AND GOD SAID, LET THERE BE A FIRMAMENT IN THE MIDST OF THE WATERS. Here in the particular (day) there is an allusion to the separation of the upper from the lower waters through that which is called “the Left”. Here, too, discord was created through that which is called “the Left”. For up to this point the text has alluded to the right, but now it alludes to the left; and therefore there was an increase of discord between this and the right. It is the nature of the right to harmonize the whole, and therefore the whole is written with the right, since it is the source of harmony. When the Left awoke there awoke discord, and through that discord the wrathful fire was reinforced and there emerged from it the Gehinnom, which thus originated from the left and continues there.
Moses in his wisdom pondered over this and drew a lesson from the work of creation. In the work of creation there was an antagonism of the left against the right, and the division between them allowed the Gehinnom to emerge and to fasten itself to the left. Then the Central Column, which is the third day, intervened and allayed the discord between the two sides, so that the Gehinnom descended below, and the Left became absorbed in the Right and there was peace over all.
Similarly the quarrel of Korah with Aaron was an antagonism of the left against the right. Moses, reflecting on what had happened during the Creation, said: ‘It seems proper to me to compose the difference between the right and the left.’ He therefore endeavoured to effect an accord between the two. The left, however, was not willing, and Korah proved obdurate.
Moses thereupon said: ‘Assuredly the Gehinnom is embittering this quarrel. The left ought to strive upwards and absorb itself in the right. Korah has no wish to attach himself to the higher influences and to merge himself in the right. Let him, then, descend below in the impetus of his wrath.’
The reason why Korah refused to allow the quarrel to be composed by the intervention of Moses was that he had not entered upon it for a truly religious motive, and that he had scant regard for the glory of God, and refused to acknowledge His creative power. When Moses perceived that he had thus placed himself outside the pale, he “was very wroth” (Num. 17, 15). He was “wroth” because he was not able to compose the quarrel; he was “very wroth” because they denied the creative power of God.
Korah denied this power wholly, both in the higher and the lower sphere, as implied in the phrase: “when they strove against the Lord” (Num. 26, 9). Hence Korah clave to that which was meet for him.
A dispute that was composed on the pattern of the supernal dispute, that became more and not less worthy as it proceeded, and that perpetuated itself rightfully, was that between Shammai and Hillel. The Holy One, blessed be He, approved of their dispute, for the reason that its motive was lofty and that it therefore resembled that which took place at the Creation. Hence, like the latter, the dispute between Shammai and Hillel has survived to this day. Korah, on the other hand, denied the Creation, fought against heaven itself and sought to confute the words of the Torah. He certainly was of the following of the Gehinnom, and therefore remained attached to it.
All this is brought out in the Book of Adam. It says there that when Darkness asserted itself, it did so with fury, and created the Gehinnom, which attached itself to it in that quarrel we have mentioned. But as soon as the wrath and the fury abated there arose a quarrel of another kind, to wit, a quarrel of love.
Thus the dispute fell into two distinct parts. It is the way of the righteous to enter on a dispute stiffly and end it amicably. Korah continued the dispute as he began it, in wrath and passion; and therefore clung to Gehinnom. Shammai conducted his dispute in that spirit of calm which should follow on the first burst of passion; it therefore became a quarrel of love and obtained the approval of Heaven.
This is indicated by our text. It says first: “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide, etc.” This refers to the beginning of quarrel, the outburst of passion and violence. There was a desire for reconciliation, but meanwhile the Gehinnom arose before the wrath and passion cooled down. Then “God made the firmament, etc.”; that is, there emerged a quarrel of love and affection which made for the permanence of the world. And in this category is the dispute between Shammai and Hillel, the result of which was that the Oral Law approached in a loving mood the Written Law, so that they mutually supported each other.
As regards separation, it always proceeds from the left. Here it is written, “and let it separate”, as well as, “and he separated”; and in connection with Korah it is written, “Is it a small thing unto you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, etc.”; and it is also written, “At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi” (Deut. 10, 8). In all these texts we find separation associated with the second (day or tribe), which is the place of the left.
It may be objected that Levi was the third and not the second tribe; separation, then, should have been associated, not with Levi, but with Simeon, he being the second. The answer is that in the eyes of Jacob (who, on the first night of his nuptials, was unaware that Leah was substituted for Rachel) Levi was the second (from Leah). Hence the separation of the tribe of Levi was perfectly correct.
There is a”separation” on every outgoing of the Sabbath, between the powers that have sway on week-days and on the Sabbath respectively. As soon as the Sabbath ends, there ascends from the Gehinnom, from the grade called Sheol, a party of evil spirits who strive to mingle among the seed of Israel and to obtain power over them.
But when the children of Israel perform the ceremonies of the myrtle and the cup of blessing, and recite the separation prayer (Habdalah), that evil spirit departs to his place in Sheol, the region where Korah and his accomplices abide, as it is written :”And they and all that appertained to them went down alive into the Sheol” (pit) (Num. 16, 33). These, too, did not descend to the Sheol before the Israelites had performed a separation (Habdalah), as it is said: “Separate yourselves from among this congregation” (Ibid. 21).
