Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah Reader

Nevertheless Zeir Anpin’s Chochmah, Binah and Daat are found to be double in the sense that he has Chochmah-Binah-Daat from both Abba and Imma. The reason is because these three Sefirot are found in Zeir Anpin by virtue of the fact that Abba rectifies Zeir Anpin and Imma rectifies Zeir Anpin – and thus Abba repairs all three and Imma repairs all three. Thus we say that the repair of Chochmah is complete and likewise the repair of Binah is complete, and thus Zeir Anpin is fully repaired, being in possession of all three, which automatically completes the repair of his own Daat.

Part 2: Accordingly Daat can spread further than all the other Mental Powers. The spread of Daat comes about through the spread of the Five Kindnesses to all the Sefirot of Zeir Anpin and of the Five Strengths to those of Nukva, as will be discussed in due course (see Opening 126).

For the other Mental Powers… When we consider the way things are ordered in the light of our discussion above, we can see that once Abba and Imma are engrafted in Zeir Anpin’s Chochmah and Binah there is no need for them to spread. It is enough that they are present and …remain within their vessels since it is enough that they exist in Zeir Anpin… – for this is the way of the Mental Powers when they are present – …and stand in their respective columns... Certainly all aspects of Abba incline to the right and all aspects of Imma to the left, and these two therefore remain in their vessels according to the law of the Mental Powers. Since they are higher lights that come to direct Zeir Anpin, they are too exalted to function without being clothed in a vessel, and must therefore remain hidden and concealed. This is why they are present in a garb – each in its own column – in the vessels of Netzach and Hod of Abba and Imma respectively.

The statement “it is enough that they exist in Zeir Anpin” means is that it is not necessary for them to spread but simply to be present as they are in their own intrinsic nature. Accordingly they do not radiate to the outside at all except what they can radiate through their vessels, because the function generated through them does not take place in them but in Daat, which is the overall function that emerges as a result. Accordingly, they are merely present. Daat, however, which is the offspring that emerges out of all this, must necessarily spread – for the result of this engrafting of Abba and Imma does indeed spread through the whole of Zeir Anpin, all of which is greatly affected as a result.

…whereas Daat can spread even in the other columns… The expansion that might seem to have been required in Chochmah and Binah all takes place in Daat, because Daat is the offspring of Chochmah and Binah that spreads through everything, and indeed Daat truly extends through all the levels of Zeir Anpin …on all the different levels. Thus the Five Kindnesses of Daat extend even to Keter, as explained in the Kabbalistic writings.

Interrelation of Zeir Anpin and Nukva in the developmental chain and the governmental order

According to the order of the Sefirot as built through Chochmah and Binah, Zeir Anpin consists of nine Sefirot while Nukva is the tenth. However in the governmental order of Daat they stand parallel, one to the right and one to the left. This is the mystery of the Five Kindnesses and Five Strengths through which Daat divides up between them equally.

Having discussed Daat in general terms, we will now examine its Five Kindnesses and Five Strengths.

The proposition has two parts. Part 1: According to the order… Part 2: This is the mystery…

Part 1: According to the order of the Sefirot… i.e. in terms of the number of levels that make up the developmental chain. …as built through Chochmah and Binah… For the building of Zeir Anpin is through Chochmah and Binah – the Pregnancy and Birth of Zeir Anpin come about through Abba and Imma. Even when Abba and Imma enter and become engrafted in Zeir Anpin, this does not change anything in regard to Nukva being the tenth Sefirah of Zeir Anpin.

Zeir Anpin consists of nine Sefirot while Nukva is the tenth. For Zeir Anpin is considered as ten when we reckon Keter-Chochmah-Binah. It can likewise be said that Zeir Anpin is Six Directions while Nukva ranks as seventh after them. This is during immaturity, when Zeir Anpin has only six Sefirot and Nukva is considered the seventh – just as she is considered tenth to Zeir Anpin when he attains his maturity: Nukva is always considered the last Sefirah of Zeir Anpin and is thus only one Sefirah after all those of Zeir Anpin.

However in the governmental order of Daat… i.e. when it comes to the way things are actually governed, which depends on Daat …they stand parallel, one to the right and one to the left. The root from which influence descends to the world is ordered in such a way that Zeir Anpin with his MaH stands on the foundation of Kindness while Nukva with her BaN stands on the foundation of Judgment. This is alluded to in the rabbinic saying that “the man secretes the white substance and the woman the red” (Niddah 31a).

