(א) וְהִנֵּה, מִדַּת הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא שֶׁלֹּא כְּמִדַּת בָּשָׂר וָדָם; שֶׁהָאָדָם, כְּשֶׁמְּדַבֵּר דִּבּוּר, הֲרֵי הֶבֶל הַדִּבּוּר שֶׁבְּפִיו הוּא מוּרְגָּשׁ וְנִרְאֶה דָּבָר בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ מוּבְדָּל מִשָּׁרְשׁוֹ, שֶׁהֵן עֶשֶׂר בְּחִינוֹת הַנֶּפֶשׁ עַצְמָהּ.
(ב) אֲבָל הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא אֵין דִּבּוּרוֹ מוּבְדָּל מִמֶּנּוּ יִתְבָּרֵךְ חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, כִּי אֵין דָּבָר חוּץ מִמֶּנּוּ, וְלֵית אֲתַר פָּנוּי מִינֵּיהּ, וְלָכֵן, אֵין דִּבּוּרוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ כְּדִבּוּרֵינוּ חַס וְשָׁלוֹם [כְּמוֹ שֶׁאֵין מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ כְּמַחֲשַׁבְתֵּינוּ, כְּדִכְתִיב: ״כִּי לֹא מַחְשְׁבוֹתַי מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵיכֶם״, וּכְתִיב: ״כֵּן גָּבְהוּ דְרָכַי מִדַּרְכֵיכֶם וְגוֹ׳״].
(ג) וְלֹא נִקְרָא דִּבּוּרוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ בְּשֵׁם ״דִּבּוּר״, רַק עַל דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל; כְּמוֹ שֶׁדִּבּוּר הַתַּחְתּוֹן שֶׁבָּאָדָם הוּא מְגַלֶּה לַשּׁוֹמְעִים מַה שֶּׁהָיָה צָפוּן וְנֶעְלָם בְּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ, כָּךְ לְמַעְלָה – בְּאֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא, יְצִיאַת הָאוֹר וְהַחַיּוּת מִמֶּנּוּ יִתְבָּרֵךְ – מֵהַהֶעְלֵם אֶל הַגִּילּוּי לִבְרוֹא עוֹלָמוֹת וּלְהַחֲיוֹתָם, נִקְרֵאת בְּשֵׁם ״דִּבּוּר״.
(ד) וְהֵן הֵן עֲשָׂרָה מַאֲמָרוֹת שֶׁבָּהֶן נִבְרָא הָעוֹלָם, וְכֵן שְׁאָר כָּל הַתּוֹרָה נְבִיאִים וּכְתוּבִים שֶׁהִשִּׂיגוּ הַנְּבִיאִים בְּמַרְאֵה נְבוּאָתָם.
(ה) וַהֲרֵי דִּבּוּרוֹ וּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ כִּבְיָכוֹל מְיוּחָדוֹת עִמּוֹ בְּתַכְלִית הַיִּחוּד; דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל, כְּמוֹ דִּבּוּרוֹ וּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם בְּעוֹדָן בְּכֹחַ חָכְמָתוֹ וְשִׂכְלוֹ, אוֹ בִּתְשׁוּקָה וְחֶמְדָּה שֶׁבְּלִבּוֹ קוֹדֶם שֶׁעָלְתָה מֵהַלֵּב לַמּוֹחַ לְהַרְהֵר בָּהּ בִּבְחִינַת אוֹתִיּוֹת, שֶׁאָז, הָיוּ אוֹתִיּוֹת הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה וְהַדִּבּוּר הַזֶּה, הַנִּמְשָׁכוֹת מֵחֶמְדָּה וּתְשׁוּקָה זוֹ – בְּכֹחַ בַּלֵּב וּמְיוּחָדוֹת שָׁם בְּתַכְלִית הַיִּחוּד בְּשָׁרְשָׁן, שֶׁהֵן הַחָכְמָה וְשֵׂכֶל שֶׁבַּמּוֹחַ וְחֶמְדָּה וּתְשׁוּקָה שֶׁבַּלֵּב.
(1) However, “The nature of the Divine order is not like that of a creature of flesh and blood.”1 Berachot 40a. When a man utters a word, the breath emitted in speaking is something that can be sensed and perceived as a thing apart, separated from its source, namely, the ten faculties of the soul itself.
(2) But with the Holy One, blessed is He, His speech is not, Heaven forfend, separated from Him, blessed be He, for there is nothing outside of Him, and there is no place devoid of Him.2 Tikkunei Zohar 57. Therefore, His speech, blessed be He, is not like our speech, G–d forbid [just as His thought is not like our thought, as is written, “For My thoughts are not like your thoughts,”3 Isaiah 55:8. and “So My ways are higher than your ways…”4 Ibid., v. 9.].
(3) His speech, blessed be He, is called “speech” only by way of an anthropomorphic illustration, in the sense that, as in the case of man below, whose speech reveals to his audience what was hidden and concealed in his thoughts, so, too, is it on high with the En Sof, blessed is He, Whose emitted light and life-force—as it emerges from Him, from concealment into revelation, to create worlds and to sustain them—is called “speech.”
(4) These [emanations] are indeed the ten fiats by which the world was created;5 Avot 5:1. likewise also the remainder of the Torah, Prophets, and Writings, which the Prophets conceived in their prophetic vision.
(5) Yet His so-called speech and thought are united with Him in absolute union as, for example, a person’s speech and thought while they are still in potentia in his wisdom and intellect, or in a desire and craving that are still in the heart prior to rising from the heart to the brain, where by cogitation they are formulated into the so-called “letters,”6 See previous chapter. for at that time the “letters” of thought and speech which evolve from that longing or desire were still in potentia in the heart, where they were absolutely fused with their root, namely, the wisdom and intellect in the brain, and the longing and desire in the heart.