“Separation” is thus associated with the second, which is symbolic of the left, at its first impetus, when it first enters on a quarrel in wrath and violence, giving birth to Gehinnom before the fury subsides. It was on the second that, before the discord was allayed, the Gehinnom was created. Then also were created all the angels who revolted against their Master, and whom the fire of the Gehinnom consumed and destroyed; likewise all those others who vanish away and do not endure and are consumed by fire.
LET THERE BE A FIRMAMENT: i.e. let there be a gradual extension. Thereupon El (God), the “right cluster”,1al. ‘shoulder’: in either case a designation of the grade Hesed (kindness).El Gadol (Great God), spread forth from the midst of the waters to complete this name El and to combine with this extension, and so El was extended into Elohim (=El+H, Y, M). These H, Y, M, extended and became reversed so as to form lower waters, Y, M, H. This extension which took place on the second day is the upper waters. The he, yod, mim, form hayam (the sea), which is the upper waters. The reversal of these letters, yamah (seaward), is the lower waters. When they were firmly established, all became one whole, and this name was extended to a number of places.
The upper waters are male and the lower waters female. At first they were commingled, but afterwards they were differentiated into upper and lowers waters. This is the meaning of “Elohim upper waters”, and this is the meaning of “Adonai lower waters”; and this is the meaning of upper He and lower He. It is further written: AND GOD MADE THE FIRMAMENT. That is to say, this extension took this name. Elohim is the upper waters, and the lower waters are Adonai; nevertheless, since the upper waters were completed by the lower, this name spread to the whole.
Even after the separation between the waters, the discord did not cease till the third day, when peace was restored and everything was settled in its place. It is on account of this strife, necessary as it was for the existence of the world, that the phrase “that it was good” is not applied to the work of the second day, because it was not completed. So long as the upper and lower waters were commingled, there was no production in the world: this could only be when they were separated and made distinct. They then produced,
and in this way, although on the second day there was separation and discord, the third day brought complete harmony. This is the name which is graven with the lettering of Tetragrammaton, to reconcile the upper with the lower waters, the upper with the lower He; the insertion of the Vau between them harmonises the two sides. Symbolic of this is the crossing by the Israelites of the Jordan (Josh. 3, 16): “the waters (of the Jordan)” corresponds to the upper waters; “rose up in one heap” corresponds to the lower waters, which descended into the sea, whilst the Israelites passed between the two.
Five “firmaments” are mentioned in this section, and the Life of the World passes among them and leads them, and they are all interwoven. But for this discord, however, which was composed by the mediator, they would not have been intertwined or harmonised. They correspond to the five hundred years to which the Tree of Life clings in order to become a source of growth and fruitfulness to the world. All the waters of creation which issue from the original source branch out from its foot. King David similarly takes the whole and subsequently distributes it, as we read: “And he distributed among all the people, even among the whole multitude, etc.” (II Sam. 6, 19); likewise we read: “That thou givest them they gather” (Ps. 104, 28); also: “She rises also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to the household (Prov. 31, 15).
At the time when discord was stirred by the violence of the left, the Avenging Spirit was reinforced. There issued from it (two) demons which immediately became solidified without any moisture, one male and one female. From them were propagated legions of demons, and to this is due the inveteracy of the unclean spirit in all those demons. It is they who are symbolised by the foreskin (orlah); the one is called Efeh (adder) and the other is called Nahash (serpent), the two, however, being but one. The Ef ‘eh bears offspring from the Nahash after a period of seven years’ gestation.
Herein is the mystery of the seven names borne by the Gehinnom as well as by the “evil tempter” (yetser-hara’); and from this source impurity has been propagated in many grades through the universe. All this proceeds from the mystic power of the left, which dispenses good and evil, thereby rendering the world habitable. Here we have the engraven Name of eighteen letters, which presides over the gentle and beneficent rains for the well-being of the world.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי רָקִיעַ בְּתוֹךְ הַמָּיִם וְגו', הָכָא בִּפְרַט רָזָא לְאַפְרָשָׁא (בין) (תרומה קמ"ט ע"ב) מַיִין עִלָאִין לְתַתָּאֵי (לתתאין) בְּרָזָא דִשְׂמָאלָא. (נ"א ואתברי) הָכָא מַחְלוֹקֶת בְּרָזָא דִשְׂמָאלָא. דְעַד הָכָא רָזָא דְּיָמִינָא הוּא, וְהָכָא הוּא רָזָא דִשְׂמָאלָא, וּבְגִין כָּךְ אַסְגִיאוּ מַחְלוֹקֶת (נ"א בין) בְּגִין דָּא לְיָמִינָא. יָמִינָא אִיהוּ שְׁלֵימָא דְכֹלָּא, וּבְגִין כָּךְ בְּיָמִינָא כְּתִיב כֹּלָּא דְּהָא בֵּיהּ תַּלְיָיא כָּל שְׁלִימוּ. כַּד אִתְעַר שְׂמָאלָא אִתְעַר מַחְלוֹקֶת. וּבְהַהוּא מַחְלוֹקֶת אִתְתַּקַּף אֶשָׁא דְרוּגְזָא וְנָפִיק מִנֵּיהּ מֵהַהוּא מַחְלוֹקֶת גֵּיהִנֹּם. וְגֵיהִנֹּם בִּשְׂמָאלָא אִתְעַר וְאִתְדָּבַּק.
