Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah Reader

Afterwards, another level emerged beneath it and was repaired in the same way, leaving in place its root for the existence of evil and likewise the root left by the previous level, together with the totality of all that remained. However, when the second level came to be cleansed and sifted out of the overall totality, this totality included not only what had not yet been cleansed, in which all the evil was waiting to be rejected, but also what had been rejected from the first level. For the overall totality was like one grainpile from which a little more is taken each time while the rest is thrown aside until at the very end everything is sorted out.

Thus when Keter, for example, was selected and cleansed, it left a certain aspect of itself behind, for it no longer sustained the evil that had come from it with the exception of some aspect that still remained inasmuch as the perfection was still not revealed completely. However, this is not considered an aspect of Keter but rather an aspect of Chochmah, which had not yet been cleansed, and which still contained something that produced evil.

And this is where the root of evil that had been in Keter went. Thus even the evil rejected from Keter was now being sustained through Chochmah, which came after it. Chochmah was then similarly cleansed, and the evil was rejected from it, yet the evil was still sustained, this time through Binah, which came after Chochmah. This included sustaining the evil that came from Keter as well as the evil that came from Chochmah.

And so it went on from level to level, until in the end, all the evil was left to the last level of Malchut of Asiyah, which sustained all the evil left by the higher Sefirot too. Malchut is itself a Sefirah which was also salvaged from the destruction, for if this were not so, Malchut would not exist. However, it was cleansed only a little, for on the contrary, it exists to maintain the Other Side for as long as necessary while still leaving it under the rule of holiness in accordance with the mystery contained in the verse, “And His kingship (Malchut) rules over all” (Psalms 103:19). However, since its task was still the maintenance of the Other Side, we say that it was not cleansed and purified like the others, as will be discussed further later on.

It could be objected that we have said two things that contradict each other. On the one hand we have made the comparison with a grainpile, from which a small portion is taken each time while the rest is thrown back. On the other hand, we have said that the maintenance of the evil of Keter is left to Chochmah and that of Chochmah to Binah, etc. But this is inconsistent with the metaphor of the grainpile, for the pile is an overall whole and cannot be considered a series of levels. This, indeed, makes more sense – for why does Chochmah have a stronger connection to the maintenance of the evil of Keter than the others?

The answer is that it is true that the maintenance of evil does indeed involve gradation – in the sense that evil itself initially had a great root, having also been rooted in Keter, but afterwards it descended one level, and was rooted only in Chochmah and below. Then afterwards it descended even further and was rooted only in Binah and below. This shows how the world is on the way to repair, since evil has some affinity only with the lower levels but not with the higher ones.

Thus although in one aspect it appears as if the waste was “thrown back into the pile”, the truth is that the maintenance of evil passed immediately to Chochmah and all the more so to the levels below it. (That is to say, the task of maintaining evil fell to all that remained unpurified – in terms of the metaphor, it fell into the grainpile as a whole – except that it still relates to Chochmah and even more so to the levels below it.)

However, when Chochmah was purified, it reached only Binah, and so it was in all cases until it remained on that bottom level which I mentioned.

The upper level thus had a share in this... For the Other Side certainly must contain levels corresponding to all the holy Sefirot. This parallelism came about through the fact that the evil corresponding to the good on each level was ejected, thereby bringing one level of the Other Side into being. If so, it must be that all the Sefirot have a share in it (in order that the Other Side will have the ability to rise up against all the Sefirot).

...except that it was in the process of evading and being cleansed of it... For this is the repair – to escape the evil that was emerging from it....and it was then fit to receive light. For as explained above, first the vessels must be purified from their involvement in the production of evil, and then they can receive the light. Accordingly, as each level was sifted out and cleansed, so the light entered into it.

The same happened on each successive level in relation to the level below it, until all the levels of Atzilut, Beriyah, Yetzirah and Asiyah were cleansed, as they are now... i.e. after Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah turned into Atzilut-Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah, as will be discussed below.

