Part 16 · Chapter 34

The Ari's Text

And it is found that all the aspect of the light that descends from the world of Atzilut to the world of Beriah is only through that screen of the Bina of Atzilut, as mentioned; only that this screen is made only from the external garment of Bina, as mentioned there in its place.

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

1This screen is made only from the external garment of Bina, and with this will be resolved one difficulty etc. The difficulty is: how is it possible that Malchut of Atzilut receives the light from ZA, while the world of Beria, which is below Malchut of Atzilut, receives the light from Bina? And we hold that a degree is sorted only in the upper degree adjacent to it, and it cannot be sorted and receive from the upper of the upper and rise two degrees, as above (in this part, item 23); and all the more so here, where the world of Beria would receive from the discernment that is a fourth degree in relation to it. And to this he answered, “Beria does not receive except through the external garment of all the garments of Bina of Atzilut.” The meaning is: it is clear that the world of Beria cannot receive anything from Bina of Atzilut, for if it received from Bina of Atzilut it would become ZA of Atzilut, since the one who receives from Bina is called ZA, as above in the words of the ARI, item 22; rather, it receives from the Nukva of Atzilut, who is the upper one adjacent to it. However, this certainly cannot be imagined at a time when the Nukva is in the discernment of a point, or even in the discernment of VAK [six ends] without a Rosh [head], for the lower one is sorted and emanated only with the coming out of the AHP of the upper one, that is, at the time the upper one acquires Neshama, as above, page 772, item 60. And it is found that at the time the Nukva attains the discernment of Neshama from Bina of Atzilut, she then sorts and corrects the world of Beria, for then she has the screen of distancing in herself, that is, the screen of phase two, upon which the level of Bina comes out; and therefore she can then create the world of Beria at the level of Neshama, which is the level of Bina of Atzilut.
And when this screen of distancing stands in the level of Malchut of Atzilut, as above, it is regarded as the most external garment of Bina of Atzilut. For when ZA receives the screen of phase two and attains by means of the level of Neshama, he then becomes a garment for the upper Bina. After this, when the Nukva of ZA also attains the screen of phase two and the level of Neshama, she too clothes the level of Ima of Atzilut, but not upon Bina herself, only through ZA; and it is found that ZA is the first garment upon the level of Bina, and the Nukva is the second garment upon the level of Bina. Behold, the Nukva is the most external garment in the level of Bina of Atzilut. For there is no other Partzuf in Atzilut that would clothe the level of Bina.
And this is what he says, “Beria does not receive the light except through the external garment of all the garments of Bina of Atzilut,” for this screen of phase two that is found in the Nukva is the external and last garment of Bina of Atzilut. And the aforementioned difficulty is resolved. For in truth the world of Beria receives only from the Nukva of ZA, but it receives from her the level of the ten Sefirot of Bina of Atzilut, namely at the time the Nukva is a garment for Bina, that is, when she herself has that same screen of phase two.