Part 9 · Chapter 8

The Ari's Text

A further rule also emerges for us: no MAN [Mayin Nukvin] avail and are detained there except two times — one, the first time, when they rose; and two, the second time, when they were depicted; but afterwards they leave there. However, their first MAN, which were in the world each and every one in its place, in the secret of firstborn sons — as, for example, ZON [Zeir Anpin and Nukva] to AVI [Aba ve Ima], being their firstborn MAN — are never absent from there. And it is impossible for any MAN to rise from there onward, until the completion of the clarification of all the 288 sparks of the Melachim [kings], until the days of the Messiah, except by means of them. Therefore there must be new MAN in every Zivug [coupling]: for when they rise, they are promptly corrected at the second time, and then others rise to be corrected as well. And so it proceeds until all the Melachim are completed in their clarification — and then the Messiah will come, with God's help.

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.

Not matched to a seif

1A further rule: no MAN avail and are detained there except two times — one, the first time, when they rose; and two, the second time, when they were depicted: That is, as said in the adjacent item, that at the first time they rise together with the Katnut of the upper one to the one above the upper one, and there they are still not depicted. And at the second time a special coupling is made for them in their own upper one, and then their Katnut is depicted, and afterwards they descend to their place. And in these two times the MAN of Katnut are completed entirely, and no longer need any further rising or correction for their sake. But at the time of Gadlut, certainly they rise again a second time in MAN; yet the MAN of Gadlut are not the same MAN of Katnut, but are other MAN that the Partzuf raises to its upper one, while the earlier MAN of Katnut are already completed and no longer need any rising. And this is the second rule here.
2Firstborn sons, as, for example, ZON to AVI, being their firstborn MAN, are never absent from there, and it is impossible for any MAN to rise, etc., except by means of them: The explanation is that there are always two discernments in MAN: the first is the discernment of the posteriors of the upper one that fell to the degree of the lower one; and the second is the degree of the lower one itself, as said above. You also know that although both rise together in MAN to the upper one, nevertheless the degree of the lower one included in the MAN, which now rose the first time in MAN, is not corrected there in that coupling with the upper one, but needs a second coupling, as said above. Therefore the lights that clothed in those two discernments mentioned above are regarded as brothers to one another, because at their source, before the rising of MAN, the two discernments were only one discernment, in the degree of the lower one, as said above. But from the discernment of their birth they were separated from one another, for they came out in two couplings one after the other: for the posteriors of the upper one that are in the MAN came out in the one above the upper one and were completed there, while the anterior vessels of the lower one came out and were completed in their own upper one, as said above. Therefore the first discernment is regarded as the firstborn son, and the second discernment is regarded as his second brother.
And this applies to all kinds of MAN in the worlds. For this is the rule: that the posteriors of the upper one, which are AHP, are always found in the anterior vessels of the lower one, which are GE, for the AHP of the lower one too fell to the degree below it, and only GE remained in it alone. And so it is in all the degrees. Thus all kinds of MAN necessarily have two discernments within them, namely, the posteriors of the upper one and the anterior of the lower one; only they are counted as one discernment of MAN because both of them are in one degree, for the upper one that descends to the place of the lower one becomes like it. And likewise, at the time of the rising of MAN from whatever discernment it may be, it is likewise regarded that the anterior of the lower one rises together with the posteriors of the upper one within it, to the one above the upper one, that is, to the third degree, as said above; and it is then likewise regarded that both of them are included in the coupling one in the other, only the anterior of the lower one becomes externality there over the posteriors of the upper one. And since the externality of the MAN is still not depicted in that coupling, in the one above the upper one, but descends from there together with the posteriors of its upper one, which have already received all their correction, and the coupling is made upon it in its own upper one close to it, as said above — therefore those two discernments in the MAN, after receiving their correction and their lights, are regarded as brothers to one another; only the posteriors of the upper one are regarded as the firstborn brother, and the anterior of the lower one is regarded as the second brother to it.
This is what he says: “However, their first MAN, which were in the world each and every one in its place, in the secret of firstborn sons — as, for example, ZON to AVI, being their firstborn sons — are never absent from there.” That is, as explained, that MAN that rose together with AVI to AA, for the sake of the Gadlut of AVI, is composed of two discernments: from the posteriors of AVI, and from the anterior vessels of ZON, and the coupling is made upon both of them together; yet from this coupling in AA, only the posteriors of AVI were depicted, and the anterior of ZON is not yet corrected in this coupling, but descends together with AVI below, after which a second coupling is again made in AVI, and there the anterior vessels of ZON, namely their GE, which is the discernment of the Katnut of ZON, are corrected. Therefore the lights and vessels in the posteriors of AVI are regarded as firstborn brothers to ZON, because these posteriors were in one degree with ZON, both before the coupling of the Gadlut of AVI and at the time the coupling was made upon them in AA, for the sake of the Gadlut of AVI, as said above. But since they were corrected in the first coupling in AA, they are regarded as firstborn to ZON, who were corrected afterward by the second coupling. Yet understand that this does not refer to the GAR of AVI, for ZON were never with them in one degree; rather, the reference is only to the AHP of AVI alone, which are called the posteriors of AVI.
This is what he says: “they are never absent from there” — for these posteriors of AVI joined the building of their own Partzuf of AVI itself, and therefore it is impossible for them to be absent from there. Whereas the anterior of ZON, although it was joined together with these posteriors of AVI, nevertheless, after the aforementioned second coupling, it separates from the posteriors of AVI and goes out from there to its place below, for it is now recognized that it is not of the discernment of AVI but of the degree of ZON — which is the secret of birth.
This is what he says: “and it is impossible for any MAN to rise from there onward, etc., except by means of them” — for every degree that comes about in ZON is obligated to go through all the ways that governed their first emanation of ZON, for there is no renewal of illumination except from Ein Sof, and therefore all the Partzufim must raise MAN to one another up to Ein Sof, and then a new light descends to them from Ein Sof, in the secret of MAD, to AK, and through all the degrees, in the same order in which they were first emanated, until the Mochin come to ZON. Therefore the ARI says that the new MAN and MAD that are imparted to ZON from AVI are imparted only by means of the aforementioned posteriors of AVI, which are the firstborn brothers of ZON, for since they are in great closeness to ZON, they are the ones who raise the MAN of ZON to AVI, for the sake of their own Mochin. And without them, ZON would not be able to rise to AVI, who are above their degree, as is known — that no degree can rise above its own degree.