...and they then left the task of producing evil to the lowest of all levels, that of Malchut of Asiyah. They were then all ready to receive the light except for this last level... For the inner light is found in all the others, but not in this one. This was the intention of the ARI in writing that Malchut is called “robbed” or “despoiled” and must be rescued from the hands of the oppressor. (This means that the rejected waste of all the other levels remains in the Sefirah of Malchut, which has to maintain the Other Side, and in this sense the latter “oppresses” Malchut.)...because the light can only spread in a vessel that is cleansed of evil. This is the underlying reason for this entire process of cleansing, as explained above.

Part 2: All this is called only the repair of the garments of Nekudim. Even though we now have Atzilut, Beriyah, Yetzirah and Asiyah (and it might appear that the garments are subsidiary to Atzilut), the truth is that all this is only Beriyah, Yetzirah and Asiyah of Nekudim, and thus we speak in terms of the garments ruling until they were repaired. Their rule has still not come to an end, for their work will only be complete when all the processes of sifting and cleansing are complete.

To the extent that the vessels were repaired, so the light would successively enter into them. For the entire process of making Atzilut, Beriyah, Yetzirah and Asiyah was a matter of cleansing the vessels. Whatever is cleansed more thoroughly becomes more elevated and receives a greater light. However, the complete great light has still not come as yet, this being the Atzliut that was concealed. For the garments themselves have not yet completed their repair, as it goes on to say later.

The more remote the level of a given vessel from anything that has to do with evil, the greater the light it was fit to receive. The gradation found in the respective distance from evil of the various levels derives from their gradation in terms of the maintenance of evil. (The ability of any given Sefirah to receive the light depends on its distance from the level of the lowest Sefirah, which is the one that maintains the evil.) For it is the lowest level of all that maintains evil. The level immediately above it, although not responsible for maintaining that evil, is nevertheless not far from it, while the next level above is still further away. The greatness of the lights in the vessels corresponds to the degree to which they have been cleansed.

However, the first Atzilut was not revealed again... It should be clear from everything I have written above that as long as the garments ruled in order to complete their construction, Atzilut had no affinity with this....for the repair of all these garments cannot be called complete as long as this lowest level is still directed to the production of evil... Overall, the garments are still not rectified as long as one part continues to maintain the evil.

Moreover, this causes a deficiency in all the other levels, because even the fact that the vessels remain distant from evil indicates that they still have some connection with it. (The vessels have a residual connection with evil in the sense that they may be nearer to or further away from it.) For this reason no part at all of (the first) Atzilut is now revealed, because the garment is not complete.

...and thus devoid of the light. This is the proof that this repair is not yet complete, for things are still the opposite of the ultimate intention. For we see that there is one level that is void of light, and it is surely necessary for all the levels to contain the light, for this is their perfection. This is the proof that so far things are still not complete.

The repair of Malchut by man, through which everything is completely repaired

The repair of this last level depends on the actions of men, whose task is to strengthen the power of holiness. Then evil will have no further purpose at all but everything will serve only the glory of the Creator. All the garments will then be said to have been repaired completely, and everything will return and serve to complete the first foundation that was established – that the entire creation should be of one accord, a single law of perfect repair revealing the unity of God, blessed be He. Atzilut of Nekudim, which is this first foundation, will then be revealed. The light will complete its entry into all the vessels, and the garments will be under the influence of Atzilut, and everything will be in a state of complete repair.

To complete this general overview of the subject of the Primordial Kings, it is also necessary to explain the purpose of this level that was left at the end.

The proposition consists of two parts. Part 1: The repair of this last level... This explains how this level is repaired. Part 2: Atzilut of Nekudim... This explains what will come about through the repair of this level.

Part 1: The repair of this last level depends on the actions of men... For this is actually what the Supreme Mind prepared in order to provide for the possibility of reward and punishment. For God separated evil from the supernal Sefirot but left its complete removal in the hands of men, and this is what constitutes the repair of this level.

...whose task is to strengthen the power of holiness. There is no need for a new mission for mankind: it is enough that they themselves increase the power of the holy Sefirot through the power of their deeds. This indeed is the difference between the repair accomplished by the hand of Heaven and the repair accomplished by man, for everything that involved a new innovation had to be brought about by the hand of Heaven, but what simply involved reinforcing the repair and fixing it permanently was to be done by the hands of men.

