256. Another explanation OF THE VERSE: "And a river went out of Eden" (Beresheet 2:10) is that there are no strange Klipot in the Tree of Life above, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN OF ATZILUT, as it is written: "Nor shall evil dwell with You" (Tehilim 5:5). WHY? BECAUSE THE KLIPOT FIRST APPEAR IN THE WORLD OF BRIYAH, BELOW THE WORLD OF ATZILUT, but the tree below IN THE WORLD OF BRIYAH does indeed have strange Klipot. THIS TREE is planted in the Garden of Eden of THE LOWER Zeir Anpin; NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN OF BRIYAH. And this TREE is CALLED Enoch or Metatron, because in the upper Garden of Eden of the Holy One, blessed be He - NAMELY IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN OF ATZILUT - there are no devious or stubborn Klipot. For this reason, IT IS WRITTEN: "And a river went out of Eden..." The "river" - Metatron - "went out of Eden" MEANING THAT it left its pleasures (Heb. Eden), WHICH CONSISTED OF THE MOCHIN OF IMA, AS BINAH IS CALLED EDEN, AND "to water the garden" means his garden, OF METATRON. IT IS his orchard, NAMELY MALCHUT OF THE WORLD OF BRIYAH, into which ben Azai, ben Zoma and Elisha entered. METATRON'S Klipot are good from one side and evil from the other. This is WHY THE TORAH lists the permissible and the prohibited, kosher and unfit, pure and impure .

257. An old man stood up and said TO RABBI SHIMON: Rabbi, Rabbi, it is indeed so. THERE ARE NO KLIPOT IN ATZILUT, BUT ONLY IN BRIYAH. But METATRON is not called the Tree of Life. THE OLD MAN WONDERS. IF RABBI SHIMON INTERPRETS THE VERSE AS APPLYING TO THE GARDEN OF EDEN IN BRIYAH, THEN HOW COULD HE INTERPRET THE VERSE: "THE TREE OF LIFE ALSO IN THE MIDST OF THE GARDEN." FOR THERE IS NO TREE OF LIFE IN THE GARDEN OF BRIYAH AND METATRON IS NOT THE TREE OF LIFE, BECAUSE THERE IS GOOD AND EVIL IN HIM. The secret of the matter is that Vayyitzer (And...formed), WHICH IS SPELLED WITH TWO YUD'S, ALLUDES TO THE TWO ACTS OF FORMING: One is the forming of good and the other is the forming of evil. This is THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL, WHICH INCLUDES THESE TWO FORMS. THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL is the small man from which derive death and life, which represent the forbidden and the permissible. IN OTHER WORDS, THE FORBIDDEN IS DEATH AND THE PERMISSIBLE IS LIFE. Of such a man, it is written: "And Hashem Elohim formed man of the dust of the ground" (Beresheet 2:7).

258. The verse continues: "And breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" (Ibid.). This is FROM the upper Shechinah, WHICH IS CALLED Eden AND repentance. Of him, it is written: "The Tree of Life also in the midst of the garden." This is the central pillar, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN OF ATZILUT. The garden is the lower Shechinah. And there were three bonds CONNECTED TO HIM, Neshamah, Ruach and Nefesh. NESHAMAH EXTENDED TO HIM FROM THE UPPER SHECHINAH, RUACH EXTENDED TO HIM FROM ZEIR ANPIN OF ATZILUT AND NEFESH EXTENDED FROM THE GARDEN, WHICH IS THE LOWER SHECHINAH, ALSO CALLED MALCHUT. With them, NESHAMAH, RUACH AND NEFESH, "man became a living soul (Heb. Nefesh)." It was from his mouth indeed that he was named after the Shechinah, which is the "breath (Heb. Neshamah) of life." IT IS AS IF HE BREATHED WITH HIS OWN MOUTH INTO THE MOUTH OF ADAM, FOR THE BREATH OF LIFE IS THE LIGHT OF THE SUPERNAL SHECHINAH. Immediately after completing these words, he rose and disappeared. Rabbi Shimon said: Friends, he surely must have been an angel. In any case, we certainly have confirmations.