Petichah LeChokhmat HaKabbalah Reader

Accordingly, one must always distinguish between two forces in the partition:

The first is hardness (kashyut), which constitutes the force of rejection inherent to it to be able to rebuff the supernal light.

The second is opacity (ovyut), which is the measure of the will to receive that is incorporated within the partition from the fourth level. By means of the fusion through collision as a result of the force of hardness that the partition contains, the opacity is purified.25The opacity refers to the will to receive, which separates the fourth level from the Creator, who is wholly giving. After the supernal light was rejected and returned, this refusal allowed the fourth to ultimately receive the supernal light, because that receiving actually constitutes a gift to the Creator by providing Him with a receiver. This is called a “purification” of the initial separation, or opacity. That is, there is the transformation of receiving into giving.

These two forces in the partition operate at five levels, which are the four aforementioned levels of Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut and their root, which is called Keter, each level representing a different measure of will to receive.

Admittedly, we explained that the first three levels are not characterized as vessels, and only the fourth level is categorized as a vessel, as stated above in section #5#. Nevertheless, the first three levels are the causes that lead to the completion of the fourth level, in such a manner that the fourth level, after its completion, bears the imprints of four different measures of the attribute of receiving that it contains,26As explained above, the fourth level, the level of Malkhut, was the end point of a process. During the course of that process, the other four levels – Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, and Tiferet – each had a certain measure of will to receive, creating some measure of opacity and separation between them and the Creator, though considerably less than Malkhut’s will to receive. These other four levels of the will to receive, each with its own unique amount of opacity, are contained within Malkhut, since Malkhut is the endpoint in the process where the will to receive is incrementally differentiated from the supernal light, creating these levels, until it reaches Malkhut, which is comprised solely of will to receive. Therefore, the partition, positioned upon Malkhut, the ultimate form of the will to receive, can transmit one of the five qualitatively different types of opacity, one for each of the five levels mentioned here, and the returning light will be qualitatively different depending on the measure of opacity that rebuffs it. starting from the first level, which contains the most dilute measure of the attribute of receiving, followed by the second level, which is somewhat more opaque than the first level in terms of its attribute of receiving, and then the third level, which is more opaque than the second level with respect to its attribute of receiving, and finally the fourth level, whose own attribute is the most opaque of them all, as its attribute of receiving is complete in all regards. In addition, one should discern that the fourth level also contains the opacity (ovyut) of the root of the four levels, that of Keter, which is the purest of them all, since it contains a minute measure of will to receive.

These are the five levels of the attribute of receiving that are incorporated in the fourth level, which are also known by the same names as the ten sefirot – Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, which encompasses six sefirot, and Malkhut – since the four levels are Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, as stated in section #5# above, and the fifth level is their root called Keter.

The reason the five levels of receiving that are within the fourth level are called by the names of the sefirot, Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, is because prior to the constriction (tzimtzum) – that is, when the fourth level was the receiving vessel for the ten sefirot that are encompassed in the supernal light, which is the mystical meaning of “He is one and His name is one,” for all the worlds are incorporated there within the supernal light,27In the initial phase or level, the vessels and lights are not differentiated at all, so all the worlds are incorporated within the supernal light. This is the mystical idea of “He is one and His name is one,” because it reflects the reality that the Creator’s essence (the light, referred to here as “He”) and His manifestation (the vessels, referred to as “His name”), were initially one, and still remain one, as neither of these aspects are outside the Creator, even after the process of differentiation. as we wrote in Talmud Eser Sefirot, part 1 – the enclothing of the ten sefirot by the fourth level was structured according to those aforementioned five levels.28The fourth level, Malkhut, is the final receiver in the series of vessels. While the sefirot are often described in a vertical, linear structure (from top to bottom), they are also referred to as garments, with the lower “bottom” ones also described as “outer.” This is the meaning of the concept of enclothing used here: The lowest, or outermost, vessel of Malkhut contains the aspects of receiving, or opacity, found in each of the preceding vessels, because it is the “garment” for all the vessels that precede it. As the author of the Sulam goes on to explain, each of the vessels contains a particular capacity for receiving the supernal light. For example, the light that fills Keter is a different level from that which fills Bina. Malkhut contains elements of receiving for each of these levels, allowing it to receive all the different levels of light that the previous vessels contain.

Each one of the five levels within the fourth level enclothed the corresponding level in the ten sefirot that are encompassed in the supernal light: The root level aspect of the fourth level enclothed the light of Keter of the ten sefirot. The first level aspect within the fourth level enclothed the light of Ḥokhma of the ten sefirot, the second level aspect within the fourth level enclothed the light of Bina, the third level aspect within it enclothed the light of Tiferet, and the fourth level aspect within the fourth level itself enclothed the light of Malkhut.

