365. "And Elohim said, 'Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide water from water'" (Beresheet 1:6). Rabbi Yehuda said: There are seven celestial firmaments and they all exist in the supernal holiness OF ARICH ANPIN. And the Holy Name, ELOHIM, is completed by them. This firmament, WHICH IS MENTIONED IN THE VERSE ABOVE, is in the midst of the waters.
366. This firmament rests on other living creatures and it divides the upper and lower waters. The lower waters cry to the upper waters TO RAISE THEM TO THEM, and they drink from the firmament that separates between them, because all waters, NAMELY ALL THE GRADES, are included in this SUPERNAL FIRMAMENT. Thus, after TRANSMITTING THE MOCHIN TO THE SUPENAL LIVING CREATURES - WHICH ARE CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET - it brings it down to the SMALL living creatures FROM THE CHEST DOWNWARD, who draw from there THE MOCHIN OF CHOCHMAH.
367. It is written: "A garden enclosed is my sister, my bride; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed" (Shir Hashirim 4:12). THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE IS CALLED "a garden enclosed" when all THE LIGHTS are enclosed and included within her. AND SHE IS CALLED "a spring shut up" when that river that flows OUT OF EDEN enters THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE to water her FROM EDEN. So it comprises THE ENTIRE MOCHIN, but does not bring forth THEIR ILLUMINATION, because the waters - WHICH SIGNIFY THE MOCHIN - are frozen and stand stiff in it. What is the reason FOR THEM FREEZING? HE REPLIES: Because the Northern wind blows into these waters. They freeze into ice and cannot flow out. Had it not been for the Southern aspect, NAMELY THE RIGHT COLUMN, that shattered the power of this ice, the waters would have never flowed out.
368. The appearance of that upper firmament is similar to the appearance of the frozen ice, which collects within it all the waters THAT ARE POURED ON IT. In this manner, the upper FIRMAMENT gathers upon it all these waters and separates the upper waters from the lower waters. The verse, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters," REFERS TO THE FIRMAMENT in the midst of the waters. THUS, WE MIGHT THINK THAT THE FIRST FIRMAMENT IS THE MIDDLE ONE. YET HE SAYS: It is not so, because "Let there be" precedes THIS FIRMAMENT, WHICH MEANS THAT that FIRMAMENT that was formed by this FIRST FIRMAMENT is in the "midst of the waters." But the one above it, REFERRING TO THE FIRST FIRMAMENT, rests on the heads of the living creatures - OVER CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ARICH ANPIN - AND NOT IN THE "MIDST OF THE WATERS" BETWEEN CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET AND NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD.
369. Rabbi Yitzchak said: There is a membrane in the middle of a man's abdominal organs that separates them from the upper organs, THEREBY SEPARATING THE ABDOMINAL ORGANS - WHICH ARE THE FOOD ORGANS - AND THE HEART AND LUNGS - WHICH ARE THE ORGANS OF LIFE. THIS MEMBRANE BEGINS IN THE NAVEL AND STRETCHES UP TO THE CHEST IN A DIAGONAL LINE. It absorbs THE FORCE OF LIFE from the ORGANS OF LIFE above THE CHEST and distributes IT TO THE ORGANS OF FOOD below THE CHEST. The firmament is similar TO THIS MEMBRANE. IT IS THE BODY OF ARICH ANPIN THAT ALSO EXTENDS FROM THE NAVEL TO HIS CHEST and rests above the lower living creatures, THAT IS, ABOVE THE SFIROT OF NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT, CALLED THE LOWER LIVING CREATURES. It separates the upper waters - WHICH ARE HIS CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET - from the lower WATERS - WHICH ARE HIS NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD.