Part 16 · Chapter 242

The Ari's Text

And behold, ZON are the two last letters of HAVAYA, and they are Vav and Heh, whose Gematria is eleven. Therefore the Klipot are also eleven, in the secret of the eleven spices of the incense, as is explained by us in the matter of the compounding of the incense and in the matter of the Kaddish of Hodu.

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

1ZON are the two last letters of HaVaYaH, and they are Vav-Hey, which are eleven in gematria; therefore also the shells are in the secret of eleven, in the secret of the eleven spices of the incense. Behold, at first glance there is a contradiction with what is explained in the secret of the compounding of the incense and in the matter of the Kaddish in Shaar HaKavanot, for there it is explained, on page 98, column 1, the passage beginning “And behold,” that the posterior of AVI and YESHSUT that fell into the place of ZON is the discernment of Vav-Hey, and therefore they are eleven discernments: seven of ZON and four posteriors of AVI and YESHSUT, because, having fallen to ZON, they became like the discernment of ZON. And here he says that the posterior of AVI did not die and remained in Atzilut, and therefore there is no grip in them for the shells, and only in the seven kings of ZON alone, who descended to Beria, did the shells called death come into being in them.
However, with what is explained in the adjacent item, in the matter of the second change that was made in the sin of the Tree of Knowledge — that because ZON ascended to the place of YESHSUT and AVI and became like them, therefore the posterior that fell to them is regarded, from one discernment, as shells, because everything that is sorted into ZON comes from the place of BYA — see there. And through this the words of the ARI are well understood, for here he speaks from the time of the breaking of the vessels, and therefore he says that the posterior of AVI and YESHSUT is not in the count of the eleven discernments of the shells, because originally they were not sorted, only from the degree after it, which is ZON of Atzilut. But in the aforementioned Shaar HaKavanot, he speaks in the matter of the falling of the worlds after the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, that these posteriors of AVI and YESHSUT are only the discernment of ZON that ascended and clothed them, for AVI and YESHSUT were higher up, as above. Therefore they truly belong to ZON, for they came from BYA, as above, and therefore he counts them there in the secret of Vav-Hey, which are ZON.
However, what the ARI indicated here, to look into the matter of the incense and the Kaddish, does not mean the aforementioned explanation, that they are the ZAT of ZON and four posteriors, but the intention is the second explanation brought there in Shaar HaKavanot in the matter of the Kaddish, page 98, column 1, the passage beginning “He further intends,” where he says there that the four posteriors of AVI and YESHSUT are not in the count of the eleven, but only the ZAT of ZON alone, for the reason that ZON are the Vav-Hey of HaVaYaH, which are eleven in gematria; therefore they are the secret of the eleven. See there. That is, exactly as here. But these words need to be understood, for after all there are in ZON only seven discernments, and why are they regarded as eleven, and what is the hint that Vav-Hey is eleven in gematria, when they are only seven discernments?
And the matter is that although ZON are the ZAT alone, nevertheless there are ten Sefirot in them, as is known. And ten Sefirot, wherever they are, are regarded as twelve Partzufim, which are: Atik and Nukva, AA and Nukva, AVI and YESHSUT, the great ZON and the small ZON. And although all the ZAT, front and back, were broken and died, nevertheless the discernment of the male of Atik is the secret of the light of Ein Sof within them, which is the secret of the upper light that departed from the ZAT to its root, for because of this they fell and died; and it turns out that the shells and death ruled only in eleven Partzufim alone. And this is the hint that Vav-Hey are eleven in gematria. See Beit Sha’ar LaKavanot, item 129, in Or Pashut, the passage beginning “And this is what he says.” Study it there well.