The fourth chamber: Gvurah

102. The fourth chamber: This chamber is different from all other chambers. It contains four chambers one within the other, yet all are one chamber. The spirit who inhabits this chamber is named Zechut (merit), because here all the liabilities of people are transformed into merits. Zechut takes all, AND HE WHO ATTAINS IT CAN FIND GOOD FAVOR FOR HIMSELF AND THE WHOLE WORLD.

103. From this spirit, ZECHUT, seventy lights radiate. They all glitter simultaneously, shining in circles, not spreading out TO SHINE DOWNWARD like other LIGHTS. THOSE LIGHTS cling to one another and shine within one another BECAUSE THEY HAVE SIMLIARITY OF FORM. THEY SHINE WITHIN one another BECAUSE THEY MINGLE TO SHINE AS ONE. THEY CLING TO one another BECAUSE THEY NEED one another TO SHINE. IF ONE IS MISSING, NONE CAN SHINE. All the merits of the world are before those lights. THIS MEANS THAT THROUGH THEIR LIGHT, IT IS SEEN HOW THE FAULTS OF THE WORLD ARE TURNED INTO MERITS. From the totality OF THOSE SEVENTY LIGHTS, two lights emanate, are counted as one, and stand before them always.

104. Corresponding to those SEVENTY LIGHTS, there are seventy ADMINISTRATORS OF JUDGMENT IN THE WORLD. THEY encircle these four chambers FROM THE OUTSIDE, but those seventy lights and those two lights that stand before them are innermost. This is the inner meaning of, "your belly is a heap of wheat surrounded by lilies" (Shir Hashirim 7:3). "YOUR BELLY" ALLUDES TO THE INNERMOST, BECAUSE THE BOWELS ARE INSIDE THE BODY. CHITIM (ENG. 'WHEAT') ALLUDES TO CHATAIM (ENG. 'SINS'), NAMELY THE FAULTS THAT ARE TURNED INTO MERITS BY MEANS OF THE SAID SEVENTY TWO LIGHTS, WHICH ARE IN THE INNERMOST PART OF THE FOUR CHAMBERS. IT THEREFORE SAYS OF THEM "YOUR BELLY IS A HEAP OF WHEAT." THESE ARE SURROUNDED BY LILIES, WHICH ALLUDE TO THE JUDGES WHO ARE THE APPOINTED MINISTERS, RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE JUDGMENTS IN THE WORLD. THE SEVENTY MINISTERS CORRESPOND TO THE SEVENTY TWO LIGHTS. THIS IS BECAUSE ALL PUNISHMENT COMES FROM THE SEVENTY MINISTERS, BUT THEY ARE NOT FREE TO PUNISH, EXCEPT SO AS TO SERVE THE SEVENTY LIGHTS IN THEIR PREPARATION OF THE LOWER BEINGS FOR RECEIVING THEIR MAJESTIC REVELATION.

105. Before the SEVENTY lights stand all the merits and actions of the people to be judged. THE SEVENTY LIGHTS ARE THE SECRET OF THE SUPERNAL COURTHOUSE, WHICH JUDGES PEOPLE. The two lights STANDING BEFORE THEM give evidence OF PEOPLE'S ACTIONS. Because, as is written: "Those seven are the eyes of Hashem; they roam around the earth" (Zecharyah 4:10). 'EYES' ALLUDE TO SUPERVISION. THERE ARE SEVEN ATTRIBUTES OF CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT TO MAKE PEOPLE BEFITTING TO RECEIVE THE SUPERNAL PLEASURE AND DELIGHT. Therefore, the image of all that transpires in the world (GOOD OR BAD) is imprinted by the very deed and the very merit, and they are preserved and upheld FOR ETERNITY. THIS MEANS THAT NO DEED IS LOST IN THE WORLD, BE IT GOOD OR EVIL. EACH ACTION IS RECORDED IN ITS MANNER, AS IT IS WRITTEN, "THE SEVEN EYES OF HASHEM." The two lights watch and see each action and give evidence before the seventy lights, WHICH ARE THE UPPER COURTHOUSE. AFTER HEARING THEM OUT, the seventy LIGHTS pass judgment and issue decrees for good or for bad. This chamber is a place of merit. The judgment mentioned above is not revealed here, but in the abundance that flows from the seventy lights that reaches down. There is revealed the bad, but here, in this chamber, there is only merit.

106. IN THIS CHAMBER, the spirit ZECHUT has imprinted the three letters Yud-Hei-Vav. When the letters YUD-HEI-VAV cling to the place, MALCHUT REFERRED TO AS PLACE AND DESIGNATED BY THE LOWER HEI as the mating of male and female, THEN THE LETTERS are imprinted on THE SPIRIT and do not depart from there. Then another ray of light extends and radiates in four directions. This light also extends three other LIGHTS, NAMELY CHOCHMAH, BINAH AND TIFERET, which are the three courthouses where judgements are passed in world affairs AND NONCRIMINAL TRANSGRESSIONS. Here, judgments are passed regarding richness and poverty, illnesses and health, and other worldly affairs. One chamber is set aside for the first seventy LIGHTS and is the innermost OF THE FOUR CHAMBERS OF THE FOURTH CHAMBER. There are three OUTER CHAMBERS for the three other COURT ASSEMBLIES.