Then evil will have no further purpose at all... For even this level only sustains evil in order that it should serve as a challenge during the time when this is necessary, and it is necessary only as long as flaws and sins remain. However, when all the souls have completed their mission, evil will have no further place because accusation will have no further relevance since it will no longer be proper to punish. (When there are no sins, there is no accusation and therefore nothing to nourish and sustain evil.)

Moreover, it is man’s choice that gives control in the world either to the holy side or to the Other Side. The intent of the commandments is to put holiness in control and prevent the Other Side from taking control. Since men’s mission will then have been fulfilled and the service whereby they put holiness in total control and removed the power of evil will be complete, there will be no further place for evil. (Evil will be negated because there will be no need for it, since it was created to provide the possibility of repair through free will, and the repair will already be complete through the strengthening of good.)

...but everything will serve only the glory of the Creator. Even the evil that once existed returns to being for the glory of the Creator, as it goes on to say.

All the garments will then be said to have been repaired completely... This is the repair of the actual garments, in the sense that what had been evil in them will revert to good. This brings about the realization of the first law, that everything should be for the glory of Eyn Sof, blessed be He.

...and everything will return and serve to complete the first foundation that was established – that the entire creation should be of one accord... For the intent is to fulfill this overall purpose, as this is what came forth at the outset, and it still remains to be completed. For the purpose of all the different roundabout circuits was to complete the overall repair.

...a single law of perfect repair... This is the reason why everything comes back to this goal, but this is in truth the essence of the existence which the Supreme Mind brought forth, and this is what needs to come forth to operate in actuality, namely the law of the complete repair...revealing the unity of God, blessed be He. For this was the ultimate goal of the plan from the outset – to reveal His supreme unity, which is complete perfection, in order that all that exists might delight in Him, as explained above.

Part 2: Atzilut of Nekudim, which is this first foundation, will then be revealed. For this Atzilut is none other than the emanation of the lights (their revelation and differentiation into all their details) on which the entire governmental order is based, in order that the souls may delight therein, as explained earlier. This must be in accordance with the perfect, rectified state. It is thus only after the garments are rectified and all the damage repaired that this Atzilut will be revealed. This is the emanation of the lights in accordance with the overall foundation of all that exists, which is that everything exists only for the glory of God, blessed be His name.

The light will complete its entry into all the vessels... For this Atzilut (or emanation of the lights) that we refer to applies to the vessels of the Nekudim. When the repair of the vessels is complete, the inner light will enter fully into the vessel (all the lights, including all the details of the revelation of the unity, will enter into the vessels) and the governmental order will thus be complete.

...and the garments will be under the influence of Atzilut... For as already explained, at present what were once the garments of Atzilut are in a state of having fallen to become worlds in themselves, since the body that was clothed in them is absent. But when the first Atzilut is again revealed, they will all go back to being its garments.

...and everything will be in a state of complete repair. For the lights will be complete, and the garments will be complete, fulfilling their proper function, and all that exists will be complete with no flaws.

The production of evil and its future return to good. Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah became Atzilut-Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah but will later revert into Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah.

That these vessels or garments should be the root of evil is not in itself an impairment, for on the contrary, this is the perfection of the creation according to the underlying intention – to reveal the supreme unity of God, blessed be He. However, at first they were the root of evil – which was actual evil. This evil must be turned back to good through the repairs carried out by men, and it will itself be to the glory of the King that men thereby attained merit.

In order to accomplish this in actuality, it was necessary for these garments to provide a place for it to come into being. This was through the selection and gradation that took place among them, until only the very last level of Malchut of Asiyah was left to produce it, and Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah turned into Atzilut-Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah. And when it is rectified and turned back to good, things return to the way they were at first, and there is no longer any need for it to exist in actuality, for it is sufficient that it once existed and has now been rectified. This is the meaning of the verse, “He will consume death for ever” (Isaiah 25:8). And then Atzilut-Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah turn back into Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah, and the last part of Malchut of Asiyah becomes integrated with its whole, and the supreme Atzilut of the generality of the Nekudim is revealed. The garments will then remain as the root of the evil that once existed but was rectified and brought back to good. Eyn Sof, blessed be, He will then be said to have completed His works, and He alone will be exalted in His unity.