AND GOD SAID, LET THERE BE A FIRMAMENT IN THE MIDST OF THE WATERS. Here in the particular (day) there is an allusion to the separation of the upper from the lower waters through that which is called “the Left”. Here, too, discord was created through that which is called “the Left”. For up to this point the text has alluded to the right, but now it alludes to the left; and therefore there was an increase of discord between this and the right. It is the nature of the right to harmonize the whole, and therefore the whole is written with the right, since it is the source of harmony. When the Left awoke there awoke discord, and through that discord the wrathful fire was reinforced and there emerged from it the Gehinnom, which thus originated from the left and continues there.
חָכְמְתָא דְמשֶׁה בְּהָא אִסְתַּכַּל וּבְעוֹבָדָא דִּבְרֵאשִׁית אַשְׁגַּח. בְּעוֹבָדָא דִּבְרִאשִׁית הֲוָה מַחְלוֹקֶת שְׂמָאלָא בְּיָמִינָא, וּבְהַהוּא מַחְלוֹקֶת דְּאִתְעַר בֵּיהּ שְׂמָאלָא נָפַק בֵּיהּ גֵּיהִנֹּם וְאִתְדְּבַק בֵּיהּ. עַמּוּדָא דְאֶמְצָעִיתָא דְאִיהוּ יוֹם תְּלִיתָאי עָאל בֵּינַיְיהוּ וְאַפְרִישׁ מַחְלוֹקֶת וְאַסְכִּים לִתְרֵין סִטְרִין. וְגֵיהִנֹּם נָחִית לְתַתָּא. וּשְׂמָאלָא אִתְכְּלִיל בְּיָמִינָא וְהֲוָה שְׁלָמָא בְּכֹלָּא.
Moses in his wisdom pondered over this and drew a lesson from the work of creation. In the work of creation there was an antagonism of the left against the right, and the division between them allowed the Gehinnom to emerge and to fasten itself to the left. Then the Central Column, which is the third day, intervened and allayed the discord between the two sides, so that the Gehinnom descended below, and the Left became absorbed in the Right and there was peace over all.
כְּגַוְונָא דָא מַחְלוֹקֶת קֹרַח בְּאַהֲרֹן שְׂמָאלָא בְּיָמִינָא. אִסְתַּכַּל משֶׁה בְּעוֹבָדָא דִבְרֵאשִׁית. אָמַר לִי אִתְחַזֵּי לְאַפְרָשָׁא מַחְלוֹקֶת בֵּין יָמִינָא לִשְׂמָאלָא. אִשְׁתַּדַּל לְאַסְכָּמָא בֵּינַיְיהוּ. וְלָא בָּעֵי שְׂמָאלָא וְאַתְקַף קֹרַח בְּתוּקְפֵיהּ.
Similarly the quarrel of Korah with Aaron was an antagonism of the left against the right. Moses, reflecting on what had happened during the Creation, said: ‘It seems proper to me to compose the difference between the right and the left.’ He therefore endeavoured to effect an accord between the two. The left, however, was not willing, and Korah proved obdurate.
אָמַר וַדַּאי גֵּיהִנֹּם בְּתוּקְפָא דְמַחְלוֹקֶת שְׂמָאלָא אִצְטְרִיךְ לְאִתְדַּבְּקָא (ס"א לעילא ולאתכללא בימינא) הוּא לָא בָּעֵי לְאִתְדַבְּקָא לְעֵילָא וּלְאִתְכַּלְּלָא בְּיָמִינָא, וַדַּאי יֵחוֹת לְתַתָּא בְּתוּקְפָא דְרוּגְזָא דִילֵיהּ.
Moses thereupon said: ‘Assuredly the Gehinnom is embittering this quarrel. The left ought to strive upwards and absorb itself in the right. Korah has no wish to attach himself to the higher influences and to merge himself in the right. Let him, then, descend below in the impetus of his wrath.’
וְעַל דָּא לָא בָּעֵי קֹרַח לְאַסְכָּמָא הַאי מַחְלוֹקֶת בִּידָא דְמשֶׁה בְּגִין דְּלָא הֲוָה (ל"ג ע"א) לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם וְלָא חָיִישׁ לִיקָרָא דִלְעֵילָא וְאַכְּחִישׁ עוֹבָדָא דִבְרֵאשִׁית. כֵּיוָן דְּחָמָא משֶׁה דְּהֲוָה מַכְּחִישׁ עוֹבָדָא דִבְרֵאשִׁית וְאִתְדְּחָא אִיהוּ לְבַר, כְּדֵין וַיִּחַר לְמשֶׁה מְאֹד.
