The Third Commandment

204) The third commandment is to know that there is a great and ruling God in the world, and to properly unify Him each day, in the upper VAK, HGT NHY of ZA, make them one unification in the six words of “Hear O Israel,” and aim the desire with them upward. For this reason, the word “One” should be extended to the measure of six words.

The Zohar says two things: 1) We must know that there is a great and ruling God in the world. 2) Properly unify Him each day. This is so because first we must know those two sides in love—upper AVI and YESHSUT. That there is a great God, upper AVI, who is great in Hassadim, and that He is ruling in the world, YESHSUT, who is called “ruler,” which implies to the judgments that come out of them, that the light was concealed from them and the harsh judgment comes out, since the name ruling and governing indicates judgments.

The meaning is that we should know those two sides of love, and include fear in each of them, and he will receive the love of the Creator, both in mercy and success of his ways, and in judgment, since then it is regarded as complete love.

Afterwards, each day, a proper unification must be made in the upper VAK, to raise MAN to ZON, and ZON to YESHSUT. At that time, YESHSUT and ZON rise and unite as one with AVI, who are called upper VAK, as they clothe VAK of AA, where by this unification, YESHSUT rise in the place of AVI, above the Parsa of AA, where there is upper water, and the light is not hidden from them. And when YESHSUT are filled with light, they give to ZON, ZON to all the worlds, and the Hassadim appear in the worlds. This is the meaning of the reading of Shema.

The six words of “Hear O Israel” are six sides of ZON, and the six sides of ZON must be unified so they unite as one with the six upper sides, which are AVI and YESHSUT. And with them, the desire should be aimed upward, meaning aim the desire and the Nefesh Ruach Neshama (NRN) to be included in them in MAN.

To make them one unification in VAK of ZA, which are six words of “Hear O Israel,” the word “One” should be extended, meaning that Hochma should be drawn in the word “One.” It is so because the light of Hochma, which extends from Ein Sof to upper VAK, which are AVI and YESHSUT, unites the VAK of ZA in light of Ein Sof, since Ehad [“one”] is thirteen in Gematria, indicating to the drawing of light of Hochma. Hence, in the “One,” there should be intention to draw the Hochma to VAK of ZA.

However, in this unification, there is no intention to extend GAR to ZA, but only to increase the VAK of ZA through their integration in the upper VAK. Hence, the word “One” should be extended to the measure of six words. “To extend” means to draw Hochma. “As the measure of six words,” into VAK of ZA. By that, his VAK become VAK of Gadlut because the six words of “Hear O Israel” correspond to VAK of ZA, and through this unification, which increases him in VAK of Gadlut, it is then possible to extend GAR to ZA, too.

205) It is written, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered unto one place.” It means that the degrees under the heaven will gather unto one place, to be in completeness for six edges. And yet, in the unification of “Hear O Israel,” one must tie the fear to it, meaning to extend the Dalet in the Ehad [“one”]. This is why the Dalet in the Ehad is big. And this is the meaning of what is written, “And let the dry land appear,” meaning the Dalet—which is the dry land—appears and connects in that unification.

The unification of Shema is to extend VAK of Gadlut. This is the meaning of the verse, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered unto one place,” meaning let the degrees below the heaven gather unto one place, to be in completeness for VAK, since one place is the upper VAK, where the light of Ein Sof shines in the light of Hochma. It was said that the degrees below the heaven—which are the six sides of ZA under the Bina, which are called “heaven” in regard to ZA—be gathered unto one place, the six upper sides, to be in completeness for VAK, as they should, so they will receive the light of Hochma, too. Then VAK of ZA will unite, although only in completeness for VAK, only for Gadlut of VAK.

“And yet, in the unification of ‘Hear O Israel,’ one must tie the fear to it, to extend the Dalet in the Ehad,” which is the bottom fear. This is so because complete love is love on both sides, in judgment and in mercy, and success of his ways. This is why the light of the act of creation first came out and then was concealed. When it was concealed, the harsh judgment came out and the two sides were included in it, Mercy and judgment together, so they would be whole. This is love as it should be. In this love, too, fear should be awakened.

It follows that there are two discernments of love and fear: upper love and fear, upper AVI, and lower love and fear, YESHSUT. Wholeness is achieved only by both discernments together. Thus, the concealing of the light in YESHSUT is done to disclose the lower love even if He takes your soul away. Even then the fear must cling to that lower love, and one should fear one’s Master and not harden one’s heart. Then one has love and fear in completeness and clings to upper AVI and to YESHSUT, receiving all the pleasantness and good in them.

This refers to the unification of the Shema reading. Once he raised the ZON and included them in the six upper sides, to extend the great love in ZON in the word Ehad, which is the light that was created on the first day, in the verse “And God said ‘Let there be light,’” still, in the unification of “Hear O Israel,” the fear must be connected. This is so because one should also disclose and extend the concealing of the light that was made in YESHSUT, to complement it with the lower love and fear, too, as without it, it is considered incomplete.

One should extend the Dalet in the big Ehad because big letters are in Tevuna. This is why the Dalet in Ehad is big, implying to the place of concealing of the light that was done in NHY of Tevuna. This is the reason why it should be extended and to aim in the concealing in her, to cling to the lower love and fear, as well.

