Baal HaSulam's Preface to Zohar Reader

You might say that these concepts do not refer, God forbid, to the Divinity itself, which is enclothed and illuminates in the sefirot, but only to the vessels of the sefirot.24That is, perhaps all these conceptions involving quantities and relativity do not refer to God Himself, but rather to the sefirot which are vessels. These are not Divinity, one might suggest, but were newly formed together with the creation of the souls in order to conceal or reveal measures of perception in accordance with the appropriate amount and degree for souls, so as to bring them to the desired completed state of rectification.

This suggestion is like what was stated earlier (section #7#) regarding the parable of the window with four panes with four different colors – white, red, green, and black – and similarly the white in a book and the substance of the letters in a book. Such a suggestion can be made with regard to the three worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, as there one finds that the vessels of the sefirot are newly formed and are not Divinity.

However, it is completely unjustifiable to understand the world of Atzilut in this manner, as in Atzilut it is also the vessels of the ten sefirot that are fully Divine; they are one with the Divine light that is within them. This is as written in the Tikkunim (Tikkunei Zohar) (3b): “He, His life, and His attributes are one.” “He” means the essence of the sefirot, which is the mystical meaning of Ein Sof, blessed be He.

“His life” is the mystical meaning of the light that illuminates in the sefirot, which is called the “light of vitality,” for the whole world of Atzilut is an expression of Ḥokhma, and the light of Ḥokhma is called the light of vitality, and therefore the Tikkunei Zohar states “His life.” And “His attributes” means the vessels of the sefirot. Thus, everything in that level of existence is Divinity and complete unity.

If so, how is it possible in Atzilut to understand those changes caused by the lower creations?25In other words, since change implies quantities and relativity, qualities that cannot apply to the intangible Divine, how can the concept of change be applied at all to the world of Atzilut, a world that is purely divine, and thus, not changeable? At the same time, it is necessary to understand the following: If everything is Divinity in that world, and there are no vessels there that are newly created entities, how can one make the three distinctions stated in the Tikkunei Zohar – “He, His life, and His attributes”? After all, it is an absolutely simple unity.

In order to understand this, it is necessary to recall the earlier explanation, in section #17#, where it was explained that the Essentially Existing One is of the mystical meaning of essence, something of which we have no grasp. This inability to grasp essence applies even to physical essences, and even to our own essences; all the more so for the Essentially Existing One. The world of Atzilut is the mystical meaning of form, while the three worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya are the mystical meaning of substance, and the illumination of Atzilut in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya is the mystical meaning of form enclothed in substance.

From this it can be understood that the name Ein Sof, blessed be He, which we use, is not at all a designation for the essence of the Essentially Existing One, may He be blessed and exalted, for how can we define, by means of a name or a word, anything that we cannot grasp? Since the imagination and the five senses can suggest nothing to us of an essence, even with respect to physical entities, how can thought or language relating to it be possible? This is even more the case with regard to the Essentially Existing One Himself.

Instead, we must understand the name Ein Sof, blessed be He, in accordance with our definition of the third principle, that everything mentioned in the Book of the Zohar is specifically in relation to the souls (as stated in section #21#, above). Thus, the name Ein Sof, blessed be He, is not a general term for the Essentially Existing One Himself, but rather for how all the worlds and all the souls are incorporated in Him, in the mystical meaning of the thought of creation.

This accords with the notion “last in deed, first in thought,” which is the bond through which the whole of creation in its entirety, until the completion of the rectification, is tied to Him – through the name Ein Sof, blessed be He. This is what we previously called the initial state of the souls (in the Sulam's Introduction to the Zohar, Section 13) in which all the souls exist in Him and they are filled with all the pleasure and the refinement of the supernal heights that they will receive in practice upon the completion of the rectification.26The section of the author of the Sulam 's Introduction to the Zohar referred to here describes the initial state of the created souls prior to the more advanced phases of the creation process.

In this phase, the souls, vessels of receiving, are in a state of unity with the Creator and filled with the divine essence. This state is described by the Sages of the Talmud as "He and His name were one," with "His name" referring to the souls, created receiving beings. All of creation is a process of incrementally returning toward that state through the process of rectification. Since these ideas are discussed there, they will not be repeated here.

