The ancient text, Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah ("Key to the Gates of Wisdom"), delves into this very question, offering a glimpse into the hidden processes of creation and governance.
Imagine a vast, primordial soup of possibilities – the "Primordial Kings," as the text calls them. Within this totality, a process of sorting and selection takes place. Not everything is fit to become part of the established order. Only the most suitable elements are chosen to form the laws that govern existence, laws that the "Supreme Mind" – we might think of it as the divine architect – intends to establish.
This selection is crucial. It's like a master craftsman carefully choosing the right tools and materials to build a magnificent structure. Only the best, most fitting components will do.
But what about the "vessels?" The Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah speaks of vessels ascending to receive their lights. These vessels, of course, need to be filled with light to govern properly. It’s a beautiful image, isn’t it? Empty vessels, yearning to be filled with the divine essence so that they can fulfill their purpose.
To understand this ascent, we need to briefly touch on the concept of Atzilut and the other worlds. In Kabbalistic thought, existence is structured in a series of descending realms: Atzilut (Emanation), Beriyah (Creation), Yetzirah (Formation), and Asiyah (Action). Think of it like a cosmic ladder, each rung a different level of reality.
Now, the text refers to the "Atzilut of the second Atzilut-Beriyah-Yetzirah-Asiyah." This might sound a bit complex, but it's essentially saying that the levels have shifted and been refined. As we learned earlier in the text, specifically in Opening 46, these four places were already prepared. The vessels, which had previously been in a state of descent and decline, now ascend.
Even though they only ascend to the second Atzilut – which occupies the place of the original Beriyah – this is still considered an ascent for them. Why? Because they are now able to serve as the government of Atzilut. They become the root of the present governmental order, the very source from which all the lights emanate.
It’s a profound idea: that even in the grand scheme of cosmic creation, there is a continuous process of refinement, ascent, and the filling of vessels with divine light. This is according to Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah.
So, what does this all mean for us? Perhaps it’s a reminder that even when we feel like we're in a state of decline, there is always the potential for ascent. Even when things seem chaotic and disordered, there is a process of selection and refinement at work, guided by a higher intelligence. And, just like those vessels, we too can strive to be filled with light, to fulfill our purpose, and to contribute to the establishment of order in our own lives and in the world around us.