## Sulam on Zohar, Introduction

###### Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:1
[Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sulam%20on%20Zohar/s/Introduction/r/2:1)

**ולבתר אדכר** וכו': ואח"כ נזכר שם אלקים פעם אחרת, דהיינו **אלקים** מרחפת וגו'. ולמה נזכר פעם אחרת. הוא כדי להוציא חמשה עלים קשים המסבבים את השושנה. ואלו חמשת העלים נקראים ישועות, והם חמשה שערים, ועל סוד זה כתוב כוס ישועות אשא, זו היא כוס של ברכה. כוס של ברכה צריכה להיות על חמש אצבעות ולא יותר, כמו השושנה היושבת על חמשה עלים קשים, שהם כנגד חמש אצבעות. ושושנה זו היא כוס של ברכה. מהשם אלקים השני עד שם אלקים השלישי חמש מלים. שהן: מרחפת על פני המים ויאמר. שהן כנגד ה' עלים הנ"ל. מכאן ולהלאה, שנאמר, אלקים יהי אור וגו', הוא האור שנברא ונגנז ונכלל בברית ההוא שנכנס בשושנה והוציא בה זרע, וזה נקרא עץ עושה פרי אשר זרעו בו. והזרע ההוא נמצא באות ברית ממש.

**The Sefaria Sulam, 2023:**
**2. Afterward,** the name Elohim **appears once more**, that is, *Elohim meraḥefet* "[the spirit] of God hovered…”¹ **Why is it mentioned again? To generate the five hard leaves that surround the lily. These five leaves are called salvations, and they are five gates. It is stated with regard to this secret: “I will raise the cup of salvation.”² This is the cup of blessing, which must rest on five fingers, no more, just as the lily rests on five hard leaves, which correspond to the five fingers. This lily is the cup of blessing. There are five words from the second name Elohim to the third name Elohim,** and they are: *meraḥefet*, *al*, *penei*, *hamayim*, *va’yomer* (“hovered over the surface of the water. And said,”).³ These correspond to the five aforementioned leaves. **From this point onward,** when [the verse] states, “And God said: Let there be light,”⁴ this refers to **the light that was created and hidden away, and which is included in that covenant,⁵ of *Yesod* which corresponds to the male sexual organ. as it entered the lily and seeded it. This is what is called the “tree that makes fruit, and its seed is within it”⁶** [Genesis 1:11], **and that seed is actually in the sign of the covenant.⁷ of *Yesod* of *Ze'er Anpin*. *Yesod* corresponds to the male reproductive organ, which the Torah requires to undergo circumcision. This procedure is the "sign of the covenant." Accordingly, the intent in the phrasing here is that these seeds are "inside the sign of the covenant," the conceptual circumcised organ of *Yesod* of *Ze'er Anpin*.**

footnotes:
¹ Genesis 1:2.
² Psalms 116:13.
³ Genesis 1:2-3
⁴ Genesis 1:3
⁵ This is a reference to the sefira
⁶ Genesis 1:11.
⁷ As will be explained below, these "seeds" are found in the "sign of the covenant," referring to the sefira


###### Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:2
[Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sulam%20on%20Zohar/s/Introduction/r/2:2)

ביאור הדברים, **חמש עלין תקיפין**: ה"ס ה"ג של הנוקבא, שהן ע"ס דאו"ח, שהנוקבא מעלה על ידי זווג דהכאה באור העליון, הנק' אור של דין, (כנ"ל ד"ה סומק) כי עה"ס דאור ישר נק' ה' חסדים חג"ת נ"ה, והן מתלבשות בה' גבורות חג"ת נ"ה דאו"ח, ואלו חמש עלין תקיפין הן, כחות הדין שבמסך, המעכב את האור העליון מהתלבש ממסך ולמטה.

