Rabbi Yehudah Ashlag [1], Teaching of Ten Sfirot [2]

Foreword to the Book “The Mouth of a Sage” [85]

Our teacher Baal HaSulam [1] wrote this foreword to a work that he called “The Mouth of a Sage” [85], and since the Admor [76], of blessed memory, regarded this work as a precursor to “Teaching of Ten Sfirot” [2], we considered it appropriate to present the foreword to this work to students.

As is known from the mouths of the authors of the books and from the books themselves, the study of Kabbalistic wisdom is absolutely obligatory for every person from the people of Israel: even one who has studied the whole Torah, knows all six orders of the Talmud and the rulings of the halachic authorities by heart, is filled with virtues and has performed more good deeds than all the sons of his generation, but has not studied Kabbalistic wisdom, will have to reincarnate and come to This World once again in order to study the secrets of the Torah and the True Wisdom, for so it is stated in a number of passages in the Midrashim of our Sages, of blessed memory.

And this is a quotation from the Book of Zohar on Shir HaShirim, from the commentary on the verse “If you do not know, O fairest of women...” [86], which our Sages, of blessed memory, interpreted as follows: the soul appeared before the Throne of Glory [87] after a person’s death; thereupon the Holy One, be He glorified, says to it: “If you do not know, O fairest of women”—even though you are the fairest among women and have merited good deeds more numerous and more beautiful than those of all other souls—if you have no knowledge of the secrets of the Torah, then “go your way in the footsteps of the flock”—depart from here and return to This World, “and pasture your kids beside the shepherds’ dwellings”—there you will go to the batei midrash and study the secrets of the Torah from the mouths of the Sages. Look thoroughly into what is written there [88].

And it is necessary to understand the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, as follows: a person’s perfection depends on the study of the True Wisdom—and at first glance, how does it differ from the other words of the open Torah? For nowhere do we find that a person is obligated to be proficient in all sections of the Torah, or that a person will not reach perfection if he lacks one section of the Torah. On the contrary, our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Study is not the most important thing, but actions” [91], and also: “Let one [have done] much and another little, provided that he directs his heart toward Heaven” [92].

And in order to attain the depth of the above words of our Sages, of blessed memory, we must first thoroughly comprehend, acquire good knowledge of and then understand [93] what is repeatedly stated in the books of Zohar and Tikkunei Zohar: that the Torah, the Holy One, be He glorified, and Yisrael are one [94]; and at first glance, these words are very astonishing.

And before I proceed to explain these words, I shall tell you a great principle that our Sages, of blessed memory, established for us concerning all the Holy Names and titles found in the books; our Sages, of blessed memory, said: nothing that is unattainable is defined by a name. Explanation. It is known that absolutely nothing concerning Him can be either conceived or attained, as stated in the passage “Eliyahu began [to speak]” at the beginning [of “Another Introduction”] to the book Tikkunei Zohar, [second paragraph], and therefore it is forbidden even to think about the Essence of the Creator, be He glorified and exalted, let alone to say anything about it; and all the Names by which we call Him, be He glorified, refer not to the stage of His Essence, but only to the Lights [4] that spread from Him, be He glorified, to the lower ones [17]. Even the Holy Name Ein Sof (the Infinite) [68], found in books on Kabbalah, is likewise a stage of Light that spreads from His Essence, be He glorified. But since He determined that His Light spreading from His Essence should be perceived by the lower ones as Infinite, it is therefore called by this Name. This does not, however, refer to His Essence, be He glorified, for since absolutely nothing concerning Him can be either conceived or attained, how can He be defined by a name or a word, if nothing that is unattainable is defined by a name?

And everyone who begins the study of the True Wisdom must bear in mind the great principle formulated above before studying a book on Kabbalah: that it is forbidden even to think about His Essence, be He glorified, for absolutely nothing concerning Him can be either conceived or attained; how, then, can there be, G-d forbid, a Name or a word [characterizing Him] that indicates attainment? It is otherwise with His Lights [4], be He glorified, which spread from Him, that is, all the Holy Names and titles cited in the books: on the contrary, it is a great commandment to interpret and investigate them, and it is absolutely obligatory for every person from the people of Israel to study and understand the secrets of the Torah and all His ways of bestowing Grace upon the lower ones [17], which are the foundation of the True Wisdom and the reward for the souls in the World to Come.

And it is stated in the Midrashim of our Sages, of blessed memory, and in the books of Zohar and Tikkunei Zohar in many places, that all the Higher [24] worlds [20] and all the Holy Sfirot [2] of five worlds [42] Adam Kadmon [21], Atzilut [29], Briyah [31], Yetzirah [33], and Asiyah [41], in all their quantitative and qualitative aspects—all this was prepared from the outset solely for the perfection of the sons of Israel, for the soul of a person from the people of Israel is a particle of Divinity from Above [95], and “the end of an act is in the initial thought” [70], since there arose in Him a simple desire to delight the souls, rewarding them for the hardships of their service. For this reason, the entire reality spread out before Him by way of descent [17], with each preceding stage producing the next and sustaining its existence, by way of the descent of the stages through the worlds Adam Kadmon, Atzilut, Briyah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, until, at the end of this descent, they brought forth two stages clothed one within the other; that is, the soul spreads from the Heavenly Treasuries and is clothed in a material body. And just as the actual essence spread into the lower receptacle, which is the material body possessing a soul, so too, in essence, did the existing reality undergo a successive descent (such a descent was discussed just above); what is meant is the gradual descent of the ways of bestowing Grace, so that the Higher Light [4], which is above the very Highest, will, at the end of its existence, spread and reach the soul clothed in a material body in This World, of which it is said: “For the land shall be full of knowledge of haShem” [84]; “And no longer shall one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, "Know haShem," for they shall all know Me from their smallest to their greatest” [96]. And understand this.

And it is stated by our Sages, of blessed memory, in the Book of Zohar, that “The entire Torah is the Names of the Holy One, be He glorified” [97], so that the narratives, just like all the laws—those that can be explained and those that cannot be explained—are His Holy Names, be He glorified. As explained above, nothing that is unattainable is defined by a name; understand this thoroughly, for the essence of the Holy Names of the Holy One, be He glorified, is the essence of the attainments that spread from Him, be He glorified and exalted, to His servants, prophets, and righteous ones, each according to his merits, in accordance with the meaning of what is written: “Then I and Your people will be distinguished from every [other] nation on the face of the earth” [98]. For this distinction comes to us through receiving the Torah and fulfilling the commandments, at first by means of the open Torah alone, which acts upon us so as to purify our bodies [83] and exalt our souls to such a degree that we become worthy of attaining the entire Torah and its commandments as His Names, be He glorified, because this is the entire reward intended for the souls in the World to Come; yet even in This World, as it is said in the Gemara, “May you see your world in your lifetime” [99]. And understand this.

