Part 5 · Chapter 49

The Ari's Text

You should also know that the measure of time that the light is not Matei in the Sefira is only one moment. This is the meaning of, “For His anger is but for a moment.” It is so because the departure of the light when it is not Matei was because of wrath, and also because the lower ones do not have the strength. However, the continuation of the phase of Matei, which is the return of the light downward to revive the worlds, has no measure since it will be according to the act of the lower ones. This is the meaning of, “life in His will,” according to the desire that will then be, meaning according to the actions of humans, so will the length of those lives be. Indeed, we have explained above that the first departure of the lights was in order to make a vessel. Now that the lights returned a second time in the second expansion, the vessels were annulled as in the beginning. Hence, the first light, which is light of Keter, had to have remained above in all of them, and not permeate those vessels. Thus, only nine lights came in this order: The light of Hochma in the vessel of Keter, the light of Bina in the vessel of Hochma, etc. similarly. Finally, the light of Malchut permeates the vessel of Yesod. Now the first light did not return to the vessel that concerns it, which first departed from it. Instead, a different, smaller light came in its place. Hence, the vessels remained as vessels; they did not return to being lights, as before. When the lights began to enter the vessels, the nine lights entered the Keter, and this is called Matei in Keter. After that, the light that reaches the Keter departed, which is the light of Hochma, and this is called, and this is called not Matei. We should not elaborate in that since we have already elaborated sufficiently on the matter of Matei and not Matei. Yet, the reason that all nine lights entered the vessel of Keter together, unlike the first expansion, when they entered one to one, where the light of Malchut entered the vessel of Keter. Afterwards, that light was pushed down to the place of Hochma, and then the light of Yesod entered Keter, etc., similarly, until all ten lights entered, according to the number, ten vessels. The reason is understood with the abovesaid, that in the beginning, when the light of Keter was with them and they all illuminated from its side, none of those vessels had the strength to receive within it, but only one light. Now, however, that light of Keter does not enter the vessel, but remains above and turned its posterior downward, as it is written in Tree of Life, because of it, now there is strength to install all the lights together in one vessel, since all nine lights that now enter the Keter, are smaller than the first light of Keter, and there is the strength to receive them. Also, when all eight lights entered the vessel of Hochma, it has the power to receive them, as they are all smaller than the light of Hochma, etc., similarly in all of them.

Inner Light

This commentary hasn't been matched to individual seifim yet — items are shown in reading order, and the number beside each one counts the notes themselves, not the seifim of the Ari's text.

