Adam's Downfall (Sin)
109) At this juncture, it is in order to shed some light upon the subject matter concerning "Adam's Downfall", in which the whole creation became involved.
Due to the primordial "Tzimzum" and the shattering of the vessels in the world "Nekoodim" (Points) which followed, four worlds came into being: "Atzilut" (Emanation), "Briah" (Creation), "Yetzirah" (Formation) and "Assiah" (Action).
The first world, "Atzilut" is all pure and all good for it enjoys the closeness of the infinite light. "Briah", the second world, is mostly "Good" but has a small portion of evil in it, which is, not mixed with the "good".
The third. world "Yetzirah" consists of half good and half evil, unmixed; that is the good and the evil stand opposite each other: one over against the other.
The fourth and last world, "Assiah", is mostly evil with but a small admixture of good.
110) After the breaking of the vessels, the Creator, raised the essential sparks to the source, thereby establishing the world "Atzilut".
Three hundred and twenty of the sparks were still left below. From two hundred and forty eight sparks of "Kedushah" (Holiness), the three lower worlds "Briah", "Yetzirah" and "Assiah", that had no admixture of any "Evil", were established.
These worlds are known as "B.Y.A d'Toomah", the three worlds of defilement "Briah", "Yetzirah" and "Assiah".
When Adam was born, he was put into the three worlds of "Kedushah". This means that Adam's dimension stretched out from "Briah" to the end of the world "Assiah" of the holy essence built from the two hundred and forty-eight divine sparks.
The tree of life had its abode in these worlds. The tree of knowledge was found in the worlds opposite the holy worlds.
Adam was commanded not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He was supposed to fulfill the command and refrain from entering the opposite worlds so as to avoid entangling himself with the "Klippoth". Adam was supposed to stay where he was. Adam's service to GOD consisted in prayer and in the study of the Inner Wisdom. Had Adam obeyed the command by waiting till the lights of the seventh day "Shabbos" broke forth, in so doing, Adam would have selected the rest of the "Kedushah" from the opposite side and the perfection of the worlds would have become a reality.
However, Adam sinned. He did enter the opposite side, and instead, brought his world of "Kedushah" into the three contaminated worlds and thereby caused death and imperfection in the worlds. This unfortunate condition will continue until the generation in which the Messiah will be revealed to the world.
111) The following will shed more light on our path with regard to the sin of Adam. His sin actually consisted in his failing to sever the tree of knowledge from the tree of life.
Had Adam united the tree of knowledge with the tree of life, then there would not have been a tree of tnowledge of good and evil at all. It was only when Adam separated the two trees that the tree of knowledge was called "good and evil" and, only then did the "Klippoth" gain access to the tree of knowledge and draw sap therefrom, which could only take place after this tree became separated from the tree of life.
Rabbi Yitzchok Luriah stresses that the sin of Adam consisted in his eating of the tree of knowledge for the reason that Adam ate from this tree before the breaking forth of the sabbath,that is, the light of shabbos at that time was still unrevealed.
Had Adam waited for the revelation of the light of shabbos, he then would have been permitted to eat from the tree of knowledge.
Rabbi Yitzchok Luriah says further that the sin began when Adam first ate from the tree of knowledge instead of eating first from the tree of life; for, had he first eaten from the tree of life, after that, he would have been permitted to eat from the tTree of knowledge of good and evil.
112) At this point, the query may be posed: "Where is it mentioned or indicated in the Torah that, if Adam had first eaten from the tree of life, after that, it would have been permissible for Adam to eat, even from the tree of knowledge?
The Torah merely commanded Adam not to eat from the tree of knowledge. No mention, however, is made regarding any permisission to eat from the tree of life.
This can be explained as follows: It is stipulated in the Kabbalah that,
on the sabbath day, both trees, the tree of knowledge and the tree of life, unite; that is to say: the tree of knowledge is actually included within the tree of life and is then no longer called by the nomenclature the tree of knowledge at all.
This being so, it was permissible to eat from it on the sabbath day for what the Torah forbids is the tree of knowledge of good and evil, being still severed from the tree of life.
Adam, by eating first from the tree of life would have, by that action on his part, united both trees into one unity, even in the week days.
Not so was the case, when Adam ate first from the tree of knowledge as a result of which, Adam caused severance among the spiritual entities, incurring separation between the two trees, the tree of knowledge and the tree of life.
113) It follows then that in the sin of Adam was involved the separation of the tree of knowledge ("Malchut") from the Holy Name "Elokim", which is "Din" (Judgment) from the four lettered Holy Name "HVAYAH" which is the tree of life".
Tractate Sanhedrin (p. 38:2) speaks of Adam having committed the sin by causing to extend his foreskin. This sounds quite bewildering. However, the Kabbalah teaches that the foreskin with which man is plagued is due to the prevailing darkness caused by the Holy Name "Elokim", which is "Din". This is because the name "Elokim" is not united with the name "Havaya", which is "Rachamim" (Compassion).
