וְהִנֵּה עַל זֶה אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז״ל (בראשית רבה פרק יב, טו): ״בַּתְּחִלָּה עָלָה בְּמַחְשָׁבָה לִבְרוֹא אֶת הָעוֹלָם בְּמִדַּת הַדִּין. רָאָה שֶׁאֵין הָעוֹלָם מִתְקַיֵּים – שִׁתֵּף בּוֹ מִדַּת רַחֲמִים״.

With regard to this, the Rabbis stated, "At first, God considered creating the world with the attribute of judgment, but He saw that the world would not endure, so He combined it with the attribute of mercy" (Bereshit Rabba 12:15). This discourse contends with the different appellations of God mentioned at the beginning of the book of Genesis. From the first verse of the Torah, "In the beginning God [Elokim ] created... " (Gen. 1:1), through the verse describing the seventh day, "On it He rested from all His works that God [Elokim ] created to act" (Gen. 2:3), only the name Elokim appears. As explained in the previous chapter, the name Elokim connotes strict judgment, constriction, and the hidden aspect of the Divine. This divine name implies an entirely natural, law-bound, totally independent system. But God "saw that the world would not endure" because the concealment this engendered was too impenetrable, so "He combined it with the attribute of mercy." The name of Havaya represents the attribute of mercy and the revelation of the Divine. The addition of this name textually to the name Elokim in the second chapter of Genesis expresses the introduction of mercy in a world of total judgment, the revelation of divinity within nature: "the Lord [Havaya ] God [Elokim ]" (Gen. 2:4). The first creation came into existence through the attribute of strict judgment alone and thus created a paradigm that did not allow for the perception of any reality beyond that of this world. God then combined it with the attribute of mercy. In so doing, He shined into the darkness a glimmer of His divine light so that the darkness would not be totally opaque, and the barrier between the Creator and the creation would not be completely impermeable.

דְּהַיְינוּ הִתְגַּלּוּת אֱלֹהוּת עַל יְדֵי צַדִּיקִים וְאוֹתוֹת וּמוֹפְתִים שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה.

This attribute of mercy is expressed as divine revelation through tzaddikim and the signs and miracles recorded in the Torah. The inclusion of the attribute of mercy in the creation introduces flashes of light into the otherwise impenetrable concealment of the Divine. Every so often, a glimmering hint of that transcendent light flickers in the dark. Rambam describes the prophetic experience in a similar manner: A man is walking in total darkness when suddenly a flash of lightning illuminates the world for an instant. For one moment, the entire world is lit up. Immediately afterward, the darkness returns. For that one instant, though, he manages to get his bearings and reorient himself to face the correct direction. These revelations, these interplays between strict judgment and mercy, between concealment and revelation, express themselves in two ways: First, through the tzaddikim, who by virtue of their powerful souls are capable of perceiving that which is beyond the limits of the natural world. Second, through the miracles recorded in the Torah, which are a direct revelation from above and which reach their apex at the revelation of the giving of the Torah.

וְהִנֵּה עַל זֶה אָמְרוּ בַּזֹּהַר (ח״א נג, א): ״דִּלְעֵילָּא, בְּסִטְרָא דִּקְדוּשָּׁה עִילָּאָה, אִית יְמִינָא וְאִית שְׂמָאלָא״, דְּהַיְינוּ חֶסֶד וּגְבוּרָה. פֵּירוּשׁ – דִּשְׁתֵּיהֶן הֵן מִדּוֹת אֱלֹהוּת לְמַעְלָה מִשֵּׂכֶל הַנִּבְרָאִים וְהַשָּׂגָתָם, דְּאִיהוּ וְגַרְמוֹהִי חַד בְּעוֹלַם הָאֲצִילוּת.

With regard to this, the Rabbis stated in the Zohar (1:53a), "Above, on the side of supernal holiness, there is right and there is left," referring to the sefira of Ḥesed on the right and Gevura on the left. This means that both of these sefirot are divine attributes, beyond the comprehension of created beings' intellect, since He and His attributes are one in the world of Atzilut. Even above, in the world of Atzilut, there are two modalities of revelation: Ḥesed, which is the force that expands and acts, and Gevura, the force of concealment and constriction. However, unlike in our dichotomous world, in the world of Atzilut the acting force and the instrument that is being acted upon are not two distinct entities. In the world of Atzilut, the sefirot, the attributes through which the Divine is manifest, are themselves part and parcel of the Divine. By contrast, the lower worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya are separated from the Divine by distance and barriers. Though an angel in the world of Beria is on a very lofty level and serves as a vessel for divinity, it is still a created being and therefore has self-awareness. It is only in the world of Atzilut, where there is no barrier, that God and His attributes are truly one. Since the attributes are unified with God, they are "beyond the comprehension of created beings' intellect" because anything that is comprehensible and definable is, by definition, not divine.

