One should know, however, that there are two aspects to those traces that remain in the partition after its purification of the last level: The first is called “trace of opacity,” and the second is called “trace of enclothing.”60Here the author of the Sulam introduces a new concept: the “trace of enclothing.” Recall that in order for light to reach incrementally lower layers, it must traverse all preceding layers.
In earlier sections, the author described the various partzufim through their differences of structure. For example, the partzuf of gulgalta has the full structural height of Keter, while the Ab partzuf only reaches the height of Ḥokhma. But how does the light transfer from one partzuf to another? In order for light to transfer between these partzufim, the head contains a quality called the trace of enclothing, which serves as a bridge layer between the higher partzuf and the one below it.
The trace of enclothing is referred to as the male aspect of the head of the lower partzuf and is nearly at the height of the partzuf above it. Since the trace of enclothing bridges these two partzufim, allowing the light to travel from the higher partzuf to the lower, it is referred to as a mashpia, or giver.