All Male and Female Texts

Jewish Mysticism
Zohar 1-60b

The desire of the female towards the male occurs only when a spirit enters into her and casts fluid corresponding to the supernal, masculine waters. Analogously, the Community of Israel is not aroused in relation to the Holy One, blessed be He, except by means of the spirit of the righteous who enter into her.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in “Asceticism and Eroticism in Medieval Jewish Philosophical and Mystical Exegesis of the Song of Songs.” In With Reverence for the Word- Medieval Scriptural Exegesis in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, 92-118. Edited by Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Barry D. Walfish, and Joseph W. Goering- Oxford and New York- Oxford University Press, 2003.

Joseph Gikatilla, Sha‘arei ’Orah.

This is the secret of the conjunction of the tenth emanation in the ninth without any doubt, for he who causes the Community of Israel to be united with the emanation of Yesod is himself conjoined to her, and she is conjoined to Yesod, and the two of them as one are conjoined to YHWH.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in “Asceticism and Eroticism in Medieval Jewish Philosophical and Mystical Exegesis of the Song of Songs.” In With Reverence for the Word- Medieval Scriptural Exegesis in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, 92-118. Edited by Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Barry D. Walfish, and Joseph W. Goering- Oxford and New York- Oxford University Press, 2003. Translated from Sha‘arei ’Orah, 2-51 Edited by Joseph Ben-Shlomo (Jerusalem- Mosad Bialik, 3rd edition, 1996).

Zohar Hadash, 62c

In that moment, when everything was removed from the world, and the wife remained face-to-face with her husband, the Song of Songs was revealed.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in “Asceticism and Eroticism in Medieval Jewish Philosophical and Mystical Exegesis of the Song of Songs.” In With Reverence for the Word- Medieval Scriptural Exegesis in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, 92-118. Edited by Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Barry D. Walfish, and Joseph W. Goering- Oxford and New York- Oxford University Press, 2003.

Zohar Hadash, 62b

When [Shekhinah] ascends, it ascends from gradation to gradation, and from crown to crown, until everything is united above. And this is the secret of “The Song of Songs of Solomon.” The Song of Songs was decreed by the mouth of Elijah by means of the supernal authority. The “Song of Songs,” the praise of praises to the King to whom peace belongs, for this is the place that desires joy, for no anger or judgment is there. The world-to-come is entirely joyous, and it gladdens everyone, and thus it dispenses joy and happiness to all the gradations. Just as the joy must be aroused from this world above, so the happiness and joy must be aroused from the world of the moon in relation to the supernal world. Consequently, the worlds exist in one pattern, and the arousal ascends only from below to above.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in “Asceticism and Eroticism in Medieval Jewish Philosophical and Mystical Exegesis of the Song of Songs.” In With Reverence for the Word- Medieval Scriptural Exegesis in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, 92-118. Edited by Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Barry D. Walfish, and Joseph W. Goering- Oxford and New York- Oxford University Press, 2003.

Zohar 2-143b

This Song is the song that contains all of the Torah, the song in relation to which the upper and lower beings are aroused, the song that is in the pattern of the world above, which is the supernal Sabbath, the song on account of which the supernal, holy name is crowned. Therefore it is the holy of holies. Why? Because all of its words are in love and in the joy of everything.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in “Asceticism and Eroticism in Medieval Jewish Philosophical and Mystical Exegesis of the Song of Songs.” In With Reverence for the Word- Medieval Scriptural Exegesis in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, 92-118. Edited by Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Barry D. Walfish, and Joseph W. Goering- Oxford and New York- Oxford University Press, 2003.

Zohar 1-50a.

The secret of the matter- The supernal mother is found with the male only when the home is in order, and the male and female are united. Then the supernal mother showers blessings upon them. In a similar way, the lower mother is found with the male only when the home is in order, and the male comes to the female and they are joined as one. Then the lower mother showers blessings upon them. Thus the male in his home is crowned by two females in the manner of the world above. This is the secret of the verse, “To the utmost desire of the eternal hills” (Gen. 49-26). This [word] ‘ad is the desire of the eternal hills, the supernal female to adorn him, to crown him, and to bless him, and the lower female to unite with him and to receive sustenance from him. In a similar way below, when a man is married the “desire of the eternal hills” is with him, and he is crowned by two females, one above and one below, the upper to shower blessings upon him and the lower to receive sustenance from him and to unite with him.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in “Eunuchs who Keep the Sabbath- Becoming Male and the Ascetic Ideal in Thirteenth Century Jewish Mysticism,” in Becoming Male in the Middle Ages, 151-185. Edited by J. J. Cohen and B. Wheeler. New York- Garland, 1997.