And thus it is explained to us why, in a number of places in the Book of Zohar, 613 commandments are called “613 counsels of the Torah,” while in many other places in the Book of Zohar 613 commandments are called “613 deposits”: for at first a person is obligated to observe the Torah and the commandments in order to purify his body [83] and exalt his soul, and then 613 commandments are for us on the stage of “613 counsels,” that is, counsels as to how ultimately to stand before the countenance of the Master and merit the Light [4] of His Countenance. For observance of the Torah and fulfillment of the commandments gradually purify him until he merits the Light of the Countenance of the Master of Life. This corresponds to what is stated in the Midrash: “After all, why should the Holy One blessed be He care whether one slaughters an animal from the throat or he slaughters it from the nape? Thus we learn that the mitzvot were given only to refine the creations with them” [100]. However, after he has been purified to the extent required of him and merits the Light of His Countenance, be He glorified, then his eyes and his soul are opened, and he merits attainment of 613 Holy Lights contained in 613 commandments, which are the meaning of His Holy Names; that is, they are given to him for attainment. And through the fulfillment of each and every commandment without exception, he perceives a portion of the Light contained in that commandment, for the commandment is, in essence, a vessel [3], and the Light—that is, the Holy Name pertaining to the particulars of that commandment—is clothed within it. This is the meaning of what is written: “For a commandment is a candle, and the Torah is Light” [101]. And then, for him, 613 commandments are called “613 deposits.” This is like a person who places precious stones and pearls in a vessel and says to someone dear to him: “Take this vessel for yourself, but guard it from thieves and robbers.” It follows from this that everything they say concerns only the vessel, whereas in essence they mean the precious stones and pearls contained within it. Comprehend this thoroughly.

And it is known from books on Kabbalah that the meaning of the Holy Name “the Holy One, be He glorified” (in Hebrew and Aramaic), used by our Sages, of blessed memory, and in the Book of Zohar, and based on the Four-Letter Name, is that this Holy Name unites all the Holy Names up to the Name that is Higher [24] than the very Highest. And therefore it follows that we learn that “the Torah and the Holy One, be He glorified, are one” [94], for although in the eyes of the multitude the Torah contains only narratives, as well as laws that can and cannot be explained, nevertheless, I have already explained that these are “golden apples on silverplated vessels” [102], and therefore they are called 613 deposits, as has already been stated. And if so, the Torah and the Holy One, be He glorified, are one, only in the sense of the general and the particular, for the Holy One, be He glorified, is the general that unites all the Names, and the united Light [4], whereas the Torah is divided into 613 Lights, and consequently all of them together constitute a single whole and are, in essence, the Holy One Himself, be He glorified; thus enough has been said for one who understands.

Now it still remains for us to explain the stage of Yisrael, and you must first understand what the division in the Spiritual into a multitude of qualitatively different objects means, that is, how and by what they are divided into parts and separated from one another (see the Publishers’ Explanation), for material objects are divided by a knife or a similar instrument, or space and time separate them from one another, whereas such a thing cannot be conceived of in the Spiritual, whose objects are beyond space and beyond time, as is known.

Publishers’ Explanation

What does the division in the Spiritual into a multitude of qualitatively different objects mean, that is, how and by what are they divided into parts and separated from one another? And you must understand that every ultimate goal is absolutely simple, whereas complexities, wisdoms, and multiple objects arise in the preparation for the achievement of that goal. This may be compared to a situation in which a person wishes to dwell in a house: he needs advanced skills and resourcefulness of mind connected with drawings, planning, determining the quantity and quality of the rooms and furnishings, whereas the ultimate goal, on the contrary, is simple—to live there. And this is the meaning of what is written: “like the beauty of man to sit [in] the house” [103], for such is the simple thought, entirely without intellectual constructions or multiplicity and without resourcefulness of mind, but merely a simple desire.

And know that all the resourcefulness present in intellectual constructions corresponds to the multitude of errors that may arise with respect to what is true. However, what is true itself is simple and entirely devoid of any resourcefulness.

And the meaning of this is that this is the essence of the iron wall separating us from our Father in Heaven, for among the things hidden from you, there are some that are hidden because of their greatness, depth, and height, while others are hidden because they are very subtle things; they may be compared to tiny insects flying in the air and invisible to the eye because they are very small.

And since His Light [4], be He glorified, is so simple, the human mind, which can perceive an essence only to a certain extent, does not, for this reason, perceive what is simple, just as it does not perceive things smaller than what is required for the actual organ of sight; and although their height and width are not perceived at all, a person nevertheless has some approximate notion of the object. Subtle things, on the contrary, seem not to exist at all, because you cannot comprehend them even to a small extent.

[Conclusion of the Foreword]

However, know that all division in the Spiritual and among the Higher [24] Lights [4] is nothing other than a qualitative difference. This may be compared to the intelligent souls of the sons of Adam, for undoubtedly the souls themselves are divided and differ from one another, just as one person differs from another; however, the entire essence of the division derives from nothing other than their qualitative difference, that is, the soul of this person is good, while that of another is evil, or one has attained wisdom, while another has attained foolishness, and so on, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Just as their faces differ from one another, so do their minds differ from one another” [104].

And from this it is clear that if all the sons of Adam acquired identical ideas and identical inclinations, entirely without any difference whatsoever, then the souls of all the people of the world would indeed be considered one soul. And this would mean that this soul is like the sun, for the light of the sun illuminates all the people in the world, and nevertheless the sunlight is not considered to possess any qualitative difference; likewise, one intelligent soul would be clothed in a multitude of bodies, for locations do not divide any Spiritual object at all if there is no qualitative difference in its properties; and comprehend this thoroughly.

And now we shall proceed to explain what is already known: that the souls of the sons of Israel are, in essence, a particle of Divinity from Above [95], for such a soul descended [17] from stage to stage, with each preceding stage producing the next and sustaining its existence, until it became fit to come into This World and be clothed in an impure material body. And through observing the Torah and fulfilling its commandments, it comes to ascend [24] from stage to stage to its full height, when it will become worthy of receiving in full the reward prepared for it from the very beginning, that is, of attaining the Holy Torah on the level of the Names of the Holy One, be He glorified, which is the meaning of 613 deposits, as has already been stated.

