Part 14 · Chapter 55

The Ari's Text

And when there is no lower arousal, the coupling is not through this Path, for there are no Mayin Nukvin; and this Path below is the secret of MAN, as we wrote above. And the coupling is not for the need of blessing and freedom, but only for the second bounty, which is endurance and standing alone. And this was when the Holy Temple was destroyed, that the upper Hey was banished, as mentioned in the Tikkunim, with regard to this kind of bounty alone, for there is no day whose curse is greater than the previous one.

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

1And when there is no lower arousal, the coupling is not through this Path, etc., and this Path below is the secret of MAN [Mayin Nukvin]. The matter of arousal means the raising of MAN, for through the raising of MAN of the lower one in the upper one, it causes heating and diminution in the upper one too, and this pushes the upper one and arouses it to a coupling and to an ascent to the upper of the upper, as written above (page 1519, the passage beginning “and behold”). And it is known that in all the Partzufim, the AVI of their Mochin stand in a state of face to back, where Bina turns her posterior to Hochma, and all her desire and craving is only for the light of Hassadim. And all the more so the AVI of Atzilut, who permanently clothe the HGT of AA, whose entire level is SAG — which means covered Hassadim, as is known. These AVI are found to have no concern whatsoever with the Mochin of the illumination of Hochma, for their permanent nature is the opposite, namely in covered Hassadim, in the secret of “for He desires mercy.” And this is what the ARI writes, “and when there is no lower arousal, the coupling is not through this Path,” but rather in their permanent coupling that does not cease, from the discernment of the GAR of Bina. Rather, at the time that ZON rise as MAN to AVI, then the connection of the Bina of direct light with the ZON of direct light is aroused, namely to bestow the illumination of Hochma to her children; and then AVI too must rise as MAN to the GAR of AA, etc., as above; and then they couple upon the discernment of the Mazal, which is the secret of the Path that is not known, as above. And this is what is said, “and this Path below is the secret of MAN” — meaning, that this Path is not aroused except from below, in the secret of MAN, as explained; for the raising of MAN of ZON is what arouses AVI to couple upon this Path. Yet ZON too are in the discernment of the Mochin of the GAR of Bina, which do not need the illumination of Hochma, and they are not aroused to raise MAN except through the souls of the lower ones, as above. And it is thus found that there is no arousal for AVI to couple in this Path except through the raising of MAN of the souls of the lower ones; for of themselves they have desire only for covered Hassadim, as explained.