Hayyim Vital, Liqqutim Hadashim.

[The highest aspect of the soul] yehidah is from ’Arikh ’Anpin, and it is called yehidah, for from ’Arikh and below there is a female, but in ’Arikh ’Anpin there is no female but only male (’ein bo neqevah ki ’im dekhura’), and the reason is that from ’Imma’ and below there are judgments, and thus there is there a female for the female is the aspect of judgments. … Concerning him Scripture says, ‘Behold the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear him’ (Ps. 33-18). The explanation is that there are two eyes below, right and left, but he is mercy within mercy, and thus he is called ‘eye,’ for there is but one eye. Hence, it is called yehidah, for no female is there but only male (ki ’ein sham neqevah ki ’im zakhar), [and thus it] is called singular (yahid).

Translated by Elliot Wolfson, “Beyond Good and Evil- Hypernomianism, Transmorality, and Kabbalistic Ethics.” In, Crossing Boundaries- Ethics, Antinomianism and the History of Mysticism, pp. 103-56. Edited by J. J. Kripal and W. Barnard. New York and London- Seven Bridges Press, 2002, from Hayyim Vital, Liqqutim Hadashim, edited by Daniel Touitou (Jerusalem, 1985), 63.

Hayyim Vital, Liqqutim Hadashim.

Know that with respect to this light above Keter, even though there is some judgment, it is nonetheless so ameliorated that it is not considered as judgment at all. When it enters Keter, which is already a vessel, it is considered as judgment. All is one configuration (parsuf) insofar as the vessel is pure and refined. Therefore, there is in it no feminine as there is below in the case of ’Abba’ and ’Imma’, Ze‘eir and Nuqba’. Rather all is contained in one configuration (ha-kol kalul be-farsuf ’ehad) concerning which it says “the eye of God” (Ps. 33-18). There are not two eyes, that is, hesed and din, for all is one.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson, “Beyond Good and Evil- Hypernomianism, Transmorality, and Kabbalistic Ethics.” In, Crossing Boundaries- Ethics, Antinomianism and the History of Mysticism, pp. 103-56. Edited by J. J. Kripal and W. Barnard. New York and London- Seven Bridges Press, 2002, from Hayyim Vital, Liqqutim Hadashim, edited by Daniel Touitou (Jerusalem, 1985), pp. 22-23.

Joseph Gikatilla, Sha‘arei ’Orah

We have already explained that from Keter and below there is no simple attribute (middah peshutah) that is not mixed with its counterpart, for the emanation of Hokhmah, which derives from Keter, necessitates all opposites, all of the mixtures, and all of the way of emanation and the bond of the chariots. For Hokhmah is adjacent to Keter and Binah, and since it is placed between these two emanations it has a front and back, the front turned toward Keter and the back toward Binah. And since it has a front and back, it is the cause of all opposites, differences, and mixtures in the world, and from here is generated every front and back, white and black, right and left, above and below. This is one of the deep secrets in the bonds of the chariot and the emanations of the essences. The one who comprehends this secret will understand all of the chariots and all of the levels of emanation, for they are in the form of that which receives and that which overflows, and this is the secret of the androgyne.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson, “Beyond Good and Evil- Hypernomianism, Transmorality, and Kabbalistic Ethics.” In, Crossing Boundaries- Ethics, Antinomianism and the History of Mysticism, pp. 103-56. Edited by J. J. Kripal and W. Barnard. New York and London- Seven Bridges Press, 2002, from oseph Gikatilla, Sha‘arei ’Orah, 1-237 Edited by Joseph Ben-Shlomo (Jerusalem- Mosad Bialik, 3rd edition, 1996).