And now you understand with your own mind that the Torah and the people of Israel are one. For the entire difference between the Torah and the soul is due only to the qualitative difference inherent in the soul, which has diminished to a very small Light [4], whereas the Torah is the simple Light that spread from His Essence, be He glorified, for His greatness is boundless, as has already been stated; for the Torah and the Holy One, be He glorified, are one. But when the soul reaches perfection, that is, when it reaches its full height [24], when it receives the Torah in the sense of His Names, be He glorified—that is, it attains all the Light deposited in the Torah and the commandments—then, naturally, the Light of the soul becomes equal to the Light of the Torah, for it has already attained all the Light contained in the Torah. As long as the attainment lacks even the smallest part of all the Light of the Torah, the soul is still considered imperfect, because all the Light in its entirety is prepared for the souls, in accordance with what I have already explained: “nothing that is unattainable is defined by a name”; and since the Light is prepared for attainment by the soul, while the soul has not attained it completely, it follows that the soul is imperfect, in accordance with the words, “I will fulfill the entire Torah except for one thing”—this is undoubtedly what an utterly wicked person says. In fact, you must judge in the same way concerning the fulfillment of the Torah and the commandments in relation to the attainment of these 613 deposits, for the soul will in any case not be perfect if one thing, great or small, is lacking. And therefore, at the end of time, when it finally reaches complete perfection, which consists in attaining all the Light of the Torah, then, naturally, there will be no qualitative difference between the Light of the soul and the Light of the Torah. And thus you have a beautiful explanation that the Torah and the people of Israel are indeed one, because they do not differ from one another and there is no qualitative difference between them, and they truly constitute a single whole; and comprehend this very thoroughly, for these are very subtle things.

And since we have proved that the Holy One, be He glorified, and the Torah are one (see above), and here we have proved that the Torah and the people of Israel are one, it is clear that it follows from this that the Torah, the Holy One, be He glorified, and the people of Israel are one.

And through all that has been stated above, it has been explained to us that the Torah and the commandments are divided into two parts: the first is the Torah and the commandments that are open to everyone’s eyes, that is, the fulfillment of the commandments and the study of the Torah by means of 613 counsels, and by means of this the body [83] is purified and refined, and the virtues of the soul are exalted, so that it becomes worthy and fit to receive the Light [4] of the Countenance of the Master of Life, just as it was at its Source, before its diminution and its coming into a lower [17] body in the lower world. And the second part is the fulfillment of the commandments and the study of the Torah by means of 613 deposits, that is, the attainment of His Names, be He glorified, and the acquisition of the entire reward intended for the souls. And the second part compared with the first is like Heaven compared with earth, because the first part is merely preparation, whereas the second part is the essence of perfection and the purpose of Creation.

And thus the difficulty we mentioned above concerning the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, is explained: that even if a person surpasses all the sons of his generation in the study of the Torah and in good deeds, but has not studied the secrets of the Torah and the True Wisdom, he will have to reincarnate and come to This World once again. And our difficulty was as follows: how does the section of the True Wisdom differ from the other sections of the Torah? For nowhere is it stated that a person is obligated to study all the sections of the Torah; on the contrary, in many places we find the opposite, for example: “Let one [have done] much and another little, provided that he directs his heart toward Heaven” [92], and “Study is not the most important thing, but actions” [91].

And now the matter is explained very simply: since the entire open part of the Torah is nothing more than preparation, through which we become worthy and fit to attain the hidden Torah, and, as has already been stated, the hidden Torah is the essence of perfection and the purpose of the Creation of man, it is therefore unquestionable and clear that if the hidden Torah is lacking, even though a person has observed the open Torah and fulfilled its commandments, he will still have to reincarnate and come to This World in order to receive what he is worthy of receiving, that is, the hidden part of the Torah with 613 deposits, as has already been stated, for only in this way will his soul attain perfection in accordance with what haShem, be He glorified, originally intended to do with it, as has already been stated.

And thus you see the indisputable obligation imposed upon every person from the people of Israel, whoever he may be, to engage in the inner part of the Torah and its secrets, for without this the Plan of Creation concerning that person cannot be realized. And for this reason we reincarnate, one generation passes away and another generation comes, down to our present generation, which is the remnant of the souls for whom the Plan of Creation has not yet been realized, because these souls did not merit, in the generations through which they passed, to attain the secrets of the Torah, as has already been quoted from the Book of Zohar. And therefore the Sages said in the Book of Zohar: “In the future, the secrets of the Torah and its hidden teachings will be revealed when the footsteps of Mashiach [75] are heard” [105], for this is clear to anyone who understands; indeed, this will occur because of the complete realization of the Plan of Creation, for then [humanity] will merit the coming of Mashiach, and if so, the secrets of the Torah must necessarily be revealed to people and become known, since otherwise perfection is impossible, and [the souls] will be compelled to reincarnate once again.

And will this, then, resolve the difficulty concerning this commentary as a whole? For who am I, and who are my ancestors, that I have merited to write a commentary containing detailed information about the secrets of the Book of Zohar and the writings of Arizal [6], concealed behind seven seals, and why, to this day, have we not found anyone who would openly explain this Wisdom as I do?

And in light of what has been stated above, you will understand: since our generation is truly [the generation that hears] the footsteps of Mashiach [75], we all stand on the threshold of complete perfection; for the only obstacle is the rejection of the True Wisdom, which has assumed an extreme form in this generation because of terminological difficulties and the scattered nature of the material, which the human mind cannot [comprehend] without the necessary knowledge. Added to all this are the limited capacity of the mind and the countless anxieties typical of our present generation. And therefore, wishing to hasten the redemption of our souls, haShem turned His gaze upon me and granted me the merit of revealing [this Wisdom] to some extent in this commentary, and the desire of haShem prospered in my hands [106].

And there was yet another reason that motivated me to undertake such an open commentary, in accordance with what is stated in the Book of Zohar: “A person must learn a little foolishness” [107], in keeping with the meaning of what is written: “[And I saw that wisdom has an advantage over folly], like the advantage of Light [4] over darkness” [108]. For after I had become worn out [109] in the Polish State, in the city of Warsaw, shut up tight [110] in my tiny dwelling [111], having nothing in common with the darkness surrounding me, my youth returned to me [109], and I settled in Jerusalem, the Holy City, may it be rebuilt and established speedily in our days. And when I arrived here and found myself among people, I saw with my own eyes the disaster of my people—the poverty of mind, and the laughter of fools rose over me like the sound of [burning] thorns under a pot [112], defiling the soul of our desired Temple—[fools] loudly slandering haShem, His Torah, and His people, saying that in Kabbalistic wisdom supposedly no one understands, knows, or is able to explain absolutely anything whatsoever, but that it is merely a collection of words and names, with no allegory and no moral arising from it, but only words in their literal sense; and that there is merit in merely shaking the air with words about things understood in their literal sense, in complete confidence that these are Holy things and that in this way the Plan of Creation will be realized upon us. And when the number of people who engage in these matters with complete confidence, [trying to understand what is said about these matters] in the literal sense, increases, the King Mashiach will immediately come, for in this way the entire perfection will be reached, and nothing further is required, G-d forbid.