**The Sefaria Sulam, 2023:**
Explanation: **“Five forceful leaves” –** This refers to the five restraints (*gevurot*) of the *Nukba*, which are the ten *sefirot* of the returning light that the *Nukba* raises up by means of the fusion through collision with the supernal light and is called the "light of judgment." The ten *sefirot* of the direct light are called five givings (*ḥassadim*), ḤGT NH (*Ḥesed*, *Gevura*, *Tiferet*, *Netzaḥ* and *Hod*), and these are enclothed in the five restraints of the returning light ḤGT NH. These five leaves are forceful, [representing] the forces of judgment that are in the partition, which prevents the supernal light from enclothing from the partition downward.⁸, identified and largely synonymous with the *sefira* of *Malkhut*, represents the will to receive the bestowal of the Creator. Because of the first constriction and the partition that rests upon *Malkhut*, this vessel for God's supernal light is unable to receive the light directly. Instead, the partition gives rise to the returning light, a new vessel for the direct light. The vessel of returning light cannot receive the full amount of the direct light, however. As a result, one can think of the returning light as a pipe that can contain a limited amount of the direct light. This limitation is associated with the power of judgment that lies in *Malkhut* and which is manifest through the partition. Thus, the five-*sefirot* structure of the returning light is described as "five leaves of restraint," forceful in their rejection of the supernal light in its direct form. In contrast, the five-*sefirot* structure of the direct light is described as "givings" (*ḥassadim*), reflecting the boundless nature of the supernal light in its primal, direct manifestation.

footnotes:
⁸ A useful way to understand this paragraph is by contrasting “giving” and “restraint.” The Nukba


###### Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:3
[Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sulam%20on%20Zohar/s/Introduction/r/2:3)

וע"כ נק' עתה רק ה' עלין תקיפין, כי עוד אינה ראויה לזווג עליהם. ובזמן הגדלות כשהמסך בא בזווג עם האור העליון הם נק' ה' גבורות. כנ"ל.

**The Sefaria Sulam, 2023:**
This is why they are now called only **“five forceful leaves,”** since [the partition] is, as yet, unfit for fusion upon it. At the time of maturity, when the partition enters into fusion [through collision] with the supernal light, they are called five restraints, as was explained previously.


###### Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:4
[Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sulam%20on%20Zohar/s/Introduction/r/2:4)

ואלו ה' עלין תקיפין ה"ס ה' תיבות שיש מאלקים תנינא עד אלהים תליתאה, שהן: מרחפת על פני המים ויאמר. וז"ש **אמאי אדכר זמנא אחרא**, שמשמע שיש כאן פעולה חדשה, ואומר, שהוא כדי להוציא מהנוקבא ה' עלין תקיפין אלו, שהם הכנה לזווג בזמן הגדלות.

**The Sefaria Sulam, 2023:**
These five forceful leaves constitute the mystical meaning of the five words that appear from the second *Elohim* to the third *Elohim*: *meraḥefet*, *al*, *penei*, *hamayim*, *va’yomer*. This is why [Rabbi Ḥizkiya] asks **“why is it mentioned again,”** which implies that there is a new action here. He answers that it is in order to extract these five forceful leaves from the *Nukba*, which are the preparation for a fusion through collision during the phase of maturity.


###### Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:5
[Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sulam%20on%20Zohar/s/Introduction/r/2:5)

ומה שאלו ע"ס דאו"ח נקראות ה"ג שהן חג"ת נ"ה ואינן נקראות כח"ב תו"מ, כנ"ל. הענין הוא, מפני שאינן ממשיכות אלא אור חסדים לבד, ולכן ירדו כח"ב ממעלתם ונקראים חג"ת, ות"ת ומלכות נק' בשם נו"ה.

**The Sefaria Sulam, 2023:**
The reason these ten *sefirot* of the returning light are called five restraints, which are *Ḥesed*, *Gevura*, *Tiferet*, *Netzaḥ*, and *Hod*, and they are not called *Keter*, *Ḥokhma*, *Bina*, *Tiferet*, and *Malkhut*, is because they draw forth only the light of giving (*ḥassadim*). Therefore *Keter*, *Ḥokhma* and *Bina* descend from their status and are called *Ḥesed*, *Gevura*, and *Tiferet*, while *Tiferet* and *Malkhut* are called *Netzaḥ* and *Hod*.


###### Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:6
[Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sulam%20on%20Zohar/s/Introduction/r/2:6)

וז"ש, **חמש תרעין וכו' כוס ישועות**: היינו בעת הגדלות, שה' עלין תקיפין נעשו לה' גבורות, אז הם נבחנים לחמש תרעין, שהם שערים פתוחים לקבל ה' החסדים דאור ישר. וכן הם נקראים ישועות מטעם זה. ואז נק' הנוקבא **כוס ישועות** או **כוס של ברכה**, כי בסגולתן נעשית הנוקבא כלי מחזיק הברכה, שהיא ה"ח הנ"ל.

**The Sefaria Sulam, 2023:**
This is why [the *Zohar*] states **“five gates…the cup of salvation”** which is at the time of maturity, when the five forceful leaves become five restraints. At that point they are considered five gates, which are open gates to receive the five givings (*ḥassadim*) of the direct light. This is also the reason they are called “salvations.” Then the *Nukba* is called **“the cup of salvation,”** or **“the cup of blessing,”** since through the qualities [of the gates], the *Nukba* becomes a vessel that holds the blessing, which is those five givings (*ḥassadim*) mentioned previously.


###### Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:7
[Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sulam%20on%20Zohar/s/Introduction/r/2:7)

והנה מספר הספי' הן בב' בחי' או במספר עשר, שעיקרן הן חמש בחי' כנ"ל. או במספר י"ג, כמו י"ג מדות הרחמים. וההבדל ביניהם הוא, שהמספר עשר מורה על ספירת זו"ן שיש בהן רק אור חסדים לבד. והמספר י"ג מורה על המוחין דהארת החכמה המקובלת לזו"ן. וענין זה מתבאר להלן במראות הסולם.

**The Sefaria Sulam, 2023:**
Now, the number of *sefirot* have two aspects; either they are ten in number, which are essentially five levels, as stated above, or thirteen in number, like the thirteen attributes of mercy. The difference between them is that the number ten is indicative of the *sefira* of *Ze’er Anpin* and *Nukba*, in which there is only light of giving (*ḥassadim*). The number thirteen indicates the brains of the illumination of *Ḥokhma*, which is received into *Ze’er Anpin* and *Nukba*. This issue is clarified in *Marot HaSulam*, below.⁹ that the author of the *Sulam* explains later in his commentary. This alternate structure numbers thirteen, as referred to here, and corresponds to the thirteen attributes of mercy.

footnotes:
⁹ There is a different numbering of the sefirot


###### Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:8
[Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sulam%20on%20Zohar/s/Introduction/r/2:8)

ואומר, **שכוס של ברכה** המורה על המשכת ה' חסדים תוך ה' גבורות שלה, כנ"ל. **אצטריך למהוי על חמש אצבען**, דהיינו רק במספר עשר, שהן חג"ת נ"ה כנ"ל **ולא יתיר**, דהיינו לאפוקי ממספר י"ג. והטעם הוא, כי אין הנוק' ראויה לקבל חכמה מסוד הי"ג, זולת בדרך התלבשות החכמה בחסדים. ולפיכך אצטריך מקודם להמשיך ברכה, שהם ה' חסדים על ידי ה' אצבען דוקא, שהן ה' הגבורות, ואז יכולה לקבל גם מי"ג.

**The Sefaria Sulam, 2023:**
[Rabbi Ḥizkiya] then states that **“the cup of blessing,”** which is representative of the five givings (*ḥassadim*) being drawn into the five restraints, as stated, **“must rest on five fingers,”** i.e., only in the number ten, which are *Ḥesed*, *Gevura*, *Tiferet*, *Netzaḥ*, and *Hod*, as stated, and **“no more,”** that is, to the exclusion of the number thirteen.¹⁰ here that would be a structure of thirteen, there is only a structure of ten, as a result of the "five fingers" (the five restraints, and no more) that are holding the cup of blessing (the five givings). The reason [why it is only ten] is that the *Nukba* is fit to receive *Ḥokhma* from the mystical meaning of the thirteen only through the enclothing of *Ḥokhma* in the light of giving (*ḥassadim*). Therefore, it is first necessary to draw forth a blessing, which is five givings (*ḥassadim*) by means of specifically five fingers, which are the five restraints, and subsequently [the *Nukba*] can also receive from the thirteen.

