Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Academy

233) It is written, “And the Lord smelled the sweet fragrance.” It is also written, “A burnt offering made by fire, of a sweet fragrance.” The word Isheh [translated as “made by fire”] means that smoke and fire are joined as one, since there is no smoke without a fire, as it is written, “And Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire.”

234) That fire emerges from within. It is thin and grips to another thing, outside, which is not so thin. They cling to each other and then the smoke rises, since the fire has gripped to something that is affected by it. The sin is a nose in which the smoke comes out of the fire.

Judgments are called “fire.” The root of the judgments is the exit of Bina outside Rosh of AA, where there is light of Hochma. She became devoid of Hochma and remained with light of Hassadim without Hochma.

There are three discernments to this diminution, three fires:

1. Pure fire, in GAR of Bina, upper AVI, since the diminution of light of Hochma in Rosh of AA does not concern them whatsoever because it is not their conduct to receive Hochma, but only Hassadim. Even when they are in Rosh AA, they do not receive Hochma. Therefore, they are always regarded as GAR, and they are always in light of Hassadim. The diminution of Hochma is regarded in them as pure fire because they remained as GAR even after they were diminished from Hochma.

2. Mere fire, in ZAT of Bina, YESHSUT, since they are the roots of ZON and need illumination of Hochma in order to bestow upon ZON. For this reason, as long as there is no Hochma in them, they are regarded as VAK without a Rosh. For this reason, they are not regarded as pure fire, as they are devoid of a Rosh, but are regarded as merely fire, without purity, until they obtain illumination of Hochma. However, the mere fire in them is regarded as thin fire because they are not sensitive to illumination of Hochma since they do not need the illumination of Hochma for themselves, but for ZON. For themselves, they receive only Hassadim, as they, too, are considered Bina. It follows that the fire cannot grip them whatsoever, which is why the fire in them is regarded as thin, without a grip.

3. Fire and smoke are in ZON because ZA is sensitive to the fire, for he is diminution of Hochma because ZA needs the illumination of Hochma, as the whole self of ZA is Hassadim in illumination of Hochma, by which he became phase three. It is considered that this fire of diminution of Hochma—due to the exit of Bina from the Rosh—grips him because he is coarse and is sensitive to it; hence, that fire of Bina grips ZA and elicits smoke in him.

This is why it was said, “Fire comes out from within,” from YESHSUT, and it is thin because it cannot grip to YESHSUT, as they are completely insensitive to the illumination of Hochma, so it grips to another thing outside, ZA, which is not so thin because it is sensitive to illumination of Hochma. They grip one another and then the smoke rises, meaning the judgments in Malchut of ZA, which appear out of the grip of the fire in ZA.

The sign is the nose in which the smoke comes out from within the fire. A nose is ZA since Ozen, Hotem, Peh [ear, nose, mouth respectively] are Bina, ZA, and Nukva. When the fire reaches the Hotem, which is sensitive, the smoke comes out in it out of the fire. Then double judgments form in it—fire from Bina and smoke from Malchut, the two holes of the nose. From the right hole, sweetening is extended to the fire of Bina, and from the left hole, sweetening is extended to the smoke of Malchut.

235) This is why it is written, “They shall put incense in your nose.” Through the incense, the judgments are sweetened, and the fire and smoke come out of the nose because it returns the fire from the nose to its place, YESHSUT, from which it came out. Then the nose is gathered in that scent of the incense and comes to the very insides until everyone unites with one another, each one returns to his place, and everyone approaches the thought, AA. Then all become one desire, and it is the sweet fragrance, when the anger has subsided and contentment has formed.

Two actions take place here through the awakening of the lower ones to the offering of the incense:

1. All the degrees unite with one another, where each returns to its place and raises its letters ELEH that fell to the lower ones until all unite with one another. The letters ELEH of Bina rise to Bina along with the ZON that were attached to them. The letters ELEH of AA rise once more, along with the Bina that is attached to them, to Rosh AA, where the Hochma illuminates without Hassadim. Then everyone approaches the thought, by which the fire of judgments is revoked from the Hotem [nose] and from YESHSUT, since Bina returned to Rosh AA as before, and with her all the other degrees. For this reason, the anger has subsided.

