The Fifth Commandment

215) The fifth commandment. It is written, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures.” There are three commandments in this verse: 1) engage in Torah, 2) engage in multiplication, 3) circumcise after eight days and remove the foreskin from there.

One must engage in Torah, exert in it, and add to it each day, to correct one’s soul [Nefesh] and spirit [Ruach], since the four previous commandments, which extend from the first four days of the act of creation, came to correct the degrees in the world of Atzilut itself.

These are the four degrees HB and ZON in the world of Atzilut. The first commandment, which extends from the word Beresheet [in the beginning] is fear, upper Bina, fear because He is great and rules over everything, meaning only GAR of Bina that was corrected into upper AVI that clothe AA from his Peh to Chazeh, and which are called “Yod of HaVaYaH.”

The second commandment, which extends from the verse “Let there be light,” is for correction of ZAT of Bina, YESHSUT, with great and complete love. In relation to the constant, they clothe AA from his Chazeh to Tabur, below the Parsa, inside the intestine of AA. However, in the verse “Let there be light,” which is said about them, they rose and became one Partzuf with AVI above the Chazeh of AA, and from there to the Rosh of AA, Bina returned to being Hochma there, great love, the first Hey of HaVaYaH, and all the Mochin are given from them to ZON.

However, ZON cannot receive Mochin from upper AVI themselves, GAR of Bina, since they themselves were established in pure air, light of Hassadim, as it is written, “For He desires mercy.” This is why they are called “fear,” for great love, Mochin of illumination of Hochma, are not given from them to ZON, but only from ZAT of Bina, YESHSUT.

However, the great love in YESHSUT is revealed only from the Chazeh of YESHSUT and above, who then stand above the Parsa in the intestine of AA. But from the Chazeh of YESHSUT and below, which stand below Parsa of AVI, there was concealing of the light of Hochma, and this is “Let there be light” for the next world, YESHSUT, above the Parsa. However, the light was concealed in the other YESHSUT, below the Parsa, and the Tevuna in them became dry.

The third commandment extends from the two verses on the third day—from the verse “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered unto one place, and let the dry land appear,” and from the verse “Let the earth put forth grass,” for the correction of Mochin of VAK for ZON. The upper unification extends to ZA from the verse “Let the waters ... be gathered,” and the lower unification extends to the VAK of Nukva from the verse “Let the earth put forth grass.”

The fourth commandment extends from the verse “Let there be lights,” for the correction of GAR in ZA and in Nukva.

Thus, by the fifth day, all the corrections needed for AVI, YESHSUT, and ZON of Atzilut have been corrected until the ZON received the GAR in them and became fit for a coupling face-to-face at an equal level. Thus, henceforth come the rest of the commandments, which are corrections that should extend from the coupling of ZON face-to-face.

The fifth commandment is “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures.” There are three commandments in this verse, for now they should draw the wholeness from coupling of ZON face-to-face: 1) Draw a holy Neshama [soul] from there, so that the person himself will be rewarded with a pure and holy coupling. This is done by engagement in the Torah. 2) Beget holy souls. 3) Correct the token of the covenant through cutting and exposing.

To engage in Torah means to utter verbally even if one does not know, as it is written, “They are life unto those who find them,” meaning to one who utters them in the mouth. By that, one acquires a holy Neshama.

To exert in it each day means to try to do all that one can to attain it and to understand it. By that, one acquires a holy spirit.

To add to it means that once he has been rewarded with correcting his Nefesh and Ruach, he should not settle for it, but should always add to it, for holiness is increased, not decreased. By this, one is rewarded with a holy soul. Therefore, one must engage in the Torah, labor in it, and add to it each day, to correct one’s soul [Nefesh] and spirit [Ruach], for by daily adding to the Torah, adding correction to one’s Nefesh and Ruach, one is rewarded with a holy Neshama. It is so because when one engages in Torah, he is established with another Neshama, a holy one, since one who engages in Torah extensively, in addition to the Nefesh-Ruach with which he is rewarded, he is awarded being established with a holy Neshama, as well.

216) When a person engages in the Torah, he is corrected with another Neshama, a holy one, as it is written, “Swarm with swarms of living creatures,” which means Nefesh from that holy animal, Malchut. This is so because when one does not engage in Torah, he does not have a holy Nefesh, which means that the Kedusha [holiness] above is not on him. And when he engages in Torah, in that whisper that he caused in her, he is rewarded with a living soul, to be as holy angels.

