390. "Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven...to give light upon the earth..." (Beresheet 1:14-15). IT IS WRITTEN, "Let there be lights" with a defective spelling, WITHOUT THE LETTER VAV. Rabbi Chizkiyah said, these are the lights where harsh Judgment lies and is absorbed. Rabbi Yosi said: THE REASON WHY "Let there be lights" IS SPELLED WITHOUT THE VAV, AND CAN BE READ AS ME'EROT (CURSES), IS BECAUSE it refers to the moon, NAMELY MALCHUT, which is the cause of croup in infants of the LOWER world. 'Curse' is derived from her, because she is the lesser luminary of all the lights; THAT IS, THE LAST ONE. At times, she is darkened and receives no light. AS A RESULT, CROUP AND CURSES ARE DRAWN DOWN FROM HER.

391. THE PHRASE, "in the firmament of heaven..." refers to the firmament that includes all others, because it receives all the lights and also shines upon the Light that does not shine.

392. Rabbi Yitzchak said: It brought forth this firmament that does not shine, which is called 'the Kingdom of Heaven,' 'the land of Yisrael' and 'the land of life.' ALL OF THESE ARE NAMES OF MALCHUT. The heaven, WHICH APPEARS IN THE VERSE, SHINES UPON this firmament. ZEIR ANPIN, WHO IS CALLED 'THE HEAVEN,' SHINES UPON MALCHUT, WHICH IS THE FIRMAMENT THAT DOES NOT SHINE. This is why IT IS WRITTEN: "Let there be lights (Heb. me'erot)" without the letter Vav. THIS MEANS THAT SHE RECEIVES NO ILLUMINATION FROM THE HEAVEN THAT IS CALLED VAV. What is the reason for this? Because she brings death over the world, when she is without the letter Vav. IT IS WRITTEN AFTERWARD: "IN THE FIRMAMENT OF HEAVEN TO GIVE LIGHT UPON THE EARTH," SO HEAVEN - WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE LETTER VAV AND ZEIR ANPIN -SHINES UPON THE EARTH, WHICH IS THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE.

393. "Let there be lights (me'orot)," IS SPELLED WITHOUT THE LETTER VAV BECAUSE everything derives from it. THUS THIS PHRASE, "LET THERE BE LIGHTS (ME'OROT)," WHICH MEANS CURSES, also includes the creation of Lilit in the world. It is written: "The small and great are there" (Iyov 3:19). It is also written: "But there Hashem in majesty will be for us" (Yeshayah 33:21), REFERRING TO THE MOCHIN OF GREATNESS IN HER. Of this, it is written: "Lilit shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest" (Yeshayah 34:14). SHE SHALL REST IN MALCHUT AS WELL, BECAUSE EVERYTHING FINDS A PLACE THERE, EVEN THE KLIPAH OF LILIT.

394. Rabbi Elazar said: THE VERSE "Let there be lights (me'orot)" WITHOUT THE VAV REFERS TO MALCHUT FROM THE ASPECT OF the mirror that does not shine by itself, but by the reflection of the upper lights, just as THE GLASS WALLS OF the lantern reflect the light of the candle inside. IN THE SAME MANNER, THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE TAKES THE LIGHTS FROM THE UPPER GRADES AND BESTOWS THEM ON THE LOWER BEINGS, THOUGH IT HAS NO LIGHT OF HER OWN. It is written: "Behold, the ark of the covenant (of) the master of all the earth" (Yehoshua 3:11). "Behold, the ark" refers to the opaque mirror - MALCHUT, THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE OF ZEIR ANPIN. "The covenant" is the shining mirror. "Behold, the ark" refers to Me'orot WITHOUT THE LETTER VAV, WHICH MEANS THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE BEFORE ZEIR ANPIN THAT IS CALLED THE WRITTEN TORAH JOINS HER. The ark is a chest in which the Written Torah, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, is laid. The covenant is the sun, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN, which shines on THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE. She is ALSO CALLED 'the covenant,' AS HE IS, WHEN SHE IS UNITED WITH HIM. THIS IS WHY SHE IS DESCRIBED IN THE VERSE AS "THE ARK OF THE COVENANT." SO SHE IS indeed "the ark of the covenant (of) the master of all the earth," BECAUSE ONLY WHEN SHE IS UNITED WITH ZEIR ANPIN, WHO IS CALLED THE COVENANT, IS SHE CALLED "THE MASTER OF ALL THE EARTH," LIKE HER HUSBAND, ZEIR ANPIN. WHY? BECAUSE the covenant, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, is CALLED "The master of all the earth."

