Second Chapter

14. Second Chapter. In it is explained the Beard of Faith. The beard is not mentioned IN THE TORAH, PROPHETS OR THE WRITINGS, FOR IT IS WRITTEN, "THE EYES OF HASHEM," "THE EARS OF HASHEM," AND ALSO "HIS CHEEKS ARE LIKE A BED OF SPICES" (SHIR HASHIRIM 5:13), BUT THERE IS NO MENTION OF THE BEARD, because it is most precious and it comes out from the ears WHERE THE BEARD STARTS. It encircles the shape of the face, as a white strand going up and down around the face, MEANING THAT THE BEARD IN GENERAL LOOKS LIKE A WHITE STRAND WITH WHITE HAIRS AROUND THE FACE. SOME OF THEM GO UP, SHINING FROM BELOW UPWARDS, WHILE SOME GO DOWN, SHINING FROM ABOVE DOWNWARDS. It is explained in thirteen CHARACTERISTICS.

15. Concerning that most precious, NAMELY THE BEARD, it is written, "Through a land that no man (Heb. ish) passed through, and where no man (Heb. adam) dwelt" (Yirmeyah 2:6). ZEIR ANPIN IS CALLED 'ADAM' AND YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN IS CALLED 'ISH'. Adam is outside ARICH ANPIN, FOR ZEIR ANPIN THAT IS CALLED 'ADAM' WRAPS ARICH ANPIN ON THE OUTSIDE FROM THE NAVEL DOWN, and all the more so ish, WHICH IS YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN THAT IS EVEN OUTSIDE ZEIR ANPIN. NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD ARE OUTSIDE THE TORSO AND, ALL THE MORE SO, OUTSIDE OF ARICH ANPIN; THEREFORE, THEY HAVE NO SHARE IN THIS BEARD OF ARICH ANPIN. THE BEARD is explained by thirteen springs and only four OF THE FEATURES are guarded, SO AS NOT TO FLOW DOWN TO ZEIR ANPIN. Nine OF THE FEATURES water the body, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN.

16. THE FIRST FEATURE IS THAT the precious, WHICH IS THE BEARD, starts to form in front of the opening of the ears, MEANING OPPOSITE THE OPENINGS OF THE EARS, and descends beautifully DOWNWARDS TO THE BEGINNING OF THE LIPS. 2) THERE ARE HAIRS at the top of the lips, from the top OF THE RIGHT LIP to the top OF THE LEFT LIP. 3) There is a path CLEAR OF HAIR that emerges below the two nostrils to remove sins, as it is written, "And it is His glory (Heb. tiferet) to pass over transgressions" (Mishlei 19:11). 4) THE HAIRS below the lips again become another top. 5) Another path, FREE OF HAIR, emerges under it, MEANING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HAIRS AT THE LOWER LIP. 6) An offering of spices, MEANING HAIRS, covers THE FACE FROM BELOW to the top OF THE UPPER LIP. 7) Two apples, MEANING THE CHEEKS THAT ARE FREE OF HAIR, are visible to light the candles. 8) From the overall Mazal, MEANING THE HAIRS THAT SPREAD AND hang as far as the heart, extend the upper and lower beings, MEANING THE UPPER EXPANSE OF THE BEARD THAT IS CALLED 'SUPERNAL MAZAL'.

17. THE NINTH FEATURE IS THAT the SHORT HAIRS that hang BETWEEN THE HAIRS OF THE UPPER EXPANSE OF THE BEARD do not stick out one from the other, FOR THEY ARE ALL THE SAME SIZE. THE TENTH CHAREACTERISTIC IS the short HAIRS that cover the neck CLOSE TO the precious BEARD. THE ELEVENTH FEATURE IS long HAIRS that are in full length THAT HANG OVER THE NECK. THE TWELFTH FEATURE IS the lips, free of hair from all sides. Blessed is he who kisses with these kisses. THE THIRTEENTH FEATURE IS THAT in the overall Mazal flow thirteen RIVERS of fine balsam tree oil. Everything is in this Mazal, which is concealed, NAMELY THE LOWER EXPANSE OF THE BEARD THAT IS CALLED 'THE LOWER MAZAL'.

18. When Tishrei arrives, which is the seventh month, these thirteen FEATURES are in the upper world, WHICH IS BINAH, and the thirteen Gates of Mercy open there. Concerning that time, IT IS WRITTEN, "Seek Hashem while He may be found" (Yeshayah 55:6).

19. "And Elohim said, Let the earth bring forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind..." (Beresheet 1:11). This is the meaning of, "You shall afflict your souls" (Vayikra 16:31) in the ninth of the month at evening. It is also written, "Adonai Hashem, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness" (Devarim 3:24). HERE THE NAME Yud Hei Vav Hei is whole on all sides, MEANING THAT IT ILLUMINATES ON THE RIGHT SIDE AND THE LEFT SIDE TOGETHER. THEREFORE, IT IS WRITTEN, ADONAI YUD HEI VAV HEI AND 'YOUR GREATNESS'. But here, with the awakening of the earth, it is incomplete, FOR ONLY THE LEFT SIDE ILLUMINATES WITHOUT THE RIGHT SIDE.

20. It is not written HERE 'let there be (Heb. yehi) GRASS AND HERB', WHERE we read an upper Yud and a lower Yud, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SECRET OF "Vayyitzer (lit. 'And He formed')" (Beresheet 2:19) SPELLED WITH TWO YUDS, the upper Yud BEING UPPER CHOCHMAH and the lower Yud BEING LOWER CHOCHMAH, NAMELY THE NUKVA. THIS IS THE SECRET OF THE TWO YUDS AT THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF THE PERMUTATION YUD ALEPH HEI DALET VAV NUN HEI YUD. Yehi CONTAINS upper Yud and lower Yud with Hei between them, FOR HEI IS THE SECRET OF BINAH, FROM WHICH THE LOWER YUD RECEIVES CHOCHMAH. And that is overall perfection, FOR THEN IT RECEIVES CHOCHMAH, WHICH IS perfect, though not from every side BUT ONLY FROM THE LEFT. THEREFORE, this name is uprooted - NAMELY THE NUKVA WHICH IS CALLED 'NAME' - and is planted in a different place as it is written: "And Hashem Elohim planted a garden in Eden..." (Ibid. 8).

21. ANOTHER EXPLANATION: The Hei WRITTEN between the two Yuds of 'Yehi', ALLUDES TO the blowing OF THE SPIRIT (OR: 'WIND') OF CHOCHMAH from the nose of Arich Anpin to Zeir Anpin. Without the spirit OF CHOCHMAH it cannot exist. By the Hei THAT ALLUDES TO THE NOSE OF ARICH ANPIN, the upper Hei OF THE NAME YUD HEI VAV HEI and the lower Hei OF THE NAME YUD HEI VAV HEI were perfected, MEANING THAT THE UPPER HEI, WHICH IS BINAH, RECEIVES CHOCHMAH IN ITS LEFT COLUMN FROM THE NOSE OF ARICH ANPIN AND TRANSFERS TO THE LOWER HEI, WHICH IS THE NUKVA. THEN THE TWO HEI'S ARE TOGETHER, as is written, "Ah (spelled Aleph Hei Hei) Adonai Elohim" (Yirmeyah 1:6). THIS INDICATES THAT WHENEVER THE TWO HEI'S ARE TOGETHER, WHEN THE LOWER HEI RECEIVES CHOCHMAH FROM THE LEFT COLUMN OF THE UPPER HEI, IT IS SAID, ALEPH HEI HEI, WHICH ALLUDES TO A TIME OF TROUBLE. THE NUKVA IS THEN IN TROUBLE, FOR SHE IS DESOLATE AND SERE, AS MENTIONED.

22. In the cluster of clusters, in the spirit of the scales, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, IN WHOM LIES THE SCALE AS MENTIONED, AND WHO IS CALLED 'A CLUSTER', AS IS WRITTEN, "MY BELOVED IS TO ME AS A CLUSTER OF HENNA" (SHIR HASHIRIM 1:14) THERE IS Yud-Hei-Vav. HE EXPLAINS: The upper Yud, WHICH IS ABA AND IMA, CALLED 'ABA', is adorned with the bond of Atik, which is a lofty membrane that is purified and hidden. The upper Hei was adorned with the spirit of the two openings of the royal viceroy that emerged to revive, MEANING TO BESTOW CHOCHMAH THAT IS CALLED 'LIFE'. The upper Vav IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN, AND DA'AT, WHEREIN LIES the hard spark that is crowned on its sides. The letters YUD-HEI-VAV expand afterwards and become part of Zeir Anpin IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SECRET OF 'THREE EMERGE FROM ONE, ONE EXISTS IN THREE'. Just as YUD-HEI-VAV dwell in the Skull OF ARICH ANPIN, they also spread throughout the body OF ARICH ANPIN, NAMELY ITS SEVEN LOWER SFIROT, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT, to complete everything. When these letters YUD-HEI-VAV are suspended, THAT IS, CONCEALED, THEY ARE in pure wool. When they appear to Zeir Anpin, the letters YUD-HEI-VAV rest on Him, and He is named after them.

