2. From the most concealed of all concealed things, from the secret of the Endlessness Light, EMANATED TWO FACES: ONE cleaved and THE OTHER did not cleave. Its atmosphere was unknown until forceful blows split ATIK, and a concealed supernal point shone. Beyond this point, nothing is knowable and, because of this, it is called by the name Beginning, WHICH MEANS the first of the sayings.

4. The brightness that it sowed for its honor is similar to the purple seed of the silkworm, for the worm encases itself within ITS OWN SILK. AND FROM THAT SEED, is prepares for itself a chamber for its own glory and for the benefit of all. With this Beginning, the concealed unknown One created the chamber, and this chamber is called BY THE NAME 'Elohim.'

6. The brightness, WHICH IS ARICH ANPIN, is the secret of the Beginning, BECAUSE its name is the first of all. The Holy Name Eheyeh is engraved upon the sides OF ARICH ANPIN. The name Elohim is engraved on the crown. AND THIS IS THE SECRET OF Asher, WHICH IS a concealed chamber, and is the beginning of the revelation of the secret of the Beginning. The word Asher CONSISTS OF THE SAME LETTERS AS Rosh (Eng. 'head') BUT IN REVERSE ORDER, AS THE LETTER RESH - WHICH IS THE FIRST LETTER IN ROSH - IS THE LAST LETTER IN ASHER. THIS SHOWS THAT IT IS THE Rosh that came out of resheet (Eng. 'beginning'), WHICH IS ARICH ANPIN. THEREFORE, IT EMERGED FROM THE ASPECT OF THE HEAD AND WAS FORMED AS A HEADLESS BODY.

7. After the point and the chamber were established as one, Beresheet - WHICH IS ARICH ANPIN - includes a lofty beginning to THE LIGHT OF Chochmah. Later, the appearance of the chamber changed and it was called a house (Heb. bayit) and the supernal point was called the head (Heb. rosh). They were included in each other through the secret of the Beginning, BECAUSE COMBINING THE WORDS BAYIT AND ROSH FORMS THE TERM BERESHEET. This was so as long as BAYIT AND ROSH were as one, as long as there was no MANNER OF habitation in the house; AS LONG AS CHOCHMAH WAS NOT CLOTHED WITH CHASSADIM, WHICH REVEALS THE FOUR COLORS OF THE HOUSE. But it was sown for the purpose of habitation and, once it was inhabited, it was called BY THE NAME 'Elohim' hidden and concealed.

8. The brightness was concealed and hidden until the children came inside it in order to beget and the house stood expanded to contain what was established through the holy seed. As long as it had not conceived, the expansion of the house to make it habitable had not occurred, nor was it yet called BY THE NAME 'Elohim.' Rather, they both are still part of Beresheet ("In the beginning"). THEREFORE, EVERYTHING IS CONSIDERED AS IF IT IS INCLUDED WITHIN ARICH ANPIN; THAT IS, THE BEGINNING. After it became known by the name 'Elohim,' it gave birth to the generations that came from the seed sown within it. HE ASKS, What is that seed AND REPLIES: The seed is the engraved letters, WHICH ARE the secret of the Torah, REFERRING TO ZEIR ANPIN, which emanates from that point - WHICH IS ARICH ANPIN.

10. Until now, this is the secret of "Hashem our Elohim, Hashem" (Devarim 6:4). These three grades correspond to the supernal secret in the verse: "In the beginning Elohim created..." AND SO THE TERM "in the beginning" is an ancient secret, NAMELY CHOCHMAH THAT IS CALLED BEGINNING. THE TERM "created" alludes to a concealed secret, from which everything else expands. Elohim's secret meaning is sustaining everything that exists below. The term "the heaven" ALLUDES TO THE UNION OF the male and female, and it is forbidden to separate them, BUT RATHER ONE SHOULD COMBINE THEM, FOR THEY ARE THE SECRET OF THE VOICE AND THE UTTERANCE - YUD HEI VAV HEI - ADONAI, WHICH ARE UNITED INTO ONE.