An animal is the Nukva of ZA at the time of Gadlut face-to-face with ZA, since then ZA is called “the tree of life,” and the Nukva is called “animal.” Through one’s raising of MAN by engagement in Torah for Her sake and from the coupling for ZON face-to-face, he draws a holy Nefesh from their coupling, a Nefesh from the holy animal—Nukva of ZA. A person obtains that only by raising MAN in the engagement in Torah because when he does not engage in Torah, he does not have a holy Nefesh, for he has no part in the coupling of the Creator and His Shechina [Divinity], since he did not raise MAN to unite them.

This is the meaning of the words “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures,” since the Torah is called “water,” and by swarming with MAN through the Torah he is rewarded with a holy Nefesh from the upper animal. Know that one is not rewarded with adhering to the Creator before he obtains NRN from the upper holy animal, for Nefesh ties to Ruach, Ruach to Neshama, and the Neshama to the Creator.

217) It is written, “Bless the Lord, you His angels.” These are the ones who engage in Torah, who are called “His angels in the earth,” as it is written, “And let fowl fly above the earth,” in this world. In that world, the Creator is destined to make for them wings such as those of eagles, to roam throughout the world, as it is written, “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles.”

It is written, “Bless the Lord, you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform His word, obeying the voice of His word.” It is written, “who perform His word,” and then “obeying the voice of His word.” Usually, one cannot perform any task before one hears what the giver of the task says. But the angels do their mission before they hear and understand what the Creator has commanded them, since the will of the Creator governs them and there are no partitions in them, preventing them from following the Creator’s will. Hence, they follow the Creator like a shadow follows a person. This is why their doing precedes their hearing.

Those who engage in Torah and extend a holy Nefesh, even though their matter is from earth, it is inverted into being as that of the angels above, and their doing precedes their hearing. In other words, they perform the Creator’s commandment in full before they attain what they are doing since they, too, follow the Creator like a shadow follows a person. It is just as when the wind sends dust into a person’s eyes—he quickly closes his eyelids before his thought senses it. By that you find that his doing, which is the shutting of his eyes, always precedes the perception of the approaching dust in thought.

Therefore, those who engage in the Torah are called “His angels in the earth.” Even though they are on earth, their body becomes as that of the angels above, and their doing precedes their hearing. They do not feel with their brain in order to do the Creator’s commandment to the fullest, but perform the commandment in full before they can sense in their thought what they are doing. It is like the shutting of the eyelids, which precedes the perception in the thought. This is why they are regarded as angels in the earth.

The Creator is destined to make wings for them, as eagles, to roam throughout the world. This is so because as long as one has not been rewarded with a holy Nefesh, the Sitra Achra governs him, as it is written, “And the lives of your enemies He will sling out as from the hollow of a sling.” They walk and roam the world but find no place to rest and become attached to. They are defiled in the impure side, since he did not enter the Kedusha and was not included in it.

Commentary: It is impossible to cling to the Creator and keep His commandments properly before one believes in the names of the Creator, that He is good and does good to all, that He is merciful and gracious. Those who have not been rewarded with a Nefesh of Kedusha are still governed by the Sitra Achra. Hence, they go and roam the world and cannot find a place to rest.

When their thoughts roam the world and they see the Creator’s guidance in people, they believe it is not as good as it should be, judging by His holy names. Thus, they blemish the holy names and find no place to rest where they can believe in the names of the Creator, to connect to Him. For this reason, they are defiled in the side of impurity, meaning they come to deny the Creator. All that is because he did not enter the Kedusha and was not included in her, since he was not rewarded with a Nefesh of Kedusha and does not take actions to be included in Kedusha.

However, those who engage in Torah and extend a holy Nefesh, their body turns to be as angels, and they are rewarded with preceding hearing to doing, as they do. This is why it is written about them, “And let fowl fly above the earth,” meaning that the Creator will make wings for them, like eagles, and they will roam throughout the world, as they roam in their thoughts throughout the world and see the Creator’s guidance.

And yet, not only are they not failing on the side of impurity, they even receive strength to raise MAN and always increase their power. And “Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles,” for thus they mount up wings like eagles to roam in all the people’s incidents. Also, they always regain strength and raise MAN through the power of their faith in the Creator’s uniqueness, and always extend the spirit of Kedusha from above.

218) It was written, “And let fowl fly above the earth,” since the Torah, which is called “water,” will swarm and produce swarms of living souls from the place of that animal, Malchut. They will draw it below. David said about it, “Make for me a pure heart, O God,” to engage in Torah. And then, “And renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

The text explains “Let fowl fly above the earth.” It says that water is Torah. “Swarm” means that they should produce a living Nefesh [soul], from the place of the animal, Malchut. They will draw this Nefesh below, from the upper Nukva, who is called Haya, into this world. David said about it, “Make for me a pure heart, O God,” asking that He would give him a pure heart to engage in Torah and to raise MAN. Then, “Renew a steadfast spirit within me,” and then he can extend the right spirit and can cleave unto Him.