Part 16 · Chapter 32

The Ari's Text

And the matter of this screen was explained elsewhere; however, its matter in brief is this: Bina is called Ima, for she is the mother of the children, ZON, and guards them, as it is said, "like an eagle that stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreads its wings." And in the manner of the eagle that spreads its wings and covers its young, so that no other bird will take them — so the supernal Ima, the Bina of Atzilut, is herself not afraid of the external ones, as is known, for the external ones have no grip in the supernal Ima. However, they can grip in the ZON, her children, and take influx from there. Therefore she spreads her wings over them, to guard them.

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 external ones have no grip in the supernal Ima. This is for the reason that she is in the screen of distancing upon the light of Hochma, in the secret of “for He desires mercy,” and therefore, although she is the discernment of covered Hassadim, she is regarded as the very substance of Hochma, for she did not distance herself from Hochma on account of a restriction, but only out of her desire for Hassadim. And since she is in the utmost completeness like Hochma, therefore the externals have no grip in her.
2She spreads her wings over them to guard them. The screen of distancing is called wings, because they cover the illumination of Hochma, and it shines from within them only in covered Hassadim alone. And when she surrounds and clothes ZON from outside them, they are guarded from contact with the externals, for the externals have no grip on the light of Bina, as above in the adjacent item.