This continued until I met the most renowned among them, who had already spent years studying the writings of Arizal [6] and the Book of Zohar, and had become so proficient that all the books of Arizal were on their lips and, astonishingly, seemed to roll off their tongues with ease; and they had acquired the reputation of “the Holy ones who are on the earth” [113]. And I asked them whether they had studied under a teacher who had attained the inner meaning of these words. And they answered me: “G-d forbid even to mention such a thing. There is no inner meaning here other than the words in their literal sense that have been transmitted to us, and nothing more, G-d forbid.” And I asked them whether Rav Chaim Vital, of blessed memory, had attained the inner meaning of these words, and they answered me: “Of course, he did not attain anything beyond what we attain.” And I asked them about Arizal himself, and they answered me: “Of course, he knew no more of the inner meaning than we do; and everything he knew he transmitted to his disciple Rav Chaim Vital, of blessed memory, and in this way it reached us.” And I laughed greatly at them, for if so, how did all these concepts come together in the heart of Arizal, of blessed memory, without any understanding or knowledge whatsoever? And they answered me that he had received the entirety of these concepts from the mouth of Eliyahu, of blessed memory, and that Eliyahu knew their inner meaning because he is an angel. And then I poured out my wrath upon them, for I had neither the strength nor the patience to remain among them.

And behold, I saw that this foolishness of theirs had taken root among almost all those who engage in this Wisdom in our time. Woe to the ears that hear such things! “Will he even force the queen with me in the house?” [114] And the Holy Book of Zohar had already poured out its bitterness over those who sin against their own souls by saying that there are no secrets in the inner part of the Torah; as it is written in the Book of Zohar on the weekly Torah reading Vayera, that if the Torah came in order to present narratives and chronicles, then the other nations also have similar narratives and chronicles. And the Sages, of blessed memory, said that such people “chop down the shoots [of saplings]” [115], for they take only Malchut [18]; see what is written there [117]. And what would the authors of the Book of Zohar have said if they had seen that the sinners already mentioned are inclined to denial, saying that there is no wisdom whatsoever and no rationale behind the words of the Book of Zohar and the True Wisdom of the authors themselves; that concerning the very secrets of the Torah they say that they cannot be known or revealed in This World, but are merely an empty heap of words? For they have gone so far that, G-d forbid, they seek to violate the Holy Shechinah [124] within the house of the Master! Woe to them, for they have repaid their own souls with evil! And our Sages, of blessed memory, said that the Holy Torah laments before the Holy One, be He glorified: Your sons have made me a song in drinking houses … [126], whereas these [fools] do not make of the Torah even the semblance of a song, but only utterances that horrify everyone who hears them—and there is much contempt and wrath [127]; and they also demand a reward like {the reward of the righteous} Pinchas [128], saying that they act in perfect faith. Of them the verse of the Tanach says: “Because this people has drawn near, with their mouths and with their lips they honor Me, but their hearts are far from Me” [129]; for this was the cause of the destruction of the First Temple. And Satan is still dancing among us [130], precisely when the footsteps of Mashiach [75] are heard, at the time when the secrets of the Torah are being revealed; and the wrath of haShem Tzevaot has entered my bones like fire and does not go out. And for this reason there awakened within me a desire to uncover the garment [131] to such an extent that it would be known that there is wisdom in Israel; and this reason occupied a significant place among the other principal reasons that led me to write this commentary.

Translator’s Notes

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[1] Ashlag, Yehudah Leib haLevi (also Baal haSulam, i.e., the author of [the commentary] Sulam (“ladder”, i.e., Yaakov’s Ladder), 1885, Warsaw—1954, Tel Aviv)—the founder and head of a Kabbalistic school, author of the “Sulam” Commentary to the book of Zohar (which presents the Aramaic text of the Book of Zohar together with Rabbi Yehudah Ashlag’s Hebrew translation and the Sulam commentary), the book Teaching of Ten Sfirot [2] (a commentary on Arizal’s [6] Tree of Life  [5]), and other works.

[2] Sfirah (plural: Sfirot) is an element of a Spiritual object and is itself a Spiritual object. According to one interpretation, the word Sfirah comes from the word Sapir (sapphire). It can characterize a vessel [3] and the Light [4] that the vessel receives. Just as a precious stone shines with different colors, and just as colored glass transmits light of a certain color, different Sfirot characterize the vessel’s reception of Light of different quantity and quality. According to another interpretation, Spiritual objects are called Sfirot when they have a certain measure, are finite, and are characterized by a certain number (i.e., the word "Sfirah" derives from the word "Safar", to count). Every Spiritual object is divided into ten Sfirot or five principal Sfirot.

[3] A vessel is the desire to receive pleasure. Why is it called a "vessel"? If a liquid is poured into a physical vessel, it takes the vessel's shape. Similarly, the pleasure received by the vessel assumes, as it were, its form; that is, the pleasure corresponds to the properties of the vessel.

[4] Chochmah means “wisdom.” It is the second of five principal Sfirot [2] and of ten Sfirot. It is the reception, by a vessel [3] (a created being) that is not yet self-aware, of all the Light (i.e., pleasure; when “Light” is written, it usually refers to the Light of Chochmah, the pleasure derived from receiving) that the Giver wishes to give it.

[5] Arizal’s [6] Tree of Life is one of the most important books on Kabbalah (along with the Book of Zohar). This book summarizes the foundations of Arizal’s teaching. It was recorded in 1573 by Arizal’s disciple, Rabbi Chaim Vital. See the Hebrew text.

[6] Arizal—the Divine Ashkenazi Rabbi Yitzchak, of blessed memory.

[8] Radiance is small Light [4].

[11] Ashlag, Baruch Shalom haLevi (Rabash (an acronym of the words “Rav Baruch Shalom”), also “Birkat Shalom” [12] (the name Baruch is replaced with the cognate “Birkat”), 1907, Warsaw—1991, Ramat Gan)—the eldest son, disciple, and successor of Rav Yehudah Ashlag [1], and a commentator of his works.

[12] The expression “Birkat Shalom” (blessing of peace) apparently first appears in Rashi’s writings. In his commentary on Bereishit 33:11 it means appeasing (Eisav by Yaakov), while in his commentary on Dvarim 29:18, it means wishing peace for oneself. In later literature, this is the name given to the final benediction of the Amidah. Here it is used as a name of Rav Baruch Ashlag [11]. It is also used as a name of the beth midrash in Kiryat Yearim, headed by Rav Avraham Mordechai Gottlieb [13].

[13] Gottlieb, Avraham Mordechai (b. 1963, Bnei Brak)—a disciple and successor of Rav Baruch Ashlag [11], the founder and head of the beth midrash Birkat Shalom [12], publisher, editor, and commentator of the works of Rav Yehudah Ashlag [1] and Rav Baruch Ashlag.

[17] Lower is the one who is closer in quality to Sfirah [2] Malchut [18], in other words, to egoistic desire.

[18] Malchut means "kingship". It is the fifth of five main Sfirot [2] and the tenth of ten Sfirot. Initially, it is a desire to receive for the sake of receiving.

