Chapter 38

1We must now understand the matter of the garments of thought, speech and action, in a manner of more particulars, as it states,¹ “You have fashioned garments for them etc.”

2However, in order to understand this, we must preface with the explanations of the source and root of the aspect of the letters, and why at times they are called “Vessels – Keilim”² and at times they are called “Garments – Levooshin.”³

3We will afterwards explain, in a manner of particulars, the aspects of Rachel and Leah, and Malchut of Tevunah and Binah, all the way to the highest of levels etc.

4Now, as known, the source of the letters is literally in the essence of the [human] soul,⁴ for “the soul is full of letters,” that is, from the very beginning and essence of its coming into being.⁵

5They [the letters] are [there] in two ways; as letters of thought, and as letters of speech.⁶

6In other words, immediately upon the existence of the essence of the [human] soul, the letters of thought are unified in it.

7They are essentially included in it, just as the power of movement is included in an animal etc.

8Now, they come out and burst forth into revealed thought on three levels.

9There is imagination and imagery without letters at all. There are simple, disjointed letters without combining or being connected to any particular matter, and there are letters that combine according to analytical thought.

10Likewise, in the essence of the soul there [also] is the aspect of letters of speech.

11In that the [human soul] is called,⁷ “The Articulate Soul – Nefesh HaMedaberet” or “The Speaking Spirit – Ruach Memalela.”

12They [too] are included there in an essential manner, and come out into revelation like the movement of an animal, or the like.

13This is like the speech of the angels, about which it says,⁸ “They call one to another [and say] etc.”

14In this there are likewise three levels. There is the simple substance of each particular letter. This is called the breath of the spirit of speech.

15Then there are the individual letters Aleph-א, Beit-ב, Gimel-ג, Dalet-ד etc., without combination [into words].

16Then there is the combination of the letters [into words] which is called the form of speech in the “speaking spirit.”⁹

17This is similar to,¹⁰ “Two spirits conversing,” and to the speech of the Angels etc.¹¹

18Now, even before the coming into being of the source of the simple desire and the simple pleasure, there already are letters included in the essence of the soul.

19However, only after the coming into being of the desire, do [these letters] come out to be the aspect of the revelation of the desire. They are then called “the letters of desire.”

20This is the aspect of the revelation of the desire as a “something” with a tangible existence as a desire, this being the principal matter of the letters of the essence of the soul.

21That is, they only are the aspect of the revelation [and expression] of the light of the essence of the soul in every aspect and manner of “somethingness” and tangible existence.

22[In other words,] it is through the letters that it comes forth into revelation from the aspect of the concealed Heyulie etc.

23(This is in accordance with what is written in Likkutei Amarim,¹² regarding the twenty-two letters that are embedded in the soul, that they are twenty-two powers or twenty-two movements of the soul etc.)

24It is through this [matter of the letters] that it is possible for the desire to come into revelation in the light of the intellect.

25If not for the revelation of the desire in an aspect of letters, that [by means of the letters] it appears as a tangible existence of desire, then the essential concealed desire would not come into any other garment, from one state of being to another state of being.

26[This is to say, there would be no descent into the] aspect of a desire that is felt and revealed in the “intellect and reasoning for the desire,” as known. This will suffice for the understanding.

27This also is the case with the intellect and reasoning for the desire, which is called the Chochmah of the desire (Ratzon).

28The fact that it appears as a tangible existence of “reasoning for the desire” is from the aspect of the letters that are in it.

29It is through this [the matter of the letters] that it descends from [its] state, to the state of the emotions of the desire.

30An example of this is [the aspect of] love (Ahavah) that is in the desire. It too is only the existence of desire, except that it is vested within the existence of love, that because of his desire he loves etc.

31(“Love-Ahavah-אהבה” is of the root “desire-Avah-אבה,”¹³ and the Heh-ה [which is additional to the root, represents] the “Five Kindnesses-Heh Chassadim” that spread forth from Chochmah and Binah etc.)

32Now, this desire itself, even as it is in the intellect and reasoning for the desire, still refers [only] to the essence of the desire as it transcends [actual] intellect and reasoning.

33Nevertheless, it is through the letters that it transforms and is seen as transcending the intellect, to [being] within the intellect, to [being] within the emotions.

34Similarly, there are letters for the emotions as well. This refers to the fact that the love that is within the desire has an apparent tangible existence etc.

35This continues until the aspects of the desire of thought, speech and action. Each of these has the aspect of letters, all the way to the aspect of the desire for action, that is, when the action arises in his desire. There are specific letters for this.

36This is likewise the case with [actual] intellect that follows the desire.

37For if the intellect did not have a [tangible] existence in letters of intellect, which is the aspect of the revelation of the intellect as a [tangible] existence, then how would it be possible for the intellect to come forth with a transformation of being to an [emotional] arousal of love which is born of intellect?

38For, even there [in the emotional arousal] it is the [very] same intellectual [point] that there was before the birth [of the emotion] of love.

39It is only that [now this intellect] vests within the [emotional] existence of love.

40This is only possible by means of the letters that are within it.

41Likewise, it is in this manner that the letters of the emotions [come] into thought.

42If the emotion did not have a tangible existence of letters, how could it possibly vest within the existence of thought etc.? The same is true of the letters of thought within speech etc.

43We thus find that it is through the letters that there is an aspect of a chaining down from cause to effect, from the essence of the soul until the end action, and that the source of the letters is literally in the essence of the soul.

44It is also understood from all the above that in the source from which the letters are hewn, that is, in the essence of the soul, the letters come into being as one with the essential light of the soul.

45This is similar to how the power of movement [of an animal] comes into existence with it [that is, with the existence of the self of the animal] etc., and the like. This will suffice for the understanding.

46Now, the analogue to all this is automatically understood: That is, the letters of the Upper Purity (Tehiru Ila’a), about which it states,¹⁴ “He engraved an engraving,” refer to the aspect of the essential letters of thought and speech in the Essential Self of the limitless light of the Unlimited One (Ein Sof), HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He.

47This is analogous to the letters that are embedded in the essence of the [human] soul, in the Yechidah, on the three above mentioned levels.

48These letters chain down from one state of being to another state of being, such as from the simple desire of “I will rule” which arose in His thought before the Tzimtzum, until even the desire, intellect and emotions of Adam Kadmon, Atik Yomin, Arich Anpin, Abba and Imma, Zeir Anpin and Nukvah of Atzilut.

49All this is drawn forth and descends from one to the other in a manner of cause and effect with a transformation from one state of being to another state of being, by means of the aspect of the letters of each of these states of being.

50For, this [matter of the letters] is the aspect of the revelation of the “somethingness” [of that state of being,] giving it tangible existence, as explained above.

51[This continues] until the aspect of the “end action” of Malchut of Atzilut, which is the aspect of the letters of action of Malchut of Atzilut, and continues [all the way] to Malchut of Malchut of Asiyah, [which is] the root of the existence of our lowly world (as will be explained at the end of this treatise).

52This is all included in the verse,¹⁵ “[Everything that HaShem-יהו״ה desired, He has done.” That is,] “Everything that HaShem-יהו״ה desired” within His Essential Self, “He has done” in actuality. This will suffice for those of understanding.

Rabbi Amiram Markel (Neirot) · CC BY · sefaria.org