וְאַף הַשָּׂגַת מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם בִּנְבוּאָתוֹ לֹא הָיְתָה בְּעוֹלַם הָאֲצִילוּת, אֶלָּא עַל יְדֵי הִתְלַבְּשׁוּתוֹ בְּעוֹלַם הַבְּרִיאָה.

Even Moses, our teacher, may he rest in peace, could not comprehend through his prophetic vision the world of Atzilut without its translation into the lower world of Beria . These two attributes were even beyond the apprehension of Moses, the person who, according to Rambam, was the "father of all prophets" and whose personal development and, moreover, his prophetic depth reached levels unparalleled both before and after his time. Comprehension in the world of Atzilut means experiencing intimately the infinity of the Divine itself at its primary stage. Yet even Moses was told, "You cannot see My face" (Ex. 33:20). His comprehension would be limited to "You can see [only] My back" (Ex. 33:23), which is a revelation of the world of Atzilut as it is translated into the world of Beria. Revelations on the level of one world can be comprehended only through the vessels of the world beneath it. While the lower world enables an otherwise unattainable comprehension of the higher world, it also conceals the true essence of that higher world, since the revelation is a mere translation of the original. The revelation is achieved through aḥorayim, indirect means. Even the comprehension of Moses was referred to as aḥorai, "My back," meaning that he did not merit revelation from the world of Atzilut itself but rather its indirect manifestation in the world of Beria.

וְאַף גַּם זֹאת, לֹא בִּשְׁתֵּי מִדּוֹת אֵלּוּ, חֶסֶד וּגְבוּרָה, אֶלָּא עַל יְדֵי הִתְלַבְּשׁוּתָן בַּמִּדּוֹת שֶׁלְּמַטָּה מֵהֶן בְּמַדְרֵגָה, שֶׁהֵן מִדּוֹת: נֶצַח, הוֹד, יְסוֹד [כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּשַׁעַר הַנְּבוּאָה].

And even so, he could not apprehend these two attributes, Ḥesed and Gevura , directly, without their translation into the attributes on the level below them: the sefirot of Netzah (Dominance), Hod (Splendor), and Yesod (Foundation) (as it is written in Sha'ar HaNevua ) . Ḥesed and Gevura are apprehensible only indirectly through the lower attributes of Netzaḥ and Hod, which are outward manifestations of Ḥesed and Gevura respectively, and through the attribute of Yesod, the essential channel of giving and transmitting. Neither the expressed nor the concealed aspect of the Divine is apprehensible in its essence, for the divine realm remains intrinsically beyond the grasp of any created being regardless of his level. Even prophecy, which is the highest level of transcendent perception attainable by a human being, is not a firsthand experience of the divine realm but rather divine perception embedded within multiple layers of concealment. This is because prophecy is not received through the higher attributes of Ḥesed and Gevura but rather through the secondary stages of Netzaḥ and Hod. Therefore, they are considered the channels of prophecy, because prophetic vision transmits divine perception as it has been translated into worldly terms. Also, the source of the prophetic experience is not in the highest world, Atzilut, where pure, essential divinity emanates, but rather in the lower world of Beria. Even though the world of Beria is so sublime that the spiritual creatures called the seraphim and ophanim of the divine chariot exist there, still the Divine is manifest through a partition that necessarily separates Creator and creation.

רַק שֶׁמַּתַּן שְׂכָרָם שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים בְּגַן עֵדֶן הוּא הַשָּׂגַת הִתְפַּשְּׁטוּת הַחַיּוּת וְאוֹר הַנִּמְשָׁךְ מִשְּׁתֵּי מִדּוֹת אֵלּוּ: חֶסֶד וּגְבוּרָה,

Yet the reward of the righteous in the Garden of Eden consists of comprehending the emanation of the life force and light drawn from these two attributes of Ḥesed and Gevura. The Talmud describes how the righteous sit in the Garden of Eden with crowns on their heads, basking in the radiance of the Divine Presence. This radiance is an illumination from the Divine that descends to a low enough level for the soul to be able to perceive it. This perception in and of itself is the Garden of Eden. This is what makes the human soul unique – that through preparing properly in this world, namely, through the power of the Torah and mitzvot, one becomes capable of attaining a bond with the divine attributes on a Garden of Eden level. This bond, however, is not formed directly with the divine attributes themselves but rather with an illumination that emanates from them.