I will share a parable with you from the affairs of this world. Say a person wishes to build a grand house. Now, in his initial contemplation he sees before him an elegant house, with all of its rooms and myriad details, exactly as it will be when its construction is completed. Next, he formulates a practical plan of execution for all of its myriad details, which he will specify to the laborers, each detail at its proper time, including how to work with the wood, bricks, metal, and the like. He will then start building the house in actuality until it is finished, just as it was conceived before him in his initial contemplation.

Understand that Ein Sof, blessed be He, is the mystical meaning of that initial thought, as the whole of creation, in its final, completed state, was already manifest before Him. However, the metaphor is not exactly precise, since for Him the future and present are the same. Additionally, the thought itself is the completion, as unlike us, He does not require practical tools to complete the construction. Consequently, in Him it is actual reality. Accordingly, the world of Atzilut is a mystery27"Mystery" here means it is hidden away, like the design in one's thoughts. like the design in one’s thoughts, with all of its details, which will later have to become manifest when the builders actually start building the house.

It is necessary to understand that in these two – the initial thought, which is Ein Sof, blessed be He, and also the imagined design of the details for execution at the right time – there is not yet there even so much as a trace of created beings, since everything is still in potential, not realized in actuality. It is the same for people: Even if one calculates all the details, from the wood and the bricks to the metal – including what must be done at the time of the execution – it is as yet only a free-floating mental substance, without even a trace of any actual wood or bricks.

The only difference is that in the case of people, the imagined design is not considered actual reality, whereas in the Divine thought it is actual reality, inestimably more so than the actual, real created beings themselves.

The mystical meanings of Ein Sof, blessed be He, and the world of Atzilut have thus been explained to you: Everything stated with regard to them applies only in relation to the creation of beings, when they are merely in a potential state, before their entities have yet to become manifest at all. This is similar to the parable of a man who thinks up a plan of action, which contains nothing at all of the actual wood, bricks, or metal.

The three worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, and this world, are considered the actualization of the potential, like a man who actually builds his house in practice, by bringing the wood, bricks, and laborers together, until the actual completion of the house. Therefore, the Divinity that illuminates in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, that is, in the measure that souls require in order to come to their state of completion, is enclothed in the ten vessels, Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Ḥesed, Gevura, Tiferet, Netzaḥ, Hod, Yesod, and Malkhut. Relative to His divinity, these are actual vessels, i.e., they are not Divine but are novel creations formed for the sake of the souls.

If you reflect on the above parable, you will discover how the three modes of one who plans to build a house are intertwined in the manner of cause and effect. The root of them all is the initial thought, since no detail of his planned design will come into being other than by the “last in deed” that emerged from him “first in thought.” Likewise, he will execute something at the time of construction only in accordance with the details he prearranged from the planned design.

From here you can understand with regard to the worlds, that there is not even a small novelty in the worlds that is not drawn from Ein Sof, blessed be He, i.e., from the first state of the souls, which are found there in their whole completed state of the completion of the rectification.28This refers to the previous sections, sections #24# and #25#, in which the author of the Sulam referred to the initial state of the souls.

This is in accordance with the notion “last in deed, first in thought,” stated above, and thus everything that will become manifest until the completion of the rectification is incorporated there.29As reality unfolds through time, we (the souls) undergo an evolving process of rectification, toward a state of completed rectification. This process is actually a "return" to the initial state of complete wholeness in which the souls were first formed.

Thus, each phase and stage of the process is actually a reflection of that initial plan, expressing "last in deed" (the final completion) and "first in thought" (the initial state of completion). At first, it is drawn from Ein Sof, blessed be He, to the world of Atzilut, like the parable, in which the planned design is drawn from the first thought. Then, each and every detail is drawn from the world of Atzilut to the worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, as in the parable, where all the details are drawn from the planned design when they are actually executed in the building of the house.

