Sha'ar HaEmunah VeYesod HaChasidut, Entrance to the Gate of Beit Yaakov 3

כאשר האדם יאמין שהש"י הוא השורש, ואין חילוק מצדו ית' בין קודם בריאת העולם לאחר הבריאה, אז תהיה יראתו שלימה. Chapter Three: The Borders of Knowledge after Creation
When God initially desired to create the world, His hidden wisdom understood and decreed all that would exist and transpire, from the highest worlds to the lowest creatures. To this end, He emanated a vast array of forces – worlds, sefirot and Divine Names – through which He created, sustains and directs the very fabric of the universe and all that it contains. Without these intermediary forces, God’s light would be too intense for creation to bear.
Furthermore, these forces are not something external to man, but are part of the makeup of his very consciousness, and by means of them, he can perceive something of the Divine Being – prophecy being the highest level of perception. Nonetheless, if human cognition is also a created entity, it means that it is subject to the same level of impermanence as the rest of creation; being contingent upon God’s ongoing will to create.²¹⁹See Part One, chapter twenty, in which the author seeks to show that even logical impossibilities – such as mathematical truths – are not immutable. The upshot of this is this man ultimately lives in a world of doubt, with no unbending certainties or immutable truths.²²⁰One might argue that the Torah is the one, unbending truth in creation, given by God at Sinai to provide His creatures with a single, immutable path. However, it is one of the central principles of Izbhitz Hasidism that even the mitzvot of the Torah can be abrogated, if God so wills it. One frequently given example is the sacrifices offered by Eliyahu, the prophet, on Mount Carmel, in his contest with the priests of Baal. Such sacrifices – offered when the Temple was standing in Jerusalem – were technically prohibitted by the Torah; however, because God decreed them at that time, they were as valid as any commandment. In line with the previous chapter, the belief that such truths exist is the root of idolatry. The correct response is to live a life of faith, which, as the author previous explained, is the existential realization of one’s own lacks, and the subsequent recognition of God’s perfection and transcendence.

ובזוה"ק וישלח (דף קסו.) רבי שמעון פתח (משלי יב) טוב נקלה ועבד לו ממתכבד וחסר לחם וכו', ואיהו חסר לחם חסר מהימנותא כד"א לחם אלהיו. שאם האדם שלם באמונה, אז יראתו ואהבתו שלמים, וחסרון אמונה יקרא בזה"ק קדושים (דף פ.) חסר לב מהו חסר לב מאן דלית ליה מהימנותא דמאן דלא אשתדל באורייתא לאו ביה מהימנותא ופגים הוא מכלא. ועל זה אמר שלמה (משלי יז) למה זה מחיר ביד כסיל לקנות חכמה ולב אין. שהיראה מתוך האמונה, כאשר יאמין האדם שהש"י הוא השורש, וכמו שתקנו לנו אנשי כנסת הגדולה, אתה הוא עד שלא נברא העולם אתה הוא משנברא העולם, שמצד הש"י אין שום חילוק בין קודם בריאת העולם לאחר בריאת העולם: It is written in the Zohar, Parshat Shlach (166a): "Rabbi Shimon opened the discussion and said, “Better is the man who is lightly esteemed and has a servant than one who primps himself and lacks bread.” (Mishlei, 12:9) One who lacks bread, lacks faith, as it is written (Vayikra, 21:22), ‘the bread of God.’”"²²¹Interestingly enough, this verse is mentioned in the Torah’s discussion of the blemished Cohen, who, though he may not offer sacrifices in the Temple, may nevertheless eat of the sacrifices, the “bread of God.” Deficiency does not prevent man from the connection of faith, to the contrary, it can strengthen it. If a person is whole in his emunah, then his fear and love of God are also whole.²²²We explained above that one who fears God becomes whole in his character traits. Here, we see the reverse: wholeness of faith leads to wholeness of fear. On the other hand, a deficiency in faith would lead to fallen fear, or idolatry. On the other hand, deficiency in emunah is called “heartless.” Of this, the Zohar writes (Kedoshim, 80a): "What is “heartless?” It is one who lacks faith. One who does not learn the Torah has no faith and is thoroughly blemished." Shlomo HaMelech had this in mind when he asked (Mishlei, 17:16), “What is the value of wisdom in the hands of a fool, seeing as he lacks a heart?” Emunah contains the fear of God. When a man has emunah that God is the source and root of all, he then possesses the knowledge that was expressed by the members of the Great Assembly in the prayer, “You, God, existed before the world was created, and You exist after the world was created.”²²³This prayer is found in the introduction to the morning service, in the Adon Olam prayer. That is, from God’s point of view there is no difference between before the world was created and afterward.²²⁴That is, faith is that which transcends the limited vessels with which God created the world, as discussed above.