Likewise it says: “My hand has laid the foundation of the earth and My right hand has spanned the heavens: when I call to them they stand up together” (Isaiah 48:13). Our Rabbis commented on this that they are balanced one against the other (Bereishit Rabbah 1:15). (Although in the chain of development Nukva, as the receiver, is tenth, when it comes to the government of the world, God gave man, the receiver, equal partnership – in that man’s service, the “female waters”, are instrumental in eliciting God’s influence, the “male waters”. Thus in the actual order of government Zeir and Nukva are parallel.)

Part 2: This is the mystery of the Five Kindnesses and Five Strengths… This balance of male and female is attributed to Daat and not to any other Sefirah, for only through Daat does the governmental order extend evenly. In the actual functioning of the governmental order – through Daat – all the nine Sefirot of Zeir Anpin have the same weight as Malchut by itself – i.e. five against five.

…through which Daat divides up between them… As already explained, the Kindnesses spread in Zeir Anpin and the Strengths in Nukva, and from this point of view they are equal and parallel. …equally. For the intention is to make them equal and divide the government between them on an equal basis.

The nature of Daat is to extend through the body, and when it descends uncovered and revealed, it does so in its own column first so as to fulfill its function there. We then say that the Mental Powers, through which Imma rests upon and directs Zeir Anpin, are fixed in him. Afterwards Daat ascends once more. By then Chochmah-Binah-Daat have already been fixed in Zeir Anpin and accordingly Daat ascends to that point.

Having discussed how Daat must extend through the whole of Zeir Anpin, we will now explain the path by which it spreads.

The nature of Daat is to extend through the body… This should be clear in the light of what has already been said about Daat. Initially Daat must spread in its own center column and its own vessel – Yesod of Imma – in just the same way as Chochmah and Binah spread in their own vessels. From there Daat must later spread along its own unique path, whereby it emerges from the vessel of Yesod of Imma and extends uncovered and revealed.

Accordingly the vessel of Yesod of Imma from which Daat is revealed consists of only one and a half joints, because its purpose is to reveal the lights. Initially they have to be within it, included there in the top joint of Yesod, which is clothed in the head of Zeir Anpin. It is in the second joint that the revelation takes place, this being one of the exit vessels discussed earlier in connection with the sensory organs (see Openings 32 & 34).

The order is therefore as follows: First come the beginnings of Daat, which in the rectified Zeir Anpin derives from Imma, and its place above lies in the upper joint of Yesod of Imma, which is in the head of Zeir Anpin. Afterwards, when it spreads to reach another joint, it has the added aspect of being revealed, yet it nevertheless completes its own column. Afterwards it returns from there and goes up to spread completely through the entire structure of Zeir Anpin in a revealed way, as the proposition later states.

…and when it descends uncovered and revealed, it does so in its own column first so as to fulfill its function there. Having gained the added aspect of being revealed, it first fulfills its own intrinsic functions in its own column.

We then say that the Mental Powers, through which Imma rests upon and directs Zeir Anpin, are fixed in him. Imma’s influence over Zeir Anpin divides into three columns which include all his nine Sefirot – which means that Imma influences all the different aspects of Zeir Anpin very evenly so as to be bound up with all his nine Sefirot, including the center column.

Everything we are presently discussing relates to the Mental Powers conferred by Imma, which are characterized by their differentiation into detail – and thus the Mental Powers conferred by Imma enter into Zeir Anpin in such a way that the nine joints into which Netzach-Hod-Yesod divide enter one by one in each year of immaturity (see Etz Chayim, Shaar Derushey HaTzelem 8).

This is not so in the case of the Mental Powers conferred on Zeir Anpin by Abba, which are characterized by their general nature. Thus in the teachings relating to Abba there is no mention either of the time of the entry of joints being governed by their number or of Daat of Abba extending through the body and returning up above as in the case of Imma. In the case of Abba the only differentiation is between the three overall Mental Powers, which enter in three years (between the ages of 15-18, after which Zeir Anpin receives the two encompassing lights of Abba by the age of 20). This is not so in the case of the Mental Powers conferred by Imma, where each detail is revealed individually during the years of Suckling up till 13 – time of the First Maturity – and in the first two years thereafter.

Afterwards Daat ascends once more. Only after completing its own column does Daat ascend again. The ascent of Daat thus takes place only after it has gone down to the lowest level.