Thus, there are no small details, newly formed in this world, which are not drawn from Ein Sof, blessed be He, from the first state of the souls. From Ein Sof, blessed be He, each detail is drawn to the world of Atzilut, that is, into a particular conceptualization unique to the newly-formed entity which will appear in this world in actuality. And from the world of Atzilut, the novelty is drawn to the three worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, where the novelty is manifested in actual reality, and where it emerges from a status of Divinity to that of a created being, and to Yetzira, and Asiya, until it is drawn to the lower created entity which is situated in this world.

Understand this thoroughly and compare everything to the practice of building a house by a corporeal person, and then you will comprehend it well.

It has been explained that there is no novelty that can come into being in the world that will not be drawn from the general root in Ein Sof, blessed be He, and from its particular root in Atzilut, after which it passes via Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, and attains the status of a created being, and then it comes into being in this world. Understand this thoroughly.

With the above you will comprehend that all of these changes which are depicted in the world of Atzilut are not stated with regard to the Divinity Himself, but only with respect to the souls, in the measure that they receive from Atzilut, via the three worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya. The reality of that world is the relationship of the planned design to the initial thought, which is Ein Sof, blessed be He. However, in both cases, both in Ein Sof, blessed be He, as well as in the world of Atzilut, nothing of the souls as yet exists there. This is similar to the planned design of a person who thinks it, where nothing of the actual word, be it bricks, or metal exist in his brain.

The existence of the souls starts to become manifest in the world of Beria. For this reason, the vessels of the ten sefirot, which measure the amount and portion for the souls in actual reality, are necessarily not Divinity but are newly formed, as there is no possibility of any changes or numbers in Divinity. Accordingly, we attribute three hues to the ten sefirot in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya: Red, green, and black, so that it is impossible to even imagine that they have an aspect of Divinity, as nothing newly formed applies to Him, God forbid.

By contrast, the light enclothed in the ten vessels of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya is Divinity, and simple unity without the slightest change. Even the light enclothed in the lower vessel that is in Asiya is simple Divinity, without change, God forbid. For the light in and of itself is one, and all the changes that occur to its illumination are achieved by means of the vessels of the sefirot. These are not divine, as in general they have those three aforementioned hues, and in particular, an endless multitude of changes are fashioned from those three hues.

It is certainly the case that the vessels of the ten sefirot of Beria, i>Yetzira and Asiya receive from Atzilut all the details of the changes, and their specifics, since it is there that the aspect of the planned design of all the details that will be arranged exists in the practical construction of the house in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya. It can therefore be discerned that the vessels of the ten sefirot: Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, receive from their corresponding aspect, from Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut in Atzilut, i.e., from the planned design that is there.

This is because every detail in the implementation is the result of each detail in the planned design, as explained above at length. Therefore, for this reason we call the vessels of Atzilut the color white, which is not a color at all and yet is the source of all the colors. In terms of the metaphor of the white in a book of wisdom – while there is no grasp of its white, and the white in the book says nothing to us, the white nevertheless carries the entire content of the book of wisdom, for it illuminates around every letter and within each letter, and gives each letter its particular shape and every combination its unique place.

Thus, one can say the opposite to what we said above, namely that we have no grasp of the substance of the red, green, or black letters, and that any grasp or perception we might have of the substance of the letters in the book is only through its white. For by means of its illumination around and within every letter it forms them into shapes, and these shapes reveal to us all of the wisdom in the book.

This is comparable to the ten sefirot of Atzilut: Although, they are compared to the color white, nothing can be discerned within them, neither a number nor any change, or some similar attribute. Nevertheless, by means of the illumination of the white into the worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, which are the three hues of the substance of the letters, all the changes come necessarily from the ten vessels of the sefirot of Atzilut, despite the fact that there are no vessels there with respect to it itself, as it is entirely white. This is like the metaphor of the white in the book, in relation to the letters and their combinations, as its illumination into Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya fashions the vessels within them.

You can understand, through the above explanation, the division by the Tikkunei Zohar of the world of Atzilut into three aspects, which are “He,” “His life,” and “His attributes,” even though there is a simple unity there, and nothing of the aspect of created beings. For “He” means the Divinity in and of itself, of which we have no grasp and which cannot be grasped, as has been explained regarding all essences, even corporeal ones (see section #12# above).

