The four elements - fire, air, water, earth

32. "And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, by the name of El Shadai, but by My name, Hashem, I was not known to them" (Shemot 6:3). Rabbi Chizkiyah opened the discussion saying, "Blessed is the man to whom Hashem imputes no iniquity..." (Tehilim 32:2). How obtuse are people who do not know and do not observe why they are in the world. For when the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, He made man in His image and made him the way He did, in order that he should be occupied with the Torah and walk in His ways.

33. For when Adam was created, he was composed of the earth of the terrestrial Temple, WHICH IS MALCHUT THAT IS CALLED EARTH, THOUGH IT IS MALCHUT SWEETENED BY BINAH, WHICH IS CALLED THE EARTH OF THE TERRESTRIAL TEMPLE. And the four directions of the world, WHICH ARE CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT, were joined to that place called the Temple, MEANING IN MALCHUT THAT IS MITIGATED BY BINAH. These four directions joined in four aspects, which are the elements, WHICH ARE fire, air, water and earth, WHICH ARE THE INNER PART OF CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT, and the four directions joined the four elements. The Holy One, blessed be He, formed from them one body of supernal arrangement, WHICH IS BINAH, MEANING THAT MALCHUT IN IT WAS REFINED IN BINAH. THUS, this body is composed of two worlds, this lower world, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and the world above, WHICH IS BINAH.

34. Rabbi Shimon said, Come and see, The four first ones, WHICH ARE THE FOUR DIRECTIONS, are the secret of the Faith, WHICH IS THE NUKVA THAT IS CORRECTED BY THEM. They are the patriarchs of all the worlds, BECAUSE ALL THE WORLDS, BINAH, ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT IN ATZILUT AND THE THREE WORLDS BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH WERE FORMED FROM CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT, WHICH ARE THREE COLUMNS, AND MALCHUT THAT RECEIVES FROM THEM. And they are the secret of the supernal holy Chariot, MEANING BINAH, WHICH IS A CHARIOT TO CHOCHMAH. And these four elements - fire, air, water and earth - are a supernal secret CONTAINED IN THE FOUR DIRECTIONS, MEANING THAT THEY ARE THE INNER PART OF CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT. Gold, silver, brass, and iron originate in these four ELEMENTS, MEANING THAT GOLD ORIGINATES FROM THE UNION OF ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT UNDER THE DOMINATION OF FIRE OF THE LEFT COLUMN; SILVER ORIGINATES IN THE UNION OF ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT UNDER THE DOMINATION OF WATER OF THE RIGHT COLUMN; BRASS ORIGINATES IN THE DOMINATION OF THE CENTRAL COLUMN AND IRON IN MALCHUT WHEN IT IS NOT UNITED WITH ZEIR ANPIN. Under these FOUR, there are other similar metals. FROM THE GOLD METAL A GREEN METAL ALLOY IS PRODUCED AND FROM THE SILVER METAL, LEAD, ETC.

35. (formatting) Come and see: fire, air, water and earth are the first ones and the roots above and below; upper and lower beings are based on them. These four ELEMENTS - FIRE, AIR, WATER AND EARTH - correspond to the four directions, BECAUSE THE RELATION BETWEEN THEM IS THAT OF AN OUTER TO THE INNER. THEREFORE, THEY are situated in these four - north, south, east and west - which are the four directions, and the four ELEMENTS abide in them. Fire IS to the north side, WHICH CONSISTS OF THE VOWEL SHURUK, THE LEFT COLUMN AND THE SFIRAH OF GVURAH. Air is to the east side, WHICH CONSISTS OF THE VOWEL CHIRIK, THE CENTRAL COLUMN AND THE SFIRAH OF TIFERET. Water is to the south side, WHICH CONSISTS OF THE VOWEL CHOLAM, THE RIGHT COLUMN AND THE SFIRAH OF CHESED. Earth is to the west, WHICH IS THE SFIRAH OF MALCHUT THAT RECEIVES THE THREE, FIRE, AIR AND WATER. And these four ELEMENTS - FIRE, AIR, WATER EARTH - are connected to the four DIRECTIONS - NORTH, SOUTH, EAST AND WEST. And they are all one, EXCEPT THEY ARE WRAPPED ONE WITHIN THE ANOTHER AS OUTER AND INNER. And FIRE, AIR, WATER AND EARTH produce four metals, BY MEANS OF UNION WITH MALCHUT, which are gold, silver, brass and iron. And together there are twelve ASPECTS that are all one, NAMELY THREE COLUMNS AND MALCHUT, WHICH RECEIVES THEM. AND THEY ARE THUS THREE TIMES FOUR, BECAUSE THE FIRST EIGHT ARE INNER AND OUTER, AND THE FOUR METALS ARE PRODUCED BY THEM, AS SHALL BE EXPLAINED.