ושורש האמונה ליראת ה', שיאמין האדם באמונה שלמה, שהש"י המציא את כל הבריאה יש מאין גמור, וחקק כל החקים והעריך כל המערכות וסדר כל הסדרים. והוא העריך וחלק ומדד לנו דעה והשכל, בגבול אשר הגביל להבריאה, וסדר לנו סדרים ומערכת, ונתן לנו תפיסה והשגה להשיג, כפי אשר חלק לנו, ועל פי המדה אשר מדד לנו. והכל האציל וברא ויצר ועשה יש מאין גמור, שבאמת מה שנראה לנו ישות והויה נפרדת והנהגה, הוא לקבוע דמות דעה זאת, כפי כח השגתנו אשר חלק לנו. וצריכים אנו לדעת ולהאמין, שאין דעתנו מגעת לשורש דעתו ית', שאין לנו להתבונן אלא במה שהורשינו. שאף השגת הנבואה ונביאים הוא רק כפי מה שברא להם הש"י כח והשגה, וכפי השגה זו כן ישיגו, וכמ"ש (הושע יב) וביד הנביאים אדמה. וכדאיתא בתיקוני הזהר (תקון י"ט דף מ.) וכשרוצה הש"י להמשיך נבואה כל הספירות כלולים בהם ונקראים נביאים, ומלכות היא דמיון כלם, שנאמר וביד הנביאים אדמה, כמ"ש הנביא (הושע יב) ודברתי על הנביאים, שהוא כמו אספקלריא שכל הפנים נראין בה, כן כל הספירות מראין בה כחם ודמיונם וצורתם לכל נביא כפי השגתו למעלה, וכמו כן למטה היא מתלבשת בכסא הכבוד ובכל המלאכים והאופנים וחיות הקודש ובכל הרקיעים והכסאות שבהם. והמלאכים התלוים מהם, שיש מלאכים גבוהים עליהם שנאמר (קהלת ה) כי גבוה מעל גבוה שומר וגבוהים עליהם, וכן בכל כוכב ומזל כמ"ש ומלכותו בכל משלה, וזהו וביד הנביאים אדמה, ולכל אחד נדמה כפי כחו שהוא נשמתו. וכדאיתא במדרש רבה (תזריע פ' טו) אפילו רוה"ק ששורה על הנביאים אינו שורה אלא במשקל מפסוק (איוב כח)לעשות לרוח משקל, והיינו שהשגת הנביאים הוא ג"כ כח נברא והשגה ותפיסה נבראת, מה שחלק השי"ת מחכמתו לחכמים ולנביאים, כפי כח ההשגה שניתן בהם בשורש נשמתן. אבל כל ההשגות הם רק כח נברא, מה שחלק הש"י כח השגה להבריאה: The root of faith,which leads to the fear of God, is for man to wholeheartedly believe that God brought forth the entire creation ex nihilo, out of absolute non-existence.²²⁵The proper expression of faith leads one to believe in the absolutely autonomous power of God to create the world. One who lacks this faith will see only inflexible, natural laws of an eternal universe. As the author explained above, this approach will ultimately lead to idolatry, which is a fear born of deficiency; that is, the fear of losing one’s own absolute truths. He carved the laws of the universe, established all its systems, and arranged all of its orders. He meted out knowledge and wisdom to every aspect of His creation, with everything received its proper amount. He gave every creature the amount of wisdom perfectly suited to its attributes, and gave mankind the ability to know and comprehend, each person according to his own measure. All was emenated, created, formed, and made²²⁶These four terms parallel the basic concept of the Kaballah of the four worlds, atzilut, beriyah, yetsirah, and asiyah. See Yeshayahu, 43:6. out of nothing. Everything was established only in order to create the appearance of separate entities in the world, with each being acting on its own accord, based upon the consciousness that God has granted us. Still, we need to know and believe that our own human knowledge does not come close to the root of God’s knowledge. We may only contemplate that which we are permitted to know. Even the prophet’s knowledge is limited by the way God created him and the power of comprehension granted unto him. His prophecy is only according to his knowledge, as it is written (Hoshea, 12:11), “I have multiplied their visions, and I shall use images through the prophets.” This idea is found in the Tikkunei Zohar (Tikkun 19, page 40a). When God wants to draw prophecy into the world, then all of the Sefirot are included in a man, and he is called a prophet. The Sefirah of Malkhut (sovereignty) is a representation of all of the Sefirot. This is as it is written, “I shall use images through the prophets.” And as it is written (Hoshea, 12), “I have spoken to the prophets,” where Malkhut is like a mirror in which you can see all of the various faces.