Accordingly, it is obvious that if the partition contains all five of these levels of opacity, it yields five vessels for enclothing the ten sefirot. However, when the partition does not contain all five levels – for example, if it lacks the opacity of the fourth level – then the partition yields only four vessels.31Recall that opacity refers to the presence of the will to receive in a given created entity, which obstructs the supernal light from entering it, since the will to receive is wholly receiving, while the supernal light reflects divine giving.
When there is a reduction in opacity, there is less conversion of pure will to receive into will to receive in order to give. As a result, the returning light rebuffed by the opacity in the partition is reduced, which reduces the levels of the supernal light that are able to be enclothed by that returning light. Thus, when the partition does not contain all five levels of opacity, it gives rise to returning light that cannot enclothe all five levels of light.
Consequently, the partition has the capacity to give rise returning light that will enclothe only four lights – Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut – and it will lack the capacity to enclothe one light, the light of Keter, as in the partition lacks one vessel, which is the opacity of the fourth level.32The opacity of the fourth level, the greatest amount of opacity, is required in the partition in order for the returning light to enclothe the light of Keter, the loftiest of the lights.
If a level of opacity in the partition is lacking, there isn’t a sufficient amount of returning light to ascend to reach all the way to the light of Keter. As a result, the light of the level of Keter is not enclothed, and the light of Keter cannot be received within its vessel.