ביאור אם בחקותי

1An explanation of “If [you walk] in My statutes.”

2To understand the root of the matters mentioned above. Now, to understand the meaning of “If you walk in My statutes” (bechukosai): that the level of “walking” is specifically “in My statutes,” at the level of the letters of engraving (chakikah).

We must first set out the root of the difference between the Written Torah, which is clothed in the letters of writing, in ink on parchment, and the level of “the writing of G‑d, engraved upon the Tablets,” which is the letters of engraving.

3And the difference between writing and engraving: in physical terms it is simple. In letters written in ink, the ink is a thing by itself and is not of the body and being of the parchment.

But when the ink takes shape in the forms of letters on the parchment, they cleave together and become one, and it looks as though they are one thing, for the white parchment is there beneath the letter, and the letter is written right upon it, and it bears it.

Nevertheless, in truth they are two things, for the parchment is a thing by itself and the ink is entirely a thing by itself,

only that it has clothed the white parchment, so that forms of letters made of ink are seen on the parchment. If so, this is nothing but a manner of clothing alone, for a garment is truly a thing by itself.

4Even a garment that is always attached is nevertheless, in itself, a thing by itself. So it is with letters written in ink: they clothe the parchment as a garment alone. This is not so with the letters of engraving, which are engraved and incised upon a precious stone and the like:

there the letters are not considered a garment alone; rather, they are of the essence and being of the precious stone, and are considered of its very body.

5And although, nevertheless, it is not exactly like the precious stone as it was in itself before the engraving, for at first it was simple, without any form of letters at all, and through the engraving letters were born in it,

it follows, then, that these forms of letters are not the essence and being of the precious stone, which in itself is simple, without any form of letters;

yet although the form of the letters is a new existence, at any rate these letters are in the very body of the precious stone and are not a thing separate from it; rather, they are incised and engraved in its very body,

and not like letters made with ink, which are a separate thing, outside the parchment, and are considered a garment alone.

But the letters of engraving, although they too are letters, and are not like the white parchment, or the precious stone in its being and essence, which is utterly free of all form, are at any rate of the body and being of the thing engraved, and far, far above the level of a garment.

6Now, although the analogy above is a physical matter, nevertheless from it will be understood what it represents Above, regarding the root of the superiority of the Tablets, as will be explained, G‑d willing.

But first we must further explain how the likeness of the above analogy, in physical letters of writing and letters of engraving, has its exact counterpart in spirituality, in the letters that are in the speaking soul in man.

For although the soul is full of letters, as it is written, “And man became a living soul,” which Onkelos translates “a speaking spirit,” as will be explained below, G‑d willing,

nevertheless, as for the welling forth of the letters that are in thought and speech: although they well forth from the soul, still the coarse being of the letters of speech, which are of the level of the voice and the physical breath of the heart that comes out of the windpipe, is considered like a truly foreign thing relative to the being and essence of the soul.

For what does a physical voice have to do with the being of the spiritual soul? And even the being of the letters that are in thought, when one thinks and ponders the letters alef, beis, gimmel, dalet, etc., the being of this thought and of these letters

is considered like a truly foreign thing relative to the soul, in the manner of the letters of speech. For although they are more spiritual than the being of the physical voice, nevertheless it is easy to picture that this is not at all comparable to the spiritual being of the soul.

Therefore thought and speech are called no more than garments in relation to the soul, like a garment, which is not at all of the being of the thing but truly something else,

as mentioned above in the analogy, that the letters of writing are garments because the ink is a foreign thing and not at all of the being of the parchment; it only clothes it, and it looks as though it is one thing.

So too, the letters of thought and speech are separate things. The letters of speech are of a physical voice. The letters of thought are more spiritual, yet nevertheless they are not at all of the being of the soul,

and are considered like a garment alone, only that thought is an attached garment and speech is the level of a separate garment, as is explained elsewhere.

Even so, they truly cleave to the very being of the soul, for it is the soul that speaks the letters of speech, and thinks and ponders the letters of thought, and without it the letters of thought and speech have no existence at all.

This is exactly like the analogy of letters written in ink: although the ink is not of the being of the parchment, it nevertheless cleaves to the parchment, and the parchment is what bears and carries these letters upon it.

Also, beneath the blackness of the ink is the whiteness of the parchment, and without the parchment there can be no existence at all of letters from the ink by itself.

So too, it is the soul that speaks and ponders, and bears the coarseness of the letters of speech and thought, and without it there is no existence at all of letters of thought and speech.

