"in sorrow you shall bring forth children"

Synopsis

Rabbi Elazar asks his father Rabbi Shimon how this title passage applies to the supernal woman, Malchut. Rabbi Shimon replies by referring to "as the hart pants after the water brooks," coming to the conclusion that the female (Malchut) pants after the water (the light of Chassidim), conceives from the male and is in labor because she is under judgment. He says that when she gives birth God prepares for her a big supernal serpent; it bites that place and she delivers. The meaning of, "I will greatly multiply the pain of your childbearing," is that she shudders daily and is saddened by the deeds of the world. The sorrow of the title verse is the secret of the serpent that saddens the face of the world. Rabbi Shimon says that Malchut was originally as big as Zeir Anpin but she diminished her light and rule and has no power herself but what Zeir Anpin gives her, exactly like the moon and the sun, and so he rules over her. We are told that the serpent, sorrow, is required because he opened a way through which the upper souls descend into the world, and if it weren't for that opening, no souls would dwell inside man at all. In "sin crouches at the door," the 'door' is the door of Malchut, whose purpose is to give birth; the serpent stands at the door. However, Rabbi Shimon tells us, any souls that descend into holy bodies do not have the serpent present at their entrance because their gates are not closed, as they are drawn from the Right Column. But for everyone else the serpent rules over the body and Malchut rules over the soul, both being wrapped around one another. Lastly, we hear that when the serpent delivers before his time he dies at delivery, as written in, "He will destroy death forever," and "The dead men of your people shall live, my dead body shall arise."

485. Rabbi Shimon and his son Rabbi Elazar were sitting one night and studying the Torah. Rabbi Elazar said to Rabbi Shimon his father, it is written: "To the woman He said, I will greatly multiply the pain of your childbearing. In sorrow you shall bring forth children; and yet your desire shall be to your husband..." (Beresheet 3:16). We learned that this high secret, TAHT IS, WHICH APPLIES ALSO TO MALCHUT ABOVE, IS true below FOR THE PHYSICAL WOMAN. But if this is the reflection of above, TO WIT, THE SUPERNAL WOMAN, MALCHUT, WAS TOLD "IN SORROW YOU SHALL BRING FORTH CHILDREN," what then is the meaning of all this?

485. ר"ש וְר' אֶלְעָזָר בְּרֵיהּ, הָווֹ יַתְבֵי לֵילְיָא חַד, וְלָעָאן בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא. א"ר אֶלְעָזָר לְר"ש אֲבוֹי. הָא כְּתִיב וְאֶל הָאִשָּׁה אָמַר הַרְבָּה אַרְבֶּה עִצְּבוֹנֵךְ וְהֵרוֹנֵךְ בְּעֶצֶב תֵּלְדִי בָנִים וְאֶל אִישֵׁךְ תְּשׁוּקָתֵךְ וְגוֹ'. וְאוֹלִיפְנָא דְּדָא אִיהוּ רָזָא עִלָּאָה. תִּינָח לְתַתָּא, אֲבָל אִיהוּ כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, מַאי אִיכָּא לְמֵימַר.

486. Rabbi Shimon opened the discussion and said, "as the hart longs for the water brooks" (Tehilim 42:2). This verse was already explained, yet there is a living creature in the world, WHICH IS MALCHUT; it has in its charge a thousand keys every day, NAMELY, THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH CALLED THOUSAND. This animal is female, and is always desirous of the water brooks, THAT IS, OF CHASSADIM OF ZEIR ANPIN, IN WHICH CHOCHMAH CLOTHES ITSELF, to drink and quench her thirst. FOR CHOCHMAH IN HER CANNOT ILLUMINATE WITHOUT CHASSADIM AND THEREFORE IT IS DARK AND ATHIRST FOR THE LIGHT OF CHASSADIM CALLED WATER, as is written: "as the hart longs for the water brooks."

486. פָּתַח ר"ש וְאָמַר, כְּאַיָּל תַּעֲרֹג עַל אֲפִיקֵי מָיִם וְגוֹ'. הַאי קְרָא אוּקְמוּהָ. אֲבָל חַיָּה חֲדָא אִית בְּעָלְמָא, וְאִיהִי שַׁלְטָא בְּשֻׁלְטָנָא עַל אֶלֶף מַפְתְּחָן בְּכָל יוֹמָא. וְאִיהִי נוּקְבָּא וְתִיאוּבְתָּא דִּילָהּ תָּדִיר עַל אֲפִיקֵי מַיִם לְמִשְׁתֵּי וּלְאִתְרַוָואָה מִצַחוּתָא, דִּכְתִּיב כְּאַיָּל תַּעֲרוֹג עַל אֲפִיקֵי מַיִם.