וְהוּא מְזוֹן נִשְׁמוֹת הַצַּדִּיקִים שֶׁעָסְקוּ בַּתּוֹרָה לִשְׁמָהּ בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה. כִּי מֵהִתְפַּשְּׁטוּת שְׁתֵּי מִדּוֹת אֵלּוּ נִמְתָּח רָקִיעַ עַל הַנְּשָׁמוֹת שֶׁבְּגַן עֵדֶן.

This constitutes nourishment for the souls of the righteous who engaged in Torah study for its own sake in this world, since from the emanation of these two attributes, a firmament is stretched above the souls in the Garden of Eden. Our Sages explain that the heavenly firmament is comprised of water and fire, which is a mixture of the manifestations of Ḥesed and Gevura, respectively. Just as the physical sky marks the outer limit of our visual perception, the firmament designates the outer limit of spiritual perception. In a broader sense, the spiritual firmament demarcates the incomprehensible aspect of every world. For us, the sky is our visual limit upward; for the souls in the Garden of Eden, their firmament is an illumination of the divine attributes of Ḥesed and Gevura, which is the upper limit of their comprehension in the Garden of Eden.

וְרָקִיעַ זֶה נִקְרָא ״רָזָא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא״,

This firmament is called the "secret of the Torah," That the righteous comprehend the "secret of the Torah" in the Garden of Eden means that they comprehend an illumination of the divine attributes of Ḥesed and Gevura within their reality.

וּבוֹ סוֹד כ״ב אוֹתִיּוֹת הַתּוֹרָה הַנְּתוּנָה מִשְּׁתֵּי מִדּוֹת אֵלּוּ,

and within it lies the secret of the twenty-two letters comprising the Torah, which is imparted through these two attributes, The Torah is rooted in both the attributes of Ḥesed and Gevura. This shows that the nature of the Torah is not purely revelation but also concealment. Had the Torah been only revelatory and given solely in divine terms, it would either be entirely out of human reach, or it would consume our subtly separate lives in its unbearably intense revelation of the Divine. We are able to relate to the Torah only because, rather than being completely explicit, it is enveloped in veiled disguises and expresses its truths through metaphors within metaphors. Its words are comprised, as the Talmud states, of black fire on white fire, an epic combination of revelation and concealment, dark and light, all of which are expressions of the Divine. The twenty-two letters of the alef-bet, which are the basic building blocks of reality, function in another role as letters of the Torah. Each letter is a revelation of the Divine, a specified and defined facet of divine illumination. The source of the illumination itself is in the attribute of Ḥesed, whereas that which lends the illumination its definition is the attribute of Gevura. The very same interplay between Ḥesed and Gevura, which vivifies the twenty-two letters of the Torah, is what sustains the firmament stretched over the souls in the Garden of Eden. This firmament stands as their "ceiling of apprehension" in their reality through which shines the illumination of the Torah.

כְּדִכְתִיב ״מִימִינוֹ אֵשׁ דָּת לָמוֹ״ (דברים לג, ב).

as it is written, "From His right, a fiery law to them" (Deut. 33:2). Fire always expresses the consuming Gevura energy of the left side. Therefore, "From His right, a fiery law" implies the combination of the right and the left, of Ḥesed and Gevura together. This is the source of the idea that Torah is not just from heaven but rather, in a deeper sense, the Torah constitutes the heavens. Both are different embodiments of the same spiritual dynamic, the interplay between divine Ḥesed and Gevura.

וּמֵרָקִיעַ זֶה נוֹטֵף טַל לִמְזוֹן הַנְּשָׁמוֹת,

From this firmament drips dew to nourish the souls, The firmament is the upper limit that delineates between the apprehensible and the entirely inapprehensible. It therefore points toward the hidden, toward the mystery that lies just beyond every comprehensible thought. While even the souls in the Garden of Eden cannot fully grasp the mystery of the firmament, the sliver of comprehension to which they are privy nourishes them like dew from the physical sky. It is not that these souls in the Garden of Eden live in a different place but in a different state of existence. Gaining entrance into this state of existence relies on two factors: First, the soul must be without a body, because the body necessarily affects the limits of its perceptive capacities and even influences its ideological tendencies. Second, entrance into the Garden of Eden depends on one's actions while the soul was in its body. If during his lifetime one cleaves to God by engaging in Torah and mitzvot, he creates the garments and receptors necessary for entering the Garden of Eden, which allow him to tune in to the frequency of the inner illumination and be nourished by the dew that drips from the firmament of Eden.

