97. Rabbi Schimeon spake unto Rabbi Eleazar, his son, and said: Blessed be thou, O my son! by the Ancient of Days; for thou hast found in that time in which thou hast need the acceptation of His forehead.

98. Come and behold! in these inferiors, when the forehead is uncovered, there is found fixed shamelessness.

99. This is the same which is written, Jer. iii. 3: "Yet thou hadst the forehead of a shameless woman, thou refusedst to be ashamed."

100. But when this forehead 2 is uncovered, inclination and acceptation are found in perfect form, and all wrath is quieted and subdued before Him.

101. From that forehead shine forth four hundred habitations of judgments, when it is uncovered during that period of acceptation, and all things are at peace before it.

102. This is the same which is written, Dan. vii. 10: "The judgment was set "—that is, subsideth in its place, and the judgment is not exercised.

103. And this is the tradition:

There is no hair found

on that part, because it is opened and not covered.

104. It is covered, I say, and the executors of judgment behold this, and are pacified, and (judgment) is not exercised.

105. This is the tradition: This forehead hath been extended into two hundred and seventy thousand lights of the luminaries of the superior Eden.

106. This is the tradition: There existeth an Eden which shineth in Eden. The superior Eden, which is not uncovered, and is hidden in concealment, and is not distributed into the paths, like as it hath been said.

107. The inferior Eden is distributed into its paths; (namely) into thirty-two directions of its paths.

108. And although this Eden is distributed into its path, yet is it not known unto any, save unto Microprosopus.

109. But no man hath known the superior Eden, nor its paths, except Macroprosopus Himself.

110. Like as it is written, Job xxviii. 23: "God under2 That of Macroprosopus.

standeth the way thereof, and He knoweth the place thereof." 111. "The Elohim understand the way thereof ": this is the inferior Eden, known unto Microprosopus. "And He hath known the place thereof": this is the superior Eden, which the Ancient of Days hath known, the most abstruse of all.

CHAPTER IX

CONCERNING THE EYES OF MACROPROSOPUS

112. The eyes of the White Head1 are diverse from all other eyes. Above the eye is no eyelid, neither is there an eyebrow over it.

113. Wherefore? Because it is written, Ps. cxxi. 4: "Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep"; that is, the superior Israel.

114. Also it is written, Jer. xxxii. 19: "Whose eyes are open."

115. And this is the tradition. Seeing that all is operated through mercies, He hath not covering unto His eye, nor eyebrow above His eye; how little, then, doth the White Head require such.

116. Rabbi Schimeon spake unto Rabbi Abba, and said: "To what is this like?" He answered unto him: "To the whales and fishes of the sea, which have no coverings for their eyes, nor eyebrows above their eyes; who sleep not, and require not a protection for the eye.

117. "How much less doth the Ancient of the Ancient Ones require a protection, seeing that He far above His creatures watcheth over all things, and all things are nourished by Him, and He Himself sleepeth not.

118. "This is that which is written, Ps. cxxi. 4: 'Behold! He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.' That is, the superior Israel.

119. "It is written, Ps. xxxiii. 18: 'Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him'; and it is written, Zech. iv. 10: 'They are the eyes of the Lord, running to and fro throughout the whole earth.'

1 This, like Macroprosopus, is a title of Kether, the first Sephira.

120. "There is no contrariety (between these sayings); one is concerning Microprosopus, and the other concerning Macroprosopus.

121. "And further, although there be two eyes, yet they are converted into one eye.

122. "This is pure in its whiteness, and so white that it includeth all whiteness.

123. "The first whiteness shineth, and ascendeth and descendeth for the purpose of combining with that which is connected (with it) in connection.

124. "This is the tradition: That whiteness darteth forth its rays, and igniteth three lights, which are called Hod, Glory; Vehedar, Majesty; and Vachedoah, Joy; and they radiate in gladness and in perfection.

125. "The second whiteness shineth and ascendeth and descendeth, and darteth forth its rays, and igniteth three other lights, which are called Netzach, Victory; Chesed, Benignity; and Tiphereth, Beauty; and they radiate in perfection and in gladness.

