Part 14 · Chapter 81

The Ari's Text

And although the Tifferet is from the aforementioned six extremities, nevertheless there are two aspects in the Tifferet: whether the aspect of its being within the generality of the six extremities, or the aspect of its being by itself. And all these are fixed in the Yesod.

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 although the Tifferet is from the aforementioned six extremities, nevertheless there are two aspects in the Tifferet: whether the aspect of its being within the generality of the six extremities, or the aspect of its being by itself. In this he guards you, so that it should not be difficult for you: since the discernment of Tifferet and Malchut are the two crowns that are in the Yesod, from which the Mazalot are bestowed, as above, which are the discernment of VAK [six ends] — how then does he say this of the souls, which are the discernment of GAR [first three]? And to this he answered that there are two discernments of Tifferet. The first is from the discernment of the two crowns, where the Tifferet is clothed in the measure of the Yesod, and its illumination of Hochma cannot be revealed in the discernment of an actual clothing, but only in the discernment of a path to pass through it; and this discernment is regarded as the Tifferet that is included in VAK, which are the two crowns. And likewise there is a second discernment of Tifferet, “which is the aspect of its being by itself,” that is, as it shines in the inheritance [Achsanta] of AVI, where it is not clothed in the moon, but shines by itself in the discernment of a complete clothing. And this is not VAK, but is the discernment of GAR.
And this is what he says (above, item 77), “in the Yesod the upper male is ended, etc., and it does not allow the light to pass below; and through this the secret of the upper light strikes in its internality, and sparks come out of it according to the number of the lights that strike in it: nine from above downward, and nine from below upward.” Here he distinguishes between a striking in the internality of the Yesod and a striking of the externality of the Yesod. For it was explained that there are two kinds of screens that return the light backward, which are included in the Yesod of ZA: the first, the discernment of the narrow of the Yesod of Aba, and the second, the discernment of the short of the Yesod of Ima. And they are always included one in the other, both in the Mochin of Neshama and in the Mochin of Haya. And the difference is that in the Mochin of Neshama the striking of the upper light is regarded as being chiefly upon the discernment of the screen of the Yesod of Ima that is included there, while the screen of the Yesod of Aba is secondary; and therefore the discernment of the covered Hassadim of Ima rules chiefly, and the illumination of Hochma is not revealed there. But if the upper light strikes chiefly upon the internality of the Yesod, that is, in the discernment of the narrow of the Yesod of Aba, while the screen of the Yesod of Ima is secondary, then the Mochin of Haya come out, of which the ARI speaks here. And therefore he is precise and says that the upper light strikes in it in its internality.