"And Noah begot three sons"

61. "And Noah begot three sons" (Beresheet 6:10): Rabbi Chiya said to Rabbi Yehuda: Come and let me tell you what I have heard about this. It resembles a situation in which a man mates with his wife once, and then two or three children are born. Each one is different from the other in his ways and character: one is virtuous, one is wicked, and one is average. So there are three strands of the spirit that stretch out, fly, and are included within three worlds: BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH.

62. Come and behold: the Neshamah emerges FROM MALE AND FEMALE OF ATZILUT, and it passes through mountains of separation INTO THE WORLDS OF BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH. There, the Ruach connects to the Neshamah. The Neshamah descends further down toward and the Nefesh, joins the Ruach, and they all connect with each other. Rabbi Yehuda said: The Nefesh and the Ruach are included one with the other WHEN A PERSON IS BORN IN THE WORLD. AND THERE CAN NEVER BE A NEFESH WITHOUT A RUACH. The Neshamah resides in a man's ways, WHICH MEANS THAT THE NESHAMAH IS NOT BORN WITH THE NEFESH AND RUACH. THEREFORE, HE SHOULD DRAW HIS NESHAMAH DOWN TO HIM BY WALKING THE STRAIGHT AND GOOD PATH. The Neshamah resides in a secret compartment, whose location is unknown. IT IS BORN WITH THE SIX EXTREMITIES, WHICH ARE NEFESH AND RUACH; WHILE THE UPPER THREE SFIROT REMAIN IN THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE OF ATZILUT, HIDDEN FROM THE RESIDENTS OF BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH.

63. A person who comes to purify himself is aided with a holy Neshamah. He is then purified, sanctified, and called holy. But if he does not merit and does not come to purify himself, then only two grades - Nefesh and Ruach - are open to him; for him, there is no holy Neshamah. Not only that, but if a person comes to defile himself, then he is defiled and loses heavenly support. Therefore, each person is judged according to his ways. THAT IS WHY IF A PERSON REPENTS AND COMES TO PURIFY HIMSELF, HE WILL GET THE SUPPORT AGAIN.

64. Tosefta (addendum). We are the high ties of the greatest of fortresses. THE TERM 'TIES' REFERS TO THE NEFESH, RUACH AND NESHAMAH, WHICH ARE CALLED 'THREE TIES.' IN OTHER WORDS, OUR NEFESH, RUACH AND NESHAMAH ARE TIED TOGETHER IN THE CENTRAL COLUMN, WHICH IS THE STRONGEST OF ALL THE FORTRESSES. IT IS CAPABLE OF STANDING UP TO THE 'OTHER SIDE.' Therefore, the eyes and the ears are open, MEANING CHOCHMAH AND BINAH, WHO ARE CALLED 'EYES' AND 'EARS.' A voice from the voices descends from above and smashes mountains and rocks, MEANING THAT THE CENTRAL COLUMN, WHICH IS CALLED THE 'VOICE' AND IS DA'AT, INCLUDES THE THREE VOICES OF CHOCHMAH, BINAH AND DA'AT OF DA'AT. BUT ONLY ONE VOICE DESCENDS AND ILLUMINATES FROM ABOVE DOWNWARD AND SMASHES ALL THE STRONG KLIPOT THAT ARE CALLED 'MOUNTAINS' AND 'ROCKS'. BUT THE TWO UPPER VOICES, WHICH ARE CHOCHMAH AND BINAH OF DA'AT, ARE NOT DRAWN DOWN. Those who do not see, do not hear, and do not know how to understand the one located and included between the two - they are pushed out.

65. They cling to these two - MEANING TO THE TWO COLUMNS OF RIGHT AND LEFT WHICH ARE CHOCHMAH AND BINAH. While the one - the best of craftsmen, WHICH IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN AND THE MASTER CRAFTSMAN, ON WHOM ALL THE MOCHIN DEPEND - does not reside among them, THEREFORE they do not enter among the holy books. Because all those who do not have the craftsman, OR THE CENTRAL COLUMN residing among them are not written in the 'Books of Memories.' THIS MEANS THAT THEY DO NOT RECEIVE THE GREAT MOCHIN OF BINAH, WHICH IS CALLED THE 'BOOK OF MEMORIES,' AND THE 'BOOK OF LIFE.' Therefore, they are erased from the 'Book of Life' and have no share in it. As it is written: "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous" (Tehilim 69:28).

66. Woe to those when they leave this world. Who shall ask about them and plead for them when they are turned over to hands of THE ANGEL Dumah, and are in the burning fire, which they can leave only on the first day of the month and on the days of Shabbat? As it is written: "And it shall come to pass that every new moon and every Shabbat shall all flesh come to bow down to the ground before Me, says Hashem" (Yeshayah 66:23). When THE SHABBAT AND THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH are over, an announcer from the north says, "The wicked shall be turned back to Sheol" (Tehilim 9:18), many angels of destruction then gather and attack them. From four sides, fire is burning in the valley of Ben Hinnom. THEY DO SO TO PUNISH THE WICKED WHO SPOILED THE FOUR ASPECTS OF CHOCHMAH, BINAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT.

67. They are visited three times a day DURING THE THREE PERIODS OF MATING BETWEEN ZEIR ANPIN AND THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE. THESE VISITS OCCUR DURING THE THREE PRAYERS OF EACH DAY TO EASE THEIR PUNISHMENT. Not only that, but when Yisrael says aloud, 'Amen, may the great name of Hashem be praised,' during the Kadish, THEN THERE IS UNION IN THE UPPER WORLDS, and the Holy One, blessed be He, is filled with compassion and mercy and forgives all. Then He signals to the angel appointed over the gates of Gehenom, whose name is Samariel and who has three keys with which he opens the three gates to the side of the desert. And then they see the light of this world, AND IMMEDIATELY a fiery smoke comes and conceals the ways OF LIGHT.

68. Then the three in charge, who have trowels in their hands, use them to fan the smoke and blow it back to its place. Then, they are at ease for an hour and a half, after which they return to the fire. They are also at ease three times a day, as well as each and every time Yisrael answers 'Amen, may the great name of Hashem be praised.' Happy are the righteous whose paths and ways illuminate and shine to all directions in the World to Come. As it is written: "But the path of just men is like the gleam of sunlight that shines ever more brightly until the height of noonday" (Mishlei 4:18). (End of Tosefta)