And today, we're going to dive into a particularly fascinating corner of the Kabbalistic landscape: the inner workings of Bina within Arikh Anpin.
Stay with me, I know these are big terms! Bina, often translated as "understanding," is one of the ten sefirot, those divine emanations through which God manifests in the world. Think of them as lenses that refract the infinite light. And Arikh Anpin? That's the "Long Face" or "Vast Countenance" – a particularly elevated and patient aspect of the divine.
Now, things get interesting. The Sulam Commentary explores how even within Bina of Arikh Anpin, there's a further division. See, Kabbalah loves to nest structures within structures. As we learn in section 26, Ze'er Anpin and Nukba together represent the seven lower sefirot in a partzuf structure. And remember, every individual sefira (like Bina here) is comprised of all ten (or five) sefirot. So, this Bina of Arikh Anpin has a lower set of seven sefirot that, like all sets of lower seven, need the illumination of Ḥokhma.
These lower seven sefirot aren't simply a lesser version of Bina itself. Instead, they arise from the interaction of Ze’er Anpin (the "Small Face," representing the emotive attributes) and Nukba (the "Female," the receptive principle) within Bina. According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, everything yearns to return to its source. The main essence of Ze’er Anpin, as explained in Petiḥa LeḤokhmat HaKabbala, section 5, is the illumination of the light of Ḥokhma (wisdom) in the light of giving.
So, why does this matter? Well, these lower seven sefirot of Bina of Arikh Anpin, require the illumination of Ḥokhma in order to give to the lower level of Ze’er Anpin and Nukba. When the lower seven of Bina emerge from the head of Arikh Anpin, they are unfit to receive Ḥokhma for Ze’er Anpin and Nukba, and are considered impaired. This is described as a lack or deficiency until they are reunited with the higher aspects of Bina.
Think of it this way: the first three sefirot of Bina only crave the light of giving. As a result, the lower seven sefirot – the partzuf of Yisrael Sabba (the "Elder of Israel") and Tevuna (understanding), as they are called – yearn for the light of Ḥokhma. As long as they are outside the head of Arikh Anpin, they are considered impaired. This separation is why the lower seven became a separate level of their own, enclothing from the chest of Arikh Anpin downward.
These seven lower sefirot are considered six extremities without a head until Bina returns to the head of Arikh Anpin, at which point they obtain the first three. This is a lower aspect of the partzuf structure.
So, what’s the takeaway? The Kabbalists are showing us that even within the most refined aspects of the Divine, there's a constant process of separation, yearning, and return. The partzuf of Yisrael Sabba and Tevuna is illuminated by the light of Ḥokhma, an illumination for which this partzuf "yearns," given its position as the lower seven sefirot of Bina.
It reminds us that wholeness isn't a static state, but a dynamic dance. And perhaps, just perhaps, it offers a framework for understanding the different facets of ourselves, the parts that reach for wisdom and the parts that feel incomplete until they reconnect with something higher.