338. Come and behold, As long as Abraham was not circumcised, the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke to him only through a "vision," WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE NUKVA WHILE SHE IS AT HER PLACE AND IS DESCRIBED BY THE WORDS, "AND AN EL WHO HAS INDIGNATION EVERY DAY." As we have learned, it is written, "The word of Hashem came to Abraham in a vision..." (Beresheet 15:1). The words "in a vision" ALLUDE TO the mirror, NAMELY THE NUKVA, WHICH IS the grade where all the figures, REFERRING TO THE THREE COLUMNS, RIGHT, LEFT, AND CENTRAL, are seen. And this "vision" is the secret of the covenant of circumcision, NAMELY THE NUKVA IN WHICH THE COVENANT SHINES.

339. AND HE ASKS, How can you say that THE NUKVA is called a vision because it is a grade of a mirror in which all figures appear! Previously, you said that as long as Abraham was not circumcised, the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke to him through the grade OF THE VISION alone, upon which no other grade did dwell. Now you say that 'in a vision' refers to the mirror in which all supernal grades are reflected. And, before Abraham was circumcised, it says, "the word of Hashem came to Abraham in a vision.

340. AND HE REPLIES, This grade, which is definitely the mirror of all the supernal grades, is completed by the mirror of all the supernal grades. Even before Abraham was circumcised, this grade mirrored all of the supernal grades and was completed by the colors OF THE SUPERNAL GRADES. AND ALSO the mirror made of these colors is below Her, BELOW THE NUKVA, white, CHESED, is to the right; red, GVURAH, is to the left; and a third color - GREEN, TIFERET - is composed of all remaining colors. AND TO THE NUKVA THAT IS CALLED A VISION, all the supernal colors - WHITE, RED, AND GREEN - are built on this mirror. Therefore He was reflected in this mirror, which stood upon Abraham, and spoke with him, even though he was not circumcised. As soon as he was circumcised, it is written, 'Hashem appeared to Abraham...' (Beresheet 17:1). BECAUSE THE NAME OF YUD HEI VAV HEI BECAME ATTACHED TO HER, MEANING THAT THE ESSENCE OF ALL SUPERNAL GRADES WERE INCLUDED WITHIN HER. THIS WAS NOT TRUE BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS CIRCUMCISED; AT THAT TIME, ONLY THE THREE COLORS WERE INCLUDED WITHIN HER.

341. Come and behold, In reference to Bilaam, it is written that he saw "the vision of Shadai" (Bemidbar 24:16), but with Abraham, it is written only "in a vision." AND HE ASKS, What is the difference between these two? AND HE REPLIES, The 'vision of the Shadai' refers to THE COLORS below THE NUKVA that are Her mirror. The ordinary 'vision' is the letter Hei OF YUD HEI VAV HEI, THE NUKVA, in which all the supernal figures, WHICH ARE THE THREE COLORS, appear. Because of this, it is written 'in a vision' only when referring to Abraham, in the 'vision of Shadai' when referring to Bilaam. HOWEVER, AS ALREADY EXPLAINED, SHE INCLUDES THE THREE COLORS - WHITE, RED, AND GREEN, AND ALSO THE MIRROR COMPOSED OF THESE COLORS UNDERNEATH HER.

342. Therefore, before Abraham was circumcised, he reached the grade THAT IS SIMPLY CALLED, "A VISION." Immediately after he was circumcised, however, "Hashem appeared to Abraham..." So all the grades OF YUD HEI VAV HEI appeared upon this grade, WHICH IS THE NUKVA, THE ESSENCE OF THESE GRADES. And the grade spoke to him properly, without reservation, BECAUSE THE NUKVA IS THE SECRET OF "SPEAKING." And Abraham clung on to one grade after the other until he became attached to the holy covenant in full perfection, as should properly be!

343. Come and behold, As Abraham was circumcised, he left THE KLIPAH OF the foreskin and entered to the holy covenant. He was adorned with the holy crown and entered the covenant upon which the world is based. Then the world was firmly established for his sake, as it is written, "If My covenant be not day and night, it were as if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth" (Yirmeyah 33:25). SO IT IS FOR THE SAKE OF CIRCUMCISION THAT THE WORLD EXISTS. And it is also written, "These are the generations of heaven and earth when they were created (Heb. behibar'am)" (Beresheet 2:4). Behibar'am constitutes the letters of be-hei-bra'am (he created them with Hei). It can also be read beAbraham (lit. 'with Abraham'). Both are related to the same secret, WHICH IS CIRCUMCISION. THEREFORE THE WORLD WAS CREATED FOR ABRAHAM BECAUSE HE HAD ENTERED THE COVENANT OF CIRCUMCISION, WHICH IS REFERRED TO BY THE VERSE, "IF MY COVENANT BE NOT DAY AND NIGHT..."

344. When the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Adam all future generations of the world, he saw them one by one, one generation after the other, standing in the Garden of Eden in that same form that they would have in this world. So come and behold, We have learned that when he saw that David had no life of his own at all, he stood in wonder and then gave him seventy years of his own life. Because of this, Adam lived only nine hundred and thirty years; his remaining seventy years were given to David.

345. And this is the secret of Wisdom. The fact that David had only the seventy years given to him by Adam, is in keeping with the higher Wisdom, because everything that occurs below is in accordance with what happens above, IN THE UPPER WORLD.