Having said that these worlds will go back to being subsidiary to Atzilut in the form of its “garments”, we must now complete our explanation of this matter and of how Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah turned into Atzilut-Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah and must finally return to being Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah.

The proposition consists of two parts. Part 1: That these vessels... This explains what these garments were like before they produced evil and what they were like afterwards. Part 2: In order to accomplish this in actuality... This explains the process that took place in accordance with this basic principle.

Part 1: That these vessels or garments should be the root of evil... Clearly, since they produced evil when they ruled by themselves, they are certainly like this in their nature. Yet this...is not in itself an impairment... For if it were an impairment, the vessels would have to be nullified just like evil itself is nullified in the end. For just as the perfection that removes all deficiences removes evil itself, so to it would have to remove this impairment, which is a deficiency inasmuch as it is the cause of evil. But, as it goes onto explain, it is not an impairment, and therefore they will endure.

...for on the contrary, this is the perfection of the creation according to the underlying intention – to reveal the supreme unity of God, blessed be He. For the entire purpose was to demonstrate His true perfection by first showing exactly what the deficiencies are, so that through seeing their very power we may understand the nature of His true perfection, in that it removes these deficiencies. If there were to be nothing left in the very end to show what it was that had been deficient, what would have been gained from the entire existence of the world?

The perfection would go back to what it was at first (had there been no evil) – His intrinsic perfection alone, for He is perfect – but this would not enable us to discern the real truth of this perfection as we should, through seeing its power to rectify the deficiencies. (The fact that the garments remain as the cause of evil is called a deficiency, but the fact that His perfection does not permit the evil to develop reveals the superiority of that perfection.)

However, at first they were the root of evil – which was actual evil. Certainly when this root of evil had to come into being in order to demonstrate God’s perfection, the initial purpose of its existence was to give existence to deficiencies through the concealment of that perfection. Afterwards, however, when the deficiencies are repaired, this root remains in order to show how that which was originally a deficiency has already been rectified. We will then see clearly the order and pathway whereby the deficiencies were rectified through the revelation of the perfection, which gradually, little by little, became continually more revealed, and likewise rectifies the deficiencies in the same gradual way.

All this can be seen and understood through this root. Initially it was the root of evil in the sense of actual evil. In other words, if evil carries out the evil incitement that is within its power, this is called actual evil. But when it is evil in its intrinsic nature yet it contains within it that which rectifies it – in the sense that it can no longer do evil – this is called evil that has reverted to good, because it has literally changed its function.

Initially it was actual evil inasmuch as its own intrinsic nature was such that wherever it was found, it obstructed the flow of blessing and sustenance. However, when it reverts to good, it greatly increases the flow of sustenance and blessing in the place where it is found, and the flow of sustenance is in proportion to the intensity of the original evil. (The revelation of His unity is all the greater and the stature of those who choose good is enhanced.)

This is rightly so: the very evil that was so strong in its nature yet was nevertheless overcome by man is itself man’s own witness to argue in his favor and show his merit. The stronger the evil, the greater the merit that is revealed through the power of the person who overcame it. The same applies in the case of the overall perfection. As long as evil is still not repaired, it is, as it were, a stain on the honor of the King.

However, after evil is brought under control through the supreme unity, which rectifies the damage, evil itself turns back to show the glory of the King, as if to say: “See how such great evil is powerless to do anything because of the perfection of the One Master”. Thus the evil itself returns to good and the flow of blessing is greatly increased, because the essential flow of blessing is that which comes from the revelation of God’s unity, for this is the delight of the souls, as explained above.

These two aspects that we have mentioned – the revelation of the glory of the King and man’s merit – are interconnected. For man’s whole task is to reveal this unity, and when it is revealed, this is through the strong faith of the people of Israel, who believe in His unity and take courage in it even in the face of the worst troubles. Indeed, the entire practice of the commandments is bound up with the mystery of the revelation of the unity that started with the repair of the vessels, as discussed above. (The Holy One, blessed be He, started with the purification of the vessels, and man completes the process through carrying out the commandments. Then God can shine to the vessels, and this is the revelation of His unity.)