23. The Yud OF YUD HEI VAV HEI in Atik is concealed with its crowns, because the Left is present, WHICH CAN BE RESOLVED ONLY BY THE SCALE. The Hei is opened by another Hei, NAMELY THE HEI OF ZEIR ANPIN, WHEREIN IS THE PLACE OF REVELATION. THEREFORE, HEI, WHEN FULLY SPELLED, IS SPELLED WITH ANOTHER HEI, NAMELY HEI-HEI. IT IS composed of two females, BECAUSE THE LAST HEI, WHICH IS MALCHUT, IS INCLUDED IN IT and acquired its features. Vav is opened by another Vav that is in Zeir Anpin, as written, "goes to my beloved directly" (Shir Hashirim 7:11), AS THE SUPERNAL FEATURES GO TO MY BELOVED, THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN. FOR IN HIM IS the hard spark to cover the entrance of Ima. THEREFORE, VAV FULLY SPELLED IS SPELLED WITH ANOTHER VAV, NAMELY VAV-VAV.

24. THUS THERE IS Vav above IN THE HEAD AND THERE IS Vav below IN ZEIR ANPIN. THERE IS Hei above IN THE HEAD AND THERE IS Hei below IN ZEIR ANPIN; THIS IS WHY THEY ARE DOUBLED IN FULL SPELLING, AS MENTIONED, BECAUSE ABOVE THEY ARE CONCEALED AND BELOW THEY ARE REVEALED. Yud is above, but no other YUD partakes in it - AS IN THE CASE OF HEI AND VAV - or comes out WITH IT WHEN PRONOUNCED, except by allusion, BECAUSE VAV-DALET IN THE FULL SPELLING OF YUD HAVE THE SAME NUMERICAL VALUE AS YUD (= 10). THIS IS AN ALLUSION THAT IT INCLUDES A SECOND, LOWER YUD, meaning that two were revealed IN YUD - SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA, who join in one level, trembling together in order to separate FROM THE LEFT. AND THIS IS Vav Dalet that are included in Yud Vav Dalet, YUD BEING SUPERNAL ABA AND VAV DALET SUPERNAL IMA. Woe when ABA, YUD, departs, AND VAV DALET are revealed.

25. These spices - MEANING THE ILLUMINATIONS OF CHOCHMAH CALLED 'SPICES' AND 'SCENT' - of the red engravings, WHICH ARE ALL THE ASPECTS OF THE LEFT COLUMN, WHICH ARE RED, that pass through TO ILLUMINATE, do not mingle at the place, BUT RATHER RETURN IMMEDIATELY TO THEIR PLACE, AS WRITTEN, "And the living creatures ran and returned" (Yechezkel 1:14), AS THEY IMMEDIATELY RETURN TO THEIR PLACE. LIKEWISE, "Flee to your place" (Bemidbar 24:11), means that he hastens to return to his place. This is the secret of the verse, "Though you do soar aloft like the eagle, and though you do set your nest among the stars" (Ovadyah 1:4), "from there I will bring you down" (Ibid.).

26. "And the earth brought forth grass" (Beresheet 1:12). When DID THIS OCCUR? IT WAS when the name, WHICH IS THE NUKVA, was planted. AND SO FROM ABA AND IMA, emerged air, WHICH IS THE LIGHT OF CHASSADIM FROM ABA, and a spark, WHICH IS THE LIGHT OF GVUROT FROM IMA. WHEN THE AIR AND THE SPARK JOINED TOGETHER, a Skull extended from them, WHICH IS KETER OF ZEIR ANPIN at its sides. Dew filled over it, THE SKULL, of two colors, NAMELY WHITE AND RED IN THE SECRET OF, "FOR YOUR DEW IS THE DEW OF LIGHT" (YESHAYAH 26:19), WHICH ARE THE LIGHTS OF CHESED AND GVURAH. AND THIS IS THE FIRST OF THE SEVEN FEATURES OF THE SKULL OF ZEIR ANPIN.

27. SECOND FEATURE: Three spaces of engraved letters, NAMELY YUD-HEI-VAV, appear in it. THIRD FEATURE: HAIRS, black as a raven, hang over the deep openings OF THE EARS, and one cannot hear from the right or the left, BECAUSE THE HAIRS, WHICH ARE JUDGMENTS, BLOCK THEM. Here, IN RELATION TO THE HAIRS ON THE SKULL OF ZEIR ANPIN, THERE IS ABOVE one thin path, NAMELY THE PATH AT THE CENTER OF THE HEAD THAT DIVIDES THE HAIRS INTO RIGHT AND LEFT.

