Part 14 · Chapter 218

The Ari's Text

*However, the spirit of the first head, because of its high superiority, could not be clothed in any limb, except in the aspect of the breath coming out of the mouth; and even this is not attainable now, but only in the future, when our fathers will merit to be clothed in it. And the second head is not so hidden as it, and therefore it was clothed below, in the secret of the hairs of the beard of the holy Atika, which are more material than the breath of the mouth; but still they are not the aspect of an actual limb. But the third head spread to the nose of the holy Atika, which is an essential limb; and that breath coming out from there is drawn from the third head, called the Moach Stimaa.

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 Rucha of the first head, because of its high superiority, could not be clothed in any limb, except in the breath coming out of the Peh [mouth]. We must recall here what was explained above in Part 13, in the matter of the explanation of the thirteen corrections of the Dikna [beard] that the ARI speaks of here. And it was explained there that the eight upper corrections of the Dikna are drawn from Mocha Stimaa, and the five lower corrections of the Dikna are drawn from the Galgalta, which is the first head. It was also explained there that in the eight upper corrections of the Dikna there is the discernment of GAR through correction 7 of the corrections of the Dikna, which is the correction “and truth,” which is the discernment of the illumination of the two holy apples of AA. However, in the four lower corrections of the Dikna, which are drawn from the first head, there is no discernment of GAR, and the entire height of the Mochin in them is the discernment of covered Hassadim, which is drawn in correction 12, called “and sin,” which is the discernment of the Peh that is cleared of hairs from all sides, where that Rucha is revealed in which our fathers trusted to clothe themselves. Which means that this Rucha suffices for AVI, who are the Mem of Tzelem [image], and whose way is in covered Hassadim, and it does not suffice for ZA, whose way is in revealed Hassadim. See there, in correction 13, in the Inner Light. And this is what the ARI says here, “it could not clothe in any limb, but only in the breath that comes out of the Peh; and even this is not attained now, but only in the future, in which our fathers trusted to clothe themselves” — that is, as explained, that the whole revelation of the first head is in correction 12, in the Peh that is cleared of hairs, and the discernment of the Rucha that is revealed there is the discernment of the upper AVI. However, ZA cannot attain it now, but only in the future, that is, at the time when he will clothe the upper AVI, and then he too can receive from that Rucha.
2And the second head is not so concealed as it, and therefore it clothed below, in the secret of the hairs of the beard, etc., which is more material than the breath of the mouth. For the second head, which is the Mocha of the air, is the discernment of the Lamed of Tzelem [image], and its illumination reaches correction 7 of the hairs of the Dikna [beard], called “and truth,” which is the secret of the illumination of the face of AA. Thus the second Mocha clothes and comes into the hairs of the Dikna in the discernment of GAR. However, it is not reckoned as an actual limb, which means the Yesod of the inner vessels, for the hairs are only from the discernment of surrounding lights, and they are not inner vessels, as is known. And this is what he says, “which is more material than the breath of the Peh [mouth]”: for in the breath of the Peh there is no illumination of the hairs, but only the discernment of being cleared of hairs from all sides. And this is because it is drawn from the first head, which is the discernment of the Mem of Tzelem, from where the Yod does not descend from the air, since it is corrected in the secret of Izka Dachya; and there is no matter of a descent of the coarseness there, because no coarseness is felt there, for the Izka is the secret of the correction of the GAR of Bina, which never suffers any restriction or coarseness. And therefore the breath of the Peh is regarded as very spiritual. But the Mocha of the air, in which the discernment of restriction already applies, as is written there — therefore the matter of a descent of coarseness from it applies in it, which is the secret of the Yod that comes out of its Avir [air], and it becomes Or [light]. And this is what he says, “which is more material than the breath of the Peh”: for the discernment of restriction already applies in it, as explained.
3The third head spread to the Hotem [nose] of Atika, which is an essential limb, and that breath that comes out from there is drawn from the third head. “Breath” means reflected light, that is, through the discernment of the Nukva by which the concealed Hochma is corrected, for she raises actual reflected light in the discernment of the coupling of the inner vessels. And therefore the Hotem is regarded as the discernment of an essential and actual limb, from which all the lights of the Partzuf expand from Rosh [head] to Guf [body]. And it is necessary to recall here what is written there in Part 13: that the Galgalta and Mocha Stimaa are the discernment of male and female in the Rosh of AA, which come from the record of clothing and the record of coarseness; for the male is the discernment of the record of phase four of clothing, and he has the level of Keter, but he cannot expand to the Guf, because he has no discernment of coarseness from his own root, but only through inclusion with phase three of the female, which is Mocha Stimaa. And this is the secret of what the ARI says, that the breath of the Peh [mouth] of AA has no revelation except in the future. For the Peh is phase four, which serves only the Galgalta of AA, and it is from the discernment of phase four of clothing; and therefore the breath that comes out of the Peh can only clothe the discernment of the direct light of the ten Sefirot of the Rosh, but it has no expansion of itself and within itself to the ten Sefirot of the Guf, since it is only from the discernment of clothing.
But Mocha Stimaa, which is the discernment of the female of the Rosh of AA, in whose screen there is phase three of coarseness, called Hotem, as above in the words of the ARI at the beginning of Part 5 — there there is the discernment of expansion from Rosh to Guf, for the Malchut of Mocha Stimaa expands of herself and within herself to the ten Sefirot of the Guf and brings the lights of the Rosh to the Guf. Thus the breath that comes out of the Hotem has a complete expansion to the Guf, and in this secret it is called essential. And this belongs only to Mocha Stimaa, which serves in the Malchut of phase three, which is called Hotem. But the breath of the Peh has no expansion from Rosh to Guf, since she is the Malchut of phase four that belongs to the Galgalta, where there is no coarseness of her own but only the discernment of inclusion. And therefore she is not attained now but only in the future, that is, after the coupling upon the Malchut of phase four is revealed in the discernment of her own coarseness, in the secret of the verse, “she became the head of the corner” — which is the revelation from the Rosh of Atik, which has phase four of coarseness; however, now she is hidden within it, and she has no such revelation except after the end of correction, as is known. And behold, the secret of the breath that comes out of the Peh has been well explained. And remember it.