214. "These are the generations of the heaven and the earth" (Beresheet 2:4). It has been established that wherever it is written: "These (Heb. eleh)," it cancels that which was mentioned before. So the use of the word "These" CONCEALS the generations of Formlessness, WHICH ALLUDES TO MALCHUT OF THE ASPECT OF JUDGMENT, hinted at in the verse: "And the earth was without form" (Beresheet 1:2). In reference to those GENERATIONS OF FORMLESSNESS, it is said that the Holy One, blessed be He, created worlds and destroyed them, MEANING THAT IT WAS WITHOUT FORM BECAUSE HE DESTROYED THEM. Thus, it is written: "The earth was without form and void." BUT THE GENERATIONS OF "THESE," WHICH IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT MITIGATED BY MERCY, SURVIVED.
215. HE ASKS: Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, create the worlds IN THE FIRST PLACE, if he intended to destroy them? It would have been better had he not created them at all. But there certainly must be a secret here. What is the meaning of, 'He destroyed them'? It cannot be that the Holy One, blessed be He, destroyed the makings of his own hands. Furthermore, these are the heavens about which it is said, "For the heavens shall vanish away like smoke..." (Yeshayah 51:6). If it is so, then the Holy One, blessed be He, first created and then destroyed WHAT HE HAD CREATED, WHICH IS POSSIBLE FOR HUMAN BEINGS, BUT NOT FOR THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE.
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.
217. After THEM, he created the heavens and the earth with no form or any foundation (Yesod) - which is the covenant - to support them. THIS REFERS TO THE LOWER HEAVENS AND THE EARTH, WHICH SYMBOLIZE THE MALE AND THE FEMALE, BEFORE MALCHUT WAS SWEETENED WITH BINAH, AS IT IS WRITTEN: "AND THE EARTH WAS WITHOUT FORM." Because of this situation, the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to give the Torah, which represents the covenant of circumcision, to the nations of the world, BECAUSE ADHERENCE TO THE COVENANT OF CIRCUMCISION WOULD HAVE MITIGATED MALCHUT BY BINAH. SO THE MOCHIN, WHICH ARE CALLED THE TORAH, WOULD HAVE BEEN REVEALED TO THEM, but because they did not want to receive it, the land remained parched and dry.
218. This is why IT IS WRITTEN: "Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear" (Beresheet 1:9). "...the waters" ALLUDES TO the Torah, "to one place" means Yisrael, because the souls of Yisrael come from that place, about which it is written: "Blessed be the glory of Hashem from His place" (Yechezkel 3:12). "The glory of Hashem" IS the lower Shechinah, NAMELY, MALCHUT, AND "His place" IS the upper Shechinah, NAMELY BINAH. ACCORDINGLY, BINAH IS CALLED 'PLACE'. And since their souls come from there, FROM BINAH, then certainly THE NAME Yud Hei Vav Hei rests on them. It is written about them: "For Hashem's portion is His people" (Devarim 32:9). This is THE MEANING OF THE VERSE: "Let the waters be gathered together to one place." WATER REFERS TO THE TORAH, AND "ONE PLACE" TO YISRAEL, THE RECIPIENTS OF THE TORAH, AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. THIS EXCLUDES THOSE NATIONS OF THE WORLD THAT DID NOT WISH TO RECEIVE THE TORAH, BECAUSE OF WHOM THE LAND REMAINED WASTED AND DRY.
219. The Torah symbolizes the civilized world, BECAUSE THE WORLD WAS CREATED BY IT AND EXISTS UPON IT. The nations of the world who did not accept it have remained wasted and dry. This is THE MEANING OF THE PHRASE that the Holy One, blessed be He, created worlds and destroyed them. IT REFERS TO those who did not maintain the precepts of the Torah AND DID NOT ELEVATE MALCHUT TO BINAH TO BE SWEETENED BY THE ATTRIBUTE OF MERCY. SO THE WORLD IS WASTED FOR THEM. It does not mean that he shattered his own makings, REFERING TO THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH AND ALL THAT THERE IS, as people may presume IN EXPLAINING THIS PHRASE. Why should he destroy his own children, YISRAEL, about whom it is written: "when they were created (Heb. Behibar'am)" (Beresheet 2:4). Behibar'am MEANS THAT they were created by the letter Hei (Heb. Be Hei Bera'am), BY MALCHUT THAT WAS SWEETENED BY THE ATTRIBUTE OF MERCY IN BINAH. ONCE THEY ARE PERFECTED BY BINAH, THEY ARE AS THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE WANTED. THEREFORE, WHY SHOULD HE DESTROY THEM?
