Eloheynu Echad: THE BEGINNING

"In the beginning" {Gen. I:I}—when the will of the King began to take effect, he engraved signs into the heavenly sphere {that surrounded him}. Within the most hidden recess a dark flame issued from the mystery of eyn sof, the Infinite, like a fog forming in the unformed—enclosed in the ring of that sphere, neither white nor black, neither red nor green, of no colour whatever. Only after this flame began to assume size and dimension, did it produce radiant colours. From the innermost center of the flame sprang forth a well out of which colours issued and spread upon everything beneath, hidden in the mysterious hiddenness of eyn sof.

The well broke through and yet did not break through the ether {of the sphere}. It could not be recognized at all until a hidden, supernal point shone forth under the impact of the final breaking through.*

Beyond this point nothing can be known. Therefore it is called reshit, beginning—the first word {out of the ten} by means of which the universe has been created.
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* This primordial point is identified by the Zohar with the wisdom of God {hokhmah}, the ideal thought of Creation.

[full original text with some English translation from Sefaria follows... ☟ ]

Volume 1:15a

1

(נ''א בראשית בחכמתא דמלכא גליף וכו) הוּרְמְנוּתָא דְמַלְכָּא, גָּלִיף גְּלוּפֵי (נ''א גליפו) בִּטְהִירוּ עִלָּאָה בּוּצִינָא דְּקַרְדִינוּתָא, וְנָפִיק גּוֹ סָתִים דִּסְתִימוּ מֵרִישָׁא (נ''א מרזא) דְּאֵי''ן סוֹ''ף קוּטְרָא (פירוש עשן) בְּגוּלְמָא, נָעִיץ בְּעִזְקָא לָא חִוָּור וְלָא אוּכָם וְלָא סוּמָק וְלָא יָרוֹק ולָא גּוָֹון כְּלָל, כַּד (נ''א הדר) מָדִיד מְשִׁיחָא עָבִיד גּוָֹונִין לְאַנְהָרָא, לְגוֹ בְּגוֹ בּוֹצִינָא נָפִיק (נ''א ונפיק) חַד נְבִיעוּ דְּמִנֵּיהּ אִצְטַבְּעוּ גּוָֹונִין לְתַתָּא. סָתִים גּוֹ סְתִימִין דְרָזָא דְּאֵי''ן סוֹ''ף בָּקַע וְלָא בָּקַע אֲוִירָא דִּילֵיהּ לָא אִתְיְידַע כְּלָל, עַד דְּמִגּוֹ דְּחִיקוּ דִּבְקִיעוּתֵיהּ נָהִיר (כ' א) נְקוּדָה חָדָא סְתִימָא עִלָּאָה, בָּתַר הַהִיא נְקוּדָה לָא אִתְיְידַע כְּלָל, וּבְגִין כָּךְ אִקְרֵי רֵאשִׁית מַאֲמַר קַדְמָאָה דְּכֹלָּא:

With the beginning of the manifestation of the King's will, that is, when the King desired to emanate and create the world, a hard spark made an engraving upon the supernal light. This hard spark, which emanated from the most concealed of all concealed things from the secret of the Endlessness Light took a shapeless form. The spark was then inserted into the center of a circle that was neither white nor black nor red nor green, nor any color at all. When it began its measurements, it created colors that shone into the empty space and the engraving. From within the spark - This hard spark - a fountain spouted, from which the shades down below received their colors. From the most concealed of all concealed things, from the secret of the Endlessness Light, emanated two faces: One cleaved and the other did not cleave. Its atmosphere was unknown until forceful blows split Atik, and a concealed supernal point shone. Beyond this point, nothing is knowable and, because of this, it is called by the name Beginning, which means the first of the sayings.

2

השלמה מההשמטות (סימן א)

Complete Omissions (Paragraph 1)

בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים ''אֶת ''הַשָׁמַיִם ''וְאֶת ''הָאָרֶץ רָאשֵׁי תֵיבִין אהו''ה דְבֵּיהּ אִתְבְּרִיאוּ שְׁמַיָא וְאַרְעָ'א א''ה בֵּיה אִתְבְּרִיאוּ שְׁמַיָא וָ''ה בֵּיה אִתְבְּרִיאַת (אתבריאו) אַרְעָא וְכָל מָה דְּאִית בָּהּ וְהוּא יָהִיב תִּיאוּבְתָּא בְכָל אִילָנִין וְעִשְׂבִּין דִּי בְּאַרְעָא וְהוּא מָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ אֵין לְךָ כָּל עֵשֶׂב וְעֵשֶׂב מִלְמַטָּה שֶׁאֵין מְמוּנֶה עָלָיו מִלְמַעְלָה וְשׁוֹמֵר אוֹתוֹ שְׁמָכֶּה אוֹתוֹ וְאוֹמֵר לוֹ גְדָל שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (איוב ל״ח:ל״ג) הֲיָדַעְתָּ חוּקוֹת שָׁמַיִם אִם תָּשִׂים מִשְׁטָרוֹ בָּאָרֶץ: (עד כאן מההשמטות) :