487. הָכָא אִית לְאִסְתַּכְּלָא. בְּקַדְמֵיתָא כְּתִיב כְּאַיָּל, וְלָא כְּתִיב כָּאַיֶּלֶת, וּלְבָתַר תַּעֲרוֹג, וְלָא כְּתִיב יַעֲרוֹג. אֲבָל רָזָא דָּא, דְּכַר וְנוּקְבָּא תַּרְוַויְיהוּ כַּחֲדָא דְּלָא לְאַפְרָשָׁא לוֹן, וְחַד אִיהוּ, דְּלָא אִצְטְרִיךְ לְסַלְּקָא דָּא מִן דָּא, אֶלָּא תַּרְוַויְיהוּ כַּחֲדָא. וְהַאי נוּקְבָּא, תַּעֲרוֹג עַל אֲפִיקֵי מַיִם, וְאִיהִי מִתְעַבְּרָא מִן דְּכוּרָא, וְקָשֵׁי עָלָהּ דְּהָא עַל דִּינָא קַיְּימָא.

488. When she gives birth, the Holy One, blessed be He, prepares for her a big supernal serpent. It bites that place and she delivers. This is the meaning of "I will greatly multiply the pain of your childbearing" (Beresheet 3:16), because she shudders daily, and is saddened by the deeds of the world. "In sorrow you shall bring forth children" (Ibid.): this sorrow is the secret of the serpent which saddens the face of the people, FOR IT BROUGHT DEATH TO THEM BY THE TEMPTATION OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL, AND SHE NEEDS HIM TO OPEN THE OPENING SO SHE CAN DELIVER.

488. וְכַד אוֹלִידַת קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא זַמִּין לָהּ חַד חִוְיָא עִלָּאָה רַבְרְבָא, וְאָתֵי וְנָשִׁיךְ לְגַבֵּי הַהוּא אֲתָר, וְאוֹלִידַת. וְרָזָא דָּא הַרְבָּה אַרְבֶּה עִצְּבוֹנֵךְ וְהֵרוֹנֵךְ, בְּגִין דְּאִיהִי מִתְחַלְחְלָא בְּכָל יוֹמָא, וּבְעַצִּיבוּ עַל עוֹבָדִין דְּעָלְמָא. בְּעֶצֶב תֵּלְדִי בָנִים. בְּעֶצֶב, דָּא רָזָא דְּחִוְיָיא, דְּעָצִיב אַנְפֵּיהוֹן דְּעָלְמָא.

489. "And yet your desire shall be to your husband" (Ibid.) is connected to "longs for the water brooks" (Tehilim 42:2). SHE IS DESIROUS OF ZEIR ANPIN THAT WILL FILL HER WITH ABUNDANCE OF CHASSADIM SO SHE WILL QUENCH HER THIRST. "and he shall rule over you" (Beresheet 3:16) refers to the meaning that he, ZEIR ANPIN, rules over her, MALCHUT. And all this is BECAUSE IN THE BEGINNING SHE WAS AS BIG AS ZEIR ANPIN, AND HE DID NOT RULE OVER HER, and since the moon said, as we learned, THAT SHE IS MALCHUT, WHO SAID THAT IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR TWO KINGS TO RULE UNDER ONE CROWN, SHE WAS TOLD TO DIMINISH HERSELF. For that reason she diminished her light, and her rule, and has no power of her own but what power ZEIR ANPIN gives her. AND SO HE RULES OVER HER, AS IS SAID, "AND HE SHALL RULE OVER YOU."

489. וְאֶל אִישֵׁךְ תְּשׁוּקָתֵךְ, כד"א תַּעֲרוֹג עַל אֲפִיקֵי מַיִם. וְהוּא יִמְשָׁל בָּךְ, הָא אוֹקִימְנָא רָזָא, דְּאִיהוּ שַׁלִּיט עָלָהּ. וְכָל דָּא לָמָּה. בְּגִין דְּאָמְרָה סִיהֲרָא, כְּמָה דְּתָנֵינָן. וּבג"כ אַזְעִירַת נְהוֹרָאָה, וְאַזְעִירַת שׁוּלְטָנָהָא, וְלֵית לָהּ רְשׁוּ מִגַּרְמָהּ, בַּר כַּד יָהֲבִין לָהּ חֵילָא.

490. "In sorrow you shall bring forth children" is explained THAT SORROW IS THE INNER MEANING OF THE SERPENT. And if you say, why do we need this serpent. HE ANSWERS: he opened a way through which the souls descend into the world, and but for that opening through which the souls can descend, no SOULS would dwell inside man. It is written: "sin crouches at the door" (Beresheet 4:7). What is this door? It is the door OF MALCHUT, which purpose is to give birth, to deliver souls into the world. He, THE SERPENT, stands at the door.

