Nevertheless, this did not immediately cause the worst possible deficiency, which is the opposite of perfection, as we said above. What it did was to cause deficiency after deficiency, gradually, stage by stage. Each one was a further divergence from perfection until finally, total deficiency emerged, the very opposite of perfection – the Other Side. Initially the power of Judgment caused only the slightest of all deficiencies, the first concealment, which was the concealment of perfection.
Nevertheless, great light, abundance and illumination remained, and this is the ultimate that the most perfect of creatures can attain. Afterwards, the power of Judgment caused a greater concealment, leaving a weaker radiation than the first. So it went on, causing concealment after concealment. Each further concealment brought about new consequences.
Even the second concealment did not cause actual evil and destruction but only a diminution of radiation. In this way things descended from level to level, with one concealment after another and one deficiency after another, until actual flaws appeared and then evil emerged, as will be discussed below.