footnotes:
¹⁰ This means that instead of having the extra three sefirot


###### Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:9
[Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sulam%20on%20Zohar/s/Introduction/r/2:9)

ומשמע, שהכונה היא על ה' אצבען דיד שמאל, שהן ה"ג, כי ה' אצבען דיד ימין ה"ס ה"ח. ולפיכך צריכים להגביה את הכוס של ברכה בב' ידים, דהיינו גם עם ה' אצבען דיד שמאל, כדי לרמז על הכונה הנ"ל דה"ג. אמנם אח"ז בתחילת הברכה צריכים להשאיר את הכוס על ה' אצבען דיד ימין בלבד, כי אין לעורר אחיזה לס"א היונקת משמאל.

**The Sefaria Sulam, 2023:**
The implication here is that [the five fingers] refers to the five fingers of the left hand, which [represent] five restraints, since the five fingers of the right hand constitute the mystical meaning of five givings (*ḥassadim*). Accordingly, the cup of blessing must be raised with both hands, i.e., with the five fingers of the left hand as well, in order to allude to the aforementioned intention of the five restraints. Afterward, however, at the start of the blessing, only the five fingers of the right hand should remain on the cup, as one should not awaken the grip of the *Sitra Aḥara*, which suckles from the left.¹¹ is now explaining a practical Torah custom that reflects this concept. In Torah thought, the right side of the body represents giving, while the left represents restraint. Thus, the five fingers of the right hand represent the five *sefirot* of giving mentioned in this section. Similarly, the five fingers of the left hand represent the five *sefirot* of restraint. Thus, the cup of blessing, representing the side of giving, must be held with both hands initially. At the point of blessing, however, the left side is meant to be reduced, so that only blessing is expressed, and no restraint should be exerted over the cup of blessing at that time. The final point here is the mention of the *Sitra Aḥara*, literally "the Other Side." This concept is the result of God's own restraint in the universe, as He allows the created beings to make their own choices, even if those choices seem to negate the reality of God. It is this restraint that allows for *kelippot* to exist, external forces that appear to us as outside of God. Thus, an overemphasis on restraint in the wrong context (such as a blessing context) allows the forces of "the left" (the *kelippot*) to be strengthened.

footnotes:
¹¹ Since the overall concept here is that of the five givings becoming contained within the vessels of the five restraints, the author of the Sulam


###### Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:10
[Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sulam%20on%20Zohar/s/Introduction/r/2:10)

וז"ש, **מכאן ולהלאה אור**: כלומר, אלהים תליתאה אדכר במאמר יהי אור וכו' שהוא להאציל בחינת הגדלות דנוקבא, שה"ס ה"ח וי"ג מכילן דרחמי, אשר ה' החסדים ה"ס ה' פעמים אור שבמאמר, שהן: יהי אור, ויהי אור, האור כי טוב, בין האור, לאור יום. והי"ג מכילן דרחמי מרומזין בכתוב ויהי ערב ויהי בוקר יום אחד. כי אחד ה"ס י"ג והוא גם בגי' י"ג. (ועי' בתי"ז תיקון כ"ו).וה' האורות הללו, ה"ס משחז"ל האור שברא הקב"ה ביום א' היה אדם צופה בו מסוף העולם עד סופו כיון שנסתכל הקב"ה בדור המבול ובדור הפלגה וראה שמעשיהם מקולקלים, עמד וגנזו מהם, (חגיגה י"ב) וזה אמרו **דאתברי ואתגניז**.

