The correction of the lower world through the upper world

293. We have learned that every time Solomon is mentioned in the Song of Songs, IT IS AN ALLUSION TO the King to whom shalom (peace) belongs, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN. IF ONLY the general term 'king' IS USED, AS OPPOSED TO KING SOLOMON, THEN IT ALLUDES TO the Female principle OF ZEIR ANPIN, WHICH IS MALCHUT. The lower king is INCLUDED within the upper KING and the secret is that the lower inherits from the upper, and they become as one. Then is THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE CALLED a house, as it is written: "Through wisdom a house is built" (Mishlei 24:3), WHICH MEANS THAT THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE IS NOT CALLED A HOUSE WITHOUT RECEIVING CHOCHMAH. It is also written: "King Solomon made himself a palanquin of the timbers of Lebanon" (Shir Hashirim 3:9). The palanquin is the improvement of the lower world, WHICH IS THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE, by the upper world, WHICH IS BINAH.

294. Before the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, his name remained concealed within himself; so he and his name concealed within himself were one. HIS NAME ALLUDED TO MALCHUT, WHICH WAS INCLUDED BEFORE THE CREATION WITHIN THE ENDLESS LIGHT AND CONCEALED THERE WITHOUT BEING REVEALED OR RECOGNIZED. Nothing was revealed until his desire was aroused to create the world. So he formed and built THE WORLDS, but they did not last until THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, WHO IS BINAH, wrapped himself up with a covering of radiance and created the world.

295. He produced imposing and great cedars from that supernal covered radiance and he laid his Chariot upon the twenty-two engraved letters, WHICH ARE MALE AND FEMALE. They were carved into ten sayings and firmly established. This is why it is written: "of the timbers of Lebanon." It is also written: "The cedars of Lebanon, which he has planted" (Tehilim 104:16).

296. In "King Solomon made himself..." 'himself' IS REDUNDANT AND IS EXPLAINED AS 'for himself' - for his own sake - WHICH MEANS THAT KING SOLOMON, WHO IS ZEIR ANPIN, BUILT WITH THE MOCHIN OF BINAH THE PALANQUIN FOR HIMSELF, for his own advantage. HE FIRST PERFECTED HIMSELF WITH THE PALANQUIN: 'himself - that is, to show his supernal glory - SO THAT HE MAY BESTOW HIS MOCHIN FROM THE SUPERNAL GLORY (BINAH) UPON THE PALANQUIN (MALCHUT) for himself. [The action was] to proclaim that he is one and his Name One, TO HASTEN THE END OF THE CORRECTION - as it is written: "Hashem shall be one, and his Name One." It is also written: "That men may know that You alone, whose Name is Hashem..." (Tehilim 83:19).

297. Upon mating by striking - REACHING MALCHUT OF BINAH - the chambers (THAT IS, MOCHIN) are conceived in thought. It drips upwards, to the right, to the left and goes downwards and extends MOCHIN to the four corners. His kingdom - MALCHUT OF BINAH - spreads out above and below into the four corners to become one supernal river.

298. ZEIR ANPIN, WHO IS THE SECRET OF THE SUPERNAL RIVER, comes down AND BESTOWS THE MOCHIN UPON MALCHUT, and turns her into a great sea, as it is written: "All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full" (Kohelet 1:7). She, MALCHUT, gathers everything and absorbs it inside herself, as it is written: "I am the tulip of the Sharon; the lily of the valleys" (Shir Hashirim 2:1). Only the place close by the great sea is called Sharon, as it absorbs all the waters of the world, discharging and absorbing THEM. And one shines by the other in well-known ways. It is then written of them: "Through wisdom is a house (Heb. bayit) built." To this alludes Bet in Beresheet. Nevertheless, the great upper house is the habitation of the world. BOTH THE SUPERNAL HOUSE, BINAH, AND THE LOWER HOUSE, WHICH IS MALCHUT, WERE BUILT THROUGH CHOCHMAH. The unattributed 'king' alludes to MALCHUT, the lower house.