Also, a radiance from it is clothed in the letters of thought and speech, like the whiteness of the parchment beneath the ink, as will be explained below. If so, the letters of thought and speech truly cleave to the soul and become one.

7Nevertheless, they are garments alone, since in themselves they are a separate thing: speech is from the level of the breath of the heart, etc.; only, the soul is clothed in them.

This is the analogy of the letters of writing, in ink upon parchment, whose counterpart in spirituality, in the soul, is the letters of thought and speech, as mentioned above. (See what is written about this in the discourse beginning “I am black,” [on] “black fire upon white fire.”)

82. However, to understand what the analogy of the letters of engraving is in the soul: there is no likeness to it at all among the letters of the soul that are revealed to us. There is only a slight likeness, from what is known, that there are two levels in thought.

The first is called lower thought (machshavah tata’ah): when one thinks what one is saying and thinks the actual letters, alef, beis, gimmel, dalet, in order to bring them out so with the mouth, in the sense of “Let your ear hear what you bring out of your mouth.”

9This is the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) of thought, and Above it is called the level of Malchus (sovereignty) of Tevunah, which is the level of Leah, the outer dimension of Binah (understanding), which is the level of the letters of thought mentioned above. The second level is what is called higher thought (machshavah ila’ah), that is, when one thinks the concept and not the letters.

Nevertheless, even though one does not sense the letters at all, the level of letters is nevertheless included in this thought in which one thinks the concept, for there can be no revelation of the concept at all, even in a person’s own brain, without letters;

only, the letters are truly included within the concept itself, and are not like the pondering of the letters of lower thought, where the letters have come out to be sensed on their own, outside the concept; that is the level of the outer dimension of Binah, as mentioned above.

But the letters included in the concept itself, which is the level of the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of Binah, and which are not a separate thing outside the concept, are one thing with the concept.

And yet, nevertheless, there are letters there. Above, too, this is the matter of “the engravings of a seal,” the source of the letters, which is in the level of Yesod (foundation) of Imma,

from which comes the coming into being of the letters of thought and speech, which are called Leah and Rachel. Therefore Binah is called sefer (“book”), on account of the sippurei (“tellings”) of the letters that come into being from it in thought and speech.

10Now, these letters that are truly included in the concept that is revealed from the soul in a person’s brain are like the analogy of the letters of engraving, which are in the very body of the precious stone, and not like ink, which in itself is separate from the parchment, etc.

So too, these letters are of the very body and being of the concept, for these letters, which are truly included in it, were drawn from the being and essence of the concept.

Therefore they are not sensed at all as a thing by themselves, like the letters of lower thought and of speech, which are a thing foreign to and separate from the being of the concept, as mentioned above.

This is not so here, in the thinking of the concept, where they are not a thing by themselves, for one does not think the letters at all, only the concept itself; it is just that the letters are found within it and exist within it, as mentioned above.

11In truth, however, this analogy is still not precise, and it is not a parallel to the level of the letters that are in the soul. For of the letters included in the concept one can say that they are of one essence with the concept, like engraving,

but one cannot say of them that they are of one essence with the soul, which is above even the power of intellect, and all the more so above revealed intellect.

(Nor would it fit what will be explained below, that at the level of the letters of engraving in the soul there can be “walking” and an addition of new welling forth, for from revealed intellect there would be no new wellings forth at all.)

As for the analogy, it will be understood from what is written in Iggeres HaKodesh on the verse “And David made a name,” that the articulation of the letters and the vowels is above the intellect that is grasped and understood, and comes rather from the hidden intellect and the primordial intellect (kadmus hasechel) in the speaking soul.

Therefore an infant cannot speak, even though he understands everything, etc. See there.

12According to all this, it will be understood how there are in the soul the level of the letters of engraving and [that of] the letters of writing. That is: just as the letters of engraving are engraved in the body and essence of the stone, and nothing is added here,

so is the form of the twenty-two letters, whose source is from the primordial intellect and the will of the soul: they are above the being of thought, and even above the being of revealed intellect, as explained above, that it is above the intellect that is grasped and understood, and comes rather from the hidden intellect and the primordial intellect.

13That is to say: the power of intellect that is included in the essence of the soul, there is the source of the form of the twenty-two letters mentioned above.

And the revelation of intellect that is revealed in a person’s brain is only some radiance that flows and is drawn from the hidden intellect in the soul, and it counts as nothing compared to the hidden intellect, which can conceive very many insights.

