The Kabbalah, that deep well of Jewish mystical thought, offers us some fascinating answers. Today, let’s dive into the creation of the partzuf of Ab of Adam Kadmon.
We’ve previously discussed how the initial fusion, a cosmic collision of sorts, led to the emergence of the first partzuf, a divine countenance or configuration. Now, we see that process repeated, but with a crucial difference. This time, the fusion occurs on a partition within the vessel of Malkhut – that's the "kingdom" or the final, most manifest level of creation – but Malkhut is only partially complete, possessing only the first three levels of opacity, or ovyut.
Think of it like filtering light through different lenses. The fourth level of opacity has already been purified, removed during that first fusion. As Baal HaSulam, author of the commentary Sulam on the Zohar, explains, this purification is a key mechanism. Because of this missing opacity, only the structure of Ḥokhma, or Wisdom, emerges – both its head and body.
Why is this opacity so important? Well, the partition, lacking that crucial fourth level, only contains the opacity of four vessels: Keter (Crown), Ḥokhma, Bina (Understanding), and Tiferet (Beauty). Consequently, the returning light – that light which reflects and refines – can only clothe four corresponding lights: ḥaya (living), neshama (soul), ruaḥ (spirit), and nefesh (vitality). The highest light, yeḥida (oneness), is missing.
This is where we get the partzuf called Ab of Adam Kadmon. Ab, spelled ayin-bet in Hebrew, is a significant name in Kabbalah, representing a particular stage of divine emanation. As Baal HaSulam explained, the vessels always emerge from highest (Keter) to lowest (Malkhut). But here's the catch: because the returning light is formed from a partition lacking the opacity of Malkhut, it cannot form the vessel of Malkhut. It can only form the vessels of Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, and Tiferet.
Now, when the supernal light emerges to fill these vessels, it's the lowest levels that emerge first: nefesh, then ruaḥ, and so on. So, when the vessel of Malkhut is missing, because the partition has been purified of that fourth level of opacity, the highest light of yeḥida can't be received. Instead, the light of nefesh is contained in Tiferet, ruaḥ in Bina, neshama in Ḥokhma, and ḥaya in Keter.
The resulting structure, missing the vessel of Malkhut and the light of yeḥida, is the partzuf of Ab. And this pattern, this dance of purification and emanation, continues as each level of the partition is successively purified.
So, what does all this mean for us? It's a reminder that creation is a process, a continuous unfolding. The absence of something, like the missing opacity of Malkhut, isn't necessarily a void; it's an opportunity for something new to emerge, for the divine light to find new ways to express itself. It suggests that even in what seems incomplete, there is profound potential and purpose.