Jasidut sobre Génesis 2:18

And now a specific path needs to be explained in the matter of this mitzvah in the secret of the union of Male and Female. For it is known to us that the union is found above also among the souls as is known from the matter of Avraham and Sarah (Breishis 12:5) "and the souls that they had made in Charan" - that they caused the souls of converts to be "born" whereas that is not the case with angels - there is no union found [among them]. And the root of this will be understood by prefacing the advantage of souls over angels, and to understand that a different introduction is necessary and that the matter of union and partnership is also found on the level of godly sefiros and middos-attributes as is known in the Zohar and the Eitz Chaim about the matter of the union of Abba and Imma and Zeer Anpin and Nukvah, that from them are formed the souls and angels, (however, that is specifically from Atzilus and below, whereas that is not the case above atzilus as is known that in Atik there is no concept of male and female, only Mah and Ben and it's like that which is written "and there is no god with me" (Devarim 32:39). And also it is known that the matter of union and partnership in every place it occurs is something wondrous and lofty [and is connected with] the concept of bringing down new light from the Ain Sof Blessed is He in great abundance more than the essential/core, just as in the introduction to the Pri Eitz Chaim, and if so, it must be said that accordingly, the explanation of there being no concept of male and female above Atzilus [is] because the matter of [male and female] union is the bringing down of new light from the Ain Sof). And also there are two types of unions: The first, is called "union of kissing" in the Eitz Chaim and this is the connection of Ruach to Ruach in the Zohar which is the concept of [the] Chaba"d [mentalities (Chochma-Wisdom, Binah-Understanding, and Daas-Knowledge)] [connecting with] the Chaba"d [mentalities], and from this is the source of the angels. The second, is the bodily union of Yesod with Yesod, and from this is the source of souls. And the explanation of this is through "from my flesh I see [God]" by way of analogy. In humans, there are two types of giving influences: One is the bodily union of giving the male drop [of seed], and it stays in the womb of the female nine months and is made into a child. The second is the giving influence of intellect from a teacher to a student, for behold the drop [of seed] is also drawn out from the mind of the father just as the intellectual knowledge is drawn from there except it's more physical. However, in truth its root is even higher, for we see that from that drop a child is born in the form of a complete human that has strength and intellectual powers, which isn't true for the giving influence of knowledge - there is only the giving of the revealed knowledge but it's not able to give over any essential powers of intellect to understand that which is lacking in it's own knowledge, (As people say, {translation uncertain until רק}, only that the advantage of the intellectual giving influence is that it doesn't materialize into a physical thing as much as the drop [of seed], however, in truth, both of them are connected and influence each other in that the drop is taken from the inner part of the mind and therefore cannot descend except through becoming more physical specifically, as is written in מ"א regarding the example of the parables of Solomon "and he instructed me with a finger" (Chagigah 5b) ע' בתורה on the verse "my dove in the crags of the rock" (Song of Songs 2:14).) And the meaning of this [analogy] is understood above also [in that there are] two types of union as mentioned earlier, "kissing" and bodily [union]. However, there is no physical connection, God forbid from mentioning such a thing to say there is any physicality involved God forbid, as is written "you shall not make for yourselves any image" (Devarim 5:8) and so on, "cursed is the man who makes an idol or molten image and places it in secret" (Devarim 27:15) as it's written by R' Shimon B' Yochai in the beginning of the Idra Rabbah, and it is all a spiritual concept that is not within the bounds of space, and it is not a power in the body like the soul that attaches to the body God forbid, but nevertheless the matter of unions can be intellectually understood, and their high levels one on top of the other, in their inner and outer qualities, it is all in spirituality according to the analogies mentioned earlier in the union of the physical male and female, in that even though it happens through physical limbs behold, in truth, it is done through the spiritual power that is enclothed within the limbs of reproduction that bring about this reproduction through the specific limbs that are prepared to receive the form of spiritual power mentioned earlier. Just like how sight in the eye is not through the flesh of the eye alone rather it is through the spiritual power of sight in the soul that is enclothed in the pupil of the eye that is prepared to receive this form, like it is written in the Gemara (31a) "The Holy One Blessed be He gives [the fetus] a soul and shine of its face, and the sight of its eye", and so on, and Rashi explains that even though the eye is