The Letter "Aleph"
200) The letter א "Aleph" remained in her place without presenting herself. Said the Holy One: "Aleph", א "Aleph", א wherefore comest thou not before Me like the rest of the letters? She answered: "Because I saw all the other letters leaving Thy presence without any success. What, then, could I achieve there? And further, since Thou hast already bestowed on the letter ב "Beth" this great gift, it is not meet for the Supreme King to take sway the gift which he has made to his servant and give it to another". The Lord said to her: א "Aleph", א "Aleph", although I will begin the creation of the world with the ב "Beth", Thou wilt remain the first of the letters.
My unity shall not be expressed except through thee, on thee shall be based all calculations and operations of the world, and unity shall not be expressed save by the letter א "Aleph".
201) It was mentioned earlier that all the requests of the letters are actually the bringing up of "M.N", the returning lLight from below brought up by man's labor in the Torah "L'Shmoh". The reply that was made to each of the letters by GOD constitutes the descending light, "M.D", which is to say, as already pointed out, the vertical light from above.
Even though this great perfection and completion is inherent in the letter א "Aleph", it is not possible for this letter to bring up "M.N", unless and until she is helped by virtue of being stirred to do so; that is to say: the awakening from above must come first.
This is substantiated by the interpretation furnished by the Zohar on the verse:
"NOFLOH V'LO SEISEF KOOM BSOOLAT YISROEL" (Zohar Leviticus: P.6), meaning: "THE VIRGIN OF ISRAEL (THE "SHECHINAH") IS FALLEN: SHE SHALL NO MORE RISE."
The Zohar reveals that the prophet means to say that the "Shechinah" cannot rise from exile through her own effort. GOD, will himself raise her from the dust of the earth and redeem her from her exile.
202) In the Zohar, treatment is given to the two periods of the redemption of the "Shechinah" that are to take place: First, at the outset, when the emanation of the "Meichin", meaning the light of the head of the Sephiroth, that is, the great rejoicing; the "Shechinah" then being raised to the palace of "Abbah" and "Immah". Second, the time when the final correction and perfection of the "Shechinah" will become a reality.
At both periods, the letter א "Aleph" will not awakened to bring up "M.N", the returning light from below, as is the custom of the revelation of "Meichin", the light of the head of the Sephiroth, during the span or duration of the six thousand years, but, on the contrary, redemption will ensue only by means of the awakening from above.
We find this trend of the final correction revealed in the Zohar, thus: the "Snechinah" will never again rise by her own power, but the Creator, will establish her to full perfection.
All this is conveyed in the position taken by the letter א "Aleph" after the other letters had all appeared before GOD and were each told by Him why He saw fit to reject them, and then came the turn of the letter א "Aleph" to appear before GOD.
The Zohar relates that the א "Aleph" did not move and GOD, addressed her: "Aleph", א "Aleph" א why don't you come in?
This indicates that the א "Aleph" was not aroused at all to bring up "M.N" from below, as all the other letters did.
The Creator himself found it necessary to speak to her, which is dramatized in the fact that her establishment will be consummated through GOD himself.
The fact that GOD addressed the letter א "Aleph" commencing by repeatedly pronouncing her name, saying: א "Aleph", א "Aleph", refers to the double help the "Shechinah" will receive. First: When the letters will have rendered great delight to the Creator due to the rising of their "M.N" to the source; Second: Points to the final emendation, when the Creator will, by Himself, establish her to completion.
203) The א "Aleph" said to GOD: "I see that all the letters have departed from Thy presence without success".
The reason why the א "Aleph" did not attempt to bring up "M.N" is because she saw that the appeals to GOD made by the letters were turned down by Him.
It has already been brought out that every dimension of light has over against it an evil power opposing the sacred light of the dimensions of light found in "B.Y.A d'Kedushah", for GOD has arranged the divine phases one over against the other; that is to say: "B.Y.A" "D'KEDUSHAH" against "B.Y.A d'Citra Acharah".
Therefore, the א "Aleph", deemed herself to be on a par with the other letters and felt that she also has a power against her dimension of light, which is able to offset her power for which reason the א "Aleph" did not consider herself to be superior to the rest of the letters. This explains why the א "Aleph" said: "What will I accomplish by my appearing before Thee. I feel that my endeavor would be futile; for I see that I am not better than the rest of the letters". Furthermore, said the א "Aleph", "since Thou hast already bestowed on the letter ב "Beth" this great gift, it is not meet for the Supreme King to take away the gift which He has made to his servant and give it to another.
204) The failure of the א "Aleph" to bring up "M.N", her returning light from below, was due to the fact that she saw that GOD decided to establish the letter ב "Beth" (symbolic of the pillar of the light of mercy) as the essential structure of every "Partzuf". This is in accord with the verse in Psalms:
"FOR I HAVE SAID, MERCY SHALL BE BUILT UP FOR EVER." (89:3).
