Part 16 · Chapter 37

The Ari's Text

And indeed, the world of Yetzirah does not receive its light, which is drawn to it from Beriah, except through a screen, and also at a distance. And indeed, the first screen that exists from Atzilut to Beriah is not now mentioned in Yetzirah, only the other screen, newly added in it, which separates between it and Beriah.

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

1A screen, and also at a distance. The meaning is: since the discernment of the covered Hassadim bestowed from the level of Neshama cannot draw the GAR [first three] to the discernment of ZON, for the reason that they need the illumination of Hochma, like the ZON of direct light, as is known — it is found that the world of Yetzira, which is the discernment of ZA of the Guf [body], which needs the illumination of Hochma, now attains only VAK [six ends] without a Rosh [head], because the screen of distancing rests upon it, and it cannot receive the illumination of Hochma from Atzilut; and therefore it is distanced from the GAR. And this is what he says, “the screen of Beria is a near screen, because it is made from Bina”: for since it is sorted from the discernment of the bottom two thirds of Tifferet, which is regarded as YESHSUT of the Guf, therefore it can receive the level of Bina of Atzilut, which, although it is the discernment of covered Hassadim without the illumination of Hochma, nevertheless YESHSUT does not need the illumination of Hochma for itself at all, since it is the discernment of the vessel of Bina. But “the world of Yetzira does not receive its light that is drawn to it from Beria except through a screen, and also at a distance” — that is, since it is the discernment of the vessel of ZA of the Guf, the discernment of distance from the GAR was added to it, and it is not close to the discernment of the GAR like Beria.
2The added screen etc.: He did not go into explaining here the matter of the form of the screens, as written in item 32, because he relied on what is explained in Etz Chaim, Gate 47, Chapter 1, and there he explained that the screen of Beria is the discernment of distancing. And that of Yetzira is the discernment of a window and a narrow hole, that is, the screen of ZA. And in Assiya it is a narrow hole and distancing.