The Seventh Commandment
223. The seventh Mitzva is to perform circumcision on the eighth day, and thus remove the impurity of the foreskin, for Malchut constitutes the eighth degree of all the degrees, beginning with Bina. And the soul that soars from her must appear before her on the eighth day; hence, she constitutes the eighth degree.
Nukva de ZA is called Haya if she rises and clothes Ima- Bina,the eighth degree from Malchut (provided that you count all ten Sefirot from below upwards). Malchut is hence called “the eighth,” for she ascended eight degrees, from her own place to that of Bina. And when she reaches Bina, she receives the name Haya, just like Bina.
Therefore, man’s soul, which is born in Malchut (that ascended to Bina), must appear before Malchut in all the appropriate corrections of circumcision, removal of the foreskin and the rolling up of its remains, on the eighth day from its birth in Malchut. This is because then it becomes clear that it is a soul that was born from none other than the holy degree of Haya.
Because of the force of circumcision and rolling up, man’s soul sloughs the impure force, and the soul can receive the perfection of Ohr Haya. LET THE WATERS SWARM – thus Malchut receives the Supernal male waters from ZON, and is filled with them.
224. It then becomes clear that the type of this soul is Haya. That is, belonging to that holy degree of Haya (Malchut), and not to any other degree. And this is implied by, LET THE WATERS SWARM, as is explained in the book of Hanoch, the waters of the holy seed merge in the properties of the soul of Haya. And it is the property of the letter Yod, marked on the sacred flesh, more than any other mark that exists in the world.
Because of the circumcision, the Supernal male waters fill man’s soul the way they were received in Nukva (called “the soul of Haya”). The Upper World, called Bina, is designated by the letter Yod,and the lower world, Malchut, is designated by the letter Hey – its property. However, as Malchut ascends to Bina, the letter Hey disappears from her, and, just like Bina, turns into Yod.
Similarly, through man’s observance of the Mitzva of spiritual circumcision, the letter Hey disappears, and just like in the Nukva that ascended to Bina, the property of the letter Yod appears in him instead. And if man’s body acquires the property of Yod, he can receive the soul of Haya from Nukva.
225. The verse, LET BIRDS SOAR OVER THE EARTH, refers to Eliyahu, who flies across the whole world in four flights in order to be present in the place, where the Holy Covenant is made. And a chair must be prepared for him, and it must be said out loud, THIS IS THE CHAIR OF ELIYAHU. For this is not done so, he will not appear in that place.
Angels originate from AVI; hence, they remain exclusively in the sky and consist of HGT NHY. Therefore, when they appear in this world to fulfill their tasks, they are said to make six flights, for they clothe in six Sefirot.
However, Eliyahu stems from Malchut (not from AVI). Hence, he is constantly connected to the earth. And since Malchut contains only four Sefirot of ZA, for her position is parallel to the Sefirot TNHY (Tifferet- Netzah- Hod- Yesod, pronounced, Tanhi) from Chazeh de ZA downward, it is written that Eliyahu flies on four flights, i.e., by clothing in Sefirot TNHY.
Under no circumstances should one interpret the words about Eliyahu’s presence at every rite of circumcision literally. Yet, if he is obliged to be there, why should he be invited?
The Zohar explains this in another place (Shlach, 18): there are four impure forces, called “Stormy Wind,” “Great Cloud,” “Blazing Flame,” and Noga. The lowest of them, Stormy Wind, is at the center, as though clothed by Great Cloud, which is in turn clothed by Blazing Flame. And they are all clothed from the outside by Noga.
All the worlds, forces, and everything that was ever created exists within man. And these are our spiritual forces, by which we can attain the goal of creation. The first three impure forces are completely impure (egoistic). Whereas Noga is half good and half evil. But how is that possible if the spiritual is always true? How can it be half good (altruistic) and half evil (egoistic) at the same time?
In fact, this is impossible. Noga is a neutral force that can be used by the pure force (then Noga is considered good) or by the impure force (and then it is considered evil). Hence, Noga is called “half good and half evil” although neutral in itself. It may be attached to either pure or impure forces, and this depends entirely on man.
MAN’S SPIRITUAL FORCES:
Pure – altruistic;
Noga – neutral;
Blazing Flame – egoistic;
Great Cloud – egoistic;
Stormy Wind – egoistic.
These four impure forces are located at the end of each spiritual Partzuf, in its Sefira Yesod. The Sefira Yesod has two layers of skin, one atop of the other. One layer is called Orla, and contains the three impure forces. The other is called Preia, and this is Noga.
The first man, Adam, was born circumcised, meaning that he did not have the three impure forces at all – he was completely unaware of his egoistic desires. In other words, they could not cling to him. Noga prevailed in him, in his sensations. Yet, since it was separated from the three impure forces and attached to the pure force (Adam’s altruistic desires), Noga itself was considered completely good.
The three impure forces are collectively called the Serpent. These three impure desires were roused in Adam and tempted him to use them. In so doing, Adam attracted the Orla to himself, as it is described in the Talmud (Sanhedrin, 38:2). As soon as he attached Orla to himself, his pure soul (the Light of the world of Atzilut) immediately disappeared, for his desires became egoistic, and he fell with his properties (desires) to the world of Assiya, to its lowest degree, called “this world,” and was condemned to death (disappearance of the Supernal spiritual Light).
Therefore, it is written about him that since he violated the prohibition of not eating the fruits of the Tree of Knowledge, he attached the Orla to himself. Consequently, the impure desires acquired both layers of skin on the Sefira Yesod of Partzuf Adam, and Preia, called Noga, became impure, too, because of its contact with the Orla, with the three impure forces. However, there is a distinction between them, which lies in the fact that prior to Adam’s sin, Preia was pure, and all of its impurity stems from its contact with the Orla.