36. Come and see, Fire is in the Left COLUMN to the north side, WHICH IS GVURAH. Because in the fire are the power of heat and the power of dryness. Its opposite is the north, WHICH IS COLD AND MOIST. The one blends with the other and they are one. Water is in the Right COLUMN and is to the south side, WHICH IS CHESED AND IS HOT AND DRY, AS SHALL BE SAID. And the Holy One, blessed be He, in order to join them together, made the disposition of the one as the disposition of the other.

37. HE EXPLAINS FURTHER, IN the north, WHICH is cold and moist, WAS fire PLACED, WHICH IS hot and dry. SIMILARLY, He switched them in the south side. IN the south, WHICH is hot and dry, water WAS PLACED, WHICH IS cold and moist. NOW HE EXPLAINS THE BLENDING TOGETHER THAT HE AFFECTED. AND HE SAYS, And the Holy One, blessed be He, blended them as one, because water emerges from the south and enters into the north, and water flows from the north. SIMILARLY fire emerges from the north and comes into the power of the south, and the power of heat emerges into the world from the south. WE SEE THAT THE NORTH BRINGS FORTH WATER THAT APPERTAINS TO THE SOUTH, AND THE SOUTH PRODUCES HEAT THAT APPERTAINS TO THE NORTH because the Holy One, blessed be He, CAUSED them to borrow from each other. And each one lent the other of its own, as appropriate. Similarly, the wind and the east side, WHICH ARE HOT AND MOIST, CONTAINS TWO OPPOSITES BECAUSE HEAT COMES FROM THE FIRE, WHICH IS IN THE NORTH, AND MOISTURE COMES FROM WATER, WHICH IS IN THE SOUTH, in order that they should lend one to the other, to be included and join with each other.

38. HE EXPLAINS THE OPPOSITES CONTAINED IN THE AIR AND IN THE EAST, AND SAYS, Come and see: fire is on the one side, SOUTH, and water is on the other, NORTH. They are in conflict, AS FIRE WANTS TO BURN THE WATER AND WATER WANTS TO EXTINGUISH FIRE. Air comes between them and holds both sides together, UPHOLDING THEM BOTH, as it is written, "And a wind from Elohim moved over the surface of the water" (Beresheet 1:2). For fire is situated above to the SOUTH side and water to the NORTH side. Air comes between them, holds both sides and settles the quarrel. The water, air and fire stand over the earth, and by means of the three over it, it receives from all of them.

39. HE EXPLAINS FURTHER, SAYING, Come and see, air IS TO the east. BEHOLD, the east is hot and moist AND SO air is hot and moist. Therefore, it is attached to both sides, since fire is hot and dry and water is cold and moist. SO the hot aspect in air, which is hot and moist, is attached to fire and the cold aspect in it is attached to water. It therefore brought peace and nullified the conflict between fire and water.

40. Earth is cold and dry; therefore, it can receive upon itself all of them, NAMELY THE FIRE, WATER AND AIR. They all perform their tasks by it, and it receives from all of them in order to produce by their powers sustenance to the world. Because the earth is attached to the west, being cold and dry LIKE THE WEST, and the cold aspect IN THE EARTH is attached to the north, which is cold and moist, because cold is attached to cold, therefore, the north is attached to the west from the one side. That which is dry in the south, which is hot and dry, is attached to the dryness of the west on the other side OF THE WEST. And so the west is attached to the two sides.