By then Chochmah-Binah-Daat have already been fixed in Zeir Anpin… As long as Daat was still going down, before completing its descent, Chochmah-Binah-Daat were not yet fixed in Zeir Anpin. For their presence indicates the way Imma rests over and influences Zeir Anpin, which intrinsically is only Six Directions, and this influence is not a permanent fixture in Zeir Anpin until all the Mental Powers have spread to all his joints. This is completed as soon as Daat has also completed its descent to the bottom of its own column. When it turns back to go up again, it encounters the Mental Powers already fixed in Zeir Anpin, and the Five Kindnesses of Daat then extend to them as well. …and accordingly Daat ascends to that point.

Having discussed the Mental Powers that enter into Zeir Anpin, we will now discuss a related matter: the encompassing levels above them.

The proposition consists of two parts. Part 1: The entire array… This presents a fundamental premise about the Mental Powers. Part 2: This entire entity… This explains this premise in detail.

Part 1: The entire array of Mental Powers with which Abba and Imma adorn Zeir Anpin… Every aspect of the supreme lights divides into ten parts – Ten Sefirot. Thus the Mental Powers that actually enter into Zeir Anpin certainly divide into ten, because they enter into all his Ten Sefirot. (These are really nine since Malchut of Zeir Anpin is merely an adjunct of his Yesod – its Corona – while the essential Malchut of Zeir Anpin is Nukva.)

…all make up one entity of Ten Sefirot. The proof of this is that as soon as we examine these encompassing levels, we see that they too are drawn to Zeir Anpin from Abba and Imma in order to adorn him with their crowns. We can thus immediately infer that the entire array of Mental Powers make up a single overall entity of which the internal and encompassing lights are two parts.

This entity is unsuited to enter into Zeir Anpin because of the disparity in their respective levels… Only Netzach-Hod-Yesod of this entity are on the same level as Zeir Anpin, enabling him to receive them as his interior Neshamah. But the power of its Chochmah-Binah-Daat and Chessed-Gevurah-Tiferet is in excess of what is needed for the Neshamah in Zeir Anpin’s vessel – because everything follows the principle of gradation.

…with the sole exception of its Netzach-Hod-Yesod… For the same relationship always applies whereby the lowest part of the upper level is what becomes the interior soul of the lower level. Only Netzach-Hod-Yesod of the upper Partzuf can enter into the lower Partzuf because this alone can descend to the level of the lower Partzuf so as to serve as its inner soul. Thus only Netzach-Hod-Yesod of the overall entity enter into Zeir Anpin.

…while the rest stays outside… Zeir Anpin is unable to receive it within him because the light would be too close to the vessel and in excess of what the vessel is capable of concealing and holding within limits.

…encompassing Zeir Anpin above his head. Although unable to enter, the light shines over him and does not leave him, except that it does not come as close as the inner light but stands like one guarding him from above.

Part 2: This entire entity is the TZeLeM. It is called the Tzelem (“image”) because this is none other than the “image of God” in which Adam was made (Genesis 1:27), and the very letters of the word signify the intrinsic essence of this entity.

The letter Tzaddi of TZeLeM is the Netzach-Hod-Yesod… For the three letters of the word Tzelem signify the three levels into which its Ten Sefirot divide. The lowest is that of Netzach-Hod-Yesod, which is here called the Interior Mental Powers. The second level is that of Chessed-Gevurah-Tiferet: this is the First Encompassing Level. The third level of the Ten Sefirot of Tzelem is that of Keter-Chochmah-Binah-Daat, which is the Second Encompassing Level.

…this specifically is what extends to all levels of Zeir Anpin. This is shown by the numerical value of the letters themselves, because the Interior Mental Powers spread into the nine Sefirot of Zeir Anpin in order to direct them all, and this is signified in the letter Tzaddi, which has the numerical value of 90.

What remains outside is the Lamed-Mem. The Lamed (=30) signifies Chessed-Gevurah-Tiferet, while the Mem (=40) signifies Keter-Chochmah-Binah-Daat.

These do not need to spread… As we have said, Netzach-Hod-Yesod divide up into nine Sefirot through the mystery of Tzaddi. However these remain as they are – three as the Lamed and four as the Mem. For they cannot spread into the Ten Sefirot of Zeir Anpin but rather they stand as whole entities, though still ordered on the basis of Kindness-Judgment-Mercy. For Chessed-Gevurah-Tiferet clearly stand on the basis of Kindness-Judgment-Mercy, and the same is true of Keter-Chochmah-Binah-Daat, for in this case the intermediary divides into two – an upper one, Keter, and a lower one, Daat, which consists of both Kindnesses and Strengths. Thus the proposition goes on to state:

…rather they are only in the mystery of Kindness-Judgment-Mercy, which are the basis of the entire governmental order. For they cannot be any less than this as they encompass the entire governmental order.

