The nose of Zeir Anpin The nose of Zeir Anpin completes the face, it makes the face recognizable. This nose is not like the nose of the most hidden Atika Kadisha. The nose of Atika is the life of the living; the spirits of life come from the two nostrils. Of this Zeir Anpin it is written, “There went up a smoke out of his nostrils” (II Shmuel 22:9).
Every aspect is attached to the smoke in the nose, and many bearers of harsh judgment are attached to each aspect. They are all sweetened only by the smoke of the altar below. It is therefore written, “And Hashem smelled the sweet savor” (Bereshit 8:21). The sweet savor sweetens the judgment bearers, that is, it delights them.