²²⁷The sefirah of Malkhut is the lowest in the arrangement of the sefirot. Thus, Malkhut serves as a sort of catch-basin, or mirror, that receives and reflects the potencies of the upper sefirot that descend into it. The prophet attains this consciousness, and is therefore able to receive God’s word, as it filters down through all the upper worlds and spheres. Similarly, all of the Sefirot show their power and forms to the prophet according to his ability to perceive the upper realms. In the same way it is enclothed below in the Throne of Glory, in all of the angels, the Ofanim, the holy Hayot, in all of their firmaments and thrones, and in all of the angels that are dependent on them. There are many levels of angels, one above the other, as it is written (Kohelet, 5:7), “For there is a higher one who watches over him that is high, and there are yet higher ones over them.” So too, with every Cherub and mazal (astrological force), as it is written (Tehillim, 145), “His sovereignty (Malchus) is in every dominion.” This is, “I shall use images through the prophets.” Each one sees the images (from the beyond) according to his power, which is his soul. It is said in the Midrash (Rabbah, Ta’azria, 15), “Even when Ruah haKodesh rests upon the prophets, it does so only according to a defined measure.” “To make a scale for the wind (spirit)” (Iyov, 28:25). This is all to say that the understanding of the prophets is also a force created by God and allocated to each prophet and sage according to God’s wisdom. His prophecies all follow the specific power of understanding granted at the root of his soul. All of man’s ability to understand is a force that God created and distributed to mankind.²²⁸The point here is that human wisdom – even the highest, prophetic wisdom – is a creation of God, which God emanates in accordance with the level of the prophet’s soul. That being the case, one must realize that there is something higher than all comprehension, whether knowledge is prophetic or intellectual.

ואף מה שנזכר בכמה מקומות לשון קודם שנברא העולם, וכדאיתא במדרש הנעלם זוה"ח (בראשית דף ג) קודם שנברא העולם היה הוא ושמו בלבד, וכמה ענינים שנזכרו שהיו קודם שנברא העולם ונדרש עליהם, וכן התורה שהיתה גנוזה שני אלפים שנה קודם שנברא העולם. כל זה הוא אחר שעלה ברצונו הקדום, כקדמותו גבול הוית העולם, אז נברא הזמן, וזה יקרא שני אלפים שנה אלף חכמה אלף בינה, ואז יקרא סדר הזמנים. וכדאיתא במדרש בראשית רבה (פרשה ג') מלמד שהיה סדר זמנים קודם לכן. ובמקום וגבול שנקבע סדר הזמנים, היינו בריאת הזמן, אז הוקבעו גבולים ומערכות וסדר מדת ההנהגה, וכדאי' בהקדמת תיקוני הזהר הקדמה שניה (דף יז.) אנת הוא דאפיקת עשר תיקונין וקרינן לון עשר ספירין לאנהגא בהון עלמין סתימין דלא אתגליין וכו' יעו"ש. הרי דכל סדר מערכת מדת ההנהגה הוקבע במקום וגבול שנקבע סדר הזמנים לצורך הנהגת העולם, עלמין סתימין דלא אתגליין ועלמין דאתגליין, וכדמסיים (שם) ואנת לית לך שם ידיע כו' לית לך אתר ידיע אלא לאשתמודע תוקפך וחילך לבני נשא כו' יעו"ש: Various places in our tradition use the phrase, “before the world was created.”²²⁹Having posited that all human comprehension – including prophecy – exists only in the limited, post-emanation stage, and that we can have no comprehensive grasp of that which precedes creation, the author now explains various midrashic references to a period that existed before the creation of the world (which would seem to contradict his previously explanation). However, even here, the references are to stages after the initial steps of creation, and not God in Himself. See next note for more. It is written in the Midrash HaNe’elam of the Zohar Hadash (Bereshit, p. 3), “Before the world was created it was only He and His Name.” There are a number of matters attributed to the time before God created the world. The Midrash tells us that the Torah was hidden for two thousand years before the creation of the world. All of this occurred after the desire to create arose in God’s primordial will, whose antiquity is as old as the border of the existence of creation.