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1The measure of time of Lo Matei in the Sefira is only one moment. This means that the length of time of the departure of the Ohr from the entire Partzuf is a moment, meaning the time for the ascents of the Orot to MAN to the Kli de Keter, to the ZON there. It is so because at that time there is no Zivug in the Partzuf since the Masach purified from its entire Aviut. For that reason it is considered a time of wrath.He thus tells us that the matter of Matei ve Lo Matei in the Partzuf sways here and there incessantly since at the moment of Lo Matei in Malchut, the Orot rise to ZON de Keter and the Achoraim de Binareturn to their place at once. Then the aviut de Behina Bet returns and the Ohr of Komat Bina Mateito the Keter at once.Thus, this whole thing is like candlelight, swaying here and there. This is because the darkness that is made in the Partzuf during the ascent of the Orot to MAN and before the Zivug is made, is very short.
2Because of the wrath and also because the Tachtonim do not have the strength… in order to make a Kli. All of these three reasons are one thing. This is the meaning of what our sages wrote, “In the beginning, it came up in the thought to create the world in Midat ha Din; He saw that the world does not exist, He brought Midat ha Rachamim and associated it with Midat ha Din (Part 4, Chap 1, Ohr Pnimi item 4).It means that the Shoresh of Midat ha Din is Behina Dalet. This is what emerged first, in Hitpashtut Aleph, when there was only one Kli of Malchut there from the Behina of Aviut de Behina Dalet. This is the meaning of, “came up in the thought to create the world in Midat ha Din.However, he saw that the world does not exist, that there is no force in the Tachtonim to receive the Ohr from this hard Mida (the noun of Midat). Hence, he associated Midat ha Rachamim with it, which is the Behinat Bina, called Midat ha Rachamim in all the places.This is implied in the Zohar (Ruth) relating to the verse, “So they two went,” which are the two Heyinof the Name HaVaYaH that were contained as one. It explains that the first Hey is the Name HaVaYaH is Behinat Bina, and the last Hey of the Name HaVaYaH is the Behinat Malchut. They were associated together for the purpose of correcting the world, meaning Midat ha Rachamim with Midat ha Din.This association did not occur at once, but bit-by-bit, in the order of the concatenation of the Partzufim and the degrees. This work was done entirely by the Histalkut of the Orot.It is so because during the first Histalkut the Masach of Behina Dalet had already began to mingle in the first nine Sefirot through its ascent from degree to degree until it reached the Maatzil. Also, most of the force of the Din disappeared from the Masach there since Behina Dalet did not leave a Reshimofor the Hamshacha of the Orot.That became the Shoresh of the division of the degree to Zachar and Nekeva, since only half a Reshimo of Behina Dalet returned for Hitpashtut Bet, meaning the Reshimo de Hitlabshut. This became the Behinat Zachar de Kli de Keter of Hitpashtut Bet, and it is indeed considered half a thing since it lacks the Behinat Hamshacha of Orot.For this reason it has become obligated to complete the degree of Behina Gimel in Behinat Hamshacha. Note, that the rule that a Zachar without a Nekeva is half a Guf extends from here.Afterwards, in the second Histalkut, the Reshimo of Hamshacha de Behina Gimel disappeared as well, and only Behina Bet remained, though the Zachar of Behina Gimel from Behinat Hitlabshut participated with her in Kli de Keter. This association extends here too in all the couples of Zachar and Nekeva in this Partzuf Bina.However, it still could not be finished before the elicitation of Bina outside GAR and the coming to Behinat VAK. This matter was prepared by the Matei ve Lo Matei that sways in this Partzuf Bina, as it is written in its place.At that time Olam Nekudim came out, where the Bina emerged from Behinat GAR to Behinat VAK. Yet, there was the breaking of the vessels and the matter was ended in Olam ha Tikun, in Olam ha Atzilut, where the complete association of Midat ha Rachamim with Midat ha Din emerged.Thus you see how the Matei ve Lo Matei in this Partzuf is the origin of the association of Midat ha Rachamim with Din. He says that the matter of the Histalkut of the Ohr that always sways because of the Matei ve Lo Matei is “because of the wrath,” meaning due to the force of the Din in Behina Dalet, and the world does not exist in it.This is so because the Tachtonim do not have the strength, which is also the same, meaning that the world cannot exist in it. It is “in order to make a Kli,” meaning so that the Atzmut can clothe in it in a way that there will not be Hizdakchut and Histalkut Orot any more.This was made only at the completion of the association of Midat ha Rachamim and Midat ha Dintogether, and not before. This is so because until then the Orot were departing in each Partzuf and the Kelim were not fit for their task. He writes, “in order to make a Kli.” Thus, all these three reasons that the Rav mentions are one thing.
3The act of humans, so will the stretch of these lives be. Note that this does not refer to the order of the emanation of the Partzufimfrom above downward since there are still no people here who can corrupt or correct. Instead, this refers to the time after the four Olamot are proper. At that time the actions of the Tachtonim can prolong the Upper Life in this Partzuf, or shorten it.The good deeds draw increased Shefa. Also, it is known that any Hidush of administration must extend from Ein Sof. Thus, if one causes a renewal of administration in one’s actions, it extends from Ein Sof, travels through Olam ha Tzimtzum and from there to the first Partzuf de AK. From there on to the second Partzuf de AK and from there to this third Partzuf, where the matter of Matei ve Lo Matei is set. From here on to the rest of the degrees in the four Olamot ABYA, reaching this world to be received by Man.Hence, if the act is complete, you find that the Shefa travels through this Partzuf Bina and sways there in a way of Matei ve Lo Matei. When the time of Matei ve Lo Matei reaches that degree to which the Shefa is ascribed, it does not move from there quickly, but stretches the