Therefore, now too, after the first constriction (tzimtzum), when the fourth level has been disqualified from being a receiving vessel any longer, the five levels of opacity (ovyut) within it are still called by the name of the five sefirot, Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut.

As you are already aware, the substance that generally constitutes the partition can be described as hardness (kashyut), meaning something very hard that does not allow anything to penetrate its boundary at all. Likewise, the partition does not allow any trace of the supernal light to pass through it into Malkhut, which is the fourth level. It can thus be said that the total measure of light that can be enclothed in the vessels of Malkhut is blocked by the partition and rebuffed.

It has also been clarified that the five levels of opacity (ovyut) that are in the fourth level are incorporated and enter the partition, fusing with its attribute of hardness.29The opacity of the different levels of vessels are incorporated into the partition, adding a second quality, called opacity, to the partition in addition to the first quality of hardness. This is what the author of the Sulam referred to in section #20# when he explained that each of the five levels of receiving vessels are found in Malkhut.

Now the author is expanding on that point to describe how those levels of receiving that exist within Malkhut are incorporated into the partition after the first constriction (tzimtzum) that prevented Malkhut from receiving the light directly.

Consequently, five types of fusion through collision can be discerned in the partition, corresponding to its five measures of opacity (ovyut):

Fusion through collision against a complete partition, which is formed with all five levels of opacity, gives rise to returning light that is sufficient to enclothe all ten sefirot – that is, until the level of Keter.

When there is fusion through collision against a partition that lacks the opacity of the fourth level, and has only the opacity of the third level, the returning light that it raises is sufficient to enclothe the ten sefirot only up to the level of Ḥokhma and does not include Keter.

If it contains only the opacity of the second level, its returning light is smaller and is only enough to enclothe the ten sefirot of the supernal light up to the level of Bina; it lacks Keter and Ḥokhma.

If it contains only the opacity of the first level, its returning light is diminished even further and is sufficient to enclothe only to the level of Tiferet; it lacks Keter, Ḥokhma, and Bina.

If it lacks even the opacity of the first level, so that only the opacity of the root level remains in it, its impact is very weak and is sufficient only to enclothe up to the level of Malkhut alone. It lacks the first nine sefirot, which are Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, and the six sefirot encompassed in Tiferet.30As explained in section #3# above, Tiferet includes the six sefirot of Ḥesed, Gevura, Tiferet, Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod, so that together with Keter, Ḥokhma, and Bina, the total is nine.

You can thus see how five shiurei koma (literally, “dimensions of height”) of the ten sefirot emerge through five types of fusion through collision against the partition, which are determined by the five levels of opacity (ovyut) within the partition. I will now inform you of the reason for this.

As is known, light cannot be contained without a vessel, and you are also aware that these five levels of opacity in the partition come from the five levels of opacity in the fourth level. That is, before the constriction (tzimtzum), there were five vessels in the fourth level that enclothed the ten sefirot, Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, as stated in section #18# above. After the first constriction, they were incorporated into the five levels of the partition, so that through the returning light that it raises, they return to being five vessels for the ten sefirot, Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, formed from the returning light, replacing the five vessels that were in the fourth level itself prior to the constriction.

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.

Similarly, when it also lacks the opacity of the third level, so that the partition contains only three levels of opacity, that is, only until the second level, then the partition contains only three vessels and thus it can enclothe only three lights, which are Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut. The structure of lights and vessels will then lack the two lights of Keter and Ḥokhma, just as it lacks two vessels, the third level and the fourth level.

When the partition contains only two levels of opacity, that is, that of the root level and the first level, it contains only two vessels, and therefore it enclothes only two lights, which are the light of Tiferet and the light of Malkhut. This means that the structure of lights and vessels will lack the three lights of Keter, Ḥokhma, and Bina, just as it lacks three vessels: the second level, the third level, and the fourth level.

Thus, the measure of the stature of every Partzuf depends with exact precision upon the measure of coarseness that is in the Masakh (screen): for the Masakh of the fourth level brings forth the stature of Keter, and that of the third level brings forth the stature of Chokhmah, and that of the second level brings forth the stature of Binah, and that of the first level brings forth the stature of Tiferet, and that of the level of the Root brings forth the stature of Malkhut.

However, it remains to be explained why the lack of the opacity of the vessel of Malkhut in the partition, which is the fourth level, leads to a lack of the light of Keter and, likewise, why the lack of the opacity of the vessel of Tiferet in the partition leads to a lack of the light of Ḥokhma, and so on. One would have thought that the opposite would be the case, that the lack of the opacity of the vessel of Malkhut in the partition, which is the fourth level, would lead only to a lack of the light of Malkhut in the structure of vessels and lights so that it should contain the four lights of Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, and Tiferet.