For the hidden intellect is united with the essence of the soul and is above the revelation of its powers in thought, speech and action, and there is the source of the form of the twenty-two letters. If so, this is like the letters of engraving, which are in the being and essence of the soul, and there is no foreign thing and no other being here.

14It is true that the very being and essence of the soul is far, far above the being of the form of the letters, for the letters are only the last level in it. Yet nevertheless, at any rate, it is the last level of its very being and essence, and not the addition of another being.

This is like the analogy of letters engraved in the precious stone: the precious stone in itself is utterly simple and above the shape of letters, and when letters are engraved in it the simple substance is somewhat darkened; nevertheless, there is no other being here.

This is not so when the twenty-two letters are drawn from the soul into thought and speech, and are clothed in the matter and body of the letters of speech, which is the level of the breath of the heart (and even thought, etc., as mentioned above):

the breath is a physical being and bears no comparison to the being of the soul.

This is like the analogy of the letters of writing, which are of ink, a being foreign to the parchment, for the parchment is white and the ink is black, an entirely foreign being; only, one writes with it on the parchment and it becomes a letter, etc.

So the breath clothes the form of the letters, like the ink that clothes the parchment, etc. Nevertheless they have become one, for it is the soul that speaks, and without it “there is no utterance and there are no words,” just as there cannot be letters of ink without parchment.

Also, any letter that is not surrounded by parchment on its four sides is invalid, as the matter is explained on the verse “Set me as a seal.” See there.

153. Now, after the matter of the letters of engraving and the letters of writing has been explained, what the difference between them is in a physical analogy, and all this has also been explained in spirituality, in the letters of the soul,

from now on all this will be understood, in some small measure, in what it represents Above, regarding the root of the Tablets, which are the level of “engraved” and of engraving: what their superiority is over the Written Torah, which is at the level of writing.

For the matter of the level of letters Above is known, as it is written, “By the word of Havayah the heavens were made”: they are the level of revelation, for osiyos (“letters”) is related to asa (“came”), etc.

16By way of analogy, there is the level of the letters of speech, which brings into being and gives life to the revealed worlds, and there is the level of the letters of thought, which gives life to and brings into being the hidden worlds.

However, these two levels are called garments: just as, by way of analogy, below, the breath clothes the form of the letters, so these are the level of garments, so that the worlds can receive the life-force (chayus). This is, by way of analogy, like the letters of writing.

But there is also the level of the letters of engraving. This is what is said at the beginning of the book of the holy Zohar (Bereishis, folio 15a): “At the very beginning of the King’s authority, He engraved engravings in the supernal brightness.”

That is: the supernal brightness (tehiru ila’ah) is the level of the revelation of a radiance from the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, from the expression “like the essence of the heavens in purity” (latohar). And the coming into being of the configuration of Atik Yomin and Arich Anpin from this radiance is called “He engraved engravings,” which is the matter of engraving and inscription in the supernal brightness.

They are likened to engraving to teach that the level of Keser (the Crown), which is called Atik Yomin and Arich Anpin, is utterly united with the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), and far, far above the level of the rest of the ten Sefiros of Atzilus (Emanation).

Although of them too [it is said that] “He and His vessels (ihu vegarmohi) are one,” they are nevertheless likened to the level of the letters of writing, as will be explained.

But the level of Atik Yomin and Arich Anpin is likened to engraving. Nevertheless, “He engraved engravings” only “in the supernal brightness,” which is the level of the radiance drawn from the Infinite Light

(on the supernal brightness, see the explanation on the verse “And like the essence of the heavens in purity,” above in Parshas Mishpatim, and the Mikdash Melech on Bereishis, [folio] 15, the passage beginning “In the supernal brightness”),

whereas of His being and essence, blessed be He, it is not at all applicable to say this; as is also known, the tzimtzum (contraction) and the vacated space were only in the light, etc., as is explained elsewhere.

The matter is this: there is a known dispute among the Kabbalists whether Keser is counted among the Ten Sefiros or is not among them, as is brought in the Pardes, Sha’ar 3.

There are some who wished to say that it is not within the bounds of the ten Sefiros at all, but is only the level of a radiance of the Infinite Light, etc.; and some disagreed with this and said that it is among the Ten Sefiros.

And the Arizal, of blessed memory, decided (in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 41, chapter 3) that it is an intermediary between the Emanator and the emanated. There is in it something of the lowest level of the Infinite One, and that is the level of Atik Yomin.

And this level emanated the second level in it, which is the root of all ten emanated Sefiros, in a state of concealment and great subtlety, and that is what is called Arich Anpin. These two levels together are called Keser, and it is the intermediary, etc. See there.

