Part 69 (1/2)

The Light so _forth-shown_ from the Deity, cannot be said to be _severed_ or _diverse_ from Him. ”It is flashed forth from Him, and yet all continues to be perfect unity...” The Sephiroth, sometimes called the _Persons_ of the Deity, _are His rays_, by which He is enabled most perfectly to manifest Himself.

The Introduction to the Book SOHAR says:

The first compression was effected, in order that the Primal Light might be upraised, and a s.p.a.ce become vacant. The second compression occurred when the vestiges of the removed Light remaining were compressed into points; and that compression was effected by means of the emotion of joy; the Deity rejoicing, it had already been said, on account of His Holy People, thereafter to come into being; and that joy being vehement, and a commotion and exhilaration in the Deity being caused by it, so that He flowed forth in His delight; and of this commotion an abstract power of judgment being generated, which is a collection of the letters generated by the points of the vestiges of Light left within the circle.

_For He writes the finite expressions, or limited manifestations of Himself upon the Book, in single letters_.

Like as when water or fire, it had been said, is blown upon by the wind, it is wont to be greatly moved, and with flashes like lightning to smite the eyes, and gleam and coruscate hither and thither, even so The Infinite was moved within Himself, and shone and coruscated in that circle, from the centre outward and again to the centre: and that commotion we term exhilaration; and from that exhilaration, variously divided within Himself, was generated the potency of determining the fas.h.i.+oning of the letters.

Of that exhilaration, it had also been said, was generated the determination of _forms_, by which determination the Infinite determined them within Himself, as if by saying: ”Let this Sphere be the appointed place, wherein let all worlds be created!”

He, by radiating and coruscating, effected the points, so that their sparkling should smite the eyes like lightning. Then He combined diversely the single points, until _letters_ were fas.h.i.+oned thereof, in the similitude and image of those wherewith THE BLESSED had set forth the decrees of His Wisdom.

It is not possible to attain to an understanding of the creation of man, except by the mystery of letters; and in these worlds of The Infinite is nothing, except the letters of the Alphabet and their combinations. All the worlds are Letters and Names; but He Who is the Author of all, has no name.

This world of the covering [or _garment--vestimenti_], [that is, the circular vacant s.p.a.ce, with the vestiges of the removed Light of The Infinite still remaining after the first contraction and compression], is the _inmost_ covering, _nearest_ to His substance; and to this covering belongs the general name AUR PENIAL, _Light of the Countenance of G.o.d_: by which we are to understand the Light of The Substance.

And after this covering was effected, He contracted it, so as to lift up the lower moiety; ... and this is the _third_ contraction; and in this manner He made vacant a s.p.a.ce for the worlds, which had not the capacity to use the great Light of the covering, the end whereof was lucid and excellent as its beginning. And so [by drawing up the lower half and half the letters], are made the _Male_ and _Female_, that is, the anterior and posterior adhering mutually to one another.

The vacant s.p.a.ce effected by this retraction is called AUIR KADMON, the PRIMAL s.p.a.cE: for it was the first of all s.p.a.ces; nor was it allowable to call it _covering_, which is AUR PENI-BAL, the Light of the Countenance of G.o.d.

The vestiges of the Light of the Garment still remained there. And this world of the garment has a name _that includes all things_, which is the name IHUH. Before the world of the vacant s.p.a.ce was created, HE was, and His Name, and they alone; that is, AINSOPH and His garmenting.

The EMECH HAMMELECH says again:

The lower half of the garment [by the third retraction], was left empty of the light of the garment. But the vestiges of that light remained in the place so vacated ... and _this_ garment is called SHEKINAH, G.o.d in-dwelling; that is, the place where ?? Yod He, of the anterior [or male], and ?? Vav He, of the posterior [or female], combinations of letters dwelt.

