The Letters "Mem" & "Lamed"
148) The "Mem" מ came and said: "O, Lord of the world, may it please Thee to create by me the world, inasmuch as I commence the word "Melech" מלך (King), which is Thy title".
The Lord replied: It is so assuredly, but I cannot employ thee in the creation of world for the reason that the world requires a king. Return, therefore, to thy place, thou along with the ל "Lamed" and the ך "Kaph", since it is not nice for the world to exist without a "Melech" (King).
149) The letter מ "Mem" symbolizes the Sephirah "Chesed" (Mercy) of "Z.A", which receives her light from the upper source "Chesed" of the Sephirah "Binah" (Intelligence) which is opposite to the light of the Sephirah "Chesed" that pervades the entire body of the Sephirah. King David reveals this, thus:
"YET THE LORD WILL COMMAND HIS LOVING KINDNESS IN THE DAY TIME." (Psalms: 42) which means that the light of "Chesed" is united with every Sephirah of the body of "Z.A".
150) To amplify, when "Z.A" attains to maturity and receives "Meichin", the light of the head of the Sephiroth, it is then that the "CHA.GT": the Sephiroth "Chesed, G'Vurah and Tifereth" of "Z.A", become promoted to the mature degree "CH.B.D", that is, the head of the Sephiroth: "Chochmah, Binah and Daas". Consequently, the Sephirah "Chesed" of "Z.A" rose to the Sephirah "Chochmah".
It is then that the light of "Chochmah" (Wisdom), which is called "Life", is revealed and extended from the countenance of the King, that is, "Zeir Anpin", who is connoted "King".
The letter מ "Mem" precisely for this reason suggested to the creator that He use her in creating the world, as it is through the letter מ "Mem", that "Z.A" is called "Melech" (King), at which time the light of the King's countenance becomes disclosed to the world. It is then that the alien forces cannot come near the Sephiroth and consequently, the final emendation of the world can be assured.
151) However, the answer the letter מ "Mem" received was that the world would not be created with her, for the reason that the world is in need of a King. This light, which would be effective in completing the perfection of the world, said GOD to the מ "Mem", cannot be disclosed, because the world needs to have this great light of "Chochmah" (Wisdom) encased in the three letters מ "Mem, ל Lamed and ך Kaph" of the word "Melech" (King), which explains why GOD told the מ "Mem": Return to you place - You, the ל "Lamed and the ך Kaph"; that is to say: Therefore, return to your place and unite yourself with the Letters ל "Lamed and ך Kaph"; for, it is only then, when there is unity between you and the letters ל "Lamed and ך Kaph", that it will be possible for the great light "Chochmoh" (Wisdom) to be revealed in the world; precisely because it is not becoming for the world to exist without a king; that is to say: The world cannot stand and sustain its existence unless the light becomes vested in the order of the three letters מ "Mem, ל Lamed and ך Kaph" of "Melech" (King). The essence of what had been given treatment above being that the letter מ "Mem" of the word "Melech" (King) symbolizes the great Mercy, as voiced by King David: The light of Mercy is united with every Sephirah of the body of "Z.A".
152) In other words, the letter מ "Mem" which is open below, indicates by this fact that she emits an abundant supply of light.
The letter ל "Lamed" of the word "Melech", on the other hand, symbolized "A tower that is flying in the air", meaning that the ל "Lamed" is a symbol of the Sephirah "Binah" which, when entering the "Keter", the Sephirah "Crown" of "Atzilut", the head of "Arich Anpin" becomes transformed into the light of "Chochmoh" and delivers this light to "Z.A".
The letter ך "Kaph" of the word "Melech" represents "Malchut", the last Sephirah of the ten Sephiroth of a "Partzuf". It is the "Nukvoh" the feminine principle" of "Z.A": for there cannot be a king - "Melech" - without a queen - "Malchut".
Moreover, the maturity of these "Meichin", that is, the supernal light of "Chochmoh" (Wisdom) are revealed only through "Malchut". She is the main factor in the conducting of these lights.
At such time, "Malchut" is distinguished as the illuminator of "Z.A" in three different places. First, "Malchut" becomes, as it were, a seat for "Z.A", as brought out in the words of the prayer:
"HAMELECH YOSHEV AL KEESEY ROM V'NESO",
"THE KING IS SITTING UPON A HIGH AND ENHANCED THRONE".
Second, "Malchut" serves "Z.A" as en opaqueness, in order to effect his concealment.
The Hebrew word "Keesey" (chair) is a derivation of the Hebrew word "Keesoy" (covering and concealment). It is for this reason that the letter ך "Kaph" is pictured as being bent, to indicate concealment.
153) "Malchut" serves "Z.A" in the capacity of a garment; for these great "Meichin", lights of Wisdom, are revealed only to Israel.
As a result, "Malchut" serves "Z.A" as an instrument, which bears the nomenclature "l'Vooshe d'Kadroosey", Garments of Darkness.
What is meant by this is that when "Malchut" of "Z.A" becomes revealed, "Z.A" himself strips himself of this Garment of Darkness and throws it upon the nations of the world who embrace idolatry and engage in the worship of the heavenly constellations, as the stars, and so forth. "And the light of His countenance is then spread out and revealed upon Israel", upon which great event the Sages of the Talmud have said the following:
"IN THE FUTURE, THE CREATOR, BLESSED BE HE, WILL ARRANGE A DANCE IN THE FORM OF A CIRCLE, THAT IS, A ROUND DANCE, AT WHICH TIME. EACH AND EVERY ZADDIK WILL INDICATE BY HIS FINGER THAT HERE IS OUR GOD, AND SO FORTH (End of Tractate "Taanit").
The dramatization of this divesting of the garment of darkness is symbolized by the stretched out "Kaph" ך meaning the final ך "Kaph".
154) Three, the last degree of illumination of "Z.A" caused by "Malchut" is that "Malchut" herself becomes the crown upon the head of "Z.A", ("Tifereth") who comprises within himself all of the six Sephiroth from "Chessed" (Mercy) to the Sephirah "Yesod" (Foundation).
All this is conveyed in the words of the Song of Songs, thus:
"TZENO OORENOH BNOS ZION
BAMELECH SHLEIME, BOATOROH
SHEETROH LEY IMMEY,
B'YOM CHATOONOSEY OOVYOM SIMCHAS LEEBEY"
(32:11),
"GO FORTH, O YE DAUGHTERS OF ZION,
AND BEHOLD KING SOLOMON, WITH THE CROWN
WHEREWITH HIS MOTHER CROWNED HIM
IN THE DAY OF HIS ESPOUSALS,
AND IN THE DAY OF THE GLADNESS OF HIS HEART".
It is for this reason that the form of the letter כ "Kaph" symbolizes "Ketter" (Crown).