It is thus explained that the level of Keser is above all the Ten Sefiros, for even the lowest level in it is only the root of the emanated [Sefiros], in great subtlety, and is above the being of the Sefiros of Atzilus.

This is somewhat like the matter of the ten hidden Sefiros mentioned in the language of the Geonim; in the language of the Arizal, of blessed memory, it is the matter of the Ten Sefiros of Atik and of Arich Anpin.

The explanation of the matter will be understood by way of illustration from what our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Menachos, folio 29) concerning Rabbi Akiva, that Moshe our teacher, peace be upon him, asked, “This is Torah and this is its reward?” and the answer was, “Be silent; thus it arose in thought.”

That is: the comprehension of Moshe our teacher was from the level of the higher Chochmah (Chochmah ila’ah), from which the Written Torah was drawn, from the level of the novlos (“fallen fruit”) and the back of the higher Chochmah, as is explained in Iggeres HaKodesh, in the discourse beginning “He wraps Himself in light,” etc.

17According to this Chochmah (wisdom) the matter was not resolved: is this Torah and this its reward?! But the Holy One, blessed be He, answered him, “Thus it arose in thought,” meaning that this is drawn from the level of the hidden Chochmah (Chochmah stima’ah).

This is [the meaning of] the word “arose,” for it is far, far above the higher Chochmah, which is called the Written Torah, and is drawn rather from the hidden Chochmah, which is far, far above the level of understanding and comprehension that is drawn from the Chochmah of Atzilus (Emanation). By way of analogy: in a person there is revealed intellect, and there is the power of intellect, which is above the intellect that is grasped and understood.

18It is as when a person delves with his intellect into some line of reasoning, and some new reasoning occurs to his mind: it is certainly drawn from the level of the power of intellect that is above the intellect he had grasped and understood at first.

For the first intellect, which he had grasped when he delved into this reasoning, was only the level of a mere vessel to receive that flow which comes suddenly from above intellect. So, along the lines of this analogy, the matter of “it arose in thought” will also be explained.

That is: “thought” unqualified is the Chochmah (wisdom) of Atzilus (Emanation), and into it there was drawn, from the level of the hidden Chochmah, that it should be thus and thus in the matter of Rabbi Akiva. Then it should have said “descended and fell into thought,” for the hidden Chochmah is above the Chochmah of Atzilus, and from the level of the hidden Chochmah this was drawn into thought, which is the Chochmah of Atzilus.

But because the hidden Chochmah is also called hidden thought (machshavah stima’ah), and of this one can truly use the word “arose,” that “thus it arose” in this thought, therefore He used the word “arose” in general.

19At any rate, it is understood from this how the level of the hidden Chochmah (wisdom), which is the root of the higher Chochmah, as it is in Keser (the Crown), is far, far above the being of the Chochmah of Atzilus (Emanation), so that it is not grasped or understood at all in the higher Chochmah, as mentioned above in the question “This is Torah,” etc.,

so that there could be no answer but “Be silent,” etc., as though there were no reason for it, because this reason in the hidden Chochmah is far, far above the comprehension in Atzilus, where the comprehension of Moshe our teacher, peace be upon him, was.

20Along these lines it will also be understood that the level of Keser (the Crown) as a whole, even in the respect in which it is the root of Atzilus (Emanation), is far, far above the being of the Ten Sefiros of Atzilus, for in it is the radiance of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof).

This is the level of Atik Yomin; and from it there is drawn forth a root for the ten Sefiros of Atzilus, which is the level of Arich Anpin. Therefore it is likened to engraving, which is as though nothing at all has been added here besides the being that was there before the engraving; so it is also now, after the engraving.

So too the coming into being of the level of Atik Yomin and Arich Anpin: they are still within the worlds of the Infinite One (Ein Sof).

This is not so with the coming into being of the ten Sefiros of Atzilus, Chochmah (wisdom) and Chesed (kindness): since the Infinite Light “is not of any of these attributes at all,” and the higher Chochmah is considered like physical action before Him, blessed be He, they are therefore likened to the letters of writing, where the ink is a foreign thing and has only become united with the parchment.

Whereas the level of Atik Yomin and Arich Anpin is considered of the level of the Infinite One, as mentioned above in the name of the Arizal, of blessed memory, that it is an intermediary; therefore they are likened not to the letters of writing but to the level of engraving.

21And even though in truth they too are not of the order and being of the very light drawn from the Infinite One (Ein Sof), which is still utterly simple,

this is like the analogy of engraving: when one inscribes and engraves upon a precious stone and markings appear, this is not like the simple substance itself, yet nevertheless it is not a foreign thing like the ink, etc.