The reason why Korah refused to allow the quarrel to be composed by the intervention of Moses was that he had not entered upon it for a truly religious motive, and that he had scant regard for the glory of God, and refused to acknowledge His creative power. When Moses perceived that he had thus placed himself outside the pale, he “was very wroth” (Num. 17, 15). He was “wroth” because he was not able to compose the quarrel; he was “very wroth” because they denied the creative power of God.
וַיִּחַר לְמשֶׁה עַל דְּאַכְּחִישׁוּ לֵיהּ דְּלָא אַסְכִּים הַהוּא מַחְלוֹקֶת. מְאֹד עַל דְּאַכְּחִישׁוּ עוֹבָדָא דִבְרֵאשִׁית. וּבְכֹלָּא אַכְּחִישׁ קֹרַח בְּעֵילָא וּבְתַתָּא. דִּכְתִיב, (במדבר כ״ו:ט׳) בְּהַצּוֹתָם עַל יְיָ, הָא תַּתָּא וְעֵילָא. וְעַל דָּא אִתְדָּבָּק כְּמָה (במה) דְאִתְחַזֵּי לֵיהּ.
Korah denied this power wholly, both in the higher and the lower sphere, as implied in the phrase: “when they strove against the Lord” (Num. 26, 9). Hence Korah clave to that which was meet for him.
מַחְלוֹקֶת דְּאִתְתָּקַּן כְּגַוְונָא דִלְעֵילָא וְסָלִיק וְלָא נָחִית וְאִתְקְיַּים בְּאֹרַח מֵישָׁר, דָּא מַחְלוֹקֶת דְּשַּׁמַּאי וְהִלֵּל. וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אַפְרִישׁ בֵּינַיְיהוּ וְאַסְכִּים לוֹן. וְדָא הֲוָה מַחְלוֹקֶת לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם. וְשָׁמַיִם אַפְרִישׁ מַחְלוֹקֶת. וְעַל דָּא אִתְקְיַּים (עלמא). וְדָא הֲוָה כְּגַוְונָא דְּעוֹבָדָא דִבְרֵאשִׁית. וְקֹרַח בְּעוֹבָדָא דִבְרֵאשִׁית אַכְּחִישׁ בְּכֹלָּא. וּפְלוּגְתָּא דְּשָׁמַיִם הֲוָה. וּבְעָא לְאַכְּחָשָׁא מִלֵּי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא. וַדַּאי בְּאִתְדַּבְּקוּתָא דְּגִיהִנֹּם הֲוָה. וְעַל דָּא אִתְדָּבַּק בַּהֲדֵיהּ.
A dispute that was composed on the pattern of the supernal dispute, that became more and not less worthy as it proceeded, and that perpetuated itself rightfully, was that between Shammai and Hillel. The Holy One, blessed be He, approved of their dispute, for the reason that its motive was lofty and that it therefore resembled that which took place at the Creation. Hence, like the latter, the dispute between Shammai and Hillel has survived to this day. Korah, on the other hand, denied the Creation, fought against heaven itself and sought to confute the words of the Torah. He certainly was of the following of the Gehinnom, and therefore remained attached to it.
וְרָזָא דָא בְּסִפְרָא דְאָדָם. חשֶׁךְ כַּד אִתְעַר אִתְעַר בְּתוּקְפֵּיהּ וּבְרָא בֵּיהּ גֵּיהִנֹּם וְאִתְדָּבַּק בַּהֲדֵיהּ בְּהַהוּא מַחְלוֹקֶת. כֵּיוָן דְּשָׁכִיךְ רוּגְזָא וְתוּקְפָּא, אִתְעַר מַחְלוֹקֶת כְּגַוְונָא אָחֳרָא, מַחְלוֹקֶת דִּרְחִימוּ.
All this is brought out in the Book of Adam. It says there that when Darkness asserted itself, it did so with fury, and created the Gehinnom, which attached itself to it in that quarrel we have mentioned. But as soon as the wrath and the fury abated there arose a quarrel of another kind, to wit, a quarrel of love.
וּתְרֵין מַחְלוֹקֶת הֲווּ. חַד שֵׁירוּתָא וְחַד סִיּוּמָא. וְדָא אִיהוּ אָרְחֵהוֹן דְּצַדִּיקַיָּיא שֵׁירוּתָא דִלְהוֹן בְּקַשְׁיוּ וְסוֹפָא דִלְהוֹן בִּנְיָיחָא. קֹרַח הֲוָה שֵׁירוּתָא דְמַחְלוֹקֶת כְּפוּם רוּגְזָא וְתוּקְפָּא וְאִתְדָּבַּק בַּגֵּיהִנָּם. שַׁמַּאי סוֹפָא דְמַחְלוֹקֶת כַּד רוּגְזָא בִּנְיָיחָא אִצְטְרִיךְ לְאַתְעָרָא מַחְלוֹקֶת דִּרְחִימוּ וּלְאַסְכָּמָא עַל יְדָא דְשָׁמַיִם.