“His attributes” refers to the ten vessels, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut30The author of Sulam generally refers to the sefirot as the "ten sefirot," even when only referencing some of them, as he does here. that are there in Atzilut, which we compared to the white in the book of wisdom, as it is not possible even to speak of a number with respect to the white, since there is no function for a number there, because it is entirely white.

And yet not only do we apply a number to them, but we first find all the myriad changes that are manifested in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, which correspond to the substance of the letters, in the vessels of Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut that are in Atzilut itself. However, this is only in the manner of the white, which fashions all the shapes of the letters in the book without having any shape itself, and thus the white is fragmented into myriad shapes even though it has no shape in itself.31The concept of the white background in a book serving as an analogy for the world of Atzilut is explained in the previous sections.

Atzilut serves as the conceptual underpinnings of the actualized diversity of the created entities in the lower worlds of Beria, Yetzira and Asiya. Similarly, the ten vessels in Atzilut are differentiated by myriad variations, in accordance with their illumination in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, like the planned design that is implemented in the actual work of the construction of the house. Thus, all these changes that are effected in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya are only from the illumination of the vessels of the ten sefirot Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut in Atzilut, and we find myriad changes in the white from the perspective of the recipients in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya.

From the frame of reference of Atzilut relative to itself, it is like the white itself, which is not enclothed in the ink of the letters, where no number or anything at all can be found.32In other words, the variance within Atzilut only exists from the perspective of the lower levels which it illuminates. No change, variation, or diversity takes place within Atzilut itself, in isolation from those lower worlds.

The mystical meaning of “His attributes,” which are the vessels, has been thoroughly explained, as in respect to themselves they are simple unity, like “He.”

“His life” refers to the light that is enclothed in the white, which is the vessels, as stated above. This light is also comprehended by us only in relation to the souls that receive from Atzilut, and not, God forbid, within the Divinity in and of itself, for that is the mystical meaning of “He,” as stated above.33"His life," the light, does not refer to His essence. Rather it is the manifestation of His essence that we are able to experience from our perspective.

This is similar to the light of the sun, in contrast to the sun itself. We perceive the radiance of the sun, indicating to us that the sun itself is present. We do not directly encounter the body of the sun, analogous to the essence of God here. That is, when the three worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya ascend to Atzilut with the souls of people, the light they receive there is considered the light of Ḥokhma, which is called the “light of vitality.” It is from this perspective that we call the light “His life.”

This is the meaning of the statement in the Tikkunei Zohar that “He, His life, and His attributes are one,” for all three of these aspects are stated in relation to the recipients. The aspect of “His attributes” is the illumination of the vessels in the place of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya that is below the diaphragm of Atzilut.34The diaphragm is a spiritual barrier that lies at the bottom of the level of Atzilut.

For the light of Atzilut will never pass below the diaphragm of Atzilut, but only the illumination of the vessels will pass below the diaphragm. The aspect of “His life” is the illumination of the light of Atzilut itself, i.e., when Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya ascend to Atzilut. “He” is the mystical meaning of the essence of Divinity, which cannot be grasped at all, as stated above. It is stated in the Tikkunei Zohar that even though we recipients should discern these three aspects of Atzilut, these distinctions only apply in relation to the recipients.

By contrast, from the perspective of the world of Atzilut itself, even “His attributes” is an expression of “He,” i.e., the essence of Divinity, and for this reason the world of Atzilut itself cannot be grasped at all. This is the mystical meaning of the color white, which cannot be grasped in and of itself, and everything there is complete simple unity.

This can be compared to a lamp. Whether one lights many thousands of myriad candles from it, or whether one lights nothing from it at all, there will not be any consequential changes in the lamp itself. This is also similar to Adam the first man: Whether he had fathered thousands of offspring like us today, or whether he had not fathered anyone at all, this would not have effected any change whatsoever in Adam the first man himself. Likewise, there is no change at all in the world Atzilut in and of itself, God forbid, whether the lower creations receive its shefa in great abundance or whether they receive nothing from it at all. All of this growth applies solely to the lower creations.