[20] World—on the stage “the worlds Adam Kadmon [21], Atzilut [29], Briyah [31], Yetzirah [33], Asiyah [41]” [42], the lower [17] boundary of which represents the reality we perceive, is a Sfirah [2] of all that exists. In addition, a Spiritual object is called world when it combines in itself everything that is in the world Higher [24] to it, like a seal and an imprint, when everything that is inherent in the seal completely passes into an imprint from it. For example, the world Adam Kadmon is the Higher one for the world Nekudim [45], which originated from it and is its imprint.

[21] Adam Kadmon (primordial man) is the Sfirah [2] Keter [22] of all that exists.

[22] Keter means "crown". It is the first of five main Sfirot [2] and of ten Sfirot, a desire of the Giving One to benefit His created beings [23].

[23] When He, be His Name glorified, had a desire to create the world in order to benefit His created beings and so that they would know His greatness and be worthy to become a chariot that is rushing up [24], in order to cling to Him [25], be He glorified, He created and endowed with Light [4] one point out of ten (representing ten Sfirot [2] of Akudim [26], residing in one vessel [3] [28]), and they did not show up—The book Tree of Life [5] by Arizal [6], Shaar haKlalim [Portal of General Principles], beginning of the first chapter. The words in order to benefit His created beings express the most important Attribute of Divinity, which a person should strive to acquire.

[24] Higher means closer in quality to Creator, i. e. to the Sfirah [2] Keter [22], in other words, to altruistic desire.

[25] To cling to Him— this expression, found in Dvarim 11:22, 30:20, and Yehoshua 22:5, is a declaration of objectives in Judaism and Kabbalah.

[26] Akudim (speckled, a word from chapters 30 and 31 of the book Bereishit) is the name of the entirety of Spiritual stages, on which Or Pnimi and Or Makif [27] are connected with each other and collide with each other. As Baal HaSulam [1] explains in the General Introduction, § 5 (p. 19 in the file and p. 12 in the book), this name derives from “And he bound Yitzhak” (Bereishit 22:9) (“and he bound” is vayaakod in Hebrew, i.e., a word having the same root as Akudim). For the collision of the inner and surrounding Lights, see the Introduction to the Wisdom of Kabbalah, §§ 33—42 (pp. 9—11).

[27] Or Pnimi and Or Makif. Or Pnimi (Inner Light [4]) is the pleasure that a created being can receive with altruistic motivation. Or Pnimi is also the name of Baal haSulam’s [1] commentary to the text of Arizal [6] in the book Teaching of Ten Sfirot [2]. Or Makif (Surrounding Light) is the pleasure that a created being is unable to receive with altruistic motivation. The collision of the inner and surrounding Lights is a conflict between the created being, who wants to receive only the pleasure that it is able to receive with altruistic motivation, and G-d, Who wants the created being to receive all the pleasure that He wants to give it. For the collision of the inner and surrounding Lights see the Introduction to the Wisdom of Kabbalah, §§ 33—42 (pp. 9—11).

[28] Residing in a vessel [3]—received by a receiving one.

[29] Atzilut and also the World [20] of Correction—Atzilut means nourishment, endowment [with Light [4] ], as well as proximity to Creator: The meaning of the word Atzilut is established according to the meaning of the expression containing a related word “Va-ehye etzlo” (“And I was beside Him [a nursling, and I was [His] delight every day, rejoicing all the time in front of His countenance” (Mishlei 8:30)]) which is an allusion to Yichud (unification [with Creator]). The world Atzilut is the Sfirah [2] Chochmah [4] of all that exists.

[30] Or Shalom (“Or” means Light [4], and “Shalom” is one of the names of Rav Baruch Shalom Ashlag [11]) is the name of oral commentaries by Rav Baruch Ashlag to the works by Baal haSulam [1].

[31] Briyah (literally: creating [a Spiritual object that differs from Creator by the presence of the desire to receive]) is the Sfirah [2] Binah [32] of all that exists.

[32] Binah means “intelligence, understanding”. It is the third of five main Sfirot [2] and of ten Sfirot. Expulsion of the Light Chochmah [4] (refusal to receive the Light Chochmah) by the vessel [3], which realized that Creator is the Giving One and that it is a receiver that wants to resemble Creator.

[33] Yetzirah (literally: creating [by limiting the Light [4], when the vessel [3] receives only that part of the Light that it can receive at a given stage]) is the Sfirah [2] Zeir Anpin [34] of all that exists.

[34] Zeir Anpin or Tiferet. Zeir Anpin means "small countenance", Tiferet means "splendor". It is the fourth of five main Sfirot [2] and constitutes the fourth to ninth of ten Sfirot: Chesed [35], Gvurah [36], Tiferet [37], Netzach [38], Hod [39], Yesod [40], that is six Sfirot; because of that Zeir Anpin is called Vav Ktzavot (“six ends”). Just like Binah [32], it is a vessel [3] that has realized that Creator is the Giving One, and that it is a receiver, and that wants to be like Creator. However, Zeir Anpin knows that without Light Chochmah [4] at all one cannot survive, and receives the minimum amount of Light Chochmah necessary for survival.

[35] Chesed (mercy) is the name of the first Sfirah [2] of Zeir Anpin [34] and the fourth of ten Sfirot.

[36] Gvurah (might as well as effort and overcoming) is the name of the second Sfirah [2] of Zeir Anpin [34] and the fifth of ten Sfirot.

[37] Tiferet (splendor) is the name of the third Sfirah [2] of Zeir Anpin [34] and the sixth of ten Sfirot.

[38] Netzach (independence of time) is the name of the fourth Sfirah [2] of Zeir Anpin [34] and the seventh of ten Sfirot.

[39]  Hod (magnificence) is the name of the fifth Sfirah [2] of Zeir Anpin [34] and the eighth of ten Sfirot.

[40] Yesod (foundation, and also secret and sex organ) is the name of the sixth Sfirah [2] of Zeir Anpin [34] and the ninth of ten Sfirot.

[41] Asiyah means “action”. This is the name of the lowest [17] world [20], Sfirah [2] Malchut [18] of all that exists.

[42] Worlds [20] Adam Kadmon [21], Atzilut [29], Briyah [31], Yetzirah [33], Asiyah [41] are a stage, the lower [17] boundary of which represents the reality we perceive; it is characterized by imposing a Tzimtzum [43] and by the properties of Kav [44].

[43] Tzimtzum (literally: reduction, limitation) is a prohibition to receive the Light [4]. In the world [20] Adam Kadmon [21] Tzimtzum Aleph (the first prohibition) is imposed, that is the prohibition of receiving the Light without altruistic motivation. In addition, in the worlds Atzilut [29], Briyah [31], Yetzirah [33], Asiyah [41] Tzimtzum Bet (the second prohibition) is imposed—a prohibition on receiving the Light into egoistic vessels [3] (vessels below [17] Binah [32]).