490. בְּעֶצֶב תֵּלְדִי בָּנִים, כְּמָה דְּאוֹקִימְנָא. וְאִי תֵּימָא אֲמַאי אִצְטְרִיךְ חִוְיָא לְדָא. אֶלָּא דָּא פָּתַח אוֹרְחָא לְנַחְתָּא כָּל אִינּוּן נִשְׁמָתִין דְּעָלְמָא. דְּאִלְמָלֵא לָא פָּתַח אוֹרְחִין לְנַחְתָּא לְתַתָּא, לָא יִשְׁרֵי בְּגַוֵיהּ דְּבַר נָשׁ, מַה כְּתִיב לַפֶּתַח חַטָּאת רֹבֵץ. מַאי לַפֶּתַח. לְהַהוּא פֶּתַח דְּאִתְעַתְּדָא לְאוֹלָדָא, לְאַפָּקָא נִשְׁמָתִין לְעָלְמָא, אִיהוּ קָאֵים לְגַבֵּי הַהוּא פֶּתַח.

491. But all the souls that descend into holy bodies, NAMELY, THE SOULS DRAWN FROM THE RIGHT COLUMN, THE SERPENT is not present at the entrance. FOR THEN MALCHUT IS NOT OBLIGED TO DRAW CHOCHMAH FROM THE POWER OF THE LEFT COLUMN. HER GATES ARE NOT CLOSED SO THERE IS NO NEED FOR THE SERPENT TO OPEN THEM. The serpent has no dominion over that soul. Otherwise, the serpent bites, and that place is defiled, and such soul does not remain pure. OF THESE IT IS WRITTEN: "In sorrow you shall bring forth children," and the secret thereof is the serpent, with whom she bears souls, THAT IS, HE OPENS THE DOOR, AS WAS SAID. For the one, THE SERPENT, rules over the body, THE BODY BEING BORN OF THE DEFILEMENT OF THE SERPENT, and the other, MALCHUT, rules over the soul, AS SOULS ISSUE FORM HER. Both ARE CLOTHED with each other, one attached to the soul and one to the body.

491. וְכָל אִינּוּן נִשְׁמָתִין דְּאִצְטְרִיכוּ לְנַחְתָּא בְּגוּפִין קַדִּישִׁין, לָא קָאֵים אִיהוּ לְהַהוּא פֶּתַח, וְלֵית לֵיהּ רְשׁוּ בְּהַהִיא נִשְׁמְתָא. וְאִי לָאו, הָא חִוְיָא נָשִׁיךְ, וְאִסְתְּאַב הַהוּא אֲתָר, וְלָאו אִיהִי נִשְׁמְתָא דְּאִתְדַּכְיָיא וְהָכָא אִיהוּ רָזָא עִלָּאָה, בְּעֶצֶב תֵּלְדִי בָנִים. רָזָא דָּא, דָּא נָחָשׁ, דְּהָא עִמֵּיהּ אוֹלִידַת נִשְׁמָתִין, בְּגִין דְּדָא אִיהוּ עַל גּוּפָא, וְדָא עַל נִשְׁמְתָא, וְתַרְוַויְיהוּ דָּא בְּדָא. דָּא נָקִיט נִשְׁמְתָא, וְדָא נָקִיט גּוּפָא.

492. The serpent is destined to deliver all those bodies before his time is due. This is the meaning of the verse "before she travailed, she brought forth" (Yeshayah 66:7). Because though the serpent gives birth after seven years, here he bears after six years, that is, before his time. And when he bears at that time, he dies at delivery, as is written: "He will destroy death forever" (Yeshayah 25:8), and "The dead men of your people shall live, my dead body shall arise" (Yeshayah 26:19).

492. וּזְמִינָא דָּא חִוְיָא, לְאוֹלָדָא כָּל אִינּוּן גּוּפִין, עַד לָא יֵיתֵי זִמְנָא דִּילֵיהּ, הה"ד בְּטֶרֶם תָּחִיל יָלָדָה. זִמְנָא דְּחִוְיָא לְאוֹלָדָא בִּשְׁבַע שְׁנִין, וְהָכָא בְּשִׁית, מַה דְּלָאו אִיהוּ זִמְנֵיהּ. וּבְהַהוּא זִמְנָא דְּאוֹלִיד לוֹן, מֵהַהוּא לֵידָה יָמוּת. דִּכְתִּיב בִּלַע הַמָּוֶת לָנֶצַח. וּכְתִיב יִחְיוּ מֵתֶיךָ נְבֵלָתִי יְקוּמוּן.