Today, we're diving into a specific concept that deals with this very idea of incompleteness: the Nukba root of Ze’er Anpin, which is Malkhut (Sovereignty).
Now, let's unpack that a bit. Ze’er Anpin, often translated as "Small Face," is a crucial configuration within the Tree of Life. Think of it as a bridge, connecting higher and lower realms. Malkhut, meaning "Kingdom," represents the culmination of divine energy in the physical world. And Nukba? That refers to the feminine aspect, the receiver. So, we're essentially talking about the receptive aspect of Malkhut as it relates to Ze’er Anpin.
Our journey starts in the "world of Nekudim." Imagine this as a primordial state, a world of points or vessels. During its "phase of immaturity," Ze’er Anpin of Nekudim – which embodies the sefirot (divine attributes) of Ḥesed (loving-kindness), Gevura (strength/judgment), Tiferet (beauty/harmony), Netzaḥ (endurance), Hod (splendor), and Yesod (foundation) – didn't quite have all its pieces in place. It possessed six vessels: Ḥokhma (wisdom), Bina (understanding), Da’at (knowledge – see section 46 for more on this), Ḥesed, Gevura, and Tiferet. But it lacked the vessels of Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod.
Why this incompleteness? Well, it's all about the dynamics between the lights and the vessels. As explained in Petiḥa LeḤokhmat HaKabbala (section 24), there’s an inverse relationship at play. The vessels develop from the top down (Keter first, then Ḥokhma, and so on to Malkhut), while the lights enter from the bottom up (Nefesh, then Ruaḥ, then Neshama, etc.). It's like building a house: the foundation is laid last, but the spirit enters first.
The text tells us this was “due to the ascent of Malkhut to the place of Bina of Ze’er Anpin, which is the sefira of Tiferet.” Now, that's a mouthful! But what does it mean? Remember those sefirot we mentioned earlier? In a level of Tiferet, the five main sefirot, Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, are called Ḥesed, Gevura, Tiferet, Netzaḥ and Hod. As explained in section 4, this ascent of Malkhut to Bina (which corresponds to Tiferet in this context) caused a split within Tiferet itself. It divided Tiferet into two "parts." One third remained above the new position of Malkhut (in the upper third of Tiferet, specifically, the chest area of the partzuf (a divine configuration)). The other two thirds, along with Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod, were "ejected" to a lower level.
Think of it like a river being dammed. The water level rises in one area, but downstream, things become… diminished. In this case, "The two-thirds of Bina, Tiferet and Malkhut, which are called in Ze’er Anpin the two-thirds of Tiferet, and Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod… fell from the level of Ze’er Anpin to the level below, that is, to the worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, which are below Ze’er Anpin of Atzilut (the World of Emanation)." These are the lower worlds, further removed from the divine source.
So, what's the takeaway? This concept of the Nukba of Ze’er Anpin and the missing vessels highlights the inherent tension and dynamism within creation. It speaks to a process of constant striving for completion, a yearning for wholeness that echoes throughout all levels of existence. And perhaps, it reflects our own personal journeys, our own experiences of feeling incomplete and our ongoing quest to find the missing pieces within ourselves.
The Nukba Root of Ze’er Anpin which is Malkhut 53. During the phase of immaturity of the world of Nekudim, Ze’er Anpin of Nekudim, which is Ḥesed, Gevura, Tiferet, Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod of Nekudim, had six vessels: Ḥokhma, Bina, Da’at,111See section 46 above, and the footnote there, for an explanation of Da’at. Ḥesed, Gevura, and Tiferet (since from the perspective of the lights, in which the small ones grow first, they are called Ḥesed, Gevura, Tiferet, Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod, and the first three are missing, whereas from the perspective of the vessels, in which the upper ones grow first, they are called Ḥokhma, Bina, Da’at, Ḥesed, Gevura, and Tiferet, so that the vessels of Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod are missing (as explained in Petiḥa LeḤokhmat HaKabbala, section 24), and it lacked Netzaḥ, Hod and Yesod of the vessels.112Section 24 of Petiḥa LeḤokhmat HaKabbala states: “The answer is that there is a consistent inverse relationship between the lights and the vessels. It is the nature of the vessels that the higher vessels grow first in the partzuf. Keter grows first, followed by the vessel of Ḥokhma and so on, until the vessel of Malkhut, which grows last. Therefore, we list the vessels in the order of Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, from above to below, as that is their order of 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, 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.” This was due to the ascent of Malkhut to the place of Bina of Ze’er Anpin, which is the sefira of Tiferet,113As was explained in section 4 above, the five main sefirot, Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut are named Ḥesed, Gevura, Tiferet, Netzaḥ and Hod in a level of Tiferet, which is the level of a partzuf Ze'er Anpin. The point made here, and in the next sentences, is to describe how the second constriction operated within the partzuf of Ze'er Anpin of the world of Nekudim. The Malkhut of the partzuf ascended to the Bina of the partzuf, which, relative to the world of Nekudim, is Tiferet (because in a level of Tiferet, Bina is named Tiferet). This ascent of Malkhut split Tiferet into two “parts,” in which one third remained above the new position of Malkhut, and two thirds were ejected to the lower level, along with Netzaḥ, Hod and Yesod. This is the meaning of the next sentence which states: The two-thirds of Bina, Tiferet and Malkhut, which are called in Ze’er Anpin the two-thirds of Tiferet, and Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod (as explained there) fell from the level of Ze’er Anpin to the level below. since Ḥesed, Gevura, and Tiferet of Ze’er Anpin are Keter, Ḥokhma, and Bina (as stated in section 4 above). Malkhut ascended to the upper third of Tiferet, in the place of the chest.114In the structure of a partzuf, matching the structure of a human body, the sefira of Tiferet corresponds to the chest of the body. The two-thirds of Bina, Tiferet and Malkhut, which are called in Ze’er Anpin the two-thirds of Tiferet, and Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod (as explained there) fell from the level of Ze'er Anpin to the level below, that is, to the worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, which are below Ze’er Anpin of Atzilut.