Similarly, the lack of the two vessels of the third level and the fourth level would lead to the lack of the lights of Tiferet and Malkhut, so that the structure should contain the three lights of Keter, Ḥokhma, and Bina, and so on and so forth in this manner (see section #20# above).

The answer is that there is a consistent inverse relationship between the lights and the vessels.34Within the system of Kabbala, the levels or layers of worlds descend from the more intangible, spiritual worlds to this tangible, physical world. This means that each vessel is initially very small because it is most spiritual at that stage. The vessel grows and develops the lower it descends, until it reaches the level of Malkhut, where the vessel has achieved its final form.

The opposite is true with regard to light. Since the levels devolve from the most spiritual to the physical, the “lowest” level of light (it’s “lower edge,” or nefesh) is revealed in the constructed world first, entering through the highest vessel, Keter. When the light progresses to greater revelation, triggered by the presence of vessels with greater opacity, which draw the light to them, the light of nefesh, the lowest level of light, descends to the next, lower vessel.

In this manner, the supernal light is increasingly revealed, while the preceding, higher level receives the next higher level of the light. This dynamic expresses a fundamental principle: The more the supernal light descends into the lower world and is revealed within it, the greater the drawing of divine light into the vessels of the higher worlds. It is the nature of the vessels that the higher vessels develop first in the partzuf.

Keter develops first, followed by the vessel of Ḥokhma and so on, until the vessel of Malkhut, which develops last. This is why we list the vessels in the order of Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, from above to below, as that is the order of their growth. The lights are the reverse. In the case of the lights, the lower lights enter the partzuf first, because initially the nefesh enters, which is the light of Malkhut, and then the ruaḥ, which is the light of Ze’er Anpin, or Tiferet, and so on until the light of yeḥida enters last.

Consequently, we list the lights in the order of nefesh, ruaḥ, neshama, ḥaya, and yeḥida, from below to above, as that is the order of their entrance, from lowest to uppermost.

Accordingly, when only one vessel has developed in the partzuf, which is necessarily the highest vessel of Keter, as stated above, the light of yeḥida, which is linked to that vessel, will not enter the partzuf, but only the lowest light of them all, which is the light of nefesh, and the light of nefesh is then enclothed in the vessel of Keter. When two vessels have developed in the partzuf, which are the two uppermost ones, Keter and Ḥokhma, then the light of ruaḥ also enters the partzuf, and the light of nefesh descends from the vessel of Keter to the vessel of Ḥokhma, and the light of ruaḥ is enclothed in the vessel of Keter.

Similarly, when a third vessel has developed in the partzuf, which is the vessel of Bina, the light of neshama enters the partzuf, and the light of nefesh descends from the vessel of Ḥokhma to the vessel of Bina, the light of ruaḥ descends to the vessel of Ḥokhma, and the light of neshama is enclothed in the vessel of Keter. When a fourth vessel has developed in the partzuf, which is the vessel of Tiferet, the light of ḥaya enters the partzuf, and the light of nefesh descends from the vessel of Bina to the vessel of <<Tiferet, the light of ruaḥ descends to the vessel of Bina, the light of neshama descends to the vessel of Ḥokhma, and the light of ḥaya is enclothed in the vessel of Keter.

And when a fifth vessel has developed in the partzuf, which is the vessel of Malkhut, the light of yeḥida enters the partzuf. Then all the lights enter the vessels to which they are linked, as the light of nefesh descends from the vessel of Tiferet to the vessel of Malkhut, the light of ruaḥ descends to the vessel of Tiferet, the light of neshama descends to the vessel of Bina, the light of ḥaya descends to the vessel of Ḥokhma, and the light of yeḥida is enclothed in the vessel of Keter.

Thus, as long as all five vessels, Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, have not developed in the partzuf, the lights are not in the places to which they are linked. What is more, they maintain an inverse relationship, so that when the vessel of Malkhut is lacking, the light of yeḥida is missing, and when the two vessels of Tiferet and Malkhut are lacking, yeḥida and ḥaya are missing, and so on. The reason is that in the case of the vessels, the highest ones grow first, whereas with regard to the lights, the last ones enter first, as stated above.

You will also find that every newly arriving light is enclothed only in the vessel of Keter. This is because any recipient of light must receive the light in its purest vessel, which is the vessel of Keter.35The vessel of Keter is purest because the will to receive is most undeveloped in this vessel. As a result, the contradiction between the will to receive and the giving nature of the supernal light is minimal.

For the same reason, the lights that are already enclothed in the partzuf must descend one level from their place upon the arrival of every new light. For example, when the light of ruaḥ arrives, the light of nefesh must descend from the vessel of Keter to the vessel of Ḥokhma, in order to clear the space of the vessel of Keter so that it can receive the new light, which is ruaḥ. Similarly, if the new light is neshama, then ruaḥ must also descend from the vessel of Keter to the vessel of Ḥokhma to clear the space of Keter for the new light, which is neshama.

