Part 16 · Chapter 239

The Ari's Text

And indeed, all this aspect that was in all the worlds, all was for the benefit of the worlds, to connect this one with that one, and that one with this one, so that they might be able to receive illumination, each from the other, through the fact that the end of Atzilut is the very beginning of the head of Beriah, and likewise in the rest of the worlds. And this is the secret of the day of Shabbat, for then additional holiness is added to the worlds, and then the upper palace, the Holy of Holies of Beriah, returns to ascend into Atzilut and becomes literally complete Atzilut, for the above-mentioned reason. And likewise in the rest of the worlds, and there is no need to elaborate.

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

1To connect this one with that one, and that one with this one, so that they might be able to receive illumination, each from the other, through the fact that the end of Atzilut is the beginning of the head of Beria. It is impossible to understand the words of this discourse unless we remember what the ARI wrote in Etz Chaim (Gate 42, Chapter 1) in the explanation of Keter, where it was explained that Keter is a middle discernment between the Emanator and the emanated being, in which there is the discernment of Emanator and the discernment of emanated being, for there is a distance between them like the distance of the heavens from the earth, and how could this one illuminate that one and how could this one create that one, being two extremes, if there were not something intermediate between them that joins them, and that would be a discernment close to the Emanator and close to the emanated being. And this is the secret of Tohu and Bohu, for Tohu is close to the Emanator and is the last discernment of the Emanator, and there is no grasp in it as there is in the Emanator, and therefore it is called Tohu, from the expression of astonishing the thoughts of human beings, when they say, behold, we see that it has no form at all, and nevertheless we see that it is an emanated being; and from this discernment, in which they say that it is an emanated being, it is called Bohu. And this is the secret of Atik and AA, for Atik is the discernment of the Emanator in Keter, in the secret of Tohu, and AA is the discernment of the emanated being in Keter. Study it there well. And he concludes there, and this is the secret, in another place, that the Malchut within the Malchut of the world of Atzilut, which is clothed in the Rosh [head] of Beria, which is AA, is the discernment of Atik of the world of Beria; and understand this well. End of quote. Study it there well throughout the continuation. And the matters are ancient, and the wise will understand.