The Sixth Commandment
219. The sixth Mitzva is to procreate and multiply, for he who does so turns the stream, called Yesod de ZA, into an inexhaustible fountain. And the sea, Malchut, shall be filled from all directions, and new souls shall come forth from that tree, and a multitude of forces shall appear together with those souls, to guard them. Hence, it is written: “LET THE WATERS SWARM WITH SWARMS OF LIVING CREATURES.” This is the mark of the holy Covenant. The stream grows stronger, turns into a river, and thus brings more and more new souls to life.
An awakening from below causes an awakening from Above: raising MAN, the prayers and requests of the lower ones to receive strength so they can perform spiritual, altruistic actions, stimulate a Zivug Above between the Creator and the Shechina. As a result, the stream, Yesod de ZA, fills with water and descends to Nukva de ZA, filling her on all sides, wishing to both revive all the worlds (to bestow Ohr Hassadim) and bear new souls (pass Ohr Hochma downward, for birth is possible only in Ohr Hochma).
There are two kinds of Zivugim de ZON: (i) a “Zivug of existence” on Ohr Hassadim, from which Ohr Hassadim descends to provide the lower souls with what they need for their existence. This Zivug on Ohr Hassadim also gives birth to angels. (ii) A “Zivug of birth” on Ohr Hochma, which leads to the creation of new Partzufim, new human souls.
These new souls emerge from the Tree (ZA). However, although they are called new, the genuinely new souls originate in the world of Ein Sof (Infinity), whereas these souls were already within Adam, and fell into the impure forces as a result of his sin. Now they are revived with the help of the Tree of Life (ZA); hence, they are called “new souls.” A multitude of other forces, called Heavenly hosts or armies, descends along with them. But completely new souls descend to the world only after the correction of Adam’s sin has been completed.
Yesod de ZA is called a “covenant,” because we (Malchut, souls) feel and receive from it all the Light of our life. It constitutes the source of our life, descending to us from the Tree of Life (ZA).ZA ascends to AVI (called “garden”) in order to take the waters from them and fill Malchut, his Nukva. A Zivug on VAK (Hassadim) is called WATERS SWARM, and a Zivug on GAR (Hochma) is called LIVING CREATURES.
220. A number of birds (angels) that soar above the whole world enter Malchut along with those souls. When a soul comes into this world, the bird that came from that tree along with that soul accompanies it. How many angels leave with each soul? Two: one on the right, and one on the left. If one so merits, they guard him, as it is written: “FOR HE WILL GIVE HIS ANGELS CHARGE OVER YOU.” Yet, if he does not merit, they report and accuse him. Rabbi Pinchas said: “There are three angels that guard man, if he so merits, as it is written, ‘IF THERE BE AN ANGEL OVER HIM, A DEFENDER, ONE AMONG A THOUSAND THAT WARNS MAN.’ ‘If there be an ANGEL’ – is the first; ‘A DEFENDER’ – is the second; ‘one among a thousand THAT WARNS man’ – is the third.
221. Rabbi Shimon said: “In all, there are five angels, for the verse continues: ‘there is one after the giver and two more, so in all there are five.’” He replied: “This is not so. ‘The giver’ refers solely to the Creator Himself, and not to an angel, for only the Creator is permitted to give, but no one else.”
A number of angels come forth together with the begotten souls. These angels are called “soaring” or “flying.” They help the souls to sentence to the scale of merit, or, conversely, complain to the Creator about these souls, and push them toward the scale of sin, which entails punishments. These angels soar above the world, see how the Creator rules over all, and report all this to the soul. If the soul so merits, it sentences itself and the entire world to the scale of merit; if not, it sentences itself and the entire world to the scale of sin.
Therefore, Rabbi Pinchas does not dispute Rabbi Shimon when he says that only two angels are born with a soul. Rather, he says that as long as there are only two angels in man, he cannot sentence to the scale of merit completely, and keeps moving between the scales of sin (punishment) and merit (reward). However, through one’s good deeds, the third angel is born within him, which enables man to sentence everything to the scale of merit. Hence, only with the help of the three angels can he achieve his correction.
222. And he who abstains from procreating and multiplying belittles (so to speak) the form that includes all other forms, the form of man, causes that stream, Yesod of ZA, to dry out, and harms the holy Covenant (Yesod of ZA) from all sides. It is written of such a man, “Go forth and look upon the corpses of those that have transgressed against the Creator.” Of course, those who transgress against Me. This is said about the body, as the soul never even enters the screen, i.e., the Creator’s domain. And such a man shall be banished from the world.
Malchut is called a “form,” a “property” that contains all of the other properties, for all the forms of NRN of the righteous and of the angels in the three worlds of BYA originate from her. They constitute all the hosts and armies. And those that do not procreate and multiply thereby diminish the form of Malchut and prevent her from using all of her hosts and armies. For with the help of MAN that the lower ones raise, the Light descends from Above and stimulates a Zivug between the Creator and the Shechina. This Zivug creates NRN – the souls of the righteous and the angels in the worlds of BYA.
And those that impede this Zivug cause the stream (Yesod of ZA) to dry out and stop the flow of its male waters into the holy Shechina, Malchut. In doing so, they harm the holy covenant in all of its properties, for they delay the two parts of the Zivug: VAK (on Ohr Hassadim) and GAR (on Ohr Hochma).
This is because the Mitzva of procreation and multiplication constantly develops the soul. As a result, man defeats his body forever, so it can rise again during the resurrection from the dead. And he who abstains from procreating and multiplying turns his body into a corpse, of which it is written: GO FORTH AND LOOK UPON THE CORPSES OF THE PEOPLE, for his soul will not be able to enter the Creator’s domain and merge with Him. Thus, he is rejected from the world to come.