²³⁰The world mentioned here refers to metaphyisical existence before the creation of matter. The creation of the “world” happened through the first contraction (tzimtzum) of the Ayn Sof (the “Without End”), in which God withdrew His light from around a single in the endless light, creating an empty space in the center of His being. Creation ex nihilo is tantamout to the withdrawl of the light and the creation of this empty space. (See Etz Chayim, Chapter 1; Talmud Eser Sefiros, Introduction, “lifnai shenivrau hanivraim”). At this moment, time was created. This is called, “two thousand years” – a thousand of wisdom, a thousand of understanding. It is called the order of time. This is as it is said in Bereshit Rabbah (3), “This teaches us that the order of time preceded the creation.” In the place and within the borders that were established for the order of time – that is, with the creation of time – the borders and order of Divine conduct were established.²³¹Time was created before matter. The idea of a time period “before the world was created,” refers to the metaphysical realms that God created prior to the material world. However, as there is an order and sequence to these worlds – the emergence of sefirot, the arrangements of Adam Kadmon (Primordial Man), the breaking and repair of the vessels – we may say that they exist in some form of time. Knowledge of the forms that existed prior to the creation of matter is received tradition from the Prophets, sages, and Kabbalists. The progression of metaphysical creation is described in great detail by the Arizal, in the Etz Chayim, his magnum opus on Kabbalah. This is as it is written in the second introduction to the Tikkunei Zohar (17a): "You are the one who brought forth ten rectifications, and called them ten Sefirot, for the purpose of conducting worlds that are hidden and not revealed, and for conducting worlds that are revealed." Thus the entire order of the Divine conduct of the world was established within the boundaries set for the order of time for the express purpose of running the worlds, both hidden and revealed. This is as this passage in the Zohar concludes: "You have no known name, or any known place, but rather, You make Your strength and influence known to mankind."

גם השמות והכנוים לשמו ית', וכן הספירות שהיו קודם בריאת העולם, הכל נברא לתכלית הבריאה כדי שיוכלו הנבראים להשיג האור על ידם. Perceiving God’s light through His Names, Sefirot, and Attributes
In the previous chapter, the author makes a distinction between the limited creation and the infinite, undefinable state of pure Divinity that precedes all acts of manifestation – even the pre-creation existence of time. Our intellect, itself a created entity, can only grasp other created entities. It cannot penetrate to the pre-existent dimension of God. In this sense, the “boundaries” of the intellect and the “boundaries” of creation correspond. Yet, if God Himself is ungraspable, what is the function of the numerous names of Divinity found in Scripture? In the following chapter, R. Gershon Henoch explains that God Himself has no name, and that all the names found in the Torah are merely attributes that God uses to run the world and relate to humankind; for without them, God’s light would be too intense for creation to bear. Finally, the author explains that since everything in creation is emanated freely and autonomously by God, it is contingent upon God’s will, and therefore lacks ultimate permanence. There are no inviolable principles in creation, including those formulate by the human mind. The consequence of this is that the world is a place of doubt, where it is impossible to posit any absolute truths; for doing so leads to idolatry, as explained above. One must rely only upon faith, which is the recognition of God’s absolute transcendence.