**The Sefaria Sulam, 2023:**
This is why [Rabbi Ḥizkiya] said, **“from this point onward, the light [etc.].”** This means to say that the third *Elohim* in the verse, “Let there be light etc.”¹² comes to emanate the aspect of maturity of *Nukba*, which is five givings (*ḥassadim*) and the thirteen attributes of mercy, as the five givings constitute the mystical meaning of the five mentions of “light” in the passage, which are: “Let there be light,” “and there was light,”¹³ “that the light was good,” “between the light,”¹⁴ and “the light, day.”¹⁵ The thirteen attributes of mercy are alluded to in the verse: “And there was evening and there was morning, one [*eḥad*] day,”¹⁶ since *eḥad* is the mystical meaning of thirteen and it also has a numerical value of thirteen. These five lights constitute the mystical meaning of the statement of the Sages: “Through the light that the Holy One, blessed be He, created on the first day, Adam could observe from one end of the world to the other. But when the Holy One, Blessed be He, looked upon the generation of the Flood and the generation of the Dispersion and saw their corrupt ways, He arose and concealed it from them.”¹⁷ 12a This is why [Rabbi Ḥizkiya] says **“which was created and hidden away.”**

footnotes:
¹² Genesis 1:3.
¹³ Genesis 1:3.
¹⁴ Genesis 1:4.
¹⁵ Genesis 1:5.
¹⁶ Genesis 1:5.
¹⁷ Ḥagiga


###### Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:11
[Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sulam%20on%20Zohar/s/Introduction/r/2:11)

וז"ש, **ואתכליל בברית ההוא דעאל בשושנה**: כלומר שה' החסדים הללו נכללו מקודם ביסוד דז"א, ולא באו ישר מבינה, הנק' אלהים, אל הנוקבא. והברית היא יסוד דז"א דעאל בשושנה ונתן אותם אליה. והטעם יתבאר בסמוך.

**The Sefaria Sulam, 2023:**
This is why [Rabbi Ḥizkiya] said, **“and was included in that covenant, which entered the lily.”** Meaning, these five givings (*ḥassadim*) were first incorporated in the *Yesod* of *Ze’er Anpin*, and did not come directly from *Bina*, which is called *Elohim*, to the *Nukba*. The covenant is the *Yesod* of *Ze’er Anpin*, which **entered the lily** and gave them to [the *Nukba*]. The reason will be explained presently.


###### Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:12
[Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 2:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sulam%20on%20Zohar/s/Introduction/r/2:12)

והנה אלו ה"ח היוצאים על ה"ג, כנ"ל, הם נק' זרע, גם תדע, שעיקר תוקף הדין והגבורות שבמסך, שבכחם מכה על האור העליון ומחזירו לאחוריו, הנה הוא נמצא רק בעטרת היסוד דז"א, שהוא ממשיך אותם ממזל ונקה שבדיקנא, והנוקבא מקבלת ממנו רק הארה וענף בלבד. ולפיכך עיקר הזווג שעל המסך, המעלה ה"ג הממשיכות והמלבישות את ה"ח שהם ה' אורות הנ"ל, הנה הוא נעשה ביסוד דז"א, והוא הנותן אותם לנוק'. וזה שמדייק להשמיענו, **דההוא זרעא**, שהם ה"ח וה"ג, **קיימא באות ברית ממש**, כי באות ברית שהיא עטרת יסוד דז"א, נמצאת ממשיות הגבורות הממשיכות ה' החסדים הנק' זרע, אבל יסוד הנוק' מקבל רק בחינת דיוקנא של הגבורות שלו. וע"כ נק' יסוד הנוקבא רק בשם דיוקנא דברית.