Abba and Imma divide up into the First and Second Israel Sabba and Tevunah.

Abba and Imma must at times for Zeir Anpin’s sake divide up their lowest part – which is Israel Sabba and Tevunah – into a further subdivision. This is because of the need for gradation, so that Zeir Anpin should only receive the lights at a low strength, and all the other aspects of Zeir Anpin are governed accordingly. By the principle of gradation it is not proper that he should receive any more than this at that time. This division produces the Second Israel Sabba-Tevunah.

Following our discussion of the Mental Powers, we will now explain the way they are given to Zeir Anpin by Abba and Imma.

The proposition consists of two parts. Part 1: Abba and Imma must… The Second Israel Sabba-Tevunah are a subdivision of the First Israel Sabba-Tevunah. Part 2: This is because… This explains the reason for this subdivision.

Part 1: Abba and Imma must… divide up their lowest part – which is Israel Sabba and Tevunah… Altogether the main Partzufim make up a total of five, which embody the entire array of the Ten Sefirot of the world in question. (Arich Anpin is Keter, Abba is Chochmah and Imma is Binah, while Zeir Anpin is Chessed-Gevurah-Tiferet-Netzach-Hod-Yesod and Nukva is Malchut.) However, Abba and Imma subdivide their Sefirot into whatever levels are required. Thus Abba, the First Israel Sabba and the Second Israel Sabba are all Abba, except that when certain separate functions and powers are given to his Malchut, we find these two other Partzufim – although Abba is the one that is actually operating. The same applies to Imma in relation to the First and Second Tevunah.

…for Zeir Anpin’s sake… This is done only to bring the Mental Powers to the right level, as the proposition states below.

…at times… For it is not so all the time. Only in the First Maturity do the Partzufim of the Second (or “Secondary”) Israel Sabba and Tevunah operate, while in the Second Maturity it is the Partzufim of the First (or “Primary”) Israel Sabba and Tevunah that operate.

…into a further subdivision. In other words, Malchut of Israel Sabba-Tevunah becomes a separate Partzuf – the Second Israel Sabba-Tevunah.

Part 2: This is because of the need for gradation, so that Zeir Anpin should only receive the lights at a low strength… In other words, Zeir Anpin receives only the offspring of the offspring – the lowest part of the lowest part. For Malchut of Abba and Imma is their lowest part, but even this Zeir Anpin cannot receive in its entirety, only the lowest part of it – Malchut of Malchut, which is the Second Israel Sabba-Tevunah. These become the Tzelem of Zeir Anpin.

And even that Tzelem does not enter into Zeir Anpin’s interior with the exception of its lowest part, the Tzaddi – Malchut of Malchut of Abba and Imma. Yet the purpose of this gradation is obvious. For Zeir Anpin can only ever receive his interior soul – even in the Second Maturity – from Malchut of Abba and Imma, because only the lowest part of the upper Partzuf can become the interior soul of the lower Partzuf, and in this case Israel Sabba-Tevunah are the lowest part of the upper Partzuf. Even this Zeir Anpin can only receive at certain times, and thus there are times when he receives more and times when he receives less. Accordingly there had to be a gradation whereby at a time when he receives less he only takes the lowest part of this Malchut, whereas at a time when he receives more he takes the whole of this Malchut.

This too is through a gradual process and not by going from one extreme to the other so as to have either the whole of Malchut or only the lowest part of it. After receiving the lowest part, Zeir Anpin ascends gradually level by level until he receives it all. First he receives Chessed-Gevurah-Tiferet of this Malchut and afterwards Chochmah-Binah-Daat. We then say that Zeir Anpin has attained the Second Maturity. For with the entry of Chochmah-Binah-Daat, the entry of the whole of this Malchut is complete – the entire Tzaddi of the Tzelem is within Zeir Anpin. All the upper levels of the First Israel Sabba-Tevunah then remain as his Lamed-Mem through the mystery of the Second Maturity.