[44] Kav ([straight] line, ray, in Neviim and Ketuvim line, measuring cord, see for example Melachim 1, 7:23)—a stage characterized by the fact that the vessel [3] receives an insignificant share of the Light [4] (because after the first prohibition [43] the created being is able to receive only a small share of Light with altruistic motivation, which is visualized by a thin tube, line, or measuring cord), and by the fact that along this line up [24] and down [17] are distinguished: more altruistic stages are situated higher, closer to Creator, that is to the stage Keter [22] associated with Him, and more egoistic stages are located lower, closer to receiving for themselves, that is Malchut [18]. Such properties are manifested at the stage “worlds [20] Adam Kadmon [21], Atzilut [29], Briyah [31], Yetzirah [33], Asiyah [41]” [42].

[45] Nekudim (dotted, a word from chapters 30 and 31 of the book Bereishit), more frequently world [20] Nekudim, is a Partzuf [46], which appeared as a result of the purification [48] of Masach [47] of the Partzuf Nekudot [49] deSAG [50] [51], from which it inherited Tzimtzum Bet [43]. However, this did not help to avoid receiving too much Light [4] and the vessels [3] of the world Nekudim lost the ability to receive Light at all. In the next world Atzilut [29] a correction takes place. The correction consists in separating the Higher [24] stages from the lower [17] ones in order to avoid causing damage to the Higher stages by the wrong actions of the lower ones. In addition, the Partzufs of the world Atzilut take for themselves the unusable vessels of the world Nekudim as Nukvas [58], raise them to the Higher stages and endow them with Light so that they come to life.

[46] Partzuf (Aramaic for “countenance”, plural: Partzufim) is a name of a Spiritual object. The Partzufim are Sfirot [2] of worlds [20].

[47] Masach (screen, curtain, a word from Tanach, first time in Shemot 26:36) is a stage at which the created being receives a part of the Light [4] with altruistic motivation, and rejects (reflects) what it is unable to receive with altruistic motivation. See also Purification of Masach [48].

[48] Purification of Masach [47]—according to the First Prohibition [43] to receive Light [4] a Partzuf [46] receives only the part of the Light that it can receive with altruistic motivation, and rejects the rest of the Light. However, the vessel [3] cannot withstand the temptation and, in order to avoid violating the First Prohibition, it expels all the Light. This is called purification of the Masach, which means the disappearance of desire to receive in the Partzuf. At the same time, the vessel “remembers” that it cannot cope with the desire to receive the Light corresponding to this Partzuf, and the next Partzuf tries to cope with a weaker desire to receive (one step less than in the previous Partzuf).

[49] Nekudot (Hebrew vowels, literally: dots)—expulsion of Light [4] (refusal of pleasure) during purification [48] of Masach [47]. See also Nekudot deSAG [51].

[50] SAG (numerical value (63) of the Four-Letter Name, written as Yud-Vav-Dalet, Key-Yud, Vav-Aleph-Vav, Key-Yud; the numerical value is determined as follows: 10+6+4+5+10+6+1+6+5+10 = 63)—Partzuf [46] Binah [32] of the world [20] Adam Kadmon [21]. See also Nekudot deSAG [51].

[51] Nekudot [49] deSAG [50] (“de” means “of”). Partzuf [46] Nekudot deSAG is formed under [17] the Tabur [52] of Galgalta [57] as a result of the following: when a similarity was discovered between Nekudot deSAG, which have a structure of Zeir Anpin [34], and the radiance [8] and vessels [3] of the stage Sof [56], the Spiritual object that corresponds to Nekudot deSAG descended under the Tabur of Galgalta and united there with Zeir Anpin and Nukva [58] of Galgalta. The viciousness of the intention of this connection immediately became clear, because Nekudot deSAG have the properties of Zeir Anpin of Binah [32], while Zeir Anpin and Nukva of Galgalta are stages of Keter [22]. This immediately led to the imposition of the Second Prohibition [43] to prevent the vessels from receiving too much Light [4]. This did not help in the world [20] Nekudim [45], generated by the Partzuf Nekudot deSAG, in which the vessels still received too much Light and lost the ability to receive Light at all.

[52] Tabur (navel)—the border between Toch [53] and Sof [56].

[53] Toch (inner part) of a Partzuf [46] is its vessels [3] (part of Guf [54]), which, according to Rosh [55], are capable of receiving the Light [4] without violating the imposed prohibition [43].

[54] Guf (body) is a part of a Partzuf [46], consisting of vessels [3] and therefore capable of receiving the Light [4] (or not receiving, if such a decision is made in Rosh [55]).

[55] Rosh (head) is the part of a Partzuf [46], in which there is no actual receiving, but a decision is made how much Light [4] the Guf [54] will receive. It is said because of this that in Rosh, receiving occurs only potentially.

[56] Sof (limit, end) is the lowest [17] part of Guf [54], in which Rosh [55] decides not to receive Light [4].

[57] Galgalta (forehead, skull) is the Partzuf [46] Keter [22] of the world [20] Adam Kadmon [21].

[58] Nukva (woman, wife) is a receiving side at the time of the Zivug [59] of Spiritual objects. In particular, the Nukva of Zeir Anpin [34] is Malchut [18]. Nukva in Aramaic is the same as Nekeivah in Hebrew.

[59] Zivug (conjugal union). In Kabbalah, during the Zivug, the Higher [24] one bestows Light [4] on the lower [17] one.

[68] Ein Sof (the Infinite) is a world [20] in which a created being receives the Light [4] without limitations.

[70] The end of an act is in the initial thought—a quotation from the piyyut Lecha Dodi (“Come, My Beloved”) by Shlomo Alkabetz, which is part of the Kabbalat Shabbat (“Welcoming the Shabbat”) service.

[75] The expression “the footsteps of Mashiach” is encountered in the Mishnah, tractate Sotah 9:15.

[76] Admor (an abbreviation of Adoneinu, Moreinu, Rabbeinu—“our lord, teacher, and master”)—the title of the leader of a Hasidic dynasty or of a movement originating from Hasidism. When Rav Gottlieb [13] writes “Admor,” he means Rabbi Baruch Ashlag [11].
[83] Body is a metaphor for the desire to receive, for self-love.