216. The secret is that the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world by the Torah, as it is written: "In the beginning" (Beresheet 1:1), WHICH IS THE TORAH, about which is written: "Hashem created me as the beginning of His way..." (Mishlei 8:22). SO THE TORAH CALLS ITSELF BEGINNING. And by this beginning, NAMELY THE TORAH, He created the heavens and the earth, REFERRING TO THE SUPERNAL HEAVENS AND EARTH, WHICH ARE THE UPPER SIX SFIROT OF BINAH, WHICH ARE HINTED AT IN THE PHRASE BARA SHEET (HE CREATED SIX). He supported them by THE TORAH, for the Covenant is included in "Beresheet (In the beginning)." AS BERESHEET IS COMPOSED OF COVENANT OF FIRE (HEB. BRIT ESH), as it is written: "If My covenant were not day and night, it is as if I have not established the ordinances of heaven and earth" (Yirmeyah 33:25). ACCORDINGLY, THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH ARE SUPPORTED BY THE TORAH, AND THEIR EXISTENCE DEPENDS ON THE PRESERVATION OF THE COVENANT OF BERESHEET, WHICH IS THE TORAH. These HEAVENS THAT WERE CREATED AND ARE SUPPORTED BY THE TORAH are described IN THE VERSE: "The heavens are the heavens of Hashem" (Tehilim 115:16). And THE EARTH THAT WAS CREATED AND SUPPORTED BY THE TORAH IS CALLED the land of the living. It comprises seven lands, about which King David said, "I will walk before Hashem in the lands of the living" (Tehilim 116:9). THEY ARE CALLED "THE LANDS OF THE LIVING," TO INDICATE THAT THEY ARE RELATED TO BINAH, WHICH IS CALLED LIVING ELOHIM, AS THESE HEAVENS AND EARTH ORIGINATE IN BINAH.

303. When thought comes up in the desire from within the most concealed of all, NAMELY ARICH ANPIN, a certain river originates from within THAT THOUGHT. When they approach each other through a certain path, which is not known above nor below, it becomes the beginning of everything. BERESHEET IS COMPOSED OF THE LETTER BET AND RESHEET (BEGINNING). The letter Bet alludes to the general WORD king, WHICH REFERS TO MALCHUT, as was completed and firmly established by this Beginning, WHICH IS BINAH AND IS CALLED THOUGHT. MALCHUT AND BINAH resemble each other. THIS IS WHY THEY BOTH APPEAR IN THE WORD BERESHEET, AS THE LETTER BET IS MALCHUT AND RESHEET IS BINAH.

306. The secret of the supernal Elohim, NAMELY BINAH, made the heaven and earth by THE MOCHIN OF existence, WHICH IS THE LIFE OF THE KING. He brought them forth as one by the sublime power OF THE UPPER THREE SFIROT OF BINAH, WHICH ARE THE SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA, AND ARE REFERRED TO AS the Beginning of everything. In this manner, the supernal secret, NAMELY BINAH, descended TO THE ASPECT OF THE LOWER SEVEN SFIROT, which then made the lower heaven and earth.

307. The secret of all this lies in the letter Bet OF THE WORD BERESHEET, WHICH ALLUDES TO BINAH. IT IS CALLED BET, WHICH HAS A NUMERICAL VALUE OF TWO, BECAUSE there are two worlds IN BINAH - ABA AND IMA, CALLED THE UPPER WORLD, AND YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH, CALLED THE LOWER WORLD. They created worlds, THE UPPER WORLD OF BINAH - WHICH created the upper world OF ZEIR ANPIN AND HIS FEMALE PRINCIPLE - and THE LOWER WORLD OF BINAH, WHICH created the lower world. Each corresponds to the other, and both created heaven and earth. ?This is why the letter Bet signifies that there are two worlds IN BINAH. The one produced two worlds, and the other produced two worlds. They all CAME FORTH by the power of the supernal Beginning, WHICH IS BINAH, RETURNING? TO THE HEAD OF ARICH ANPIN, WHICH IS CALLED THE SUPERNAL BEGINNING.

340. This is why IT SAYS Beresheet, ABOUT CHOCHMAH, WHICH IS COMPOSED OF Bet Resheet. The numerical value of Bet is two, because CHOCHMAH is the second OF THE TEN SFIROT. It is called Resheet (Beginning) because, ALTHOUGH the supernal and concealed Keter is the first OF THE SFIROT, KETER is not included in the number OF THE SFIROT. THUS, the second - NAMELY CHOCHMAH - is CONSIDERED AS THE Resheet (Beginning). Therefore, IT IS CONSIDERED Bet Resheet, BET, SINCE IT IS THE SECOND SFIRAH IN THE ORDER OF THE EMANATION OF THE SFIROT, AND 'BEGINNING,' SINCE IT IS THE FIRST IN THE COUNTING, AS KETER IS NOT COUNTED. Furthermore, just as the upper Chochmah is a beginning, so is the lower Chochmah a beginning. FROM THE UPPER CHOCHMAH DOWN TO MALCHUT, WHICH IS THE LOWER CHOCHMAH, THERE IS NO SFIRAH THAT MAY RECEIVE FOR ITSELF THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH. Hence, Bet should not be separated from Resheet. IN OTHER WORDS, THIS BET ALLUDES TO MALCHUT, WHICH IS THE LOWER CHOCHMAH. SINCE THERE IS NO OTHER SFIRAH BETWEEN THEM THAT MAY RECEIVE THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH, MALCHUT AND RESHEET SHOULD BE JOINED TO FORM BERESHEET.