These are the ascents that take place on Shabbat night and Shabbat day. On Shabbat night the encompassing levels of Lamed become internal in Zeir Anpin and he is then between the First and Second Maturity. Afterwards on Shabbat day the Mem of the Tzelem also enters into Zeir Anpin’s interior. He thus has the whole of Malchut (i.e. the Second Israel Sabba-Tevunah) – the Tzaddi of the Tzelem – and this is called the Second Maturity. Afterwards there are further ascents, and these are real ascents because Zeir Anpin then rises higher than his proper level. These are the other ascents of Shabbat day. Each one of these times has its effects on the governmental order, because as you know, there is nothing that does not have a purpose.

One could ask why no mention is made of any other stage of maturity between the First and Second Maturity. The answer is that in truth it would not be fitting for there to be more than two kinds of Mental Powers – either from Abba and Imma (i.e. as provided by the First Israel Sabba-Tevunah, which are Malchut of Abba and Imma) or from the Second Israel Sabba-Tevunah (which are Malchut of the First Israel Sabba-Tevunah), as will be discussed in the following Opening. Accordingly in the middle ascent there is not as yet any change in the actual Mental Powers but only an addition. The Mental Powers are still attributed to the First Maturity – as provided only by the Second Israel Sabba-Tevunah – except that there is now the addition of these encompassing levels.

The only purpose of the internalization of the encompassing level of the Lamed is that Zeir Anpin should attain the Mental Powers conferred by Abba and Imma. But as long as he has not actually attained them he cannot be said to have emerged from the First Maturity. This is similar to what we said in regard to the transition from Immaturity to Maturity – that even though the Mental Powers are in the process of coming, the term Maturity applies only after they complete their entry, while the period in between is still termed that of Suckling, albeit with an addition (see Opening 121).

…and all the other aspects of Zeir Anpin are governed accordingly. As already discussed, the strength of the rest of the body depends upon the strength of the Mental Powers.

By the principle of gradation it is not proper that he should receive any more than this at that time. (Malchut of Abba and Imma subdivides at that time because Zeir Anpin is unable to receive all of Malchut of Abba and Imma, i.e. the First Israel Sabba-Tevunah, but only Malchut of the latter, i.e. the Second Israel Sabba-Tevunah.) This is something that changes at different times: the First and Second Maturity come about because of the unique nature of the holy days as opposed to the weekdays. There is thus a difference between the levels of Pregnancy, Suckling and having Mental Powers on the one hand and the First and Second Maturity on the other. The periods of Pregnancy, Suckling and Mental Immaturity come to complete the building of the lights so that they can function according to the needs of the world. However the First and Second Maturity come when the lights are already built and complete but can function with either more or less strength. We must call this a difference in the degree of their importance and functioning.

This is similar to man’s additional Shabbat soul. The building is already complete without it and the additional soul adds nothing to man’s body or physical functioning. What it adds is only an enhancement of status and splendor, as will be discussed in its appropriate place below (see Opening 132).

This division produces the Second Israel Sabba-Tevunah. This is as discussed above.

It could be asked why all the Partzufim change their names when they undergo a change of function, while these are simply called the Second Israel Sabba-Tevunah. The reason is that the function of the latter is identical with that of the First Israel Sabba-Tevunah – albeit on a lower level. Both are what Abba and Imma give to Zeir Anpin, but when he can only receive from the very end he receives from the Second Israel Sabba-Tevunah. The latter are a part of Malchut that carries out the same function as the whole although on a lower level. And when they are not needed they simply become included in the higher level: in the Second Maturity, the Second Israel Sabba-Tevunah become absorbed in the First Israel Sabba-Tevunah. This is not so in the case of the other Partzufim, each of which has its own distinct function. The proof is that at no time do the other Partzufim cease to exist through being absorbed in others as happens in this case.

Abba and Imma must clothe within their Malchut – which is called the back parts of their Netzach-Hod-Yesod – the adornments that they have to give to Zeir Anpin, these being his Mental Powers. This is similar to all other cases where a higher Partzuf gives Mental Powers to a lower one. And when Abba and Imma themselves give the Mental Powers to Zeir Anpin with no further subdivision, their Malchut clothes itself in Zeir Anpin’s Tzelem, and the lowest part of this Malchut becomes interior in Zeir Anpin while the two upper parts are encompassing levels. This is called the First Israel Sabba-Tevunah.

And these are called the two states of greatness, the first and the second. The first is when it receives from Israel-Saba and Tevunah. The second is when it receives from Abba and Imma without the aforementioned division, which is a power far greater.

