Turns out, that feeling isn't just a human experience. According to Kabbalistic thought, the very structure of the cosmos is in constant flux, governed by a fascinating concept: mochin (מוחין) – mental powers.
Now, what exactly are these mochin? They’re not just abstract thoughts floating around. Think of them as the inner essence, the pnimiyut (פנימיות), the very "soul" of all the Partzufim. The Partzufim, for those new to Kabbalah, are divine configurations, aspects of God’s manifestation in the world. And these mochin, this "soul," is what governs them. They're the source of all "government," as the text puts it.
This isn't some new-age invention, by the way. We find this concept woven throughout the writings of the ARI – Rabbi Isaac Luria, the towering figure of 16th-century Kabbalah – and in the teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the sage traditionally credited with authoring the Zohar. These are the heavy hitters of Jewish mystical thought.
So, how do these mochin actually work? Well, they're not static. They change within the Partzufim at different times. And these changes, in turn, affect the nature and functioning of those Partzufim. Think of it like this: imagine a king. His mochin are his wisdom, his compassion, his ability to judge. If his mental state shifts – if he becomes more merciful or more strict, more insightful or more clouded – that shift will inevitably affect how he rules his kingdom. Similarly, the changing mochin of the Partzufim influence the very fabric of reality.
These mochin, we're told, are the "garb" of the inner Line, which is the soul of souls. It's through these different "garbs" that the Partzufim are distinguished from one another. These garbs determine whether a Partzuf inclines toward Kindness, Judgment, or Mercy. They also influence the stature and value of a Partzuf – whether it’s "great" or "small." The light a Partzuf receives from the Divine Line is directly related to the "garb" of the mochin within it.
In essence, these mochin are the dynamic forces that shape and differentiate the very expression of the Divine. It's a powerful idea: that even in the highest realms, change is constant, and that these changes ultimately ripple down, influencing our own world. It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? If the cosmos itself is governed by shifting mental powers, what kind of mental powers are we cultivating? And how are they shaping our own lives and the world around us?