The Lesser Holy Assembly (Idra Zuta Qadisha) 21

711Unto His back adhereth closely a Ray of most vehement Splendour, and it flameth forth and formeth a certain skull, concealed on every side.

712And thus descendeth the Light of the two brains, and is figured forth therein.

713And She (the Bride) adhereth unto the side of the Male; wherefore also She is called, Cant. v. ii., “My dove, my perfect one.” Read not, “ThMThI, Thamathi, My perfect one;” but “ThAVMThI, Theomathi, My twin sister,” more applicably.

714The hairs of the Woman contain colours upon colours, as it is written, Cant. vii. 5: “The hair of Thy head like purple.”

715But herewith is Geburah, Severity, connected in the five Severities (i.e., which are symbolized in the numerical value, 5, of the letter H final of IHVH, which is the Bride), and the Woman is extended on Her side, and is applied unto the side of the Male.

716Until She is separated from His side, and cometh unto Him so that She may be conjoined with Him, face to face.

717And when They are conjoined together, They appear to be only one body.

718Hence we learn that the Masculine, taken alone, appeareth to be only half the body, so that all the mercies are half; and thus also is it with the Feminine.

719But when They are joined together, the (two together) appear to form only one whole body. And it is so.

720So also here. When the Male is joined with the Female, They both constitute one complete body, and all the Universe is in a state of happiness, because all things receive blessing from Their perfect body. And this is an Arcanum.

721And therefore it is said, Gen. ii. 3: “Tetragrammaton blessed the seventh day and hallowed it.” For then all things are found (to exist) in the one perfect Body, for MTRVNIThA, Matronitha, the Mother (i.e., the Inferior Mother) is joined unto the King, and is found to form the one Body with Him.

722And therefore are there found to be blessings upon this day.

723And hence that which is not both Male and Female together is called half a body. Now, no blessing can rest upon a mutilated and defective being, but only upon a perfect place and upon a perfect being, and not at all in an incomplete being.

724And a semi-complete being cannot live for ever, neither can it receive blessing for ever.

725The Beauty of the Female is completed by the Beauty of the Male. And now have we established these facts (concerning the perfect equality of Male and Female), and they are made known unto the Companions.

726With this Woman (the inferior H) are connected all those things which are below; from Her do they receive their nourishment, and from Her do they receive blessing; and She is called the Mother of them all.

727Like as a mother containeth the body (of her child before birth), and that whole body deriveth its nourishment from her. (Otherwise, containeth a garden, and the whole garden is from her.) Thus is She unto all the other inferiors.

728It is written, Prov. vii. 4: “Say unto Chokmah, Thou art my sister.” For there is given one Chokmah (Male), and there is also given another Chokmah (Female).

729And this Woman is called the Lesser Chokmah in respect of the other.

730And therefore is it written, Cant. viii. 8: “We have a little sister and she hath no breasts.”

731For in this exile (i.e., separated from the King) She appeareth unto us to be “our little sister.” At first, indeed, she is small, but she becometh great and greater, until she becometh the Spouse whom the King taketh unto Himself.

732As it is written, Cant. viii. 10: “I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers.”

733“And my breasts,” &c., since they are full with the nourishment of all things; “like towers,” because they are the great rivers which flow forth from Aima the Supernal.