126. "The third whiteness radiateth and shineth, and descendeth and ascendeth, and goeth forth from the part enclosing the brain, and darteth forth its rays toward the seventh middle light.

127. "And it formeth a path to the inferior brain, and formeth a path to the inferior, and all the inferior lights are thereby ignited."

128. Rabbi Schimeon said: "Thou hast well spoken, and the Ancient of Days will open this eye upon thee in the time of thy necessity."

129. Another tradition runneth thus: Whiteness in whiteness, and whiteness which includeth all other whiteness.

130. The first whiteness shineth and ascendeth and descendeth in three lights on the left-hand side, and they radiate and are bathed in that whiteness, like as when a man batheth his body in good unguents and odors, in better than he at first possessed.

2 Netzach, Chesed, and Tiphereth, are respectively the seventh, fourth, and sixth Sephiroth.

131. The second whiteness descendeth and ascendeth and shineth in three lights on the right-hand side, and they radiate and are bathed in that whiteness, like as when a man batheth in good unguents and odors in better than he at first possessed.

132. The third whiteness shineth and ascendeth and descendeth, and goeth forth the light of the inner whiteness of the brain, and darteth forth its rays when necessary unto the black hair, and unto the head, and unto the brain of the head.

133. And it irradiateth the three crowns which remain, when it is needful, so that it may be uncovered, if that be pleasing unto the Most Ancient One hidden from all.

134. And this is the tradition: This eye is never closed; and there are two, and they are converted into one.

135. All is right; there is no left there. He sleepeth not and slumbereth not, and He requireth not protection. He is not such a one as hath need to defend Himself, for He defendeth all things, and He Himself waited upon all things, and in the sight of His eye are all things established.

136. This is the tradition: Were that eye closed even for one moment, no thing could subsist.

137. Therefore is it called the open eye, the holy eye, the excellent eye, the eye of Providence, the eye which sleepeth not, neither slumbereth, the eye which is the guardian of all things, the eye which is the subsistence of all things.

138. And concerning it, is it written, Prov. xxii. 9, "The bountiful eye "; thou shalt not read "the blessed eye," but "it blesseth," for it is called "the bountiful eye," and by it are all things blessed.

139. And this is the tradition: There is no light in the inferior eye, so that it can be bathed in redness and blackness; except when it is beheld by that white brilliance of the superior eye which is called "the bountiful eye."

140. And to no man is it known when this superior holy eye may shine and may bathe the inferior; and when the just and the supernal blessed ones are about to be beheld in that Wisdom.

141. This is that which is written, Isa. lii. 8: "For they shall see eye to eye." When? "When the Lord shall bring

again Zion." Also, it is written, Numb. xiv. 14: "That Thou, Tetragrammaton, art seen eye to eye."

142. And unless the bountiful superior eye were to look down upon and bathe the inferior eye, the universe could not exist even a single moment.

143. This is the tradition in the "Book of Concealed Mystery"; Providence ariseth from the inferior eye when the highest splendor shineth down upon it, and that highest splendor goeth forth into the inferior; for from it are all things illuminated.

144. This is that which is written, Numb. xiv. 14: "That Thou, O Tetragrammaton! art seen eye to eye." Also it is written, Ps. xxxiii. 18: "Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him." And it is written, Zech. iv. 10: "The eyes of the Lord running to and fro throughout the whole earth."

145. "The eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him," if they be upright. This is the superior eye. On the contrary, when it is said, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro," this is the eye which is below.

146. This is the tradition: On what account was Joseph worthy, so that the evil eye had no dominion over him? Because that he was worthy of being beheld by the superior benign eye.

147. This is what is written, Gen. xlix. 22: "Joseph is the son of a fruitful bough; the son of a fruitful bough above Ayin." Why "the son of a fruitful bough above Ayin"? 3 As though to imply, "because of that eye which beheld him."

148. Also it is written, Prov. xxii. 9: "The bountiful eye shall be blessed." Why? Because it giveth its bread unto the poor.

149. Why is it said in the singular number? Come and see. In the eyes which are inferior are a right eye and a left eye, and they are of two diverse colors.

150. But in this instance there is no left eye, and they both ascend in one path, and all are right. And on that account is one eye mentioned, and not two.

8 The word Ayin means "eye."