Adam's severing of the name "Elokim" from the name "Havaya" resulted in causing here below, a foreskin to be revealed upon the heart for, just as above, in the spiritual realms, the name "Elokim" ("Din") is a cover, a damper upon the light, here on earth that "Din" is trsnslated in man as a foreskin upon the heart of man, as an iron curtain which prevents the light from shining upon man and the universe. This is because man is then drawn after selfish desires of bodily pulls and gratifications.
114) Adam the First was brought to this world to correct the vessels that were shattered prior to the creation of the four worlds "A.B.Y.A". Adam, originaly immune from all evil, was placed in the Garden of Eden. It is the border which separates "Atzilut" from "Briah".
There betwen "Atzilut" and "Briah" there exists a "Parsah", (a Boundary). GOD commanded Adam not to draw any light of wisdom from "Atzilut"to "Briah" by way of the "Parsah"; for, below the "Parsah", where the three lower worlds are located, all of them have Evil.
It is revealed in the Torah that Adam's Service to GOD in the Garden of Eden consisted in his carrying out of the two commands "l'Ovdoh Oolshomroh"; "…To dress it and to keep it.
In other words, Adam was instructed by GOD to serve him in the Garden of Eden and be sure not to trespass the boundary. That is to say: Adam was duty bound to be vigilant in doing the will of GOD by refraining from entering into the three lower worlds, which have an admixture of evil.
By way of prayor and wisdom, Adam could have raised the sparks of "Kedushah", tThe light of wisdom found in "B.Y.A" into "Atzilut".
Had Adam obeyed, the whole world could have been corrected. The entire light found in the three lower wWorlds would have united with "Atzilut" and the evil or the three lower worlds would have vanished.
As a result, the worlds "Briah", "Yetzirah" and "Assiah" would have been raised into "Atzilut", thereby restoring our mundane world to perfectien for all eternity.
However, Adam disobeyed and drew the light of wisdom beyond the world "Atzilut",passing the "Parsah" (barrier) into the worlds of the "Klippoth".
In other words, Adam siuned by drawing the supernal "Meichin", the light of the inner "Abba" and "Immah", the light which was supposed to be hidden until the end of the correction of the worlds, including the worlds of separation, that is, "Briah", "Yetzirah" and "Asiah", which dwell below the "Parsah", the barrier established at the terminating point of "Atzilut", that is, the boundary of "Atzilut".
115) In the three worlds below "Atzilut", that is "B.Y.A", there are no vessels of "Immah" that could protect the light from being transmitted to the "Klippoth", that is, in the three worlds below the world "Atzilut", the vessels of "Malchut" alone are there. They are the vessels upon which the power of the "Zimzum" prevailed. This power produced the opposite pillar of "Din" (Judgment) to which the posterior parts of the left pillar, The "Klippoth", have access.
Thus, "Malchut", being restricted from receiving the light of wisdom, has the "Parsah", the barrier located under the world "Atzilut". It is the place where the last letter "Hey" of the name "HAVAYA", where the first withdrawal of light took place.
This "Hey" has within herself the boundary of the "Parsah", that is, the "Din" (Judgment) which causes the termination of the lights of "Atzilut"; so that they do not pass through "Malchut" or extend through her down into the three worlds "Briah", "Yetzirah" and "Asiah".
116) Consequently, because Adam the First, instead of raising the sparks and the three lower worlds into "Atzilut"; whereby all creation would have become perfected, rather disobeyed the first Precept and went down into the three lower worlds that are admixed with evil, he, by so doing, drew "Shefa" (Bounty) below the barrier of "Atzilut".
It was by this transgression that "Pesha" (Sin) in the "Nukvah" ("Malchut") took place. This is how the Talmud describes the extent of Adam's fall. It tells us that the sin of Adam drew the serpent close to the "Nukvah" ("Malchut"); that is to say: The Serpent came and injected its poisonous venom into "Chavah" (Eve) (Tractate Shabbos, p. l46).
The "Zoohamah" is the contamination with which the serpent defiled "Malchut" and thereby brought corruption upon all creation. It will not be cleansed until the world will arrive at the state of complete emendation.
This restoration of the world to perfection is dramatized in the words of Isaiah the Prophet, thus:
"BILAH HAMOVES LONETZACH GOMOCHOH ADOSHEM ELOKIM DIMOH M'AHL KOL PONIM ……" (8:25).
The English equivalent of this quotation is:
"HE WILL SWALLOW UP DEATH IN VICTORY; AND THE LORD GOD WILL WIPE AWAY TEARS FROM OFF ALL FACES…”.
117) The lack of "Meichin", that stems from the Inner "Abba" and "Immah", which were concealed after the vessels were broken, are called tears "D'Moes".
These are the two tears that were shed by GOD and which fell into the great ocean.
