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.