Daily Zohar # 4957 – Beresheet – Upper and lower water

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Hebrew translation:

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Zohar Beresheet
Continued from previous DZ
#364
We have learned: One who circumcises (מל) but does not perform פריעה (peri’ah, uncovering) is as if he did not circumcise (לא מל), because מילה (milah, circumcision) and פריעה (peri’ah are two levels. Milah is זכור (Zachor, Remember), and פריעה (peri’ah) is שמור (Shamor, Observe). Milah is Tzaddik, and peri’ah is Tzedek. Milah is male (זכר, Z” A), and peri’ah is female (Nukva, Malchut). Milah is the sign of the Brit (Covenant), which is Joseph, meaning Yessod, and peri’ah is the Brit, which is Rachel, meaning the Nukva of Zeir Anpin (Z” A). And it is necessary to join them, the Yessod with the Nukva. And how are they joined? When he circumcises (מל) and performs peri’ah on the circumcision, then his actions ascend as מים נוקבין (Mayin Nukvin, מ” ן, M” N, feminine waters, spiritual arousal), causing a zivug (union) of Z” A with the Nukva. But one who circumcises and does not perform peri’ah is as if he caused a separation between Z” A and the Nukva.

Notes:
This Zohar passage emphasizes the two stages of Brit Milah—milah (cutting the foreskin, Zachor, Yessod, Tzaddik, Z” A) and peri’ah (uncovering, Shamor, Tzedek, Nukva, Malchut)—as essential for unifying Z” A and Malchut in a zivug to draw Mochin (spiritual consciousness). Neglecting peri’ah disrupts this zivug, preventing M” N (arousal from below) from ascending and causing separation. The passage connects to Genesis 1:5 (יום אחד, yom echad) and the role of Yessod (Brit) in unifying day (Z” A) and night (Malchut).

#365
And Elokim said, ‘יְהִי רָקִיעַ’—’ Let there be a firmament’ (Genesis 1:6), ‘וִיהִי מַבְדִּיל בֵּין מַיִם לָמָיִם’—’ and let it separate between waters and waters’ (Genesis 1:6). Rabbi Yehuda said: There are seven firmaments (רקיעים, raki’im) above, which are the secret of the פרסא (parsa, curtain) at the place of the mouth of Arich Anpin (A” A), which brings Binah out from its head. And all of them stand in the supernal holiness of the head of A” A, and the name Elokim, the holy, is perfected in them, meaning it returns the letters אלה Alef-Lamed-Hei to מי Mem-Yud, completing the name Elokim. And this firmament (רקיע, rakia), mentioned here in the verse, stands in the middle of the waters, meaning at the place of the chest (חזה, chazeh) of A” A, which separates between חג” ת (Chagat, Chesed-Gevurah-Tiferet) of A” A above the chest and נה” י (Nehi- Netzach-Hod-Yesod) of A” A below the chest.
Explanation of the matter: Rakia means פרסא, parsa, which is the secret of the termination of Tzimtzum Bet (second contraction), bringing Binah and Z” A and Nukva of each level outside that level. And in the state of Gadlut (expanded consciousness), it returns to the termination of Tzimtzum Aleph (first contraction), bringing Binah and Z” A and Nukva back to the level. There are two encompassing firmaments in Atzilut: a) The upper firmament at the mouth of A” A, which brings Abba and Imma (Chokhmah and Binah) from the head to the place of חג” ת, Chagat up to the chest; b) The middle firmament at the chest of A” A, which brings Yisrael Saba and Tevunah from the aspect of the head to the place from the chest to the navel (טבור, Tabur) of A” A. Besides these, there is also the lower firmament that terminates the world of Atzilut, which is not discussed here. And since the upper firmament at the mouth of A” A is above the seven lower (ז” ת, Zat) of A” A—Chagat and Nehi—it includes them. Therefore, it is considered seven firmaments, meaning the aspects of Chagat and Nehi.
And this is what he said: Seven firmaments are above, meaning the upper firmament at the mouth of A” A, which brings Abba and Imma out from its head, includes seven firmaments, as mentioned above. For although this firmament brings Abba and Imma outside the head, it does not diminish them to the aspect of ו” ק, (V” K, six lower sefirot) without a head, but they are considered as still in the supernal holiness of the head of A” A. This is for the reason explained above: because this firmament returns the letters Alef-Lamed-Hei of Binah to the head of A” A, completing the holy name Elokim. And this firmament in the verse ‘Let there be a firmament’ is not the upper firmament, but the middle firmament, standing in the middle of the seven lower (ז” ת, Zat) of A” A, meaning at the place of its chest, which brings Yisrael Saba and Tevunah from the head of A” A to the place from the chest to the navel of A” A.

Notes:
This Zohar passage interprets Genesis 1:6, explaining the rakia (firmament) as the parsa (curtain) resulting from Tzimtzum Bet, which separates Binah and Z” A/Nukva from the head of Arich Anpin (A” A, Keter). The upper parsa at the mouth brings Abba and Imma (Chokhmah-Binah) to Chagat, while the middle parsa at the chest brings Yisrael Saba and Tevunah to Nehi, maintaining their holiness via Tzimtzum Aleph’s restoration. The name Elokim is perfected by realigning Binah’s letters (אלה AL” H to מי M” Y), enabling Mochin flow.

#366
This rakia (רקיע, firmament), meaning the upper firmament at the mouth of the head of Arich Anpin (A” A), stands upon other living creatures (חיות, chayot), and it separates between the upper waters (מים עליונים, mayim elyonim) and the lower waters (מים תחתונים, mayim tachtonim). This means: There are two types of living creatures (חיות, chayot): a) חג”ת (Chagat, Chessed-Gevurah-Tiferet), called the great living creatures (חיות גדולות, chayot gedolot); b) נה”ית (Nehi- Netzach-Hod-Yesod), called the small living creatures (חיות קטנות, chayot ketanot). And this upper firmament, at the mouth of A” A, stands upon the great living creatures (chayot gedolot), for it is positioned at the mouth of A” A, which is above חג” ת, Chagat. But the middle firmament, which the verse speaks of, stands upon the small living creatures (chayot ketanot), called נה” י, Nehi, for it is positioned at the place of the chest (חזה, chazeh), which is below Chagat and above Nehi. And the lower waters call to the upper waters to raise them up to them, and from this firmament they drink, meaning it elevates them to the upper waters, and they receive from there the Mochin of the illumination of Chokhmah, called drinking (שתיה, shtiah). Also, this firmament is what separates between them, meaning the firmament has two functions: separation (הבדלה, habdala) and connection (חיבור, chibur). In Katnut (constricted state), it separates between the upper waters and the lower waters, and in Gadlut (expanded state), it returns and connects the lower waters with the upper waters.

Notes:
This Zohar passage elaborates on Genesis 1:6 (יהי רקיע, yehi rakia), identifying the rakia (firmament) as the parsa (curtain) with dual roles: separating and connecting the upper waters (mayim elyonim, Binah) and lower waters (mayim tachtonim, Malchut). The upper parsa at A” A’s mouth stands on Chagat (great chayot), while the middle parsa at the chest, discussed here, stands on Nehi (small chayot), facilitating Mochin flow to Malchut in Gadlut by raising the lower waters to Binah’s Chokhmah (drinking, shtiah). This ties to the unification of Z” A and Malchut (יום אחד, yom echad).

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