Sefer ha-Shem, Heikhal ha-Shem, 30a.

[The term] ‘atarah is [related to words] “encompassing” (heqqef) and “surrounding” (sibbuv), as it says, “O Lord, You encompass him (ta‘terennu) with favor like a shield” (Ps. 5-13). The ‘atarah encircles the head as well, and thus she encircles everything that emanates from her, and she also rises to the “head of Your true word” (ibid. 119-160) through the power of the crown (keter) and of the mercy (hesed) that is within her. The corona of circumcision (‘ateret ha-milah) in the arc of the penis alludes to this ‘atarah, and in the arc is the form of a waw and in the corona the form of a yod, the “glorious crown” (‘ateret tif’eret).

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in, “Coronation of the Sabbath Bride- Kabbalistic Myth and the Ritual of Androgynisation,” Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy 6 (1997)- 301-344.

Hayyim Vital, ’Arba‘ Me’ot Sheqel Kesef (Cracow, 1886), 27c-d

The point of the feminine in the end of the ten [points] is itself related to Yesod, the aspect of the seventh point in relation to him, the crown on the head of the righteous, which is Yesod… for this point was in the aspect of Keter that is within her. Therefore, it is called ‘atarah, for [the words] keter and ‘atarah have the same meaning, for ‘atarah has the connotation of surrounding (sibbuv), as [in the verse] “[Saul and his men] were trying to encircle (‘otrim) David and his men” (1 Sam. 23-26), and keter is from the expression ‘[For the villain] hedges in (makhtir) the just man” (Hab. 1-4), and from the expression “crown” (koteret), for Keter encompasses the four brains in the secret of the skull, and similarly the ‘Atarah encompasses the head of Yesod in the secret of of “the crowns are on the heads of the righteous.” It follows that the crown of the phallus (‘ateret yesod) is itself the point of Malkhut in the aspect of the crown (keter) that is within her.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in, “Coronation of the Sabbath Bride- Kabbalistic Myth and the Ritual of Androgynisation,” Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy 6 (1997)- 301-344.

Moses Cordevero, Pardes Rimmonim, 16, 34a

The [attribute of] Malkhut is called ‘atarah. She is not called this except when she ascends to Keter, and there she is a crown on the head of her husband, the glorious crown (‘ateret tif’eret). Thus she is a crown on the head of every righteous person, and she is the crown on the Torah scroll.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in, “Coronation of the Sabbath Bride- Kabbalistic Myth and the Ritual of Androgynisation,” Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy 6 (1997)- 301-344.

Moses Cordevero, Pardes Rimmonim, 27-10, 61d-62a

There are those who explain that the zayyin is Yesod, and it is the secret of the covenant (sod ha-berit) and the secret of Sabbath (sod ha-shabbat), and just as Sabbath is the crown of the six weekdays, so in the zayyin there is a crown on the waw, and this crown is the corona of the phallus (‘atarah sheba-verit). … When [Malkhut] ascends to the head of every righteous man, she is the crown on the head of every righteous man. The intention is that the garment of the righteous in the world-to-come is from the side of Malkhut. … Indeed, this is from the side of Malkhut when she is below, exerting dominion in this world, but when she ascends above, from the side of Binah… she is a crown on the head of the righteous one who is the foundation of the world (saddiq yesod ‘olam). This is [the import of the rabbinic dictum] “In the world-to-come there is no eating etc., but the righteous are sitting and their crowns are on their heads,” for the world-to-come is Binah. … Since the crown is on the head of the righteous man, the yod is on top of the waw, and this is the zayyin. … Moreover, there is a crown on the top of the Torah scroll … and this refers to her ascent by way of the gradations to Hokhmah, which is above, and this is the “crown of her husband” (Prov. 12-4), Then she is a yod on top of the waw, and this is the zayyin. … Sometimes this yod sits on the head of the three patriarchs and three crownlets (ziyyunin) are made on the shin, and similarly with respect to Nesah, Hod, and Yesod.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in, “Coronation of the Sabbath Bride- Kabbalistic Myth and the Ritual of Androgynisation,” Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy 6 (1997)- 301-344.

