Provérbios 24:4 Cabalá: Pardes Rimmonim & Idra Zuta

And see, the Sefirot are called בלימה/Belimah, meaning to say: ‘Sefirot of the hiding’, that they are hidden. And these three explanations ascend to one place of which the intention is to teach about their hiddenness and the shortness of [our] comprehension [of them], that it is not proper to lengthen talking on them because of their hiddenness.
And it says: ‘their measure [is] ten’, and because from this [statement it] could be continued [to the thought that] they do have limit – heaven forbid-, therefore it says that ‘they do not have end’ [Sefer Yetzirah 1:5]. And although that it is [at the same time] a matter and its opposite -that we are giving it limit [by stating that their measure is ten] and after this it is said that they do not have limit, we have already explained this in the previous chapters, as in the order that they have their aspect [directed] towards the Emanator they do not have limit, but in the order of their aspect and their actions extended towards us they do have limit for their actions, according to our tradition that we are limited, and this is the force of the greatness of our Formator, from [being] without limit He limits Himself and contracts Himself for the benefit of the lower ones who possess limit and end. And to this matter one should not frighten the eyes of the wise, who is not far removed, “as the heavens and the heavens of the heavens cannot contain Him” [II Chronicles 2:5] yet HaShem be blessed, and nevertheless, for the love of Israel He contracted His presence/Shechinah between two staves of the Ark as our Sages of blessed memory have explained.
‘Depth of commencement and depth of end’, they are Chochma and Bina, as Chochma is called ‘commencement’ as is explained in the previous chapter, and Bina is called ‘end’, as there [in Bina is] the end and finish of the matters in the mystery of Jubilee, and this [= Chochma] is the beginning of the concealment and that [= Bina] is its end in the mystery of the cycle [of things] and the Jubilee, as we will explain in the Gate of the Order of Emanation [Gate VI]. And the reason of its saying ‘depth’ with each one of them, [is] to show that although commencement and end, and east and the rest of the limits teach about the limit, nevertheless they are depths, “depth, depth, who can find it?” [Ecclesiastes 7:25] And attaining them is impossible because they are without limit as we have explained.
And good and evil, they are Gedola[/Chesed] and Gevura who are called good and evil, because Chesed acts action of good and reward, and Gevura acts action of judgement and punishment. And nevertheless, the expression of ‘evil’ is not exact.
And after it [= the mishna from Sefer Yetzirah] explained these four depths, it returns to explain the six depths which are the six directions, which are the depth of above and depth of below, East, West, North, South. And this is the reason of the delay of Keter up to now: [it is now mentioned] to connect the directions. Although it [= Keter] is not related to the subject of the order of the Sefirot -as it is [actually] removed from this matter-, the commentators found themselves in need to explain, according to their [limited] knowledge, that ‘above’ should be Da’at. Because see, Da’at is above Gedola and Gevura, and [it is] below Chochma and Bina, as the [following] verse proves (Exodus 31:3): “And I have filled him a spirit of God with wisdom/Chochma and understanding/Tevuna and with knowledge/Da’at and with all skill etc.”, and further it is written (Proverbs 24:3-4) “With wisdom/Chochma a house is built, and with understanding/Tevuna [it] is established, and with knowledge/Da’at its rooms are filled”. And thus, our Sages of blessed memory explained: with three things out of the ten with which the world was created: with wisdom/Chochma, and with understanding/Tevuna and with knowledge/Da’at [see Babylonian Talmud, Chagigah 12a]. See [from these evidences] that Da’at comes before Chesed and Gevura. But if this is so, why did it [= the mishna from Sefer Yetzirah] place it only after ‘depth of evil’ [= Gevura] and ‘depth of good’ [= Chesed]? But what do they say? As the reason [for this was] because of the order of the directions. [then] If this is so, according to our opinion the delay of Keter also [can be] because of the order of the directions.

After we in the previous chapter made efforts in the explanation of the mishna from the Sefer Yetzirah and to refute the proofs of Rabbi Shem Tov and the other commentators who said that Keter is not counted in the number of the Sefirot, we will now come in the present chapter to refute his proofs from the words of the Rashbi of blessed memory (in the Idra Ha’azinu 289b), and this is what it says [Idra Zuta 289b]:
The place where commencement [= Chochma] is found, [comes] from the Ancient Holy One [= Keter], who is illuminated by the Mazal¹ The beard of the Ancient One, and thus the influx from the Ancient Holy One which descends , it is a light of Chochma/Wisdom which is being stretched forth into 32 side[s] ² the 32 paths of wisdom that lead from Chochma to Bina; these correspond to 32 times the name Elohim is mentioned in the Account of Creation, and they [= the 32 directions] go out from that concealed brain, from the light that is in him.
And what the Ancient Holy One is illuminating at first (other reading: with Chochma/Wisdom), that is it [= Chochma], and [it is] being the commencement of what has been revealed, and it became three heads.
And one head encompasses them all. And these three [heads] are being stretched forth to the Small Countenance³The configuration of Atsilut from Chochma to Malkut. And from these all shine.
This Chochma/Wisdom is engraved, and [it] brings out one river that spreads and goes out to water the garden. And it [= the river] enters the head of the Small Countenance, and one brain is formed. And from there it flows and it spreads in the whole body, and it waters all these plants. This is what is written: “And a river goes out from Eden [to water the garden] etc.” [Genesis 2:10].
Further: this Chochma/wisdom is engraved and it flows, and it enters the head of the Small Countenance, and another brain is formed. This light that flows from it, these two extensions are engraved and are joined into one by means of [one] extension of the depth of the well, as is written: “by His knowledge/Da’at the depths were split open” [Proverbs 3:20].
And it enters the head of the Small Countenance and another brain is formed, and from there it flows and enters into the body [of the Small Countenance] and filling all those chambers and patios of the body. This is what is written: “And with knowledge/Da’at chambers are filled” [Proverbs 24:4].
And these shine from the light of that upper concealed brain that is enlightened by the Mazal, the Ancient Holy One. And they all depend on one another. And they are all connected to one another. Until it is known that everything is one, and everything is the Ancient One [= Keter] and nothing is separated from it.
These three lights shine to three others which are called Fathers, and these [Fathers] shine to the Sons, and everything shines from one place. End of citation.

This Chochmah of the thirty-two paths was further engraved, flowed and entered the head of Zeir Anpin, that is, through the descent of Malchut from Binah by means of the dot of Shuruk, and another brain was formed. That is the brain of Binah, the left column of the head of Zeir Anpin. Later, two streams flowed from that light, which is the central column of the head of Zeir Anpin; namely, it unites the right column with the left column, Chochmah and Binah, with each other, pulls them and incorporates them within itself. They were engraved and joined within one head of the depth of the pit, which is the brain lobe of Da’at, as written, “By his knowledge the depths were broken up” (Mishlei 3:20). It penetrates the head of Zeir Anpin and becomes another brain, that is, the brain of Da’at. From there it flows and enters the body of Zeir Anpin, filling parlors and chambers in the body. This is the meaning behind, “and by knowledge are the chambers filled” (Ibid. 24:4).