According to the text Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah, it's all about how MaH and BaN join together. But the key is understanding that this joining isn't random. It's intentional, purposeful. It's not just some abstract, cosmic accident. There's a reason for it.
Now, what exactly are MaH and BaN? These are numerical values assigned to different ways of writing the divine name YHVH (יהוה), often called the Tetragrammaton. MaH (מה) has a numerical value of 45, and BaN (בן) has a value of 52. In Kabbalah, these names represent different attributes and aspects of God’s manifestation in the world. They're like different frequencies of divine energy. Think of it as different settings on a cosmic dial.
The text emphasizes that the way MaH and BaN are joined in the different Partzufim – these are divine "faces" or configurations – is the result of a process of selection and sorting. This process, the text says, creates an interconnection. The combination of MaH and BaN isn't simply a root of some overarching governmental order in the divine realms. It actually leaves its mark on the Partzufim themselves.
Why is this important? Well, if the joining of MaH and BaN was just some general, hidden root, then we'd expect that it would be a separate level, distinct from everything else. A sort of intermediary stage before Atzilut (the world of emanation) appears. But that's not how it works. Instead, the unique combinations of different parts of MaH and BaN build the Partzufim themselves.
Think of it like this: if you were building a house, you wouldn't just have one big pile of materials out of which the house magically emerges. No, you'd have different materials – wood, bricks, glass – combined in specific ways to create the different rooms and features of the house. Similarly, the way MaH and BaN combine is not merely a general preparation for the world of Atzilut; it actually influences the very structure of the Partzufim.
So, what does this all mean for us? It suggests that the divine energies are not some distant, abstract force. They're intimately involved in the very fabric of creation. The combinations of MaH and BaN, and the Partzufim they create, hint at the intricate and purposeful design underlying everything. And perhaps, if we can understand these connections, we can gain a deeper understanding of our own place within the cosmic tapestry.