Now, just as in the human soul the principal manifestation of the general vitality is in the brain, while all the organs receive merely a light and potency which shines to them from the source of the manifestation of the said vitality in the brain, so indeed, figuratively speaking, is the essential manifestation of the general stream of vitality, animating the worlds and the creatures therein, clothed and contained in His blessed will, wisdom, understanding and knowledge, which are called the "intelligence," and these are those which are clothed in the Torah and its commandments.

The manifestation of this general flow of life is the source of the vitality which the worlds receive, each one in particular. Only a glow is diffused and shines forth from this source in a similar manner as the light radiates from the sun, by way of example, or as the powers of the organs of the body derive from the brain, as discussed above.

It is this source which is called the "world of manifestation" or "matron," or "nether matriarch," or "Shechinah," from the scriptural phrase: "That I may dwell among them." For this source is the beginning of the revelation of the light of En Sof, which extends to and illumines the worlds in a "revealed" manner. From this source there extends to each individual thing the particular light and vitality suitable for it, and it [the light] dwells and is clothed in them, thereby animating them. Therefore it is figuratively called "mother of the children," and "community of Israel," for from this source have emanated the souls of Atzilut and have been created the souls of Beriah, and so forth, all of them being derived only from the extension of the vitality and light from this source which is called "Shechinah" resembling the radiation of light from the sun.

But as for the Shechinah itself, namely, the origin and core of the manifestation whereby the blessed En Sof illumines the worlds in a "revealed" form and which is the source of all streams of vitality in all the worlds (their entire vitality being no more than the light which is diffused from it like the light radiated from the sun), the worlds cannot endure or receive the light of this Shechinah, that it might actually dwell and clothe itself in them— without a "garment" to screen and conceal its light from them, so that they may not become entirely nullified and lose their identity within their source, like the nullification of the light of the sun in its source, namely, in the sun itself, where this light cannot be seen, but only the integral mass of the sun itself.

But what is this "garment" which is able to conceal and clothe [the Shechinah] yet will not [itself] be completely nullified within its light? This is His blessed will and wisdom, and so forth, which are clothed in the Torah and its commandments that are revealed to us and to our children, for "The Torah issues from wisdom," which is chochmah ilaah ("Supernal Wisdom") that is immeasurably higher than the world of manifestation, for "He is wise, but not with a knowable wisdom," and so forth. And as has previously been explained, the light of the blessed En Sof is clothed in and united with the Supernal Wisdom, and He, may He be blessed, and His wisdom are One, only that it has descended by means of obscuring gradations, from grade to grade, with the descent of the worlds, until it has clothed itself in material things, namely, the 613 commandments of the Torah.

As [this Wisdom] came down by descents from world to world, the Shechinah, too, came down and clothed itself in it in each world. This is the shrine of the "Holy of Holies," which is contained in each world. So also has it been stated in the Zohar and Etz Chayim, that the Shechinah — which is Malchut d'Atzilut (being the manifestation of the light and vitality of the blessed En Sof, which illumines the worlds, wherefore it is called the "word of G‑d" and the "breath of His mouth," as it were, as in the case of human beings, by way of example, speech reveals to the hearers the speakers secret and hidden thought)— clothes itself in the shrine of the Holy of Holies of Beriah, namely, the ChaBaD (Chochmah, Binah, Da'at) of Beriah. Through the latters' clothing themselves in the Malchut d'Beriah, there have been created the souls and the angels which exist in the world of Beriah.

From there also descends the [wisdom of the] Talmud that we possess. It has already been previously explained in the name of Tikunim, that in the world of Beriah there shine and flow forth the Chochmah, Binah and Da at (ChaBaD) of the blessed En Sof, in a powerfully contracted manner, in order that the souls and the angels, which are limited and finite beings, shall be able to receive the influence from these categories of ChaBaD. Therefore thence also originates the Talmud, which is also a category of ChaBaD, for the Talmud consists of the reasons and interpretations of the halachot in clearly defined terms. These reasons and interpretations are a category of ChaBaD, while the halachot themselves derive from the middot of the blessed En Sof, namely, kindness, justice, mercy,... from which originate permission and prohibition, license and restriction, liability and blamelessness, as is explained in the Tikunitri.

By virtue of the clothing of Malchut d'Atzilut in Malchut d'Beriah it clothes itself in the shrine of the Holy of Holies of Yetzirah, this being the ChaBaD of Yetzirah. When the latter are clothed in the Malchut d'Yetzirah, there are formed the Ruchot and the angels which belong in [the world of] Yetzirah. Thence, too, comes the Mishnah that we possess, which comprises the legal decisions that are likewise derived from ChaBaD of the blessed En Sof. Only that the categories of ChaBaD, that is, the reasons and interpretations of the halachot, are clothed and hidden within the laws themselves and are not in a revealed form, while the elements of the halachot [themselves], which are in a revealed form, are the very reflection of the attributes of the blessed En Sof in their revealed form. Thus, it has been explained above in the name of the Tikunim, namely, that six Sefirot nest in Yetzirah. They comprise, in general, two extensions— right and left— acting either with forbearance from the aspect of kindness, that is to say, to permit a thing to ascend to G‑d, or acting forbiddingly. ... And all this is according to the Chochmah Ilaah d'Atzilut ("Higher Wisdom of Emanation"); in which Binah and Da'at are contained, and they are united with the blessed En Sof, for in all of them are clothed ChaBaD of Atzilut with which the light of the blessed En Sof is united in a perfect union.

In a like manner the Shechinah descended and clothed itself in the shrine of the Holy of Holies of Asiyah.

Each of those three worlds is subdivided into myriads of gradations, which are also called particular worlds, and Malchut d'Atzilut which is clothed in the Malchut

Note: Thereby will be understood the text of the verse: "Thy kingdom (Malchutecha) is the kingdom of all worlds."

of each particular world— descends and clothes itself in the shrine of the Holy of Holies, namely, the ChaBaD, which is in the world below it in rank.

It is from the Shechinah which is clothed in the shrine of the Holy of Holies of each and every general or particular world that light and vitality are extended and diffused to the whole world and the creatures contained therein, the souls, angels, and so forth, for all of them were created by the ten fiats in the act of Creation, these being the "word" of G‑d which is termed "Shechinah."