קבלה אויף ירמיהו 2:13

See, from all this it is seen that there is no necessity from this saying for the opinion of Rav Shem Tov of blessed memory. Truly now to us is left the duty to explain what is found different from this saying in the Zohar, parasha Wayiqra. As in this saying [of R. Shem Tov) it says that Bereshit is the tenth utterance, and in parasha Wayiqra [Zohar III.11b) Rashbi explains that these are ten utterances besides Bereshit. And this is what it says: ‘Rabbi Shimon said: It is written: “ten, ten the vessel with the holy shekel” [Numbers 7:86]. “ten, ten” why does it come [here]? But [it indicates] ten for the work of Creation, and ten for the giving of the Torah. What does it teach? That the world was not created except for the sake of the Torah, as all the time Israel is involved in the Torah, the world endures. And all the time Israel is abolishing the Torah, what is written? “If [there were] not my covenant with daytime and night, I would not have placed the ordinances of heavens and earth.” [Jeremiah 33:25]. Come and see: Ten utterances of the work of Creation, as we have learned: ‘With ten utterances the world was created.’ [Mishnah, Pirkei Avot 5:1]. Ten utterances of the giving of the Torah, these are the Ten Commandments. [First utterance:] It is written: “I am HaShem your God” [Exodus 20:2], and in the account of Creation it is written: “Let there be light, and there was light.” [Genesis 1:3] This is faith, as the Holy One, blessed be He, is called ‘light’, as it is written “HaShem is my light and my salvation etc.” [Psalms 27:1]. [Second utterance:] It is written: “You shall not have other gods beside me” [Exodus 20:3], and it is written in the account of Creation: “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters etc.” [Genesis 1:6]. “Let there be a firmament”, these are Israel, as they are a portion of the Holy One, blessed be He, who are united with the place that is called ‘heavens’. And this is a secret, as once Rabbi Yeisa the Old asked Rabbi Ela’e; he said: Oh, all the rest of the peoples, the Holy One, blessed be He, gave them to dignitaries, princes, rulers [to guide them], [but] Israel to what? He [= Rabbi Ela’e] sent to him [the answer]: “and God placed them in the firmament of the heavens” [Genesis 1:17]. And a pleasing [answer] he sent to him. “in the midst of the waters” [Genesis 1:6], between the words of the Torah. “and let it divide water from water” [Genesis 1:6], between the Holy One, blessed be He, who is called “well of living waters” [Song of Songs 4:15] and between idolatry, which is called “broken cisterns that will not hold the waters” [Jeremiah 2:13] which are bitter waters etc., stinking gathered [= stationary]. And therefore Israel, holy ones, are dividing between waters [above, clean] and waters [below, unclean]. [Third utterance:] It is written in the giving of the Torah: “You shall not take the name of HaShem your God in vain” [Exodus 20:7], and it is written in the account of Creation: “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered to one place” [Genesis 1:9]. Come and see, each one who swears by the Holy Name for a lie [is] as if he has separated the Mother [= Binah] from her place above, and the holy crowns are not settled on their places, as it is said: “And a mischief-maker is separating an intimate friend” [Proverbs 16:28], and there is no “intimate friend” except the Holy One, blessed be He. And it is written: “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered to one place” [Genesis 1:9], you should not place a separation because of swearing that is false. “to one place”, as is fitting, to a place of truth, and not to another place of falsehood. And what is falsehood? It is when waters go to another place which is not its own. [Fourth utterance:] It is written in the giving of the Torah: “Remember the day of Shabbat to keep it holy” [Exodus 20:8], and it is written in the account of Creation: “Let the earth sprout grass” [Genesis 1:11]. When is the holy earth [= Malkut] increased and is crowned with her crown? Say: on the day of Shabbat, because then the bride is associated with the King, to bring forth grasses and blessings for the world. [Fifth utterance:] It is written in the giving of the Torah: “Honor your father and your mother” [Exodus 20:12], and it is written in the account of Creation: “Let there be luminaries in the firmament of the heavens” [Genesis 1:14]. What does this point to except that these ‘luminaries’, it is “your father and your mother”? “Your father”, this is the sun, “your mother”, this is the moon. And there is no sun except the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written: “Because a sun and shield is HaShem God” [Psalms 84:12]. And there is no moon except the assembly of Israel, as it is written: “And your moon will not perish” [Isaiah 60:20]. And therefore, all is one. [Sixth utterance:] It is written in the giving of the Torah: “You shall not murder” [Exodus 20:13], and it is written in the account of the Creation: “Let the waters swarm living soul” [Genesis 1:20]. And you shall not kill a human being who is called thus, as it is written: “And the human being became a living soul” [Genesis 2:7], you will not be as these fishes, of which the big ones swallow the small ones. [Seventh utterance:] It is written in the giving of the Torah: “You shall not commit adultery” [Exodus 20:13], and it is written in the account of Creation: “Let the earth bring forth living soul according to its kind” [Genesis 1:24]. From this we learn that a human being should not do falsely with another woman who is not his mate, and therefore it is written: “Let the earth bring forth living soul according to its kind”, that a woman should not give birth except from her kind. And who is its kind? Her [male] mate. [Eighth utterance:] It is written in the giving of the Torah: “You shall not steal” [Exodus 20:13], and it is written in the account of Creation: “And God said: ‘See, I have given you every plant producing seed’” [Genesis 1:29]. What I have given you and deposited to you will be yours, and you shall not steal what is of another. [Ninth utterance:] It is written in the giving of the Torah: “You shall not testify to your fellow false witness” [Exodus 20:13], and it is written in the account of Creation: “And God said: ‘Let us make a human being in our image” [Genesis 1:26]. To him who is in the image of the King you shall not witness falsely. And he who has witnessed falsely to his neighbor [it is] as if he has witnessed falsely to above. [Tenth utterance:] It is written in the giving of the Torah: “You shall not desire the wife of your fellow” [Exodus 20:14], and it is written in the account of Creation: “It is not good that the human being is alone” [Genesis 2:18]. This is your mate in front of you, and therefore “you shall not desire the wife of your fellow”. And this is: ten utterances of the work of Creation, and ten utterances of the giving of the Torah, which is “ten, ten the vessel with the holy shekel” [Numbers 7:86], they were weighed as one, with one shekel. And because of this the world endures and peace is found in it. End of citation.