Thus the dispute fell into two distinct parts. It is the way of the righteous to enter on a dispute stiffly and end it amicably. Korah continued the dispute as he began it, in wrath and passion; and therefore clung to Gehinnom. Shammai conducted his dispute in that spirit of calm which should follow on the first burst of passion; it therefore became a quarrel of love and obtained the approval of Heaven.
וְרָזָא דָא יְהִי רָקִיעַ בְּתוֹךְ הַמָּיִם וִיהִי מַבְדִּיל, דָּא מַחְלוֹקֶת קַדְמָאָה אִתְעָרוּ דְּרוּגְזָא וְתוּקְפָּא בָּעָא לְאַפְרָשָׁא וְאִתְעַר גֵּיהִנֹּם עַד דְּרוּגְזָא וְתוּקְפָּא אִצְטַנָּן. וּכְדֵין וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָרָקִיעַ וְגו' אִתְעַר מַחְלוֹקֶת דִּרְחִימוּ וְחֲבִיבוּ וְקִיּוּמָא דְּעָלְמָא. וּבְרָזָא דָא מַחְלוֹקֶת שַׁמַּאי וְהִלֵּל. דְּתוֹרָה שֶׁבַּעַל פֶּה עָאלַת בִּרְחִימוּ גַּבֵּי תּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתַב וְהֲווּ בְּקִיּוּמָא שְׁלִים.
This is indicated by our text. It says first: “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide, etc.” This refers to the beginning of quarrel, the outburst of passion and violence. There was a desire for reconciliation, but meanwhile the Gehinnom arose before the wrath and passion cooled down. Then “God made the firmament, etc.”; that is, there emerged a quarrel of love and affection which made for the permanence of the world. And in this category is the dispute between Shammai and Hillel, the result of which was that the Oral Law approached in a loving mood the Written Law, so that they mutually supported each other.
הַבְדָּלָה אִיהוּ וַדַּאי בִּשְׂמָאלָא. כְּתִיב הָכָא הַבְדָּלָה, וִיהִי מַבְדִּיל וּכְתִיב וַיַּבְדֵּל, וּכְתִיב הָתָם (במדבר ט״ז:ט׳) הַמְעַט מִכֶּם כִּי הִבְדִיל וְגו', וּכְתִיב (דברים ו) בָּעֵת הַהִיא הִבְדִּיל יְיָ אֶת שֵׁבֶט הַלֵּוִי. דְּהָא וַדַּאי לֵית הַבְדָּלָה אֶלָּא בַּשֵּׁנִי בְּאֲתַר שְׂמָאלָא.
As regards separation, it always proceeds from the left. Here it is written, “and let it separate”, as well as, “and he separated”; and in connection with Korah it is written, “Is it a small thing unto you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, etc.”; and it is also written, “At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi” (Deut. 10, 8). In all these texts we find separation associated with the second (day or tribe), which is the place of the left.
וְאִי תֵימָא הַבְדָּלָה בַּשֵּׁנִי אִיהוּ וַדַּאי אַמַּאי הַבְדָּלָה בְּלֵוִי דְּאִיהוּ תְּלִיתָאָה. הַבְדָּלָה בְּשִׁמְעוֹן אִצְטְרִיךְ דְּאִיהוּ שֵׁנִי. אֶלָּא, אַף עַל גַּב דְּלֵוִי אִיהוּ תְּלִיתָאָה. לְדַעְתָּא דְיַעֲקֹב שֵׁנִי הֲוָה. וּלְעוֹלָם בַּשֵּׁנִי הֲוָה, וְכֹלָּא בְּאֹרַח מֵישָׁר בְּאֹרַח שְׁלִים כְּדְקָא יְאוּת.
It may be objected that Levi was the third and not the second tribe; separation, then, should have been associated, not with Levi, but with Simeon, he being the second. The answer is that in the eyes of Jacob (who, on the first night of his nuptials, was unaware that Leah was substituted for Rachel) Levi was the second (from Leah). Hence the separation of the tribe of Levi was perfectly correct.
הַבְדָּלָה בְּמוֹצָאֵי שַׁבָּת בֵּין אִנּוּן דְּשַׁלִּיטִין בְּיוֹמֵי חוֹל לְשַׁבָּת. וְכַד נָפִיק שַׁבָּת סָלְקָא מִגֵּיהִנֹּם חַד סִטְרָא מֵעֵינָא בִּישָׁא (ס"א טסירא ממנא בישא) דְבָעָא לְשַׁלְטָאָה בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּאָמְרִין יִשְׂרָאֵל (תהילים צ׳:י״ז) וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ כּוֹנְנָה עָלֵינוּ וְנָפִיק מֵהַהוּא דַרְגָּא דְאִקְרֵי שְׂמָאלָא (נ"א שאולה) וּבָעֵי לְאִתְעַרְבָא בְּזַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל וּלְשַׁלְטָאָה עֲלַיְיהוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל.