Accordingly, there are two types of correction: circumcision and rolling up of the remaining skin. The Orla must be cut off and cast in the dust, since only thus can man free himself from these egoistic desires. Preia, however, can be left attached to Yesod. But the skin around the Sefira Yesod must be rolled up. This is a special spiritual action that frees the Preia from the impure forces remaining in it. Hence, this action causes the Light to return to the Partzuf. This Light previously disappeared because of the egoistic desires that ruled in the Partzuf before the spiritual circumcision took place.
However, this is still insufficient for the fulfillment of the spiritual Partzuf, Adam, with the Light, as it was before he sinned, i.e. used the Serpent’s impure forces and tasted the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge (received Ohr Hochma in egoistic desires). For now, after Adam’s sin and fall, a special angel by the name of SAM makes accusations and complaints against man.
To neutralize the power of SAM, Eliyahu took upon himself his role of a prosecutor, and was thereby granted an opportunity to defend Israel (one who aspires to the Creator) when he circumcises himself (his egoistic desires).
Hence, it is said that Eliyahu must be present at each rite of circumcision (Hebrew, Brit Mila – the Covenant with the Creator). For since it is he, rather than SAM, who complains to the Creator about Israel’s neglect of their Covenant, he can also testify that when Israel aspires to the Creator, it is loyal to the covenant. As a result, the Light returns to the Partzuf.
This is why, besides the chair occupied by the man who holds the baby (Sandak – godfather), one more chair must be prepared for the prophet Eliyahu. For the chair designates the beginning of correction, the influence of the Upper One on the lower one. The first chair, on which the Sandak sits, belongs to the Creator, for the filling of Light as the result of the circumcision and the rolling up of the impure forces. The second chair is saved for Eliyahu, so he can neutralize the impure forces’ complaints to the Creator against man, so they would not be able to accuse man.
However, to make Eliyahu appear, one must say out loud: THIS IS THE CHAIR OF ELIYAHU. The thing is that a male baby is circumcised on the eighth day after Shabbat(Malchut with the Light of AVI, called “holy”) has passed over him. Since the sloughed desires (Orla) are cast away, the impure force sees that it is given a part of the Creator’s Covenant. Because of this gift, it stops complaining and accusing man. On the contrary, it begins to advocate him before the Creator.
The spiritual desires (objects) pass their properties from one to another. Since the Orla was attached to Yesod, after the circumcision (separation from Yesod) it takes part of the pure desires with it. And since we throw it to the dust, to the impure forces, they draw from it that weak Light, which they can receive from the circumcision and the rolling up.
This is why the impure forces stop complaining against Israel, and no longer wish to destroy this Light, for in so doing they will lose the part that they draw from it. Thus, they become defenders of the pure forces, to allow the pure forces to be filled with Light.
Yet, Eliyahu cannot bear this correction, for although the Klipa stops impeding and slandering Israel, it takes part of the Light for itself in return. To correct this, Eliyahu takes upon himself all the accusations against Israel, and refuses to give anything from the pure to the impure forces.
Thus, although the impure force stopped complaining against Israel, and actually became its defender, Eliyahu himself continues to accuse in order to wrest all the power from the impure forces and fully separate them from the pure. Hence, a chair must be prepared for Eliyahu, for it is he who fully separates the impure forces from the pure ones.
One must therefore verbalize the words: THIS IS THE CHAIR OF ELIYAHU. For after the circumcision, part of the Light still remains in the impure forces, and the mention of Eliyahu completely deprives them of any contact with the Light.
Thus, if man does not express his desire to detach himself completely from the impure forces, through his own effort (by the screen positioned in Peh), it does not happen, even though the first chair belongs to the Creator. This is because the Creator starts the process of creation (makes His foundation in the form of a chair), and man continues and corrects his nature by performing altruistic deeds.
226. And the Creator created great Leviathans. They were two: Orla and Preia, male and female forces, and all living creatures. This is the mark of the Holy Covenant, the soul of the holy Ohr Haya, as it is written, “LET THE WATERS SWARM,” the Supernal Waters that descend to this Covenant.
Leviathan and his wife designate that which is opposite from Orla and Preia. They are also called Nachash (Serpent) and Alcaton (his wife). Orla is the Serpent, and Nachash isthe male part that must be cut off and committed to dust. Preia is the correction, liberation from the Serpent’s female part, Alcaton. Through these corrections, Ohr Haya of AVI descends from Above.
227. The reason why Israel below is marked in the holy form, similar to its form from Above, is to separate the pure part from the impure, to distinguish between the holiness of Israel and the other nations that originate from the other side. And just as Israel was marked, so were the animals and birds – to determine which of them belong to Israel, and which belong to the nations of the world. Happy is the lot of Israel!
Man’s attitude toward all the living creatures in our world is similar to the attitude of the general spiritual creation, called “man,” toward his parts. This is because Adam includes absolutely everything within his spiritual body. And there is nothing except for this spiritual Partzuf, called “man” or “Adam.”
All spiritual objects, angels, souls, both pure and impure forces are parts of Adam’s body. All that is described in Kabbalah speaks only of the spiritual world, of one creature called “man,” Adam. Adam’s various parts, his various desires – are called “Israel,” “nations of the world,” “pure animals,” “impure animals,” and so forth.
All that man must do in our world (for every one of us was created in the image of Adam, recreating Adam’s entire Partzuf within him) is build a pure, altruistic Partzuf within him. This is done by cutting off all of the egoistic desires in his heart, and separating the pure from the impure in all his desires, on all the levels of his soul.