When GOD saw that the א "Aleph" remained unmoved in her place, He said to her: א "Aleph", א "Aleph", although I will begin the creation of the world with the ב "Beth", thou wilt remain the first of the letters; that is, it is true that the world has already been created by the letter ב "Beth", and it is also true that I will not transfer her gift to another.
However, the light which I have invested in the ב "Beth", is but ו"ק "V.K", (meaning the 6 lower Sephiroth; (ו קצוות) connotes 6 sides) the light of the six Sephiroth from "Chessed" (Mercy) to "Yesod" (Foundation) of the Sephiroth, containing but a small light, that is, a light without the light of the head of the Sephiroth.
Consequently, the letters are still lacking the head and, as a result, they cannot produce any offspring due to this lack of light, which stems from the head of the Sephiroth.
Therefore you will be the instrument for drawing the head to all the letters, that is, "Meichin", the light of the first three Sephiroth. They are the lights that cause the phases to stand face to face and are thus thereby enabled to bring forth offspring.
In other words, my unity shall not be expressed except through thee, on thee shall be based all calculations and operations of the world. That is, My unity is revealed only through your dimension, and, in addition, reward, punishment and repentance, through which the perfection of the world will ensue, will only be through you.
The letter ב "Beth", which I appointed for creation, will serve only as the basis of the "Partzuf". It is a dimension of light, which is not dependent upon the good deeds of Man; for even if Man were to sin, the dimension of light ("Meichin") of the ב "Beth" will not change.
205) However, your light, that is, the "Meichin" of the א "Aleph", totally depends upon the actions of the lower beings, meaning "Man".
If Man practices corrupt deeds, your "Meichin", that is, the light of the first three Sephiroth, becomes rescinded.
On the other hand, when Man repents, these "Meichin" always return to the "Partzuf". This is conveyed in the words: "On thee shall be based all calculations and operations of the world".
The word "Chooshbonim" (calculations) indicates that, if Man corrupts his deeds, the "Meichin" of the first three Sephiroth vanish from the "Partzuf".
This is corroborated by King Solomon in Ecclesiastes, thus:
"GOD HATH MADE MAN UPRIGHT, BUT THEY HAVE SOUGHT OUT MANY INVENTIONS." (7:29)
The words "the operations of the world" intimate the bringing up of "M.N", the returning light, by means of good deeds; for it is only then that the "Meichin" of the supernal light of the head is drawn back to the "Partzuf".
All unity will be accomplished only through the א "Aleph".
This points to the complete over all unity that will take place at the final emendation and redemption, which will also be realized through the א "Aleph".
206) Then the Holy One, made upper world letters "of a large pattern", which are related to the Sephirah "Binah" and lower letters "of a small pattern", which symbolize "Malchut".
This is why there are two letters ב "Beth" at the beginning of the Torah: "BREISHIS BORO" ("IN THE BEGINNING, HE CREATED"), and then the following two words begin with two letters א "Aleph": "ELOKIM ETH" and are related to the upper world, which means that the first א "Aleph" and ב "Beth" are related to the upper world, that is, "Binah", and the second א "Aleph" and ב "Beth" to the lower letters, which stem from "Malchut", all of which operate in the upper and lower worlds, that is, "Binah" and "Malchut" together as one; so that they can bestow to each other.
The large letters stem from "Binah". The small letters abide in "Zeir Anpin" and "Nukvoh" ("Malchut"). Behold, whenever the upper phase has the desire to bestow upon the phase below it, the upper phase must become enveloped in the lower One.
It is portrayed by the two letters ב "Beth" of the words "BREISHIS BORO" and the two letters. א "Aleph" of the words "ELOKIM ETH". The first ב "Beth" is related to the higher world "Binah"; the second ב "Beth" to the lower world "Z.A", in which the first ב "Beth" becomes incased within him. The first א "Aleph" likewise stems from "Binah", who also enters into the second א "Aleph" related to "Z.A", with the aim of bestowing upon him. This is intimated in the expression. They both become as one, that is, whether it is from the upper or from the lower world; that is to say: the two letters are actually one matter. Likewise, the two letters א "Aleph" are one subject. The difference that can be discerned in them is that the first ones stem from the upper world and the second ones belong to the lower world; yet, they are one for they embrace each other, as is the way of the upper world, which has the desire to bestow upon the lower world.
This means that the ב "Beth" of the upper world becomes enveloped in the ב "Beth" of the lower world. In the same manner, the א "Aleph" of the upper world becomes encased in the א "Aleph" of the lower world "Malchut".