Moses Cordevero, Pardes Rimmonim, 27-10, 61d-62a

There are those who explain that the zayyin is Yesod, and it is the secret of the covenant (sod ha-berit) and the secret of Sabbath (sod ha-shabbat), and just as Sabbath is the crown of the six weekdays, so in the zayyin there is a crown on the waw, and this crown is the corona of the phallus (‘atarah sheba-verit). … When [Malkhut] ascends to the head of every righteous man, she is the crown on the head of every righteous man. The intention is that the garment of the righteous in the world-to-come is from the side of Malkhut. … Indeed, this is from the side of Malkhut when she is below, exerting dominion in this world, but when she ascends above, from the side of Binah… she is a crown on the head of the righteous one who is the foundation of the world (saddiq yesod ‘olam). This is [the import of the rabbinic dictum] “In the world-to-come there is no eating etc., but the righteous are sitting and their crowns are on their heads,” for the world-to-come is Binah. … Since the crown is on the head of the righteous man, the yod is on top of the waw, and this is the zayyin. … Moreover, there is a crown on the top of the Torah scroll … and this refers to her ascent by way of the gradations to Hokhmah, which is above, and this is the “crown of her husband” (Prov. 12-4), Then she is a yod on top of the waw, and this is the zayyin. … Sometimes this yod sits on the head of the three patriarchs and three crownlets (ziyyunin) are made on the shin, and similarly with respect to Nesah, Hod, and Yesod.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in, “Coronation of the Sabbath Bride- Kabbalistic Myth and the Ritual of Androgynisation,” Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy 6 (1997)- 301-344.

Moses Cordevero, Zohar ‘im Perush ’Or Yaqar (Jerusalem, 1986), 14-109

Further on it is explained that [the crown] is called the angel of the Lord (mal’akh yhwh), and it is known that this refers to Malkhut. But this is problematic insofar as Malkhut is the garment (ha-levush) itself. The matter is, however, as it is explained in the Tiqqunim that Malkhut is beneath Yesod, and it is certainly lower than the Saddiq, “His footstool” (Ps. 99-5). Therefore, from her the garment for the righteous is made, for they are on the level of Yesod, and Malkhut is the garment for Yesod since she is below him and he is hidden within her, as is known. But she has another aspect- She ascends to become a crown on the head of the righteous one, for on this aspect she is above yesod, the fourth in relation to the three patriarchs. Just as she is then called the crown on the head of the righteous one, on the spiritual plane this aspect becomes a crown for the righteous. And this is [the import of the dictum] “the righteous are sitting with their crowns upon their heads.” This aspect [endows the attributes of] of rising (qimah) and standing (‘amidah) to Malkhut. Therefore it says “as the angel of the Lord stood by” (Zech. 3-5) in relation to the ‘Atarah.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in, “Coronation of the Sabbath Bride- Kabbalistic Myth and the Ritual of Androgynisation,” Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy 6 (1997)- 301-344.

Jacob Semah, Semah Saddiq.

When the sign of the covenant (’ot berit), the foundation and governance of the worlds, is garbed in the shells (qelippot), this instructs about governance firm in his judgment … but when he is garbed in the holy gradations, that is, the secret of the feminine (sod ha-neqevah), then is the rectification of the world (tiqqun ‘olam), and his opening overflows (petihato lehashpi‘a)… There are two shells that garb, the foreskin (‘orlah) and pulling back the membrane (peri‘ah) … and the two of them are Samael and Lilith, that is, the other gods (’elohim ’aherim), and the face of Shekhinah is the sign of the covenant, the yod of governance. With regard to this it says “You should have no other gods before me” (Exod. 20-3), that is, the shells that cover the covenant.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in “Circumcision, Secrecy, and the Veiling of the Veil- Phallomorphic Exposure and Kabbalistic Essotericism.” In The Covenant of Circumcision- New Perspectives on an Ancient Rite, pp. 58-70. Edited by Elizabeth W. Mark. Hanover and London- Brandeis University Press, 2003, from Jacob Semah, Semah Saddiq (Korets, 1785), 37b.