There is a”separation” on every outgoing of the Sabbath, between the powers that have sway on week-days and on the Sabbath respectively. As soon as the Sabbath ends, there ascends from the Gehinnom, from the grade called Sheol, a party of evil spirits who strive to mingle among the seed of Israel and to obtain power over them.
וְיִשְׂרָאֵל עַבְדֵי עוֹבָדָא בְּהֲדַס וּבְיַיִן וְאָמְרֵי הַבְדָּלָה, וְאִתְפְּרַשׁ מִנַּיְיהוּ, וּמָאִיךְ הַהוּא סִטְרָא וְעָאל לְדוּכְתֵּיהּ בַּשְּׁאוֹל אֲתַר דְּקֹרַח וְסִיעֲתֵיהּ תַּמָּן דִּכְתִיב, (במדבר יט) וַיֵּרְדוּ הֵם וְכָל אֲשֶׁר לָהֶם חַיִּים שְׁאוֹלָה. וְאִנּוּן לָא נָחְתֵי תַּמָּן עַד דְּעַבְדֵּי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַבְדָּלָה מִנְהוֹן דִּכְתִיב, (במדבר יט) הִבָּדְלוּ מִתּוֹךְ הָעֵדָה וְגו'.
But when the children of Israel perform the ceremonies of the myrtle and the cup of blessing, and recite the separation prayer (Habdalah), that evil spirit departs to his place in Sheol, the region where Korah and his accomplices abide, as it is written :”And they and all that appertained to them went down alive into the Sheol” (pit) (Num. 16, 33). These, too, did not descend to the Sheol before the Israelites had performed a separation (Habdalah), as it is said: “Separate yourselves from among this congregation” (Ibid. 21).
וּלְעוֹלָם הַבְדָּלָה בַּשֵּׁנִי דְּאִיהוּ שְׂמָאלָא בְּשֵׁירוּתָא וְתוּקְפָּא וְרוּגְזָא דְּאִתְעַר שְׂמָאלָא בְּמַחְלוֹקֶת עַד לָא שָׁכִיךְ בִּנְיָיחָא וְאִתְבְּרֵי בֵּיהּ גֵּיהִנֹּם. (יח ב) כְּדֵין אִתְבְּרִיאוּ כָּל אִנּוּן מַלְאָכִים דְּקַטְרְגֵי לְמָארֵיהוֹן לְעֵילָא וְאָכִיל לוֹן נוּרָא וְאִתּוֹקְדוּ. וְכֵן כָּל שְׁאָר אִנּוּן דְּמִתְבַּטְּלֵי וְלֵית לוֹן קִיּוּמָא וְאִתְאֲכָלוּ בְּנוּרָא. כְּגַוְונָא דָא קֹרַח לְתַתָּא. וְכֹלָא כְּגַוְונָא דָא.
“Separation” is thus associated with the second, which is symbolic of the left, at its first impetus, when it first enters on a quarrel in wrath and violence, giving birth to Gehinnom before the fury subsides. It was on the second that, before the discord was allayed, the Gehinnom was created. Then also were created all the angels who revolted against their Master, and whom the fire of the Gehinnom consumed and destroyed; likewise all those others who vanish away and do not endure and are consumed by fire.
יְהִי רָקִיעַ אִתְפַּשַּׁט פְּשִׁיטוּ דָא מִן דָּא. א"ל קִטְפָא יָמִינָא אֵ"ל גָּדוֹל אִתְפְּשַׁט פְּשִׁיטוּ מִן גּוֹ מַיָיא לְאִשְׁתַּלָּמָא שְׁמָא דָא אֵ"ל וּלְאִתְכַּלָּלָא בְּהַהוּא פְּשִׁיטוּ דָּא בְּדָא, וְאִתְפַּשַּׁט מֵאֵל אֱלֹהִים הי"ם אִלֵּין אִתְפַּשָּׁטוּ וְאִתְהַפָּכוּ לְמֶהוֵי מַיִין תַּתָּאִין ימ"ה הַהוּא פְּשִׁיטוּ דְּאִתְפַּשַּׁט בַּשֵּׁנִי, מַיִין עִלָּאִין הי"ם זֶה הַיָּ"ם גָּדוֹל. הי"ם מַיִין עִלָּאִין, הִפּוּכָא דְּאִלֵּין אַתְוָון ימ"ה מַיִין תַּתָּאִין. כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְתַּקְּנוּ אִתְעֲבִידוּ כֹּלָּא כְּלָלָא חָדָא וְאִתְפַּשַּׁט שְׁמָא דָא בְּכַמָּה דוּכְתֵּי.
LET THERE BE A FIRMAMENT: i.e. let there be a gradual extension. Thereupon El (God), the “right cluster”,1al. ‘shoulder’: in either case a designation of the grade Hesed (kindness). El Gadol (Great God), spread forth from the midst of the waters to complete this name El and to combine with this extension, and so El was extended into Elohim (=El+H, Y, M). These H, Y, M, extended and became reversed so as to form lower waters, Y, M, H. This extension which took place on the second day is the upper waters. The he, yod, mim, form hayam (the sea), which is the upper waters. The reversal of these letters, yamah (seaward), is the lower waters. When they were firmly established, all became one whole, and this name was extended to a number of places.