41. The south similarly is attached to the east, for the heat of the south fuses with the heat of the east. Similarly the east is attached to the north, because its moistness fuses with the moistness of the north. Now there is south-east, MEANING THAT THEY ADHERE TO EACH OTHER THROUGH THEIR MUTUAL HEAT, north-east, THROUGH THEIR MUTUAL MOISTNESS, north-west THROUGH THEIR MUTUAL COLDNESS, and south-west THROUGH THEIR MUTUAL DRYNESS. They all are combined with each other, for they evolve from one to another.

42. In a similar way, north produces gold, because gold is formed by the potency of fire. This is the meaning of, "From the north comes forth gold" (Iyov 37:22), since fire fuses with the earth and gold is formed. This is the meaning of, "He has gold dust" (Iyov 28:6), and the secret meaning of "two gold Cherubs" (Shemot 25:18).

43. Water fuses with earth, and the coldness OF THE EARTH with the moistness OF THE WATER produces silver, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE LIGHT OF CHASSADIM IN THE SOUTH, WHICH FLOWS FROM ABOVE DOWNWARDS. WHEN IT FUSES WITH THE COLDNESS AND DRYNESS IN THE EARTH, THE DRYNESS OF THE EARTH IS VOIDED AND BECOMES MOIST, MEANING THAT IT FLOWS FROM ABOVE DOWNWARDS. THIS GRADE OF EARTH IS CALLED SILVER. Now earth is attached to two sides, to gold and silver, and is placed between them. Air holds to water and fire, BEING THE CENTRAL COLUMN AS MENTIONED, and brings them both out as one, which is CONSIDERED "like burnished brass" (Daniel 10:6). When earth is on its own, with its coldness and dryness, it produces iron, as mentioned. This is deduced from, "If the iron is blunt (Heb. kehah)..." (Kohelet 10:10). EARTH, WHICH IS MALCHUT, IS CALLED THE DARK (HEB. KEHAH) HAND BECAUSE MALCHUT IS THE SECRET OF THE HAND TEFILIN, AS IS KNOWN.

44. This earth fuses with them all, NAMELY WITH FIRE, AIR AND WATER, and they all produce with it according to their likeness. FIRE PRODUCES GOLD, WHICH RESEMBLES IT AND SO DOES WATER PRODUCE SILVER, WHICH RESEMBLES IT. Come and see, Without earth, there is neither gold, silver nor brass, because each one lends to the other of its characteristics IN ORDER to combine one with the other. And the earth fuses with all of them because the two sides, fire and water, fuse with it. FOR THE COLDNESS IN IT FUSES WITH THE WATER AND THE DRYNESS IN IT FUSES WITH THE FIRE. And air, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, is attracted to it because IT COMBINES these two - FIRE AND WATER - and performs its deed by it. AIR ALSO COMBINES FIRE AND WATER, FOR THE HEAT IN IT IS FROM FIRE AND THE MOISTNESS IN IT IS FROM WATER.

45. We find that when the earth fused WITH FIRE, WATER AND AIR -- THAT PRODUCED WITH IT GOLD, SILVER AND BRASS -- EARTH ACQUIRED STRENGTH. EARTH made and produced other METALS similar TO GOLD, SILVER AND BRASS. In the likeness of gold, the earth produces dross OF GOLD, which is green just like real gold. In the likeness of silver, it produces lead, WHICH IS LIKE SILVER, and in the likeness of the superior brass, it produces tin, which is called brass minor. In the likeness of iron, it produces a DIFFERENT kind of iron. This is derived from, "Iron sharpens iron" (Mishlei 27:17). IT SHOWS THAT THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF IRON.

