Observe that Thought is the beginning of all. This Thought is recondite and inscrutable, but when it expands it reaches the place where spirit abides and is then called Understanding (binah), which is not so recondite as the preceding. This spirit expands and produces a Voice composed of fire, water, and air, which corresponds to north, south, and east. This Voice embraces in itself all forces, and speaks to Utterance, and this shapes the word properly.
When you examine the grades closely, you find that Thought, Understanding, Voice, Utterance are all one and the same, and there is no separation between them, and this is what is meant by the words: “The Lord is one and His Name is One.”
תָּא חֲזֵי, מַחְשָׁבָה רֵאשִׁיתָא דְכֹלָּא, וּבְגִין דְּאִיהִי מַחְשָׁבָה, אִיהִי לְגוֹ סְתִימָא וְלָא אִתְיְידַע. כָּךְ אִתְפַּשַּׁט הַאי מַחְשָׁבָה יַתִּיר, אַתְיָא לְאֲתַר דְּרוּחָא שַׁרְיָא, וְכַד מָטֵי לְהַהוּא אֲתַר אִקְרֵי בִּינָ"ה, וְהָא לָאו סָתִים כִּדְקַדְמִיתָא, וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּאִיהוּ סָתִים, הַאי רוּחָא אִתְפַּשַּׁט, וְאַפִּיק קָלָא, כָּלִיל מֵאֶשָּׁא וּמַיָא וְרוּחָא, דְּאִינוּן צָפוֹן וְדָרוֹם וּמִזְרָח. וְהַאי קָלָא, כְּלָלָא דְּכָל שְׁאָר חֵילִין, וְקָלָא דָּא מַדְבַּר לְדִבּוּר, וְדָא יָהִיב מִלָּה בְּתִקּוּנָא, בְּגִין דְּקוֹל אִשְׁתַּלַּח מֵאֲתַר דְּרוּחָא, וְאָתֵי לְדַבְּרָא מִלָּה, לְאֲפָקָא מִלִּין תְּרִיצִין.
Observe that Thought is the beginning of all. This Thought is recondite and inscrutable, but when it expands it reaches the place where spirit abides and is then called Understanding (binah), which is not so recondite as the preceding. This spirit expands and produces a Voice composed of fire, water, and air, which corresponds to north, south, and east. This Voice embraces in itself all forces, and speaks to Utterance, and this shapes the word properly.
וְכַד תִּסְתַּכֵּל בְּדַרְגִּין, הוּא מַחְשָׁבָה, הוּא בִּינָה, הוּא קוֹל, הוּא דִבּוּר, וְכֹלָּא חַד, וְהִיא הִיא מַחְשָׁבָה, רֵאשִׁיתָא דְכֹלָּא, וְלָא הֲוֵי פֵּרוּד, אֶלָּא כֹּלָּא חַד, וְקִשּׁוּרָא חַד, דְּאִיהוּ מַחְשָׁבָה מַמָּשׁ אִתְקַשַּׁר בְּאַיִן, וְלָא אִתְפָּרַשׁ לְעָלְמִין, וְדָא הוּא (זכריה י״ד:ט׳) ה' אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד. וְעַל דָּא, הַנּוֹתֵן אִמְרֵי שָׁפֶר כְּתִיב, דָּא גוּפָא.
When you examine the grades closely, you find that Thought, Understanding, Voice, Utterance are all one and the same, and there is no separation between them, and this is what is meant by the words: “The Lord is one and His Name is One.”