מַיִין עִלָּאִין דְּכוּרִין. וּמַיִין תַּתָּאִין נוּקְבֵי. בְּקַדְמִיתָא הֲווּ מַיִם בְּמַיִם, עַד דְּאִתְפְּרָשׁוּ לְאִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעָא מַיִין עִלָּאִין וְתַתָּאִין, דָּא אֱלֹהִים (נ"א מיין עלאין). וְדָא אדנ"י (נ"א מיין תתאין). וְדָא ה' עִילָּאָה וְה' תַּתָּאָה. מַה כְּתִיב וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלהִים אֶת הָרָקִיעַ. אִתְפַּשְׁטוּתָא דָא נָטַל שְׁמָא דָא אֱלהִים מַיִין עִלָּאִין. וּמַיִין תַּתָּאִין אדנ"י. וְעִם כָּל דָּא כֵּיוָן דְּאִשְׁתְּלִּימוּ מַיִין דְּכוּרִין בְּמַיִין נוּקְבִין, שְׁמָא דֵאלהִים אִתְפַּשַּׁט בְּכֹלָּא.
The upper waters are male and the lower waters female. At first they were commingled, but afterwards they were differentiated into upper and lowers waters. This is the meaning of “Elohim upper waters”, and this is the meaning of “Adonai lower waters”; and this is the meaning of upper He and lower He. It is further written: AND GOD MADE THE FIRMAMENT. That is to say, this extension took this name. Elohim is the upper waters, and the lower waters are Adonai; nevertheless, since the upper waters were completed by the lower, this name spread to the whole.
וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּאַפְרִישׁ בֵּין מַיִין עִלָּאִין לְתַתָּאִין, מַחְלוֹקֶת לָא אִתְבַּטַּל עַד יוֹם תְּלִיתָאֵי וְאַסְכִּים מַחְלוֹקֶת וְאִתְיָשָּׁב כֹּלָּא בְּדוּכְתֵּיהּ כְּדְקָא יְאוּת. וּבְגִין מַחְלוֹקֶת דָּא אַף עַל פִּי דְּאִיהוּ קִיּוּמָא דְּעָלְמָא לָא כְּתִיב כִּי טוֹב בַּשֵּׁנִי, דְּלָא אִשְׁתְּלִים עוֹבָדָא. מַיִין עִלָּאִין וּמַיִין תַּתָּאִין הֲווּ כְּחֲדָא וְלָא הֲווּ תּוֹלָדִין בְּעָלְמָא עַד דְּאִתְפְּרָשׁוּ וְאִשְׁתְּמוֹדָעוּ. וּבְגִין כָּךְ עָבְדוּ תּוֹלָדִין.
Even after the separation between the waters, the discord did not cease till the third day, when peace was restored and everything was settled in its place. It is on account of this strife, necessary as it was for the existence of the world, that the phrase “that it was good” is not applied to the work of the second day, because it was not completed. So long as the upper and lower waters were commingled, there was no production in the world: this could only be when they were separated and made distinct. They then produced,
וְעִם כָּל דָּא אַף עַל גַּב דְּהַבְדָּלָה הֲוֵי בַּשֵּׁנִי וּמַחְלוֹקֶת בֵּיהּ הֲוָה, יוֹם תְּלִיתָאֵי אַסְכִּים בְּכֹלָּא דְּהוּא שְׁמָא דְּאִיגְלַף בִּגְלִיפוֹי (ס"א יהוה) הַוָה לְאִסְתַּכְּמָא מַיִּין עִלָּאִין וּמַיִין תַּתָּאִין ה' עִלָּאָה, ה' תַּתָּאָה, ו' בֵּינַיְיהוּ. לְאַשְׁלָמָא בִּתְרֵין סִטְרִין. וְסִימָנָא דָא מֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן מַיִין עִלָּאִין קָמוּ נֵד אֶחָד. מַיִין תַּתָּאִין נָחֲתוּ לְיַמָּא. וְיִשְׂרָאֵל אָזְלֵי בְּאֶמְצָעִיתָא.
and in this way, although on the second day there was separation and discord, the third day brought complete harmony. This is the name which is graven with the lettering of Tetragrammaton, to reconcile the upper with the lower waters, the upper with the lower He; the insertion of the Vau between them harmonises the two sides. Symbolic of this is the crossing by the Israelites of the Jordan (Josh. 3, 16): “the waters (of the Jordan)” corresponds to the upper waters; “rose up in one heap” corresponds to the lower waters, which descended into the sea, whilst the Israelites passed between the two.