So too the Ten Sefiros in the supreme Keser (Keser Elyon): their division, at the level of Keser, is not seen or revealed at all as an entity, a thing [apart] from the essence of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), since Keser still contains something of the lowest level of the Infinite Light; rather, they are, by way of analogy, like the level of a mere engraving and impression, and they are united with the essence of the Infinite Light.

(Just as, by way of analogy, revealed intellect is revealed outside the soul, whereas the power of intellect is included and united with the soul, etc., although the soul itself is above even the power of intellect, as is explained elsewhere.)

This is [the meaning of] “At the very beginning of the King’s authority, He engraved engravings.” That is: when it arose in His will to emanate the Ten Sefiros, then first “He engraved engravings.”

This is, by way of analogy, the coming into being of the level of engraving in the simple light, to engrave the roots of the Ten Sefiros; that is, the coming into being of the level of Keser, as mentioned above, which is still above the coming into being of the letters of writing, which are the Ten Sefiros of Atzilus (Emanation).

22The substance of the matter is that in Atzilus (Emanation) there are actual vessels for the lights of the ten Sefiros; that is why they are likened to letters of writing, in ink upon white parchment, the ink being an analogy for the vessels, which are not of the being of the simple light.

This is not so in Atik Yomin and Arich Anpin: although there is in them a root for the vessels of the ten Sefiros, the vessels are not yet discernible and revealed in them, except in great concealment; so they are likened to the letters of engraving, where there is no foreign thing like ink, etc.

(See what is written about this on the verse “This is the statute of the Torah.”) Nevertheless, the engraving was only in the supernal brightness (tehiru ila’ah), which is a mere radiance drawn from His simple light, blessed be He.

This radiance too is utterly simple, and in it the ten Sefiros of Keser (the Crown) were engraved; but in the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) itself engraving and inscription do not apply at all, G‑d forbid.

23This is also, in general, the difference between the Written Torah and the writing of the Tablets. For the meaning of “the Written Torah” is that it was clothed in the letters of writing,

for the Torah itself is above writing, since the Torah is from the level of Yesod (foundation) of Abba, in which there is still the radiance of the Infinite One (Ein Sof) that is clothed in Keser (the Crown), as it is written, “Havayah, with Chochmah,” and it is called by the name Eden;

only, it was clothed in Binah (understanding), where there is the level of letters, as is written about this in the explanation on the verse “And you shall make a tzitz,” regarding “and you shall engrave.”

24That is, the fifty-three [written as gan, “garden”] portions of the Torah are drawn from the level of “a river going out of Eden.” And also these letters, which are the vessels: “He and His vessels (ihu vegarmohi) are one in them,” etc. But the root of the Tablets is in the level of the supreme Keser (Keser Elyon).

This is the matter of the Ten Commandments, which were given on the festival of Shavuos, because then there is the revelation and drawing down of Keser, from the very level of Arich Anpin and Atik Yomin, into Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes), as is explained in Pri Etz Chaim.

For all the days of the Counting [of the Omer] are the growth of the intellect (mochin) of Z’eir Anpin, in the completion of the mochin of Abba and Imma that are clothed in Z’eir Anpin: the first state of maturity and the second state of maturity.

But on Shavuos there shines in it the level of the Gulgalta (“skull”), which is the level of Keser, which receives from Arich Anpin and Atik Yomin themselves; and specifically then were the two Tablets given, on which were the Ten Commandments.

Therefore “the writing” was “engraved upon the Tablets,” the level of the letters of engraving, as is the level and rank of Keser, which is the level of “He engraved engravings in the supernal brightness,” as mentioned above.

(That is also why there are six hundred and twenty letters in the Ten Commandments, the numerical value of Keser, as the Ramaz writes on Parshas Emor, folio 96b. And in [Midrash] Rabbah on Nasso, chapter 13, it says: “There are six hundred and thirteen letters from ‘I am’ until ‘which is your neighbor’s,’ and seven extra, corresponding to the seven days of Creation”; end of quote.)

254. Now we come to the explanation of the verse “If you walk in My statutes.” As was explained above, since “there are three bonds,” etc., therefore, just as in the Torah there are the two levels mentioned above, writing and engraving, that is, the Written Torah and the Tablets,

so too in every spark and G‑dly soul there are also these two levels, engraved letters and written letters. For we say, “The soul that You have given within me, it is pure; You created it,” etc.