299. "But the king" - WHO IS MALCHUT - "shall rejoice in Elohim" (Tehilim 63:12), the upper ELOHIM WHO IS BINAH, by embracing Him below His head and drawing him closer in joy so that they become one. "But the king shall rejoice in Elohim" by THE GLADNESS OF the light that He brought forth. AND THIS CAUSED GLADNESS, because he, NAMELY MALCHUT, came forth through a hidden and concealed path and introduced in Him - NAMELY BINAH - two PATHS that are one. So was the world, NAMELY MALCHUT, firmly established WITH WHOLE MOCHIN in its existence.

300. "But the king shall rejoice in Elohim..." means that the lower world shall rejoice in the concealed upper world, that world which gives life to all AND which is called the 'Life of the King,' NAMELY THE MOCHIN OF CHOCHMAH. This is the mainstay of the house. This house builds the house of the world, REFERRING TO MALE AND FEMALE, and builds the world AS THE MOCHIN ARE COMPLETED AS FULLY REQUIRED. This is THE MEANING OF: "In the beginning (Heb. beresheet) Elohim created" (Beresheet 1:1), WHERE BERESHEET IS COMPOSED OF Bet Resheet. Resheet (beginning) is Chochmah, ALLUDING TO THE TIME WHEN MALCHUT gathers ALL THE MOCHIN into herself and becomes the great sea in order to absorb ALL THE MOCHIN.

301. The waters of the frozen sea, NAMELY MALCHUT, absorb the water of all the seas of the world, and it gathers them all into it. The waters go forth, moving back and forth INSIDE IT and are absorbed into it. This issues from above, FROM BINAH, AND SETTLES IN MALCHUT. The proof of this secret is in the verse: "Out of whose (Heb. mi) womb came the ice?" (Iyov 38:29), WHICH ALLUDES TO BINAH THAT IS CALLED MI (ENG. 'WHO') AND IS WHERE THE ICE THAT REACHED MALCHUT ORIGINATED. IT TURNED INTO A FROZEN SEA, whose waters are frozen so that it can absorb other waters. THIS MEANS THAT THE FROZEN WATERS, WHICH ARE ICE, HAVE BECOME FULL OF EMPTY HOLES. IF WATER IS POURED ON THEM, THE ICE ABSORBS IT. BY THE WATERS TURNING INTO ICE, THEY HAVE BECOME A VESSEL TO RECEIVE ADDITIONAL WATERS.

302. The waters of this ice THAT BELONGS TO the frozen sea shall only flow when the mighty force of the South, WHICH IS THE RIGHT, reaches it and draws it to itself. The waters that were frozen by the North side, WHICH IS THE LEFT, then melt and flow by the South side AND ARE BESTOWED ON THE LOWER BEINGS to water all the animals of the field. THIS IS A REFERENCE TO THE GRADES THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF ATZILUT AND ARE IN BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH, as it is written: "They give drink to every wild beast" (Tehilim 104:11). These GRADES are called 'mountains of separation' - AS IT IS WRITTEN OF BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH, "AND FROM THENCE IT WAS PARTED" (BERESHEET 2:10). These are all watered when the South side starts to approach it and then the waters flow. Because of this supernal force, which originates IN THE SOUTH, all shall be in splendor and joy.

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.

304. "Elohim created the heaven" MEANS THAT He produced a sound from within Himself. IN OTHER WORDS, ELOHIM - WHICH IS BINAH - EMANATED AND PRODUCED THE HEAVEN - WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN AND IS CALLED A SOUND. This is CALLED the sound of the Shofar, or in other words: "Elohim created the heaven," WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN that is called the sound of the Shofar. The heaven, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, governs THE EARTH BY THE POWER OF THE MOCHIN CALLED the life of the supernal King upon the earth. The proof IS IN THE VERSE THAT READS: "For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the ground..." (I Shmuel 20:31). THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH THAT IS CALLED LIFE derives from the son of Jesse, NAMELY MALCHUT (KINGDOM) OF DAVID, through which he ruled over all. And the earth, WHICH IS MALCHUT, receives everything from heaven. Thus, it is written "and the earth..." The Vav (and) is added TO THE WORD 'THE' IN "AND THE EARTH," for the purpose of ruling and bestowing sustenance on the earth.

