The luminaries of fire

257. At the end of Shabbat, it behooves a man to separate the holy from the secular. Why? The reason is that permission is now given to the lower chiefs to govern the world, and all its matters. ONE HAS to demonstrate the unity in a holy place in supernal holiness, THAT IS SHABBAT, separate the lower beings from the supernal unity, and say the blessing over the light of fire.

258. For all other fires are hidden and concealed on Shabbat, except the one fire of supernal holiness that is revealed and included in the holiness of Shabbat, WHICH IS MALCHUT CLOTHING BINAH. And when this fire is revealed, all other fires are hidden and concealed before it. And that is the fire of the Binding of Isaac, THE CENTRAL COLUMN THAT TIES AND BINDS THE LEFT COLUMN, CALLED ISAAC, SO IT WOULD SPREAD ITS LIGHT ONLY FROM BELOW UPWARD, IN ORDER TO BE INCLUDED IN THE RIGHT. It burns on the altar ON SHABBAT. FOR THE ALTAR FIRE THAT BURNS ALSO ON SHABBAT IS DRAWN FROM THE CENTRAL COLUMN TO MALCHUT THAT IS NAMED ALTAR. For that reason we should say the blessing over the luminary of the fire AT THE END OF SHABBAT. This fire is not the everyday fire but Shabbat's fire that comes from the fire of above, FOR IT IS DRAWN FROM THE CENTRAL COLUMN TO THE ALTAR, WHICH IS MALCHUT.

259. This is the fire that sustains fire, VIZ. THE FIRE WITHIN MALCHUT. And when that fire which emanates from the upper fire, FROM THE CENTRAL COLUMN, is blessed by the blessing over light, all the other fires go out and are assigned to their places, NAMELY, they are given permission to illuminate.

260. When we recite the blessing over fire, appear four Chariots, four lower legions, MICHAEL, GABRIEL, URIEL AND RAPHAEL, EACH IN CHARGE OVER A LEGION OF ANGELS, which are shining with that fire OF MALCHUT that was blessed. They are called the luminaries of fire, BECAUSE THEIR ILLUMINATION IS COMING FROM THE FIRE OF MALCHUT THAT WAS BLESSED, and therefore we should bend the four fingers of the right hand, so the light of the blest candle would shine upon them.

261. These fingers allude to the luminaries of fire, NAMELY, THE SAID FOUR CHARIOTS, which shine and rule from within the light of the blest candle. And since they are lower grades, a person, when showing his fingers in front of the light of the candle, should bend them before it, since this light rules over them and they shine with its light.

262. When reciting other blessings, THAT ARE PRIESTLY BENEDICTION, one should raise the fingers, to demonstrate the supernal sanctity of the upper grades that rule over all, THE SECRET OF THE GRADES IN THE RIGHT OF ZEIR ANPIN THAT DRAW THEIR HOLINESS FROM SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA, THE SECRET OF HOLINESS. For the Holy Name, MALCHUT, is crowned and sanctified by them; thus all the grades together are blessed and shine from within the highest luminary, THE FIRST THREE SFIROT OF BINAH, THE ROOT TO ALL THE CHASSADIM. For that reason one should raise one's fingers. But in this blessing, we must bend our fingers before the candle, to point at the lower grades, THE FOUR SAID CHARIOTS, that shine from within the upper luminary, WHICH IS MALCHUT, for thence they rule and shine forth; these are the luminary of fire.

263. Every day we say the blessing over the luminaries of light, "WHO CREATES LIGHT," "WHO CREATES THE LUMINARIES," that refer to the supernal lights which dwell in that primordial light, WHICH IS CHESED. Then all the grades are blessed and shine forth together by the supreme luminary, BINAH. BUT these IN HERE are called the luminaries of fire. For that secret reason do we bless 'who creates the lights of fire'.

264. And one may ask why say, 'who creates the luminaries of light' and not 'who lights'? AND HE ANSWERS: because the luminaries shine by that fire of the blessed luminary, WHICH IS THE FIRE DRAWN TO IT FROM THE CENTRAL COLUMN. However, with the commencement of Shabbat, all the lower grades, THE SAID FOUR CHARIOTS, and all those which shine and rule BY THE LIGHT OF THAT FIRE, enter and become included in that candle, MALCHUT, and are kept hidden and concealed in it; they are there invisible save that point alone, MALCHUT. All of them are hidden and stored in it the whole of Shabbat day.

265. At the end of Shabbat, MALCHUT lets out those LUMINARIES OF FIRE, each and every one, as if they were created anew at that moment. They all come out and are created as in the beginning, and are assigned to their place to rule. The candle is then blessed and they bow before it and shine. THIS IS THE MEANING OF BENDING THE FINGERS. Now that they shine, they are appointed each to its place.

266. In the same manner, the higher grades are called the luminaries of light. They rule by day and shine by the supreme luminary, BINAH. As night falls, the supreme luminary gathers them and absorbs them within itself, until daybreak. When Yisrael bless over the daylight, it lets them out fully radiant. Therefore we bless Hashem "who forms luminaries" and not "who creates," THOUGH THEY ARE RENEWED EVERY MORNING; But here AT THE END OF SHABBAT, we use the verb 'to create' AND THE REASON IS that it refers to the lower grades.

267. And all is symbolized by the fingers, in which we find allusion to the higher grades, THE LUMINARIES OF LIGHT, and the lower grades, THE LUMINARIES OF FIRE. The higher grades are recognized by the raising of the finger, THAT SHOWS THE LIGHT SPREADING FROM THE FIRST THREE SFIROT FROM ABOVE DOWNWARD. By the raising of the fingers, the upper and lower grades are blessed together. By lowering the fingers, WHICH ALLUDES TO THE SIX DIRECTIONS THAT DO NOT SHINE BUT FROM BELOW UPWARD, only the lower grades, MALCHUT AND THE CHARIOTS DRAWN FROM IT, are blessed so they may shine.