However, if that is the case, for what purpose did the authors of the Zohar describe all of these changes in the world of Atzilut itself? They should have referred explicitly to the recipients in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya alone, rather than speaking at such great length about Atzilut such that we had to provide explanations for the authors.

In fact, there is an absolutely vital secret here, which is the mystical meaning of the verse “and by the ministry of the prophets have I used symbols.”39Hosea 12:11. For in fact there is a Divine will here that these symbols, which operate only in the souls of the receivers, should appear to the souls as though He Himself participates in them, in order to greatly increase the understanding of the souls.

This is similar to a father who restrains himself and shows his dear little son a suffering face or a contented face, even though there is nothing of either sadness or contentment within him. He does this only to stimulate his beloved son and deepen his understanding, in order to play with him. Only when he grows up will he learn and realize that everything his father did was no more than simply playing with him.

The same applies to the case at hand: Although the purpose of all of these symbols and variations from beginning to end is only the activation of the souls, nevertheless, as a result of the will of God they imagine that they are seeing them in He Himself. The blessed and exalted One does this in order to enhance and increase the understanding of the souls to the utmost extent, which is part of His intent for the Creation, in order to bestow benefit on His created beings.

Do not consider this surprising, as you will find a similar occurrence with our corporeal perception as well. For example, our sense of sight: We see a great, wide world before us, along with all of the wonders that fill it. However, in fact we see all of that only within our own interior being. That is, in the back of our brains there is a kind of a photographic machine depicting everything that we see there, and nothing outside of us. God has made for us there, in our brains, a kind of polished mirror that inverts everything seen there, so we will see it as outside our brains, before our faces. Although what we see outside of us is not a real thing, how grateful we must still be to His Providence, may He be blessed and exalted, for having made that polished mirror within our brains, enabling us to see and perceive everything appearing outside of us. He thereby granted us the power to perceive everything with clear knowledge and perception, to measure every object on the inside and the outside, and the like. Without that, we would lose most of our perceptions.

The same applies to the Divine will, to our perceptions of the Divine: Although all these changes occur in the interior of the receiving souls, they nevertheless see everything as in the Giver Himself, since it is only in this manner that they merit receiving all the perceptions and all the pleasantness in God’s intent for the Creation. You can infer the same from the above parable: Even though in practice we see everything in front of us, every intelligent person nevertheless knows clearly that everything we see is only perceived within our own brains.

Likewise with regard to souls: Despite the fact that they see all the images in the Giver, they still have no doubt whatsoever that all these are only within their own interiors and not at all in the Giver. Examine this matter and you will understand it, as it is not within my capacity to elaborate further.

Since these matters are from the concealed matters of the world, and I am very concerned that the reader might err in understanding them, it is worthwhile for me to make an extra effort and cite the golden words of the Zohar itself on these issues, and then to interpret them as best as I can.

Here is its wording, in its pure style:40Parashat Bo, 215-218, and in the Raya Mehemna. A person might ask: But it is written in the Torah (Deuteronomy 4:15): “For you did not see any image,” and how, then, do we expound names and sefirot as applying to Him?

One would answer: I saw this form, as in the verse: “And the image of the Lord he beholds.”41Numbers 12:8. This refers to the sefira of Malkhut, in which all the souls and the worlds are rooted, as she (Malkhut) is the root of all the vessels.42This will be explained more fully below, section 36. Regarding the ones that receive from her, those that must acquire the vessels from her, she is considered to them like an image. For it is regarding her that it is stated “and the image of the Lord he beholds,” as the Zohar proceeds to explain.

Even that image, which we call the sefira of Malkhut, does not exist in the place of Malkhut relative to herself, God forbid, but only when the light of Malkhut descends upon people and expands over them.43This is a similar point to that mentioned in the previous sections. There is no objective image of Malkhut. Instead, the recipient created beings perceive Malkhut in some subjective way relative to their own predilections.

This subjective perception within the mind of the created being is the meaning of the image of God that is "beholden" in the Biblical text. It then appears to them, to each and every one, according to their own perception, vision, and imagination, i.e., only with respect to the recipients and not at all in the sefira of Malkhut herself. This is the meaning of “and by the ministry of the prophets have I used symbols.”44Hosea 12:11.

