We've touched on the breaking, but what about the mending? How did the universe even begin to heal?
That's what we're diving into today, drawing from the ancient wisdom of texts like Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah. The Kabbalists saw this repair as a process with three key aspects, almost like a three-act play. First, there's the binding together, the initial act of mending. Then, an immediate awakening of love. And finally, a new, harmonious order established.
Let's start with that first act: the binding together. Think of it like this: after a vase shatters, the first thing you do is gather the biggest pieces. This initial stage of repair, according to Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah, focuses on reconnecting what was fractured. Specifically, it describes the binding together of "two radiations." What does that mean?
Well, in Kabbalistic thought, the universe emanates from God through various channels, often visualized as lights or radiations. When the vessels broke, these radiations were disrupted. The repair begins with reuniting these energies. Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah calls this the "first root of the repair," the very foundation upon which everything else is built.
This concept of "balance," or matkela (מתקלא) as the Sifra DeTzeniuta puts it, is also crucial. This balance, this joining of radiations, isn’t just a mechanical process. It’s the very source of love within the Sefirot, the divine attributes or emanations. These Sefirot, like building blocks of creation, become infused with love precisely because of this reconnection. It's a powerful idea: that love itself is born from the mending of what was broken. That connection is essential for the flow of divine energy.