305. The term Et (the) IS MENTIONED before IN: "AND THE HEAVEN." It is the power of the entire twenty-two letters, WHICH ARE HINTED AT IN Et (Aleph- Tav), from Aleph to Tav, which Elohim - BINAH - has issued and passed on to the heaven, ZEIR ANPIN. It is written: "With the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding..." (Shir Hashirim 3:11), BECAUSE THIS FEMALE PRINCIPLE IS THE SECRET OF THE CROWN WITH WHICH HIS MOTHER, WHO IS BINAH, "CROWNED HIM." Thus, IT IS WRITTEN: "The heaven," ALLUDING TO THE MALE AND FEMALE, to unite one with the other so that they may exist together and be sustained by THIS MOCHIN THAT ARE CALLED the life of the King. 'The King', unqualified, WHO IS MALCHUT, is nourished from heaven, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN. THE PHARASE "And the earth" REFERS TO the union of the Male and Female, on whom were engraved imprinted letters. The life of the king, THE MOCHIN OF THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH, drawn from heaven, ZEIR ANPIN, draws solely to sustain the earth and its multitudes.

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.

308. AT THIS POINT, THE ZOHAR EXPLAINS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE UNION OF THE UPPER WORLD AND THAT OF THE LOWER WORLD OF BINAH. AND SO HE SAYS: The upper WORLD descends to the lower WORLD, which is filled BY THE UNION WITH THE SUPERNAL LIGHT THAT FLOWS through a pathway (Heb. shvil) of a certain grade that rests upon it. This is similar to the concealed or hidden path above. Only one OF THEM is a narrow path, THE other one is a path (Heb. orach). The one below is orach, as it is written: "But the path of just men is like the gleam of sunlight..." (Mishlei 4:18). And the other one above is a nativ, as it is written: "There is a path (Heb. nativ) which no bird of prey knows" (Iyov 28:7). The secret of all this APPEARS IN THE VERSE: "Who makes a way (Heb. derech) in the sea, and a path (Heb. nativ) in the mighty waters" (Yeshayah 43:16) and: "Your way was in the sea, and Your path in the great waters..." (Tehilim 77:20). The upper world OF BINAH, CALLED SHVIL OR NATIV - became filled BY THE SECRET OF THE UNION OF THE SUPERNAL LIGHT and pregnant FROM THE LIGHT, as a female becomes pregnant from a male. Then THEY brought forth two children as one, a male and a female. These are the heaven and the earth, similar to the upper WORLD OF BINAH.

309. The earth is nourished by the waters of the heaven, as its waters are poured down into it, MEANING THAT THE WATERS ARE THE FOOD THAT SUSTAINS THE EARTH, WHICH IS THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE. THEY ARE MALE WATERS THAT BRING FORTH SOULS, AS THEY ARE SHOT ACCORDING TO THE SECRET OF THE SPERM, SHOT LIKE A PROCREATING ARROW. The upper WATERS THAT EARTH RECEIVED FROM HEAVEN, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, are male while the lower waters, WHICH ARE IN THE EARTH ITSELF, are female. The lower WATERS are fed by the male WATERS - REFERRING TO THE UPPER WATERS THAT EARTH RECEIVES FROM THE HEAVEN. These lower waters IN THE EARTH call to the upper WATERS IN HEAVEN TO FULFILL THEIR NEED, just like a female who is open to receive from a male. She pours out LOWER waters to receive the UPPER waters of the male to procreate SOULS. The female is fed by the male, BECAUSE SHE HAS NOTHING OF HER OWN. Thus, it is written: "And (Vav) the earth," with the addition of the letter Vav, as has been explained.

