The Third Commandment
204. The third Mitzva is to know that there is an Almighty Lord who governs the world, to unite this every day in the six Supernal limbs: HGT NHY of Zeir Anpin, and to unify them in the six words of the prayer “Hear O Israel,” and with it to direct our desires upwards. Therefore, we must prolong the word “one” in the six words: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our Creator, the Lord is one.”
In correspondence with the instruction to prolong the word “one,” he who utters this verse should pronounce this word lengthily, as ooone. However, The Zohar obviously alludes not to a simple utterance of one’s mouth, but rather to our true heartfelt intentions.
What is indicated here is that one needs to know and make a union. First, one must know the two sides of love, AVI and YESHSUT. AVI are called the “big and great ones in Hassadim,” whereas YESHSUT is called “the Master of the World,” for it contains judgment and restriction.
After man has attained both degrees of love and merited perfect love, he needs to know that there is a great Master who governs the entire world, and to unite this knowledge every day by using the six Supernal limbs, sides, that is, to raise MAN to ZON de Atzilut, and ZON will raise their MAN to YESHSUT. As a result, ZON and YESHSUT will ascend and unite with Partzuf AVI. This common Partzuf has six Supernal sides-limbs, for they all clothe VAK, the six lower Sefirot of AA.
Because of this unity, YESHSUT ascends above Parsa de AA, to the place from the Peh down to the Chazeh, the place of the Supernal Waters. This is the permanent place of AVI, and the place where Light is revealed. When YESHSUT is filled with this Light, it passes it to ZON, which pass it on to the lower worlds, leading to the revelation of Ohr Hassadim in all the worlds. This is the secret of the union of “Hear, O Israel.”
The six words: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our Creator, the Lord is One” constitute the six sides of ZON, which need to be united so as to unite them with the six Supernal sides, that is, AVI and YESHSUT. And man must direct his intentions and NRN upwards, so they, too, would unite with Supernal unity, just as MAN.
To achieve unity in VAK de ZA, in its six sides, the word “one” must be prolonged, meaning to receive Ohr Hochma within it, for Ohr Hochma descends from Ein Sof (infinity) to Supernal VAK, i.e., to AVI and YESHSUT, and unites VAK de ZA with the Light of Ein Sof. This is because the Gematria (numerical value) of the Hebrew word Echad (one) is Aleph + Chet + Dalet = 1 + 8 + 4 = 13, which indicates reception of Ohr Hochma.
Hence, while pronouncing the word “one,” one should intend to draw Ohr Hochma to VAK de ZA. However, this unity lacks the intention to receive the Light of GAR in ZA, but only to enlarge its VAK through unity with the Supernal VAK, and to receive VAK de Gadlut.
205. It is therefore written, “Let the waters under the Heavens be gathered together onto one place.” This means that all the degrees under the Heavens will gather onto one place, to become perfect in the six ends. Therewith, fear must be attached to the unity of the words: “Hear, O Israel,” which is done by prolonging the pronunciation of the letter Dalet in the word Echad. This is why the letter Dalet in the word Echad is written larger than the other letters. It is written, “Let the dry land appear,” to let the letter Dalet (designating dry land) be attached to that unity.
As was already explained, the unity contained in the words “Hear, O Israel” refers to the reception of Gadlut by VAK. This is because “one place” signifies the Supernal VAK, where the Light of Ein Sof shines within Ohr Hochma, under the Heavens (Bina), with regard to the earth (ZA). The words “onto one place” imply the unification of all the six Upper and lower sides, so the lower Partzufim will receive Ohr Hochma and unite with VAK de ZA, but only as VAK de Gadlut.
As we have already clarified, there are two kinds of fear and two kinds of love: the Upper fear and love are called AVI, whereas the lower fear and love are called YESHSUT. However, perfection is attained only by attaining both degrees together. Hence, the Light is concealed in YESHSUT, so the lower kind of love (“even if He takes away the soul”) will be revealed. But even in this case, fear must cling to love and prevent the hardening of the heart; only then does one reveal perfect love, merges with AVI and YESHSUT, and receives the complete Creator’s goodness.
In the unity of “Hear, O Israel,” and after ZON ascend and unite with their properties in the six Upper sides to receive within them the “Great Love” in the word “one,” they receive the Light that was made on the first day of creation, of which it is written: “And the Creator said, ‘Let there be Light’” (Beresheet, 1:3).
And to all of this unity one must attach fear, since he needs to reveal and receive the Light that is deliberately concealed in YESHSUT, so as to unite the lower love and fear, for they still cannot be considered perfect.
Therefore, it is said that one should prolong the pronunciation of the Dalet in the word Echad (one) when reciting the prayer, “Shema Israel, Adonay Eloheinu, Adonay EchaD-D-D!” (Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our Creator, the Lord is One). In this case, the letter Dalet is written in large font. This is because big letters refer to Tvuna, and the big Dalet in the word Echad indicates that its place is in Tvuna, and that the Light is concealed there. By attracting it, not by utterance, of course, but by the spiritual action, man unites its concealment with the lower fear and love.
AND THE DRY LAND APPEARED means that there is no perfection in the Upper fear and love, expressed in the six words of the prayer “Hear, O Israel” with the help of the word “one.” These words correspond to “Let there be Light,” until the unity of fear and love is achieved below. This unity is revealed in the Light that is concealed in Tvuna, designated by the letter Dalet (D) in the word Echad.