46. Come and see, Fire, air, water and earth are all attached to each other and connected to one another. There is no division between them. THEREFORE THERE IS NO DISCONNECTION BETWEEN GOLD, SILVER AND BRASS THAT EMERGED FROM THEM. But those that earth produces afterwards, NAMELY THE DROSS OF GOLD, LEAD, TIN AND IRON, do not connect with each other as those superior do, NAMELY GOLD, SILVER AND BRASS THAT EMERGE FROM FIRE, WATER AND AIR, WHEN COMBINED WITH EARTH. This is stated in the verse, "And from thence it was parted, and branched into four streams" (Beresheet 2:10). Among those there is division.

47. Since when the earth produced by the power of the three upper ones, it brought forth ON ITS OWN four rivers, where there are precious stones. They concentrate in one place, NAMELY IN THE RIVER PISHON ONLY, THAT ORIGINATES FROM THE POWER OF THE FIRE WHICH IS IN THE EARTH, as it is written, "There is the crystal and the onyx stone" (Ibid. 12). And these precious stones are twelve in number, to the four directions of the world, THREE TO EVERY SIDE. FOR WHEN THEY ARE INCLUDED WITHIN EACH OTHER THERE ARE ONLY THREE TO EACH OF FIRE, WATER, AIR AND EARTH, INSTEAD OF FOUR TO EACH SIDE, SINCE EARTH HAS NO ILLUMINATION OF ITS OWN, BEING JUST THE RECIPIENT. And they correspond to the twelve tribes, as it is written, "And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Yisrael, twelve, according to their names" (Shemot 28:21). And these are the twelve oxen that stood under the sea THAT SOLOMON MADE, MENTIONED IN I MELACHIM 7:25.

48. Come and see, Even though the four aspects that we mentioned are interconnected and sustain the world, it is mostly sustained on air. Everything exists because of it. The Nefesh exists only with air (Ruach), for if air were missing FROM IT even for one moment, the Nefesh could not exist. This is the secret of what is written, "Also, that the soul (Nefesh) be without knowledge is not good" (Mishlei 19:2). DA'AT (KNOWLEDGE) IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN THAT IS CALLED AIR. A Nefesh without Ruach is no good and cannot exist.

49. Come and see, These twelve stones we mentioned are the twelve oxen that are under the sea THAT SOLOMON MADE. FOR THE NUKVA IS CALLED SEA, AND IT STANDS UPON TWELVE OXEN, WHICH ARE FOUR OXEN EACH ONE COMPOSED OF THREE IN THE WORLD OF BRIYAH. THEY ARE CALLED OXEN BECAUSE THEY ARE MOSTLY UNDER THE DOMINATION OF THE LEFT, AS IT IS SAID, "THE FACE OF AN OX ON THE LEFT SIDE" (YECHEZKEL 1:10). Therefore, the twelve tribal princes took, AS IT IS SAID: "All the oxen for burnt offering were twelve bullocks..." (Bemidbar 7:87). It is all a lofty secret, and one who will observe these things will understand the secret of Supernal Wisdom wherein lies the essence of everything.

50. Rabbi Shimon said, Rabbi Chizkiyah remarked that when the Holy One, blessed be He, created Adam, NAMELY HIS BODY, it was created from the earth of the terrestrial Temple, WHICH IS MALCHUT. Yet his soul was given to him from the earth of the celestial Temple, WHICH IS BINAH. As he was created from the lower earth, three aspects of the elements, WHICH ARE LOWER FIRE, AIR, AND WATER were combined with it, WITH EARTH. So when he was created from the upper earth, three aspects of the elements, UPPER FIRE, AIR AND WATER, were combined WITH EARTH, and Adam was complete IN BODY AND IN SOUL. This is the meaning of, "Blessed is the man to whom Hashem imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile" (Tehilim 32:2). When will Hashem not impute iniquity to him? When there is no guile in his spirit, NAMELY, WHEN HE HAS A SOUL FROM BINAH.

51. Come and see, Moses was more perfect than the patriarchs because the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke to him from a higher grade than all of them, THAN THE GRADE OF THE PATRIARCHS. Moses frequented the inside of the King's house, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, NAMELY THAT HE WAS OF THE ASPECT OF DA'AT, WHICH IS THE INNER ASPECT OF ZEIR ANPIN. Therefore it is written, "And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob...," as has already been explained.