חולם שורק חירק לט. ושלשה קוין אלו מכונים גם כן שלש נקודות: חולם, שורק, חירק. שקו ימין הוא סוד נקודת החולם. וקו שמאל הוא סוד נקודת השורק, דהיינו מלאפום, שהוא ו' ובתוכה נקודה. והקו האמצעי, הוא סוד נקודת החירק.
Ḥolam, Shuruk, Ḥirik 39. These three lines are also called by the names of three vowels: ḥolam, shuruk, and ḥirik. The right line is the mystical meaning of the ḥolam vowel. The left line is the mystical meaning of the shuruk vowel, that is, the melafum, which is a vav with a dot inside it. The middle line is the mystical meaning of the ḥirik vowel.
2
וטעם הדברים: כי נקודות רומזות על הארת החכמה, שהם מחיים ומנענעים את האותיות, שהם הכלים. ולפיכך קו הימין שנתתקן בעת עלית המלכות לבינה, שהוא חסר חכמה (כנזכר לעיל באות ל), רמוז בנקודת החולם שדרכה לעמוד ממעל לאותיות, שזה מורה, שהנקודה שהיא החכמה, אינה מתלבשת בכלים שהם האותיות, אלא נמצאת ממעל לכלים.
The explanation for this is as follows: The vowels allude to the illumination ofḤokhmasince the vowels give life and movement to the letters, which are like the vessels. Therefore, the right line, which was established whenMalkhutascended toBinaand lacksḤokhma(as stated in section 30 above), is alluded to by the ḥolam vowel, which is generally positioned above the letters. This indicates that the vowel, which isḤokhma, is notenclothedin the vessels, which are the letters, but is located above the vessels.
3
וקו השמאל, הנתקן מבינה ותפארת ומלכות אחר שחזרו למדרגתם, שהם מחזיקים באור החכמה (כנזכר לעיל באות ל'), על כן רמוז בנקודת השורק, שהוא ו' שבתוכה נקודה, שזה מורה שהנקודה שהיא חכמה, מלובשת בתוך הכלים המכונים אותיות.
The left line, which is established fromBina,Tiferet, andMalkhutafter their return to theirlevel, and which hold on to the light ofḤokhma(as stated there), is therefore alluded to by the shuruk vowel, which is a vav with a dot inside it. This indicates that the vowel, which isḤokhma, isenclothedwithin the vessels, which are called letters.
4
והקו האמצעי, הנתקן ממדרגה שמתחתיה שעלה למדרגה העליונה והכריע והשלים שני הקוין שלה (כנזכר לעיל באות ל"ב ובאות ל"ה), שלולא הקו האמצעי לא היתה החכמה יכולה להאיר (כמו שנתבאר שם), ומתוך שהתקון הזה מגיע ממדרגה שמתחתיה, הוא רמוז בנקודת החירק העומדת מתחת האותיות שהם הכלים, להיותה מדרגה שמתחתיה. ומשום זה אנו מכנים תמיד המסך דקו האמצעי בשם 'מסך דחירק' (ועיין כל זה בסולם בראשית א' אות ט').
The middle line is manifest from thelevelbelow and rises to the higherleveland balances and completes the two lines of the higher level (as stated in sections 32 and 35 above). If not for the middle line,Ḥokhmawould be unable to illuminate (as explained there). Since this rectification comes from thelevelbelow, it is alluded to by the ḥirik vowel, which is positioned under the letters, which are the vessels, since the middle line comes from thelevelbelow. For this reason, we always refer to thepartitionof the middle line as the “partition of the ḥirik” (for more on all this, see the Sulam , Bereshit I, 9).59Here the author of the Sulam refers to three different vowel symbols as analogies for the three lines. In the Hebrew language, vowel symbols tell a reader how to pronounce a particular letter. Thus, vowels are viewed in Kabbalistic thought as the animation of the letter, conveying how a vowelized letter is pronounced. This animation dynamic is associated with the light of Ḥokhma, which is the main life force of all things, in contrast to the light of giving. It is this parallelism between the vowels and the animating power of light of Ḥokhma that leads to the connection between the light of Ḥokhma and the vowels. In the second constriction, the sefira of Malkhut ascends to the level of Bina, as mentioned previously. The partition that rests on Malkhut serves to stop the flow of the light of Ḥokhma and causes the upper sefirot of Bina, Tiferet and Malkhut to descend to the level below. Only Keter and Ḥokhma remain in the level, and they form the right column of light. In this phase, the light of Ḥokhma is blocked (as the right line is wholly the light of giving) and thus is said to be floating above them. This position is symbolically indicated with the vowel of the ḥolam which is a dot that rests above a letter. In the next phase, when Malkhut descends from Bina, Bina, Tiferet and Malkhut are able to return to their original level. These sefirot now form the left column of light, and then the left side (the lower, returned sefirot) has the appropriate vessels for receiving the light of Ḥokhma. This state of the light is reflected in the vowel called shuruk, which is a dot that is in the middle of the letter, symbolizing the capacity of the vessels for the light of Ḥokhma. However, in this state, the left side has an abundance of the attribute of judgment, stemming from the vessel of Malkhut stopping the light of Ḥokhma from illuminating. This brings the left side (filled with the limiting force of judgment) into conflict with the right side (filled with the unbounded force of giving). This is solved through the middle line, which mediates the left and right lines, making the light of Ḥokhma illuminate inside the vessel. The middle line is a new level produced through the fusion through collision of the partition after it returned to its original place, at the lower end of the level. Because this light of Ḥokhma originates from an action that took place below the level, it is symbolized by the ḥirik vowel which rests below the letter.