created from the father and mother, it does not see [just from that] for behold you know that dead people have eyes and don't see, until there are his [Rashi's] words, and if so, even though power of reproduction in the body that is given through the seed to reproduce in His form and image, it is taken from the power to reproduce that is in the soul in the way that all powers that reside in the body [are] from the soul, they are taken from the soul in the concept of revelation from concealment, as is known, and the matter of the power of reproduction in the soul is that it gives a spiritual influence from the essence of the actual soul as in the way the power of reproduction in the body gives influence to produce, as explained above. And to understand and to grasp a bit of the essence and quality of this spiritual power of reproduction in the soul is through an analogy from the power of reproduction that is in the "garments" of the soul, just as in the intellect and מחו"ד (?) we see that the giving influence of the intellect from a teacher to a student through speech, which is an external garment, there is also the power of reproduction and that is called Yesod-Foundation of the Male, for there can be a teacher who doesn't have this power to give over to another even though he understands well himself because he doesn't have this vessel of Yesod-Foundation to explain the intellect according to the smallness of the student['s intellect], rather he understands and grasps according to his understanding and he isn't able to find counsel in his soul in how to bring down and enclothe the reasoning in a different variation of letters according to the character of the student's understanding. And this is because he doesn't quite have the vessel of giving influence outside of himself, that are the concept of the "two testicles" - Netzach-Victory and Hod-Splendor, that determine how the giving influence will be, and Yesod-Foundation, which is the actual giving influence itself. And there could be a lesser scholar than him who has more of this faculty of Yesod-Foundation and so he is able to explain the intellectual material until even a small child could understand it since he has many ways to broaden the matter and to fit it into different formats, just as it's written in the books of Kabbala that the sustainers of the generation are connected to the concept of foundations, and this is that which is written in Sukkah 39a "Moshe, did you speak correctly?" [that the sages would call] the greatest of their generation who taught Torah to his students "Moshe," for Moshe was connected to the concept of Yesod-Foundation of Abba, since just like it is for the giving over of intellectual concepts, so too is it for transmitting Torah and putting the fear of Heaven into the hearts of the listeners. Now, this concept is called Yesod-Foundation of the Male, and through this matter the receiving influence will be understood, which has the concept of the vessel of Yesod-Foundation of the Female, and that is similar to what we see in a student who gathers [information] well in his mind from what he hears, and there are those who don't gather it well, and that is according to the measure of the Yesod-Foundation of the Female, which receives, and this is the concept of 4 attributes in students משפך בחי' פולטת ונפה בסוד הברור שבטפה ודו"ק: Now from this the intelligent person can discern that the concept of Yesod-Foundation and the power of reproduction in the soul to give influence is the concept of the Male, and to receive is the concept of the Female. (All of these giving influences being spiritual powers of the essence of the soul as mentioned above). And just like they are enclothed in the bodies of male and female and they perform their functions through the limbs of the body--male giving and female receiving--and if they perform their functions through the limbs of the material body how much more so are they able to function when they are separated from the bodily material and come together in union through their Yesod-Foundation faculties in the manner of giver and receiver of spiritual influence, and to reproduce in their image and likeness. And this is the concept of the union of the soul of Avraham and the soul of Sarah in the Garden of Eden to produce the souls of converts so that there should be a giving influence of light and spiritual life-force [to the convert], just as the concept of love comes from Avraham, for he was the "chariot" for the faculty of Chessed-Loving-kindness, which is given into the convert's soul so that this love can function in his body to rouse him and wake him from his "slumber" - the limbs of the body cannot receive this influence unless it is gathered first within the Yesod-Foundation of the Female, which is the concept of Sarah who was the "chariot" for the faculty of Malchus-Kingship as is known. And through this matter the unification of Sefirot can also be understood, like the union of Zeer Anpin and Nukvah, that the drop that is drawn out of Zeer Anpin, by way of analogy, is the same concept as the giving influence of light and spiritual godly life-force from the light and life-force that is enclothed within Zeer Anpin that is like its Neshama-soul, or to give life to the worlds. And in order for this light and life-force to be