Bemidbar
Altar Corners Hands South

61. Rabbi Elazar asked his father Rabbi Shimon: Where do we find this sign of unification, SO THAT WE DO NOT ERR? He told him: My son, although we explained this in many facets and THESE WORDS were scattered here and there, keep this sign in your hand. This is similar to the encircling of the altar, which we have previously learned. One should approach the south-east corner, north-east, north-west, and south-west, AS WE DESCRIBED BEFORE. So he asked him: It is inconceivable TO DO ANYTHING until a person accepts upon himself the yoke of the Holy Kingdom first and carries that yoke, yet you said he should first come to the south, WHICH IS CHESED.

61. ר' אֶלְעָזָר שָׁאִיל לר"ש אֲבוֹי, א"ל, סִימָנָא לְזִוּוּגָא דְּיִחוּדָא מִנַּיִן. א"ל בְּרִי, אע"ג דְּאוֹקִימְנָא מִלִּין לְכָל סְטָר וּסְטָר, וְאִתְבָּדָרוּ הָכָא מִלָּה וְהָכָא מִלָּה סִימָנָא דָּא נְקוֹט בִּידָךְ, וְהָכִי הוּא, כְּעֵין סָחֲרָא דְּמַדְבְּחָא, דִּתְנָן, וּבָא לוֹ לְקֶרֶן דְּרוֹמִית מִזְרָחִית, מִזְרָחִית צְפוֹנִית, צְפוֹנִית מַעֲרָבִית, מַעֲרָבִית דְּרוֹמִי. א"ל וְהָא לָא יָכִיל עַד דִּמְקַבָּל עָלֵיהּ ב"נ עוֹל מַלְכוּתָא קַדִּישָׁא בְּקַדְמֵיתָא, וְיָהִיב עָלֵיהּ עוֹל דָּא, וְאַתְּ אַמְרַת דְּיֵיתֵי לְדָּרוֹם בְּקַדְמֵיתָא.

Aba and Ima Corners East South Tree Tree of Life

62. He said to him: I have already told you everything. I said first that one approaches the corner. And you know the hidden meaning of corner - THAT IS, MALCHUT, which is the yoke of holy Malchut. Following that is south-east; ONE SHOULD CONNECT THE SOUTH, CHESED, TO THE EAST, WHICH IS TIFERET, THE CENTRAL COLUMN, because there, IN THE EAST, is the Tree of Life, WHICH IS TIFERET. This is in order to bring together THE SOUTH with the east, who is supernal Aba, MEANING CHOCHMAH, ALSO CALLED 'SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA,' because the son, WHICH IS TIFERET, comes from the father's side - BECAUSE THE ROOT OF TIFERET IS IN THE CONCEALED DA'AT OF SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA. Hence, ONE UNITES from south to the east, for the fortitude of the south is in the east, NAMELY IN THE CONCEALED DA'AT OF SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA, WHICH IS THE BEGINNING OF THE EAST. And therefore it is imperative that south and east should be bound together.

62. א"ל, כֹּלָּא הָא אֲמֵינָא לָךְ, דְּהָא וּבָא לוֹ לְקֶרֶן, אֲמֵינָא בְּקַדְמֵיתָא, וְהָא יַדְעַתָא רָזָא דְּקֶרֶן, וְדָא הוּא עוֹל מַלְכוּתָא קַדִּישָׁא. לְבָתַר דְּרוֹמִית מִזְרָחִית, דְּתַמָּן הוּא אִילָנָא דְּחַיֵּי. וְדָא לְאִזְדַּוְּוגָא לֵיהּ בְּמִזְרָח דְּאִיהוּ אַבָּא עִלָּאָה. דְּהָא בֵּן מִסִּטְרָא דְּאַבָּא קָא אָתֵי. וּבְגִין כַּךְ, מִדָּרוֹם לְמִזְרָח, דְּתּוּקְפָּא דְּדָרוֹם בְּמִזְרָח הוּא, וּבָעֵי לְאִתְקַשְּׁרָא כַּחֲדָא, דָּרוֹם בְּמִזְרָח.

Aba and Ima East Judgment North Rivers South

63. And east connects to the north, WHICH IS IN IMA, REFERRING TO BINAH, ALSO CALLED 'YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH,' FROM WHICH THE NORTH IS DRAWN FORTH - THAT IS, THE LEFT COLUMN, since it, MEANING BINAH, completes and fills the rivers and springs OF THE EAST, WHICH IS THE REVEALED DA'AT AND TIFERET. And therefore, IT IS IMPERATIVE TO UNITE north-east, MEANING TO CONNECT THE EAST WITH BINAH. However, these EAST AND NORTH are Aba and Ima that never separate, BECAUSE EAST IS DA'AT OF SUPERNAL ABA, THAT IS, THE SECRET OF SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA. DA'AT OF SUPERNAL ABA CLEAVES TO DA'AT OF SUPERNAL IMA, AND THE LEFT COLUMN THAT IS REVEALED IN HER THAT IS CALLED 'NORTH,' as we already explained. And the reason she, THE SUPERNAL IMA, is called northern (Heb. tzefonit), is because it is the supernal hidden one (Heb. tzefunah), and from her end the north emanates, WHICH IS THE LEFT COLUMN. THIS IS BECAUSE FROM ABA'S END, THE NORTH IS HIDDEN AND CONCEALED. The Judgments arise from her side, although she is merciful and happy. And we already explained it. When she, IMA, emerges, the north emanates from her; IT IS FROM HER THAT THE NORTH REVEALS ITSELF, because he, ABA, was included in and connected to the south, AND THE NORTH IS HIDDEN IN IT.

