What is the “book of remembrance”? It is an allusion to the duplicate Book which is at once above and below.1v. Zohar, Ex., 70a. The term “remembrance” is a designation of the region of the holy covenant and concentrates and gathers within itself the whole of the supernal life-energy. Hence, “book of remembrance” signifies the two grades that are yet one.1Malkuth and Yesod. This is the underlying mystery of the “name TETRAGRAMMATON”, of which the Name is one and TETRAGRAMMATON is one, yet the two are only one.
For there is name and name. There is the name on high1Hohmah. that is the sign of the unknown, of that which is above and outside all knowledge-it is the supernal point; and there is the name below which is expressive of the central point here below. So Scripture says: “from the one end of the heaven unto the other” (Deut. 4, 32), that is, from the supernal point that concentrates within itself all the supernal life-energy “unto the lower end of heaven”, which bears the name “lower central point”.1Malkuth. This point is identical with the “book”, and, being in the centre, it unites within itself all the world’s directions;
six directions come to a union in the supernal book which is above and over them, and six directions find their union again in the lower book which is above and over them; and the two, the supernal book and the lower book, constitute together the Law (Torah),
The lower Law, on the other hand, is not embodied in writing, and hence is not constructed into a Palace for the central point beneath as is the superior Law for the supernal point. Hence, also, the oral Law is designated t’rumah (heave-offering, something separated), being apart and separated.
וַיִּכָּתֵב סֵפֶר (ע' ע"א) זִכָּרוֹן. מַאי אִיהוּ. אֶלָּא אִית סֵפֶר לְעֵילָּא, וְאִית סֵפֶר לְתַתָּא. זִכָּרוֹן אֲתַר (נ"א את) קַיָּימָא קַדִּישָׁא, דְּנָטִיל וְכָנִישׁ לְגַבֵּיהּ, כָּל חַיִּין דִּלְעֵילָּא. סֵפֶר זִכָּרוֹן תְּרֵין דַּרְגִּין דְּאִינּוּן חַד, וְרָזָא דָּא שֵׁם יְהוָֹ"ה שֵׁם חַד. יְהוָֹ"ה חַד. וְכֹלָּא מִלָּה חֲדָא.
What is the “book of remembrance”? It is an allusion to the duplicate Book which is at once above and below.1v. Zohar, Ex., 70a. The term “remembrance” is a designation of the region of the holy covenant and concentrates and gathers within itself the whole of the supernal life-energy. Hence, “book of remembrance” signifies the two grades that are yet one.1Malkuth and Yesod. This is the underlying mystery of the “name TETRAGRAMMATON”, of which the Name is one and TETRAGRAMMATON is one, yet the two are only one.
בְּגִין דְּאִית שֵׁם, וְאִית שֵׁם, שֵׁם (קס"ב ע"א) לְעֵילָּא, דְּאִיהוּ אִתְרְשִׁים (ס"א אקרי שם) מִמַּה דְּלָא יְדִיעַ, וְלָא אִתְרְמִיז בִּידִיעָה כְּלַל. וְדָא אִקְרֵי נְקוּדָה (צ"ג ע"א) עִלָּאָה. שֵׁם לְתַתָּא, דְּאִקְרֵי שֵׁם, (דברים ד׳:ל״ב) מִקְצֵה הַשָּׁמַיִם וְעַד קְצֵה הַשָּׁמַיִם, בְּגִין דִּקְצֵה הַשָּׁמַיִם אִקְרֵי זִכָּרוֹן. וְהַאי שֵׁם, אִיהוּ נְקוּדָה דִּלְתַתָּא, דְּאִיהוּ שֵׁם מֵהַהוּא זִכָּרוֹן, דְּאִיהוּ קְצֵה הַשָּׁמַיִם, דְּנָטִיל כָּל חַיִּין דִּלְעֵילָּא. וְדָא אִיהוּ קְצֵה הַשָּׁמַיִם דִּלְתַתָּא. וְשֵׁם דִּילֵיהּ אִיהִי נְקוּדָה דִּלְתַתָּא. נְקוּדָה דָּא, אִיהוּ סֵפֶר דְּקַיְּימָא בְּחוּשְׁבָּנָא, וְדָא הוּא וּלְחוֹשְׁבֵי שְׁמוֹ. סֵפֶר דְּקָאָמַרָן, וְשֵׁם, חַד מִלָה הוּא, בְּכָל סִטְרִין.