וכן מה שנזכר בזה"ק פנחס (דף רנז:) אוף הכי מארי עלמא קדם דברא עלמא וברא בריין דיליה למאן אתקרי רחום וחנון או דיין, אלא כל שמהן דיליה אינון כנוין, ולא אתקרי בהון אלא על שום בריין דעלמא. ובגין דא כד מארי דרא אינון טבין איהו אתקרי לגבייהו יקו"ק במדת רחמים וכו' ולכל בר נש כפום מדה דיליה אבל לאו דאית ליה מדה ולא שם ידיע, כגוונא דספיראן דכל ספירה אית לה שם ידיע ומדה וגבול ותחום, ובאלין שמהן מארי עלמא איהו אתפשט ואמליך בהון ואתקרי בהון ואתכסי בהון ודר בהון כנשמתא לגבי אברים דגופא. ושם (דף רנח.) דכד הוה איהו יחיד קדם דברא עלמא אמאי הוה איהו צריך לאתקרי בשמהן אלין או בשאר כנויין כגון (שמות ל״ד:ו׳) רחום וחנון ארך אפים וגו' דיין אמיץ חזק וסגיאין בכל אינון שמהן וכנוין אתקרי על שם כל עלמין. וענין עשר תקונין הנזכר בתיקוני הזוהר הקדמה שניה הנ"ל, אנת הוא דאפיקת עשר תיקונין וקרינן להון עשר ספירין לאנהגא בהון עלמין סתימין דלא אתגליין ועלמין דאתגליין. הוא כדי שיוכלו הברואים לקבל האור, כדאיתא בזה"ק אדרא רבא קדישא (דף קלה:) כד סליק ברעותא דרישא חוורא למעבד יקרא ליקריה תקין וזמין וכו'. שזה ענין שנזכרו שם כל התקונין באדרא, היינו שנתקן בלבושים, כדי שהברואים יוכלו להשיג על ידם. וכדאי' בזה"ק (בלק דף רד:) נהורא קדמאה דברא קוב"ה הוה נהיר עד דלא הוי יכלין עלמין למסבליה מה עביד קוב"ה עבד נהורא לנהוריה לאתלבשא דא בדא וכן כל שאר נהורין עד דעלמין כלהו בקיומייהו ויכלין למסבל. ובהקדמת תיקוני הזהר הנ"ל לבושין תקינת לון דמנייהו פרחין נשמתין לבני נשא וכו' ולית דידע בך כלל ובר מנך לית יחודא בעלאי ותתאי וכו' ואנת לית לך שם ידיע , דאנת הוא ממלא כל שמהן ואנת הוא שלימו דכלא, וכד אנת תסתלק מנהון אשתארו כלהו כגופא בלא נשמתא, אנת חכים ולא בחכמה ידיע אנת הוא מבין ולא מבינה ידיע לית לך אתר ידיע אלא לאשתמודע תוקפך וחילך לבני נשא איך אתנהג עלמא בדינא וברחמי וכו' אבל לאו דאית לך צדק ידיע דאיהו דין ולאו משפט ידיע דאיהו רחמים ולא מכל אלין מדות כלל. ומזה מפורש שכל השמות והמדות הם רק מצד הבריאה, והשמות והמדות הם ג"כ נבראים לתכלית הבריאה: In Parshat Pinhas (257b) the Zohar discusses the meaning and function of God’s names and attributes: In this way, The Master of the World (was called by various names and appellations) even before He created His creations, who would eventually call Him “the Merciful One,” or, “the Judge.” All of God’s names are intended for His creation, in order that creation should have a way to call Him and relate to Him. Therefore, when the people of the generation are worthy, they call Him, “YHVH,” which is the name of mercy. And when the people of the generation are unworthy, they call Him, “A-donai,” which is the name of strict judgment. Each generation and each individual relates to God according to his particular qualities, yet it is clear that God Himself has no attribute or known name.²³²That is, on the highest level, God transcends names and letters. This is similar to the Sefirot, where each Sefirah has a known name; an attribute, measurement, and border. God ventures into these names and rules in them. He is called through them, concealed by them, and dwells in them, as the soul dwells in the limbs of the body. And later in this passage (158a): When God was alone before He created the world, why was it necessary for Him to be called by these name and appellations like, “the Merciful and Compassionate One,” “the Long Suffering,” or, “the Powerful Judge”?²³³There was not yet anyone to call God by name, so why did He have a name? There are many more such names, and they are all called in reference to the supernal worlds which existed prior to the existence of the physical world.²³⁴Even though names and appellations are born out of the relationship between God and man, they also serve a function in the emanation of the world, and thus, like the supernal Sefirot, they existed prior to the physical world. In reference to the “ten rectifications (Sefirot),” it is said in the second introduction to the Tikkunei Zohar, page 17a (Patach Eliyahu):You are the one who brought forth ten rectifications , and called them ten Sefirot, for the purpose of conducting worlds that are hidden and not revealed, and for conducting worlds that are revealed. This was all in order for the creation to be able to receive God’s light. This is mentioned in the Idra Rabbah Kadisha section of the Zohar (135b): When it arose in the desire of the Reisha Chivara²³⁵Literally, the “White Head,” referring to one of highest levels of creation. Kabbalistically, the image of the “head” is used to refer to sublime spiritual forces in the very beginnings of creation. The “hair” represents channels that allow the flow of of transcendent light emanating from the Godhead . Light flows through the “eyes,” or other facial orifices, representing divine energy (described with the terms “shefa,” abundance) flowing from the source of absolute will and compassion. The “beard” conveys the thirteen attributes of compassion, etc. to make the glory of all glories, it established and prepared … This is why all of the rectifications²³⁶Processes by which God’s infinite light is limited into vessels, so that the creation may be able to perceive it without being nullified by