Evil thus has two functions. The first is at the start of its existence, when it produces every kind of deficiency and is, as it were, a stain on the glory of the King. Wherever it exists, it reduces the flow of blessing, and then it is called actual evil. The second function is after it already exists, when unity has already taken control over it and the evil no longer acts but rather it is the unity that functions in its perfection. Evil itself then shows the glory of the great unity of the King, as if to say, “This is what the King overcame through His great perfection”. Wherever the evil was greater, the flow of blessing is now greater, all according to the work and effort involved. Man’s merit is then in direct proportion to the greatness of the evil rectified through his efforts.

This evil must be turned back to good... i.e. so as to serve a good purpose, as explained above. In other words, it must be the rectified deficiency itself that brings about a more powerful revelation of God’s perfection. Indeed, the stronger the evil becomes, it simply indicates that a greater perfection wants to be revealed. This is obvious.

For the meaning of perfection is that it has the power to rectify the deficiencies. Thus the perfection is all the greater when it rectifies a greater deficiency. If so, when the Supreme Will wanted to reveal His very great perfection, it was first necessary to reveal a very great deficiency. This itself is part of the revelation of the perfection itself, for it is impossible to understand the perfection without the preceding deficiency, which the perfection rectifies.

If so, when He wants to reveal His perfect, most glorious power, wherein the souls have the greatest delight, a very great deficiency must first be revealed. For according to the deficiency that is revealed, so is the level of the perfection that is revealed at the end, and through a greater deficiency, a more perfect power is revealed.

You cannot say it would have been better had there been no deficiency and if the good destined to reign in the end had existed from the beginning. This is not so, for perfection does not only mean good, it means the repair of deficiency. Thus if there had been no deficiency, the perfection would not have been revealed but only the good. However, the true delight of the souls is not in good but in perfection (for only when the deficiency is overcome can they rise to new levels of attainment), and this perfection is His unity, as explained above (see Opening 4).

...through the repairs carried out by men... For the Supreme Will made the revelation of His unity contingent on the repairs carried out by men, so that they should be the ones who finally reveal it. It is they who (through their performance of the commandments and through their faith) are to bring about the desire of the supreme unity to be revealed in actuality and to rule, showing that it is in His power to make evil turn back to good in the end. Not only do they receive a fitting reward for their deeds – this is the good that is revealed – but they even receive a reward for their effort. This is that they can enjoy the good without feeling any shame.

We thus see that evil itself reverts to good, for it is evil that brings about this extra repair (through necessitating the extra effort). The supreme perfection then becomes known in the process, since this is what repairs all these deficiencies, these being the punishments of the wicked. (In time to come it will be revealed how the punishment served only the purpose of repair, and if so the unity will be revealed even through the judgment of the wicked.)

For evil itself exists only because of His desire to conceal Himself, and if they fail to improve their behavior, they have to endure suffering. (This shows that evil brings no benefit but only troubles.) More than that, at the end of everything, the unity is revealed and evil itself reverts to good, for the unity is revealed and the deficiencies are rectified.

...and it will itself be to the glory of the King that men thereby attained merit. The fact that the revelation of the unity is contingent on men’s deeds contains another repair for evil itself. This is that even its existence in the category of actual evil is itself for the glory of the King, for this is what makes it possible for men to attain merit, since they were forced to work and make repairs in order to reveal the supreme unity.

If there had been no actual evil, they would not have had any merit. Therefore, through the repairs carried out by man, the deficiencies themselves are repaired through the revelation of the unity and perfection. (For it is thereby revealed that the deficiencies were brought about for a good purpose – to give men a reward.) Then even its previous existence in the category of actual evil turns out to have been good.

Part 2: In order to accomplish this in actuality, it was necessary for these garments to provide a place for it to come into being. As explained above, the Supreme Will wanted the individual details of the process to be distinct – the deficiencies by themselves and the repair by itself.

