Rejection as a Catalyst for Receiving Divine Light

We can now see how the force of his rejection became the central element of his receiving vessel with regard to the meal, and not hunger and appetite, even though in truth they are the usual receiving vessels.

From the aforementioned parable, which involves an interpersonal relationship, one can understand the aforementioned concept of fusion through collision and the returning light that rises by means of it, which becomes a new receiving vessel for the supernal light instead of the fourth level that was initially meant to serve as the receiving vessel. The collision of the supernal light against the partition and how the light desires to expand into the fourth level, can be compared to a person imploring someone to dine with him. Just as he very much wants his friend to accept his meal, so too the supernal light wants to expand into the receiver. The partition impacting the light and rebuffing it can be compared to the rejection and refusal of his friend to accept his meal because he rebuffed his offer. Just as you find in this case that it is the refusal and the rejection themselves that are transformed and turned into proper receiving vessels for accepting his friend’s meal, you can likewise imagine that the returning light, which arises by means of the impact of the supernal light against the partition and the partition’s repudiation of the supernal light, transforms into a new receiving vessel for the supernal light instead of the fourth level, which served as the receiving vessel before the first constriction (tzimtzum).19Just as the guest’s repudiation of the host’s meal forms a new receiving vessel, that of receiving in order to give, the rebuffing of the supernal light is the returning light, which serves as a new receiving vessel for the supernal light because the receiving along with the element of giving – receiving in order to give – allows the receiver to accept the gift. Although the returning light is also light (like the supernal light), it is light that comes from the receiver (the created being) and can therefore serve as a vessel for the supernal light.