220. Because of those among the nations of the world who converted to Judaism, the small letter Hei (= 5) of Abraham fell down during the fifth millennium, which is Hei. This FIFTH MILLENNIUM is wasted and dried up, AS DESCRIBED IN THE VERSE: "AND THE RIVER SHALL BE WASTED AND DRIED UP" (YESHAYAH 19:5). "Wasted" REFERS TO the first Temple and "and dried up" to the second Temple.
221. Moses wanted to bring the proselytes under the wings of the Shechinah and presumed that they also were drawn down from MALCHUT THAT IS SWEETENED BY THE ATTRIBUTE OF MERCY, WHICH IS the SMALL Hei. Thus, he drew down THE MOCHIN OF this SMALL Hei of Abraham. THE PROSELYTES brought upon him descent, as it is written: "Go, get you down, for your people...have become corrupt" (Shemot 32:7), WHICH MEANS THAT THEY CAUSED YISRAEL TO SIN WITH THE GOLDEN CALF. They did not receive THE MOCHIN OF the small Hei, with awe of the letter Yud OF YUD HEI VAV HEI and with love of the letter Hei. So he descended from his grade, which is the letter Vav.
222. So the letter Vav OF YUD HEI VAV HEI came down together with MOSES TO GUARD HIM so he does not perish among them, because according to the secret of reincarnation, he was destined to mingle among the mixed multitude in exile, whose souls originated from the aspect of those of whom it is written: "For the heavens shall vanish away like smoke" (Yeshayah 51:6). These are the ones for whom Noah did not plea for mercy. About them, it is written: "They were destroyed from the earth" (Beresheet 7:23), because they came from those of whom it is said, "You shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek" (Devarim 25:19). Moses did not protect himself from them and dropped the SMALL Hei among them. For this reason, he shall not enter the land of Yisrael until he brings the Hei back to its place. This is also why he fell from his grade, and the letter Vav OF YUD HEI VAV HEI descended with him. Because of this, the letter Hei fell down and the letter Vav of Moses shall raise it up.
223. It was through this small Hei, the Hei of Abraham, which is the letter Hei in BeHibar'am that Moses received assistance, and it is written of him: "That caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses" (Yeshayah 63:12). He took it from there, FROM AMONG THE KLIPOT, by the power of the letter Vav and brought it with him. Immediately, Yud-Hei rested on it, ON THE LOWER HEI, and the vow was fulfilled, ACCORDING TO THE SECRET OF THE VERSE: "For Yah has sworn by His throne (Heb. kes, Caf-Samech) that Hashem will have war" (Shemot 17:16). UNTIL THIS HAPPENED, THE NAME WAS INCOMPLETE, LACKING THE VAV-HEI AND THE THRONE - KISE (CAF-SAMECH-ALEPH) WAS INCOMPLETE BECAUSE IT LACKED THE LETTER ALEPH. BUT NOW, THE NAME HAS ACHIEVED PERFECTION AND IS COMPLETED BY THE LETTERS VAV-HEI, AND THE THRONE IS ALSO COMPLETED WITH THE LETTER ALEPH. HE ASKS: What is THE MEANING OF: "From generation to generation" IN THE VERSE: "HASHEM WILL HAVE WAR WITH AMALEK FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION"? HE REPLIES, This is Moses, about whom it is written: "One generation passes away, and another generation comes..." (Kohelet 1:4). It has already been explained that one generation contains no fewer than 600,000. This refers to Moses, about whom it is said that one woman gave birth in Egypt to 600,000 in one belly. THIS MEANS MOSES, FOR MOSES IS EQUATED WITH 600,000 SOULS.