Kabbalah offers a fascinating, complex model to explain just that.
We often talk about Malkhut, the final sefira (emanation) on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, as the "kingdom" or the vessel that receives and manifests the light. But it's not quite that simple. According to the "Introduction to the Sulam Commentary," Malkhut actually has two aspects when it's at the "head" of a partzuf (a divine configuration): a "terminating Malkhut" and a "fusing Malkhut."
Think of it this way: the terminating Malkhut acts like a filter, preventing the full intensity of the supernal light from overwhelming the vessel. It's a necessary constraint, like a dimmer switch on a lightbulb. The fusing Malkhut, on the other hand, does the opposite. It blends with the supernal light, creating what's called the "returning light." This interplay is absolutely vital.
Now, these two aspects are present in the "head" of the partzuf only as "roots," almost like potential energy. They don't fully manifest until we get to the "body" of the partzuf. As we move from the "mouth" of the partzuf down to its "navel," we see the fusing Malkhut in action. This is where the supernal light becomes enclothed, or invested, within the vessel. It’s a process of integration and containment.
But what happens below the navel? That's where the terminating Malkhut takes over. This area, down to the "end of the legs" of the partzuf, represents the conclusion of that particular level of existence. Here, the supernal light is almost completely blocked. It's as if the dimmer switch is turned way down. This lower area contains another set of ten sefirot (the divine emanations), but these are the "ten sefirot of the end," marking the limit of the partzuf.
And what happens at the very bottom? The last sefira, Malkhut, in this set of ten marks the termination point. It’s the “Malkhut of the end of the legs," the very edge of the structure, as explained in "Petiḥa LeḤokhmat HaKabbala," section 50. It’s here that the light is cut off, preventing it from spreading further down. This Malkhut is the ultimate receiver, but also the ultimate barrier.
So, what kind of light does permeate this lower area? It's primarily the "returning light," that light created by the fusing of Malkhut and the supernal light. However, as the "Introduction to the Sulam Commentary" explains, there's still a small illumination from the "direct light," though it's considered "six extremities without a head."
This is a reference to the lower partzuf of Ze’er Anpin, a level characterized by the light of giving, or ḥassadim (loving-kindness). It's like a body without a mind, relying more on reflected light than direct illumination. The higher partzufim (the divine configurations), in contrast, are illuminated primarily by the "direct light," the light of Ḥokhma (wisdom), and are associated with the "first three" sefirot: Keter (crown), Ḥokhma, and Bina (understanding). You can read more about that dynamic in sections 50–53 of "Petiḥa LeḤokhmat HaKabbala".
Ultimately, this model of fusing and terminating Malkhut helps us understand how the boundless light of the Creator can be channeled and contained within the finite vessels of our world. It's a dynamic interplay of restriction and expansion, a dance of light and shadow that shapes our reality. So, the next time you look at a dimmer switch, remember the two faces of Malkhut, and the profound Kabbalistic wisdom they represent.
In the Malkhut of the head these two aspects are present only in the form of two roots. The terminating Malkhut of the head is the root of the Malkhut of the body that ends the level, while the fusing Malkhut of the head is the root of the enclothing of the light in the vessels.15The partition that rests upon Malkhut has two functions. It prevents the supernal light from entering Malkhut, and also fuses with the supernal light to create the returning light. These two features are called the terminating Malkhut and the fusing Malkhut, respectively. They appear in the head of the partzuf in a “root” (theoretical) form, but then manifest fully in the body of the partzuf. The fusing Malkhut aspect is expressed in the body as the area from the mouth of the partzuf until the navel, as there, the supernal light is enclothed (an expression of “fusion”) in the partzuf. From the navel downward, the aspect of the terminating Malkhut is manifest. The terminating Malkhut, another set of ten sefirot, is the conclusion of the partzuf, marking the end of the level of existence represented by the particular partzuf. In this lower area, the supernal light is almost completely blocked out (an expression of “termination”). These two dynamics become manifest and occur in the body of the partzuf: From the mouth to the navel is where the force of the fusing Malkhut is apparent since the supernal light is enclothed in the vessels. From the navel and downward, the force of the terminating Malkhut is apparent and produces the ten sefirot of the end of the partzuf, in which each sefira emerges only with the illumination of the returning light without the illumination of the supernal light. At the point of the sefira of Malkhut of these ten sefirot of the end, each partzuf is terminated because this Malkhut is the terminating Malkhut that does not receive anything, and therefore the spreading supernal light that is within the partzuf is arrested there from continuing to lower levels.16The sefirot of the bottom part of the partzuf contain the aspect of the terminating Malkhut, and thus block the supernal light from entering the bottom area. The last sefira of the set of ten sefirot comprising this area is that of Malkhut. This Malkhut can be thought of as the embodiment of the terminating Malkhut (as explained in Petiḥa LeḤokhmat HaKabbala, section 50), and therefore, at that point in the structure, the partzuf is “terminated,” and ends. We call this “the Malkhut of the end of the legs,”17This refers to the end of the lower “extremities” of the partzuf, the bottom edge of its conceptual structure. which cuts the light and arrests the partzuf from continuing. These ten sefirot of the end, which spread from the navel and downward, to the end of the legs, are called “ten sefirot of the end” because they are all parts of the Malkhut of the end and the conclusion. However, when we say that these sefirot contain only returning light, this does not mean that they contain none of the direct light. Rather, it means that they also contain a small illumination from the direct light, but this is considered six extremities without a head.18The concept of the six extremities refers to a level characterized by the lower partzuf of Ze’er Anpin. As is explained here, this type of level is primarily illuminated with the light of giving (ḥassadim), and only slightly illuminated by the direct light, the light of Ḥokhma. It is thus described as being “six extremities without a head,” like a body that lacks a mind to animate it. The number six refers to the six lower sefirot of the level of Tiferet mentioned in section 4 above. In contrast, the levels characterized by higher partzufim are primarily illuminated by the direct light, the light of Ḥokhma. These levels are called the “first three,” referring to the first three sefirot of Keter, Ḥokhma and Bina, and the partzufim that are associated with them. See Petiḥa LeḤokhmat HaKabbala, sections 50–53.