There is a known question: how can one say “it is pure” before “You created it”? It should have said the reverse: “You created it; it is pure,” etc.

The matter will be understood by first explaining the verse (in Joshua 24:2), “And Yehoshua said to all the people: Thus says Havayah, the G‑d of Israel: Your fathers dwelt beyond the River of old,” etc.,

“and I took your father Avraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan.”

The question on this is set out in the Zohar (Parshas Emor, 98b): what does this teach us? Did not all Israel know this? Yet from the wording of the verse it appears to be a great and novel matter, even for Yehoshua, so much so that G‑d had to say it.

The holy Zohar answers that the prophet truly spoke of a great matter in this announcement. It is along the lines of “Israel arose in thought,” meaning that their root is drawn from the level of the hidden thought of Arich Anpin,

which is far, far above the level of higher and lower thought as such. That is: lower thought is when one thinks what one is saying.

26And higher thought is the thinking of the concept. And all this, as it is represented Above, in the level of the Ten Sefiros of Atzilus (Emanation): even higher thought is the level of Binah (understanding).

It is what is called “a river going out of Eden,” for thought does not rest, just as a river flows continually; and it is drawn from Eden, which is the level of the higher Chochmah (wisdom).

But the matter of “arose in thought” is the level of the hidden Chochmah of Arich Anpin, which is far, far above the higher Chochmah of Atzilus, as explained above at length in the explanation of “Be silent; thus it arose in thought.”

If so, the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, “they arose in thought,” means that the root of their souls is rooted in and drawn from the level of the hidden thought of Arich Anpin, which is above Chochmah and Binah of Atzilus

(and see the Zohar, Parshas Noach, folio 65a, and the Pardes, Erchei HaKinuyim, entry “Machshavah”). This is also the matter of this announcement that G‑d made to them, how “your fathers dwelt beyond the River of old”:

that is to say, their root is drawn from a level above the level of “a river going out of Eden,” which is the level of Binah. For “beyond” (be’ever) means on the other side, when one crosses the river; on the other side, there “your fathers dwelt.”

27That is, in the level of Arich Anpin, which is above Atzilus (Emanation), for a curtain (parsa) divides between it and Atzilus, as is explained elsewhere on “The heap is witness,” etc. And beyond the curtain the Patriarchs are rooted.

The matter is this: it is known that Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov are the levels of Chesed (kindness), Gevurah (restraint) and Tiferes (beauty); but their root is the level of Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes of Arich Anpin.

28This is the matter of “mountains of light” and “mountains of darkness” mentioned in the Zohar. That is: Chesed (kindness), Gevurah (restraint) and Tiferes (beauty) of Atzilus (Emanation) are called “mountains of light,” and they are the level of the emotive attributes (middos) drawn from intellect and contemplation, for through intellect and contemplation love or awe is born.

But there is a level of great love (ahavah rabbah) that is above intellect, and it is called “mountains of darkness”: these are the attributes included in the will (ratzon) that is above intellect, as in “Be silent; thus it arose in thought,” etc.

This is the matter of the three “hands”: “the great hand,” “the strong hand” and “the high hand.” As is known, the level of Chesed and Gevurah of Arich Anpin is clothed in Abba and Imma, and from them it is afterward drawn into Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes of Atzilus.

29Now, the attributes (middos) that are above intellect are in a state of great inter-inclusion, as mentioned above, that in Keser (the Crown) division does not yet apply.

This is [the meaning of] “And I took your father Avraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan.” That is: “the land of Canaan” (Kenaan) is the Malchus (sovereignty) of Atzilus (Emanation), a term meaning “merchant” and “trader,” and a term of submission (hachna’ah), as is explained elsewhere.

The intent is that He drew the Patriarchs from their root beyond the River, to descend below through all of Atzilus (that is, as mentioned above, the Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes of Arich Anpin are clothed in Abba and Imma, and from there in Z’eir Anpin and Nukva),

down to Malchus, in order to be clothed in Beriah (Creation), Yetzirah (Formation) and Asiyah (Action), in bodies in this world, to refine the refinements of the two hundred and eighty-eight sparks that fell into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. And this descent is for the sake of ascent: that the two hundred and eighty-eight sparks ascend to their root and source

(as this matter was also explained in the discourse beginning “Go forth,” [where] “Av ram” [“exalted father”] is the hidden intellect, etc.): Avraham through the level of love, Yitzchak through the level of awe, and Yaakov through the level of compassion.

This is the matter of “If you walk in My statutes”: it is the level of “walking” from below upward, and in particular, principally, through the attribute of compassion, the level of “an inheritance without bounds,” etc.

