283. "And you shall take for yourselves on the first day..." (Vayikra 23:40). Rabbi Shimon opened with, "every one that is called by My name. For I have created him for My glory; I have formed him; yea, I have made him" (Yeshayah 43:7). "every one that is called by My name" refers to man, whom the Holy One, blessed be He, created by His name, as it is written, "So Elohim created man in His own image" (Beresheet 1:27), and called him after His name, when he produced truth and law in the world and is called Elohim, as it is written, "You shall not revile the judges (Heb. Elohim)" (Shemot 22:27).

284. He called him by His name, as it is written, "So Elohim created man in His own image." This is well. We explained that the words, "Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness" (Ibid. 26) were uttered during the union OF ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT. And so, when the two mate there is an image and a likeness, SINCE THE IMAGE IS FROM ZEIR ANPIN AND THE LIKENESS FROM MALCHUT. Man came out from Male and Female, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT.

285. "So Elohim created man in His own image:" I found in the book of King Solomon that when a union is affected below, the Holy One, blessed be He, sends a certain image as the countenance of man, imprinted and engraved with an image. It hovers over that union. If the eye had permission to behold, man would see over his head an image inscribed as a man's face. By that image man is created. Man was not created before that image, which His master sent him, is stationed over his head. This is the meaning of, "So Elohim created man in His own image."

286. That image comes to him before he goes into the world. When he goes out INTO THE WORLD, he grows through the image and walks by that image. This is the meaning of, "Surely every man walks in a vain show (or: 'image')" (Tehilim 39:7). That image comes from above.

287. When those spirits leave their place, each spirit is bedecked before the Holy King with a precious ornament, the countenance existing in this world. That image comes from that shape and precious ornament. FOR THE IMAGE IS A GARMENT FOR THE SPIRIT OF THAT MAN AND COMES DOWN TOGETHER WITH IT, AS THEY ARE LIKE LIGHT AND VESSEL. It is the third counting from the spirit (Heb. Ruach), THAT IS, A THIRD CATEGORY. THE RUACH IS THE FIRST, NEFESH IS THE SECOND AND THE IMAGE IS THE THIRD. It is the first to come into the world during mating. No mating takes place in the world without an image in it, but as for holy Yisrael, that holy image comes to them from a holy place, while the image of the idolatrous comes to them from those evil species on the side of impurity. For that reason, one must not mix his image with that of the heathen, because the one is pure while the other is impure. Come and see the difference between Yisrael and the heathen nations... THE END WAS PRINTED IN VAYECHI, 196-232.