It involves shattering, sparks, and a whole lot of divine intention.
We’re going to dive into a concept called the “breaking of the vessels,” or Shvirat HaKelim. It’s a wild story, and it's all about how the universe came to be.
Now, before we get too far, let's establish some ground rules. We'll be drawing from a text called Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah, a Kabbalistic work that delves deep into the mysteries of creation. It’s a complex topic, so we’ll break it down piece by piece. Think of it as unlocking a secret code to understanding our reality.
The core idea is that the breaking of the vessels wasn't some cosmic accident; it was a deliberate act, all “for the sake of the governmental order,” as Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah puts it. In other words, it was necessary for the way the universe is structured. This concept is going to be explored in two parts: what was rectified, and what wasn’t.
So, what was rectified?
The text explains that the root of all created worlds and beings lies in the seven lower Sefirot. Now, Sefirot (singular: Sefirah) are, in Kabbalistic thought, the ten emanations of God's divine energy. They're like the blueprints for creation, the channels through which God manifests in the world.
These seven lower Sefirot – as opposed to the three higher, more ethereal ones – are considered the foundation upon which everything is built. This is something all the Kabbalistic sages agree on. They even call these the seven Sefirot of building – binyan (בנין) in Hebrew. Binyan literally means "building" or "construction." The very structure of reality is built upon these seven divine attributes. As it says in Psalms 89:3, "The world is built on Kindness (Chessed, חסד)." Chessed, the first of these constructive Sefirot, represents loving-kindness, grace, and generosity.
So, according to Kabbalah, the universe is literally founded on kindness. But if that’s the case, if the root of creation is in these rectified Sefirot of building, why does the world still feel… broken?
Well, that’s the second part of the equation. We'll have to save that for next time. But for now, let's sit with the idea that even in the midst of imperfection, the very foundation of existence is rooted in kindness. Maybe that's a starting point for healing, for building a better world, and for understanding our place within it all.