MS New York, Columbia University x893/m6862, fol. 392b

When the light reached Yesod, it received the light for two activities, one portion for its own sake and another portion for the sake of Malkhut, and the portion that it received for its own sake, so that it would be great, it could not bear and it was abolished, and the portion that it received for the sake of Malkhut remained in him and it was not abolished, and this is the secret of “the son of Jesse is living on earth” (1 Sam. 20-31), and Yesod is called “living.” When the vessel of Yesod was broken the light was revealed and it came forcibly to Malkhut and she, too, was broken but not entirely like the first ones, and thus she was made into a configuration (parsuf) after the rectification. Had the light come to Malkhut by way of the channel, she would not have been broken. … This is the secret of “thus it arose in thought,” the secret of “he created worlds and destroyed them,” the secret of the “world of chaos,” the “world of points,” and the secret of the kings who reigned and died.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in “Divine Suffering and the Hermeneutics of Reading- Philosophical Reflections on Lurianic Mythology,” in Suffering Religion, 101-162, Edited by R. Gibbs and E. R. Wolfson. New York and London- Routledge, 2002.

Hayim Vital, Sha‘ar ha-Haqdamot, 1-2, 29c

The aspect of male and female does not signify the complete unity as when there is one male alone. Thus we find in the Zohar, in the ’Idra’ of Naso’ and of Ha’azinu, that the aspect of the male and female is only from ’Abba’ and ’Imma’ and below, but above in ‘Atiq Yomin and ’Arikh ’Anpin there is no aspect of male and female. … Therefore, within it there is no aspect of male and female as two complete and distinct configurations (parsufin gemurim nifradim). Indeed, the masculine and feminine within it are contained in one configuration alone, for the aspect of the masculine, which is the Tetragrammaton in the numerical value of forty-five, stands on the right side of ’Arikh, and the Tetragrammaton with the numerical value of fifty-two that is within it is the aspect of the feminine that stands on the left. … The entire right side of ’Arikh is called masculine and the entire left side is called feminine. However, since everything is one configuration alone, it thus says in the book of the Zohar that regarding Keter it is said “See, then, that I, I am he; there is no god beside me” (Deut. 32-39), for he is one without a second with him, and he has no feminine.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in “Divine Suffering and the Hermeneutics of Reading- Philosophical Reflections on Lurianic Mythology,” in Suffering Religion, 101-162, Edited by R. Gibbs and E. R. Wolfson. New York and London- Routledge, 2002.

Hayim Vital,‘Es Hayyim, 35-1, 50c-d.

With this you can understand that Malkhut is called by various names and they are all true, for Malkhut has several roots (shorashim) in accord with the change in time (hishtannut ha-zeman). Thus do not wonder that Malkhut is the corona of the phallus (‘ateret ha-yesod) that is in man or how she is the female of a man (ha-nuqba’ shel ha-’adam). The matter is a great secret for with respect to every holiness the first root is not removed from there. Therefore the place of Malkhut was first in the root that is the corona of the phallus, and afterwards when she grew she was removed from there and she expanded bit by bit until she became a complete configuration (parsuf gamur), and she was face-to-face with Zei‘ir ’Anpin.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in “Divine Suffering and the Hermeneutics of Reading- Philosophical Reflections on Lurianic Mythology,” in Suffering Religion, 101-162, Edited by R. Gibbs and E. R. Wolfson. New York and London- Routledge, 2002.

Hayim Vital, ‘Es Hayyim 8-3, 37b

The arms of his hands were spread out” (Gen. 49-24), this refers to the secret of ten drops that were cast out from between the nails, as is mentioned in tiqqun 69, as is known … for they are themselves the aspect of the kings, or the nullification of the kings (bittul ha-melakhim) was on account of the fact that Adam was not yet arrayed as one, male and female. This is the secret of the seminal drops of Joseph that were discharged without a female, but from the male alone. And these are the ten martyrs of the royalty (‘asarei harugei melukhah). Contemplate the word melukhah, for they were verily the seven kings (melakhim) whose vessels and bodies were broken. The reason was also because they were without the arrayment (tiqqun) of male and female, until Hadar, the eighth king, came, and then they were arrayed.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in “Divine Suffering and the Hermeneutics of Reading- Philosophical Reflections on Lurianic Mythology,” in Suffering Religion, 101-162, Edited by R. Gibbs and E. R. Wolfson. New York and London- Routledge, 2002.