2. Everyone becomes one desire. Because Hochma cannot illuminate without Hassadim, subsequently the coupling is done on the screen of ZA, which is the Hotem. Then the level of Hassadim emerges and Hochma clothes in Hassadim, and all become one desire because by that, all three lines become attached to one another and contentment forms because now everything illuminates in wholeness, as the Hassadim have been completed in illumination of Hochma, and the Hochma in clothing of Hassadim.

236) The smoke is gathered, enters, and is creased in the fire. The fire grips the smoke, and both enter the very insides until the anger has subsided.

The first act took place by Bina’s return to Rosh AA. Once they all unite with one another and the anger has subsided, a new coupling is made, a second act. At that time, contentment formed and one connection of the three lines, called “contentment.” It is contentment from Hassadim and the joy of all from Hochma, as one, since the Hassadim have been complemented with illumination of Hochma, and the Hochma with clothing of Hassadim. They are the illumination of the candles from the left, and the anterior light from the right. This is why it is written, “And the Lord smelled the sweet fragrance,” as one who smells and collects everything to its place.

238) It is written, “Will kiss me with the kisses of His mouth.” This is the upper passion, since the desire came out through the mouth and did not come out through the nose when the fire came out. When the mouth connects to someone in order to kiss, the fire comes out in the desire, in the illumination of the face, in the joy of all, in adhesion of contentment. The light that comes out through the mouth is pure air and light of Hassadim. It is the light from upper AVI, pure fire, and it is all the GAR in the worlds. And because it is light of Hassadim from AVI, there is no grip to the shells in it, as it is pure fire.

239) This is why it is written, “For your love is better than wine,” from the wine that delights. The face shines, the eyes laugh, and he makes affection and friendship. And not from the intoxicating wine, which makes vexation and anger, darkens the face, and the eyes blaze with the wine of vexation.

The illumination of the left—illumination of Hochma from the point of Shuruk—is called “wine.” Its entire correction is through the middle line, which unites the right and the left with each other and sustains the illumination of both in a way that the left shines from below upward, and the right from above downward, too. Through that correction, the illumination of Hochma is regarded as “wine that delights.”

However, if we draw illumination of Hochma from above downward, the right and left part from each other, and the Hochma is drawn without Hassadim. At that time, she cannot shine, and all the judgments are extended from her. This is why they are called “intoxicating wine.” It all comes to them because they draw illumination of Hochma from above downward more than is required.

240) Therefore, because this wine is good, the face shines, the eyes are glad, and the passion of love is active, it is sacrificed each day on the altar to an extent that it delights one who drinks it, and contentment acts in him. It is written about it, “And pouring a quarter of a hin [approx. 0.4 gal],” since he took caution to draw it from below upward, called “a quarter of a hin.” This is why it is written, “For your love is better than wine,” that wine which evokes love and passion.

241) It is all as it is below; this is how the love awakens above. There are two candles: when the light of the candle quenches above, in the smoke that rises from the candle of below, the candle of above lights up. Bina and Malchut are two candles, upper and lower. And when Bina returns to Rosh AA, where she has Hochma without Hassadim, she is put out completely because she cannot receive even the light of Hochma that is there, since the Hochma is not received without clothing of Hassadim.

However, the coupling that was done on the screen of ZON elicited the level of light of Hassadim, a decision between right and left was made, and Hochma clothed in Hassadim. At that time, Bina lights up and shines. That screen is of the Nukva of ZA, and it follows that Bina, the upper candle, which quenched due to her return to Rosh AA, is reignited through the lower candle, the Nukva of ZA.

The upper world, Bina, is dependent on the lower one, Nukva, and Bina that was quenched is reignited by the Nukva. Also, the bottom world, Nukva, is dependent on the upper world, Bina, since any measure of illumination that the Nukva causes to illuminate in Bina, the Nukva is rewarded with it, too. And since the Temple was ruined, there are no blessings above, in Bina, or below, in Nukva. This shows that they are dependent on each other.

The Temple is the Nukva. Since she is ruined and is not raising her screen to Bina, to unite the right and the left in her, Bina, too, is devoid of light, since she is not ignited by her. And the Nukva is certainly without light because she has no one from whom to receive. It follows that there is no light in Bina or in Malchut.