395. This ark is the master, since the sun that shines on her and the whole world is called so. From it, THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE attains the name "MASTER," and this ark is called 'master' (Heb. adon), according to the secret of THE NAME 'Adonai.' As we have already stated, 'Righteous' SIGNIFIES THE MALE and 'Righteousness,' THE FEMALE. ACCORDINGLY, 'Adon' IS THE NAME OF THE MALE and 'Adonai' THE NAME OF THE FEMALE. BECAUSE JUST AS THE NAME 'RIGHTEOUSNESS' OF THE FEMALE IS DERIVED FROM THE NAME 'RIGHTEOUS' OF THE MALE, SO IS THE NAME 'ADONAI' DERIVED FROM 'ADON.' WHEN THE FEMALE IS CALLED AFTER HER HUSBAND BY THE NAME "THE ARK OF THE COVENANT," SHE IS THEN CALLED BY THE NAME OF THE MALE 'ADON.' They are both interrelated.

396. Come and behold: The planets and the constellations exist because of this covenant, WHICH IS THE SUN - NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN - AS WE HAVE ALREADY STATED. This is the firmament of heaven THAT APPEARS IN THE VERSE. "LET THERE BE LIGHTS," REFERS TO THE FEMALE, AND "THE FIRMAMENT OF HEAVEN" REFERS TO ZEIR ANPIN, WHICH SHINES UPON HER, THE PLANETS, THE CONSTELLATIONS AND THE WHOLE WORLD. In THIS FIRMAMENT, the planets and the constellations are engraved and inscribed, and they depend on the firmament to shine ON EARTH. HE EXPLAINS THAT THE PHRASE, "LET THERE BE LIGHTS" IS THE FEMALE, AND "IN THE FIRMAMENT OF HEAVENS" IS ZEIR ANPIN. Rabbi Yesa Saba (the elder) said: THE EMANATOR SAID, "Let there be lights," suspended from the firmament of heaven, MEANING THAT ALL THE MEASURES OF ILLUMINATION DERIVE FROM THE FIRMAMENT OF HEAVEN. SO THE LIGHTS ARE the moon that derives in every way from THE FIRMAMENT. Since it is written: "And let them be for lights in the firmament of heaven," the sun IS ALSO DEPENDANT ON THE FIRMAMENT. BECAUSE IT IS ALSO WRITTEN: "And let them be for signs and seasons..." THE ENTIRE STRUCTURE OF dates, feasts, holidays of lunar months and the Shabbat is derived from AND IS FORMED BY THE FIRMAMENT, BECAUSE IT MEASURES EACH AND EVERY GRADE.

397. All this IS DONE by the function of the first upper firmament, where the Holy Name achieves unity. And it is everything. There are seven planets corresponding to the seven firmaments. They all are the governors of the world, and the supernal world is above them. There are two similar worlds, the upper world - BINAH - and the lower world, MALCHUT. ALL THAT IS ESTABLISHED IN THE UPPER WORLD ALSO COMES INTO BEING IN THE LOWER WORLD. THUS, THE LOWER WORLD IS ALSO GOVERNED BY THE PLANETS, AS IS THE UPPER WORLD. It is written: "For ever and ever (lit. 'from the world to the world')" (I Divrei Hayamim 16:36), WHICH MEANS THAT WHATEVER EXISTS IN THE UPPER WORLD REACHES DOWN TO THE LOWER. THE UPPER WORLD IS the upper king, NAMELY BINAH, AND THE LOWER WORLD IS the lower king, NAMELY MALCHUT.

398. It is written: 'Hashem reigns, Hashem has reigned, Hashem will reign for evermore.' THIS MEANS THAT Hashem reigns above, Hashem has reigned in the middle and Hashem will reign for evermore down below. Rabbi Acha said: "Hashem has reigned," IN THE PAST TENSE, means the upper world, WHICH IS THE WORLD TO COME, NAMELY BINAH. "Hashem reigns," IN THE PRESENT TENSE, is Tiferet of Yisrael, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN. "Hashem will reign," IN THE FUTURE TENSE, is "the ark of the covenant," NAMELY THE LOWER WORLD, MALCHUT.

399. David came in another period and reversed their order from below upward, and said, "Hashem is king forever and ever" (Tehilim 10:16). "Hashem is king" MEANS down below IN THE LOWER WORLD OF MALCHUT, "forever" MEANS in the middle - NAMELY IN ZEIR ANPIN - "and ever" MEANS above IN BINAH, where there is meeting, NAMELY UNITY, AND MOCHIN and completion of all THE GRADES. THIS IS WHY THE upper WORLD IS DESCRIBED AS "reigns." ITS SOVEREIGNTY IS COMPLETED IN ALL ITS PERFECTION, WHEREAS "will reign" MEANS THAT THE WORLD below - NAMELY MALCHUT - SHALL REACH PERFECTION AND FULL SOVEREIGNTY IN THE FUTURE, AS IT IS NOT YET COMPLETED.