Hebrew Literature Part 38

Come and behold. When the Most Holy Ancient One, the Concealed with all Concealments, desired to be formed forth, He conformed all things under the form of Male and Female; and in such place wherein Male and Female are comprehended.

For they could not permanently exist save in another aspect of the Male and the Female (their countenances being joined together).

And this Wisdom embracing all things, when it goeth forth and s.h.i.+neth forth from the Most Holy Ancient One, s.h.i.+neth not save under the form of Male and Female.

Therefore is this Wisdom extended, and it is found that it equally becometh Male and Female.

CHKMH AB BINH AM, _Chokmah Ab Binah Am_: Chokmah(823) is the Father, and Binah is the Mother, and therein are Chokmah, Wisdom, and Binah, Understanding, counterbalanced together in most perfect equality of Male and Female.

And therefore are all things established in the equality of Male and Female; for were it not so, how could they subsist!

This beginning is the Father of all things; the Father of all Fathers; and both are mutually bound together, and the one path s.h.i.+neth into the other-Chokmah, Wisdom, as the Father; Binah, Understanding, as the Mother.

And therefore is it called BINH, as if (it were a transposition of) BN IH, _Ben Yah_, Son of IH (or _I_, _Yod_, _H_, _He_, and _BN_, the Son).

But They both are found to be the perfection of all things when They are a.s.sociated together, and when the Son is in Them the Syntagma of all things findeth place.

For in Their conformations are They found to be the perfection of all things-Father and Mother, Son and Daughter.

These things have not been revealed save unto the Holy Superiors who have entered therein and departed therefrom, and have known the paths of the Most Holy G.o.d (may He be blessed!), so that they have not erred in them either on the right hand or on the left.

For thus it is written, Hos. xiv. 9, "The paths of Tetragrammaton are true, and the just shall walk in them," etc.

For these things are concealed, and the Holy Highest Ones s.h.i.+ne in them, like as light proceedeth from the s.h.i.+ning of a lantern.

These things are not revealed save unto those who have entered therein and departed therefrom; for as for him who hath not entered therein and departed therefrom, better were it for him that he had never been born.

For it hath been manifested before the Most Holy Ancient One, the Concealed with all Concealments, because these things have shone into mine heart in the perfection of the love and fear of the Most Holy G.o.d, may He be blessed!

And these, my sons, who are here present, know these things; for into these matters have they entered and therefrom have they departed; but neither yet into all (the secrets of them).(824)

But now are these things ill.u.s.trated in (their) perfection, even as it was necessary. Blessed be my portion with them in this world!

Rabbi Schimeon said: All which I have said concerning the Most Holy Ancient One, and all which I have said concerning Microprosopus, all are one, all are HVA, _Hoa_, Himself, all are Unity, neither herein hath separation place.

Blessed be HVA, _Hoa_, He, and blessed be His Name unto the Ages of the Ages.

Come, behold! This beginning which is called Father,(825) is comprehended in I, _Yod_,(826) which dependeth from the Holy Influence.

And therefore is I, _Yod_, the Most Concealed of all the other letters.(827)

For I, _Yod_, is the beginning and the end of all things.

And that river which floweth on and goeth forth is called the World, which is ever to come and ceaseth never.

And this is the delight of the just, that they may be made worthy of that world which is to come, which ever watereth the garden of Eden, nor faileth.

Concerning this it is written, Isa. lviii. 11, "And like a fountain of water, whose waters fail not."

And that world to come is created through I, _Yod_.

As it is written, Gen. ii. 9, "And a river went forth out of Eden to water the garden."

For I, _Yod_, includeth two letters.

In the teaching of the school of Rav Yeyeva the Elder thus is the tradition. Wherefore are VD, _Vau Daleth_,(828) comprehended in IVD, _Yod_? a.s.suredly the planting of the garden is properly called V, _Vau_; and there is another garden which is D, _Daleth_, and by that Vau is Daleth watered, which is the symbol of the quaternary.(829)

And an Arcanum is extended from this pa.s.sage, where it is written, "And a river went forth out of Eden."

What is Eden? It is the supernal CHKMH, _Chokmah_, Wisdom, and that is I, _Yod_ (in _I_, _V_, _D_).

"To water the garden." That is V, _Vau_.

"And thence it is divided, and goeth forth into four heads." That is D, _Daleth_.

And all things are included in IVD, _Yod_, and therefore is the Father called All, the Father of Fathers.

The beginning of all is called the Home of All. Whence IVD, _Yod_, is the beginning and the end of all; like as it is written, Ps. civ. 24, "All things in Chokmah hast Thou made."

In His place He is not manifested, neither is He known; when He is a.s.sociated with the Mother, BAMA, _Be-Ama_, then is He made known (otherwise, symbolized) in the Mother, BAIMA, _Be-Aima_.(830)

And therefore is Aima known to be the consummation of all things, and She is signified to be the beginning and the end.

For all things are called Chokmah, and therein are all things concealed; and the Syntagma of all things is the Holy Name.

Thus far have we mystically described that which we have not said on all the other days. But now are the aspects shown forth.

(As to the Sacred Name _IHVH_) I, _Yod_, is included in this Chokmah, Wisdom; H, _He_, is Aima, and is called Binah, Understanding; VH, _Vau He_, are those two Children who are produced from Aima, the Mother.

Also we have learned that the name BINH, Binah, comprehendeth all things.

For in Her is I, _Yod_, which is a.s.sociated with Aima, or the letter H, _He_, and together they produce BN, _Ben_, the Son, and this is the word Binah. Father and Mother, who are I, _Yod_, and H, _He_, with whom are interwoven the letters B, _Beth_, and N, _Nun_, which are BN, _Ben_; and thus far regarding Binah.

Also is She called THBVNH, _Thebunah_, the Special Intelligence. Wherefore is She sometimes called Thebunah, and not Binah?

a.s.suredly Thebunah is She called at that time in which Her two Children appear, the Son and the Daughter, BN VBTH, _Ben Va-Bath,_ who are VH, _Vau He_; and at that time is She called THBVNH, _Thebunah_.

For all things are comprehended in those letters, VH, _Vau He_, which are BN VBTH, _Ben Va-Bath_, Son and Daughter; and all things are one system, and these are the letters THBVNH.

In the Book of Rav Hamenuna the Elder it is said that Solomon revealeth the primal conformation (that is, the Mother) when he saith, Cant. i. 15, "Behold, thou art fair, my love"; wherefore he followeth it out himself.

And he calleth the second conformation the Bride, which is called the Inferior Woman.

And there are some who apply both these names (those, namely, of Love and Bride) to this Inferior Woman, but these are not so.

For the first H, _He_ (of _IHVH_), is not called the Bride; but the last H, _He_, is called the Bride at certain times on account of many symbolic reasons.

Together They (_Chokmah_ and _Binah_, _IH_) go forth, together They are at rest; the one ceaseth not from the other, and the one is never taken away from the other.