1. Rabbi Shimon said: As we have already learned, when the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, He made inscriptions in the secret of Faith, NAMELY OF MALCHUT, within the lights of the higher secrets, THAT IS, HE ELEVATED MALCHUT TO BINAH. HENCE HE MADE THE SAME INSCRIPTIONS THAT WAS IN MALCHUT ON THE HIGHER SFIROT OF BINAH. THIS IS THE SECRET OF COMBINING THE QUALITIES OF THE MERCY OF BINAH AND THE JUDGMENT OF MALCHUT SHAPED BY THE ONE WHO EMANATED THEM FOR THE PURPOSE OF STRUCTURING THE WORLD. He engraved above, IN BINAH, and He engraved, IN MALCHUT. He established all of this at the same time, MEANING THAT BOTH INSCRIPTIONS HAVE THE SAME FORM, THAT OF BINAH. And He made the lower world, MALCHUT, in the likeness of the upper world, BINAH. And He made one the exact reflection of the other, so that they can be elevated and thus united as one. That is why the Holy One, blessed be He, established the laws of the upper and lower letters of the alphabet, with which He created the worlds.

2. Come and see, that in the same manner the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, WHICH IS TO SAY BY INCLUDING THE QUALITY OF THE MERCY OF BINAH, AS EXPLAINED ABOVE, He also created THE SOUL OF the first man, ADAM, AND IT RECEIVED THE SAME QUALITY OF MERCY WITH WHICH THE WORLD, MALCHUT, WAS CREATED. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE WAS ALSO ABLE TO ATTAIN THE LEVEL OF THE UPPER EMANATIONS OF BINAH AS WELL AS MALCHUT, AS THE ZOHAR EXPLAINS TO US. He opened up the discussion and said, "but they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant" (Hoshea 6:7), because the Holy One, blessed be He, crowned Adam with the supernal crowns OF THE MOCHIN OF THE FIRST THREE SFIROT. He also created him with the six directions of the world, NAMELY WITH THE MOCHIN OF THE SIX EXTREMITIES, so that he would be complete in everything. And all THE CREATURES trembled before Adam and feared him because when he was created it was in the supernal form. All the creatures looked at that form and were reverent and fearful of him.

3. Subsequently, the Holy One, blessed be He, brought Adam into the Garden of Eden to enjoy its supernal delights. He was encircled by holy angels, who served him and informed him of the secrets of their Master. Come and behold: When the Holy One, blessed be He, brought Adam into the Garden of Eden, Adam saw and observed all the higher secrets and wisdom, so that he was able to observe and understand the splendors of his Master. ADAM HAD ACCESS TO ALL THAT, BECAUSE HE WAS CREATED IN THE SUPERNAL FORM OF BINAH.

4. There are seven chambers and seven levels above, which are the secrets of supernal Faith, NAMELY BINAH. And there are seven chambers below, IN MALCHUT, similar to those above, IN BINAH. Six of these chambers are just as they are above, CORRESPONDING TO THE SIX SFIROT OF ZEIR ANPIN, but one CHAMBER, CORRESPONDING TO BINAH, IS hidden and concealed. And all THE CHAMBERS OF MALCHUT, AND EVEN THE LOWER SIX, are part of the holy secret, AND THUS THEY ARE IN THE SHAPE OF BINAH. This is because each of the chambers has some of the likeness of above and some of the likeness of below, so that it is included in the form of the supernal secret OF BINAH as well as in the form of the lower secret OF MALCHUT. Adam resides in these chambers.

5. And after the expulsion OF ADAM from the Garden of Eden, the Holy One, blessed be He, prepared THE CHAMBERS for the souls of the righteous, to reward them with the blissful splendors of His celestial precious light. And each one OF THOSE CHAMBERS was prepared in the semblance of the supernal shape OF BINAH and the lower shape OF MALCHUT, as we have already explained.

6. The first chamber below was created in the likeness of that which is above, THAT IS THE SFIRAH OF YESOD WITHIN MALCHUT - SET IN ITS PLACE BELOW TO CORRESPOND TO BINAH. It has already been explained that a law of the Garden of Eden states that ALL ITS ASPECTS ARE EXACTLY THE SAME as those in the celestial secret OF BINAH, ALTHOUGH THE ASPECT OF MALCHUT OF THE ATTRIBUTE OF JUDGMENT IS NOT NOTICEABLE THERE. It is not visible to the eye, BECAUSE THE ESSENCE OF MALCHUT IS STORED DEEP WITHIN, AND THUS CANNOT BE SEEN. THE ATTRIBUTE OF MERCY CAN BE SEEN, but only by the souls of the righteous. Such souls are engraved on above and below. REACHING COMPLETION FROM BOTH BINAH AND MALCHUT, THEY ARE ABLE TO ATTAIN THE ESSENCE OF MALCHUT. FURTHERMORE, THROUGH MALCHUT, they are able to behold the secret of their Master and to enjoy celestial bliss.