Because of the above, the Holy One, blessed be He, will say to them: Although I manifest Myself to you in your forms, i.e., in vision and imagination, nevertheless, “to whom will you liken Me, that I should be equal?”45Isaiah 40:25. For before the Holy One, blessed be He, created an image in the world and before He fashioned a form, the Holy One, blessed be He, was singular in the world, without a form or image.

One who grasps Him above the level of Beria which corresponds to the sefira of Bina, above which He is beyond any likeness, is forbidden to compare Him to any form or image in the world, neither by the letter heh nor by the letter yod, or even to call Him by the holy name Havaya the four-letter name of God, or by any letter or dot.46Each of the five worlds corresponds to one of the five main sefirot. The world of Beria corresponds to the sefira of Bina, while the world of Atzilut corresponds to the sefira of Ḥokhma. As was explained in the previous sections, the world of Atzilut is divinity and beyond any kind of quantification. Accordingly, there is no possibility of even a subjective perception of a created being creating an image that pertains to Atzilut. There is simply no quantitative grasp of this level of reality. This is even more true with regards to the level beyond Atzilut, the world of Adam Kadmon, which corresponds to the sefira of Keter. This is the meaning of the verse: “For you did not see any image.” In other words, the verse “for you did not see any image” refers to those who merit grasping Him above the level of Beria which is Bina. For in the two sefirot, Keter and Ḥokhma, there is no form or image at all, meaning vessels and boundaries, as stated in section #18#, above. The vessels start from the sefira of Bina and downward, and therefore all the allusions in letters, dots, or holy names, are only from Bina downward, and even then, they are not in the place of the sefirot themselves but only exist with respect to the recipients, as stated earlier with regard to the sefira of Malkhut.

(Apparently there is a contradiction in the statements of the authors of the Zohar: They initially said that actualized forms extend to the recipients only from the sefira of Malkhut, according to the statement: “but only when Malkhut descends upon people...,” which is the mystical meaning of “by the ministry of the prophets have I used symbols.” And yet here the Zohar states that the forms extend to the recipients from Beria downward, i.e., from Bina downward.47The question the Sulam is raising here is regarding capacity for the created beings ascribing an image or form to the levels of reality beyond us.

On the one hand, the textual sources indicated that the image only applies to the level of the sefira of Malkhut. On the other hand, the previous section explained that this concept of subjective imagery extends up to the level of Bina. The author now resolves this contradiction.

The meaning of this is, in fact, that form and similitude extend only from the fourth level, which is Malkhut. The vessels are drawn from it, in the place of the recipients, but not at all from the first nine sefirot, which are Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, and Tiferet.48As explained in the Petiḥa LeḤokhmat HaKabbala, section 58. Recall that since Tiferet includes the other six lower sefirot, the four sefirot mentioned here actually represent all nine remaining sefirot.

However, in the world of Tikkun (rectification), there is a combination of the attribute of judgment with the attribute of mercy. This means that [God] raised the sefira of Malkhut, which is considered the attribute of judgment, and brought it into the sefira of Bina, which is considered the attribute of mercy.49As stated in the Petiḥa LeḤokhmat HaKabbala, section 58; see there. The process of the ascent of Malkhut to the place of Bina is called the second constriction.

This process ultimately allows the vessel of Malkhut to become rectified (the process of rectification referenced here) and able to receive the supernal light. Therefore, from that point onward, the vessels of Malkhut become rooted in the sefira of Bina, as stated here. This is why when the Zohar begins to speak about the actual root of the images, which are the vessels, it states that they are in Malkhut, and then afterward it states that they are in Beria.

This is because of the force of the combination that was performed for the sake of the rectification of the world. The Sages likewise stated:50Bereshit Rabba 12:15. “The Holy One, blessed be He, initially created the world with the attribute of judgment; [when] He saw that the world could not exist, He combined with it the attribute of mercy.”