The two tears symbolize the two eyes, that is, "Cnochmoh" and "Binah", which were actually hidden after the shattering of the "Primordial Vessels" and are as though they did not exist.
Again, the eyes are know as "Chochmoh" and "Binah" and the tears are recognized as the "lack" which exists in them. The lack is an offshoot of The "Zoohamah", (the contamination) that became intermixed with the lower worlds because of the transgression of Adam in eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
118) The calamity of the breaking of the primordial vessels before creation caused the inner light of "Abba" and "Immah" to become concealed. The evil which was injected because of the lack of the Inner "Chochmoh" and "Binah", due to the breaking of the vessels, and finally by the sin of Adam, all in all, were later responsible for the destruction of The two Holy Temples in Israel.
The prophet Isaiah, therefore, makes known to Israel that the tears just stipulated will not be wiped off from "Malchut", the feminine principle, until death is abolished from the face of the earth for all eternity; that is to say: At such time that the "Pesha" (Guilt), which constitutes the actual feet of death, becomes completely corrected for all time.
It is then that the supernal lights of the first three Sephiroth, that is, the head of the Sephiroth "Chochmoh", "Binah" and "Daas", which contain within themselves the "Meichin", the great lights, will become illuminated and thereby negate all alien forces from existence.
These lights are designated as the inner "Chochmoh" and "Binah". All this substantiates that GOD will eventually wipe out all tears from all faces.
119) What has been delineated above is comprised in the words the Creator answered the פ "Pe". GOD said to the פ "Pe":
You are beautiful but within you is deeply hidden the impression of "Pesha" (Guilt).
Even though, within you is found "P'Doos" (Redemption) through the light of wisdom, the "Meichin", that is issued from "Immah", the Mother, which she will eventually bestow upon you and through which you will finally bring redemption to the world; for all redemptions are precipitated by these lights; nevertheless, all the redemptions that came to pass up until the last redemption were still lacking completion; for, even though redemptions have been effected, however, they were but ephemeral because Israel has repeatedly been driven out from their land; and the two Holy Temples were destroyed one after the other.
This is all due to the fact that, within you, is deeply impressed "Pesha" (Guilt); for, the redemption that "Immah" has the power to furnish you with, is still unable to totally wipe out the "Pesha", the "Guilt" of the first sin of Adam, in which you were involved.
Consequently, you are still prone to seizure by the "Klippoth". All this inability to attain to full redemption is because the "Meichin", the light of "Chayoh" ("Chochmoh"), that is bestowed upon you, stems from the six lower Sephiroth of "Binah" and not the head of "Binah"; that is to say: your "Meichin" is lacking the light of the head of the Sephiroth.
In other words, because your "Meichin" is not of the high and excellent power that stems from the head of the Sephiroth, you are still subjugated to the entanglement of the "Klippoth".
All this makes you invalid or unfit for use by Me in the creation of the world.
120) This is the reason for the analogy expressed in the answer of GOD to the letter "Pe": Your appearance indicates the likeness of a serpent who strikes the victim and simultaneously turns his head within his body; for this "Pesha" (Guilt), since it is committed in disguise we find therefore, that the power of the serpent is prevalent and it is out to hit the children of Man and to bring death to the world.
In other words, in spite of all the "Meichin" that you might receive, it still does not reduce the power of the serpent to a minimum; but is rather as powerful as ever to do it's deadly work and it is still impossible to offset it's power and to remove it from the world.
Again, your prevailing condition may be compared to the serpent that bites a person and immediately hides it's head within it's body; for then it is impossibte to kill the serpent, inasmuch as a serpent can only be exterminated after it is hit in the head.
This is how the serpent caused Adam to sin with the tree of knowledge, in which sin were also involved Adam's children.
The Zohar narrates it thus:
After making Adam sin, the serpent curled up his head within it's body and stretched out it's hands; that is to say: Even though "Malchut" obtains "Meichin"for redemption through "Immah" ("Binah"), it is of the quality attributable to the lower status of a bent head, "the light of the Body" rather than "the light of the Head".
It is only the hands, that is the light which comes from the body, that is, that stems from the Sephiroth "Chesed", "G'Vurah" and "Tifereth", which are revealed in these "Meichin", the light Imparted to "Malchut".
The serpent thereby gains access to the letter "Pe", which therefore falls short of possessing the great light requisite for the creation of the world. This being so, the Letter "Pe" is unfit to bring the world to its final emendation and perfection.
121) In sum, it must be said that the Letter "Pe" פrepresents two images. One shows that the "Pe", which symbolized "Malchut", is involved with the venom of the serpent and the "Meichin" she receives from "Binah" does not supply her with the great supernal light with which She would become efficacious to overcome the enemy.
This vulnerable condition of the "Pe", that is, "Malchut", which is the second image, shows that she receives the light that stems from the "body" instead of the "head" of the Sephiroth.