Part 9 · Chapter 17

The Ari's Text

*Understand well the reason for this Kli [vessel]: it is the discernment of the RIU [216] — that is, three times AB [72], from the SAG [63], MA [45], BON [52] of AB, meaning from the first Hey downward, all of which are the discernment of the Nukva [female] — the Gevurot and the females within the Hassadim themselves, by means of which she can receive the upper Hassadim, which are the male AB. And it is one name AB comprising all the five Gevurot, called RIU [216]; and the two of them together are called Ibur [conception]: AB plus RIU — to teach that there is no Ibur in the world except through the two 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.

Not matched to a seif

1The reason for this vessel, etc.: the discernment of the Nukva [female] are the Gevurot and the females within the Hassadim themselves: As mentioned above, those AHP that rise to her from the lower degree, and return and join with the Nukva through the power of the upper coupling of AVI, which brings down her bottom Hey from the Einayim, are the vessel that raises the MAN. And this is what he said, “which are three [times] AB [72], from the SAG [63], MA [45], BON [52] of AB” — meaning, this illumination that returns these three vessels, the AHP, comes to her from the light of the coupling of AB and SAG; for the illumination of AB brings down her bottom Hey from the Einayim, since there is no source at all for the bottom Hey in the Einayim in the discernment of AB, as is known — for only SAG is the first source for the rise of the bottom Hey in the Einayim. Therefore, whenever the coupling of AB and SAG takes place, the illumination of AB at once brings down the bottom Hey from the Einayim. And so it is discerned that in these three Sefirot of the AHP — which are Bina, ZA, and the Nukva — there are three illuminations from the HaVaYaH of AB, namely according to the lights pertaining to those vessels, which are Neshama, Ruach, Nefesh, called SAG, MA, and BON, as is known. And this is what he meant, that they are three discernments of AB, as explained.
And this is what he said, “namely, from the first Hey downward, all of which are the discernment of the Nukva — the Gevurot and the females within the Hassadim themselves, by means of which she can receive the upper Hassadim, which are the male AB” — meaning, as long as the Nukva lacks her posterior, which are Bina and ZON, even though she has GE [Galgalta ve Einayim], she is still unfit to receive the upper Hassadim, namely her GAR, and has only Ruach and Nefesh alone. But now, after she has attained her posterior, which are the discernments of the females of the Hassadim — namely her Hey, Vav, and bottom Hey, which are the discernments of NRN [Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama] of AB, as above — now she can receive the Mochin of her GAR, which are the male AB. For GAR is always the discernment of the male, and the bottom Hey is the discernment of the female. And this teaches us that although all the renewal she attains through the illumination of the coupling of AB and SAG is only the discernment of the females within her, which are from Bina downward, nevertheless, by the standard of the lights, she attains the GAR within her — namely, the male AB.
2Ibur [conception]: AB, RIU — to teach that there is no Ibur in the world except through the two of them together: Their meaning is: the posterior vessels, Bina and ZON, which are the square of the HaVaYaH of BON, whose Gematria is RIU (as above, item 10); and also the discernment of the Ruach within them, which are the three discernments of AB, whose Gematria is RIU, as above; and afterward the upper Mochin themselves, which are the male AB, as above. By these — AB and RIU — the Gadlut of the Nukva is completed, and also the vessel that raises the MAN, which are Bina and ZON mentioned; for this vessel raises to her the anterior vessels of the souls of the righteous (as above, page 741, the passage beginning “And you see”). And then ZA and the Nukva couple over these MAN and give birth to the discernment of the Katnut of the souls of the righteous, which are the Mochin of Ibur. Thus the Nukva cannot conceive the souls of the righteous except after she has attained the AB and RIU mentioned above; and therefore they are hinted at in the word Ibur.