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Breath, Sound, and Speech
111. Breath, Sound, and Speech
I heard on Sivan 29, July 2, 1943, Jerusalem
There is a discernment of “breath,” “sound,” and “speech,” there is a discernment of “ice,” and there is the discernment of “terrible.” Breath means Ohr Hozer [reflected light], which comes out of the Masach [screen]. This is a limiting force. As long as it is not accumulated to the measure of “let them not return to folly,” it is called “breath.”
When its measure is completed, this limitation, the Masach with the reflected light, is called “sound.” Sound is like a warning that tells him not to breach the laws of the Torah. And if he should breach, as soon as he breaches he will stop tasting. Hence, when he knows for certain that if he breaches he will come to a cessation, he retains the limitation.
And then he comes to a state of “speech,” which is Malchut. At that time, there can be the Zivug [coupling] of the Creator and His Shechina [Divinity], and illumination of Hochma [wisdom] will extend below.
It is known that there are two degrees: 1) bestowal without any reception, 2) reception in order to bestow.
Then, when he sees that he has already come to a degree where he can receive in order to bestow, why does he need the servitude, which is only in the form of bestowing in order to bestow? After all, the Creator has more contentment from reception in order to bestow, since the light of wisdom, which enters the vessels of reception, is the light of the purpose of creation. Hence, why should he engage in the work of bestowal in order to bestow, which is the light of the correction of creation?
At that time, he immediately stops tasting and is left bare and destitute. This is because the light of Hassadim [mercy] is the light that robes the light of Hochma. And if the robe is missing, even though he has light of Hochma, he still has nothing with which to clothe the Hochma.
At that time, he comes to the state called “the terrible ice.” Yesod de Abba, which gives Hochma, called “narrow of Hassadim and long of Hochma,” is ice. It is like water that has been crystallized: Although there is water, it does not expand below.
Yesod de Ima is called “terrible,” considered short and wide. It is called “short” because there is blocking on the Hochma, because of the absence of Hochma there due to the second Tzimtzum [restriction]. And this is “terrible.” Hence, it is precisely by both: Hochma extends through Yesod de Abba, and Hassadim extends through Yesod de Ima.