Understand that the ten sefirot Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut are called by many names in the Book of the Zohar, in accordance with their numerous functions. When they are called Keter, Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, their function is to distinguish between the vessels of the front, which are called Keter and Atzilut, i.e., Keter and Ḥokhma, and the vessels of the back, which are called Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, that is, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut.

This distinction emerged among them through the combination of the attribute of judgment with the attribute of mercy.51As stated in the Petiḥa LeḤokhmat HaKabbala, section 183; see there. When Malkhut ascended to Bina in the second constriction, it caused a separation (called a diaphragm) to form on that level between the sefirot above (Keter and Ḥokhma) and those below (Bina, Tiferet and Malkhut).

The sefirot above the diaphragm are those of the "front," meaning more on the "inside" relative to the supernal light. Those below are the "back," meaning on the "outside" relative to the supernal light. Since the Zohar wishes to allude to the combination of Malkhut with Bina, it therefore calls the sefira of Bina by the name of Beria, since before that combination there was no image or form in Bina, even with respect to the recipients, but solely in Malkhut.)

The above passage in the Zohar continues: However, after He made the form of the chariot of the “supernal man” He descended and was enclothed there. Within it He is called by the form of the four letters of Havaya, yod-heh-vav-heh, that is, the ten sefirot: Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut. For the upper point of the yod is Keter, yod is Ḥokhma, heh is Bina, vav is Tiferet, and the last heh is Malkhut. This is so that they would grasp Him through His attributes, i.e., the sefirot, and through each and every attribute within Him.

The meaning of this is as follows: From Beria and downward, i.e., from Bina, after it had been combined with the attribute of judgment, which is Malkhut, the images and the forms were drawn forth to the recipients, which are the souls, not in Bina’s own place, God forbid, but only in the place of the recipients, as stated.52This means to say that these forms and permutations are only from the perspectives of the recipients, the souls, and not manifest in the layers of being from which they originate, the spiritual realms described here.

This point is made repeatedly throughout this section. We, as the recipients, experience the diversity of being from our perspective, the “colors.” In contrast, from the perspective of the origin, “their place,” there is only the unity of the color white. See the previous sections, 27-29.

The Zohar then states that He then made the form of the chariot of the “supernal man,” and descended and enclothed in the form of this man. In other words, the whole form of man in his 613 vessels are drawn from the vessels of the soul. For the soul has 613 vessels, which are called the 248 limbs and 365 spiritual sinews. These are divided into five parts, according to the four letters of Havaya and the upper point of the yod: Its head is considered Keter; the part from the mouth to the chest is Ḥokhma; from the chest to the navel is Bina; and from the navel to the end of the legs is the two sefirot, Tiferet and Malkhut.

Similarly, the Torah as a whole is regarded as the mystical meaning of the structure of man, which is the mystical meaning of the 248 positive mitzvot, which correspond to the 248 limbs, and the 365 negative mitzvot, corresponding to the 365 sinews. It contains five parts, which are the mystical meaning of the five books of the Torah. This is called “the image of the chariot of the supernal man,” i.e., the man of Beria, which is Bina, from where these vessels begin to be drawn in the place of the souls.

He is called “upper man” because there are three levels of man in the sefirot, namely man of Beria, man of Yetzira, and man of Asiya. However, in Keter and Ḥokhma there is no image at all that could be denoted by some letter or dot, or by the four letters of Havaya, as stated. Since here the Zohar is speaking of the world of Beria, it is being precise when it states “supernal man.”53In other words, since there are three levels of man, one in each of the levels of Beria, Yetzira and Asiya, the highest, or "upper" man refers to the level of Beria.

Above that level, in Atzilut and beyond, there is no structure of any kind, as the author of the Sulam explained in the previous sections.

However, you must always remember the words of the Zohar, that these images do not exist in the realm of the sefirot of Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, but only in the realm of the minds of the recipients. And yet, these sefirot provide those vessels and this clothing, “so that the recipients will grasp Him through His attributes,” in order that the souls will grasp Him by means of the light that is drawn to them in bounded quantities, in accordance with their 613 limbs. Because of this, we also call these bestowers by the name “man,” even though there, in their place, they are merely considered the color white (as stated in section #8# above).54See the previous two footnotes which explain this idea.