It is written, “And let the dry land appear,” meaning that the Dalet, “dry land,” will be seen and connect to that unification because there is no wholeness in the upper love and fear that were extended in the six words of the Shema reading through the word Ehad, which is the meaning of “Let there be light.” Rather, it is through the lower love and fear, which appear through the concealing of the light in NHY of Tevuna, which are called Dalet. This is why it is written, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered unto one place,” which is extension of light of Hochma to the six degrees of ZA, which are below the heaven. Afterwards, it is written, “And let the dry land appear.” This relates to the Dalet in the Ehad, that it should be extended and to aim that it becomes dry by concealing the light, so the Dalet, the dry land, Tevuna, will be seen and tied to that unification of light in upper AVI that were extended in VAK of ZON to complete the love in two sides.

206) Once Malchut connected above, in VAK of ZA, she must be tied below, as well, in her masses, in the six other edges that are below in Malchut. These are “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever,” in which there are six other words of unification [in Hebrew]. Then the land that was dry becomes a land for bearing fruits and offspring, and for planting trees.

Explanation: In the Shema reading, the upper unification, the Dalet in Ehad was tied above in AVI. Afterwards, the Dalet in Ehad must be tied to the other VAK, below, on the six sides of Nukva of ZA, Rachel, who stands from the Chazeh of ZA and below, in which all 600,000 souls of Israel—called “the masses of the Nukva,” “her masses”—are included.

And after ZA was included in the light of upper AVI and the concealing of Tevuna appeared in him, which is as it is written, “Let the dry land appear,” of the Dalet, those two discernments must be extended to Nukva of ZA from his Chazeh and below. These are the six words Baruch, Shem, Kevod, Malchuto, LeOlam, VaEd [Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever]. These six words correspond to the six sides HGT NHY of Nukva of ZA, for in “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever,” there are six other words of the unification.

Then, what was dry became a land to bear fruit and offspring. This is so because to disclose complete love, which is on both sides—mercy and judgment—the light of the act of creation came out and was then concealed. And when it was concealed, the harsh judgment came out and the two sides—mercy and judgment—were included, became whole. Thus, the love was not completed on both sides by concealing alone, but only through the harsh judgment that came out after the concealing.

Hence, before the harsh judgment came out, the Dalet in Ehad was dry land, useless. Being out of the light by the concealing, the fear was not complete in her, either, so she would be corrected with the lower love and fear, which complement the upper love and fear, since the harsh judgment—which is the primary exposure of the lower love and fear—has not yet been revealed. And that harsh judgment is placed in Leah’s heels, the place of Rachel’s Rosh.

This is so because ZA has two Nukvin [Aramaic: females]: 1) From the Chazeh and above, called Leah; 2) From the Chazeh and below, called Rachel. Leah’s heels end at the Chazeh of ZA, touching Rachel’s Rosh, who is standing from the Chazeh of ZA and below. The harsh judgment is at the end of Leah’s heels, which touch inside the Rosh of Rachel. Therefore, the harsh judgment operates only in Rachel, since no screen and judgment can disclose its domination but only from its place and below. It follows that the concealing is not complemented into the degree of lower love and fear, but only after it is extended to Rachel’s place, where the harsh judgment operates.

Then, what was dry becomes a land for bearing fruits, offspring, and for planting trees, since that Dalet in Ehad—who was dry and a place of desolation before the harsh judgment appeared, unfit for settling—has become a fruit-bearing land, fitting for planting trees, a place for settling now that she extended to the VAK of Rachel from the Chazeh of ZA and below. It is so because the lower love and fear appeared in her in whole, complementing the upper love and fear so love will be on both sides. Only in this way do all the pleasantness and goodness in upper AVI appear.

It is written, “And God called the dry land Earth.” This is in the same unification as below, in “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever,” which becomes earth, a complete desire as it should be. Eretz [earth/land] comes from the word Ratzon [will/desire]. This is the meaning of “And God called the dry land Earth,” meaning that He extended the Dalet in Ehad to the Nukva of ZA, to her six sides, where the act of the harsh judgment is already revealed. Then the Dalet, which was dry and desolate, became a fruit-bearing land and a place for settling in Nukva of ZA, through her coupling with Him. Thus, “God called the dry land Earth,” which is a complete desire as it should be, since the complete, proper desire—complete love—appeared in her.

207) “And God called the dry land Earth.” In that unification below, in “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever,” she became Earth, a complete desire as it should be, for Eretz [earth/land] comes from the word Ratzon [will/desire]. This is why it is written, “It was good,” twice: once for the upper unification, and once for the lower unification. Since Malchut united on both sides, in VAK of ZA and in her VAK, henceforth “Let the earth put forth grass,” for she was established to bear fruits and offspring properly.

Commentary: The upper unification, unification of six words of the Shema reading, which is in the six big, upper sides of AVI, is explained in the verse “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered unto one place.” This unification extends to VAK of ZA, the light that was created on the first day, from the six sides of upper AVI. This is the first “It is good,” said on the third day of the act of creation.

The lower unification, the unification of the six words “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever” is the completion of the Dalet in Ehad. It has no completion except in the six sides of Nukva of ZA, and it is explained in the verse “And God called the dry land Earth,” and in the verse “Let the earth put forth grass.” This is so because in VAK of Nukva, the dry land became a fruit-bearing land, and it is on this unification of VAK of Nukva that the second “It is good” was said.

It follows that the first “It is good” was for the upper unification, and the second “It is good” was for the lower unification. Since Malchut united with both sides, in VAK of ZA and in her own VAK, both being sides of love, through an upper unification and a lower unification, henceforth the land will put forth grass because it was established to bear fruits and offspring properly. This is so because the lower unification complemented the love on both sides, and the lights of upper AVI extend to VAK of Nukva, giving fruits and offspring to her masses, who are the 600,000 souls of Israel as it should be.