Consequently, nefesh, which is in the vessel of Ḥokhma, must descend to the vessel of Bina, and so on and so forth in this manner. This is all in order to clear out the vessel of Keter to make space for the new light.

If you maintain a fine grasp of this rule, you will invariably be able to tell, concerning any topic, whether we are speaking about the vessels or the lights. You will not become confused since there is always an inverse relationship between them.

We have thus fully clarified the topic of the five levels in the partition, how they lead to differences in the shiurei koma (literally, “dimensions of height” in the structure of the lights and vessels) in descending order.

Having fully clarified the concept of the partition that was placed on the vessel of Malkhut, which is the fourth level, after its constriction (tzimtzum), and the concept of the five types of fusion through collision against the partition, which produce five structures of ten sefirot, one below the other, we will now clarify the concept of the five partzufim of Adam Kadmon, which precede the four worlds of Atzilut (Emanation), Beria (Creation), Yetzira (Formation), and Asiya (Actualization).

You are already aware that this returning light that rises as a result of the fusion through collision from below to above and enclothes the ten sefirot of the supernal light is sufficient only to form the roots of the vessels, which are called the “ten sefirot of the head of the partzuf.”36The impact against the partition represents the receiving vessels’ rejection of the supernal light of the Giver.

This leads to the formation of a new receiving vessel: receiving in order to give. In the analogy that the author of the Sulam gave above, when the friend rejects his host’s offer of a meal, the rejection repositions him as someone who can now theoretically receive in order to give. This new status is only theoretical because the giving has not yet transpired, and the receiver is only now prepared to receive the gift from this new position.

When the friend ultimately receives the meal from his host in his new status as receiver in order to give, the vessels are then fully formed as actual receivers. The first modified state, in which the vessels are theoretically prepared to receive in order to give, is referred to as the “head” of the partzuf, the head being the seat of thought, representing the theoretical or conceptual, and the vessels are therefore referred to as “roots.”

The subsequent state in which the vessels are actualized as receivers in order to give is referred to as the “body” of the partzuf, body representing that which occurs in practice, that which is actual, and the vessels are then considered to be fully formed. In order to complete the vessels, the Malkhut of the head from among those ten sefirot of the returning light that enclothed the ten sefirot of the head expands and spreads itself downward from above to below,37The author of the Sulam emphasizes here that Malkhut “spreads itself” because in this case the author is referring to the formation of the head and body of one partzuf, as opposed to comparing two different partzufim, which are each already complete with a head and body.

In the formation of the partzuf described here, the author is describing the formation of a complete partzuf, where the head component expands and materializes as an actualized partzuf consisting of both head and body. in the same shiur koma as the ten sefirot of the head.38This term refers to the particular structure of lights and vessels of a given partzuf, and literally translates as “structural dimensions of height.”

The structure varies from partzuf to partzuf. As the author of the Sulam explains, higher partzufim have more vessels and more lights (described as taller partzufim), and lower ones have less of each (described as shorter partzufim). The system of these patterns will be explained in detail over the next sections. This expansion completes the vessels, which are called the “body of the partzuf,” as stated in section #14# above.

Thus one should always distinguish between two levels of ten sefirot in every partzuf: head and body. Keep this in mind.

Initially, the first partzuf of Adam Kadmon emerged, because immediately after the first constriction (tzimtzum), in which the fourth level was restricted from serving as a receiving vessel for the supernal light, and a partition was placed upon the fourth level, as stated above, the supernal light was drawn down to be enclothed in the vessel of Malkhut in its normal manner, that is, with the supernal light trying to fill any available space.

But the partition that formed on the vessel of Malkhut prevented this and rebuffed the light. By means of this impact against the partition of the fourth level, the returning light was elevated to the height of Keter of the ten sefirot of the supernal light. That returning light became the garment for the ten sefirot of the supernal light and the roots of the vessels for the ten sefirot of the supernal light, which are called the ten sefirot of the head in the first partzuf of Adam Kadmon.

Subsequently, that Malkhut expanded itself and spread together with the returning light, driven by the power of the ten sefirot of the head, to form ten new complete sefirot from above to below,39“Above to below” refers to the direction of the expansion of the returning light vessel of Malkhut as it now expands “downward” to form complete vessels. By contrast, when discussing the returning light that emerges from the partition, the description is “below to above,” because the flow of returning light moving to enclothe the supernal light is, in that context, rising from the partition upward. and thus the vessels were completed, having formed the level of the body.

Each shiur koma (literally, “dimension of height”) that emerged in the ten sefirot of the head was also enclothed in the ten sefirot of the body. Thus the first partzuf of Adam Kadmon was completed, containing both levels of head and body.