absorbed within Beriyah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, this isn't possible unless it is collected first in the concept of Yesod-Foundation of the Female, which is the faculty of Malchus-Kingship that engenders the [creation] of matter and being and so on, as explained in other places at length. And the general principle of the matter of this union is the additional revelation and drawing down of the Light of the Ain Sof with greater strength and might than the revelation that was set for the sustaining of all worlds, as is known. And now the matter of the two types of unifications mentioned above will be understood: "kissing" and the physical [union] - for it is known that in every Partzuf-Archetype, עצמות (essence/essential form?), and vessels, by way of analogy, soul and body, and their matters are explained in other places, the concept of Chochma-Wisdom is by way of analogy the vessel, and the light and life-force from the Ain Sof that gives life and existence to Chochma-Wisdom is the light and the עצמות. And there are internal and external vessels, and various interactions: "face to face" or "back to back" as is known, and the concept of the union of "kissing" is through הבלים (breaths?), and the exact meaning of how and what in its particulars is not known to us, but the [general] matter is that the flow [of light/life-force energy] does not descend and materialize so much through the concept of external vessels, and it is like the giving influence of a person from his intellect and brain into the words and letters of his thoughts, or even speaking words to someone else, for the expansion of his intellect through this has not distanced itself from his essence so much, from the concept of his intellectual faculties in his mind. This is not the case with the concept of the bodily union above, that is described through the concept of "a drop," meaning to say that the flow [of energy/life-force] materializes [into a physical state] through the external vessels to become far in measure from the essence of the inner faculties of the mind. For example, how the drop [of seed] in a man is quite far from the essence of his intellect and the fluid in his brain and so on. Now, the root of angels is from the union of "kissing" mentioned above, and this remains in spirituality and doesn't descend into bodies, since the root of their being is through the giving influence of light and sustenance and life-force, which doesn't descend and change in its essence from its source. And the root of souls is from the union of bodies, and this becomes enclothed in actual material bodies since these souls descend far from and different from their essence as mentioned above. However, in truth, this is teaching only [that] when they are drawn from the innermost and essential aspect of the mental faculties and are not just an external revelation only, as in the union of "kissing." And as mentioned above, from the analogy of the drop that produces a birth in its likeness, [something with an] essence that has the power of intellect in similar likeness and form to the intellect of the father, which is not the case in the giving influence of a teacher to a student, who gives the student through the concept of externalities and the revelation of intellect and so on. And similarly above, the souls are drawn from the inner dimension of Upper Chochma, as it's written (shemos 4:22) "My firstborn son, Israel," and {Devarim 32:9) "God's portion is his people," for in it is enlothed the light of the Ein Sof blessed is He, and as it is known that the souls are from the inner dimension of the vessels, and the angels are from the external dimension. Therefore, the Children of Israel specifically are called "Adam" [as in] I will resemble (adameh) the supernal [realms] that include all the specific powers of the ten sefiros, Chaba"d, Chaga"t, and so on, for because of this the 613 commandments were given to them, that are 248 "limbs of the king" and 365 negative commandments - 365 sinews, which are all of different qualities and levels, some of which (correspond?) to the head of the king, some to his body or arms... etc, and a Jew is able to drawn from all of them, since they are all particulars of the whole, since they are drawn from the inner dimension of the mentalities, which encompass the whole - as in the example of the physical drop, which isn't the case for an angel who is a specific part [of the whole] whether that be chesed or gevurah, and like its name so is it, for therefore "no angel can do two missions" (Zohar chadash III Naso 132b). And therefore, angels cannot produce offspring and we don't find any sexual union regarding angels, by way of analogy, the letters, which cannot grow or increase or add or decrease and so on, and none can give birth to another, which isn't the case with souls, which are drwan from the inner dimension of the mentalities in which are enclothed the light of the Ain Sof - they have sexual unions and can produce offspring, and this is enough for those who understand. And like it is written in מ"א in the explanation of the Zohar on the verse "it isn't good [for Man] to be [alone]" (Breishis 2:18) and on the verse "these are the offspring of Noach" (Breishis 6:9) in Balak on the verse "bless Hashem all his angels" (Tehillim 103:20).