[84] For the land shall be full of knowledge of haShem, as water covers the seabed—Yeshayahu 11:9.
[85] The mouth of a sage—it is said in Kohelet 10:12: The words from the mouth of a sage [find] favor, but a fool’s lips will destroy him.
[86] “If you do not know, O fairest of women, go your way in the footsteps of the flock and pasture your kids beside the shepherds’ dwellings”—Shir HaShirim 1:8.
[87] The Throne of Glory [of haShem]—an expression from Yirmeyahu 14:21 and 17:12.
[88] Look thoroughly into what is written there: from the Book of Zohar on Shir HaShirim, from the commentary on the verse “If you do not know, O fairest of women…” [86]—It is stated in the book Zohar Chadash (New Zohar) on Shir HaShirim, sections 483 and 484: Come and see [89] what is meant by the words, “If you do not know, O fairest among women.” If you have come without knowledge and have not contemplated wisdom before entering here, and have not attained knowledge of the secrets of the Higher World—depart! You are unworthy to enter here without knowledge. “Go your way in the footsteps of the flock,” and know that these footsteps of the flock signify the sons of men who tread [through the desert] with their heels [90] and know the Higher secrets of haShem; and through them you will learn how to investigate and attain knowledge. “And pasture your kids”—these are the young children of the house of the Sage, children who are in the beit midrash and study the Torah. “Beside the shepherds’ tents”—beside the synagogues and batei midrash where the Higher Wisdom is studied. Although [the children still] do not understand, you will attain knowledge from those words of wisdom that they utter.
[89] Come and see—what follows will now be shown.
[90] The sons of men who tread [through the desert] with their heels—It is stated in the Babylonian Talmud, tractate Eruvin, p. 54A: Why is it written: “And from the wilderness, a gift” (Bamidbar 21:18)? If a person makes himself [humble] like this wilderness [which is open to all] and upon which everyone treads, then his study [of the Torah] will remain with him [forever and will be given to him as a gift]. And if he does not do so, his learning will not remain with him.
[91] Study is not the most important thing, but actions—Mishnah, tractate Avot, 1:17; the Book of Zohar on the weekly Torah reading Pinchas, §92 (p. 32).
[92] Let one [have done] much and another little, provided that he directs his heart toward Heaven—Mishnah, tractate Menachot, 13:11.
[93] Thoroughly comprehend, acquire good knowledge of and then understand—in Hebrew, words from Tehilim 119:66 are used. There: Teach me good reason and knowledge.
[94] The Torah, the Holy One, be He glorified, and Yisrael are one—it is stated in the Book of Zohar on the weekly Torah reading Acharei Mot (p. 103, §299): For we have learned that three stages are bound to one another: the Holy One, be He glorified, the Torah, and Yisrael.
[95] A particle of Divinity from above (literally: Divine particle from above). This phrase almost verbatim repeats the expression found in Iyov 31:2 (where the noun "G-d" is used, whereas here the adjective "Divine" is used), which means “a portion [i.e. fate] of G-d from above”.
[96] And no longer shall one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, "Know haShem," for they shall all know Me from their smallest to their greatest—Yirmeyahu 31:33.
[97] The entire Torah is the Names of the Holy One, be He glorified—Ramban, Introduction to the Book of Bereishit. In the Book of Zohar on the weekly Torah reading Mishpatim, it is stated: “The entire Torah is the Name of the Holy One, be He glorified” (in the file, p. 178, §543).
[98] Then I and Your people will be distinguished from every [other] nation on the face of the earth—Shemot 33:16.
[99] May you see your world in your lifetime—Babylonian Talmud, tractate Brachot, p. 17A.
[100] After all, why should the Holy One blessed be He care whether one slaughters an animal from the throat or he slaughters it from the nape? Thus we learn that the mitzvot were given only to refine the creations with them—Bereishit Rabbah 44:1.
[101] For a commandment is a candle, and the Torah is Light [4]—Mishlei 6:23.
[102] Golden apples on silverplated vessels—Mishlei 25:11.
[103] Like the beauty of man to sit [in] the house—Yeshayahu 44:13. Human beauty means a wife.
[104] Just as their faces differ from one another, so do their minds differ from one another—Midrash Tanchuma on the weekly Torah reading Pinchas 10.
[105] In the future, the secrets of the Torah and its hidden teachings will be revealed when the footsteps of Mashiach [75] are heard—it is stated in the Book of Zohar on the weekly Torah reading Vayera, §460, p. 137: “When the days of Mashiach draw near, even the children of the world will attain the secrets of this Wisdom.”
[106] And the desire of haShem prospered in my hands—the verse Yeshayahu 53:10 states: “And the desire of haShem shall prosper in his hands.”
[107] A person must learn a little foolishness—the Book of Zohar on the weekly Torah reading Tazria, §101, p. 35.
[108] And I saw that wisdom has an advantage over folly like the advantage of Light [4] over darkness—Kohelet 2:13.
[109] After I had become worn out, … my youth returned to me—it is written in Bereishit 18:12: “And Sarah laughed within herself, saying: After I have become worn out, will my youth return to me?”
[110] Shut up tight—it is written in Yehoshua 6:1: “And Jericho was shut up tight because of the sons of Israel.”
[111] In my tiny dwelling—literally: “within my four cubits.” In the Talmud, four cubits is the minimum personal space of a person, approximately two meters. It is stated in the Babylonian Talmud, tractate Brachot, p. 8A: “From the day the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed, the Holy One, be He glorified, has in His world only four cubits {where} halachah {is studied}.” [The words in braces are a note by Adin Steinsaltz.]
[112] And the laughter of fools rose over me like the sound of [burning] thorns under a pot—it is stated in Kohelet 7:6: “Like the sound of the [burning] thorns under a pot is the laughter of a fool.”
[113] The Holy ones who are on the earth—words from Tehilim 16:3. Rashi interprets them as follows: “the Holy ones who are buried in the earth.” If this interpretation is accepted, Baal HaSulam’s [1] words may be understood ironically.
[114] Will he even force the queen with me in the house?—Esther 7:8.
[115] Chop down the shoots [of saplings]—an expression from the second chapter of tractate Chagigah. It occurs in the Tosefta 2:2, in the Jerusalem Talmud 2:1, 9, and in the Babylonian Talmud, pp. 14B and 15A. In his note on the words “chop down the shoots [of saplings]” in the Babylonian Talmud, Adin Steinsaltz explains that this means “became a heretic.” As we see, Baal HaSulam [1] explains it as “for they take only Malchut [18].” See [116], 63).
[116] It is stated in the Book of Zohar on the weekly Torah reading Behaalotcha (the words of the “Sulam” Commentary [1] are in braces):

58) Rabbi Shimon said: Woe to a person who says that the Torah came merely to tell stories and [present] the words of mere mortals {Eisav, Lavan, and others}. For if this were so, then even in our time we could compose a Torah from the words of mere mortals, [words] even more praiseworthy than those in all these [stories]. And if {the Torah came} to tell of worldly matters, even of the rulers of the world, then among these matters there are more exalted ones. If so, let us turn to them and thus compose a Torah from them. However, all the words of the Torah are Higher [24] matters and Higher secrets.

59) Come and see [89]: the Higher [24] world [20] and the lower [17] world are weighed on the same scales. Yisrael below {opposite} the Higher angels above. Of the Higher angels it is written: “He makes the winds His angels” [118]. And when they descend below, they clothe themselves in the garments of This World, and if they did not clothe themselves in garments resembling This World, they would not be able to endure in This World, and This World would not tolerate them. And if this is so with the angels, then all the more does it apply to the Torah, which created the angels and all the worlds that exist for its sake: since it descended into This World, if it did not clothe itself in those same garments of This World, {that is, in narratives and the words of mere mortals}, This World would not be able to tolerate it.

