We have learnt that when Cain and Abel were removed, Adam returned to his wife and was clothed with a fresh spirit and begat Seth, with whom commenced the generations of righteous men in the world. God showed lovingkindness to the world, and with each one a female was born to populate the world, after the supernal pattern. For so we have affirmed in the secret doctrine of the Mishnah, that “if a man taketh his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, it is hesed״ (lit. Iovingkindness); truly so, and after hesed had appeared, roots and stocks came forth from beneath the highest, and branches spread and that which was near receded afar. This was at the beginning, in the hidden development of the world, but subsequently human beings who behave so “shall be cut off before the eyes of the children of their people”.1The first 3 lines of the Hebrew text are not found in our translation.
תָּאנָא, בָּתַר דְּאִסְתָּלָקוּ קַיִן וְהֶבֶל, אִתְהַדָּר אָדָם לְאִנְתְּתֵיהּ, וְאִתְלָבָּשׁ בְּרוּחָא אָחֳרָא, וְאוֹלִיד לְשֵׁת. מִכָּאן אִתְיַיחֲסוּ דָּרֵי דְּצַדִּיקַיָּיא בְּעָלְמָא. וְאַסְגֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא חֶסֶד בְּעָלְמָא, וּבְכָל חַד אִתְיְילִידַת נוּקְבָּא עִמֵּיהּ, לְאִתְיַישְּׁבָא עָלְמָא כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָּא. וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ חַבְרַיָּיא בִּסְתִּימָאָה דְּמַתְנִיתִין, דִּכְתִּיב, (ויקרא כ׳:י״ז) וְאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִקַּח אֶת אֲחוֹתוֹ בַּת אָבִיו אוֹ בַת אִמּוֹ וְגוֹ', חֶסֶד הוּא. חֶסֶד הוּא ודַּאי, וּבָתַר דְּשָׁארִי חֶסֶד, גִּזְעִין וְשָׁרָשִׁין נָפְקִין מִתְּחוֹת לְעֵילָּא, וְאִתְפָּרְשָׁן עַנְפִּין, וְקָרִיב אִתְרְחַק. כְּדֵין עַנְפָּא אַסְגֵּי, וְאָתֵי לְאִתְחַבְּרָא בְּזִוּוּגָא חַד בְּאִילָנָא. הַאי בְּקַדְמִיתָא, הַאי בִּסְתִּימָא דְּעָלְמָא. בְּגִין דִּכְתִּיב, (תהילים פ״ט:ג׳) אָמַרְתִּי עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה. אֲבָל מִכָּאן וּלְהָלְאָה בְּנֵי נָשָׁא דְּיִשְׁתַּכְחוּן בֵּיהּ, וְנִכְרְתוּ לְעֵינֵי בְּנֵי עַמָּם.
We have learnt that when Cain and Abel were removed, Adam returned to his wife and was clothed with a fresh spirit and begat Seth, with whom commenced the generations of righteous men in the world. God showed lovingkindness to the world, and with each one a female was born to populate the world, after the supernal pattern. For so we have affirmed in the secret doctrine of the Mishnah, that “if a man taketh his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, it is hesed״ (lit. Iovingkindness); truly so, and after hesed had appeared, roots and stocks came forth from beneath the highest, and branches spread and that which was near receded afar. This was at the beginning, in the hidden development of the world, but subsequently human beings who behave so “shall be cut off before the eyes of the children of their people”.1The first 3 lines of the Hebrew text are not found in our translation.