In Kabbalah, the mystical Jewish tradition, there are fascinating explanations for this sense of lack, rooted in the very structure of the cosmos. Today, let's peek into the inner workings of Arikh Anpin, the "Long Visage" or "Longsuffering," one of the most important partzufim, or divine configurations, in Kabbalistic thought.
Normally, we'd expect the "head" of a partzuf to contain all five sefirot – the divine emanations through which God manifests. These are Keter (Crown), Ḥokhma (Wisdom), Bina (Understanding), Tiferet (Beauty), and Malkhut (Kingdom). But Arikh Anpin is… different.
Here’s the twist: The head of Arikh Anpin only has two sefirot: Keter, called here Kitra (a variation on the name), and a "sealed" Ḥokhma. What happened to the others?
Well, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut from the head were, shall we say, ejected. They’re now part of the partzuf below the head, effectively becoming part of the body. This is a pretty big deal. As our passage explains, Bina of Arikh Anpin "emerged from its head and became a body without a head."
Why this strange arrangement? It all comes down to something called the "terminating Malkhut." This refers to the blocking power of Malkhut – remember, that's Kingdom or Sovereignty – that ascended during what's known as the "second constriction." This constriction, or tzimtzum, is a key concept in Kabbalah, describing how God contracted Himself to make space for creation. This "terminating Malkhut" essentially halted the flow of divine energy at the level of Bina, relegating Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut of the head to the lower realm of the body. Anything below this Malkhut is considered part of the partzuf's body.
Think of it like a dam on a river. The Malkhut acts as that dam, preventing the full flow of divine light from reaching its intended destination. Because Bina of Arikh Anpin has become a body without a head, it's cut off. It's "no longer fit to receive Ḥokhma until it returns to the head of Arikh Anpin."
And what about that "sealed Ḥokhma" we mentioned earlier? Because Bina is now below the "terminating Malkhut," it can't access the Ḥokhma embedded in the head of Arikh Anpin. It’s inaccessible, not just to Bina, but to the lower levels of existence as well.
So, what does this all mean? On a simple level, it's a description of the complex relationships between the divine attributes. But on a deeper level, perhaps it points to the inherent incompleteness of our world, the sense that something is always missing. The separation of Bina from Ḥokhma in Arikh Anpin reflects a separation that echoes throughout creation. It's a reminder that wholeness, true union, requires a return, a re-integration of these separated aspects. Maybe, just maybe, understanding this divine drama can help us understand our own yearning for completion.