Eclesiastés 1:9 Cábala: Kuntres Mattan Torah, Zohar & Sha'arei Kedusha

The first cause is the character, which means the primal matter that relates to this transformation for “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) and every transformation taking place in our world is not out of nothing but is something out of something. A certain entity shed its former shape and assumed another one, different than the former. The essence that is divested of its previous shape is defined as the character, wherein lies the future potential to appear and be set in the final shape of that transformation. It is therefore considered its main cause.

And since {Malchut} was given through you to Israel, who are the Central Pillar, it behooves us to reveal why it was given them. For surely we learned why she was given to Abraham, [ He drew down the attribute of Chesed, which is synonymous with Abraham], and you were kind (bestowing Chesed) to his children just as he was kind to you. And the Holy One, blessed be He, gave her to Isaac, to him and his descendants to keep her from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. And they made her some boundaries and cut for her some garments, golden garments with some laws. And they used to disagree and ask questions regarding these laws, to supply them with explanations, to decorate her with many decorations for Shabbat and holidays, to redeem her at the last redemption, as it says of her, "That (Heb. מַ''ה) which has been (Heb. שֶּׁ''הָיָה), it is (Heb. ה''וּא)" (Ecclesiastes 1:9) (making the initials of Moses). (The rest is missing here).

Now, at the outset of creation, all the worlds were created in the order mentioned above, and were brought into being by the power of the Unlimited One, HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, by the power of His simple will, as an altruistic act of kindness. However, it subsequently is also necessary to continually draw forth sustenance, vitality and influence to all the worlds, in order to sustain their existence just as they were when they were created, and no more. This is like the verse,⁸³⁶Ecclesiastes 3:14 “I realized that whatever God does will endure forever: Nothing can be added to it and nothing can be subtracted from it.” It similarly states,⁸³⁷Ecclesiastes 1:9 “There is nothing new under the sun,” and,⁸³⁸Genesis 2:2 “On the seventh day God completed His work which He had done etc.,” all of which refer to the matter of creation itself.