(As is explained elsewhere on the statement [of the Zohar], Vayeshev, folio 181, “And very high: from the side of Yaakov,” etc.; see there. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “As an eagle stirs up,” and see above, Parshas Vayetzei, in the discourse beginning “And Havayah will be my G‑d,” etc., “and of all that You give me I will surely tithe to You,” etc.)

This is also the matter of “The soul that You have given within me, it is pure”: for the level of their root, beyond the River, is the level of the letters of engraving, as mentioned above, since the level of hidden thought is called “He engraved engravings in the supernal brightness (tehiru ila’ah).”

This is the meaning of “it is pure” (tehorah): that it is drawn from the level of the supernal brightness (tehiru ila’ah). And this is exactly the matter of “your fathers dwelt beyond the River.”

30Afterward, when it descended below, as it is written, “and I led him through all the land of Canaan,” this is the matter of “You created it, You formed it,” the level of the chain of descent (hishtalshelus) through Beriah (Creation), Yetzirah (Formation) and Asiyah (Action), until “You breathed it into me.” And this chain of descent is the level of the letters of writing.

It follows that in Israel, too, there are two levels: from the side of their root, “it is pure,” they are the level of the letters of engraving; and from the side of their descent below, at the level of “You created it, You formed it, You breathed it into me,” this is the matter of the letters of writing.

31To understand these two levels in the service of G‑d: there is a level of love that is drawn from Binah (understanding) and Daas (knowledge) of the greatness of G‑d.

However, the essential level of love does not come from knowledge and contemplation. For we see that the power of will and love is greater than anything commensurate with intellect and contemplation, since even the lowest of the low can give up his life (mesirus nefesh) for the sanctification of G‑d’s Name, not at all by virtue of contemplation.

It follows that the very will (ratzon) for G‑d in every soul is above knowledge; only, it passes through intellect and knowledge as through a passageway, and therefore without contemplation it will not be drawn forth into revelation.

Nevertheless, the very root of the will is above knowledge. And this is from the level of “The soul that You have given within me, it is pure”

(and it is the level of the love of a son for his father, which is explained elsewhere, because Havayah is truly our G‑d, etc. And this is the level of “wheat,” for “an infant does not know,” etc., as is explained elsewhere).

This is [the meaning of] “If you walk in My statutes”: in the statutes (chukim) that I have engraved (chakakti) for you, that is, the level of Chesed (kindness), Gevurah (restraint) and Tiferes (beauty) of Arich Anpin, where the root of the Patriarchs is. Therefore they are able to pasture their flock and bring them to this source, which is called “engravings,” and then “you will walk,” at the level of a walking without measure or limit.

As it is written, “Behold, My servant shall be wise,” etc., “and very high”; and the meaning of “very” (me’od) is without limit, that is, at the level of the Infinite One (Ein Sof) (see what is written on the Zohar on Vayeshev mentioned above). And this revelation will be in the Time to Come.

That is, through the love of “with all your might” (bechol me’odecha), at the level of walking, with an increase of light, “each day’s matter on its day.” And every one is bound to come to the truth of his root and source, at the level of Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes of Arich Anpin, which are called “My statutes,” for “the banished one shall not be banished from Him”: truly from Him, from His being and essence, blessed be He.

32And if not in this generation, he will come in a reincarnation in another generation, and especially in the generation of King Moshiach, when the souls of Israel as a whole (klalus) will be raised to the level of “very” (me’od).

For in the days of Moshiach, until the Resurrection of the Dead, the service will be in practical mitzvos, only there will be the perfection of the service, as is explained elsewhere on the verse “Binding his foal to the vine.” Therefore then there will be “very high”: truly “in My statutes you will walk.”

Now, as for its saying “If you walk in My statutes”: “If (im) is nothing but a term of entreaty.” The intent of this request is that the Congregation of Israel should walk in the walking mentioned above only in these three engravings

(which are the root of the three Patriarchs, who are the root of the three holy attributes (middos), love and awe and compassion; and the other attributes branch out from them, Netzach (victory) being a branch of Chesed (kindness), which is love, etc.; and likewise all the mitzvos are drawn from these three lines,

and therefore they are divided into three categories, Torah, service and acts of kindness), and not in any other way besides them at all. This is [the meaning of] “in My statutes” (bechukosai), that I have engraved (chakakti), specifically, “you shall walk.”

