252. Rabbi Elazar said: Father, one day when we were in the Torah academy, the friends asked why Rabbi Akiva said to his disciples: When you reach the pure marble stones, do not say 'Water, water,' or you may endanger yourselves, as it is written, "He that tells lies shall not remain in My sight" (Tehilim 101:7). In the meantime, the most ancient among the old came down. CHOCHMAH AND BINAH ARE CALLED 'ANCIENT' AND KETER, WHICH IS ABOVE CHOCHMAH AND BINAH, IS CALLED 'MOST ANCIENT AMONG THE ANCIENT.' AND THIS IS THE SECRET OF THE SOUL OF YECHIDAH THAT SHALL BE REVEALED IN THE WORLD AT THE END OF CORRECTION. He asks them: Sirs, what issues are you studying? They replied: Indeed WE ARE DISCUSSING what Rabbi Akiva said to his disciples about the pure marble stones. He said to them: Most certainly, here is a sublime secret, for it has been explained in the celestial Yeshivah. In order for you not to misunderstand THIS SECRET, I have come down TO CLARIFY IT. The reason is that this secret, which is concealed from the people of your generation, is already known to you. IN OTHER WORDS, BECAUSE THIS SECRET, WHICH IS HIDDEN FROM THE OTHER PEOPLE OF YOUR GENERATION, HAS BEEN REVEALED TO YOU, THA IT IS NOW POSSIBLE TO EXPLAIN IT TO YOU IN FULL.
253. These are surely the pure marble stones from which pure water flows. They are alluded to BY THE TWO YUD'S THAT APPEAR at the top and bottom of the letter Aleph. The letter Vav, which is placed in a diagonal between THE TWO YUD'S, is the Tree of Life. Whoever eats from the tree shall live forever. These two Yud's in the Aleph are hinted at in "Vayyitzer (And formed)" (Beresheet 2:7), WHICH IS SPELLED WITH TWO YUD'S. The two formingone of the upper beings and the other of the lower beings, ARE SYMBOLIZED BY THE TWO YUD'S THAT APPEAR AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF THE NAME - YUD-ALEPH-HEI-DALET-VAV-NUN-HEI-YUD -and represent Chochmah at the beginning and Chochmah at the end OF THE NAME. THEY ARE CALLED the mysteries of wisdom, because they are concealed from the supernal Chochmah, which is below the supernal Keter.
254. These are comparable to the two eyes from which two teardrops fell into the great sea. CHOCHMAH IS CALLED EYES, AND THE RIGHT EYE IS THE UPPER CHOCHMAH AND THE LEFT EYE IS THE LOWER CHOCHMAH. Why did the teardrops fall? Because from these two tablets, Moses gave the Torah to Yisrael, NAMELY BINAH AND MALCHUT. THE RIGHT TABLET IS BINAH, AND THE LEFT IS MALCHUT, CORRESPONDING TO THE TWO EYES. Because The Children of Yisrael were not worthy of receiving them, they broke and fell AT THE SIN OF THE CALF, AS IT IS WRITTEN: "AND BROKE THEM AT THE FOOT OF THE MOUNTAIN" (SHEMOT 32:19). This caused the destruction of the first and second Temples, AS THEY ARE ALSO RELATED TO THE TWO TABLETS. THE FIRST TEMPLE IS DERIVED FROM THE RIGHT TABLET, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE UPPER CHOCHMAH, BINAH. AND THE SECOND TEMPLE IS DERIVED FROM THE LEFT TABLET, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE LOWER CHOCHMAH - MALCHUT. AND THIS IS WHY TWO TEARDROPS FELL INTO THE GREAT SEA. Why did they fall AND BREAK? Because the letter Vav flew out of them, which is the Vav of Vayyitzer. He gave them two other TABLETS from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. From there, the Torah was given in a manner of permitting and forbidding. From THE ASPECT OF the right, IT GIVES life but from the left, it gives death.
255. Because of this, Rabbi Akiva said to his disciples, 'When you reach the pure marble stones, do not say, 'Water, water'. THIS MEANS THAT you should not compare the pure marble stones to the other stones that represent life and death, whence: "A wise man's heart inclines him to his right hand, but a fool's heart is to his left" (Kohelet 10:2). Not only that, but you may endanger yourselves, because these STONES OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL are in a state of separation, while the pure marble stones are in a state of unity without any separation. You may say, that when the Tree of Life departed from them AT THE TIME OF THE SIN OF THE CALF, they fell AND BROKE, and therefore they were separated from each other. BUT THEN, "he that tells lies shall not remain in My sight," because there is no separation between them above. For those that broke were of those FROM THE PURE MARBLE STONES. THEREFORE, THERE IS NO SEPARATION BETWEEN THEM, JUST AS WITH THE PURE MARBLE STONES. IT IS AS IF THEY NEVER WERE BROKEN. They approched him to kiss him, but he flew away and was gone from them.