its power. are mentioned in the central section of the Zohar called the Idra Rabbah. Simply put, God’s light was clothed in garments, which enabled the creation to perceive the light. This is as it is said in the Zohar (Balak, 204b): The primordial light which God created shined with such intensity that the worlds could not withstand its power until the Holy One, blessed be He, created a light for this light (to be enclothed in a kind of luminous vessel), so one could dress within the other, and similarly with all of the lights, so that the worlds could stand in their place and endure it. The second introduction to the Zohar, quoted above, continues: You established garments for them, and from these garments souls fly down to mankind. … None of them know You at all, and besides You, there is no Oneness in the upper and lower realms. … You have no known name, for You fill all names, and You are the completion of everything. And when You withdraw from them, they all remain as a body without a soul. You are wise but not with a known wisdom.²³⁷Though the source of all wisdom, and everything for that matter, comes from God, for “there is none besides Him,” still, God told us through Yeshayahu, “My thoughts are not like your thoughts.” In other words, there is a revealed wisdom and also a transcendent wisdom. You understand but not with a known understanding. You have no known place, but rather You make your strength and power know to mankind, namely, how the world is managed through judgment and mercy … Yet it is not a known form of righteousness, which is din (judgment), nor is it a known form of justice, which is rahamim (mercy), nor with any of these attributes.²³⁸Though we call God, “the Compassionate,” the essence of compassion or any such attribute is beyond human understanding. Here it is perfectly clear that all of these names and attributes (Sefirot) exist only for the purpose of the creation, and that they are also created forces essential to the creation.

וכמו שבהמדות נכלל כל סדר ההנהגה, כן נכלל בהם כל השגת הברואים ודעתם ושכלם וסדר הזמנים, והחושים והמוחשים והשכל והמושכל וכח ההרגש והמורגש והעילת והעלולים והמנין והמספר, בחומר ובצורה של כל הבריאה, משפל המדרגות עד רום המעלות, מן הדומם והצומח והחי והמדבר והזמן, עד מלאכי מרום והספירות והשמות והכנויים, הכל הוא נברא מחודש, מרצון הקודם כקדמותו, שיצא לפועל בגבולו ובערכו, וסדרו במקומו ובעתו, עד העולם השפל שהוא עולם הספק, שאין בה שום דבר ברור, שבה יכול האדם לברור בדעתו, אשר נתן לו וברא וסדר באדם כח המחשבה והמחשבה והמוחשב בהמחשבה וכח השכל שישכיל האדם וגם המושכל, היינו שדברים אלו ישכיל בכח שכלו, ומאלו יהיה בכח שכלו היקשים והבדלות, וכל החושים והמוחשים, באיזה צורה יחוש ובאיזה צורה מוחש. וכן בכל סדר הבריאה השגה בדעת האדם שזה יהיה מחויב וזה נמנע וזה אפשר, הכל הוא נברא ונערך ונסדר ברצון השי"ת, ותמיד יכול לשנות, וגם לשנות דעת האדם, שזה שמבין שזה הוא נמנע יבין בהיפך שהוא מחויב או אפשר: Just as the entire order of Divine governance is included in the attributes, so too do they include all of the ability of all creatures to understand,²³⁹In other words, just as God creates and guides the world through the system of Divine attributes, so does He create and guide every aspect of human sense and cognition. Thus, just as the physical creation existence is contingent upon God’s will alone, and lacks ultimate constancy, so the most logical processes of the mind have merely contingent existence, and can change according to the Divine will. As a result, nothing is certain but faith, which transcends logic. their consciousness, knowledge, and the order of times, the senses, the sensed, the discerning and the discerned, the power of feeling and the felt, all causes and all effects, all measurement and all number, the forms and spirit of all creation,²⁴⁰חומר וצורה from the lowliest of the creations to the most lofty, from inanimate matter, to plants, animals, and people, and time, to the supernal angels, the Sefirot and the names of God – it is all newly created, from the very first awakening of God’s primordial desire when it came into action, in measured borders, when He arranged everything in its place and at its time, until the lowliest of worlds, which is the world of doubt, where nothing is certain, and man lacks discernment, whereupon God created and arranged for man the power of thought, and that which is conceived in the faculty of thought, and the power of intellect with which man can discern, and also the discerned, meaning that he may discern these things with the power of his mind, and through the power of his mind he makes comparisons and distinctions, and all the senses and the sensed, in whatever form it senses and in whatever form it is sensed. So too, in the whole order of creation, when man understands how something is required, or impossible, or possible, it is really all created and arranged in God’s will, and can always change. Man’s mind can also change, where something he just thought was impossible he now knows is possible or even requisite.