(דניאל י״ב:ג׳) וְהַמַּשְׂכִּילִים יַזְהִירוּ כְּזֹהַר הָרָקִיעַ וּמַצְדִּיקֵי הָרַבִּים כַּכּוֹכָבִים לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד. זֹהַר סְתִימָא דִסְתִימִין, בָּטַשׁ אֲוִירָא דִילֵיהּ (דמטי ולא מטי) (נ''א ואנהיר) בְּהַאי נְקוּדָה (ס''א נהורא) וּכְדֵין אִתְפַּשַׁט הַאי רֵאשִׁית וְעָבִיד לֵיהּ הֵיכָלָא לִיקָרֵיהּ וּלְתוּשְׁבַּחְתֵּיהּ (יקרא להיכליה ולתושבחתא). (נ''א וליקריה ולהיכליה ולתושבחתיה). תַּמָּן זָרַע זַרְעָא דְקוּדְשָׁא לְאוֹלָדָא לְתוֹעַלְתָּא דְעָלְמָא, וְרָזָא דָא (ישעיהו ו׳:י״ג) זֶרַע קֹדֶשׁ מַצַּבְתָּהּ. זֹהַר דְּזָרַע זַרְעָא לִיקָרֵיהּ, כְּהַאי זַרְעָא דְמֶשִׁי דְאַרְגְּוָון טָב דְּאִתְחֲפֵי לְגוֹ וְעָבִיד לֵיהּ הֵיכָלָא דְאִיהוּ תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דִילֵיהּ וְתוֹעַלְתָּא דְּכֹלָּא. בְּהַאי רֵאשִׁית בְּרָא הַהוּא סְתִימָא דְּלָא אִתְיְידַע לְהֵיכָלָא דָא. הֵיכָלָא דָא אִקְרֵי אֱלהִים, וְרָזָא דָא בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלהִים.

And they who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and they who turn many to righteousness like the stars for ever and ever" (Daniel 12:3). "And they who are wise" alludes to the souls of the righteous, "the brightness of the firmament" to the illumination of the upper three Sfirot, which are revealed when combined with the attribute of mercy. The atmosphere of the brightness that is most concealed of all concealed things merged with this point and shone into it. Then this Beginning which is Arich Anpin expanded into a head and body, and made a chamber for its honor and glory. There, inside the chamber, Arich Anpin planted a holy seed to bring forth souls for the benefit of the world. This is the secret of, "So the holy seed is its immovable stump" The brightness that it sowed for its honor is similar to the purple seed of the silkworm, for the worm encases itself within its own silk. And from that seed, is prepares for itself a chamber for its own glory and for the benefit of all. With this Beginning, the concealed unknown One created the chamber, and this chamber is called by the name 'Elohim.' This is the secret of the words: "In the beginning Elohim created"

זֹהַר דְּמִנֵּיהּ כֻּלְהוּ מַאֲמָרוֹת אִתְבְּרִיאוּ בְּרָזָא דְאִתְפַּשְׁטוּתָא דִנְקוּדָה דְּזֹהַר סָתִים דָּא. אִי בְּהַאי כְּתִיב בָּרָא, לֵית תְּוָוהָא דִּכְתִיב, (בראשית א׳:כ״ז) וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ, זֹהַר רָזָא דָא בְּרֵאשִׁית קַדְמָאָה דְכֹלָא שְׁמֵיהּ אהיה שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא גְלִיפָא בְּסִטְרוֹי (נ''א נהיר ונ''א בגלפא נהיר) אֱלהִים. גְּלִיפָא בְּעִיטְרָא (נ''א בגלופא דעיטרא) אֲשֶׁ''ר הֵיכָלָא טָמִיר וְגָנִיז, שְׁרִיאוּתָא דְרָזָא דְרֵאשִׁית. אֲשֶׁ''ר רֹא''שׁ דְּנָפִיק מֵרֵאשִׁית.

This chamber is the brightness from which all ten sayings were created, according to the secret meaning of the expansion of the point from that hidden brightness. Thus, if the word "created" applies to it, no wonder it is written, "And Elohim created man in his own image" The brightness, which is Arich Anpin, is the secret of the Beginning, because its name is the first of all. The Holy Name Eheyeh is engraved upon the sides of Arich Anpin. The name Elohim is engraved on the crown. And this is the secret of Asher, which is a concealed chamber, and is the beginning of the revelation of the secret of the Beginning. The word Asher consists of the same letters as Rosh (Eng. 'head') but in reverse order, as the letter Resh which is the first letter in Rosh is the last letter in Asher. This shows that it is the Rosh that came out of resheet (Eng. 'beginning'), which is Arich Anpin. Therefore, it emerged from the aspect of the head and was formed as a headless body.