310. It is written: "Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who has created these things..." (Yeshayah 40:26). These letters were inscribed throughout the entire works OF THE CREATION - the work of the upper, WHICH IS BINAH, and the work of the lower, WHICH IS MALCHUT. The letters were later impressed AND THEIR FORM COMPLETED. Then they were engraved in the phrase: "In the beginning (Beresheet) Elohim created (Heb. bara)" by the TWO INITIALS OF THE LETTER Bet, WHICH ALLUDE TO THE ENGRAVING MADE IN BINAH. "Elohim...the (et)" by the TWO INITIALS OF THE LETTER Aleph, WHICH IS THE ASPECT OF THE IMPRESSION AND THE COMPLETION OF THE LETTERS. The Bet of Beresheet certainly created through supernal power. THE LETTER Bet is female AND THE LETTER Aleph is male. Just as THE LETTER Bet OF BERESHEET created by the power above, NAMELY BINAH, so THE LETTER Aleph OF THE WORD ELOHIM brought forth AND EMANATED letters, REFERRING TO THE ET, including the 22 letters FROM ALEPH TO TAV IN THE GRADE OF BINAH. IN THE PHRASE: "The (Hei) heaven," THE LETTER Hei, WHICH IS THE COMPLETED BINAH, emanated ZEIR ANPIN, WHICH IS CALLED heaven, to give him life and allow him to establish himself by growing roots.

311. In the phrase: "And (Vav) the earth," the Vav, ZEIR ANPIN, brought forth the earth, WHICH IS THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE, to give it food, establish it and to supply all its needs. The phrase, "And the earth," indicates that Vav, ZEIR ANPIN, took THE WORD Et (the), which includes all 22 letters FROM ALEPH TO TAV, and poured them onto the earth, WHICH IS THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE. So the earth, THE FEMALE, gathered them into itself, as it is written: "All the rivers run into the sea..." (Kohelet 1:7). This refers to the secret of "And the earth," because THE EARTH gathered everything into it and received them. "AND THE (Heb. ve'et) EARTH" MEANS THAT the earth took THE MOCHIN THAT ARE HINTED AT IN THE PARTICLE ve'et, WHICH ALLUDES TO the heaven and the earth together. ALSO, "the heaven," ALLUDES TO the secret of the heaven and the earth together.

312. SO THE EARTH received THE VE'ET in order to feed on them. THEREFORE, IT MUST CERTAINLY COMPRISE MALE AND FEMALE, AS THE LETTER VAV IS THE MALE, because the reception of anything is the result of striking OF THE MALE. There is a fortress of smoke upon the earth, WHICH IS THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE. When the burning fire is drawn and aroused from the left, it clings TO THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE and it fumes, as it is written: "And Mount Sinai smoked in every part, because Hashem descended upon it in fire" (Shemot 19:18). There is fire and there is smoke. IF IT DESCENDS FROM ABOVE, IT IS A FIRE AND THE LOWER GRADE THAT RECEIVES IT BECOMES SMOKE. It is also written: "And the mountain smoking" (Shemot 20:18), because when the fire descends, the smoke and fire cling to each other. Everything is then under the rule of the left. According to the secret of THE VERSE: "My hand also" (Yeshayah 48:13), THE LEFT HAND, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF FIRE AND SMOKE, "has laid the foundation of the earth" (Ibid.), WHICH IS THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE, "and My right hand," WHICH IS THE LIGHT OF CHASSADIM, "has spanned the heavens," NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN, by the power of the right above, THAT IS, BY THE POWER OF THE RIGHT OF BINAH. FOR ZEIR ANPIN, WHO IS CALLED 'THE HEAVENS,' RECEIVES CHASSADIM FROM BINAH. In this manner, "the heavens," which are the male - NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN - were made. The male comes from the right side OF BINAH and the Female principle from the left.

313. The phrase: "Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who has created these things" (Yeshayah 40:26) ALLUDES TO BINAH CALLED "ON HIGH." BECAUSE up until here , the words ascended UP TO BINAH in such a manner that no further question was necessary. BY 'QUESTION,' IT REFERS TO ELEVATING FEMALE WATERS FOR THE PURPOSE OF UNITING - JUST LIKE THE PHRASE 'TO ASK FOR RAIN.' THIS STARTS WITH BINAH, AS IT IS THE ASPECT OF THE KNOWABLE. BUT BEYOND IT, IN CHOCHMAH, IT IS NOT KNOWABLE, because Chochmah was produced from nothingness (Heb. ayin), OR KETER, and LIKE THESE, IT is not subject to any question. Being concealed - deeply hidden - nobody is able to conceive of it. When the deeply hidden light, REFERRING TO BINAH, is expanded BY THE SECRET OF THE VERSE: "AND EXCEEDINGLY DEEP, WHO (HEB. MI) CAN FIND IT OUT?" (KOHELET 7:24), its light can be subject to questioning, AS IT BECAME KNOWABLE. Although it remained more concealed than everyone did below, NAMELY THE LOWER BEINGS BELOW IT, it is named after the interrogative ACCORDING TO THE PHRASE: "Who has created these?"

314. This is a reference to the secret we have mentioned in the verse: "Out of whose (Heb. mi) womb came the ice?" (Iyov 38:29). It is certainly from the womb of Mi, WHICH IS BINAH. IN OTHER WORDS, that which is subjected to questioning. But one should not ask what is above or below. One can only ask about that starting place in order to know. It may not be known, because this is impossible. It may be inquired of, but not known.

315. Beresheet. IS ANALYZED AS Bet-Resheet. SO HE INQUIRED ABOUT THE CONCLUSION THAT BERESHEET IS ONE OF THE SAYINGS OF CREATION AND ASKED, Does this mean that Resheet is a saying of Creation WITHOUT THE LETTER BET, or is Beresheet together WITH THE LETTER BET a saying of Creation? HE RELPIED: Before she, MALCHUT, emerged FROM BINAH and her powers expanded, everything was hidden and concealed inside Her. It is Beresheet and this is one of the sayings. When MALCHUT emerged from BINAH and the powers OF BINAH were expanded, then BINAH was called Resheet, which is a saying without BET, WHICH IS MALCHUT. SO NOW, IT IS CALLED Mi, which subjects the one who created these things to questioning. Afterward, WHEN BINAH expanded and was established, it turned into a sea. Then BINAH created below IN THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE, made everything IN HER exactly as in the manner above, one corresponds to the other and one as the other. These both APPEAR IN the letter Bet OF BERESHEET.

316. It is written: "While the king sits at his table" (Shir Hashirim 1:12). In this phrase, "sits at his table" MEANS he sits at the lower kingdom (Malchut) AND BESTOWS ON IT the secret of that special union and conviviality of the upper Eden, WHICH IS THE SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA. SO IT RECEIVES FROM THE SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA through that concealed and hidden path THAT IS unknowable. It is filled by it AND THE ABUNDANCE flows out through certain rivers. The phrase: "My nard sent forth its fragrance" (Ibid.) refers to the lower Malchut, for He created the world below - NAMELY MALCHUT - in the same manner as the world above - WHICH IS THE WORLD OF BINAH - WITH WHAT THEY RECEIVED FROM THE UPPER GARDEN OF EDEN. Thus, the fragrance rises upward FROM THE LOWER WORLD to govern and take action, and MALCHUT may govern as it shines by the supernal light.

317. The world was created in two aspects, WHICH ARE THE MALE AND FEMALE PRINCIPLES, namely with the right and the left of the six supernal days - WHICH ARE CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD OF IMA. So these six days were made so as to shine ON THE MALE AND FEMALE PRINCIPLES FROM THE ASPECT OF THEIR RIGHT SIDE, as it is written: "For (in) six days Hashem made heaven and earth" (Shemot 31:17), MEANING THAT IN SIX DAYS - CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD OF IMA - HASHEM MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH, WHICH ARE MALE AND FEMALE. BY THIS, THE MALE AND FEMALE RECEIVED THE RIGHT SIDE. These SIX SUPERNAL DAYS dug up paths and made sixty holes in the great abyss, WHICH IS YESOD OF IMA, AND THE ASPECT OF THE LEFT OF THE SIX DAYS, WHERE EACH ONE COMPRISES ANOTHER TEN. So these sixty holes were to conduct the waters of the streams into the abyss, INTO YESOD OF THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE OF ZEIR ANPIN THAT IS CALLED SIMPLY AN ABYSS. Thus, it is said that these sixty HOLES IN THE ABYSS were created by the six days of Creation - THE SIX SUPERNAL DAYS OF IMA - and became the peace of the world.