִיבוּ לָהּ בְּאַתְרָהּ, דִּכְתִיב וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ. וְאֶת מִכְּלָלָא דְּאַתְוָון דְּאִנּוּן אֶ"ת.
The earth was at first included in the heavens, and they emerged together, clinging to one another. When the first illumination came, the heavens took the earth and put it in its place.
כַּד אִתְהַדְּרַת אַרְעָא לְמֵיתַב בְּאַתְרָהּ וְאִתְפְּרַשׁ מִסִּטְרוֹי דְשָׁמַיִם, הֲוַת תּוֹהָה וּבוֹהָה לְאִתְדַּבְּקָא בַּשָּׁמַיִם כְּחֲדָא (נ"א כקדמיתא) בְּקַדְמִיתָא. בְּגִין דְּחָמַת לַשָּׁמַיִם נְהִירִין וְהִיא אִתְחַשְׁכַת. עַד דִּנְהוֹרָא עִלָּאָה נָפַק עֲלָהּ וְאַנְהִיר לָהּ וְתָבַת בְּאַתְרָהּ לְאִסְתַּכְּלָא בִּשְׁמַיָא אַפִּין בְּאַפִּין. וּכְדֵין אִתְתַּקָּנַת אַרְעָא וְאִתְבַּסְמַת.
Thereupon the earth, being separated1The text of our translation varies somewhat from that of the Hebrew. from the side of the heavens, was amazed and dumbfounded, desiring to cleave to the heavens as before, because she saw the heavens bathed in light while she was enveloped in darkness. At length, however, the celestial light descended upon her, and from her place she looked at the heavens face to face; and so the earth was firmly established.
נָפַק נְהוֹרָא בִּסְטַר יָמִינָא (לעיל יז) וַחֲשׁוֹכָא בִּסְטַר שְׂמָאלָא. וְאַפְרִישׁ לוֹן לְבָתַר בְּגִין לְאִתְכַּלְּלָא דָא בְּדָא. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וַיַּבְדֵּל אֱלֹהִים בֵּין הָאוֹר וּבֵין הַחשֶׁךְ. וְאִי תֵימָא הֲוָה הַבְדָּלָה מַמָּשׁ. לָא. אֶלָּא יוֹם אָתֵי מִסִּטְרָא דִנְהוֹרָא דְּאִיהוּ יָמִינָא. וְלַיְלָה מִסִּטְרָא דְּחֲשׁוֹכָא דְּאִיהוּ שְׂמָאלָא. וְכַד נָפְקוּ כְּחֲדָא אַפְרִישׁ לוֹן. וְהַבְדָּלָה הֲוָה מִסִּטְרוֹי לְאִסְתַּכְּלָא אַפִּין בְּאַפִּין וּלְאִתְדַּבְּקָא דָא בְּדָא לְמֶהֱווֹ כֹּלָּא חָד.
Light came forth on the right side and darkness on the left, and God afterwards separated them in order again to unite them, as it is written, “And God divided the light from the darkness.” This does not mean that there was an absolute separation, but that day came from the side of light, which is the right, and night from the side of darkness, which is the left, and that, having emerged together, they were separated in such a way as to be no longer side by side but face to face, in which guise they clung to one another and formed one,
וְאִיהוּ אִקְרֵי יוֹם וְקָרֵי לֵיהּ יוֹם. וְאִיהִי קָרֵי לָיְלָה כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר וַיִּקְרָא אֱלהִים לָאוֹר יוֹם וְגו'. מַהוּ וְלַחשֶׁךְ. דָּא חשֶׁךְ דְּאָחִיד לְלַיְלָה דְּלֵית לָהּ נְהוֹרָא מִגַּרְמָהּ (ס"א והיא אתקרי לילה דכתיב ולחשך קרא לילה בגין דאחיד בה חשך ולית לה נהורא מגרמה) וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּאָתָא מִסִּטְרָא דְאֶשָׁא דְּאִיהִי חשֶׁךְ. אֲבָל חשֶׁךְ עַד דְּאִתְנְהִיר מִסִּטְרָא דְיוֹם, יוֹם נָהִיר לְלַיְלָה, וְלַיְלָה לָא נָהִיר עַד זִמְנָא דִּכְתִיב, (תהילים קל״ט:י״ב) וְלַיְלָה כַּיּוֹם יָאִיר כַּחֲשֵׁכָה כָּאוֹרָה.
the light being called day and the darkness night, as it says, “And God called the light day and the darkness he called night.” This is the darkness that is attached to night, which has no light of its own, although it comes from the side of the primordial fire which is also called “darkness”. It remains dark until it is illumined from the side of day. Day illumines night, and night will not be light of itself until the time of which it is written, “the night shineth as the day, the darkness is even as the light” (Ps. 139, 12).1There seems to be here a lacuna in the text.