Subsequently, the same fusion through collision was repeated on the partition that was placed on the vessel of Malkhut that now has only up to the opacity (ovyut) of the third level.40The opacity of the fourth level was already purified, or removed, in the first fusion described in the previous section, in which the first partzuf emerged. The author of the Sulam explains the mechanism of this purification in the sections that follow.

Accordingly, only the structural height of Ḥokhma, both head and body, emerge from it. On account of the lack of the opacity of the fourth level in the partition, it contains only the opacity of four vessels: Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, and Tiferet. Consequently, there is only the capacity in the returning light to clothe four lights alone, which are ḥaya, neshama, ruaḥ, and nefesh, and the light of yeḥida is missing.

This partzuf is called “Ab (or ayin-bet) of Adam Kadmon.”41As the author of the Sulam explained above, the vessels always emerge from highest (Keter) to lowest (Malkhut). Since the returning light is now formed from a partition that is lacking some opacity, that of the level of Malkhut, it cannot form the vessel of Malkhut. As a result, it only forms the vessels of Keter, Hokhma, Bina, and Tiferet.

By contrast, when the different levels of the supernal light emerge to be contained in vessels, it is the lowest levels that emerge first: nefesh, then ruah, and so on. When the vessel of Malkhut is missing because the partition has been purified of the fourth level of opacity, the highest light of yeḥida cannot be received in the vessels. Therefore, the light of nefesh is contained in Tiferet, ruaḥ in Bina, neshama in Ḥokhma, and ḥaya in Keter.

The structure that emerges, which is missing the vessel of Malkhut and the light of yeḥida, is the partzuf of Ab. This pattern continues with the successive purification of each level of the partition.

Then that same aforementioned fusion through collision is repeated on the partition that was placed on the vessel of Malkhut that now has only up to the opacity of the second level, so that then only the ten sefirot of the structural height of Bina, consisting of both head and body, emerge from it. This structure is called the “Sag (or samekh-gimmel) partzuf of Adam Kadmon,” which lacks the two vessels of Ze’er Anpin, or Tiferet, and Malkhut and the two lights of ḥaya and yeḥida.

After that, the fusion through collision takes place on the partition that has only up to the opacity of the first level, and then the ten sefirot of the structural height of Tiferet, both head and body, emerge. This partzuf lacks the three vessels of Bina, Ze’er Anpin, and Malkhut and the three lights of neshama, ḥaya, and yeḥida. It contains only the lights of ruaḥ and nefesh, which are enclothed in the vessels of Keter and Ḥokhma. This is called the “Mah (or mem-heh) and Ban (or bet-nun) partzuf of Adam Kadmon.”42Generally, Mah and Ban are two separate partzufim. At this point, however, prior to the second constriction, the partzuf of Mah is not distinctly identifiable. In this context, recall the inverse relationship between the vessels and the lights described in section #24# above.

We have thus explained the manner that the five partzufim of Adam Kadmon emerge, which are referred to as gulgalta: Ab, Sag, Mah, and Ban, in that descending order, such that each lower partzuf lacks the higher level of light of the one above it. The Ab partzuf lacks the light of yeḥida, and the Sag partzuf lacks the light of ḥaya as well, which is present in the one above it, which is Ab. The Mah and Ban partzuf lacks also the light of neshama, which is present in the one above it, Sag.

The reason for these differences is that this is an outcome of the amount of opacity (ovyut) in the partition upon which the fusion through collision occurs, as explained in section #18#. However, we have to understand who and what causes the amount of opacity in the partition to gradually decrease, one level after the other, so that it leads to the division into the five shiurei koma (literally, “dimensions of height”) of partzufim resulting from these five types of fusion.

The Purification of the Partition for the Emanation of a Partzuf

To understand the development of the levels in these five shiurei koma (literally, “dimensions of height”), the structures consisting of levels of lights and vessels that form the partzufim, one below the other, described with regard to the aforementioned five partzufim of Adam Kadmon, and likewise all the levels of the five partzufim of each of the four worlds – Atzilut (Emanation), Beria (Creation), Yetzira (Formation), and Asiya (Actualization) – until the Malkhut of Asiya, which have been described, we must fully comprehend the matter of the purification of the partition of the body that occurs in each partzuf of the partzufim of Adam Kadmon and the world of nekudim (points) and in the world of tikkun (rectification).

The concept that we need to understand is that there is no partzuf or level of any kind that does not contain two lights, which are called surrounding light and inner light. We will clarify these two types of lights as they apply to Adam Kadmon:

The surrounding light of the first partzuf of Adam Kadmon is the light of Ein Sof, blessed be He, that fills all of reality. After the first constriction (tzimtzum) and the placement of the partition on the vessel of Malkhut, the fusion through collision of the supernal light of Ein Sof on this partition occurred. By means of the returning light that the partition raised, the supernal light was drawn into the constricted world in the context of the ten sefirot of the head and the ten sefirot of the body, as stated in section #25# above.

However, this drawing forth of the supernal light that occurred in the partzuf of Adam Kadmon>> from Ein Sof, blessed be He, does not fill all of reality with the light as the light filled all of reality before the constriction. Instead, a beginning and an end can now be discerned regarding the light, which contain two different aspects. The first aspect is the quality of above and below, in that this light is arrested at the entry point of this world,43In this context, “below” refers to this world, where the light is not allowed entry.

This stopping point reflects the “end” of the light, illustrating the idea that the supernal light now possesses an endpoint. The endpoint of the supernal light above our world at the point of the terminating Malkhut, the point where the light is arrested, represents the end of the process through which the supernal light of the Creator is hidden from the inhabitants of this world. This is in contrast to the supernal light prior to the first constriction, which had no beginning or end. which is the mystical concept of the terminating Malkhut, as implied by the mystical meaning of the verse “He will set His feet…on the Mount of Olives.”44Zechariah 14:4.

The Mount of Olives symbolizes Malkhut, the fourth level. After the second constriction, the “feet” of Adam Kadmon are restricted from reaching this level and do not illuminate at this lower point. In the future, after the process of rectifications, the feet of Adam Kadmon will return to their original place of the fourth level, the “Mount of Olives.” The author of the Sulam quotes this verse here to illustrate that Adam Kadmon has a beginning and end – head and feet.

Likewise, the second aspect, similar to the qualities of above and below, is the quality of from within to without. Just as there are ten sefirot from above to below, Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, the six sefirot encompassed in Tiferet, and Malkhut, and Malkhut is the end of the world of Adam Kadmon from below, so too there are ten sefirot, Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut from within to without. These are called brain, bones, sinews, flesh, and skin, with skin being Malkhut, completing the partzuf from without.45The sefirot can be described in two directional senses: top to bottom (“above to below”) or innermost to outermost (“within to without”).

The supernal light can be thought of as above us, and the sefirot are the vessels that act as a bridge from the supernal light above to the lower world below, translating and transmitting the supernal light into its lower forms (since all of existence is filled with the supernal light and animated by it, as stated in the first sections above). Alternatively, the supernal light can be thought of as being at the root of all of existence, or “within,” and the vessels of the sefirot serve to manifest the hidden supernal light into a revealed form in the world.

From this perspective, the five parts of the body – brain, bones, sinews, flesh, and skin – named here correspond to the same five groupings of the sefirot used previously, namely, Keter, Hokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut.

In this respect, the partzuf of Adam Kadmon is like a mere thin line in relation to Ein Sof, blessed be He, who fills all of reality. This is because the partzuf formed of skin encloses the light and limits it all the way around from without so that it cannot expand to fill all the space from which it was constricted, and only a thin line is left positioned in the middle of the space. The measure of light that was received in Adam Kadmon, which is the thin line, is called inner light.

The vast difference between the amount of inner light contained in Adam Kadmon and the amount of light that remains beyond Adam Kadmon, which is the remainder of the total amount of supernal light of Ein Sof, blessed be He, before the constriction, is called surrounding light. It remains a surrounding light around the partzuf of Adam Kadmon, since it cannot be enclothed within the partzuf.46Following the constriction and the fusion through collision, when the returning light enclothed the supernal light, the returning light does not have the capacity to enclothe and receive the supernal light in its totality.

It can absorb only the small amount that it is able to receive and subsequently transmit. This small amount that can be received in this way is referred to as the inner light. The remaining light that cannot be received by the vessels while they maintain the dynamic of receiving in order to give remains outside the vessels and is called surrounding light. Consider a pipe that is being fed water from a lake.

For the purposes of this analogy, the walls of the pipe are the “outside” of the aspect of “within to without” and the length of the pipe is the aspect of “above to below.” The pipe can receive only the amount of water that it is capable of channeling to another destination that will receive the water. The remaining water must wait outside the pipe, surrounding it, as the pipe is incapable of taking it in while simultaneously channeling it and would simply be overwhelmed by the sheer quantity.

We have thoroughly explained the mystical meaning of the surrounding light of Adam Kadmon, which is endless and unlimited in its enormity. This does not mean that Ein Sof, blessed be He, who fills all of reality, is Himself the surrounding light of Adam Kadmon. Rather, the meaning is that when the fusion through collision occurred with the partition that was placed on the Malkhut of the head of Adam Kadmon, the supernal light of Ein Sof struck the partition that was there.

This means that Ein Sof wanted His supernal light to be enclothed in the fourth level of Adam Kadmon, as before the constriction (tzimtzum), but the partition of the Malkhut of the head of Adam Kadmon impacted against His light, meaning that it prevented His light from spreading into the fourth level and so rebuffed it, as stated above in section #14#, so that in truth this returning light that emerged through the rebuffing of the supernal light also became vessels for enclothing the supernal light, as stated above.

However, there is a vast difference between the receiving capacity of the fourth level before the constriction and the receiving capacity of the returning light after the constriction. The returning light enclothes only a thin line of the supernal light, containing a beginning and end, as stated. All this was wrought by the partition, due to its impact against the supernal light. Thus, this entire amount of light that was rebuffed from Adam Kadmon on account of the partition, meaning, the entire amount of the supernal light from Ein Sof, blessed be He, that wanted to be enclothed in the fourth level were it not for the partition that prevented it, becomes the surrounding light around Adam Kadmon.

The reason that the uncontained supernal light became surrounding light is that there is no change or loss in the spiritual realm.47Since nothing can be lost or destroyed in the spiritual realm, the supernal light cannot simply be stopped or extinguished from achieving its designated purpose of entering the fourth level. Therefore, it remains outside the fourth level as surrounding light, until the fourth level is finished being rectified to fully receive it.

The process of rectification refers to the incremental way that the fourth level “evolves” to be able to ultimately receive the supernal light in its entirety. This process is discussed extensively in later sections below. Since the light of Ein Sof was drawn to Adam Kadmon to be enclothed in the fourth level, it must achieve this, and therefore, although the partition has now prevented it from entering the fourth level and rebuffed it, nevertheless this does not nullify the process of the drawing forth of the supernal light of Ein Sof, God forbid.

On the contrary, it sustains it, only in a different manner. That is, it is achieved by the multiple fusions in the five worlds of Adam Kadmon, Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, until the rectification is completed so that the fourth level is rectified through all these fusions, in all its perfection, able to receive the supernal light, at which point the supernal light of Ein Sof will be enclothed in it as before.

Thus, the impact of the partition on the supernal light does not lead to any change or loss. This is the mystical meaning of the Zohar’s statement “The unification of Ein Sof is not actualized until it receives its female half.”48Zohar Ḥadash 2:71b. The receiving vessel, which is continually modified and expands until it is capable of receiving the supernal light is referred to here as the “female half,” the receiving partner, that completes the “male half,” the supernal light that emanates from Ein Sof.

In the meantime, that is, until that time, this light of Ein Sof becomes surrounding light, which means that it is ready to be enclothed in the fourth level subsequently, but for now it surrounds and shines on the fourth level only from the outside with a partial illumination. This illumination drives the fourth level to incrementally expand according to the system of rules that will lead it to receive this surrounding light in the full and original measure that Ein Sof, blessed be He, extended to it at the outset.

We will now clarify the matter of the beating of the inner light and the surrounding light against one another, which leads to the purification of the partition and the loss of the final level of opacity (ovyut).

Since these two lights are the opposites of one another, and they are both connected to each other in the partition of Malkhut of the head of Adam Kadmon, they therefore beat and collide with one another. Meaning, the fusion through collision that takes place in the mouth of the head of Adam Kadmon – that is, in the partition of the Malkhut of the head called mouth,49As was explained in previous sections, there is a process through which the vessels are modified in order to be able to receive and enclothe the supernal light.

The partition that is placed above the fourth level called Malkhut initially creates returning light that transforms the vessels from receiving vessels into vessels that can receive in order to give. In this way, they have the potential to be able to absorb the supernal light, which is entirely giving. At first, the vessels exist only in their initial “root,” or potential, form. This root form can be thought of as purely theoretical, like a blueprint for the fully formed vessel.

This theoretical form is called the head” of the partzuf, because the head is associated with the theoretical world of thought. Subsequently, the vessel of Malkhut expands to fully form the lower part of the partzuf, the body, in which the sefirot vessels are now fully formed and no longer theoretical. During this phase, Malkhut can be thought of as a mouth because it lies at the bottom of the head.

Additionally, in kabbalistic thought, a mouth represents the part of the body that translates one’s thoughts, which exist in the realm of the theoretical, into actualized, expressed words. The Malkhut of the head serves as the vehicle that allows the supernal light to be contained in the body of the partzuf, the completed form of the vessels of the returning light. It serves to actualize the containment of the supernal light, bringing it from the theoretical stage of the head to the actualized form of the body.

Thus, it is called the “mouth of the head.” which caused the enclothing of the inner light within Adam Kadmon by means of the returning light that the partition raised (as stated in section #14# above) – is also the cause of the emergence of the surrounding light of Adam Kadmon. Through the partition preventing the light of Ein Sof from being enclothed in the fourth level, the light emerged outward in the form of surrounding light.

That is, that entire part of the light that the returning light cannot enclothe, that the fourth level itself was meant to enclothe, emerges and becomes surrounding light, as stated in the previous section. Thus, the partition in the mouth is equally the cause of both the surrounding light and the inner light.

It has thus been clarified that the inner light and the surrounding light are both tethered to the partition, but with opposite dynamics. At the same time that the partition draws down part of the supernal light into the inner region of the partzuf through the returning light that enclothes that supernal light, so too the partition also prevents the remaining supernal light, which is called surrounding light, from being enclothed within the partzuf. Since the part of the light that remains outside as surrounding light is very large, on account of the partition preventing it from being enclothed in Adam Kadmon, as stated in section #32# above, it is regarded as impacting against the partition that repudiates it, since it wants to be enclothed inside the partzuf.

By contrast, the forces of opacity (ovyut) and hardness (kashyut) in the partition are regarded as impacting against the surrounding light, which wants to be enclothed within the partzuf, and prevent it from being enclothed in the same way that the partition impacts on the supernal light at the moment of the fusion through collision. These impacts that the surrounding light and the opacity of the partition strike against one another are called the beating of the surrounding light on the inner light.

However, this beating is carried out between them only in the body of the partzuf, since it is only there that the enclothing of the light in the vessels, which leaves the surrounding light outside the vessel, is discernible. This is not the case for the ten sefirot of the head. This beating does not occur there, since there the returning light is not categorized as true vessels at all, but only as thin roots, that is, as potential for forming vessels.

Consequently, the light within the vessels of the head is not categorized as circumscribed inner light to the extent that the light remaining outside can comparatively be regarded as surrounding light.50As explained in the note to section #33# above, the head of the partzuf can be thought of as referring to the theoretical potential of the process of forming proper receiving vessels, while the body of the partzuf is the actualization of the process.

It is only in its full form, where it contains both body and head, that the amount of supernal light received in the body vessel structure can be called inner light and the rest of the supernal light that remains outside the partzuf can be called the surrounding light.

Since there is no clear demarcation between the inner light and surrounding light within the head of the partzuf, the idea of an impact between the inner light and the surrounding light in the ten sefirot of the head is irrelevant. It is only after the lights spread from the mouth downward to the ten sefirot of the body of the partzuf, where the lights are enclothed in the vessels, which are the ten sefirot of the returning light from the mouth downward, that the impact occurs there between the inner light within the vessels and the surrounding light that remains outside, as stated above.

This beating continues until the surrounding light purifies the partition of all its opacity (ovyut) and elevates it to its root above, which is the mouth of the head.51The beating of the surrounding light represents the constant insistence of the surrounding light to enter the vessel. The vessel of Malkhut resists this pressure, represented by the partition. Since the surrounding light is inexorable, over time it erodes the partition, degrading it so that it loses its opacity.

This removal of opacity, which the author of the Sulam refers to as “purification of the partition,” causes the body of the partzuf to revert to the more theoretical form of the head of the partzuf, causing the body to merge and unite with the structure of the head. In other words, the surrounding light purifies the partition of the Malkhut of the body of all the opacity, that is, the opacity of above to below, which is referred to as the partition and opacity of the body.52The “opacity of above to below” refers to the dynamic of the body of the partzuf receiving the supernal light, which flows from above.

By contrast, “the opacity from below to above” conveys the opposite dynamic, of the returning light moving “upward” to serve as new vessels for the supernal light. In this state, the “separation” described here has not yet been achieved because the returning light only serves as theoretical vessels for the supernal light, the head that then expands to become the body. This purification leaves the partition of the body with only the root of the body, which is the same as the partition of the Malkhut of the head, called “mouth.”

That is, the partition is purified of all the opacity that is of above to below, which separates the inner light from the surrounding light, and only the opacity from below to above remains, where this separation between the inner light and the surrounding light has not yet been achieved, as stated in the previous section.

As is known, the equating of form merges spiritual entities, unifying them into one. Therefore, once the partition of the body has been purified of the opacity of the body, and all that remains in it is the same measure of opacity found in the partition of the mouth of the head, its form is equal to the partition of the head. As a result, it is incorporated within the partition of the head, literally becoming one, as there is nothing between them that would divide them into two.

This is referred as the partition of the body rising to the mouth of the head. Since the partition of the body is thus incorporated in the partition of the head, it is included again in the fusion through collision of the partition of the mouth of the head, and a new fusion through collision is performed upon it. A new structure of ten sefirot emerges from it, which is called “Ab (or ayin-bet), of Adam Kadmon,” or the partzuf of “Ḥokhma of Adam Kadmon.” This is considered a son and an offspring of the first partzuf of Adam Kadmon.