It's not just a single Big Bang, but a layered process, a sort of cosmic development unfolding over time. One fascinating way to understand this is through the concepts of "Gestation, Infancy, and Brains" within the world of Atzilut (Emanation). The Sulam Commentary, a key text for understanding the teachings of Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag, illuminates these stages.

Now, what exactly are these three stages? Think of them as phases in the emanation of the ten sefirot (divine attributes). Today, we'll focus on "Gestation," the very first step.

The Sulam Commentary explains that these stages—Gestation, Infancy, and Brains—occur both in the "Back" and the "Face." While that sounds a bit strange, just stay with me. We’re getting into the inner workings of creation here.

So, what is this "Gestation" we speak of? It all begins with the concept of "returning light." Imagine light emanating from the Divine, encountering a sort of barrier, a "partition" that contains only the faintest trace of Aviut deShoresh (opacity of the root). This collision creates a “height of returning light,” which the Sulam equates to the "height of gestation." This height corresponds to the light of Nefesh within the vessel of Keter.

Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Chaya, Yechida. These are the five levels of the soul, or in this case, levels of divine light. Nefesh is the lowest, the most basic level. Keter, on the other hand, is the highest of the ten sefirot.

Why is the lowest light in the highest vessel? Well, that's where the inverse relationship between vessels and lights comes in. As we learn elsewhere (and as the Sulam reminds us), vessels manifest from highest to lowest, while the lights manifest from lowest to highest. It's a cosmic dance of sorts. Because the returning light only reaches the height resulting from that minimal opacity (the root level), it can only reach as "high" as the light of Nefesh. And because of this limitation, the vessel containing it must be the highest, the vessel of Keter.

From another perspective, this height of gestation is also called the height of Netzach, Hod, and Yesod. Now, sometimes, the sefirah of Malchut is referred to as Netzach, Hod, and Yesod. But there's more! Within this "height of gestation" is also the height of Ruach, the next level of light above Nefesh. This corresponds to Hesed, Gevurah, and Tiferet.

But here's the catch: this higher level of light, the Ruach, is without vessels. As the Sulam will explain in the next section, these higher lights of Hesed, Gevurah, and Tiferet need to be "enclothed" within the vessels of Netzach, Hod, and Yesod.

That's why this stage is called "Gestation." It's a period of incubation, where higher potential is contained within a lower form. The Sulam sums it up beautifully: the height of gestation is called "three within three," meaning Hesed, Gevurah, and Tiferet within Netzach, Hod, and Yesod.

So, what does all this mean for us? Perhaps it suggests that even in the earliest stages of any creative process, whether it's birthing a universe or simply starting a new project, there are layers of potential waiting to be developed. Even when things feel basic or limited (like the light of Nefesh), there's a hidden depth, a higher light yearning to emerge. Just like the potential of Ruach gestating within Nefesh, maybe we too hold within us the seeds of something far greater than we currently realize.