Now, within Adam Kadmon, there are these partitions, these veils that filter the divine light. We're focusing on one where the partition has only the faintest hint of opacity – we're talking third-level stuff here. This is important because it's at this level that the ten sefirot, the emanations of divine energy, start to take on the structure we associate with Ḥokhma, or Wisdom.
But here’s where it gets really interesting. This partition, this veil, also holds a trace of "enclothing" – a memory, if you will, of how the divine light was previously clothed or concealed at the fourth level. Think of it like the lingering scent of perfume long after the person has left the room. According to the Petichah LeChokhmat HaKabbalah, this trace of enclothing is too pure, too ethereal, to directly fuse with the supernal light. It's just... too refined.
Why? Because, as we’ve learned, creation needs a little bit of "oomph," a little bit of resistance. The text uses the word ovyut, or opacity, which represents the will to receive. This trace of opacity, this tiny bit of "wanting," is what allows for a fusion through a kind of "collision" on the partition.
The trace of enclothing, on its own, doesn’t have enough of this ovyut to participate in this collision. It needs a little help. So, it joins forces with that trace of opacity from the third level. They become, essentially, one trace. This is key.
Now, empowered by this trace of opacity, the trace of enclothing can participate in the fusion with the supernal light. A collision happens, and bam! – ten sefirot are produced, almost at the level of Keter, the Crown, the highest and most sublime level. Why so high? Because that partition still carries a memory of the enclothing of the fourth level.
So, what does this all mean? It’s a deeply intricate picture of how creation unfolds. How even the most subtle traces of past interactions and intentions play a critical role. The Kabbalists are showing us that nothing is ever truly lost; that everything leaves its mark, and these marks, in turn, shape what comes next. It’s a reminder that even the faintest echo of the divine can, when combined with the spark of desire, bring forth new worlds. Pretty