Part 12 · Chapter 143

The Ari's Text

And the matter is that at first, through the blessing "He who casts the bonds of sleep," etc., with the aforementioned intention, behold, that spirit (Ruach) of ZA that he gives into the Nukva in the first intercourse, to make her a vessel, returns and departs from her, in the secret of "and slumber upon the eyelids," and clings to its source within ZA. And then the Nukva does not shine at all through ZA, but only from the aspect of the upper Ima, of which it is said "and the Lord God built the rib," as mentioned, in the secret of "and He shines to the pupil of the daughter of the eye"; and she goes and is corrected, until finally "He brought her to the man," namely in "Sim Shalom" of the morning prayer. And it is found that now the female has returned to close her opening and her source as at first — a virgin whom no man has known.

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

1 The blessing “He who casts the bonds of sleep,” etc. — behold, that Ruach of ZA that he gives into the Nukva in the first intercourse, to make her a vessel, returns and departs: As explained above in the adjacent item, that the first half of the night is the discernment of sleep, meaning the return to the Katnut of the NR [Nefesh-Ruach] of nursing, which is the intention of the blessing “He who casts the bonds of sleep,” as is known. And it is found that AHP return and descend from ZON, and they remain in the discernment of GE [Galgalta ve Einayim] alone, namely in a Guf without a Rosh, meaning NR of nursing, as above. Thus the discernment of the vessel and the Ruach of the first intercourse, which are the discernment of AHP, have returned and fallen below their degree.
2 A virgin whom no man has known: For through the falling of the AHP, which are the discernment of her posterior vessels, her opening and her source are closed, which is the secret of the vessels of coupling. And therefore a new coupling is needed after midnight, in the discernment of the first intercourse, to make her a vessel, so that she will be fit for the coupling in the morning prayer, in the blessing of Sim Shalom, which is a complete coupling face to face for the birth of souls, as will be said in its place, which is the secret of “and He brought her to the man.”