Zohar 2-4a

“The house of the king” (beit ha-melekh) (1 Kings 9-1), this refers to the holy of holies, which is the inwardness of everything. “The king,” this refers to the king in general (setam melekh). Even though this is the supernal king, it is female in relation to the supernal point, the concealed of everything, but even though it is female, it is male in relation to the king below.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in “Fore/giveness on the Way- Nesting in the Womb of Response,” Graven Images- Studies in Culture, Law, and the Sacred 4 (1998)- 153-169.

Zohar 3-260a

“Come and see- When the north wind stirs at midnight … those who belong to the supernal palace rise to be involved with the praise of Torah, and they join the Community of Israel until the day shines; when morning comes she and all those who belong to the palace come before the Holy King, and they are called sons of the King and Matrona … At night they were occupied with the Matrona, now they come with the Matrona to unite her with the King.”

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in “Forms of Visionary Ascent and Ecstatic Experience,” in Gershom Scholem’s Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism 50 Years After 209-235. Edited by J. Dan and P. Schafer, Tubingen- J. C. B. Mohr, 1993.

Zohar 2-92b

“Remember” (zakhor) refers to the secret of the masculine, the secret of the masculine that takes all the limbs of the supernal world; “the Sabbath day” (’et yom ha-shabbat) to include the eve of Sabbath, which is the [attribute of the] night, and this is [the import of] “and keep it holy” (lekaddesho), for it is in need of holiness from the holy nation, and it is crowned through them, as is appropriate. “Remember” (zakhor), the place in which there is no forgetfulness and no forgetfulness exists in it, for there is no forgetfulness in the place of the supernal covenant, and all the more so above. There is forgetfulness below, the place that must be remembered, and concerning this it is written, “May [God] be ever mindful of his father’s iniquity” (Ps. 109-14). There are angels appointed there who recall the merits and sins of people, and there is no forgetfulness before the holy throne, [with respect to] what is before [the throne]. And who is before? [The attribute called] zakhor, and all the more so above, for everything is the mystery of the masculine. The secret of the holy name, YHW, is inscribed there, and [that which is] below needs to be sanctified, and it is sanctified through zakhor, for from that it takes all holiness and all blessings. And this occurs when the eve of Sabbath is crowned upon the holy nation, as is appropriate, through prayers, supplications, and hymns of joy.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in “Re/membering the Covenant- Memory, Forgetfulness, and History in the Zohar,” in Jewish History and Jewish Memory- Essays in Honor of Joseph Hayim Jerushalmi, 214-246. Edited by E. Carlbach, D. S. Myers, and J. Efron. Hanover and London- Brandeis University Press, 1998.

Moses Hayyim Luzzatto, ’Adir ba-Marom, pp. 4-5.

“And the light of the moon shall become like the light of the sun,” for the overflow of which she is in need emanates upon her and it does not stop. … For, in truth, the Nuqba’ is made only to receive from the male and to overflow to the lower beings. Hence, the perfection of her existence is the reception from the male and the emanation. … Even though it appears that this matter is outside her, for her light is from the male, it is not so, but it is the perfection of the Nuqba’, for a part of her is the masculine influx that emanates upon her and joins her to overflow in her, and through this aspect she is rich and she has a great light. … This is the secret of the unleavened bread (massah) and the commandment (miswah), for the unleavened bread is the “bread of affliction” (Deut. 16-3, and this is the aspect of her being alone and not the aspect of perfection from the side of Ze‘eir ’Anpin. The commandment is perfection in the secret of “And the light of the moon shall become like the light of the sun.” Therefore it says, When she is conjoined to the male, she is called miswah with the additional waw. It does not say that the male and female together are called miswah, massah waw, but the Nuqba’ is called miswah when she is joined to the male, for the perfection of the female is her unification with the male.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in “Tiqqun ha-Shekhinah- Redemption and the Overcoming of Gender Dimorphism in the Messianic Kabbalah of Moses Hayyim Luzzatto,” History of Religions 36 (1997) 289-332.