time.By that the Shefa extends the time of reception when it reaches a person in this world too. This is called that one’s life is prolonged. If, however, the act is flawed, the Shefa sways through there very quickly because when the Shefa Matei in the designated degree, it does not extend time. Instead, it immediately comes to a state of Lo Matei.Thus, when the Shefa reaches a person in this world, he unable to keep it, but only to a very short time. This is the meaning of the wicked being “of few days, and full of trouble.” However, here we must remember the meaning of time in spirituality as it has been explained in the end Histaklut Pnimit Part 1.Three degrees away from it, and this does not apply to GAR. It has already been explained above in Ohr Pnimi regarding the Rav’s words (item 27) that there are two necessary conditions to complete the Kli. The first is completing the outer half of the wall. This is discerned as the place to receive the Ohr Makif.Since there is no Ohr that does not have Pnimi and Makif, there is also no Kli that does not have a Kli Pnimi and Kli Hitzon, qualified to receive the two Behinot in the Ohr. Hence, the Rav calls them two halves of the wall (see Part 4, Chap 5, item 5), since it is a necessary condition in the wall of the Kli, meaning as a qualification of the Kli to receive any Ohr within. This is the first condition.The second condition is that at one time it will be empty of any Ohr, even Behinat Ohr Makif, as it is the Histalkut of the Ohr that makes it a Kli.For this reason the Kelim that were made in Hitpashtut Aleph were only for the ZAT, which are ZONsince Malchut attained the inner NRNHY in completeness during the Hitpashtut. Hence, when she rose to ZA, she acquired the first Ohr Makif and when she rose to Bina she attained the second Ohr Makif. When she rose to Hochma she no longer received any Ohr, as the Rav says (Part 4, Chap 6, item 15).Hence, when she drifted three degrees away from her Kli, namely Hochma, Bina, and ZA, and came to Hochma, the two above conditions were completed, as she had already attained the outer half of the wall to receive the two Makifim. After that she does not receive any Ohr, hence her Kli is completed.However, the ZA is not finished before it comes to the Maatzil because when ZA ascends to Keter, it receives the second Ohr Makif there. For that reason there is no longer complete Histalkut of the Ohrfrom its Kli. Afterwards, when it departs from Keter too and comes to the Maatzil, its Kli darkens and ends.However, the GAR, which are KHB, did not receive any Makifim there in Hitpashtut Aleph. Also, the Ohr did not stop entirely from them since even when the Bina comes to Keter she still receives her Behinat inner Yechida. For this reason they lack the two conditions and that is why they were not made into Kelim to the GAR in that Hitpashtut Aleph.
4The selected Ohr clothes inside Hochma and what slightly darkened due to the distance of the Orot from there will remain as Kli. This means that the Reshimo consists of Ohr and Kli like the collective Ohr from which it remained. You already know from the Rav’s words above (Part 4, Chap 6 item 2) that before it departed in Hitpashtut Aleph, the two Orot were mixed with the Kelim, and there is no discrimination of a Klithere.Hence, the other Reshimot that remain of these Orot too, were also mixed of Ohr and Kli together (see Part 4, Histaklut Pnimit item 48). It is all the more so in the Kelim de GAR as even the Kelimthemselves are still not considered Kelim.Hence, now the Orot returned in Hitpashtut Bet and came Zachar and Nekeva in Kli de Keter. The Zachar is from the Behinat Reshimo de Ohr Keter de Hitpashtut Aleph. The Reshimo is divided into two Behinot Ohr and Kli in it.The best in it, the Behinat Ohr, becomes the Behinat Ohr of the Zachar de Kli de Keter, and the worst in it, the Behinat Kli that was mixed in it, departs from it because of the Ohr Hochma that clothed that Kli de Keter too. Since the Ohr Hochma clothed in the Kli of the Reshimo the Hochma separates between the Ohr of the Reshimo and its Kli. At that time the Kli darkens and the Behinat Kli ends in it, as the Rav says.
5Their current Hitpashtut is the cause of the making of the Kli in these GAR. This is so because the Ohr of Hochma that clothed the Kli de Keter separated between the Ohr and the Kli of the Reshimo, which weakens the Reshimo of Hitpashtut Aleph too. As long as the Reshimois complete, the Kli is strengthened by the Reshimo in it even after the Ohr drifts three degrees away from it.However, now the Behinat Reshimo too has weakened after the Behinat Kli has been deducted from it. By that it also attains the Behinat outer half of the wall, since the Kli consists of the Behina Gimel too because of her clothing of Ohr Hochma, which is Behina Gimel, being Behinat Hitzoniut to Behina Dalet.Similarly, the Kli de Hochma of Hitpashtut Aleph that Ohr Bina clothes, attains half of its outer wall since Ohr ZA is Behina Aleph, being Hitzoniut to Behina Bet. Thus, the Kelim de GAR were made by the current Hitpashtut and the Etzem of the Hitpashtut causes them to be made into Kelim.The Rav gives three reasons here regarding the completion of the Kelim de GAR:Due to the exit and distancing of the best Ohr of the Reshimo from the worst, most Av Ohr in it. Hence, the Ohr Av of the Reshimo became a complete Kli.The coming of a new Ohr of Hochma, clothing that Ohr Av of the Reshimo which comes between and separates the best Ohr of the Reshimo from the most Av Ohr of the Reshimo. This makes the Av Ohr a complete Kli.Because of the Achoraim of the Ohr Keter that remains standing in the Rosh and did not expand to the Guf once more in this Hitpashtut Bet. These Achoraim lessen the Ohr GAR even more than it was during the departure itself. Thus, it darkens the Kelim more than a distance of three degrees and therefore they have not become Kelim during the making of the Achoraim of the Kelim under the Malchut of the Rosh.
6Zachar and Nekeva in the Keter together and Zachar and Nekeva in Hochma. The Reshimo de Keter de Hitpashtut Aleph has become the Zachar de Keter, and the Reshimo de Hochma of Hitpashtut Aleph has become the Zachar de Hochma. Also, Ohr Hochma de Hitpashtut Betthat comes anew has become the Behinat Nekeva de Kli de Hochma.