(continued from previous post)
The letter nun entered. She said to Him: Master of the world, may it be Your will to create the world through me, for through me it is written "Awesome (nora) in praises" (Exodus 15: 11), and the praise of the righteous, namely, "Praise is comely (navak) [for the righteous]" (Psalm 33: 1)
He said to her: Nun, return to your place, for it is because of you that samekh has returned to her place. Rely upon her.
She immediately returned to her place, leaving His presence.
The letter mem entered. She said to him: Master of the world, may it be Your will to create the world through me, because it is through me that You are called "melekh" (king).
He said to her: That is certainly true. But I shall not create the world through you, because the world needs a king.34 Return to your place, together with lamed and kaf, for it is not right that the world should exist without a king.
At that moment the letter kaf came down to Him from His glorious throne (kisse), and said to Him: Master of the world, may it be Your will to create the world through me, for I am kevodekha (Your glory). When b/came down from the glorious throne two hundred thousand worlds were shaken, the throne was shaken, and all the worlds were shaken, and were about to fall.
The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her: Kqf, kaf what are you doing here? I shall not create the world through you. Return to your place, for destruction (kelayah) exists through you; "a decisive destruction" (Isaiah 10: 23) has been heard. Return to your throne, and stay there.
She left His presence and returned to her place.
The letter yod entered. She said to Him: Master of the world, may it be Your will to create the world through me, for I am the beginning of Your holy name (YHVH), and it is only proper for You to create the world through me.
He said to her: It is enough for you that you should be engraved in Me, that you should be inscribed in Me, and that My whole delight should be in you. Arise. It is not right that you should be uprooted from My name.
The letter let entered. She said to Him: Master of the world, may it be Your will to create the world through me, for through me You are called "lov ve-yashar (good and upright)" (Psalm 25: 8).
He said to her: I shall not create the world through you, because your goodness is concealed within you, and hidden within you. This is the meaning of "How great is Your goodness which You have stored up for those that fear You" (Psalm 31: 20). Since it is stored within you, it is the world to come that will share in it, not the world that I wish to create now. Furthermore, because your goodness is stored within you, the gates of the Temple will be sunk. This is the significance of "her gates are sunk into the ground" (Lamentations 2: 9). Moreover, the letter het is next to you, and when you are joined together you make het{sin). Therefore these letters do not appear in the holy tribes.
She immediately left His presence.
The letter zayin entered. She said to Him: Master of the world, may it be Your will to create the world through me, because it is through me that Your children will observe the Sabbath, as it is written "Remember (zakhor) the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Exodus 20: 8).
He said to her: I shall not create the world through you, because war exists through you, and a sharp sword, and a battle-lance, like the letter nun.
She immediately left His presence.
The letter vau entered. She said to him: Master of the world, may it be Your will to create the world through me, because I am a letter in Your name.
He said to her: Vav, it is sufficient that both you and he are letters of My name, that you are in the mystery of My name, and that you are engraved and inscribed in My name. I shall not create the world through you.
The letters dalet and gimel entered. They said the same thing. He said to them also: It is sufficient for you that you are together, for the poor (dalim) will never cease from the world, and it will be necessary to act charitably (gemol) toward them. Dalet is poor, and gimel acts charitably toward her. Do not separate from one another. It is sufficient for you that you should support one another.
The letter bet entered. She said to Him: Master of the world, may it be Your will to create the world through me, because it is through me that they bless You in the upper and the lower worlds.
The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her: Yes, to be sure, I shall create the world through you, and you shall be at the forefront of the creation of the world.
The letter alef arose, but did not enter. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her: Alef, alef, why do you not come into My presence like the other letters?
She said to Him: Master of the world, since I have seen all the other letters leaving Your presence without success, what point is there? Moreover, You have given this great gift to the letter bet, and it would not be right for a king to take away a present that he has given to his servant and give it to someone else.
The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her: Alef, alef, although I shall create the world through the letter bet, you will be the first of all the letters. I have no unification except through you. All calculations and every deed in the world will begin with you. No unification will be effected except through the letter alef.
Lachower, F, and Tisby, I., (1989) translated by Goldstein, D., The wisdom of the zohar: an anthology of texts volume II, Littman Library, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.