ולפי זה מפורש יוצא, שכל מה שנזכר בזה"ק פנחס הנ"ל, שכל השמות והכנויים והמדות הוא על שם הברואים מה שהיה עתיד לנהג בהם, כל זה הוא רק מגבול רצון חידוש הבריאה ולמטה, אבל לא למעלה מזה, ששם אין שום לבוש ומדה ושם כלל. וכדאיתא בזה"ק פרשת בא (דף מב.) ואל מי תדמיוני דכל חיון דאינון חיות הקודש באתוון דשמא קדישא אתקריאו הה"ד (ישעיהו מ״ג:ז׳) כל הנקרא בשמי ולכבודי בראתיו אפילו כל בריין דאתבריאו בהון ולית בריאה דלא אתרשים בהאי שמא, בגין לאשתמודע למאן דברא ליה וכו' ובגין דא אמר (שם מ) ואל מי תדמיוני ואשוה יאמר קדוש, לית בכל בריה דאשווה כוותי ואף על גב דבראתי לה כדמות אתוון דילי דאנא יכיל למחאה ההיא צורה ולמעבד לה כמה זמנין, ולית אלוה אחרא עלי דיכול לממחי דיוקני וכו'. הרי מפורש, שכל הנבראים אף חיות הקודש וכל הכחות העליונים, אף שורש צורתם הם רק נערכים ומסודרים בצורות הקדושות, מחודשים כפי הרצון, ובכח הרצון לשנות אף אלו הצורות לצורות אחרים, שכפי השתנות הצורות העליונים ישתנה כל סדר ההנהגה מרום המעלות עד שפל המדרגות, ואף הנהגת טבע העולם התחתון. ושם בזה"ק (בא מב:) מסיים ואי יקשה בר נש דהא כתיב (דברים לב) כי לא ראיתם כל תמונה איהו יתרץ ליה האי תמונה חזינא דהא כתיב ותמונת ה' יביט. ולא בכל תמונה אחרא דבר נש דיצר באתווי, ובגין דא אמר ואל מי תדמיוני ואשוה ואל מי תדמיון אל ומה דמות תערכו לו. ואפילו האי תמונה לית ליה באתריה אלא כד נחית לאמלכא על בריין ויתפשט עלייהו יתחזי לון לכל חד כפום מראה וחזיון ודמיון דלהון והאי איהו (הושע יב) וביד הנביאים אדמה. ובגין דא יימא איהו אע"ג דאנא אדמה לכו בדיוקנייכו אל מי תדמיוני ואשוה, דהא קדם דברא קוב"ה דיוקנא בעלמא וצייר צורה הוה הוא יחידאי בלא צורה ודמיון. הרי שכל השמות והכנויים הם נבראים, וקודם הבריאה לא היה שום שם ושום צורה מצורות הקדושות, וכדאיתא בזה"ק בא (דף מב:) ומאן דאשתמודע ליה קדם בריאה דאיהו לבר מדיוקנא אסיר למעבד ליה צורה דיוקנא בעלמא, לא באות ה' ולא באות י' ואפילו בשמא קדישא ולא בשום אות ונקודה בעלמא, והאי איהו כי לא ראיתם כל תמונה, מכל דבר דאית ביה תמונה ודמיון לא ראיתם, אבל בתר דעביד האי דיוקנא דמרכבה דאדם עילאה נחית תמן ואתקרי בההוא דיוקנא ידו"ד בגין דישתמודעון ליה במדות דיליה בכל מדה ומדה: According to this it is clear that all that was mentioned in the above quote in the Zohar, Parshat Pinhas – that all of the names, appellations, and attributes, were all created for the purpose of directing the creation – falls within the realm of [God’s] desire to emanate the creation and everything that that includes,²⁴¹Note that the author now applies the concept of a contingent creation not merely to some past occurrence – the Genesis story of the Bible – but to an ongoing, constantly recurring state; meaning to say, just as God originally created the world and everything in it – including human cognition – so He continually creates and renews the world, so that their continued existence is also, at every moment, contingent and mutable. but not above this. For above this, there is no garment or attribute at all. This is as it is written in the Zohar (Parshat Bo, 42a): “To whom shall you liken me, that I shall be his equal, said the Holy One.” (Yeshayahu, 40:25) All of the holy Hayot (angels) are called in the letters of the holy name. This is as it is written (Yeshayahu, 43:6), “All that is called in My name, I have created for My glory.” Everything in the creation was created with the letters of God’s name, and there is no creation that does not have God’s name inscribed in it, in order that one may know who created it. For this reason it is written, “To whom shall you liken Me, that I shall be his equal, said the Holy One.” No creature shall be My equal. Even though I created it in the form of My letters, still, I can erase its form and re-create it as many times as I want, and there