This was through the selection and gradation that took place among them... For initially, even though the vessels were broken, as stated above, everything was only in the Sefirot prior to the emergence of separate creations. Thus when we say that evil was revealed, this was not actual evil itself – the Other Side – but rather, the roots of evil, i.e. the strict judgments and flaws of all different kinds found in the lights themselves. Actual evil itself emerged only afterwards, following the repair – in other words, after all the levels were instituted in their repaired state as laws in the governmental order. It was then that they brought forth the separate creations and the Other Side emerged in accordance with these roots revealed when the vessels broke. It was the breaking of the vessels that involved the separation into levels that we discussed above (Opening 47), where each level in succession turned away from producing evil, leaving only the lowest level of Malchut of Asiyah to produce evil. It was this lowest level of Malchut of Asiyah that brought forth evil into actuality, with aspects corresponding to all the roots contained in it from all the Sefirot. For this Malchut includes all those roots and brings forth their function into actuality in the form of the Other Side itself.

In order to accomplish this, a major gradation into different levels was necessary in the fallen garments, and out of three they became four. Thus Malchut of Asiyah as it is now is only one part of the original Malchut of Asiyah, for the other parts rose higher and did not remain on the same low level. What this means is that since all the other levels were intent on separating themselves from the production of evil, they left only this level of Malchut of Asiyah to carry out this function, while all the other parts separated from it. They also all separated one from another (for example, part of Yetzirah rose to Beriyah, and so on), until Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah turned into Atzilut-Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah.

The task of producing evil was thus left to the very last of all these levels, which, being only a part of what should have been Malchut of Asiyah, was no longer of great stature. And when the production of evil is no longer necessary, this level will go back to being included with the other levels that separated from it, and all of them together will make up Malchut of Asiyah instead of only this lowest part. Atzilut-Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah will go back to being only Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah, and the supreme Atzilut will be revealed over them as it was before the breaking of the vessels. (“In time to come... the name of SaG will return to its original status, while the name of MaH will not operate” – Etz Chayim, Shaar HaTikkun ch. 3, p. 49b.)

...until only the very last level of Malchut of Asiyah was left to produce it... For the different levels are actually powers that spread forth one after the other, each power less than the one before. For the concealment is more intense in the second than in the first (since the second is closer to Malchut, which produces evil). And although “two hundred includes one hundred” and the lower level is included in the upper, the mission of the lower level is nevertheless not revealed there as long as the upper level functions and the concealment has not yet reached the necessary degree of intensity to produce the lower level. Thus as long as the lower level was included as part of the upper level, its offspring did not emerge.

Since the intention was to bring forth evil, the upper levels were in the process of separating from the lower levels, where there was a corresponding increase in the degree of concealment. This was precisely what distinguished them from the upper levels, because the concealment on the lower levels was so intense that evil could emerge from them, which was not the case on the earlier levels.

The explanation of all this is bound up with the idea discussed earlier that everything which acquires its own independent function acquires its own name. Accordingly, this lowest level should not have been a separate aspect in itself but should rather have been subordinate to the function of the other parts which departed from it, and then its mission would have been like theirs. Instead of producing evil, it would have served to complete the earlier levels. But clearly, the reason why we call this lowest level a level on its own is that the light found there is on a level lower than that of the previous level, even though initially the lower level also came into the overall category of the first. This is the gradation that we say took place here.

...and Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah turned into Atzilut-Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah. For this did not take place on only one level. Much gradation was necessary in order to reach the point where they became four: Atzilut-Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah. For this Asiyah is very lowly – so much so that it was Malchut of Asiyah, its lowest level, that produced evil.

And when it is rectified and turned back to good, things return to the way they were at first... For you have already heard how evil exists in two states. The first is when it is actual evil – carrying out the evil in its power. The second state is when these very functions of evil will have sunk down in their place and will not operate. Evil is then said to have reverted to good, as stated above. Evil will no longer function because of the perfection that will be revealed, and the return of evil to good brings a flow of great blessing. The final state of repair will be when evil no longer exists in the state in which it performs evil. Aspects of evil will exist only in the sense of being negated: they will not function because of the revelation of the unity, which prevents them from functioning.