335. “And keep My commandments.” The meaning: the keeping, so that the walking of “with all your might” in prayer will endure, is through the mitzvos, which are the level of vessels, “vessels of diverse vessels,” for the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He. This is [the meaning of] “And royal wine in abundance, according to the hand of the king.”

The meaning, by way of analogy: wine, which cannot be received without a vessel; and likewise, by way of analogy, the light that shines on a wick: if there is no wick, the light departs.

34And likewise, by way of analogy, with the vital soul that gives life to the limbs of the body, such as the power of sight in the eye and the power of hearing in the ear: when the vessel is damaged by a blow or the like, the light of sight departs from the eye, and the hearing from the ear, by way of analogy.

In the same way will be understood the matter of the two hundred and forty-eight positive commandments, the two hundred and forty-eight limbs, that is, the level of the vessels of Z’eir Anpin, to receive the drawing down of the light from the level of Keser (the Crown), the six hundred and twenty pillars of light, which are the six hundred and thirteen mitzvos of the Torah and the seven mitzvos of the Rabbis,

so that it be drawn and spread into the vessels and limbs of Z’eir Anpin, and from there be drawn into Beriah (Creation), Yetzirah (Formation) and Asiyah (Action). Without the vessels the light would depart, as in what is said, “Empty vessels, do not take few,” etc., and it is written, “There is no other vessel; and the oil stopped,” etc.

(See what is written about this in the explanation on the verse “And the Jews accepted.”) And this is [the meaning of] “And royal wine”: it is the light that shines; “in abundance, according to the hand of the king”: it is the level of “the great hand,” the Chesed (kindness) of Arich [Anpin], etc.

And through this wine entering a person, “the secret comes out,” and [so does] the hidden love, whose root is from the level of the Patriarchs, whose root is from this level beyond the River, etc., as mentioned above.

Only, there must be the level of vessels, “vessels of diverse vessels,” of Torah and mitzvos, in which the royal wine will be drawn, to be “in abundance, according to the hand of the king.”

35This is [the meaning of] “And keep My commandments” (mitzvosai): mitzvah is a term of tzavta, joining and connection. That is, when the light is drawn into a vessel, it is then at the level of a bond and joining with us; whereas while it is still above, it is called engraving, “He engraved engravings,” etc.

This is “In My statutes you shall walk”: in prayer, at the level of love and awe (ahavah and yirah) and the arousal of compassion, etc., which are ascents up to the level of the supernal engraving, the lights of Keser (the Crown);

and this is specifically through “And keep My commandments,” which are the vessels for drawing down and revealing the lights mentioned above, for through the vessel the light endures. That is, there must always be the level of raising up and drawing down, etc., the level of “running and returning” (ratzo vashov).

36Through this, “the land shall give its produce”: “the land” is the level of Malchus (sovereignty) of Atzilus (Emanation), which shall give its produce in the raising of the feminine waters (mayin nukvin) of the two hundred and eighty-eight sparks; and afterward there will automatically be drawn the level of “and the tree of the field shall give its fruit,” which is the drawing down of the masculine waters (mayin duchrin);

that is, that there will be a revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, so that “I will walk among you,” at the level of the Tree of Life, from which lofty souls will be drawn, who are called “the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life” (and see the Zohar, Part I, Bereishis, end of folio 37b; see what is written elsewhere on the verse “Yosef is a fruitful bough,” etc.).

And see further what is written on the verse “You shall keep My Shabbosos,” regarding the descent of the souls from their source, from higher thought, to be clothed in bodies, how it is a descent for the sake of an ascent, far, far higher, etc.

And see what is written in the discourse beginning “And I will make [your windows of] kadkod,” regarding “purity brings to holiness,” and at the end of the discourse beginning “These are the journeys,” regarding “their journeys according to their goings out.”

(And on “engraved upon the Tablets,” see [Midrash] Rabbah on Mishpatim, beginning of section 32; Ki Sisa, section 41; Pekudei, section 51; and in the Gemara, Eruvin 54a; and in the Zohar, Part II, folio 84; folio 113b; 114a; 183a; 45b; Part I, end of folio 37b, and folio 131b; Part III, folio 6b.)

“And I will command (vetzivisi) My blessing”: the blessing over the mitzvos. For mitzvos require intention, to draw the light into them, and the intention as a whole (klalus) is the prayer of each day, as is explained elsewhere on the verse “He has not beheld iniquity in Yaakov.”

This is the matter of “If you walk in My statutes,” which is at the level of prayer, and afterward “and keep My commandments,” etc.; and on the particular level, this is also the matter of the blessings over the mitzvos.