If You Do Well

339) “If you do well, sublimity, and if you do not do well, sin crouches at the door.” The word “sublimity” means that you will rise up and will not come down, that you will draw the lights from below upward and will not draw the lights from above downward any more, for by that he killed Abel. But “sublimity” also means removal and forgiveness, for the Creator told him, “If you do well,” the adhesion of the spirit of impurity will be removed from you and you will be forgiven.

340) “And if you do not do well, sin crouches at the door.” The door is the upper judgment, the judgment of Malchut, which is the door to everything, as it is written, “Open for me the gates of justice.” Justice is the name of Malchut. Gates of Justice are the judgments, for one cannot come to Malchut unless he turns these judgments in her to gates, as it is written, “This is the gate to the Lord, the righteous shall come through it.” That is, those judgments, by which the wicked are moved away, become gates for the righteous and they become attached through them.

The words “at the door” mean that sin is crouching on the Malchut, although she is the source of all punishments. Still, if you repent, the sin will overturn and become a door. The Creator said to him, “Sin crouches,” meaning that that side to which you clung and which was extended over you will be watching you in order to avenge you.

It is written, “If you do well, sublimity,” meaning that the adhesion of the spirit of impurity that clung to him due to his sin will be removed from him. “And if you do not do well, sin crouches at the door.” That spirit of impurity that has clung to him due to his sin will itself avenge you.