7. Those WHO REACH MALCHUT WITHIN THE CHAMBERS are the righteous people, who have not betrayed their Master for other Elohim. THEY ATTAIN MALCHUT AS IS IMPLIED BY THE SECRET MEANING OF THE PHRASE "a virtuous woman is the crown of her husband" (Mishlei 12:4). The secret of Faith - NAMELY MALCHUT - is that whoever attains it should cleave to his Master, always be in awe of Him, and never stray to the left or to the right. As we have explained, one must not follow other deities - which are termed 'a sinful woman'. This is the reason for the verse, "That they may shield you from a foreign woman, from the stranger who flatters with her words" (Mishlei 7:5). AND NO ONE MERITS ANY OF THIS EXCEPT THROUGH MALCHUT. HENCE THE STATURE OF THOSE RIGHTEOUS WHO DO MERIT IT IS VERY HIGH. AND YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT THE ONLY ATTAINABLE CHAMBERS ARE THE SIX OF ZEIR ANPIN; THE SEVENTH IS UNATTAINABLE. THE CHAMBERS, TOGETHER WITH ZEIR ANPIN, ARE CONSIDERED THE TEN SFIROT. REMEMBER THAT THE FIRST CHAMBER OF YESOD ALSO INCLUDES MALCHUT, AND THE LAST CHAMBER OF BINAH ALSO INCLUDES THE THREE TOP SFIROT: KETER, CHOCHMAH AND BINAH.

8. This chamber is fixed in the secret of the celestial form, WHICH IS BINAH, because when the souls of the righteous leave this world, WHEN THEY DEPART TO THEIR OWN WORLD, they enter those chambers of the lower Garden of Eden. And each one remains there for as long as it is necessary for the soul to be there.

9. In each and every chamber OF THE LOWER GARDEN OF EDEN there are figures in the supernal form OF BINAH, and there are figures in the lower form OF MALCHUT. CONSEQUENTLY, EVEN IF THE SOUL IS NOT ENTIRELY PURIFIED OF BODILY QUALITIES, IT CAN ENTER AND BE THERE IN THE SHAPE OF MALCHUT, WHICH IS CONNECTED WITH THE PHYSICAL NATURE. THE SOUL, WHICH IS THE ASPECT OF BINAH, CAN ALSO ENTER AND, AS EXPLAINED, BE CONNECTED TO BINAH. And therein, IN THE LOWER GARDEN OF EDEN, the soul is clothed with garments similar to those worn in the physical world, and it enjoys all the time it needs there. IT ENJOYS THE BLISS OF SUPERNAL LIGHT, IN ORDER TO BE ENTIRELY CLEANSED OF THE FILTH OF ITS PHYSICAL NATURE, until such a time as it can be elevated to its celestial home. THIS MEANS THAT UNTIL ALL THE IMPRINTS OF THE PHYSICAL BODY THAT WERE ATTACHED TO THE SOUL IN THIS WORLD DISSIPATE, IT CANNOT BE ELEVATED TO ITS PLACE IN THE SUPERNAL GARDEN OF EDEN, AS IT NEEDS TO BE - FOR EACH SOUL IS FROM BINAH AND MUST RETURN TO ITS SOURCE, WHICH IS THE UPPER GARDEN OF EDEN. And with the new form or clothing that THE SOUL NOW wears, it is able to see celestial entities FROM BINAH, and can thus glimpse the glory of its Master. THIS CLOTHING IS SIMILAR TO WORLDLY GARMENTS, BUT IT ALSO CONTAINS SUPERNAL FORMS FROM BINAH, AND THEREFORE, THROUGH ITS FORM, THE SOUL CAN STRIVE TO SEE THE CELESTIAL LIGHTS OF BINAH, AND BEHOLD THE GLORY OF ITS MASTER.

10. This chamber has visible supernal lights, and the souls of the converts enter and stand there to behold the celestial splendor. Here they are clad in one luminous garment, that shines and yet also shines not. WITH THE LIGHTS IN THIS CHAMBER, THE RIGHTEOUS ARE ABLE TO SEE AND ENDOW THE SOULS OF THE CONVERTS, ENABLING THEM TO ENTER INSIDE AND RECEIVE THE CELESTIAL SPLENDOR - AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN DRESSED IN A LUMINOUS GARMENT, THAT BOTH SHINES AND DOES NOT SHINE. THE LIGHTS HAVE TWO FUNCTIONS, WHICH ARE THE SAME: TO SHINE UPON THE WORTHY, AND NOT TO SHINE UPON - IN OTHER WORDS, TO LEAVE IN DARKNESS - THE UNWORTHY. THE CLOTHING BRINGS THEM JOY, BECAUSE THEY MERIT IT AND ARE FIT TO RECEIVE IT. This chamber is lined with precious stones and gold.