This vacant s.p.a.ce was square, and is called the _Primal s.p.a.ce_; and in Kabalah it is called _Auira Kadmah_, or _Rasimu Ailah_, The Primal s.p.a.ce, or The Sublime Vestige. It is the vestige of the Light of the Garment, with which is intermingled somewhat of the vestige of the Very Substance. It is called _Primal Ether_, but not void s.p.a.ce ... The Light of the Vestige still remains in the place it occupied, and adheres there, like somewhat spiritual, of extreme tenuity.

In this Ether are two Lights; that is, the Light of the SUBSTANCE, which was taken away, and that of the Garment. There is a vast difference between the two; for that of the Vestige of the Garment is, relatively to that of the Vestige of the Substance, _like a point in the centre of a circle_. And as the only appropriate name for the Light of the Vestige of Ainsoph is AUR, _Light_, therefore the Light of the Vestige of the Garment could not be called by _that_ name; and so we term it a point, that is, Yod [' or ?], which is that point in the centre of Light ...

and _this_ Light, a point in the centre of the Great Light, is called _Auir_, Ether, or s.p.a.ce.

This Ether is somewhat more gross than The Light ... not so subtle, though not perceptible by the senses ... is termed the Primal Ether ...

extends everywhere; whence the Philosophers call it The Soul of the World ... Light is visible, though not perceptible. _This Ether is neither perceptible nor visible_.

The Introduction to the Book Sohar continues, in the Section of the Letter Yod, etc:

Worlds could not be framed in this Primal Ether, on account of its extreme tenuity and the excess of Light; and also, because in it remained the vital Spirit of the Vestige of the Light Ainsoph, and that of the Vestige of the Light of the Garment; whereby such manifestation was prevented.

Wherefore HE directed the letter Yod, since it was not so brilliant as the Primal Ether, to descend, and take to itself the light remaining in the Primal Ether, and return above, with that Vestige which so impeded the manifestation; which Yod did.

It descended below five times, to remove the vital Spirit of the Vestige of the Light Ainsoph; and the Vestige of the Light and vital Spirit of the Garment from the Sphere of Splendor, so as to make of it ADAM, called KADMON. And by its return, manifestation is effected in the s.p.a.ce below, and a Vestige of the Sublime Brilliance yet remains there, existing as a Spherical Shape, and termed in the Sohar simply _Tehiru_, that is, Splendor; and it is styled The First Matter ... it being, as it were, vapor, and, as it were, smoke. And as smoke is formless, not comprehended under any fixed definite form, so this Sphere is a formless somewhat, since it seems to be somewhat that is spherical, and yet is not limited.

The letter Yod, while adhering to the Shekinah, had adhering, to himself the Light of the Shekinah, though his light was not so great as that of the Shekinah. But when he descended, he left that light of his own below, and the Splendor consisted of it. After which there was left in Yod only a vestige of that light, inasmuch as he could not re-ascend to the Shekinah and adhere to it. Wherefore The Holy and Blessed directed the letter He [Hebrew: ?], the female letter, to communicate to Yod of her Light; and sent him forth, to descend and share with _that_ light in the Splendor aforesaid ... and when he re-descended into the Sphere of Splendor, he diffused abroad in it the Light communicated to him by the letter He.

And when he again ascended he left behind him the productive light of the letter He, and thereof was const.i.tuted another Sphere, _within_ the Sphere of Splendor; which _lesser_ Sphere is termed in the Sohar KETHER AILAH, CORONA SUMMA, _The Supreme Crown_, and also ATIKA DE ATIKIM, _Antiquus Antiquum, The Ancient of Ancients_, and even AIUT H' AIUT, _Causa Causarum, the Cause of Causes_. But the Crown is very far smaller than the Sphere of Splendor, so that within the latter an immense unoccupied place and s.p.a.ce is still left.

The BETH ALOHIM says:

Before the Infinite G.o.d, the Supreme and First Good, formed objectively within Himself a particular conception, definite, limited, and the object of intellection, and gave form and shape to an intellectual conception and image. HE was alone, companionless, without form or similitude, utterly without Ideal or Figure ... It is forbidden to make of Him any figure whatever, by any image in the world, neither by the letter He nor by the letter Yod, nor by any other letter or point in the world.