חָמֵשׁ רְקִיעִין כְּתִיבֵי הָכָא וְחַי הָעוֹלָמִים אָזִיל בְּהוּ וְאַנְהִיג בְּהוּ וְכֻלְהוּ כְּלִילָן דָּא בְּדָא. וְאִלְמָלֵא הַאי מַחְלוֹקֶת דְּאִסְתַּכַּם עַל יְדֵי דְּאֶמְצָעִיתָא לָא אִתְכְּלִילוּ וְלָא אִשְׁתַּיְירוּ (נ"א אתיישרו). חֲמֵשׁ מְאָה שְׁנִין אִנּוּן דְּאִילָנָא דְחַיֵּי דָּבִיק בְּהוּ לְמֶעְבַּד אִבִּין וְתוֹלָדִין לְעָלְמָא וְכָל מֵימוֹי דִּבְרֵאשִׁית דְּנָגְדִין וְאִתְמַשְׁכָן מִבְּרִאשִׁית אִתְפַּלְגוּ תְחוֹתוֹי עַל יְדֵיהּ. וְדָוִד מַלְכָּא נָקִיט כֹּלָּא וְאִיהוּ פָּלִיג לְבָתַר דִּכְתִיב, (שמואל ב ו׳:י״ט) וַיְחַלֵּק לְכָל הָעָם לְכָל הֲמוֹן וְגו' וּכְתִיב, (תהילים ק״ד:כ״ח) תִּתֵּן לָהֶם יִלְקוֹטוּן וּכְתִיב, (משלי ל״א:ט״ו) וַתָּקָם בְּעוֹד לַיְלָה וַתִּתֵּן טֶרֶף וְגו'.
Five “firmaments” are mentioned in this section, and the Life of the World passes among them and leads them, and they are all interwoven. But for this discord, however, which was composed by the mediator, they would not have been intertwined or harmonised. They correspond to the five hundred years to which the Tree of Life clings in order to become a source of growth and fruitfulness to the world. All the waters of creation which issue from the original source branch out from its foot. King David similarly takes the whole and subsequently distributes it, as we read: “And he distributed among all the people, even among the whole multitude, etc.” (II Sam. 6, 19); likewise we read: “That thou givest them they gather” (Ps. 104, 28); also: “She rises also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to the household (Prov. 31, 15).
בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּאִתְעַר מַחְלוֹקֶת בְּתוּקְפָּא דִּשְׂמָאלָא, אַסְגֵּי וְאַתְקֵף הוֹרְפִילָא דְּטִיפְסָא וְנָפְקוּ מִתַּמָּן טְסִירִין וְאַקְרִישׁוּ מִיָּד בְּלָא לַחוּתָא כְּלָל וְהֲווּ דְּכַר וְנוּקְבָא. וּמִנְהוֹן אִתְפְּרָשׁוּ זַיְינִין בִּישִׁין לִזְנַיְיהוּ, וְהָכָא תַּקִּיפוּ דְּרוּחַ מְסָאֳבָא בְּכָל אִנּוּן תּוּקְפִין טְסִירִין. וְאִנּוּן רָזָא דְעָרְלָה. אִלֵין אִתָּקְפוּ בְּזַיְינִין תַּקִּיפִין, חַד אֶפְעֶ"ה וְחַד נָחָ"שׁ וְתַרְוַויְיהוּ חַד. אֶפְעֶה אוֹלִיד (ס"א לשבעין) לְשִׁבְעָא שְׁנִין בְּחִבּוּרָא חָדָא, אִתְהַדַּר כֹּלָּא לְשֶׁבַע שְׁנִין דְּנָחָשׁ.
At the time when discord was stirred by the violence of the left, the Avenging Spirit was reinforced. There issued from it (two) demons which immediately became solidified without any moisture, one male and one female. From them were propagated legions of demons, and to this is due the inveteracy of the unclean spirit in all those demons. It is they who are symbolised by the foreskin (orlah); the one is called Efeh (adder) and the other is called Nahash (serpent), the two, however, being but one. The Ef ‘eh bears offspring from the Nahash after a period of seven years’ gestation.
הָכָא אִיהוּ רָזָא דְּגֵיהִנֹּם דְּאִקְרֵי בִּשְׁבַע שְׁמָהָן. יֵצֶר הָרָע בִּשְׁבַע שְׁמָהָן אִקְרֵי. וּבְכַמָּה דַרְגִּין אִתְפַּשַּׁט מְסָאֲבוּ מֵהָכָא לְעָלְמָא וְכֹלָּא מֵרָזָא דִשְׂמָאלָא, טַב וּבִישׁ וְאִיהוּ יִשּׁוּבָא דְעָלְמָא. הָכָא שְׁמָא גְלִיפָא דִּתְמַנֵּי סָרֵי אַתְוָון מְמַנָּא עַל גִּשְׁמֵי רָצוֹן נְדָבָה וּבְרָכָה יִשּׁוּבָא דְעָלְמָא:
Herein is the mystery of the seven names borne by the Gehinnom as well as by the “evil tempter” (yetser-hara’); and from this source impurity has been propagated in many grades through the universe. All this proceeds from the mystic power of the left, which dispenses good and evil, thereby rendering the world habitable. Here we have the engraven Name of eighteen letters, which presides over the gentle and beneficent rains for the well-being of the world.