107. Zechut elevates and, containing all the lower LIGHTS AND THE OTHER THREE LIGHTS, produces one fiery holy living creatures. It has eyes, similar to those of humans, to supervise the thousands upon thousands and tens of thousands armies of administrators of justice. The latter take the verdicts FROM THE COURT and by opening or closing CHANNELS OF SUSTENANCE carry out sentences to the world.

108. Below this living creatures four Seraphim glow as buds on flowers, and sparks of fire erupt from them. Each has seventy two wheels that are burning with fire. When they travel, they leave behind a river of fire. Thousands upon thousands OF OFANIM unite with that fire, and from them many armies emerge. When the wheels travel, myriads upon myriads are born and stand in the fire. Below the second chamber, angels sing, try to come close, and are burned.

109. The ministers who are charged with managing the world receive their appointment from here. THE APPOINTMENT COMES from the spirit ZECHUT, who has been branded with the three letters YUD-HEI-VAV. From here they are removed from the world and sentenced by this fire that extends FROM THE DINUR RIVER. Sentencing is delivered from this chamber because it has been branded with the three letters YUD-HEI-VAV, within which the spirit is enclosed. This living creatures brings forth innumerable armies and hosts.

110. All the judgments of the world, whether good or bad, come from this chamber, except for those three pertaining to children, longevity and sustenance. No permission is given to judge these here. They depend on that supernal River CALLED DIKNA (BEARD) OF ARICH ANPIN, OR SUPERNAL MAZAL (DESTINY), from which the lights OF CHILDREN, LONGEVITY AND SUSTENANCE extend. And everything depends on it alone. From the middle of this chamber there is one specific location where the supernal spirit OF THE FIFTH CHAMBER is received by the spirit. This location ascends through them.

111. This chamber has twelve portals. At each portal can be found those officials and ministers who give notice below of the judgments that are to be brought down. As it is written: "He cried aloud, and said thus, hew down the tree, and cut off its branches" (Daniel 4:11). ALL THE ANNOUNCEMENTS COME FROM HERE.

112. And those announcements OF THE OFFICIALS AND MINISTERS are received by the winged ones until the firmament of Chamah (sun) is notified. And when the sun shines UPON THE EARTH, the announcements are released FROM THE SUN, and roam the world until they reach the serpent of the firmament. All the planets of the firmament are frozen within the sun, which stands in the middle of the firmament.

113. The officials below and those in charge of the serpent hear that. COME AND SEE: IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIRMAMENT THERE IS ASSEMBLED A BRIGHT TRAIL, WHICH IS THE SERPENT OF THE FIRMAMENT. ALL THE HARDLY NOTICEABLE STARS ARE HEAPED TOGETHER IN IT. IT IS CALLED THE MILKY WAY BY ASTRONOMERS BECAUSE THE CONCENTRATION OF STARS LOOKS LIKE MILK. THOSE STARS ARE IN CHARGE OF THE SECRETIVE ACTIONS OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE WORLD. THE SERPENT IN THE FIRMAMENT IN WHICH ALL THE STARS ARE FROZEN REFERS TO THE MILKY WAY, IN WHICH ALL THE STARS ARE FROZEN AND DO NOT MOVE. THOSE IN CHARGE OF THE SERPENT IN THE FIRMAMENT make AN ANNOUNCEMENT, WHICH spread in the world. Even spirits, demons, and birds of the sky relay those announcements to the world. WHEN THE VERDICTS HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT, the ministers again close the portals. The spirit here does not go up to the HIGHER SPIRIT OF THE FIFTH CHAMBER UNTIL all the spirits in the lower CHAMBERS become one with this spirit. All THE SPIRITS are embraced within one another until they become one. THEN THE SPIRIT HERE RISES UP WITH THEM TO THE FIFTH CHAMBER AND IS EMBRACED BY THE SPIRIT THEREIN.

114. When a man lies in his sickbed, he is sentenced either to life or to death. Life depends UPON THE SUPERNAL RIVER above AND NOT UPON THE CHAMBER ZECHUT. Indeed, if one is sentenced to life, one is given life from the upper RIVER CALLED MAZAL; if MAZAL does not grant a person life, he does not live. Joyful is the portion of he who adheres to his Master and can enter and leave THIS CHAMBER AS HE WISHES. Here, IN THIS CHAMBER, a prostration is practiced where his face touches the ground so as to subdue the judgment. Of this chamber it is written: "El of truth and without iniquity" (Devarim 32:4).