For there is name and name. There is the name on high1Hohmah. that is the sign of the unknown, of that which is above and outside all knowledge-it is the supernal point; and there is the name below which is expressive of the central point here below. So Scripture says: “from the one end of the heaven unto the other” (Deut. 4, 32), that is, from the supernal point that concentrates within itself all the supernal life-energy “unto the lower end of heaven”, which bears the name “lower central point”.1Malkuth. This point is identical with the “book”, and, being in the centre, it unites within itself all the world’s directions;
נְקוּדָה דָּא בְּגִין דְּקַיְּימָא בְּאֶמְצָעִיתָא, אִיהִי עִלָּאָה עַל כָּל דְּאִתְאַחֲדָן בָּה. שִׁית סִטְרִין, אִתְאַחֲדָן בְּסֵפֶר (קל"ז ע"ב) עִלָּאָה, וְאִיהוּ עִלָּאָה עָלַיְיהוּ. שִׁית סִטְרִין אִתְאַחֲדָן בְּסֵפֶר תַּתָּאָה, וְאִיהוּ עִלָּאָה עָלַיְיהוּ. וְעַל דָּא, סֵפֶר עִלָּאָה, סֵפֶר תַּתָּאָה, וְכֹלָּא אִקְרֵי תּוֹרָה.
six directions come to a union in the supernal book which is above and over them, and six directions find their union again in the lower book which is above and over them; and the two, the supernal book and the lower book, constitute together the Law (Torah),
מַה בֵּין הַאי לְהַאי. אֶלָּא, סֵפֶר עִלָּאָה אִיהוּ תּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָּב. בְּגִין דְּאִיהִי (רי"ד ע"א, שמיני מ' ע"ב) סְתִימָא, וְלָא קַיְּימָא אֶלָּא בִּכְתַב, דְּתַמָּן אִיהוּ אֲתָר לְאִתְגַלָאָה לְתַתָּא. וּמַאן אִיהוּ עָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי. סֵפֶר תַּתָּאָה, דָּא תּוֹרָה דְּאִקְרֵי תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה, וּמַאן אִיהוּ עַל פֶּה, אִלֵּין רְתִיכִין דִּלְתַתָּא, דְּאִיהִי קַיְּימָא עָלַיְיהוּ. וּבְגִין דְּלָאו אִינּוּן בִּכְלָלָא דִּכְתִּיבָה דִּלְעֵילָּא, אִקְרוּן עַל פֶּה.
the one the written Law, it being undisclosed and only to be revealed in the world to come, the other the oral Law.
וְתוֹרָה דָּא קַיְּימָא עַל פֶּה, בְּגִין דִּכְתִּיב, (בראשית ב׳:י׳) וּמִשָּׁם יִפָּרֵד וְהָיָה לְאַרְבָּעָה רָאשִׁים וְתוֹרָה עִלָּאָה, אַף עַל גַּב דְּאִיהִי קַיְּימָא לְעֵילָּא, לָא אִקְרֵי עַל הַכְּתָב, אֶלָּא שֶׁבִּכְתָּב, דְּקַיְּימָא בִּכְתָּב, וְהַהוּא כְּתָב אִתְעָבִיד הֵיכָלָא לְגַבֵּיהּ, וְאִיהִי קַיְּימָא גּוֹ הַהוּא הֵיכָלָא, וְאִתְטַמְּרָת תַּמָּן. וּבְגִין כַּךְ אִקְרֵי תּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָּב, וְלָא עַל כְּתָב.
Of the written Law the writing is made, as it were, into a Palace of the central point, wherein the Law is concealed.
אֲבָל תּוֹרָה דִּלְתַתָּא, אִיהִי קַיְּימָא עַל רְתִיכָהָא, וְאִקְרֵי עַל פֶּה, דְּקַיְּימָא עָלַיְיהוּ. וּבְגִין דְּלָא אִתְחַשִׁיבָת (נ"א אתיהיבת) מִלְּגוֹ, מִכְּלָלָא דִּכְתִּיבָה, לָא אִתְעָבִידוּ הֵיכָלָא לְהַאי נְקוּדָה, כְּהַהִיא נְקוּדָה עִלָּאָה. וּבְגִין דְּקַיְּימָא עָלַיְיהוּ אִקְרֵי תְּרוּמָה.
The lower Law, on the other hand, is not embodied in writing, and hence is not constructed into a Palace for the central point beneath as is the superior Law for the supernal point. Hence, also, the oral Law is designated t’rumah (heave-offering, something separated), being apart and separated.