In Kabbalah, this feeling has a very specific explanation, tied to the mystical concept of ascent and descent within the sefirot.
Now, the sefirot (singular: sefirah) are those ten emanations of God's light, the attributes through which the Divine manifests in the world. Think of them as lenses, each refracting the infinite light in a unique way.
And today, we're diving into a somewhat complex idea about how these sefirot interact, specifically focusing on what happens when Malkhut, the final sefirah representing kingdom or manifestation, ascends to Bina, the sefirah of understanding.
According to the Sulam commentary, when Malkhut ascends to Bina, it creates a sort of…cleavage. A split. The level we’re talking about loses the lights of the first three sefirot. It’s as if the level is suddenly divided in two. One half stays put, containing the vessels of Keter (crown) and Ḥokhma (wisdom), along with the lights of ruaḥ (spirit) and nefesh (soul). The other half? It departs. This outgoing half consists of the vessels Bina (understanding), Tiferet (beauty), and Malkhut (kingdom), carrying with them the lights of neshama (higher soul), ḥaya (life force), and yeḥida (singularity).
So what does this all mean? Well, the Sulam explains that this ascent of Malkhut to Bina is alluded to mystically in the Hebrew words for "light" (or, spelled alef-vav-resh) and "air" (avir, spelled alef-vav-yod-resh). Notice the difference? The letter yod slips into the word.
Because of Malkhut's ascent, the level loses the light of its highest three sefirot. It’s left only with the levels of ruaḥ and nefesh…what is now called "air". This is all explained in the Zohar (Bereshit 1:32), and further elaborated upon in the Sulam commentary there, specifically in the section beginning with "beka."
Think of it this way: When Malkhut ascends, it’s like a piece of the puzzle is temporarily removed. What’s left behind is a diminished state, a sense of being incomplete. The higher lights, the ones that connect us to the Divine in the most profound way, are… elsewhere.
Now, isn’t that a wild idea? The ascent of Malkhut, causing a division and a feeling of lacking. It makes you wonder, doesn't it? Where do we experience this “ascent” in our own lives? Where do we feel that something vital has shifted, leaving us with a sense of incompleteness, an "air" where there was once a brighter "light"? Perhaps recognizing these moments is the first step to understanding and ultimately, restoring the wholeness within.