1
AND GOD SAID, LET THE WATERS FLOW: The word flow (yikavvu) implies that they were to go in a line (kav) so as to take a straight path. For from the first mystic point the Whole issues in secret, until it reaches and is gathered in to the supernal Palace, and from there it issues in a straight line to the other grades, until it comes to that place which collects the whole in a union of male and female; this is the “Life of worlds.”
2
THE WATERS: to wit, those that issue from on high, from under the upper He’. FROM UNDER THE HEAVEN: this is the lesser Vau (hence the word yikavva is spelt with two vau’s, one for “the heaven” and one for “under the heaven”). In consequence: LET THE DRY LAND APPEAR. This is the lower He. This is disclosed and all the rest is undisclosed; from this last we conclude by inference to that which is undisclosed.
3
TO ONE PLACE: so called because it is here that the whole of the upper World is linked into one. It is written: The Lord (Tetragrammaton) is one and his name is One (Zech. 14, 9). Two unifications are here indicated, one of the upper World in its grades, and one of the lower World in its grades. The unification of the upper World is consummated at this point. The Life of Worlds was there firmly based, and through its unity the upper World was bound together, and therefore it is called “one place”. All grades and all members were gathered there and became in it one without any separation; nor is there any grade in which they are embraced in one unification save this. In it, too, they all mysteriously conceal themselves in one desire. In this grade the disclosed World is linked with the undisclosed.
4
The disclosed World is similarly unified below, and the disclosed World is, in fact, a lower world. Hence such expressions as: “I saw the Lord” (Is. 6, 1), “And they saw the God of Israel” (Ex. 24, 10), “And the glory of the Lord appeared” (Num. 14, 10: XVII, 7), “So was the appearance of the brightness round about; this was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord” (Ezek. 1, 28). This, too, is the inner meaning of the words here, “and let the dry land appear”.
5
The same is referred to in the words, “My bow I have set in the cloud” (Gen. 9, 13): to wit, from the day on which the world was created. On the day of cloud, when the bow, “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord” appeared, the Left arose in might. Then “Rachel went forth and had pain in childbirth”. With her appeared Michael on one side, Raphael on another, and Gabriel on a third, these being the colours which appeared in the “likeness”.
6
Hence “the appearance of the brightness round about”, to wit, the radiance which is hidden in the pupil of the eye, becomes “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord”, to wit, corresponding colours, so that the lower unity is formed in correspondence with the upper unity.
7
This is signified by the formula, “The Lord our God the Lord” (Deut. 6, 4). The mysterious and undisclosed colours which are linked “in one place” form one higher unity; the colours of the bow below in which are united white, red, and yellow, corresponding to those other mysterious colours, form another unity, signified by the formula “and his name is One”. Further, the form “Blessed be the name of the glory of his kingdom for ever and ever” signifies the lower unity, while the upper unity is signified by the form “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God the Lord is one.” These forms correspond, each having six words.1i.e. in the original Hebrew.
8
The words "be gathered" suggest measurement by the line and the measuring; measuring is from the hard spark that is in Binah, as it is written: "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand" (Isaiah 40:12). In this verse, "who" alludes to Binah. This is what is meant by: "Let the waters...be gathered." Here in the verse: "Let the waters...be gathered" is the extent of the entire Mochin of He who forms the worlds, namely Zeir Anpin, and which is hinted at in the name Yud Hei Vav Hei, fully spelled with Aleph's, as Yud-Vav-Dalet, Hei-Aleph, Vav-Aleph-Vav, Hei-Aleph.
9
"Holy, holy, holy" (Isaiah 6:3) is the secret of the Mochin of Binah, which is also the secret of the verse: "Let the waters...be gathered." The phrase "Hashem Tzva'ot" (Ibid.) is the secret of the verse: "to one place," Yesod of Zeir Anpin that is called the life of the worlds, to which the Mochin from Binah flow according to the secret of the phrase: "to one place." The phrase: "The whole earth is full of his glory" (Ibid.) is the secret of the verse: "and let the dry land appear." This verse is the secret of the lower Hei, called the revealed world when comprised within the union of the upper world. The words "and let the dry land appear"is the secret of the engraved name of the union of Caf -Vav-Zayin-Vav, Bet-Mem-Vav-Caf-Samech-Zayin and Caf-Vav-Zayin-Vav, because the dry land which is the revealed world is included in the union of the supernal world which is the secret of "Hashem our Elohim; Hashem."