63. וּמִזְרָח דְּאִתְקְשַׁר בְּצָּפוֹן, בְּגִין דְּהַאי אַשְׁלִים וּמַלֵּי נַחֲלִין וּמַבּוּעִין, וע"ד מִזְרָחִית צְפוֹנִית, אִלֵּין אַבָּא וְאִמָא דְּלָא מִתְפָּרְשָׁן לְעָלְמִין, וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא. וּמַה דְּאִתְּמַר צְפוֹנִית, דְּאִיהוּ טְמִירָא עִלָּאָה, וּמִסְטַר דִּילָהּ נָפִיק צָפוֹן, וְדִינִין מִסִּטְרָא דִּילָהּ מִתְעָרִין, אע"ג דְּהִיא רַחֲמֵי וְחֵידוּ. וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא. וְכַד אִיהִי נָפְקַת, צָפוֹן נָפְקַת בֵּיהּ, דְּאִיהוּ אִתְכְּלִיל וְאִתְקְשִׁר בַּדָרוֹם.

Aba and Ima Body Corners Daughter East North South West Zeir Anpin

64. Following that, HE WILL COME TO THE north-western CORNER. From Aba's side the son emerges, WHICH IS TIFERET, EAST. And from Ima's side, WHICH IS NORTH, the daughter emerges, WHICH IS MALCHUT, WEST. And because of that it is north-western; FROM NORTH WHICH IS IMA, TO WEST, WHICH IS MALCHUT. And that is the first corner, SINCE CORNER IS THE MEANING OF MALCHUT THAT ONE MUST ACCEPT UPON HIMSELF FIRST OF ALL. And now it is simply referred to as north, MEANING IN IMA AND LEFT COLUMN. Then one must connect it to the south, WHICH IS CHESED AND THE RIGHT COLUMN, where everything is connected, where the body, THAT IS, ZEIR ANPIN, is situated. SINCE ZEIR ANPIN EMANATES FROM ABA, AS MENTIONED ABOVE, HE IS THEREFORE CONTAINED COMPLETELY IN THE SOUTH, LIKE ABA, AND THE NORTH IS CONCEALED IN HIM. It is therefore in the south-west.

64. לְבָתַר צְפוֹנִית מַעֲרָבִית, דְּהָא מִסִּטְרָא דְּאַבָּא נָפִיק בֵּן, וּמִסִּטְרָא דְּאִמָא נְפִיקַת בַּת. וּבְגִין כַּךְ צְפוֹנִית מַעֲרָבִית, וְדָא הוּא קֶרֶן דְּקַדְמֵיתָא, דְּהַשְׁתָּא אִתְקְשַׁר בַּצָּפוֹן סְתָם. לְבָתַר בָּעֵי לְקַשְּׁרָא לָהּ בַּדָרוֹם, דְּתַמָּן הוּא קִשּׁוּרָא דְּכֹלָּא, וְגוּפָא בֵּיהּ אִשְׁתְּכַח, וע"ד מַעֲרָבִית דְּרוֹמִית.

Body Corners Israel North Praise South World to Come, The

65. And we find this corner, WHICH ALLUDES TO MALCHUT, three times. One is that a person must first accept upon himself. And the following is to connect MALCHUT with both arms, THAT ARE SOUTH AND NORTH, RIGHT AND LEFT, so as to join in the body, WHICH IS TIFERET, THE CENTRAL COLUMN, so that all should be united in one. And that is the order of the perfect unification, TO UNITE every aspect with the appropriate bond. And one must not substitute one side with another side that is not appropriate for it, so as not to be punished. Whoever operates this unification properly as I described, happy is his share in this world and the World to Come, since he knows how to prepare the sequence of praise for his Master and the unification of his Master. And furthermore, the Holy One, blessed be He, takes praise in him. About him the verse is written, "and said to me, 'You are My servant, Yisrael, in whom I will be glorified'" (Yeshayah 49:3).

65. אִשְׁתְּכַח הַאי קֶרֶן ג' זִמְנִין, חַד לְקַבְּלָא לֵיהּ בַּר נָשׁ בְּקַדְמֵיתָא, וּלְבָתַר הָכִי לְקַשְּׁרָא לָהּ בִּתְרֵי דְּרוֹעֵי, לְאִתְחַבְּרָא בְּגוּפָא, וּלְמֶהֱוֵי כֹּלָּא חַד. וְדָא הוּא סִדּוּרָא דְּיִחוּדָא שְׁלִים. וְכָל סְטָר וּסְטָר בְּהַהוּא קִשּׁוּרָא דְּאִתְחֲזֵי לֵיהּ, וְלָא יַחְלִיף סִטְרָא בְּסִטְרָא אַחֲרָא דְּלָא אִיתְחֲזֵי לֵיהּ, בְּגִין דְּלָא יִתְעַנָשׁ. מַאן דְּעָבֵיד יִחוּדָא דָּא כַּדְקָא חֲזֵי כְּמָה דַּאֲמֵינָא, זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהּ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא וּבְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, דְּהָא יָדַע לְסַדְּרָא שְׁבָחָא דְּמָארֵיהּ, וְיִחוּדָא דְּמָארֵיהּ, וְלָא עוֹד אֶלָּא דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מִשְׁתְּבַּח בֵּיהּ. עָלֵיהּ כְּתִיב וַיֹּאמֶר לִי עַבְדִּי אָתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר בְּךָ אֶתְפָּאָר.