242) Blessings are absent and curses are present. It is so because the nursing of everyone emerges from the lighting of the upper candle in the smoke of the bottom candle, since Israel are not in the land and are not doing the work required in order to light the candles, light the upper one in the lower one, and to draw the blessings in the worlds. This is why there are no blessings above or below, and the world does not exist as it should.

243) “I shall curse the ground no more for man.” Can it be that there is remorse in the Creator? As long as the fire of above—of Bina—continues to intensify, the smoke, the judgment of below, of the Nukva, intensifies the anger and consumes everything. It is so because when the fire comes out from Bina, it does not stop until it completes the judgment of Nukva, the smoke. And when the judgment of below, the smoke, does not continue to intensify by the judgment of above, by the fire, it makes the judgment and stops it, not completing the judgment through destruction. This is why it is written, “no more,” meaning I will no more give additional fire to intensify the judgment of below, the smoke.

Through the sin of the tree of knowledge, the worlds fell, and good and evil were mixed with one another, and the good was indistinguishable from the evil. For this reason, the first correction is to disclose the evil and separate it from the good. This is the curse that the Creator cursed the ground due to the sin of the tree of knowledge. That curse was laying on the ground disclosing the evil bit by bit, until it brought the flood upon the earth. Then the disclosure of the evil concluded. This is why following the flood, when the evil was sufficiently disclosed, Noah brought a sacrifice, for by that he separated the evil from the good.

The judgments of Malchut, the ground, are called “smoke.” These judgments appear through expansion of the fire from Bina to ZON. This also explains the curse that the Creator cursed the ground for man. In order to correct the sin of the tree of knowledge, the Creator added an extension of the fire of Bina and disclosed the smoke in the ground—Malchut—bit by bit until the judgment was completed at the coming of the flood. At that time, the bad that was mixed with the good was revealed to the point that it was possible to separate it from the good.

After the flood He said, “No more,” meaning “I will not add additional fire to intensify the judgment of below,” the smoke, since now that the revelation of evil has been completed, there is no longer a need to add fire to disclose the judgment, since the evil has been sufficiently revealed. But can it be that the Creator would do that in order to avenge the wicked? This is why the text concludes, “For the inclination of a man’s heart is evil from his youth.” There is no reason to be angry with him, and all of the Creator’s punishments are only corrections. And since the correction that required the flood has been concluded, He said, “No more.”

244) It is written, “The ground is cursed because of you.” This is because when the ground was cursed for the sin of Adam HaRishon, permission was given to that evil serpent to rule over it. He is the saboteur of the world.

By that, the evil gradually appeared until it induced the flood and consumed all the creatures of the world in the flood, for by then the evil had been revealed sufficiently, and it was possible to separate it. Since that day when Noah sacrificed the sacrifice and the Creator smelled it, by which he separated the bad from the good, the earth was given permission to emerge from the rule of the serpent and from the impurity, since the evil has been separated from it.

This is why Israel sacrifice to the Creator, to illuminate the face of the earth, Malchut. That is, Noah has not finished that correction, which is why Israel still need to sacrifice sacrifices. That correction was dependent until Israel stood by Mount Sinai. Then the evil was completely separated from the ground, for the filth had stopped, and they were freed from the angel of death.

245) The Creator diminished the moon, Nukva, even before Adam sinned and the serpent ruled. But because of Adam’s sin, she, too, was cursed in order to curse the world, who receive from her. On the day when Noah sacrificed the sacrifice, the earth, Nukva, emerged only from that curse, but the moon was still in diminution. The exception is the days of Solomon when there was a sacrifice in the world and Israel dwelt in their land. At that time, the diminution of the moon was corrected.

The earth was not given permission to come out from the governance of the serpent through Noah’s sacrifice. Only the curse was revoked, but the serpent’s rule remained. This is why Israel needed the sacrifices in the Temple.

246) The Creator is destined to remove the spirit of impurity from the world, as it is written, “I will remove the spirit of impurity from the earth,” and as it is written, “Death will be swallowed up forever.”

247) The Creator is destined to light up the moon and bring it out from the darkness that it obtained through that evil serpent, as it is written, “And the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of the seven days.” What is “the light of the seven days”? It is the light that the Creator concealed in the work of creation.