Having explained how Abba and Imma subdivide to produce the First and Second Israel Sabba-Tevunah, we will now complete the discussion by explaining how this results in Zeir Anpin’s First and Second Maturity.

The proposition consists of two parts: Part 1: Abba and Imma must… This explains where the root of the First and Second Maturity lies. Part 2: And when… This explains the First and Second Maturity in themselves.

Part 1: Abba and Imma must clothe… The same order is followed in every case where a higher Partzuf gives Mental Powers to a lower Partzuf: the moving cause – the higher Partzuf – must clothe its own bottom part with the lights that have to become interior in the lower Partzuf. This is a necessary preparation to enable the lower Partzuf to be properly governed by the higher Partzuf by bringing the latter’s lights down to a suitable level.

…within their Malchut – which is called the back parts of their Netzach-Hod-Yesod… When we speak of Netzach-Hod-Yesod we actually mean Malchut behind Netzach-Hod-Yesod, because that is where its place is, and Netzach-Hod-Yesod are drawn after Malchut because their role is to channel influence thereto. Thus when we say Netzach-Hod-Yesod we really mean Malchut behind Netzach-Hod-Yesod and Netzach-Hod-Yesod with it.

For the Chariot is so arranged that Malchut is attached behind Tiferet, since the four key Sefirot are Chessed-Gevurah-Tiferet-Malchut. Netzach-Hod-Yesod emerge from Tiferet only for the sake of Malchut – to connect it to Tiferet – and accordingly they are called the pillars of Malchut, “Yachin” and “Boaz”. (This makes it possible to reconcile sources that refer to Israel Sabba-Tevunah as Malchut of Abba and Imma with those that refer to them as Netzach-Hod-Yesod of Abba and Imma.)

…the adornments that they have to give to Zeir Anpin, these being his Mental Powers. These adornments comprise the entire Tzelem in all its parts, i.e. all the Mental Powers.

This is similar to all other cases where a higher Partzuf gives Mental Powers to a lower one. This is not specific to Zeir Anpin but applies to all the Partzufim.

Part 2: And when Abba and Imma themselves give the Mental Powers to Zeir Anpin… It is in Abba and Imma’s intrinsic nature to divide into two Partzufim through the mystery of Arich Anpin’s Kindnesses and Strengths, which are half covered and half revealed (see Opening 110). From then on either one of these two parts – either the upper part, namely Abba and Imma, or the lower part, namely Israel Sabba-Tevunah – may be the primary agent of this function of giving Zeir Anpin his Mental Powers.

Indeed the intrinsic function of Israel Sabba-Tevunah is to enable the Mental Powers to extend until they reach their place. (Israel Sabba-Tevunah are not qualitatively different Partzufim from those of Abba and Imma; rather, they are an extension of Abba and Imma on a lower level.) Thus we see that sometimes the Mental Powers may be given by the root itself and sometimes by the extension of the root – i.e. sometimes by Abba and Imma (in the Second Maturity) and sometimes by Israel Sabba-Tevunah (in the First Maturity). These are two different levels of Mental Powers. Thus the proposition goes on to say:

…with no further subdivision… When Abba and Imma themselves give Zeir Anpin his mental powers (i.e. in the Second Maturity), there is no need for Israel Sabba-Tevunah to divide into a separate Partzuf by themselves. Rather, they are considered as merely Malchut of Abba and Imma – for they are only called an independent Partzuf when they are the primary agent in giving the Mental Powers, because they are then given power in their own right. And thus:

…their Malchut clothes itself in Zeir Anpin’s Tzelem, and the lowest part of this Malchut becomes interior in Zeir Anpin while the two upper parts are encompassing levels. Israel Sabba-Tevunah are then considered as Abba and Imma’s Malchut, which itself divides up into Ten Sefirot until it becomes clothed in all of the Tzelem. It is clothed therein as explained in connection with the mystery of the Tzaddi, the Lamed and the Mem (see Opening 127). This is called the First Israel Sabba-Tevunah.

And when the gradation causes there to be a division of the additional [aspect], the meaning is that Yisrael-Sabba and Tevunah are not reckoned as a distinct configuration in their own right, because to them was given the entry into Ze'ir Anpin; rather, on the contrary, they are reckoned in connection with the giving of their mochin [intellects]. We shall consider this matter in the case where the mochin need to come only from the side of the branch and not from the side of the root. Then they are the ones called the first Yisrael-Sabba and Tevunah, who are the ones giving Ze'ir Anpin the mochin within their Malkhut. And this is: