The fifth chamber: Chesed

115. The fifth chamber is the chamber illuminated by lightning. A spirit NAMED BARAK (LIGHTNING) dwells here, shining and illuminating the lower beings. Barak comprehends, opens and closes, and shines in every direction. From this shining extends a ray of light with a purple appearance, but it actually contains the colors, white, black, red and green. The colors mix with each other - the white is embroidered with the red, the black with the green, and the white with the black. From them a living creatures is embroidered containing ALL THE COLORS, BUT MAINLY green and red. It has the face of a man and includes all shapes.

116. From this living creatures, four pedestals are produced which are larger living creatures than those below. One is called Ofan, WHICH IS MALCHUT ALONE, and is two. THEY CLING TO EACH OTHER, because when one is observed, the other shines within it. They adhere to and penetrate one another. ONE GOES INSIDE THE FIRST, and they are perceived as the four heads of the four winds of the world. Yet all four are one body as is written: "Ofan (a wheel) in the middle of a wheel" (Yechezkel 1:16). All FOUR DIRECTIONS are connected with each other, as is the case with the upper living creatures OF THIS LIVING CREATURES; they never separate. The four colors embroidered IN THE LIVING CREATURES embrace each other and are drawn toward the four directions. Because of this, it appears that when the living creatures travels, it travels to two directions, BINAH AND MALCHUT, THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE FOUR DIRECTIONS.

117. The spirit of Barak is composed of two spirits. First, the spirit of lightning, which produces the living creatures DESCRIBED ABOVE, WHICH CONTAINS all those mentioned lights. A second spirit, called the blazing spirit, extends from Barak and shines.

118. From this BLAZING SPIRIT extend two lights that are really four DIRECTIONS, AS DISCUSSED ABOVE. These lights, which are constantly changing their appearance, are called: "the bright blade of a revolving sword" (Beresheet 3:24). These lights change and turn into the edge of a sword. These LIGHTS stand above THE LIGHTS IN the lower chamber, CALLED THE CHAMBER OF MERIT (ZECHUT). The blade of the sword is situated above the seventy lights of the court assembly IN THE CHAMBER OF MERIT. From this we learn that a sword is hung above the heads of the judges.

119. The bright blade of the sword, which is the lights of the left side, produces another living creatures that stands above four OFANIM that are unstable. THEY CANNOT RADIATE OUTWARD, BUT JUST TWINKLE, BECAUSE they are two to the right and two to the left. And when the spirit of this living creatures enters the FOUR UNSTABLE ONES, WHEN IT TRAVELS ON ITS FOUR OFANIM, two blazing sparks come out of them. The sparks leave this chamber and constantly change. They are sometimes female and sometimes male. Sometimes they are spirits and sometimes they are holy angels.

120. Why? Because when this living creatures was embraced by the first living creatures, WHICH CAME OUT OF BARAK, the strength of the entwinement created an eternal spark that never extinguishes. This SPARK roams after the two sparks described above.

121. Now they are males, and they perform their mission in the world, but are extinguished before they are finished. Then the spark strikes them, shines upon them, and renews them as before. Now, they are females, BECAUSE THEY RECEIVE FROM THE SPARK THE EMANATION OF MALCHUT, WHICH IS CONSIDERED FEMALE, and they go out and float around. Before they end their mission, they are extinguished. WHEN THEY RADIATE FROM THE RIGHT, THEY ARE CALLED SPIRITS AND THEY ROAM. BUT WHEN THEY TOUCH UPON THE LEFT, THEY ARE CALLED ANGELS AND ARE EXTINGUISHED. But the spark then strikes and shines upon them AGAIN, and they are renewed as before. AND SO IT IS EVERY TIME THEY ARE EXTINGUISHED. For this spark comprises THEM all, and consists of the four appearances. Thus, those TWO SPARKS THAT RECEIVE FROM HIM change continuously into the four appearances, MALES, FEMALES, SPIRITS, AND ANGELS.

122. This LOWER spirit is included in the other HIGHER SPIRIT, as we said, and both appear as one. Unlike the first ones, which when included, one with the other, appear as one, these are distinguishable. They coexist in love and are composed of all the lower CHAMBERS. Although they appear as two SPIRITS, they are one. And when one spirit expands within the other, they lovingly include all the lower SPIRITS, as it is written: "Your two breasts are like two young roes who are twins and feed among the lilies" (Shir Hashirim 4:5).

123. When those two spirits expand and lovingly fill each other, this chamber again becomes the chamber of Ahavah (Love). The chamber of love is always stable and hidden from all within the innermost secrets, except those who seek to cling to it. This is as written: "there I will give you my love" (Shir Hashirim 7:12).

124. Later, when the two spirits that are one shine, tens of thousands of different hosts emerge from them. Some are called mandrakes, ACCORDING TO THE SECRET MEANING OF "THE MANDRAKES GIVE A FRAGRANCE" (IBID. 14); some are called vines, ACCORDING TO THE SECRET MEANING OF "LET US SEE IF THE VINE HAS FLOWERED" (IBID. 13); and others are called pomegranates, AS IS THE SECRET OF "AND THE POMEGRANATES BUD FORTH." Until some of the hosts outside THE CHAMBER reach the planet Nogah (Venus). AND FROM THIS PLANET, THE LOWER PLANETS DRAW DOWN SUSTENANCE. AFTER THE INTERMIXING OF THOSE SPIRITS, they are bound by love and never separate. This is as it is written: "If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would be utterly ridiculed" (Shir Hashirim 8:7). Here, one bows one's head and spreads one's hands to cleave to his Master's love.