60) And therefore this narrative contained in the Torah is the garment of the Torah. The one who thinks that this garment is the Torah itself and that there is nothing else in it—may his spirit expire, and may he have no share in the World to Come. Therefore David said: “Uncover my eyes and I shall look at wonders from Your Torah” [119], that is, {[he asked] to see that} which is beneath the garment of the Torah.

61) Come and see [89]: there is a garment visible to all, and these fools, when they see a beautifully dressed person who appears splendid to them in his garment, do not look any further {and judge him by his splendid garment}. And they take the garment for the body {of the person}, and the body {of the person} for his soul.

62) Likewise, the Torah has a body, and these are the commandments [literally: deposits] of the Torah, which are called the bodies of the Torah. This body is clothed in garments, which are the narratives of This World. The fools of the world look only at this garment, that is, at the narrative of the Torah, and know nothing more, and do not look at what is beneath this garment. Those who know more look not at the garment, but at the body that is beneath this garment. The Sages, servants of the Most High King, those who stood at Mount Sinai, look only at the soul {contained in the Torah}, which is the essence of everything, the Torah itself. And in the World to Come, they are destined to behold the soul of the soul contained in the Torah.

63) Come and see [89]: so it is above [24] as well: there is a garment, a body, a soul, and a soul of the soul. The Heavens and their host [120] are the garment. And Knesset Yisrael [121], {that is, Malchut [18]}, is the body that receives the soul, namely Tiferet Yisrael [122], {that is, Zeir Anpin [34]}. And therefore {Malchut} is the body of the soul, {since Zeir Anpin is clothed in it as a soul in a body}. The soul, which we said is Tiferet Yisrael, is the Torah itself, {that is, the soul of the Torah, which was said in the preceding section to be what the Sages look upon}. And the soul of the soul is Atika Kadisha [123], {upon Whom they will look in the World to Come, as was said in the preceding section}. And they are all connected with one another, {since Atika Kadisha is clothed in Zeir Anpin, Zeir Anpin is clothed in Malchut, and Malchut—in the worlds [20] Briyah [31], Yetzirah [33], and Asiyah [41], with all their hosts}.

64) Woe to those wicked ones who say that the Torah is nothing more than a mere narrative, and who look only at the garment and no further. Happy are those righteous ones who look at the Torah as is fitting. Wine is contained only in a vessel; likewise, the Torah is contained only in this garment. And therefore one should look only at what is beneath the garment. And therefore all these words and all these narratives are garments.

[117] And the Holy Book of Zohar had already poured out its bitterness over those who sin against their own souls by saying that there are no secrets in the inner part of the Torah; as it is written in the Book of Zohar on the weekly Torah reading Vayera, that if the Torah came in order to present narratives and chronicles, then the other nations also have similar narratives and chronicles. And the Sages, of blessed memory, said that such people “chop down the shoots [of saplings]” [115], for they take only Malchut [18]; see what is written there—the translator did not find the cited text in the Book of Zohar on the weekly Torah reading Vayera; however, similar ideas are expressed in the Book of Zohar on the weekly Torah reading Behaalotcha, pp. 20—22, §§ 58—64 [116].
[118] He makes the winds His angels—Tehilim 104:4.
[119] Uncover my eyes and I shall look at wonders from Your Torah—Tehilim 119:18.
[120] The Heavens and their host—a similar expression is used in Bereishit 2:1. There: “And the Heavens and the Earth and all their host were completed.” The expression “the host of Heaven” is used in two senses: 1) the sun, moon, and stars; 2) the angels.
[121] Knesset Yisrael—the assembly of Yisrael. Apparently, the earliest text in which this expression occurs is the Tosefta, tractate Sotah 9:5: “Knesset Yisrael said: ‘For love is as strong as death’ (Shir haShirim 8:6).” In the Sulam Commentary [1] on The Foreword to the Book of Zohar, §1 it is said that Yisrael is Zeir Anpin [34], while Knesset Yisrael (the assembly of Yisrael) is Nukva [58], which is called Knesset Yisrael because the Lights [4] given to her by her husband, Zeir Anpin, are gathered in her.
[122] Tiferet Yisrael—the splendor of Yisrael. This expression is from Eichah 2:1.
[123] Atika Kadisha—the Holy Atik (Elder). Atik is a Partzuf [46] that is the Higher [24] Rosh [55] of the world [20] Atzilut [29]. It is discussed in the book Introduction to the Wisdom of Kabbalah, pp. 27-29, §§120-133. The name Atik is used in the seventh chapter of the Book of Daniel. For example, in verse 7:9 the expression Atik Yomin is used—an Elder [burdened] with Days.
[124] Shechinah—the Divine Presence, the assembly of the souls of all Israel; in Baal HaSulam’s [1] Foreword to the Book of Zohar, §31 (p. 10), it is the Spiritual state of creation whose essence is service for the sake of the Torah itself [125], i.e., with an altruistic motivation. See also Foreword to Teaching of Ten Sfirot [2], §33 (p. 19 in the file, p. 18 in the book).
[125] For the sake of the Torah itself—it is said in the Jerusalem Talmud, tractate Chagigah 1:7: Study the Torah not for its own sake, for from “not for its own sake” you will come to “for its own sake.” It is also said in the Babylonian Talmud, tractate Psachim, p. 50B: A person should always engage in Torah and commandments, even not for its own sake, for from “not for its own sake” he comes to “for its own sake.” For its own sake (i.e., for the sake of the Torah itself)—with an altruistic motivation, for the sake of Creator. The expression “for its own sake” originates in the Mishnah, tractate Avot 6:1: Whoever engages in Torah for its own sake merits many things. And not only this: he is worthy of the whole world.
[126] The Holy Torah laments before the Holy One, be He glorified: Your sons have made me a song in drinking houses …—it is said in the Babylonian Talmud, tractate Sanhedrin, p. 101A: One who recites a verse from Shir HaShirim and makes of it something like a {secular} song, and likewise one who recites a verse at an inappropriate time in a drinking house, bring evil into the world, because the Torah girds itself with sackcloth, stands before the Holy One, be He glorified, and says before His Countenance: Master of the world, Your sons have made me like a kinnor upon which mockers play. [The words in braces are an explanation by Adin Steinsaltz.]
[127] And there is much contempt and wrath—Esther 1:18.
[128] And they also demand a reward like {the reward of the righteous} Pinchas—the Babylonian Talmud, tractate Sotah, p. 22B. [The words in braces are an explanation by Adin Steinsaltz.]
[129] Because this people has drawn near, with their mouths and with their lips they honor Me, but their hearts are far from Me—Yeshayahu 29:13. Rashi comments on the words “this people has drawn near” as follows: in order to ascend to Heaven.
[130] Satan is still dancing among us—it is said in Midrash Tanchuma (Buber), weekly Torah reading Balak, 10:1: When a person is about to sin, Satan dances before him until he commits the transgression.
[131] To uncover the garment—see [116].

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