1. יִגְדַּל אֱלקִים חַי וְיִשְׁתַּבַּח, נִמְצָא וְאֵין עֵת אֶל מְצִיאוּתו.
2. אֶחָד וְאֵין יָחִיד כְּיִחוּדו, נֶעְלָם וְגַם אֵין סוף לְאַחְדוּתו.
3. אֵין לו דְמוּת הַגּוּף וְאֵינו גוּף, לא נַעֲרךְ אֵלָיו קְדֻשָּׁתו.
4. קַדְמון לְכָל דָּבָר אֲשֶׁר נִבְרָא, רִאשׁון וְאֵין רֵאשִׁית לְרֵאשִׁיתו.
5. הִנּו אֲדון עולָם לְכָל נוצָר, יורֶה גְדֻלָּתו וּמַלְכוּתו.
6. שֶׁפַע נְבוּאָתו נְתָנו, אֶל אַנְשֵׁי סְגֻלָּתו וְתִפְאַרְתּו.
7. לא קָם בְּיִשרָאֵל כְּמשֶׁה עוד, נָבִיא וּמַבִּיט אֶת תְּמוּנָתו.
8. תּורַת אֱמֶת נָתַן לְעַמּו אֵל, עַל יַד נְבִיאו נֶאֱמַן בֵּיתו.
9. לא יַחֲלִיף הָאֵל וְלא יָמִיר דָּתו, לְעולָמִים לְזוּלָתו.
10. צופֶה וְיודֵעַ סְתָרֵינוּ, מַבִּיט לְסוף דָּבָר בְְַּקַדְמָתו.
11. גּומֵל לְאִישׁ חֶסֶד כְּמִפְעָלו, נותֵן לְרָשָׁע רַע כְּרִשְׁעָתו.
12. יִשְׁלַח לְקֵץ הַיָּמִין מְשִׁיחֵנוּ, לִפְדּות מְחַכֵּי קֵץ יְשׁוּעָתו.
13. מֵתִים יְחַיֶּה אֵל בְּרב חַסְדּו, בָּרוּךְ עֲדֵי עַד שֵׁם תְּהִלָּתו:
1. May the living G-d be exalted, and praised, it is found that there is no specific time to find him [for he is eternal].
2. He is one, and there is none as unified as his unity; it is hidden, and there is also no end to his unity.
3. He has no bodily form, and no body; his holiness has not been ordered for him.
4. He is earlier than anything which he created, [He is] the first and there is none before His earliness.
5. He is surely the lord of the world, to all being, and He teaches his greatness and kingship.
6. An abundance of prophecy He gave to them, his special and splendorous people.
7. There never again arose in Israel like Moses, a prophet and seer of His image.
8. A truthful instruction, G-d gave to His people, by the hand of his prophet who was trustworthy in His house.
9. The G-d will not change, nor will he switch His belief, forever [there is none] except for Him.
10. He watches and knows our secrets, and looks at the end of something at its beginning.
11. He rewards people with kindness, according to their deeds, and gives wicked people punishment according to their evil.
12. At the end of days, He will send our Messiah, to redeem those who wait for the end [when] His salvation [takes place].