It also says in the Zohar in Va’etchanan: 120. While they were walking Rabbi Aba said, In the verse, “they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and have hewn them out cisterns…” (Yirmeyah 2:13), “they have forsaken Me” refers to he who is false to the sign of the holy imprint. How is he false to it? By placing it in the domain of another, as written, “and has married the daughter of a strange El” (Malachi 2:11), who are called broken cisterns. For the idol worshiping nations are called broken cisterns. 121. That of Yisrael, WHICH IS MALCHUT, is called a well, “the fountain of living waters.” This is the holy domain of the holy Faith, WHICH IS MALCHUT that is called a well of springs of clear water that comes out and pours from it, as written, “and streams from Lebanon” (Shir Hashirim 4:15), AND ALSO, “running waters out of your own well” (Mishlei 5:15), and, “a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters” (Shir Hashirim 4:15). The Other Side is called, “broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Yirmeyah 2:13). 122. Come and see, the river that flows and comes out, WHICH IS YESOD, waters the whole garden, MALCHUT, and waters each and every place, as we explained, until it fills the place of the garden that is called a well of living water, WHICH IS YESOD OF MALCHUT, whence the higher and lower are nourished, as written, “and from thence it was parted…” (Beresheet 2:10). 123. None of the aspects of the left side are watered from that spring of gushing water, because they are from the aspect of the other nations and are called broken cisterns. Whoever is false to the holy imprint by that side cleaves to “broken cisterns, that can hold no water,” because it does not flow in there. Whoever merits to keep it deserves to be watered by the stream of the river in the World to Come and merits that the supernal well will be filled and blessings will be drawn above and below. Happy is he in this world and in the World to Come. Of this it is written, “and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not” (Yeshayah 58:11). 124. Woe to him who is false to the holy imprint, because he is false to the Supernal Name. Moreover, he causes that well, MALCHUT, not to be blessed. He is called, “he has brought out an evil name upon a virgin of Yisrael” (Devarim 22:19). “A virgin of Yisrael” is precise, THAT IS, MALCHUT THAT IS CALLED THE VIRGIN OF YISRAEL, BECAUSE SHE ALWAYS REVERTS TO BEING A VIRGIN.

However, since there are other bad waters, which are called Dead waters-Mayim Meitim-מים מתים,¹⁵Stagnant waters these being the¹⁶See Rashi to Genesis 34:30 citing Talmud Bavli, Brachot 25b muddy waters-Mayim Achurim-מים עכורים that come from the essence of the malignant waters-Mayim Zeidonim-מים זידונים,¹⁷Psalms 124:5 which are alien cisterns that contain several kinds of bad waters from which the bitter and repugnant waters came out, therefore HaShem-יהו"ה had to thunder against all of Israel and say,¹⁸Jeremiah 2:13 “For My people have committed two evils; they have left Me, the Source of Living waters-Mekor Mayim Chayim-מקור מים חיים, to dig cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” Moreover, it is written,¹⁹Jeremiah 17:13 “HaShem-יהו"ה is the hope of Israel, all who have left You will be shamed. Those who turn aside from Me will be inscribed for burial in the earth, for they have left HaShem-יהו"ה, the Source of Living Waters-Mekor Mayim Chayim-מקור מים חיים.”