is no god above Me that can erase My “form.” Here it is clear that all created beings, even the holy Hayot (angels) and all the supernal powers, even the root of their spiritual forms are only arranged and ordered in holy likenesses, and renewed according to God’s desire. It is in the power of God’s desire to change these likenesses into different forms; for according to the changing of the supernal forms, so will the order of God’s governance change, from the loftiest of heights to the lowliest of levels. This is true even for the nature order of the physical world. There the Zohar concluded (Bo, 42b): If one were to propose a difficulty by quoting the verse (Devarim, 32), “for you saw no image,”²⁴²The verse says, “you saw no image,” not the letter yud, nor the letter vav, or any other letter. How, then, could one say, “Everything in the creation was created with the letters of God’s name, and there is not creation that does not have God’s name inscribed in it”? he will give the answer, “This image I did see, for it is written (Bamidbar, 12:8), “He shall see the vision of God.” “The vision of God,” but not any other vision that He created and formed out of letters.²⁴³That is, you see only the vision of the letters of creation, but no other vision. For this reason it is written (Yeshayahu, 40:25), “To whom shall you liken me, that I shall be his equal.” To whom can God be compared? What form could you possibly ascribe to Him? Even this “form” of God that is accessed by created beings through the letters of creation does not exist in God’s own place, but comes into being when He descends to reign over his creation. Then the vision spreads over the creation, and each one sees it according to his specific ability to perceive. This is as it is written (Hoshea, 12:11), “I have used images through the prophets.” For this reason, God will say to them that even though He appears to them in a vision that they can comprehend, still, “to whom can I be compared,” because before God created any image or formed any form in the world, God was alone without any form or semblance. We have mentioned how all names and appellations of God are created entities, and that before the creation, there was no name or form from the holy forms. This is as it is written Zohar (Bo, 42b): One who receives information about the state of existence before the creation²⁴⁴Despite the limited nature of human cognition, it can receive information about states of existence prior to creation; that is, beyond cognition. However, since that information pertains to unconstricted aspects of Divinity, it is forbidden to make an formal, limited likeness, even in terms of letters, Divine names or other abstract forms. – before there was any form of God’s being that was at all discernable to mankind – is forbidden to make any formal representation of that information, not with the letter Hei nor with the letter Yud. One cannot use a holy name, or even so much as a letter or point to describe this knowledge. This is as the Torah says (Devarim, 4:15), “You did not see any form.” You did not see anything which engenders a likeness or form. However, after God made the form of the holy merkava (chariot) of the supernal man, then God descended there, and He is called in the name of the Tetragrammaton (Yud Hei Vav Hei). This is in order that God may be comprehended through His attributes,²⁴⁵Seven lower Sefirot from Chesed to Malkhut, the supernal source of emotions such as love, fear, pride, and so forth. and perceived through each of His attributes.