חולם שורק חירק
לט. ושלשה קוין אלו מכונים גם כן שלש נקודות: חולם, שורק, חירק. שקו ימין הוא סוד נקודת החולם. וקו שמאל הוא סוד נקודת השורק, דהיינו מלאפום, שהוא ו' ובתוכה נקודה. והקו האמצעי, הוא סוד נקודת החירק.
Ḥolam, Shuruk, Ḥirik
39. These three lines are also called by the names of three vowels: ḥolam, shuruk, and ḥirik. The right line is the mystical meaning of the ḥolam vowel. The left line is the mystical meaning of the shuruk vowel, that is, the melafum, which is a vav with a dot inside it. The middle line is the mystical meaning of the ḥirik vowel.
וטעם הדברים: כי נקודות רומזות על הארת החכמה, שהם מחיים ומנענעים את האותיות, שהם הכלים. ולפיכך קו הימין שנתתקן בעת עלית המלכות לבינה, שהוא חסר חכמה (כנזכר לעיל באות ל), רמוז בנקודת החולם שדרכה לעמוד ממעל לאותיות, שזה מורה, שהנקודה שהיא החכמה, אינה מתלבשת בכלים שהם האותיות, אלא נמצאת ממעל לכלים.
The explanation for this is as follows: The vowels allude to the illumination of Ḥokhma since the vowels give life and movement to the letters, which are like the vessels. Therefore, the right line, which was established when Malkhut ascended to Bina and lacks Ḥokhma (as stated in section 30 above), is alluded to by the ḥolam vowel, which is generally positioned above the letters. This indicates that the vowel, which is Ḥokhma, is not enclothed in the vessels, which are the letters, but is located above the vessels.
וקו השמאל, הנתקן מבינה ותפארת ומלכות אחר שחזרו למדרגתם, שהם מחזיקים באור החכמה (כנזכר לעיל באות ל'), על כן רמוז בנקודת השורק, שהוא ו' שבתוכה נקודה, שזה מורה שהנקודה שהיא חכמה, מלובשת בתוך הכלים המכונים אותיות.
The left line, which is established from Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut after their return to their level, and which hold on to the light of Ḥokhma (as stated there), is therefore alluded to by the shuruk vowel, which is a vav with a dot inside it. This indicates that the vowel, which is Ḥokhma, is enclothed within the vessels, which are called letters.
והקו האמצעי, הנתקן ממדרגה שמתחתיה שעלה למדרגה העליונה והכריע והשלים שני הקוין שלה (כנזכר לעיל באות ל"ב ובאות ל"ה), שלולא הקו האמצעי לא היתה החכמה יכולה להאיר (כמו שנתבאר שם), ומתוך שהתקון הזה מגיע ממדרגה שמתחתיה, הוא רמוז בנקודת החירק העומדת מתחת האותיות שהם הכלים, להיותה מדרגה שמתחתיה. ומשום זה אנו מכנים תמיד המסך דקו האמצעי בשם 'מסך דחירק' (ועיין כל זה בסולם בראשית א' אות ט').
The middle line is manifest from the level below and rises to the higher level and balances and completes the two lines of the higher level (as stated in sections 32 and 35 above). If not for the middle line, Ḥokhma would be unable to illuminate (as explained there). Since this rectification comes from the level below, it is alluded to by the ḥirik vowel, which is positioned under the letters, which are the vessels, since the middle line comes from the level below. For this reason, we always refer to the partition of the middle line as the “partition of the ḥirik” (for more on all this, see the Sulam , Bereshit I, 9).59Here the author of the Sulam refers to three different vowel symbols as analogies for the three lines. In the Hebrew language, vowel symbols tell a reader how to pronounce a particular letter. Thus, vowels are viewed in Kabbalistic thought as the animation of the letter, conveying how a vowelized letter is pronounced. This animation dynamic is associated with the light of Ḥokhma, which is the main life force of all things, in contrast to the light of giving. It is this parallelism between the vowels and the animating power of light of Ḥokhma that leads to the connection between the light of Ḥokhma and the vowels.
In the second constriction, the sefira of Malkhut ascends to the level of Bina, as mentioned previously. The partition that rests on Malkhut serves to stop the flow of the light of Ḥokhma and causes the upper sefirot of Bina, Tiferet and Malkhut to descend to the level below. Only Keter and Ḥokhma remain in the level, and they form the right column of light. In this phase, the light of Ḥokhma is blocked (as the right line is wholly the light of giving) and thus is said to be floating above them. This position is symbolically indicated with the vowel of the ḥolam which is a dot that rests above a letter.
In the next phase, when Malkhut descends from Bina, Bina, Tiferet and Malkhut are able to return to their original level. These sefirot now form the left column of light, and then the left side (the lower, returned sefirot) has the appropriate vessels for receiving the light of Ḥokhma. This state of the light is reflected in the vowel called shuruk, which is a dot that is in the middle of the letter, symbolizing the capacity of the vessels for the light of Ḥokhma.
However, in this state, the left side has an abundance of the attribute of judgment, stemming from the vessel of Malkhut stopping the light of Ḥokhma from illuminating. This brings the left side (filled with the limiting force of judgment) into conflict with the right side (filled with the unbounded force of giving). This is solved through the middle line, which mediates the left and right lines, making the light of Ḥokhma illuminate inside the vessel. The middle line is a new level produced through the fusion through collision of the partition after it returned to its original place, at the lower end of the level. Because this light of Ḥokhma originates from an action that took place below the level, it is symbolized by the ḥirik vowel which rests below the letter.