28. THE FOURTH FEATURE IS a non-luminous forehead, FROM WHICH ARE DRAWN JUDGMENT AND strife to the world except AT TIMES OF GREATNESS, when the will OF THE FOREHEAD OF ARICH ANPIN supervises THE FOREHEAD OF ZEIR ANPIN. THE FIFTH FEATURE IS eyes of three colors - WHICH ARE BLACK, RED AND GREEN - which are to be feared, BECAUSE ALL THESE COLORS ALLUDE TO JUDGMENTS, FOR RED IS LEFT AND GREEN IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN AND BLACK IS MALCHUT. DURING GREATNESS, they wash in luminous milk, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF CHESED THAT FLOWS from Atika, as is written, "Your eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation" (Yeshayah 33:20), MEANING FREE OF JUDGMENT. It is also written, "Righteousness lodged in it" (Yeshayah 1:21), SO THERE IS IN IT JUDGMENT THAT IS CALLED 'RIGHTEOUSNESS'. HE ANSWERS: IT SAYS "quiet habitation," WHEN THE EYE OF the hidden Atik SHINES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MEANING OF "WASHED IN MILK" (SHIR HASHIRIM 5:12), because it is spelled Eynecha (lit. 'your eyes') WITHOUT YUD, THE MARK OF PLURAL. IN ATIKA, THERE IS NO LEFT AND BOTH EYES ARE CONSIDERED AS THE RIGHT EYE.

29. THE SIXTH FEATURE IS the nose of the face that is short for identification, BECAUSE THE FACE IS RECOGNIZED BY THE NOSE, AS OUR SAGES HAVE SAID, 'WITNESS CAN TESTIFY ONLY WHEN THERE IS A FACE TOGETHER WITH A NOSE'. Three flames burn in its nostrils, WHICH ARE THE THREE ASPECTS OF JUDGMENT - JUDGMENT DRAWN FROM BINAH, FROM MALCHUT AND FROM THE LEFT COLUMN. THE SEVENTH FEATURE IS curved level to hear good and evil, MEANING THE EARS DURING GREATNESS, AFTER THE HAIR THAT BLOCKED THEM IS REMOVED, AS MENTIONED. FOR THEN THEY ARE OPENED TO HEAR GOOD AND EVIL TO DO GOOD FOR THE GOOD PEOPLE AND TO PUNISH THE EVIL, AND TO RECEIVE THE PRAYERS OF THE LOWER BEINGS.

30. It is written, "I am Hashem, that (lit. 'He') is My name" (Yeshayah 42:8), SPOKEN IN THE FIRST PERSON "I," AND THE THIRD PERSON, "HE," IN ONE CLAUSE. IT SHOULD HAVE SAID, 'I AM, HASHEM IS MY NAME.' YET IT SAYS, "I" AND "HE," ARE TWO NAMES, as written, "I kill and I make alive" (Devarim 32:39), and it is also written, "And I will bear; and I will carry" (Yeshayah 46:4). SO WE SEE THAT "I" IS A NAME, MEANING THE NAME OF MALCHUT, AND "HE" IS ALSO A NAME. It is written, "He has made us and we are His" (Tehilim 100:3), AND "But He is unchangeable, and who can turn Him" (Iyov 23:13). SO WE SEE THAT HE IS ALSO CALLED BY THE NAME "HE," BECAUSE "He" is used for one who is hidden and not present. "He" is used for one who is not visible to the eye, MEANING THAT HE IS NOT READY TO RECEIVE CHOCHMAH THAT IS CALLED 'EYE'. He is used for one who has no name, NAMELY BINAH, WHICH IS YISRAEL SABA AND TEVUNAH.

31. HE EXPLAINS THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE THREE LETTERS HEI VAV ALEPH (HE), ACCORDING TO WHAT HE SAID ABOVE THAT CONCEALED CHOCHMAH, ABA AND IMA AND YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH ARE EACH CALLED "He." HE SAYS, Hei OF HU (LIT. 'HE'-HEI VAV ALEPH) includes Vav, Vav includes Aleph OF HU, but does not include Hei OF HU. Aleph goes towards Yud, Yud goes towards the most concealed Yud, to which the Vav Dalet OF YUD FULLY SPELLED are not attached. Woe is when the Yud does not illuminate on Vav Dalet.

32. When Yud departed from Vav Dalet because of the sins of the world, the nakedness of them all was revealed. And about this is written, "The nakedness of your father... shall you not uncover" (Vayikra 18:7); it is written, "or the nakedness of your mother shall you not uncover, SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA, YUD, THAT ARE BOTH CONSIDERED 'ABA'. She is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness" (Ibid.), BECAUSE YISRAEL -SABA AND TEVUNAH ARE BOTH CALLED BY THE NAME 'IMA'. She is surely your mother as is written, "if (Heb. im) you cry after wisdom (Binah)" (Mishlei 2:3), FOR YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH, WHICH ARE BINAH, ARE CALLED 'MOTHER' (HEB. EM).