138 Openings of Wisdom

Opening 58

MaH (Yesod) builds Nukvah (the deficient BaN), after which Zeir Anpin sends her a flow of blessing.

The beauty and delight of Malchut is only in her when Yesod is with her, for through Yesod she becomes complete, whereas when Malchut is without Yesod, she is the source of all deficiency and sadness. But when Malchut is with Yesod, she is the source of all joy for the male himself. Accordingly, at first everything was in the mystery of BaN, which is Nukva (the female) without the male, which is the source of all sadness. And the Six Directions (=Zeir Anpin) did not turn to Malchut, because they did not receive delight. But when Yesod came in the mystery of MaH, she was then completed and she herself arouses delight in the male himself, and this is the repair.

This is the answer to an apparent contradiction in the teachings relating to the Primordial Kings. On the one hand we are taught that they were from the side of Malchut and were therefore lacking repair (Etz Chayim, Shaar Shevirat Hakelim ch. 8, 47a). Elsewhere, however, we find that, on the contrary, it is the rule of Malchut that brings the repair (Etz Chaim, Drushey Hanekudot ch. 3, 37b).

The proposition consists of two parts: Part 1: The beauty and delight... This explains how Malchut is the source of joy and of sadness. Part 2: Accordingly... How this relates to the Primordial Kings.

Part 1: The beauty and delight of Malchut... As explained earlier, Malchut is the "hind of love" (Proverbs 5:19) that arouses love in the lights and causes them to flash in excitement, for it is to Malchut that the terms beauty and delight apply. Beauty is when the repairs are properly ordered with no mixture of darkness but everything is arranged to serve as a perfect order of government with all the repairs and adjustments necessary for the flow of good. Delight results from beauty, and thus the verse continues, "...and a roe of grace" (ibid.). The Hebrew word for "roe" (éòìú, ya'elet) has the connotations of elevating and enhancing. In other words, the lights flash forth to greet her in the way that a father's love is aroused for his son when the latter meets with his approval, or in the way that a husband's love is aroused for his wife.

...is only in her when Yesod is with her... This is explained in many places in the Zohar and Tikkuney Zohar, and this is the mystery contained in the verse, "The advantage of land is in everything" (Kohelet 5:8). This is the mystery of the moon, which in its intrinsic nature is a "glass that does not shine", yet through the power of the sun, she shines and is seen to be beautiful, as it says, "beautiful as the moon" (Songs 6:10).

Such is the nature of Judgment (Din) and all that comes from it. If it is mitigated, it is the source of all joy (for the recipients justly deserve their reward and there is no "bread of shame"). But if it is unmitigated, it is the source of all evil, which is not so in the case of Kindness (Chessed). Fire is like this: if the heat is at the necessary level, it provides great satisfaction, but if it is too hot, it burns. So it is with wine: if one drinks in moderation, it is "the wine that brings joy", but if one drinks to excess, it is the wine that intoxicates. This is the mystery of the Nukva. If she is mitigated and sweetened with kindly influences (çñãéí, chassadim), she arouses every kind of joy and love. But if she is unmitigated, on the contrary, she causes every kind of sadness. Yesod's mission is precisely to sweeten Malchut.

...for through Yesod she becomes complete... For Yesod gives her what is suitable to bring her to a state of completeness and mitigation. However, the governmental order is so arranged that the Shechinah is not rectified on her own but her repair depends upon Yesod.

...whereas when Malchut is without Yesod, she is the source of all deficiency and sadness. As we have said, if she is not complete, she is the source of all deficiency. It is like unripe fruits, which are bad because they are not ready or complete, but when they become ripe, they are sweet and good.

But when Malchut is with Yesod, she is the source of all joy for the male himself. This is the concept of "the hind of love" (of which it is said, "...let her breasts satisfy you at all times" -- Proverbs 5:19). This is when she is already like a fruit that is ripe and ready.

This enables us to resolve the apparent contradiction mentioned above. When we say that it is the rule of Malchut that causes the repair, this is the rule of Malchut with the light of the male. However, when we say that the Primordial Kings were deficient because they derive from the name of BaN, this is because they are from Malchut without the light of the male.

Part 2: Accordingly, at first everything was in the mystery of BaN, which is Nukva (the female) without the male... As we have explained, when we say that the Primordial Kings derive from BaN, this means they derive from the category of Malchut when unconnected with the light of the male. ...which is the source of all sadness... in accordance with the mystery of, "Turn away your eyes from me" (Songs 6:5). As explained in the Zohar, this means that as long as the Nukva is not sweetened through Yesod, Zeir Anpin turns away from her and is unwilling to send a flow of influence. This is when the sadness mentioned before reigns, when the lights are closed up.

It could be objected that we have stated that all of the Nukva's perfection derives from the Yesod, which is the male. If so, then as long as the male does not turn towards her, she is incomplete. But as long as she is incomplete, the male does not turn to her. If so, how is she to become complete?

The answer is that when we say that the male (Zeir Anpin) turns to her, this is to give her a flow of sustenance, but this is not the same as when we say that Yesod shines in her, which is in order to build her. The shining of Yesod in Malchut is something that depends on the extent to which she is built, which in turn depends on the deeds of the lower creations. Yesod is what actually builds Malchut, which it does when she is completed through the deeds of the lower creations, since she is their root, as discussed earlier. The entire influence of the male (i.e. when Zeir Anpin turns to her) is of plenty and blessing, but this is not the actual building of Malchut (which is carried out by Yesod). This blessing comes to her after she has already been entirely built through the deeds of the lower creations.

(In sum: At first it is necessary for Yesod to shine in the Nukva in order to build her, and Yesod shines in her according to the degree of perfection of the deeds of the lower creations. This applies to the governmental order. However, when the world was first created, Yesod built the Nukva without any existing deeds on the part of the lower creatures but rather through the power of the anticipated future deeds of the righteous. After the Nukva is built by Yesod, Zeir Anpin then turns to her to give her sustenance and blessing.)

And the Six Directions (Zeir Anpin) did not turn to Malchut, because they did not receive delight. Although Malchut too already existed as one of the Sefirot, she did not arouse favor and delight because her structure was still deficient.

But when Yesod came in the mystery of MaH, she was then completed... For in the Sefirot of MaH it was included as part of the governmental order that Yesod should radiate in Malchut. We thus find that the governmental order is such that all the structures and worlds are in the category of Malchut as already rectified through Yesod (i.e. the exterior is united with the interior), i.e. the building of Malchut is complete. For this is what causes all the openings and flows of influence.

...and she herself arouses delight in the male himself... The repair of BaN was so instituted that when the Nukva receives completion from the side of Yesod (=MaH), the male (=Zeir Anpin) immediately comes and joins with her, i.e. AV, SaG and MaH join with BaN in the mystery of "about three months after" (Genesis 38:24) as explained in the teachings of the ARI. This is the order of repair of the worlds at all times through the mystery of male and female. But the overall male is included entirely in MaH, and the Nukva -- BaN -- receives from MaH. Initially she receives the radiation of Yesod which completes her construction, after which she also receives the flow of sustenance and blessing. All the worlds were afterwards built in accordance with this rectified order.

...and this is the repair. The entire essence of the repair depends on this overall connection, for once it was brought about in the overall root of the governmental order, it came about detail by detail in the worlds themselves, as will be explained below. (The connection of MaH and BaN first came about generally, and afterwards in detail in each individual world.)