Moses Hayyim Luzzatto, Qin’at ha-Shem Seva’ot, p. 115.

The secret of the matter is that Malkhut in her aspect below is in the secret of the seventh. When she unites with Yesod in the secret of the copulation he himself becomes the seventh since she is a crown on his head. Therefore [he is] the seventh because he is the the sixth that is crowned by the seventh. From his own side he is a waw, but on account of Malkhut who is joined to him he is called the seventh. He is the secret of a waw and the yod is upon him, which is the seventh. Then, on account of his name, the Shekhinah is called sedeq because he is the saddiq.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in “Tiqqun ha-Shekhinah- Redemption and the Overcoming of Gender Dimorphism in the Messianic Kabbalah of Moses Hayyim Luzzatto,” History of Religions 36 (1997) 289-332.

Zohar 3-77b

When the Matrona [Shekhinah] departs from the King [Tif’eret] and they are not found in union, the Supernal Mother [Binah] departs from the King and she does not feed him, for the King without a Matrona is not crowned in the crowns of the Mother… When he is joined to the Matrona she crowns him in several crowns, in several splendors of the supernal and holy crowns, as it is written, “O maidens of Zion, go forth and gaze upon King Solomon [wearing the crown that his mother gave him on his wedding day]” (Cant. 3-11). When he unites with the Matrona, then the Supernal Mother crowns him, as is fitting.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in Through a Speculum that Shines- Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, Princeton- Princeton University Press, 1994.

Zohar 3-61b-62a

Come and see- It is written, “A river issues from Eden to water the garden” (Gen. 2-10). That river [Binah] overflows its sides when [Hokhmah] unites with it in perfect union. Then that Eden [Hokhmah] is in that path which is not known above or below, as it says, “No bird of prey knows the path” (Job 28-7). They are found in [a state of] harmony for the one never separates from the other. Then the springs and streams come forth and crown the Holy Son [Tif’eret] with all these crowns; then it is written “wearing the crown that his mother gave him” (Cant. 3-11). At that moment the Son inherits the portion of his Father and Mother, and he delights in that pleasure and comfort. It has been taught- When the Supernal King is in [a state of] royal comfort and he sits with his crowns, then it is written “When the king was on his couch, my nard gave forth its fragrance” (Cant. 1-12), i.e., Yesod which emits blessings to unite the Holy King and the Matrona. Consequently, blessings are bestowed upon all the worlds and the upper and lower beings are blessed. Now the holy spark is crowned by the crowns of that gradation, and he and the comrades send up the praises from below to above, and she is crowned in those praises. Now blessings must be drawn out from above to below for all the comrades by means of that holy gradation.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in Through a Speculum that Shines- Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, Princeton- Princeton University Press, 1994.

Zohar Hadash, 29a

Come and see- When a person draws close to the Torah, which is called good, as it is written, “the teaching of your mouth (torat pikha) is good to me” (Ps. 119-72), he draws close to the Holy One, blessed be He, who is called good, as it is written, “The Lord is good to all” (ibid. 145-9), and he then comes close to being righteous, as it says, “Happy is the just man for he is good” (Isa. 3-9). When he is righteous the Shekhinah rests upon him and teaches him the highest secrets of Torah, for the Shekhinah is joined only to one who is good, for the Righteous [masculine Saddiq] and Righteousness [feminine Seddeq] go together as one.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in Through a Speculum that Shines- Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, Princeton- Princeton University Press, 1994.

Naphtali Bachrach, ‘Emeq ha-Melekh (Amsterdam, 1648), 144c.

R. Simeon bar Yohai was the righteous one, foundation of the world, and by means of his studying this [esoteric[ wisdom with which he was occupied… he united [the masculine] Ze‘eir ’Anpin with his female [counterpart, i.e., Shekhinah]… This is the secret of all those who write mystical books- they repair the world of action by the secret writing of these esoteric truths. The esoteric truth unites Ze‘eir ’Anpin with his female counterpart in the most inward way.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in Through a Speculum that Shines- Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, Princeton- Princeton University Press, 1994.