Part 11 · Chapter 134

The Ari's Text

This phase, too, is called light, because the first is called air, and now the Yod is missing from air, as above, for the first phase is the Yod of HaVaYaH, the Mem of Tzelem, and this is the second, called Hey as above — light, that which remains from air.

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

1Light, for the first is called air, and now the Yod is missing from it, of air, for the first phase is the Yod of HaVaYaH, the Mem of Tzelem, and this is the second, called Hey, and it is light, that which remains from air: This revolves around what is said in the Zohar, Beresheet, page 15b, and these are his words: “for behold, Ein Sof breached from its air, and revealed this point, Yod; once this Yod expanded, what remained was found to be light” — see there. The meaning: because of the ascent of the bottom Hey into the Einayim, the degree descended from the discernment of light of GAR to the discernment of air, which is the secret of Ruach, called VAK, which is the secret of the Katnut of all the Partzufim, as is known. And at the time of Gadlut, the Partzuf ascends to MAN, and arouses the coupling of the upper AB SAG, and they draw a new light from Ein Sof, which breaches to the Parsa and raises the AHP that had fallen, back to their degree as at first, and then the GAR of the Partzuf are revealed, as is known. And this is what they say, “for behold, Ein Sof breached from its air and revealed this point, Yod,” meaning that the light of the coupling breaches and nullifies the Parsa of the second restriction, and the point of the Yod is revealed again, whose meaning is the discernment of the screen of the first restriction alone, which is the secret of the level of AB, called the first Yod of HaVaYaH, so that this light brings the bottom Hey down to its place, and renews the light of GAR in the Partzuf. As is known.
Now, this revelation of the illumination of GAR and Hochma applies only to YESHSUT, but not to the upper AVI, for the upper AVI remain in the discernment of air, that is, in the light of Hassadim, even after they attain their Gadlut, as above (page 1071, the passage beginning “and it is called air”); for this is the whole discernment between the Yod of HaVaYaH and the first Hey of HaVaYaH: for the Yod of HaVaYaH, which is the secret of the upper AVI, always remains in covered Hassadim, even in their Gadlut. And the first Hey of HaVaYaH, which is YESHSUT, has Hochma revealed in them at the time of Gadlut. And this is what he says, “for the first is called air, and now the Yod is missing from it, of air, etc., and it is light, that which remains from air”: meaning, that Yod which descends from air at the time of Gadlut, and becomes light, is discernible only in the second phase, which is the Lamed of Tzelem, for through this it returns to being the discernment of the light of Hochma. But in the first, which is the Mem of Tzelem, the Yod is never missing from air, for it is the upper AVI, and it remains in the discernment of air even at the time of Gadlut. And this is what he concludes, “and this is the second, called Hey, and it is light, that which remains from air”: meaning, as explained, that the matter of the departure of the Yod from air and its return to the discernment of light is revealed only in the second phase, which is the first Hey of HaVaYaH and the discernment of YESHSUT, but not in the first, which is the Mem and AVI.