"Whatever the Elohim does, it shall be forever"

509. "whatever the Elohim does" (Kohelet 3:14). A further explanation is THAT WHATSOEVER HE DOES to correct the world, will surely be forever, BUT THE DEMONS AND THE OTHER SIDE WILL BE NULLIFIED AT THE END OF CORRECTION, AND ARE NOT ETERNAL. Rabbi Yitzchak said, If that is so, what is THE MEANING OF: "and the Elohim does it, so that men should fear before Him" (Ibid.)? WHICH IS UNDERSTOOD TO ALLUDE TO THE OTHER SIDE, WHO CAST FEAR ON THE WORLD. It is not so, for we have learned that the verse, and this is a divine secret amongst the companions, should be read as follows: Whatever the Elohim did, it shall be forever. But what is meant by: "whatever the Elohim does (lit. 'will do')" for is it not written "That which is, already has been; and that which is to be has already been" (Ibid. 15)? Yet you say: "whatever the Elohim will do"?

510. HE ANSWERS, we can understand the matter from another verse. It is written: "Neither has the eye seen that an Elohim, beside You, should do such a thing for him who waits for Him" (Yeshayah 64:3). It should have said 'have done' instead of "should do" and 'for him who waits for You' instead of "for Him." HE ANSWERS, rather, it is an upper place that is drawn down and emerges and kindles all the lights, NAMELY ALL THE SFIROT OF ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT, in all directions, BOTH TO THE RIGHT AND TO THE LEFT, and is called 'the World to Come', NAMELY BINAH. And from it emerges a tree, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, to be watered and corrected. And this tree is more sublime and more precious than all other trees, and we have already learned about this. And that World to Come, WHICH IS BINAH, which comes out and emerges, corrects this tree continuously, and waters it, NAMELY IT EMANATES MOCHIN TO IT, and improves it in its work; NAMELY BINAH IMPROVES THE VESSELS OF ZEIR ANPIN WITH ITS OWN VESSELS SO THAT IT SHOULD BE FIT TO RECEIVE MOCHIN FROM IT; and crowns it with diadems, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE FIRST THREE SFIROT, and none of the fountains ceases to flow from it forever and ever.

511. On that tree, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, Faith is suspended, WHICH IS MALCHUT THAT IS CALLED 'FAITH', which rests on it, rather than all the other trees, IN THE SECRET OF THE VERSE: "LIKE THE APPLE TREE AMONG THE TREES OF THE WOOD, SO IS MY BELOVED AMONG THE SONS" (SHIR HASHIRIM 2:3). The existence of everything is to be found in it, INASMUCH AS IT IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN THAT GIVES EVERYTHING ITS EXISTENCE. And therefore it is written: "whatever the Elohim does, it shall be forever." Specifically, He was, He is, and He will be. "Nothing can be added to Him, nor anything taken from Him" (Ibid.). And thus it is written in the Torah: "you shall not add thereto, nor diminish from it" (Devarim 13:1). For this tree is the Torah, SINCE ZEIR ANPIN IS CALLED 'TORAH'. And the Elohim, WHO IS BINAH, establishes this place always. And the Elohim, unless specified otherwise, is Gvurah from the Infinite and Unfathomable One, NAMELY BINAH THAT IS CALLED 'GVURAH', IN THE SECRET OF THE VERSE: "I AM UNDERSTANDING (BINAH); I HAVE STRENGTH (GVURAH)" (MISHLEI 8:14). As it is written: "there is no searching for His understanding" (Yeshayah 40:28), NAMELY THERE IS NO FATHOMING TO HIS BINAH. This is why 'the Elohim' is written and not just 'Elohim', FOR ELOHIM WITHOUT THE DEFINITE ARTICLE REFERS TO MALCHUT. Thus He 'will do' always, as constant as a spring whose waters will not cease for all generations.

512. For this reason it is written: "And the Elohim has so made it, that men should fear before Him" (Kohelet 3:14). THIS MEANS THAT He established that tree, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, in complete perfection, until it is attached to all sides, RIGHT AND LEFT, above and below, NAMELY TO BINAH AND MALCHUT, so that they should "fear before Him" and not replace it with any substitute for all generations.

513. Rabbi Aba said: What you have said is indeed nice, but one has to look into it even further. At the beginning of the verse IT SAYS "does (lit. 'will do'),"' and later "and Elohim does (lit. 'made') it." Why this difference? HE ANSWERS, surely because He "will do" and establish this tree, ZEIR ANPIN, so that its waters should not cease for all generations, SINCE THE WATERS OF BINAH DO NOT CEASE FOR ALL GENERATIONS AS THEY ARE DRAWN DOWN FROM SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA, WHOSE UNION IS NEVER INTERRUPTED. And then, IT IS WRITTEN "made." What did He make? Rather, the Elohim, WHICH IS BINAH, made another tree, WHICH IS MALCHUT, below it, but He will not make IT like this one, LIKE ZEIR ANPIN. THAT IS TO SAY: BINAH WILL NOT BESTOW UPON IT A NEVER CEASING BOUNTY, WHICH IS CHASSADIM FROM SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA, AS IT BESTOWS UPON ZEIR ANPIN. Therefore it is written "made" and not "will make," for this lower tree, WHICH IS MALCHUT, He made it and establishes it BY THE ASPECT OF THE LEFT, WHICH IS JUDGMENT so when one enters the upper tree, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, one will so enter with permission OF THE LOWER TREE, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and, on finding the lower tree, he will be afraid to enter THE UPPER TREE other than in a proper way.

514. Come and see that this one, THE LOWER TREE WHICH IS MALCHUT, is the doorkeeper OF ZEIR ANPIN, AND MALCHUT is therefore called "He who keeps Yisrael" (Tehilim 121:4), FOR IT KEEPS ZEIR ANPIN, WHO IS CALLED 'YISRAEL'. And it is this lower tree that THE ELOHIM, WHICH IS BINAH, made, that it should be watered and nourished from the upper tree, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN. And it is therefore not written 'will make' but "made," FOR HE HAD MADE IT TO BE A KEEPER AND SO THAT IT SHOULD BE NOURISHED FROM ZEIR ANPIN. What was the reason FOR HIS MAKING IT A KEEPER? It was so that men should be fearful of Him, and not draw close to Him, except for those who are fitted to come close, and not any others, and that men should keep the ways of the Torah and not deviate to the right nor the left, BUT SHOULD CLEAVE TO THE CENTRAL COLUMN.