You should not find it perplexing that the four letters of Havaya and the upper point of the yod are the five aforementioned vessels, as the vessels are invariably called letters, and they are the mystical meaning of the five sefirot: Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, as stated. It is thus explicitly stated that there are vessels of Keter and Ḥokhma as well, which are alluded to by the upper point of the yod and the yod of Havaya.55The author is articulating a conceptual problem here.

The letter form representing each of the sefirot indicates a "vessel" form, as the concept of letters represents quantitative vessels for "containing" a qualitative concept. The problem is that the sefirot of Keter and Ḥokhma correspond to Atzilut and Adam Kadmon, and as the author of the Sulam explained in the previous sections, those levels have no quantitative aspect whatsoever. So, how can there be a letter representation of aspects of reality that are beyond any quantity?

In contrast, from Bina and downward, the dynamics of quantity and structure do have a place, as the author of the Sulam explained previously, so it follows that there should be letter representations of those levels. The author proceeds to solve this difficulty.

The meaning is that when the Zohar speaks of the images and the attributes, which are the vessels, beginning from Beria and downward, i.e., only the three sefirot Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, and not Keter and Ḥokhma, this is from the perspective of the essence of the sefirot. However, it is known that the sefirot are incorporated in one another, and there are ten sefirot: Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut in Keter, and likewise Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut in Ḥokhma, and similarly Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut in Bina, and the same applies to Tiferet, and Malkhut.56Meaning, each individual sefira is itself composed of all ten sefirot.

Accordingly, the three sefirot: Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, from which the vessels come, are found in each of the five sefirot: Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut. Accordingly, each of the five sefirot: Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut contains the three sefirot: Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, from which the vessels originate.

You will thereby understand that the upper point of the yod, which is the mystical meaning of the vessels of Keter, indicates Bina and Tiferet and Malkhut that are incorporated in Keter.57This point, which the author of the Sulam expands upon in the next sentences, is the key to solving the aforementioned difficulty. Since every sefira is itself composed of all the sefirot, even the sefira of Keter has its own internal level of Bina, Tiferet and Malkhut.

It is these lower aspects of the sefira that "translate" its dynamic into a receivable "form" for the ensuing lower levels. It is this lower aspect of these higher sefirot that is represented in the letter forms of the four-letter name of God (the Tetragrammaton). And similarly, the yod of Havaya, which is a vessel of Ḥokhma, indicates Bina and Tiferet and Malkhut that are incorporated in Ḥokhma. Thus, the Keter and Ḥokhma that are incorporated even in Bina and Ze’er Anpin and Nukba58Ze'er Anpin and Nukba are references to Tiferet and Malkhut using the partzuf names of these structures. do not have vessels, whereas Bina and Tiferet and Malkhut that are incorporated even in Keter and Ḥokhma do have vessels.

From this perspective, there really are five levels of spiritual man, as the Bina, Tiferet and Malkhut in all five sefirot bestow shefa through the mystical meaning of the chariot of man. For this reason, there is man in the aspect of Keter, called Adam Kadmon, and there is man in the aspect of Ḥokhma, called Adam of Atzilut, and man in the aspect of Bina, called Adam of Beria, and man in the aspect of Tiferet, called Adam of Yetzira, and man in the aspect of Malkhut, called Adam of Asiya.

The Zohar continues: He called Himself by the names El, Elohim, Shaddai, Tzeva’ot, and Eheyeh, so that they would know Him through each and every one of His attributes, how He conducts the world with kindness and might, corresponding to the acts of people. For the ten names in the Torah that must not be erased are the mystical meaning of the ten sefirot, as written in the Zohar:59Vayikra, 168. The sefira of Keter is called Eheyeh; the sefira of Ḥokhma is called Yah; the sefira of Bina is called Havaya with the vowels of the name Elohim; the sefira of Ḥesed is called El; the sefira of Gevura is called Elohim; the sefira of Tiferet is called Havaya; the two sefirot Netzaḥ and Hod are called Tzeva’ot; the sefira of Yesod is called El Ḥay; and the sefira of Malkhut is called Adonai.