Therefore, after the WATERS GATHERED TOGETHER ONTO ONE PLACE, signifying the descent of Ohr Hochma into the six parts of ZA, DRY LAND APPEARED. It denotes the letter Dalet in the word Echad, which should be pronounced with (spiritual) prolongation, with the aim to turn it into land through the concealment of the Light.
All of this is essential in order to unite the D, Tvuna, with AVI, resulting in the descent of the Light to VAK de ZON, so that love could be made perfect.
206. After Malchut unites with ZA Above (in VAK de ZON), they must now be united below, in the masses, i.e., in all six sides of Malchut, in the words, BARUCH SHEM KVOD MALCHUTO LEOLAM VAED (Blessed be the great name of His kingdom for ever and ever), which contain six other words of unity. And then, what was dry land will become fertile soil, yielding fruit and plant.
After the Supernal union is achieved, when the letter Dalet in the word Echad becomes whole Above, in AVI,it is essential to unite the Dalet in the word Echad below, in VAK,in the six aspects of Nukva deZA (Rachel), who stands from Chazeh de ZA and below. All 600,000 souls of Israel, called “the inhabitants of Nukva,” are included in Rachel.
After ZA unites in the Light of AVI, and the concealment of Tvuna (in the words DRY LAND APPEARED or in the letter Dalet) is revealed in him, Nukva must be filled with these two revelations. This is designated by the six words, BARUCH SHEM KVOD MALCHUTO LEOLAM VAED, corresponding to the six Sefirot HGT NHY of Nukva.
It was already explained that the Light was concealed in order to reveal both sides of love – good and evil. Yet, neither side of love, good or evil, can be revealed through concealment, but only through revelation of judgment. Before judgment was revealed, the letter Dalet in the word Echad was DRY LAND – utterly useless. This is because it emerged from the Light due to the concealment. Even fear to unite in the lower fear and love, which supplement the Upper fear and love was absent from it, for the judgment that reveals the lower fear and love was not yet revealed.
Strictness and judgment are located in the legs of Partzuf Leah, which are included in the Rosh of Partzuf Rachel. ZA has two Nukvaot (plural for Nukva): Leah (above his Chazeh) and Rachel (below his Chazeh). Leah’s legs end at the Chazeh de ZA and touch Rachel’s Rosh.
Since strictness and judgment are located at the end of the legs of Partzuf Leah, this affects only Partzuf Rachel, as each spiritual property acts only from the place of its manifestation and below. Therefore, the concealment in the lower love and fear manifests only in the place in Rachel where the force of strictness and judgment is manifested.
Prior to the revelation of judgment, the letter Dalet in the word Echad was dry land, a place that is unfit for living. Now, however, after the descent of Partzuf Rachel into VAK, below Chazeh de ZA, the dry land became fertile, suitable for settlement and cultivation of fruits. In other words, the lower love and fear were revealed in it in completion and perfection. And they complement the Upper love and fear, so that all are perfect on both sides, for that is when all the goodness is revealed in AVI.
It is therefore said, THE CREATOR CALLED THE DRY LAND EARTH- ERETZ (the word Eretz is derived from Ratzon – desire), for it is the property of the letter Dalet in the word Echad in the six Sefirot (sides) of Nukva de ZA (where the property of strictness and judgment is already revealed). The letter Dalet that was in DRY LAND and made its property inanimate and unfit to live on turns into EARTH in Nukva de ZA (as a result of a Zivug with ZA), can now be settled and cultivated; hence, the Creator called it “earth.”
207. It is written, AND THE CREATOR CALLED THE DRY LAND EARTH. This refers to the same unity below, by the words, BLESSED BE HIS GREAT NAME FOR EVER AND EVER, when the earth, called “desire,” became what it should be. For the word “earth” (Eretz) means desire (Ratzon). Hence, the expression “IT WAS GOOD” appears twice on the third day of creation: once for the Upper unity and once for the lower. For Malchut merges with both sides of ZA – with VAK de ZA and with her own VAK. Henceforth, the earth brings forth grass, for it has been corrected to yield fruit.
The Upper unity (described by the words, WATERS GATHERED TOGETHER ONTO ONE PLACE) passes the Light that was created on the first day of creation from Above downwards, from the six Upper sides of AVI to VAK de ZA. This is called by the first word, IT WAS GOOD, uttered by the Creator on the third day of creation.
And then occurs the lower unity, designated by the verse, BLESSED BE HIS GREAT NAME FOR EVER AND EVER. This means that the letter Dalet in the word Echad attains perfection only from the six sides of Nukva, as described by the verses, AND THE CREATOR CALLED THE DRY LAND EARTH and THE EARTH SHALL BRING FORTH GRASS, for in VAK de Nukva, DRY LAND turned to EARTH, yielding fruits.
With regard to this unity of VAK de Nukva, the Creator said, IT WAS GOOD, for the second time on the third day of creation. It follows that when IT WAS GOOD is said for the first time, it refers to the Upper unity. And the second time refers to the lower. Because of the lower unity, both sides of love achieve perfection, and the Light of AVI descends to VAK de Nukva, and bears fruit for the 600,000 souls of Israel that inhabit her.