The book above and the book below

98. Rabbi Chiya opened the discussion with the text, "Take from among you an offering to Hashem" (Shemot 35:5). Come and see, when the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, He did so solely so that Yisrael would come and receive the Torah. By the Torah the world was created and upon the Torah it perseveres. This is the meaning of "Were it not for my covenant that endures day and night, the ordinances of heaven and earth I would not have appointed" (Yirmeyah 33:25). The Torah is length of life in this world and length of life in the World to Come.

99. And whoever studies the Torah, it is as if he labors in the palace of the Holy One, blessed be He; for the palace of the Holy One, blessed be He, WHICH IS MALCHUT, is the Torah. NAMELY, THE ORAL LAW IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT. And when a man studies the Torah, the Holy One, blessed be He, stands and listens to his voice, as says "and Hashem hearkened, and heard it..." (Malachi 3:16). This saves man from three ordeals; the ordeal of this world, and the ordeal of the Angel of Death who cannot have power over him, and the ordeal of Gehenom.

100. "And a book of remembrance was written" (Ibid.): HE ASKS: What is a book of remembrance? AND REPLIES THAT there is a book above, WHICH IS CHOCHMAH, and a book below, WHICH IS MALCHUT. 'Remembrance' is the sign of the holy covenant, WHICH IS YESOD, that receives and gathers to itself all life from above, ALL THE SUPERNAL MOCHIN. The book of remembrance consists of two grades that are one. This is the secret of the name of Yud Hei Vav Hei: name is one, NAMELY MALCHUT, Yud Hei Vav Hei is one, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN. Together they are one word; IN THE SAME MANNER THE BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE IS ONE WORD, THOUGH IT INCLUDES TWO GRADES: MALCHUT AND YESOD.

101. For there is a name and there is a name. HE EXPLAINS, THERE IS a name above, that is implied by that which is unknown and not alluded to by any information, NAMELY BY KETER, called the upper point, WHICH IS CHOCHMAH. AND THERE IS a name below, MALCHUT, that is called 'name', AS WRITTEN: "and from the one end of the heaven to the other" (Devarim 4:32). The end of the heaven, THAT IS YESOD, is called remembrance, and that name is the point below YESOD, NAMELY MALCHUT, which is the name of that remembrance, which is the end of the heaven that draws all supernal vitality, THAT IS THE MOCHIN. And there is the lower end of heaven, YESOD, whose name is the lower point, MALCHUT. This point is a book that can be numbered, MEANING THE MOCHIN OF COUNTING, which is the meaning of: "for those who...took heed of (lit. 'counted') His name," AS WRITTEN: "AND A BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE WAS WRITTEN BEFORE HIM FOR THOSE WHO FEARED HASHEM, AND TOOK HEED OF HIS NAME" (MALACHI 3:16). AND THIS BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE IS FOR THOSE WHO "COUNTED HIS NAME," WHICH BESTOWS MOCHIN OF RECKONING AND COUNTING. The book that we mentioned and the name are the same in all respects, NAMELY MALCHUT.

102. This point is superior to all that were united in it, since it is situated in the center. HE EXPLAINS THAT six ends, YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH, were united in the upper book, WHICH IS CHOCHMAH, and it is above them. Six ends, THE SIX CHAMBERS OF BRIYAH, were united in the lower book, WHICH IS MALCHUT, which is above them. Therefore there are a higher book and a lower book, and everything is considered Torah.

103. HE ASKS: What is THE DIFFERENCE between them, THE HIGHER BOOK AND THE LOWER BOOK, AND ANSWERS: the higher book is the Written Law, WHICH IS SUPERNAL CHOCHMAH, for it is concealed and available only in writing, NAMELY, IT IS WORTHY OF BEING REVEALED. For there is a place there, YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH, where Chochmah may be revealed down below, IN MALCHUT, and that place is the World to Come, YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH. The lower book is the Torah which is called the Oral Law; by 'oral' are meant the lower Chariots, THE SEVEN CHAMBERS OF BRIYAH, upon which MALCHUT stands, AS WAS MENTIONED BEFORE, and since they are not part of the supernal writing, they are considered oral. THAT IS, THEY ARE NOT IN THE REALM OF THE HIDDEN AS IS SUPERNAL CHOCHMAH IN YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH, THAT IS CALLED WRITING, AND HENCE they are called oral, WHICH IS THE REVELATION OF ALL THAT IS CONTAINED IN WRITING.

104. And this Torah is established orally, THAT IS, ON SEVEN CHAMBERS THAT ARE ITS MOUTH, BY WHICH CHOCHMAH MAY BE REVEALED. For it is written: "and from thence it was parted, and branched into four streams" (Beresheet 2:10), TO WIT, FROM THE GARDEN (MALCHUT) DOWNWARD BEGINS THE WORLD OF SEPARATION, THEN THE SEVEN CHAMBERS OF BRIYAH ARE ALREADY IN THE WORLD OF SEPARATION. THEREFORE MALCHUT STANDS ON THEM, NAMELY 'ORAL' (LIT. 'ABOVE THE MOUTH'). And the supernal Torah, WHICH IS SUPERNAL CHOCHMAH, though it too stands upon ITS CHARIOT, YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH, NEVERTHELESS is not called 'TORAH above writing' but only 'Torah in writ' for it is in the midst of the writing. And that writ, YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH, becomes a chamber ABOVE THE SUPERNAL CHOCHMAH, WHICH stands in that chamber, and is hidden there. THAT IS, THE WRITING, THAT IS YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH, IS ALSO THE WORLD OF ATZILUT LIKE SUPERNAL CHOCHMAH, AND HENCE THE SCRIPT IS CONSIDERED ITS CHAMBER, and it is therefore called (lit.) the Torah in writing and not Torah above the writing.

105. But the lower Torah, MALCHUT, is situated on its Chariot and is literally called 'on mouth', because it stands upon them. It is not considered the inner part of the writing. THAT IS, CHOCHMAH WITHIN IT DOES NOT DISAPPEAR BECAUSE OF THE CHAMBERS, AS IS THE WRITTEN TORAH, SINCE WRITING INDICATES THE HIDDEN, UNTIL SOMEONE COMES, READS THE WRITING AND EXHIBITS IT, AND CHOCHMAH THEREIN IS REVEALED IN THE CHAMBERS AND IS NO LONGER A MYSTERY. THEREFORE THE SEVEN CHAMBERS did not become a chamber to that point, MALCHUT AS YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH BECAME A CHAMBER to the higher point, SINCE A CHAMBER MEANS A COVER, AND THESE DO NOT COVER. HOWEVER, BY THEMSELVES THEY ARE ALSO CONSIDERED CHAMBERS. And since MALCHUT stands upon them, she is called a heave-offering.