דְּהַיְינוּ יְדִיעַת סוֹד כ״ב אוֹתִיּוֹת הַתּוֹרָה.

that is, the knowledge of the secret of the twenty-two letters of the Torah. The twenty-two letters of the Torah provide a certain grasp of the unattainable, supernal knowledge, like the dew that drips from the firmament, each an intentional, heavenly drop of illumination beyond which lies the incomprehensible.

כִּי הָרָקִיעַ הַזֶּה הוּא סוֹד הַדַּעַת,

For this firmament represents the secret knowledge, It is taught that Torah scholars do not have rest in this world nor in the next, as the verse states, "They go from one success to another... " (Ps. 84:8). This implies that even in the Garden of Eden there is a firmament above every soul that bears the secret of unknowable supernal knowledge. When the soul climbs from "strength to strength," from one level to the next, it crosses the threshold of its current firmament and is now able to grasp what was previously unknowable to it. At its new level, the soul attains a "new sky and a new ground" (Isa. 65:17), a totally new spectrum of divine consciousness, ranging from simple understanding (a new ground) to the infinite beyond (a new sky). There will always be a firmament above because the essence of a firmament is an unknowable secret – the enigma of the infinite, beyond which it is impossible to pass.

וְהַתּוֹרָה הִיא מְזוֹן הַנְּשָׁמוֹת בְּגַן עֵדֶן, וְהַמִּצְוֹת הֵן לְבוּשִׁים כַּמְּבוֹאָר כָּל זֶה [בַּזֹּהַר וַיַּקְהֵל דַּף ר״ט וְר״י וּבְעֵץ חַיִּים שַׁעַר מ״ד פֶּרֶק ג׳].

and the Torah is the nourishment of the souls in the Garden of Eden, while the mitzvot are their garments. All this is explained (in Zohar, Vayak'hel 209 b–210 a and in Etz Ḥayyim 44:3). The relationship between nourishment and clothing is, in the most general sense, the relationship between the Inner Light and the Surrounding Light. Perceiving the Inner Light is like spiritual nourishment. Just as food enters the body and is absorbed into the limbs, this apprehension penetrates and is absorbed into consciousness. The Surrounding Light, on the other hand, is not internalized. Perceiving the Surrounding Light is like getting an impression or sensing ambience. It eludes all attempts at understanding, categorizing, or analyzing its essence. Perception of the Surrounding Light can be just as crucial and meaningful as the internalized perception, but it is simply not susceptible to analysis. There are varying degrees of Surrounding Light. There is a level of perception that is totally beyond the grasp of the human mind, yet powerful and multifaceted, and then there is that which lies just at the brink of consciousness, where one can grasp its outer limit but is unable to grasp its internal content. This relationship between the Surrounding Light and the Inner Light, between garment and food, parallels the relationship between the Torah and the mitzvot. The Torah is essentially comprehensible. There is no Torah learning without a conscious internalization of the material in one form or another. Therefore, the Torah is called "nourishment of the souls." (This may seem contradictory to the statement in chapter 6 of Likkutei Amarim that learning Torah is also an aspect of "garment." That refers, however, to the mitzva of Torah study, where even mechanical recitation of the words suffices, whether or not the content is understood.) The Torah serves as nourishment in this world just as it does in the World to Come, but since in this world the body is the frame of reference for all experiences, it does not always realize when the soul has been nourished. Only in the Garden of Eden, when the soul has been freed from the shackles of the corporeal body and its perceptions, can it truly enjoy the nourishing, heavenly dew. By contrast, mitzvot are intrinsically considered garments. A mitzva, in essence, is not about awareness but about action. Its value is measured by how the deed is performed and not according to how it is understood. Understanding the meaning of the mitzva, to whatever degree, is grasping the Torah illumination in that mitzva but is in no way necessary for its fulfillment. In this sense, the mitzva is not internalized by the person who is performing it; rather, its light hovers over him and surrounds him like a garment. To enable the soul, which is a created entity, to enter the purely divine reality of the Garden of Eden, it needs to be enveloped in mediating apparel. To mediate between the created soul and divine light of the Garden of Eden, the garb must itself be divine. Every mitzva that a person performs in this world clothes his soul in this divine vestment. Each mitzva is a thread woven into a beautiful personal garment presented to each soul upon arrival in the World to Come. This robe, or "rabbinical garment," as referred to by the Zohar, allows the soul access to the light of Eden. Jewish literature is replete with descriptions of people finally being presented their "rabbinical robes," and to their dismay they realize that they are missing a sleeve or a cuff. This is the result of the owner failing to perform the corresponding aspect of a certain mitzva in his lifetime. This chapter seems peripheral because it interrupts the overall thematic structure of this section in