**The Sefaria Sulam, 2023:**
Now, these five givings (*ḥassadim*) that emerge upon the five restraints (*gevurot*), as stated, are called “seed.” Also, you should know that the main power of the judgments and restraints in the partition, through the power of which [the partition] collides with the supernal light and rebuffs it [as returning light], is found only in the coronet of *Yesod* of *Ze’er Anpin*,¹⁸ and the partition that was placed upon it after the first constriction. Every level and every *sefira* is made up of all ten *sefirot*. As a result, the bottom of *Yesod* is the level of *Malkhut* of *Yesod*, and thus, it possesses these forces and attributes of judgment and restraint. Additionally, the *sefira* of *Yesod* corresponds to the male reproductive organ on the human body. The "bottom" of that organ is the glans, referred to as an *atara* (literally, a crown, coronet or circlet). which it drew from *Mazal ve-Nakeh* in the *dikna*, whereas the *Nukba* receives from it only an illumination and a branch.¹⁹ must flow from the *Ein Sof* until the level to which it belongs, passing through various levels along its way. The *Zohar* does not always mention the various intermediating levels in such a process. In this context, the author of the *Sulam* references one of these intermediating levels. *Malkhut* (*Nukba*), in order to mature, must receive an illumination from the level called “*mazal ve-nakeh*,” literally, “the flow and the cleansing,” through the *Yesod* level of *Ze’er Anpin*. *Mazal ve-nakeh* is part of a level called the *dikna*, literally, “the beard,” referring to the “beard” of *Arikh Anpin* (the *partzuf* associated with *Keter*). The beard, in this context, represents the lights that belong to the mature aspect of the level, that expansive maturity that was constricted in the first constriction. Since the level is currently immature, as was mentioned above, it cannot contain this level of light, a level of maturity. Instead, the level uses returning light as a vessel to contain the lights, and that vessel, as a dynamic of encompassing containment, is described as “the beard,” since the beard surrounds the lower part of the head, which is the source of the higher lights under discussion. On the one hand, the beard is associated with the lights of maturity. On the other hand, the beard was generated as returning light resulting from the fusion through collision against the partition containing constriction and judgment, and thus, the beard is considered a force of judgment and restraint. When the phase of maturity arrives, the beard itself is divided up into thirteen levels of rectification which correspond to the thirteen *sefirot* that are present in the phase of maturity, as will be explained. When the beard of *Arikh Anpin* is in this phase, its lowest *sefira*, the *sefira* of *Malkhut* is called the “*mazal ve-nakeh*,” the “flow and the cleansing.” The word “*nakeh*” stems from the thirteen attributes of mercy; *nakeh* is the thirteenth attribute in the Biblical text listing the thirteen attributes. The word “*mazal*” refers to the flow of *shefa* that this *sefira* transmits from the beard of *Arikh Anpin* to the coronet of *Yesod* of *Ze’er Anpin*, and ultimately, to the *Nukba*. Therefore, the main fusion through collision on the partition, which raises the five restraints that extend and enclothe the five givings (*ḥassadim*), the five aforementioned lights, is performed in the *Yesod* of *Ze’er Anpin*, and it is [*Ze'er Anpin*] which gives those [lights] to the *Nukba*. For this reason, [Rabbi Ḥizkiya] specifies that **“that seed,”** which refers to five givings (*ḥassadim*) and five restraints **“exists in the actual sign of the covenant.”** For it is in the sign of the covenant, which is the coronet (*ateret*) of *Yesod* of *Ze’er Anpin*, that the full actuality of the restraints that draw forth five givings (*ḥassadim*), which is called “seed,” is found. However, the [level of] *Yesod* of the *Nukba* receives only a reflection of the restraints [of *Yesod* of *Ze'er Anpin*], and therefore the *Yesod* of the *Nukba* is called only by the name "reflection of the covenant."²⁰ receives the five givings enclothed within the five restraints from the *Yesod* of *Ze'er Anpin*. As the author of the *Sulam* explained above, the partition of the *Nukba* gives rise to the returning light that is represented here by the five restraints, serving as containers for the five givings. The section concludes with the observation that the *Nukba* receives from the *Yesod* of *Ze'er Anpin*, but the *Yesod* of the *Nukba* itself, used to transmit to lower levels of existence is only a reflection of the *Yesod* of *Ze'er Anpin*. This is similar to the male/female relationship of intimacy, in which the female receives from the male, then "transmits" the function of *Yesod* back a "reflection" of what she received (a child).

footnotes:
¹⁸ The power of judgment and restraint is generally associated with Malkhut
¹⁹ Every burst of shefa
²⁰ The Nukba