13. The dead will G-d resuscitate, in his abundant kindness, blessed be His praised name forever.
(י) מַהוּ זֶה שֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ משֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ לְהַשִּׂיג כְּשֶׁאָמַר (שמות לג יח) "הַרְאֵנִי נָא אֶת כְּבֹדֶךָ". בִּקֵּשׁ לֵידַע אֲמִתַּת הִמָּצְאוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַד שֶׁיִּהְיֶה יָדוּעַ בְּלִבּוֹ כְּמוֹ יְדִיעַת אֶחָד מִן הָאֲנָשִׁים שֶׁרָאָה פָּנָיו וְנֶחְקְקָה צוּרָתוֹ בְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁנִּמְצָא אוֹתוֹ הָאִישׁ נִפְרָד בְּדַעְתּוֹ מִשְּׁאָר הָאֲנָשִׁים. כָּךְ בִּקֵּשׁ משֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ לִהְיוֹת מְצִיאוּת הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא נִפְרֶדֶת בְּלִבּוֹ מִשְּׁאָר הַנִּמְצָאִים עַד שֶׁיֵּדַע אֲמִתַּת הִמָּצְאוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר הִיא. וֶהֱשִׁיבוֹ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁאֵין כֹּחַ בְּדַעַת הָאָדָם הַחַי שֶׁהוּא מְחֻבָּר מִגּוּף וְנֶפֶשׁ לְהַשִּׂיג אֲמִתַּת דָּבָר זֶה עַל בֻּרְיוֹ. וְהוֹדִיעוֹ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַה שֶּׁלֹּא יָדַע אָדָם לְפָנָיו וְלֹא יֵדַע לְאַחֲרָיו. עַד שֶׁהִשִּׂיג מֵאֲמִתַּת הִמָּצְאוֹ דָּבָר שֶׁנִּפְרָד הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּדַעְתּוֹ מִשְּׁאָר הַנִּמְצָאִים. כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּפָּרֵד אֶחָד מִן הָאֲנָשִׁים שֶׁרָאָה אֲחוֹרָיו וְהִשִּׂיג כָּל גּוּפוֹ וּמַלְבּוּשׁוֹ בְּדַעְתּוֹ מִשְּׁאָר גּוּפֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים. וְעַל דָּבָר זֶה רָמַז הַכָּתוּב וְאָמַר (שמות לג כג) "וְרָאִיתָ אֶת אֲחֹרָי וּפָנַי לֹא יֵרָאוּ":
(10) What was it then that Moses our Master sought to attain when he said: "Show me, I pray Thee, Thy glory" (Ex. 33,18)?
He desired to know the truth of the existence of hakadosh barukh hu with a thorough knowledge within his heart, even as he would know a certain person whose countenance he saw and whose likeness was imprinted upon his heart, so that he could find him in his mind's vision separated from other persons; even so did Moses our Master seek to establish the existence of hakadosh barukh hu separated within his heart from other beings, until he would know the truth of His existence as it is.
And He, barukh hu answered him, that it is not within the intellectual power of the living man, who is a composite being of body and soul, to reach the pure truth of this matter; but He, barukh hu imparted to him that which no man before him did nor no man after him shall know for, he fathomed the subject of the true existence of hakadosh barukh hu even so that He became separated in his mind's vision from other beings; as, for instance, he could separate in his mind a certain person, whose back and body and clothes he saw from bodies of other persons. And, concerning this matter the Passage points, saying: "And thou shalt see My back; but My face shall not be seen" (Ex. 33:23).
The Contraction of God (Tzimtzum)
Before God created the world, God's light filled all of existence. There was no vacant place, no empty space or void. Everything was filled with the light of the Infinite. Nor did that light have any beginning or end, and that is why it is called the infinite light.
When God decided to create world, He contracted Himself, and left an empty space in which to emanate and bring the worlds into being. He contracted His essence into no more than a handbreadth, and at that instant darkness spread everywhere, for God's infinite light had been withdrawn.
How did God create this world? Like a person who draws in his breath, so that the smaller might contain the larger, so did God contract His light into a handsbreadth, and the world was left in darkness. And in that darkness God carved large boulders and hewed rocks to clear wondrous paths to wisdom.
(Source: Howard Schwartz's Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism)
The Shattering of the Vessels (Shevirat Hakelim) and the Gathering of the Sparks (Kelippot)
At the beginning of time, God's presence filled the universe. Then God decided to bring this world into being. To make room for creation, God first drew in His breath, contracting Himself. From the contraction a dark mass was produced. And when God said, Let there be light (Gen. 1:3), the light that came into being entered the dark mass, and ten vessels came forth, each filled with primordial light.
In this way God sent forth those ten vessels, like a fleet of ships, each carrying its cargo of light. Had they arrived intact, the world would have been perfect. But somehow the frail vessels broke open, split asunder, and all the holy sparks were scattered, like sand, like seeds, like stars. Those sparks fell everywhere, but more fell on the Holy Land than anywhere else.
That is why we were created - to gather the sparks, no matter where they are hidden. Some even say that God created the world so that Israel could raise up the holy sparks. And that is why there have been so many exiles - to release the holy sparks from the servitude of captivity. For in this way the people of Israel will sift all the holy sparks from the four corners of the earth.
And when enough holy sparks have been gathered, the vessels will be restored, and the repair of the world, awaited so long, will finally take place. Therefore it should be the aim of everyone to raise these sparks from wherever they are imprisoned and to elevate them to holiness by the power of their soul. And when the task of gathering the sparks nears completion, God will hasten the arrival of the final redemption by Himself collecting what remains of the holy sparks that went astray.
(Source: Howard Schwartz's Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism)