json/Kabbalah/Baal HaSulam/Petichah LeChokhmat HaKabbalah/English/merged.json

{
    "title": "Petichah LeChokhmat HaKabbalah",
    "language": "en",
    "versionTitle": "merged",
    "versionSource": "https://www.sefaria.org/Petichah_LeChokhmat_HaKabbalah",
    "text": [
        [
            "The Talmud states:<sup class=\"footnote-marker\">1</sup><i class=\"footnote\"><i>Makkot</i> 23b.</i> <b>“Rabbi Ḥananya ben Akashya says: The Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to confer merit upon the Jewish people. Therefore, He increased for them Torah and commandments, as</b> the verse <b>states, ‘It pleased the Lord for the sake of His righteousness to make the Torah great and glorious.’”</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">2</sup><i class=\"footnote\">Isaiah 42:21.</i> <b>It is known that the word</b> for merit, <b><i>zekhut</i>, connotes <i>hizdakekhut</i>,</b> purification, <b>and this aligns with the Sages’ statement that the commandments</b> of the Torah <b>were given only in order to refine the Jewish people through them.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">3</sup><i class=\"footnote\"><i>Bereshit Rabba</i> 44:1.</i>  <b>This purification that we attain by means of the Torah and commandments needs to be understood. What</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>) <b>is there in us that we must purify it through the Torah and commandments?</b>",
            "<b>I have addressed this topic in my books</b> <i><b>Panim Masbirot</b></i> <b>and</b> <i><b>Talmud Eser HaSefirot</b></i><b>. I will review</b> the ideas <b>here in brief.</b>",
            "The Creator’s <b>initial intent for the Creation was to bestow benefit on the created beings commensurate with His generosity, may He be blessed and exalted. Therefore, souls were imprinted with the great will and desire to receive His</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i> (divine bounty)<b>. The will to receive is the vessel that contains the measure of pleasure that is in the</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i><b>, because the measure of greatness and strength of the will to receive the</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i> <b>is commensurate with the measure of pleasure and delight in the</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i><b>, no more, no less. They are bound together to such an extent that they cannot be distinguished from one another except in terms of that to which they relate: The pleasure is related to the</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i><b>, while the great will to receive the</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i> <b>is related to the created being who receives it. Both of these are necessarily drawn from the Creator, only they must be distinguished in the aforementioned manner: The</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i> <b>is drawn from His essence, that is, its existence emanates</b> from His essence <i><b>yesh miyesh</b></i><b>.</b> <b>The will to receive, which is incorporated there,</b> in the <i>shefa</i>, <b>is the root of all created beings, that is, it is the root of any new creation, which constitutes the emergence of existence</b> <b>ex nihilo</b> (<i>yesh me’ayin</i>), <b>since</b> the Creator’s <b>essence certainly does not contain any trace of the will to receive, God forbid.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">4</sup><i class=\"footnote\">Since the Creator’s essence does not contain any aspect related to receiving, as He needs nothing from anyone, the will to receive could not emanate from His essence, as the <i>shefa</i> did, but rather had to be created as a totally new entity from nothingness.</i>",
            "<b>We can therefore discern that the aforementioned will to receive constitutes all creative material from beginning to end, to such an extent that the myriad species of creations, their innumerable incarnations, and their manners of behavior,</b> both <b>those that have manifest and those that will manifest in the future, constitute nothing more than quantities and differences in the measure of the will to receive.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">5</sup><i class=\"footnote\">All things in creation are formed of the will to receive, which can be viewed as the raw material that makes up the vast diversity of all created entities, both matter and living creatures. The differences between various created entities is rooted in the different measures of will to receive that each one contains.</i>  <b>Anything contained within</b> the vessel that constitutes <b>those creations, that is, anything received through their imprinted will to receive, emanates from</b> the Creator’s <b>essence</b> <i><b>yesh miyesh</b></i><b>. It is not in any way a new creation</b> that came into <b>existence</b> <b>ex nihilo</b> (<i>yesh me’ayin</i>) <b>, since it is not truly new at all but emanates from</b> the Creator’s <b>eternal essence</b> <i><b>yesh miyesh</b></i><b>.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>As stated, the will to receive was necessarily encompassed in</b> the Creator’s initial <b>intent for the Creation, in all its various forms, together with the great</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i> <b>with which He thought to benefit them and to grant to them. Know that this is the mystical meaning of light and vessel that we discern in the higher worlds, because of necessity they come bound as one, and they devolve together from one level to the next,</b> descending further and further from their divine source. <b>The measure by which the levels descend from the light of His countenance and become distant from Him is commensurate with the materialization of the will to receive that is subsumed in the</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i><b>.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">6</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The system of Kabbala describes layers and levels of existence, in which the higher a created entity is, the closer to the source it is – that is, to the Creator – and the less material it is. In the process of Creation described here, the supernal light and the vessels descend through the layers, or spiritual worlds, to incrementally manifest as the reality we experience as this world.</i>",
            "<b>One can likewise say the reverse, that commensurate with the measure of the materialization of the will to receive in the</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i><b>,</b> the combined will to receive and the <i>shefa</i> <b>increasingly descends from one level to the next, as will be explained below.</b> This continues <b>until</b> it reaches <b>the lowest place of them all, at which point the will to receive becomes materialized to its fullest</b> potential <b>measure. That place is termed the world of</b> <i><b>Asiya</b></i> (Actualization), <b>and</b> there <b>the will to receive is manifest as a human body, while the</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i> the created entity <b>receives is the amount of vitality that is contained in that body. The same applies to the other creations in this world.</b>",
            "<b>Thus, the whole difference between the higher worlds and this world is that as long as the will to receive that is subsumed in His</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i> <b>has not materialized into its final form, it is still found in the spiritual worlds, which are loftier than this world, whereas once the will to receive has materialized into its final form, it is regarded as being found in this world.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>The aforementioned</b> <b>devolvement</b> <b>in which the will to receive is brought into its final form in this world follows the order of the four levels</b> that correspond to <b>the four letters of the four-letter name of God</b> (the Tetragrammaton). <b>For the four letters of the Tetragrammaton,</b> <i>yod-heh-vav-heh</i>, <b>encompass all of reality without excluding even the most minute particle.</b>",
            "<b>In general,</b> the letters <b>are expressed as the ten</b> divine attributes known as <i><b>sefirot</b></i><b>,</b> the letters being synonymous with them: <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, and their root,</b> <i>Keter</i>. <b>They are ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>because the</b> <i><b>sefira</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i> <b>encompasses six</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i><b>:</b> <i><b>Ḥesed</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Gevura</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Netzaḥ</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Hod</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>Yesod</b></i><b>, and the root is called</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i> <b>.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">7</sup><i class=\"footnote\"><i>Keter</i> is referred to as the root <i>sefira</i> in this context because <i>Keter</i> is like a bridge, so to speak, between the Creator and the creation. It is connected to the infinity of the Divine on one side and to the finite creation on the other. Thus it acts as a doorway, a link between His essence and the finite world. Without this doorway, there could be no process of creation at all. Note, however, that it cannot truly be thought of as a “bridge,” since His essence is infinite and can never be reached or grasped by anything within creation.</i> <b>However, they are mainly referenced as</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i> <b>and</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>. Keep this in mind.</b>",
            "Additionally, the four letters of the divine name correspond to <b>the four worlds, which are</b> <i><b>Atzilut</b></i> (Emanation), <i><b>Beria</b></i> (Creation), <i><b>Yetzira</b></i> (Formation), and <i><b>Asiya</b></i> (Actualization).<sup class=\"footnote-marker\">8</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The <i>yod</i> of the name corresponds to the world of <i>Atzilut</i>, the first <i>heh</i> to the world of <i>Beria</i>&gt;&gt;, the <i>vav</i> to the world of <i>Yetzira</i>, and the second <i>heh</i> to the world of <i>Asiya</i>.</i>  <b>The world of</b> <i><b>Asiya</b></i> <b>includes this world within it. Thus there is no creature in this world that is not engendered from</b> <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i><b>, blessed be He, meaning</b> it is rooted <b>in the</b> initial <b>intent for the Creation, which is to give His creations pleasure, as stated above. This</b> initial <b>intent is necessarily comprised of light and vessel, that is, a certain measure of</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i> <b>together with the will to receive that</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i><b>. The measure of</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i> <b>emanates from His essence</b> <i><b>yesh miyesh</b></i> <b>, while the will to receive the</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i> <b>comes into existence anew</b> <b>ex nihilo</b> (<i>yesh me’ayin</i>), <b>as stated above. In order that the will to receive may reach its final form, it must</b> <b>devolve</b><b>, together with the</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i> <b>it contains, through the four worlds of</b> <i><b>Atzilut</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Beria</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Yetzira</b></i><b>,</b> and <i><b>Asiya</b></i><b>. At that point, the created being is complete,</b> composed <b>of</b> both <b>light and vessel, which is referred to as body and the light of vitality it contains.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>The reason that the will to receive</b> <b>devolves</b> <b>by means of the aforementioned four levels,</b> <i><b>Atzilut</b></i> (Emanation), <i><b>Beria</b></i> (Creation), <i><b>Yetzira</b></i> (Formation), and <i><b>Asiya</b></i> (Actualization), <b>is due to an important principle that applies to the vessels: It is the expansion of the light and its subsequent removal that renders the vessel suitable for its function. This means that as long as the vessel has not been separated in any way from its light, it is encompassed in the light and subsumed within it like a candle in the presence of a torch. This subsummation occurs because the vessels and light are complete opposites from one extreme to the other. The light is</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i><i> <b></b></i><b>that emanates from His essence</b> <i><b>yesh miyesh</b></i><b>. From the perspective of the intent to create that stems from</b> <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i><b>, blessed be He, the light is intended purely to grant <i>shefa</i> and contains nothing of the will to receive. The vessel is the opposite, as it is composed of the ultimate desire to receive that</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i><b>,</b> a desire <b>that is the entire root of the created being, containing no ability to give whatsoever.</b>",
            "<b>Therefore, when they are bound together, the will to receive is negated by the light within, and</b> a created being <b>is unable to achieve a final form until the light has been removed from it</b> at least <b>once. For after the light is removed from it, the will to receive begins to yearn very much</b> for the light, <b>and this yearning determines and finalizes the appropriate form that the will to receive</b> will take. <b>Subsequently, when the light returns and is</b> <b>enclothed</b> in the form that the will to receive has taken, <b>from that point the</b> entity <b>is categorized as possessing two separate elements: vessel and light, or body and vitality. Consider this carefully, as it is the most profound of ideas.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>Therefore, the four levels</b> that correspond <b>to the Tetragrammaton,</b> the four-letter name of God, <b>which are</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>,</b> and <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, are necessary. The first level, called</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>, actually contains the entirety of the emanated being,</b> both <b>light and vessel. It incorporates the full will to receive together with the entirety of the light within it, which is called the “light of wisdom,”</b> also called <b>the “light of vitality,” as it comprises all the light of the life force that is in the emanated being</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in its vessel. Yet this first level is categorized as entirely light and its vessel is barely recognizable, since</b> the vessel <b>is mingled with the light and subsumed in it like a candle in the presence of a torch.</b>",
            "<b>Then follows the second level. At the end</b> of the first level, <b>the vessel of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i> <b>prevails by</b> <b>equating its form</b> <b>to</b> that of <b>the supernal light it contains. In other words, a will to give to the Emanator is awakened</b> within the vessel, <b>resembling the nature of the light it contains, which is entirely to give. Then, by means of this will</b> to give <b>that has been awakened in the vessel, a new light is drawn to it from the Emanator, which is called the “light of giving.” As a result, it is disassociated almost completely from the light of wisdom that the Emanator bestowed on it, since the light of wisdom can be received only in its own vessel, which is the ultimate will to receive in its fullest measure, as stated.</b>",
            "<b>Accordingly, the light and vessel in the second level are completely different from those of the first level, as the vessel</b> of the second level <b>has the will to give, while the light within it differentiates into the light of giving, a light that emanates from the power of the cleaving of the emanated being to the Emanator.</b> That is, <b>the will to give</b> that is awakened within the vessel <b>brings about the</b> <b>equating of its form</b> <b>with</b> that of <b>the Emanator, and the</b> <b>equating of form</b> <b>is</b> the way an entity <b>cleaves</b> to another <b>in the spiritual realm, as stated below.</b>",
            "<b>Next comes the third level, which</b> comes <b>after the light in the emanated being has been reduced to the light of giving and there is no</b> light of<i> <b></b></i><b>wisdom at all. Yet it is known that the light of wisdom is the essential life force of the emanated being. Therefore, at the end of the second level</b>, the emanated being <b>awakened and drew into it a measure of the light of wisdom to shine into the light of giving within it. This awakening thus draws once more a certain measure of the will to receive, which forms a new vessel referred to as the third level, or</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>. The light within it is called “the light of giving illuminated by</b> the light of <b>wisdom,” since the light is primarily comprised of the light of giving but a little of it is the light of wisdom.</b>",
            "<b>After that comes the fourth level. At the end of the third level, the vessel was also awakened to draw the full measure of the light of wisdom, as in the first level. This awakening constitutes a state of yearning that is similar to the will to receive that was present in the first level and in a way exceeds it, for at this point</b> the will to receive <b>has already been separated from that light because in this level the light of wisdom is no longer</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in</b> the vessel of the will to receive<b>, but rather</b> the vessel <b>yearns for it,</b> to receive the light of wisdom. <b>Thus, the form of the will to receive has been fully established, since the vessel is completed after the expansion of the light and its</b> subsequent <b>removal from</b> the vessel, <b>as stated above. When the</b> materialized vessel <b>subsequently returns to receive the light once again, the vessel will precede the light.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">9</sup><i class=\"footnote\">At this stage of the process, the vessel yearns to receive the light of wisdom. This yearning is what constitutes the completed vessel since the loss of the light of wisdom is what drives the vessel to yearn for it. The idea that the vessel now “precedes” the light refers to the fact that in this context the vessel is present yet, lacking light, yearns for it, so the vessel is said to be first in that it is present but the light is not. By contrast, in the first level the vessel and the light were both present, with the vessel subsumed within the light.</i> <b>Therefore, this fourth level constitutes the completion of the vessel, which is called</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>The four levels described above are the mystical meaning of the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>that can be discerned in every emanated being and each creation, both in the overall system of existence comprised of the four worlds and in the smallest minutiae of existence. The first level is called</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>, or the world of</b> <i><b>Atzilut</b></i> (Emanation). <b>The second level is called</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>, or the world of</b> <i><b>Beria</b></i> (Creation). <b>The third level is called</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>, or the world of</b> <i><b>Yetzira</b></i> (Formation). <b>The fourth level is called</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, or the world of</b> <i><b>Asiya</b></i> (Actualization).",
            "<b>We will now elucidate the four levels as they apply to every soul.</b>",
            "<b>When a soul is drawn from</b> <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i><b>, blessed be He, and enters the world of</b> <i><b>Atzilut</b></i><b>, it is in the soul’s first level. There it is not yet called</b> <i>neshama</i> , <b>as the term <i>neshama</i> indicates that there is some divergence from the Emanator, blessed be He. This state of divergence reflects how the soul has left the level of</b> <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i> <b>and has reached a state in which it is revealed as</b> a separate <b>entity unto itself.</b> Prior to this separation, <b>when the soul does not yet possess the form of a vessel, there is nothing to identify it as distinct from His essence so that it may merit its own name. It has already been established that in the first level</b> of development <b>of a vessel, it is not recognized as a vessel at all but rather is entirely subsumed by the light.</b>",
            "<b>This is the mystical meaning of the statement regarding the world of</b> <i><b>Atzilut</b></i><b>, that it is entirely divinity, in the mystical statement “He, His life, and His attributes are one.”</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">10</sup><i class=\"footnote\"><i>Tikkunei Zohar</i>, Introduction 3b.</i> <b>Even the souls of other living creatures, when they pass through the world of</b> <i><b>Atzilut</b></i><b>, are categorized as still cleaving to His essence.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>In the world of</b> <i><b>Beria</b></i> (Creation), <b>the aforementioned second level is dominant, which is the level of the vessel that constitutes the will to give. Therefore, when the soul descends and enters the world of</b> <i><b>Beria</b></i><b>, acquiring the type of vessel that exists there, then it is called</b> <i><b>neshama</b></i><b>. At that point, it has already emerged and separated from His essence and has merited its own name:</b> <i><b>neshama</b></i><b>. Nevertheless, this vessel is extremely pure, since it</b> <b>equates its form</b> <b>with</b> that of <b>the Emanator</b> by acquiring the will to give, <b>and therefore it is categorized as wholly spiritual.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>In the world of</b> <i><b>Yetzira</b></i> (Formation), <b>the aforementioned third level is dominant, which includes the incorporation of a small amount of the form of the will to receive. Therefore, when the soul descends and enters the world of</b> <i><b>Yetzira</b></i><b>, acquiring that vessel, it leaves the spiritual level of</b> <i><b>neshama</b></i> <b>and is then called</b> <i><b>ruaḥ</b></i><b>. On this level, its vessel is intermingled with a slight</b> degree of <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>) <b>because of the small amount of will to receive that it contains. Nevertheless, it is still considered spiritual, as this amount of</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>is insufficient to separate it entirely from His essence to the extent that it can be called a body that exists in its own right.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>In the world of</b> <i><b>Asiya</b></i> (Actualization), <b>the fourth level is dominant, which is the completion of the vessel that constitutes the ultimate will to receive, as stated above. Accordingly, it acquires a body distinct and separate from His essence, one that exists in its own right. The light</b> and vitality <b>that it contains is called</b> <i><b>nefesh</b></i><b>, which is indicative of light without movement of its own.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">11</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The fourth level is the final stage of this process. In this final level, the light is “without movement” since it does not transition to further stages and descend any lower.</i>",
            "<b>Know that there is no minutia of existence that is not comprised of all</b> the levels <b>of</b> <i><b>Atzilut</b></i> (Emanation), <i><b>Beria</b></i> (Creation), <i><b>Yetzira</b></i> (Formation), and <i><b>Asiya</b></i><b>.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>One thus discovers how this</b> soul level called <i><b>nefesh</b></i><b>, which is the light of vitality</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in the body, emanates from</b> the Creator’s <b>essence</b> <i><b>yesh miyesh</b></i>. <b>As it passes through the four worlds of</b> <i><b>Atzilut</b></i> (Emanation), <i><b>Beria</b></i> (Creation), <i><b>Yetzira</b></i> (Formation), and <i><b>Asiya</b></i><b>, it becomes increasingly distant from the light of His countenance, until it enters its designated vessel, which is called body. At this stage, the vessel has acquired its proper, final form.</b>",
            "<b>Admittedly, the light it contains has also greatly diminished until the root of its origin is no longer discernible. Even so, by engaging in Torah study and</b> the performance of <b>the commandments in order to give one’s Creator satisfaction, one continuously purifies one’s vessel that is called body until it merits receiving the ultimate</b> <i><b>shefa</b></i> <b>in the fullest measure that was encompassed in</b> the Creator’s initial <b>intent for the Creation when He created</b> the world. <b>This is the meaning of Rabbi Ḥananya ben Akashya’s statement</b> that <b>“the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to purify</b> [<i>lezakot</i>] <b>the Jewish people.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">12</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The Hebrew word <i>lezakot</i> means both “to confer merit” and “to purify.” In section #1# above, it was translated as “confer merit” since in that context, the author of the <i>Sulam</i> had not yet developed his concept of the purification of the vessels (our bodies) through Torah study and commandments. In this section, <i>lezakot</i> connotes “to purify,” since his point here is the purification of vessels.</i> <b>Therefore, He increased for them Torah and commandments.”</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>With this in mind, you will understand the true</b> basis for <b>delineating the distinction between spirituality and corporeality: Anything that contains a fully formed will to receive, with all its aspects, which constitutes the fourth level, is considered corporeal. This level exists in all facets of the reality that is visible to us in this world. Anything beyond this ultimate measure of will to receive can be categorized as spirituality. This constitutes the worlds of</b> <i><b>Atzilut</b></i> (Emanation), <i><b>Beria</b></i> (Creation), <i><b>Yetzira</b></i> (Formation), and <i><b>Asiya</b></i> (Actualization) <b>– they and all of reality that they contain – which are loftier than this world.</b>",
            "<b>With this</b> understanding, <b>you can grasp that all the ascents and descents mentioned with regard to the higher worlds do not refer to an imaginary place, God forbid, but rather to the concept of the four levels of will to receive. Anything that is distant from the fourth level is described as being in a higher place, while anything that is closer to the fourth level is described as being in a lower place.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>However, one must understand that since the central element of a created being, and of all of creation in general, is solely the will to receive, anything beyond this is not actually in the category of a creation but rather emanates from</b> the Creator’s <b>essence</b> <i><b>yesh miyesh</b></i><b>;</b> that is, it constitutes the light of vitality found within the creation. <b>If that is the case, why do we describe this desire to receive</b> with negative appellations such <b>as</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>) <b>and murkiness, and</b> why is it that <b>we are commanded to purify it by means of Torah study and commandments to the extent that without this</b> purification <b>we would not achieve the lofty goal of</b> the Creator’s <b>intent for the Creation?</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>The explanation is that just as corporeal beings are separated from one another by spatial distance, so too spiritual beings are separated from one another by their difference of form. You can find comparable cases in this world as well. For example, two people who are similar to one another in their perspectives love each other, and physical distance does not cause them to grow apart. By contrast, when they are far apart from one another in their perspectives, they hate each other and physical proximity will not bring them one iota closer. The difference in the form of</b> two people’s <b>perspectives distances them from one another, while the similarity of form in their perspectives draws them closer to each other. If, for example, the nature of one of them is the opposite, in all aspects, from the nature of the other, they will be as far apart from each other as east is from west.</b>",
            "<b>In the same way, you can understand</b> this concept <b>in</b> the realm of <b>spirituality. All the dynamics of distancing and drawing close, or fusion and unification, that are applied to it, are just measures of changes of form. They are separated from one another commensurate with the extent of the difference of form, and they are attached to one another commensurate with the</b> <b>equating of form</b><b>.</b>",
            "<b>With this in mind, you will understand that although the will to receive is an indispensable quality in a created being, since</b> the will to receive <b>defines an entity as a created being and is the appropriate vessel for receiving the purpose of</b> the Creator’s <b>intent in the creation of the world<i>,</i> nevertheless this quality separates</b> the created being <b>completely from the Emanator. This is because there is a change of form that leads to opposing states between</b> the created being <b>and the Emanator. The Emanator is entirely about giving and lacks even a trace of receiving, God forbid. By contrast,</b> the created being <b>is entirely about receiving and lacks even a trace of giving. There is no difference of form more opposite and distant than this, and therefore this difference of form necessarily separates</b> the created being <b>from the Emanator.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>In order to save the created beings from the enormity of this distant separation, the mystical first</b> <b>constriction</b> (<i>tzimtzum</i>) <b>was implemented, separating the aforementioned fourth level from all the holy</b> <i><b>partzufim</b></i> <b>in such a manner that the ultimate capacity for receiving was left as an empty space, devoid of any light.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">13</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The constriction referred to here, and upon which the author of <i>Sulam</i> will go on to elaborate at length, is the formation of a partition that separates the fourth and last level called <i>Malkhut</i> from the supernal light. This partition prevents the supernal light from entering the final receiving vessel of <i>Malkhut</i>, leaving that level “devoid of any light.” This is meant to “save the created beings from the enormity of this distant separation” because by using the partition to refuse entry to the supernal light, the vessel of <i>Malkhut</i> creates a situation in which the ultimate receiving of the supernal light is actually an act of giving. As the author will go on to explain, this is like a person giving his friend the opportunity to do him a favor. Once the vessel of <i>Malkhut</i> achieves this, it is not as “enormously separated” from the Emanator, as it now also has the quality of giving, forming a connection to the Emanator through their shared trait of giving, a connection that the author of the <i>Sulam</i> refers to as an “equating of form.”</i> <b>For all the holy</b> <i><b>partzufim</b></i> <b>emerged with a</b> <b>partition</b> <b>placed upon their</b> respective <b>vessels of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>so that they would not receive light in their fourth level.</b>",
            "<b>Thus, when the supernal light is drawn down and expands toward the emanated being, this</b> <b>partition</b> <b>rebuffs</b> the light <b>backward, and there is a kind of collision between the supernal light and the</b> <b>partition</b><b>.</b> This collision <b>gives rise to the</b> <b>returning light</b><b>,</b> which returns the light <b>from below to above and</b> <b>enclothes</b> <b>the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the supernal light. That part of the light that is rebuffed upward is called the</b> <b>returning light</b><b>. When it</b> <b>enclothes</b> <b>the supernal light, it becomes a vessel that serves as a receptacle for the supernal light instead of the fourth level.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">14</sup><i class=\"footnote\">As explained above, the fourth level called <i>Malkhut</i> cannot receive the supernal light directly because they are opposites. The <i>Malkhut</i> has to be modified through the deployment of the partition, which represents <i>Malkhut</i> expressing its agency to choose not to receive the supernal light except on its own terms. This rejection transforms the act of receiving the light into a gift itself, as in the analogy of a person giving his friend the opportunity to do him a favor. The first part of that transformation is when the supernal light is rebuffed, or sent back, which allows that returning light to act as a partial receiver instead of the fourth level of <i>Malkhut</i>. The mechanism of this rebuffing of the light and the way it is used to enclothe the supernal light is explained further in the next sections.</i> <b>Subsequently the vessel of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>expands commensurate with the amount of</b> <b>returning light</b> that was rebuffed by the partition, <b>which is the rebuffed light that ascended and</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>the supernal light from below to above, which then expanded from above to below.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">15</sup><i class=\"footnote\">After the returning light bounces off the partition and is rebuffed backward, it serves as a vessel to enclothe the supernal light. This process is referred to as “enclothing from below to above,” since the returning light emerges from “below” at the level of the partition and travels upward. The enclothing of the supernal light is actualized when the Malkhut expands to form complete vessels, and this expansion takes place “above to below” because the supernal light travels downward, so to speak, to be enclothed in the fully formed vessels.</i> <b>In this manner, the lights are</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in the vessels, meaning in that</b> <b>returning light</b><b>.</b>",
            "<b>This is the mystical meaning of</b> <b>head</b> <b>and</b> <b>body</b> <b>in each level,</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">16</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The concepts of head and body are references to the formation of partzufim, which will be explained at length in the following sections.</i> <b>since the</b> <b>fusion through the collision</b> <b>of the supernal light against the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>gives rise to the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>from below to above and</b> <b>enclothes</b> <b>the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the supernal light in the form of the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b><b>, which refers to the roots of the vessels, as there,</b> in the head, <b>there cannot yet be actual</b> <b>enclothing</b> in order to form complete vessels. <b>Subsequently, when the</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>expands with the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>from above to below, the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>ceases</b> to exist as light and now acts as <b>vessels for the supernal light. Then the supernal light is</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in the vessels, and it is called the</b> <b>body</b> <b>of that level, meaning</b> it becomes <b>complete vessels.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">17</sup><i class=\"footnote\">When the returning light travels upward, it is described as being in its initial state of enclothing of the supernal light. In this state, it serves as “roots” for the vessels that will be enclothing the supernal light in the next stage of the process that the author of the Sulam goes on to describe. Those roots are referred to as the “head” of that structure of sefirot. Once the Malkhut expands, and the returning light now serves as vessels, the supernal light is enclothed in this complete structure, which is referred to as the “body”; now the vessels are no longer roots but are fully formed. When this happens, and the structure of sefirot are fully constructed, the returning light is said to cease, since it is now acting as vessels for the supernal light. The author of the Sulam will elaborate on these concepts extensively in the sections that follow.</i>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>Thus, new vessels were made in the holy</b> <i><b>partzufim</b></i><b>, instead of the fourth level</b> serving in that capacity, <b>after the first</b> <b>constriction</b> (<i>tzimtzum</i>). <b>They were fashioned through the</b> rebuffing of the <b>returning light</b> <b>by means of the</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> of the supernal light <b>against the</b> <b>partition</b><b>. It is necessary to understand this</b> <b>returning light</b><b>, how it became a receiving vessel. Initially it was merely light that was rebuffed from being received, and now it subsequently serves a function that is the opposite of its own type.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">18</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The rebuffed light can be viewed as the supernal light that was blocked from entering the fourth level. Since the supernal light is wholly giving, the author of the Sulam questions how it can now serve as a receiving vessel.</i>",
            "<b>I will explain this to you by means of a parable that relates to the affairs of this world: It is human nature to like and respect the attribute of giving, while the attribute of receiving from another person is viewed as repulsive and degrading. Accordingly, if one visits the house of a friend, and</b> the friend <b>invites him to dine with him, he will decline to eat even if he is very hungry because he considers it demeaning and degrading to receive a gift from his friend. However, if his friend implores him sufficiently, so that it becomes abundantly clear to him that he would be doing his friend a great favor by eating, he will agree to dine with him. He no longer feels that he is the one receiving the gift and that his friend is being the giver, but rather the converse: He is the giver, the one doing his friend a favor, by accepting this favor from him.</b>",
            "<b>You thus find that although hunger and appetite are the specific receiving vessels for eating, and this person had sufficient hunger and appetite to accept his friend’s meal, he was nevertheless unable to taste even a morsel of his</b> friend’s food <b>out of embarrassment. However, when his friend began to implore him, and he repeatedly declined</b> his offer, <b>a new receiving vessel for eating began to be formed within him. As the force of his friend’s entreaties and the force of his own repudiations increase and grow, they will ultimately combine and grow large enough that his attribute of receiving is transformed into an attribute of giving to the extent that he can imagine he is doing his friend a favor and providing him with immense gratification by eating. At that point, receiving vessels for his friend’s meal are generated within him.</b>",
            "<b>We can now see how the force of his rejection became the central element of his receiving vessel with regard to the meal, and not hunger and appetite, even though in truth they are the usual receiving vessels.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>From the aforementioned parable, which involves an interpersonal relationship, one can understand the aforementioned concept of</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>and the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>that rises by means of it, which becomes a new receiving vessel for the supernal light instead of the fourth level</b> that was initially meant to serve as the receiving vessel. <b>The collision of the supernal light against the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>and</b> how the light <b>desires to expand into the fourth level, can be compared to</b> a person <b>imploring someone to dine with him. Just as he very much wants his friend to accept his meal, so too the supernal light wants to expand into the receiver. The</b> <b>partition</b> <b>impacting the light and rebuffing it can be compared to the rejection and refusal of his friend to accept his meal because he rebuffed his offer. Just as you find in this case that it is the refusal and the rejection themselves that are transformed and turned into proper receiving vessels for accepting his friend’s meal, you can likewise imagine that the</b> <b>returning light</b><b>, which arises by means of</b> the <b>impact</b> of the supernal light against <b>the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>and the</b> <b>partition</b><b>’s repudiation of the supernal light, transforms into a new receiving vessel for the supernal light instead of the fourth level, which served as the receiving vessel before the first</b> <b>constriction</b> (<i>tzimtzum</i>).<sup class=\"footnote-marker\">19</sup><i class=\"footnote\">Just as the guest’s repudiation of the host’s meal forms a new receiving vessel, that of receiving in order to give, the rebuffing of the supernal light is the returning light, which serves as a new receiving vessel for the supernal light because the receiving along with the element of giving – receiving in order to give – allows the receiver to accept the gift. Although the returning light is also light (like the supernal light), it is light that comes from the receiver (the created being) and can therefore serve as a vessel for the supernal light.</i>",
            "<b>However, this occurs only in the holy</b> <i><b>partzufim</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Atzilut</b></i> (Emanation), <i><b>Beria</b></i> (Creation), <i><b>Yetzira</b></i> (Formation), and <i><b>Asiya</b></i> (Actualization)<b>, but not in the</b> <i><b>partzufim</b></i> <b>of the</b> <i><b>kelippot</b></i> <b>nor in this world, in which the fourth level itself serves as the receiving vessel.</b> <sup class=\"footnote-marker\">20</sup><i class=\"footnote\">Generally the fourth level constitutes the fully developed form of the will to receive. Therefore, it is separated from the Creator, since it is the opposite in form from that of the Creator in the sense that He is the ultimate giver and has no trace of the attribute of receiving. In the higher worlds of <i>Atzilut</i>, <i>Beria</i>, <i>Yetzira</i>, and <i>Asiya</i> the fourth level is tempered with some of the attribute of giving through the fusion through collision described above. However, the <i>partzufim</i> of the <i>kelippot</i> mentioned here represent creations and beings that operate within the plane of the fourth level, which means they are formed solely within the realm of pure receiving and so are totally separated from the Creator. In these contexts, such creations are unable to interact with or receive the supernal light, since, in their receiving nature, they are fundamentally opposite to the pure giving nature of that light.</i> <b>Therefore, they are separated from the supernal light, as the difference in form of the fourth level</b> from that of the Emanator, which is the attribute of giving, <b>separates them</b> from each other. <b>Consequently, the</b> <i><b>kelippot</b></i><b>, and similarly the wicked, are regarded as dead, for they are separated from the Source of Life</b>, <b>who bestows life, by the will to receive within them, as mentioned in section #13# above. See the description there in detail, as it cannot be explained any further.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>Five Levels in the</b> <b>Partition</b>",
            "<b>Up to this point, we have clarified the first three principles of</b> the <b>wisdom</b> of Kabbala. <b>The first is the concept of light and vessel, how the light is drawn directly from</b> the Creator’s <b>essence, while the vessel is comprised of the will to receive that is necessarily encompassed by that light. Commensurate with the measure of this will</b> to receive that was created ex nihilo, an entity <b>emerges from the Emanator as an emanated entity. This will to receive is the</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>that is discerned in the supernal light. This is why</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>is called <i>shemo</i>,</b> His name, <b>in accordance with the mystical meaning of “He is one and His name is one,” as <i>shemo</i> has the same numerical value as</b> the word for “will,” <b><i>ratzon</i>.</b>",
            "<b>The second</b> principle <b>is the explanation of the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>and the four worlds of</b> <i><b>Atzilut</b></i> (Emanation), <i><b>Beria</b></i> (Creation), <i><b>Yetzira</b></i> (Formation), and <i><b>Asiya</b></i> (Actualization)<b>, which are four levels, one below the other, through which the will to receive must devolve until the vessel is established properly</b> as an entity in itself.",
            "<b>The third</b> principle <b>is the</b> <b>constriction</b> (<i>tzimtzum</i>) <b>and the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>that was formed upon this receiving vessel, which is the fourth level.</b> This fourth level was then <b>replaced by new receiving vessels in</b> the form of <b>ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>called the</b> <b>returning light</b><b>.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">21</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The returning light is the supernal light that was rebuffed when it impacted against the partition&gt;&gt;. Since the supernal light is comprised of ten <i>sefirot</i>, so too is the returning light comprised of ten <i>sefirot</i>.</i>",
            "<b>You should understand and thoroughly review these three principles, as well as their explanations as described above, for without them there is no comprehending even a single word of this wisdom.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>Now we will clarify five levels that are in the</b> <b>partition</b><b>, on the basis of which the</b> <i><b>shiurei koma</b></i> (literally, “dimensions of height”) <b>change during the</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>between the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>and the supernal light.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">22</sup><i class=\"footnote\">As the author of the <i>Sulam</i> will go on to describe, there are actually multiple rejections of the supernal light as it impacts, or beats, against the partition, which results in multiple fusions through collision. The partition changes after each fusion, so the measure of returning light that is refracted from it as a result is also different each time. Each measure of returning light is able to enclothe up to a certain “height” or level of light (defined by the author in previous sections), resulting in structures made up of vessels and lights of different “heights.” These are referred to as <i>shiurei koma</i>, or “dimensions of height,” referring to the “height” of the structure of receiving vessels that are formed as a result of the rebuffing of the returning light off the partition.</i>  <b>One must first thoroughly understand that although after the</b> <b>constriction</b> (<i>tzimtzum</i>) <b>the fourth level was disqualified from serving as a receiving vessel for the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> of the supernal light, <b>and the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>that rises from the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>by means of the</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>became a receiving vessel</b> in order to receive the supernal light <b>in its stead,</b> the fourth level <b>must nevertheless, with its power of receiving, accompany the</b> <b>returning light</b><b>. Otherwise, the returning light would not be fit to serve as a receiving vessel.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">23</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The returning light changes the form of the receiving vessel by adding an element of giving, so that the receiving vessel resembles the supernal light, which is wholly giving. This allows the returning light to serve as a receiving vessel for the supernal light. Despite this added element, the original receiving capacity of the unconstructed vessel of the fourth level remains and is combined with the giving capacity of the returning light. Recall the analogy of the guest who accepts a meal at his friend’s house captures this. Though he accepts the meal only after he understands that by accepting the meal, he is doing his friend a favor, adding an element of giving to the receiving, he still eats with the same original receiving vessel, which is his hunger.</i>",
            "<b>You can understand this, too, through the aforementioned parable in section #15#. We proved there that the force of</b> the guest’s <b>rejection and refusal to accept a meal became a receiving vessel instead of the hunger and appetite. The hunger and appetite, which are the usual receiving vessel</b> for eating, <b>were disqualified here from being a receiving vessel on account of the shame and degradation</b> the person felt <b>at receiving a gift from his friend, and only the powers of rejection and refusal became receiving vessels in their place, because as a result of the rejection and refusal, the receiving was transformed into giving</b> once the guest realized that he would be doing the host a favor by accepting the meal, <b>and through them</b> the person <b>attained appropriate receiving vessels for accepting his friend’s meal.</b>",
            "<b>However, it cannot be said that now he no longer needs the usual receiving vessels, which are hunger and appetite, as it is clear that without an appetite for eating, he will be unable to fulfill his friend’s wishes and give him the satisfaction of eating with him. Rather, what happens is that the hunger and appetite, which were disqualified in their normative form, have now been altered, due to the force of the rejection and refusal, and have received a new form: receiving in order to give. Through this, the degradation is transformed into honor. Thus, the usual receiving vessels still function now as they always did, only they have received a new form.</b>",
            "<b>You can apply the same idea to the matter at hand. It is true that the fourth level was disqualified from serving as a receiving vessel for the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> of the supernal light <b>due to the</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>)  <b>within it, meaning the contrast in form</b> as a receiver <b>in comparison to the Giver, which separates it from the Giver, as stated above. However, through the establishment of the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>in the fourth level, which collides with the supernal light and rebuffs it,</b> the fourth level’s <b>previous, disqualified form was altered, and it received a new form, which is called “</b><b>returning light</b><b>,” similar to the alteration of the receiving form into the giving form in the aforementioned parable. The contents of the first form did not change there; also now</b> the person <b>will not eat without an appetite. Here too all the</b> <b>opacity</b><b>, which is the power to receive, that was in the fourth level was altered and entered the</b> <b>returning light</b><b>, and thus the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>was made fit to be a receiving vessel. Understand this well.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">24</sup><i class=\"footnote\">Thus the fourth level called <i>Malkhut</i>, which solely comprises the will to receive, is replaced with the returning light, which contains the element of giving, but the fourth level – the original receiving vessel – is still required in order for the supernal light to be received. When the opacity, or the will to receive, of the fourth level enters the returning light, the new receiving vessel is formed, which is receiving in order to give.</i>",
            "<b>Accordingly, one must always distinguish between two forces in the</b> <b>partition</b><b>:</b>",
            "<b>The first is</b> <b>hardness</b> (<i>kashyut</i>), <b>which constitutes the force of rejection</b> inherent to it <b>to</b> be able to rebuff <b>the supernal light.</b>",
            "<b>The second is</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>), <b>which is the measure of the will to receive that is incorporated within the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>from the fourth level. By means of the</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>as a result of the force of</b> <b>hardness</b> <b>that</b> the partition <b>contains, the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>is purified.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">25</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The opacity refers to the will to receive, which separates the fourth level from the Creator, who is wholly giving. After the supernal light was rejected and returned, this refusal allowed the fourth to ultimately receive the supernal light, because that receiving actually constitutes a gift to the Creator by providing Him with a receiver. This is called a “purification” of the initial separation, or opacity.</i> <b>That is,</b> there is <b>the transformation of receiving into giving.</b>",
            "<b>These two forces in the partition operate at five levels, which are the four aforementioned levels of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>,</b> and <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>and their root, which is called</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>,</b> each level representing a different measure of will to receive."
        ],
        [
            "<b>Admittedly, we explained that the first three levels are not characterized as vessels, and only the fourth level is categorized as a vessel, as stated above in section #5#. Nevertheless, the first three levels are the causes that lead to the completion of the fourth level, in such a manner that the fourth level, after its completion, bears the imprints of four</b> different <b>measures of the attribute of receiving that it contains,</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">26</sup><i class=\"footnote\">As explained above, the fourth level, the level of <i>Malkhut</i><i>,</i> was the end point of a process. During the course of that process, the other four levels – <i>Keter</i>, <i>Ḥokhma</i>, <i>Bina</i>, and <i>Tiferet</i> – each had a certain measure of will to receive, creating some measure of opacity and separation between them and the Creator, though considerably less than <i>Malkhut</i>’s will to receive. These other four levels of the will to receive, each with its own unique amount of opacity, are contained within <i>Malkhut</i>, since <i>Malkhut</i> is the endpoint in the process where the will to receive is incrementally differentiated from the supernal light, creating these levels, until it reaches <i>Malkhut</i>, which is comprised solely of will to receive. Therefore, the partition, positioned upon <i>Malkhut</i>, the ultimate form of the will to receive, can transmit one of the five qualitatively different types of opacity, one for each of the five levels mentioned here, and the returning light will be qualitatively different depending on the measure of opacity that rebuffs it.</i> <b>starting from the first level, which contains the most dilute measure of the attribute of receiving, followed by the second level, which is somewhat more opaque than the first level in terms of its attribute of receiving, and then the third level, which is more opaque than the second level with respect to its attribute of receiving, and finally the fourth level, whose own attribute is the most opaque of them all, as its attribute of receiving is complete in all regards. In addition, one should discern that</b> the fourth level <b>also contains the</b> opacity (<i>ovyut</i>) of the <b>root of the four levels,</b> that of <i>Keter</i>, <b>which is the purest of them all,</b> since it contains a minute measure of will to receive.",
            "<b>These are the five levels of</b> the attribute of <b>receiving that are incorporated in the fourth level, which are also known</b> by the same names <b>as the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>–</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>,</b> which encompasses six <i>sefirot</i>, and<i></i> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>– since the four levels are</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>,</b> and <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, as stated in section #5# above, and the</b> fifth level is their <b>root called</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>The reason the five levels of receiving that are within the fourth level are called by the names of the</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, is because prior to the</b> <b>constriction</b> (<i>tzimtzum</i>) <b>– that is, when the fourth level was the receiving vessel for the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>that are encompassed in the supernal light, which is the mystical meaning of “He is one and His name is one,” for all the worlds are incorporated there</b> within the supernal light,<sup class=\"footnote-marker\">27</sup><i class=\"footnote\">In the initial phase or level, the vessels and lights are not differentiated at all, so all the worlds are incorporated within the supernal light. This is the mystical idea of “He is one and His name is one,” because it reflects the reality that the Creator’s essence (the light, referred to here as “He”) and His manifestation (the vessels, referred to as “His name”), were initially one, and still remain one, as neither of these aspects are outside the Creator, even after the process of differentiation.</i> <b>as we wrote in</b> <i><b>Talmud Eser Sefirot</b></i><b>, part 1 – the</b> <b>enclothing</b> <b>of the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> by the fourth level <b>was structured according to those aforementioned five levels.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">28</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The fourth level, <i>Malkhut</i>, is the final receiver in the series of vessels. While the <i>sefirot</i> are often described in a vertical, linear structure (from top to bottom), they are also referred to as garments, with the lower “bottom” ones also described as “outer.” This is the meaning of the concept of enclothing used here: The lowest, or outermost, vessel of <i>Malkhut</i> contains the aspects of receiving, or opacity, found in each of the preceding vessels, because it is the “garment” for all the vessels that precede it. As the author of the <i>Sulam</i> goes on to explain, each of the vessels contains a particular capacity for receiving the supernal light. For example, the light that fills <i>Keter</i> is a different level from that which fills <i>Bina</i>. <i>Malkhut</i> contains elements of receiving for each of these levels, allowing it to receive all the different levels of light that the previous vessels contain.</i>",
            "<b>Each one of the five levels within</b> the fourth level <b>enclothed</b> <b>the corresponding level in the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>that are</b> encompassed <b>in the supernal light: The root level aspect of the fourth level</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>the light of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i> <b>of the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i><b>. The first level aspect within the fourth level</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>the light of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i> <b>of the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i><b>, the second level aspect within</b> the fourth level <b>enclothed</b> <b>the light of</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>, the third level aspect within it</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>the light of</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>, and</b> the fourth level aspect within <b>the</b> fourth <b>level itself</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>the light of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>. Therefore, now too, after the first</b> <b>constriction</b> (<i>tzimtzum</i>), <b>when the fourth level has been disqualified from being a receiving vessel any longer, the five levels of</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>)  <b>within it are still called by the name of the five</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>As you are already aware, the substance that generally constitutes the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>can be described as</b> <b>hardness</b> (<i>kashyut</i>) , <b>meaning something very hard that does not allow anything to penetrate its boundary at all. Likewise, the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>does not allow any trace of the supernal light to pass through it into</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, which is the fourth level. It can thus be said that the total measure of light that can be</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in the vessels of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>is blocked by the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>and rebuffed. It has also been clarified that the five levels of</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>) <b>that are in the fourth level are incorporated and enter the</b> <b>partition</b><b>, fusing with its attribute of</b> <b>hardness</b><b>.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">29</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The opacity of the different levels of vessels are incorporated into the partition, adding a second quality, called opacity, to the partition in addition to the first quality of hardness. This is what the author of the <i>Sulam</i> referred to in section #20# when he explained that each of the five levels of receiving vessels are found in <i>Malkhut</i>. Now the author is expanding on that point to describe how those levels of receiving that exist within <i>Malkhut</i> are incorporated into the partition after the first constriction (<i>tzimtzum</i>) that prevented <i>Malkhut</i> from receiving the light directly.</i>",
            "<b>Consequently, five types of</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>can be discerned in the</b> <b>partition</b><b>, corresponding to its five measures of</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>):",
            "<b>Fusion through collision</b> <b>against a complete</b> <b>partition</b><b>,</b> which is formed <b>with all five levels of</b> <b>opacity</b><b>, gives rise to</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>that is sufficient to</b> <b>enclothe</b> <b>all ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>– that is, until the level of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>.</b>",
            "When there is <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>against a</b> <b>partition</b> <b>that lacks the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the fourth level, and has only the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the third level, the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>that it raises is sufficient to</b> <b>enclothe</b> <b>the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>only up to the level of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i> <b>and does not include</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>.</b>",
            "<b>If it contains only the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b> of the second level, its</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>is smaller and is only enough to</b> <b>enclothe</b> <b>the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> of the supernal light <b>up to the level of</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>; it lacks</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i> <b>and</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>.</b>",
            "<b>If it contains only the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the first level, its</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>is diminished even further and is sufficient to</b> <b>enclothe</b> <b>only to the level of</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>; it lacks</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>.</b>",
            "<b>If it lacks even the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the first level, so that only the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the root level remains in it, its impact is very weak and is sufficient only to</b> <b>enclothe</b> <b>up to the level of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>alone. It lacks the first nine</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i><b>, which are</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>, and</b> the six <i>sefirot</i> encompassed in <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">30</sup><i class=\"footnote\">As explained in section #3# above, <i>Tiferet</i> includes the six <i>sefirot</i> of <i>Ḥesed</i>, <i>Gevura</i><i>,</i> <i>Tiferet</i><i>,</i> <i>Netzaḥ</i><i>,</i> <i>Hod</i>, and <i>Yesod</i>, so that together with <i>Keter</i>, <i>Ḥokhma</i>, and <i>Bina</i>, the total is nine.</i>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>You can thus see how five</b> <i><b>shiurei koma</b></i> (literally, “dimensions of height”) <b>of the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>emerge through five types of</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>against the</b> <b>partition</b><b>, which are determined by the five levels of</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>) <b>within</b> the partition. <b>I will now inform you of the reason for this.</b>",
            "<b>As is known, light cannot be contained without a vessel, and you are also aware that these five levels of</b> <b>opacity</b> in the partition <b>come from the five levels of</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>in the fourth level. That is, before the</b> <b>constriction</b> (<i>tzimtzum</i>) , <b>there were five vessels in the fourth level that</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, as stated in section #18# above. After the first</b> <b>constriction</b><b>, they were incorporated into the five levels of the</b> <b>partition</b><b>, so that through the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>that it raises, they return to being five vessels for the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, formed from the</b> <b>returning light</b><b>, replacing the five vessels that were in the fourth level itself prior to the</b> <b>constriction</b><b>.</b>",
            "<b>Accordingly, it is obvious that if the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>contains all five of these levels of</b> <b>opacity</b><b>, it yields five vessels for</b> <b>enclothing</b> <b>the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i><b>. However, when</b> the partition <b>does not contain all five levels –</b> for example, if <b>it lacks the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the fourth level – then</b> the partition <b>yields only four vessels.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">31</sup><i class=\"footnote\">Recall that opacity refers to the presence of the will to receive in a given created entity, which obstructs the supernal light from entering it, since the will to receive is wholly receiving, while the supernal light reflects divine giving. When there is a reduction in opacity, there is less conversion of pure will to receive into will to receive in order to give. As a result, the returning light rebuffed by the opacity in the partition is reduced, which reduces the levels of the supernal light that are able to be enclothed by that returning light. Thus, when the partition does not contain all five levels of opacity, it gives rise to returning light that cannot enclothe all five levels of light.</i> <b>Consequently,</b> the partition has the capacity to give rise returning light that will <b>enclothe</b> <b>only four lights –</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>– and it will lack</b> the capacity to enclothe <b>one light, the light of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>, as in</b> the partition <b>lacks one vessel, which is the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the fourth level.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">32</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The opacity of the fourth level, the greatest amount of opacity, is required in the partition in order for the returning light to enclothe the light of <i>Keter</i>, the loftiest of the lights. If a level of opacity in the partition is lacking, there isn’t a sufficient amount of returning light to ascend to reach all the way to the light of <i>Keter</i>. As a result, the light of the level of <i>Keter</i> is not enclothed, and the light of <i>Keter</i> cannot be received within its vessel.</i>",
            "<b>Similarly, when it also lacks</b> the opacity of <b>the third level, so that the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>contains only three levels of</b> <b>opacity</b><b>, that is, only until the second level, then</b> the partition <b>contains only three vessels and thus it can</b> <b>enclothe</b> <b>only three lights, which are</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>. The structure</b> of lights and vessels <b>will then lack the two lights of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i> <b>and</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>, just as it lacks two vessels, the third level and the fourth level.</b>",
            "<b>When the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>contains only two levels of</b> <b>opacity</b><b>, that is, that of the root level and the first level, it contains only two vessels, and therefore it</b> <b>enclothes</b> <b>only two lights, which are the light of</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i> <b>and the light of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>.</b> <b>This means that the structure</b> of lights and vessels <b>will lack the three lights of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>, just as it lacks three vessels: the second level, the third level, and the fourth level.</b>",
            "<b>When the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>contains only one level of</b> <b>opacity</b><b>, which is the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the root level alone, it has only one vessel and can therefore</b> <b>enclothe</b> <b>only one light, which is the light of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, and this structure will lack the four lights of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>, just as it lacks four vessels, which are the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the fourth level, the third level, the second level, and the first level.</b>",
            "<b>Thus, the</b> <i><b>shiurei koma</b></i> (literally, “dimensions of height”) <b>of each</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>is precisely dependent on the measure of</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>in the</b> <b>partition</b><b>, as the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the fourth level generates a</b> structure up to the <b>height of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>, that of the third level generates a</b> structure up to the <b>height of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>, that of the second level generates a</b> structure up to the <b>height of</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>, that of the first level generates a</b> structure up to the <b>height of</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>, and that of the root level generates a</b> structure up to the <b>height of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">33</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The amounts of opacity in the partition determine the heights of the resulting vessel structures. The greater the opacity, the higher the returning light can reach, effectively enclothing the loftier lights, such as the lights of <i>Keter</i> and <i>Ḥokhma</i>. The height that the returning light can reach determines the height of the resultant structure of vessels containing the levels of supernal light. These structures are each known as a <i>partzuf</i><i>.</i></i>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>However, it remains to be explained why the lack of</b> the opacity of <b>the vessel of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><i> <b></b></i><b>in the</b> <b>partition</b><b>, which is the fourth level, leads to a lack of the light of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i> <b>and, likewise, why the lack of</b> the opacity of <b>the vessel of</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i> <b>in the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>leads to a lack of the light of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>, and so on. One would have thought that the opposite would be the case, that the lack of the</b> opacity of the <b>vessel of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>in the partition, which is the fourth level, would lead only to a lack of the light of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>in the structure</b> of vessels and lights <b>so that it should contain the four lights of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>. Similarly, the lack of the two vessels of the third level and the fourth level would lead to the lack of the lights of</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i> <b>and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, so that the structure should contain the three lights of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>, and so on and so forth in this manner (see section #20# above).</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>The answer is that there is a consistent inverse relationship between the lights and the vessels.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">34</sup><i class=\"footnote\">Within the system of Kabbala, the levels or layers of worlds descend from the more intangible, spiritual worlds to this tangible, physical world. This means that each vessel is initially very small because it is most spiritual at that stage. The vessel grows and develops the lower it descends, until it reaches the level of <i>Malkhut</i>, where the vessel has achieved its final form. The opposite is true with regard to light. Since the levels devolve from the most spiritual to the physical, the “lowest” level of light (it’s “lower edge,” or <i>nefesh</i>) is revealed in the constructed world first, entering through the highest vessel, <i>Keter</i>. When the light progresses to greater revelation, triggered by the presence of vessels with greater opacity, which draw the light to them, the light of <i>nefesh</i>, the lowest level of light, descends to the next, lower vessel. In this manner, the supernal light is increasingly revealed, while the preceding, higher level receives the next higher level of the light. This dynamic expresses a fundamental principle: The more the supernal light descends into the lower world and is revealed within it, the greater the drawing of divine light into the vessels of the higher worlds. </i> <b>It is the nature of the vessels that the higher vessels develop first in the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>.</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i> <b>develops first, followed by the vessel of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i> <b>and so on, until the vessel of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, which develops last. This is why we list the vessels in the order of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, from above to below, as that is the order of their growth. The lights are the reverse. In the case of the lights, the lower lights enter the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>first, because initially the</b> <i><b>nefesh</b></i> <b>enters, which is the light of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, and then the</b> <i><b>ruaḥ</b></i><b>, which is the light of</b> <i><b>Ze’er Anpin</b></i><b>,</b> or <i>Tiferet</i>, <b>and so on until the light of</b> <i><b>yeḥida</b></i> <b>enters last. Consequently, we list the lights in the order of</b> <i><b>nefesh</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>ruaḥ</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>neshama</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>ḥaya</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>yeḥida</b></i><b>, from below to above, as that is the order of their entrance, from lowest to uppermost.</b>",
            "<b>Accordingly, when only one vessel has developed in the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>, which is necessarily the highest vessel of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>, as stated above, the light of</b> <i><b>yeḥida</b></i><b>, which is linked to that vessel, will not enter the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>, but only the lowest light of them all, which is the light of</b> <i><b>nefesh</b></i><b>, and the light of</b> <i><b>nefesh</b></i> <b>is then</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in the vessel of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>. When two vessels have developed in the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>, which are the two uppermost ones,</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i> <b>and</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>, then the light of</b> <i><b>ruaḥ</b></i> <b>also enters</b> the <i>partzuf</i>, <b>and the light of</b> <i><b>nefesh</b></i> <b>descends from the vessel of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i> <b>to the vessel of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>, and the light of</b> <i><b>ruaḥ</b></i> <b>is</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in the vessel of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>. Similarly, when a third vessel has developed in the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>, which is the vessel of</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>, the light of</b> <i><b>neshama</b></i> <b>enters</b> the <i>partzuf</i>, <b>and the light of</b> <i><b>nefesh</b></i> <b>descends from the vessel of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i> <b>to the vessel of</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>, the light of</b> <i><b>ruaḥ</b></i> descends <b>to the vessel of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>, and the light of</b> <i><b>neshama</b></i> <b>is</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in the vessel of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>. When a fourth vessel has developed in the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>, which is the vessel of</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>, the light of</b> <i><b>ḥaya</b></i> <b>enters the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>, and the light of</b> <i><b>nefesh</b></i> <b>descends from the vessel of</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b> to the vessel of</b> &lt;&lt;<i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>, the light of</b> <i><b>ruaḥ</b></i> descends <b>to the vessel of</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>, the light of</b> <i><b>neshama</b></i> descends <b>to the vessel of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>, and the light of</b> <i><b>ḥaya</b></i> <b>is</b> enclothed <b>in the vessel of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>. And when a fifth vessel has developed in the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>, which is the vessel of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, the light of</b> <i><b>yeḥida</b></i> <b>enters</b> the <i>partzuf</i>. <b>Then all the lights enter the vessels to which they are linked, as the light of</b> <i><b>nefesh</b></i> <b>descends from the vessel of</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i> <b>to the vessel of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, the light of</b> <i><b>ruaḥ</b></i> descends <b>to the vessel of</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>, the light of</b> <i><b>neshama</b></i> descends <b>to the vessel of</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>, the light of</b> <i><b>ḥaya</b></i> descends <b>to the vessel of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>, and the light of</b> <i><b>yeḥida</b></i> <b>is</b> enclothed <b>in the vessel of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>Thus, as long as all five vessels,</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> <i> <b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><i><b>,</b></i><b> and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, have not developed in the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>, the lights are not in the places to which they are linked. What is more, they maintain an inverse relationship, so that when the vessel of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>is lacking, the light of</b> <i><b>yeḥida</b></i> <b>is missing, and when the two vessels of</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i> <b>and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>are lacking,</b> <i><b>yeḥida</b></i> <b>and</b> <i><b>ḥaya</b></i> <b>are missing, and so on. The reason is that in the case of the vessels, the highest ones grow first, whereas with regard to the lights, the last ones enter first, as stated above.</b>",
            "<b>You will also find that every newly arriving light is</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>only in the vessel of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>. This is because any recipient</b> of light <b>must receive</b> the light <b>in its purest vessel, which is the vessel of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">35</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The vessel of <i>Keter</i> is purest because the will to receive is most undeveloped in this vessel. As a result, the contradiction between the will to receive and the giving nature of the supernal light is minimal.</i>  <b>For the same reason, the lights that are already</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>must descend one level from their place upon the arrival of every new light. For example, when the light of</b> <i><b>ruaḥ</b></i> <b>arrives, the light of</b> <i><b>nefesh</b></i> <b>must descend from the vessel of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i> <b>to the vessel of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>, in order to clear the space of the vessel of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i> <b>so that it can receive the new light, which is</b> <i><b>ruaḥ</b></i><b>. Similarly, if the new light is</b> <i><b>neshama</b></i><b>, then</b> <i><b>ruaḥ</b></i> <b>must also descend from the vessel of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i> <b>to the vessel of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i> <b>to clear the space of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i> <b>for the new light, which is</b> <i><b>neshama</b></i><b>. Consequently,</b> <i><b>nefesh</b></i><b>, which is in the vessel of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>, must descend to the vessel of</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>, and so on and so forth in this manner. This is all in order to clear out the vessel of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i> to make space <b>for the new light.</b>",
            "<b>If you maintain a fine grasp of this rule, you will invariably be able to tell, concerning any topic, whether we are speaking about the vessels or the lights. You will not become confused since there is always an inverse relationship between them.</b>",
            "<b>We have thus fully clarified the topic of the five levels in the</b> <b>partition</b><b>, how they lead to differences in the</b> <i><b>shiurei koma</b></i> (literally, “dimensions of height” in the structure of the lights and vessels) <b>in descending order.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>The Five</b> <i><b>Partzufim</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i>",
            "<b>Having fully clarified the concept of the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>that was placed on the vessel of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, which is the fourth level, after its</b> <b>constriction</b> (<i>tzimtzum</i>), <b>and the concept of the five types of</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>against</b> the partition, <b>which produce five structures of ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i><b>, one below the other, we will now clarify</b> the concept of <b>the five</b> <i><b>partzufim</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>, which precede the four worlds of</b> <i><b>Atzilut</b></i> (Emanation), <i><b>Beria</b></i> (Creation), <i><b>Yetzira</b></i> (Formation), and <i><b>Asiya</b></i> (Actualization).",
            "<b>You are already aware that this</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>that rises as a result of the</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>from below to above and</b> <b>enclothes</b> <b>the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the supernal light is sufficient only</b> to form <b>the roots of the vessels, which are called the “ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>of the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>.”</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">36</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The impact against the partition represents the receiving vessels’ rejection of the supernal light of the Giver. This leads to the formation of a new receiving vessel: receiving in order to give. In the analogy that the author of the <i>Sulam</i> gave above, when the friend rejects his host’s offer of a meal, the rejection repositions him as someone who can now <i>theoretically</i> receive in order to give. This new status is only theoretical because the giving has not yet transpired, and the receiver is only now prepared to receive the gift from this new position. When the friend ultimately receives the meal from his host in his new status as receiver in order to give, the vessels are then fully formed as <i>actual</i> receivers. The first modified state, in which the vessels are theoretically prepared to receive in order to give, is referred to as the “head” of the <i>partzuf</i>, the head being the seat of thought, representing the theoretical or conceptual, and the vessels are therefore referred to as “roots.” The subsequent state in which the vessels are actualized as receivers in order to give is referred to as the “body” of the <i>partzuf</i>, body representing that which occurs in practice, that which is actual, and the vessels are then considered to be fully formed.</i> <b>In order to complete the vessels, the</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>from among those ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>that</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>expands and spreads itself</b> downward <b>from above to below,</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">37</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The author of the <i>Sulam</i> emphasizes here that <i>Malkhut</i> “spreads itself” because in this case the author is referring to the formation of the head and body of one <i>partzuf</i>, as opposed to comparing two different <i>partzufim</i>, which are each already complete with a head and body. In the formation of the <i>partzuf</i> described here, the author is describing the formation of a complete <i>partzuf</i>, where the head component expands and materializes as an actualized <i>partzuf</i> consisting of both head and body.</i> <b>in the same</b> <i><b>shiur koma</b></i> <b>as the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b><b>.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">38</sup><i class=\"footnote\">This term refers to the particular structure of lights and vessels of a given <i>partzuf</i><i>,</i> and literally translates as “structural dimensions of height.” The structure varies from <i>partzuf</i> to <i>partzuf</i>. As the author of the <i>Sulam</i> explains, higher <i>partzufim</i> have more vessels and more lights (described as taller <i>partzufim</i>), and lower ones have less of each (described as shorter <i>partzufim</i>). The system of these patterns will be explained in detail over the next sections.</i> <b>This expansion completes the vessels, which are called the “</b><b>body</b> <b>of the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>,” as stated in section #14# above. Thus one should always distinguish between two levels of ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>in every</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>:</b> <b>head</b> <b>and</b> <b>body</b><b>. Keep this in mind.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>Initially, the first</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i> <b>emerged, because immediately after the first</b> <b>constriction</b> (<i>tzimtzum</i>), <b>in which the fourth level was restricted from serving as a receiving vessel for the supernal light, and a</b> <b>partition</b> <b>was placed upon</b> the fourth level<b>, as stated above, the supernal light was drawn down to be</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in the vessel of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>in its normal manner,</b> that is, with the supernal light trying to fill any available space. But <b>the</b> <b>partition</b> that formed <b>on the vessel of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>prevented this and rebuffed the light. By means of this impact against the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the fourth level, the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>was elevated to the height of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i> of the ten <i>sefirot</i> <b>of the supernal light. That</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>became the garment</b> for the ten <i>sefirot</i> of the supernal light <b>and the roots of the vessels for the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the supernal light, which are called the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>in the first</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>. Subsequently, that</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>expanded itself and spread</b> together <b>with the</b> <b>returning light</b><b>, driven by the power of the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b><b>, to</b> form <b>ten new</b> complete <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>from above to below,</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">39</sup><i class=\"footnote\">“Above to below” refers to the direction of the expansion of the returning light vessel of <i>Malkhut</i> as it now expands “downward” to form complete vessels. By contrast, when discussing the returning light that emerges from the partition, the description is “below to above,” because the flow of returning light moving to enclothe the supernal light is, in that context, rising from the partition upward.</i> <b>and thus the vessels were completed, having</b> formed <b>the level of the</b> <b>body</b><b>. Each</b> <i><b>shiur koma</b></i> (literally, “dimension of height”) <b>that emerged in the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>was also</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b><b>. Thus the first</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i> <b>was completed,</b> containing both levels of <b>head</b> <b>and</b> <b>body</b><b>.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>Subsequently, the same</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>was repeated on the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>that was placed on the vessel of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>that</b> now <b>has only</b> up to <b>the</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>) <b>of the third level.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">40</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The opacity of the fourth level was already purified, or removed, in the first fusion described in the previous section, in which the first <i>partzuf</i> emerged. The author of the <i>Sulam</i> explains the mechanism of this purification in the sections that follow.</i> <b>Accordingly, only the</b> structural <b>height of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> both <b>head</b> <b>and</b> <b>body</b><b>, emerge from it. On account of the lack of the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the fourth level in the</b> <b>partition</b><b>, it contains only</b> the opacity of <b>four vessels:</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> and <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>. Consequently, there is only the capacity in the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>to clothe four lights alone, which are</b> <i><b>ḥaya</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>neshama</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>ruaḥ</b></i><b>,</b> and <i><b>nefesh</b></i><b>, and the light of</b> <i><b>yeḥida</b></i> <b>is missing<i>.</i> This</b> <i>partzuf</i> <b>is called “</b><i><b>Ab</b></i> (or <i>ayin-bet</i>) <b>of <i>Adam Kadmon</i></b><b>.”</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">41</sup><i class=\"footnote\">As the author of the <i>Sulam</i> explained above, the vessels always emerge from highest (<i>Keter</i>) to lowest (<i>Malkhut</i>). Since the returning light is now formed from a partition that is lacking some opacity, that of the level of <i>Malkhut</i>, it cannot form the vessel of <i>Malkhut</i>. As a result, it only forms the vessels of <i>Keter</i>, <i>Hokhma</i>, <i>Bina</i>, and <i>Tiferet</i>. By contrast, when the different levels of the supernal light emerge to be contained in vessels, it is the lowest levels that emerge first: <i>nefesh</i>, then <i>ruah</i>, and so on. When the vessel of <i>Malkhut</i> is missing because the partition has been purified of the fourth level of opacity, the highest light of <i>yeḥida</i> cannot be received in the vessels. Therefore, the light of <i>nefesh</i> is contained in <i>Tiferet</i>, <i>ruaḥ</i> in <i>Bina</i>, <i>neshama</i> in <i>Ḥokhma</i>, and <i>ḥaya</i> in <i>Keter</i>. The structure that emerges, which is missing the vessel of <i>Malkhut</i> and the light of <i>yeḥida</i>, is the <i>partzuf</i> of <i>Ab</i>. This pattern continues with the successive purification of each level of the partition.</i>",
            "<b>Then that same aforementioned</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>is repeated on the</b> <b>partition</b> that was placed <b>on the vessel of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>that</b> now <b>has only</b> up to <b>the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the second level, so that then only the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> structural <b>height of</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> consisting of both <b>head</b> <b>and</b> <b>body</b><b>, emerge from it. This</b> structure <b>is called the “</b><i><b>Sag</b></i> (or <i>samekh-gimmel</i>) <b><i>partzuf</i> of <i>Adam Kadmon</i></b><b>,” which lacks the two vessels of</b> <i><b>Ze’er Anpin</b></i><b>,</b> or <i>Tiferet</i>, <b>and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>and the two lights of</b> <i><b>ḥaya</b></i> <b>and</b> <i><b>yeḥida</b></i><b>.</b>",
            "<b>After that, the</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>takes place on the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>that has only</b> up to <b>the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the first level, and then the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> structural <b>height of</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>,</b> both <b>head</b> <b>and</b> <b>body</b><b>, emerge.</b> This <i>partzuf</i> <b>lacks the three vessels of</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Ze’er Anpin</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>and the three lights of</b> <i><b>neshama</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>ḥaya</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>yeḥida</b></i><b>. It contains only the lights of</b> <i><b>ruaḥ</b></i> <b>and</b> <i><b>nefesh</b></i><b>, which are</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in the vessels of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i> <b>and</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>. This is called the “</b><i><b>Mah</b></i> (or <i>mem-heh</i>) <b>and <i>Ban</i></b> (or <i>bet-nun</i>) <b><i>partzuf</i> of <i>Adam Kadmon</i></b><b>.”</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">42</sup><i class=\"footnote\">Generally, <i>Mah</i> and <i>Ban</i> are two separate <i>partzufim</i>. At this point, however, prior to the second constriction, the <i>partzuf</i> of <i>Mah</i> is not distinctly identifiable.</i> <b>In this context, recall the inverse relationship between the vessels and the lights described in section #24# above.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>We have thus explained the manner that the five</b> <i><b>partzufim</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i> <b>emerge, which are referred to as</b> <i><b>gulgalta</b></i><b>:</b> <i><b>Ab</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Sag</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Mah</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>Ban</b></i><b>, in that descending order, such that each lower</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>lacks the higher level</b> of light <b>of the one above it. The</b> <i><b>Ab partzuf</b></i> <b>lacks the light of</b> <i><b>yeḥida</b></i><b>, and the</b> <i><b>Sag partzuf</b></i> <b>lacks the light of</b> <i><b>ḥaya</b></i> <b>as well, which is present in the one above it, which is</b> <i><b>Ab</b></i><b>. The</b> <i><b>Mah</b></i> <b>and</b> <i><b>Ban partzuf</b></i><i> <b></b></i><b>lacks also the light of</b> <i><b>neshama</b></i><b>, which is present in the one above it,</b> <i><b>Sag</b></i><b>. The reason</b> for these differences <b>is that this is an outcome of the amount of</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>) <b>in the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>upon which the</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>occurs, as explained in section #18#. However, we have to understand who and what causes the amount of</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>in the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>to gradually decrease, one level after the other, so that it leads to the division into the five</b> <i><b>shiurei koma</b></i> (literally, “dimensions of height”) of <i>partzufim</i> resulting <b>from these five types of</b> <b>fusion</b><b>.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>The Purification of the</b> <b>Partition</b> <b>for the Emanation of a</b> <i><b>Partzuf</b></i>",
            "<b>To understand the development of the levels in these five</b> <i><b>shiurei koma</b></i> (literally, “dimensions of height”), the structures consisting of levels of lights and vessels that form the <i>partzufim</i>, <b>one below the other, described with regard to the aforementioned five</b> <i><b>partzufim</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>, and likewise all the levels of the five</b> <i><b>partzufim</b></i> <b>of each of the four worlds –</b> <i><b>Atzilut</b></i> (Emanation), <i><b>Beria</b></i> (Creation) , <i><b>Yetzira</b></i> (Formation) , and <i><b>Asiya</b></i> (Actualization)  <b>– until the</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Asiya</b></i><b>, which have been described, we must fully comprehend the matter of the purification of the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b> <b>that occurs in each</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><i> <b></b></i><b>of the</b> <i><b>partzufim</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i> <b>and the</b> <b>world of <i>nekudim</i></b> (points) <b>and in the</b> <b>world of <i>tikkun</i></b> (rectification)."
        ],
        [
            "<b>The concept</b> that we need to understand <b>is that there is no</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>or level of any kind that does not contain two lights, which are called</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>and</b> <b>inner light</b><b>. We will clarify these</b> two types of lights <b>as they apply to</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>:</b>",
            "<b>The</b> <b>surrounding light</b><i> <b></b></i><b>of the first</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i> <b>is the light of</b> <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i><b>, blessed be He, that fills all of reality. After the first</b> <b>constriction</b> (<i>tzimtzum</i>) <b>and the placement of the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>on</b> the vessel of <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, the</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>of the</b> supernal <b>light of</b> <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i> <b>on this</b> <b>partition</b> <b>occurred. By means of the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>that the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>raised, the supernal light was drawn into the constricted world in the context of the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>and the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b><b>, as stated in section #25# above. However, this drawing forth</b> of the supernal light <b>that occurred in the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of <i>Adam Kadmon</i></b>&gt;&gt; <b>from</b> <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i><b>, blessed be He, does not fill all of reality</b> with the light <b>as</b> the light filled all of reality <b>before the</b> <b>constriction</b><b>. Instead, a beginning and an end can</b> now <b>be discerned</b> regarding the light, which contain two different aspects. The first aspect is the quality of <b>above and below,</b> in that <b>this light is arrested at the</b> entry <b>point of this world,</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">43</sup><i class=\"footnote\">In this context, “below” refers to this world, where the light is not allowed entry. This stopping point reflects the “end” of the light, illustrating the idea that the supernal light now possesses an endpoint. The endpoint of the supernal light above our world at the point of the terminating <i>Malkhut</i>, the point where the light is arrested, represents the end of the process through which the supernal light of the Creator is hidden from the inhabitants of this world. This is in contrast to the supernal light prior to the first constriction, which had no beginning or end.</i> <b>which is the mystical concept</b> of <b>the</b> <b>terminating <i>Malkhut</i></b><b>, as</b> implied by <b>the mystical meaning of the verse “He will set His feet…on the Mount of Olives.”</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">44</sup><i class=\"footnote\">Zechariah 14:4. The Mount of Olives symbolizes <i>Malkhut</i>, the fourth level. After the second constriction, the “feet” of <i>Adam Kadmon</i> are restricted from reaching this level and do not illuminate at this lower point. In the future, after the process of rectifications, the feet of <i>Adam Kadmon</i> will return to their original place of the fourth level, the “Mount of Olives.” The author of the <i>Sulam</i> quotes this verse here to illustrate that <i>Adam Kadmon</i> has a beginning and end – head and feet.</i>",
            "<b>Likewise,</b> the second aspect, similar to the qualities of above and below, is the quality of <b>from within to without. Just as there are ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>from above to below,</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> the six <i>sefirot</i> encompassed in <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>,</b> and<i></i> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>is the end of</b> the world of <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i> <b>from below, so too there are ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>,</b> and <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>from within to without. These are called brain, bones, sinews, flesh, and skin, with skin being</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>, completing the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>from without.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">45</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The <i>sefirot</i> can be described in two directional senses: top to bottom (“above to below”) or innermost to outermost (“within to without”). The supernal light can be thought of as above us, and the <i>sefirot</i> are the vessels that act as a bridge from the supernal light above to the lower world below, translating and transmitting the supernal light into its lower forms (since all of existence is filled with the supernal light and animated by it, as stated in the first sections above). Alternatively, the supernal light can be thought of as being at the root of all of existence, or “within,” and the vessels of the <i>sefirot</i> serve to manifest the hidden supernal light into a revealed form in the world. From this perspective, the five parts of the body – brain, bones, sinews, flesh, and skin – named here correspond to the same five groupings of the <i>sefirot</i> used previously, namely, <i>Keter</i><i>,</i> <i>Hokhma</i>, <i>Bina</i>, <i>Tiferet</i>, and <i>Malkhut</i>.</i>",
            "<b>In this respect, the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i> <b>is like a mere thin line in relation to</b> <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i><b>, blessed be He, who fills all of reality. This is because the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> formed <b>of skin encloses</b> the light <b>and limits it all the way around from without so that it cannot expand to fill all the space from which it was constricted, and only a thin line is left positioned in the middle of the space. The measure of light that was received in</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>, which is the thin line, is called</b> <b>inner light</b><b>. The vast difference between the</b> amount of <b>inner light</b> contained <b>in</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i> <b>and</b> the amount of light that remains beyond <i>Adam Kadmon</i>, which is the remainder of <b>the total</b> amount of supernal <b>light of</b> <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i><b>, blessed be He, before the</b> <b>constriction</b><b>, is called</b> <b>surrounding light</b><b>. It remains a</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>around the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b> of <i>Adam Kadmon</i></b><b>, since it cannot be</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>within the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">46</sup><i class=\"footnote\">Following the constriction and the fusion through collision, when the returning light enclothed the supernal light, the returning light does not have the capacity to enclothe and receive the supernal light in its totality. It can absorb only the small amount that it is able to receive and subsequently transmit. This small amount that can be received in this way is referred to as the inner light. The remaining light that cannot be received by the vessels while they maintain the dynamic of receiving in order to give remains outside the vessels and is called surrounding light. Consider a pipe that is being fed water from a lake. For the purposes of this analogy, the walls of the pipe are the “outside” of the aspect of “within to without” and the length of the pipe is the aspect of “above to below.” The pipe can receive only the amount of water that it is capable of channeling to another destination that will receive the water. The remaining water must wait outside the pipe, surrounding it, as the pipe is incapable of taking it in while simultaneously channeling it and would simply be overwhelmed by the sheer quantity.</i>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>We have thoroughly explained the mystical meaning of the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>, which is endless and unlimited in its enormity. This does not mean that</b> <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i><b>, blessed be He, who fills all of reality, is Himself the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>. Rather, the meaning is that when the</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>occurred</b> with the partition that was placed <b>on the</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>,</b> the supernal light of <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i> <b>struck the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>that was there. This means that</b> <i>Ein Sof</i> <b>wanted</b> His supernal light <b>to be enclothed in the fourth level of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>, as before the</b> <b>constriction</b> (<i>tzimtzum</i>) , <b>but the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i> <b>impacted against His</b> light<b>, meaning that it prevented His</b> light <b>from spreading into the fourth level and so rebuffed it, as stated above in section #14#, so that in truth this</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>that emerged through the rebuffing of the</b> supernal <b>light also became vessels for</b> <b>enclothing</b> <b>the supernal light, as stated above.</b>",
            "<b>However, there is a vast difference between the receiving</b> capacity <b>of the fourth level before the</b> <b>constriction</b> <b>and the receiving</b> capacity <b>of the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>after the</b> <b>constriction</b><b>.</b> The returning light <b>enclothes only a thin line</b> of the supernal light, <b>containing a beginning and end, as stated. All this was wrought by the</b> <b>partition</b><b>, due to its impact against the supernal light. Thus, this entire amount</b> of light <b>that was rebuffed from</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i> <b>on account of the</b> <b>partition</b><b>, meaning, the entire amount of the supernal light from</b> <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i><b>, blessed be He, that wanted to be</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in the fourth level were it not for the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>that prevented it, becomes the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>around</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>.</b>",
            "<b>The reason</b> that the uncontained supernal light became surrounding light <b>is that there is no change or loss in the spiritual realm.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">47</sup><i class=\"footnote\">Since nothing can be lost or destroyed in the spiritual realm, the supernal light cannot simply be stopped or extinguished from achieving its designated purpose of entering the fourth level. Therefore, it remains outside the fourth level as surrounding light, until the fourth level is finished being rectified to fully receive it. The process of rectification refers to the incremental way that the fourth level “evolves” to be able to ultimately receive the supernal light in its entirety. This process is discussed extensively in later sections below.</i> <b>Since the light of</b> <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i> <b>was drawn to</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i> <b>to be</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in the fourth level, it must achieve this, and therefore, although the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>has now prevented it</b> from entering the fourth level <b>and rebuffed it, nevertheless this does not nullify the</b> process of the <b>drawing forth of</b> the supernal light of <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i><b>, God forbid. On the contrary, it sustains it, only in a different manner. That is, it is achieved by the multiple fusions in the five worlds of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Atzilut</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Beria</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Yetzira</b></i><b>,</b> and <i><b>Asiya</b></i><b>, until the rectification is completed so that the fourth level is rectified through all these fusions, in all its perfection,</b> able to receive the supernal light, <b>at which point</b> the supernal light of <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i> <b>will be enclothed in it as before.</b>",
            "<b>Thus, the impact of the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>on the supernal light does not lead to any change or loss. This is the mystical meaning of the <i>Zohar</i>’s statement “The unification of</b> <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i> <b>is not actualized until it receives its female half.”</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">48</sup><i class=\"footnote\"><i>Zohar Ḥadash</i> 2:71b. The receiving vessel, which is continually modified and expands until it is capable of receiving the supernal light is referred to here as the “female half,” the receiving partner, that completes the “male half,” the supernal light that emanates from <i>Ein Sof</i>.</i> <b>In the meantime, that is, until that time, this light of</b> <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i> <b>becomes</b> <b>surrounding light</b><b>, which means that it is ready to be</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in</b> the fourth level <b>subsequently, but for now it surrounds and shines on</b> the fourth level <b>only from the outside with a partial illumination. This illumination drives</b> the fourth level <b>to</b> incrementally <b>expand according to the</b> system of <b>rules that will lead it to receive this</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>in the</b> full and original <b>measure that</b> <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i><b>, blessed be He, extended to it at the outset.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>We will now clarify the matter of the beating of the</b> <b>inner light</b> <b>and the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>against one another, which leads to the purification of the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>and the loss of the final level of</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>).",
            "<b>Since these two lights are the opposites of one another, and they are both connected</b> to each other <b>in the partition of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>, they therefore beat and collide with one another. Meaning, the</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>that takes place in the</b> <b>mouth</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i> <b>– that is, in the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>called</b> <b>mouth</b><b>,</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">49</sup><i class=\"footnote\">As was explained in previous sections, there is a process through which the vessels are modified in order to be able to receive and enclothe the supernal light. The partition that is placed above the fourth level called <i>Malkhut</i> initially creates returning light that transforms the vessels from receiving vessels into vessels that can receive in order to give. In this way, they have the potential to be able to absorb the supernal light, which is entirely giving. At first, the vessels exist only in their initial “root,” or potential, form. This root form can be thought of as purely theoretical, like a blueprint for the fully formed vessel. This theoretical form is called the head” of the <i>partzuf</i>, because the head is associated with the theoretical world of thought. Subsequently, the vessel of <i>Malkhut</i> expands to fully form the lower part of the <i>partzuf</i>, the body, in which the <i>sefirot</i> vessels are now fully formed and no longer theoretical. During this phase, <i>Malkhut</i> can be thought of as a mouth because it lies at the bottom of the head. Additionally, in kabbalistic thought, a mouth represents the part of the body that translates one’s thoughts, which exist in the realm of the theoretical, into actualized, expressed words. The <i>Malkhut</i> of the head serves as the vehicle that allows the supernal light to be contained in the body of the <i>partzuf</i><i>,</i> the completed form of the vessels of the returning light. It serves to actualize the containment of the supernal light, bringing it from the theoretical stage of the head to the actualized form of the body. Thus, it is called the “mouth of the head.”</i>  <b>which caused the</b> <b>enclothing</b> <b>of the</b> <b>inner light</b> <b>within</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i> <b>by means of the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>that</b> the partition <b>raised (as stated in section #14# above) – is also the cause of the emergence of the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>. Through</b> the partition <b>preventing the light of</b> <i><b>Ein Sof</b></i> <b>from being</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in the fourth level, the light emerged outward in the form of</b> <b>surrounding light</b><b>. That is, that entire part of the light that the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>cannot</b> <b>enclothe</b><b>, that the fourth level itself was</b> meant to enclothe, <b>emerges and becomes</b> <b>surrounding light</b><b>, as stated in the previous section. Thus, the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>in the</b> <b>mouth</b> <b>is equally the cause of both the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>and the</b> <b>inner light</b><b>.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>It has thus been clarified that the</b> <b>inner light</b> <b>and the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>are both tethered to the</b> <b>partition</b><b>, but with opposite dynamics. At the same time that the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>draws down part of the supernal light into the inner region of the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>through the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>that</b> <b>enclothes</b> that supernal light, <b>so too</b> the partition also <b>prevents the</b> remaining supernal light, which is called <b>surrounding light</b><b>, from being</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>within the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>. Since the part of the light that remains outside as</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>is very large, on account of the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>preventing it from being</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>, as stated in section #32# above, it is regarded as impacting against the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>that repudiates it, since it wants to be</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>inside the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>.</b>",
            "<b>By contrast, the forces of</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>)  <b>and</b> <b>hardness</b> (<i>kashyut</i>)  <b>in the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>are regarded as impacting against the</b> <b>surrounding light</b><b>, which wants to be</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>within</b> the <i>partzuf</i>, <b>and prevent it</b> from being enclothed <b>in the same way that the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>impacts on the supernal light at the moment of the</b> <b>fusion</b> through collision. <b>These impacts that the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>and the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>strike against one another are called the beating of the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>on the</b> <b>inner light</b><b>. However, this beating is carried out between them only in the</b> <b>body</b> <b>of the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>, since it is only there that the</b> <b>enclothing</b> <b>of the light in the vessels, which leaves the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>outside the vessel, is discernible. This is not the case for the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b><b>. This beating does not occur there, since there the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>is not categorized as</b> true <b>vessels at all, but only as thin roots,</b> that is, as potential for forming vessels. <b>Consequently, the light within the</b> vessels of the head <b>is not categorized as circumscribed</b> <b>inner light</b> <b>to the extent that the light remaining outside can</b> comparatively <b>be regarded as</b> <b>surrounding light</b><b>.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">50</sup><i class=\"footnote\">As explained in the note to section #33# above, the head of the <i>partzuf</i> can be thought of as referring to the theoretical potential of the process of forming proper receiving vessels, while the body of the <i>partzuf</i> is the actualization of the process. It is only in its full form, where it contains both body and head, that the amount of supernal light received in the body vessel structure can be called inner light and the rest of the supernal light that remains outside the <i>partzuf</i> can be called the surrounding light.</i>",
            "<b>Since there is no clear demarcation between the</b> inner light and surrounding light within the head of the <i>partzuf</i>, <b>the idea of an impact between the</b> <b>inner light</b> <b>and the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>in the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>is irrelevant. It is only after the lights spread from the</b> <b>mouth</b> <b>downward to the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b> of the <i>partzuf</i>, <b>where the lights are</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in the vessels, which are the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>from the</b> <b>mouth</b> <b>downward, that the impact occurs there between the</b> <b>inner light</b> <b>within the vessels and the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>that remains outside, as stated above.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>This beating continues until the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>purifies the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of all its</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>)  <b>and elevates it to its root above, which is the</b> <b>mouth</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b><b>.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">51</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The beating of the surrounding light represents the constant insistence of the surrounding light to enter the vessel. The vessel of <i>Malkhut</i> resists this pressure, represented by the partition. Since the surrounding light is inexorable, over time it erodes the partition, degrading it so that it loses its opacity. This removal of opacity, which the author of the <i>Sulam</i> refers to as “purification of the partition,” causes the body of the <i>partzuf</i> to revert to the more theoretical form of the head of the <i>partzuf</i>, causing the body to merge and unite with the structure of the head.</i>  <b>In other words,</b> the surrounding light <b>purifies</b> the partition of the <i>Malkhut</i> of the body <b>of all the</b> <b>opacity</b><b>, that is,</b> the opacity <b>of above to below, which is referred to as the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>and</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b><b>.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">52</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The “opacity of above to below” refers to the dynamic of the body of the <i>partzuf</i> receiving the supernal light, which flows from above. By contrast, “the opacity from below to above” conveys the opposite dynamic, of the returning light moving “upward” to serve as new vessels for the supernal light. In this state, the “separation” described here has not yet been achieved because the returning light only serves as theoretical vessels for the supernal light, the head that then expands to become the body.</i> <b>This</b> purification <b>leaves</b> the partition of the body <b>with only the root of the</b> <b>body</b><b>, which is the</b> same as the <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b><b>, called “</b><b>mouth</b> <b>.” That is,</b> the partition <b>is purified of all the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>that is of above to below, which separates the</b> <b>inner light</b> <b>from the</b> <b>surrounding light</b><b>, and only the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>from below to above remains, where this separation between the</b> <b>inner light</b> <b>and the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>has not yet been achieved, as stated in the previous section.</b>",
            "<b>As is known, the</b> <b>equating of form</b> <b>merges spiritual entities,</b> unifying them <b>into one. Therefore, once the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b> <b>has been purified of the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b><b>, and all that remains in it is the same</b> measure of <b>opacity</b> <b>found in the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>mouth</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b><b>, its form is equal to the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b><b>.</b> As a result, <b>it is incorporated within</b> the partition of the head, <b>literally becoming one, as there is nothing between them that would divide them into two. This is referred as the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b> <b>rising to the</b> <b>mouth</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b><b>. Since the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b> <b>is</b> thus <b>incorporated in the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b><b>, it is included again in the</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>of the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>mouth</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b><b>, and a new</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>is performed upon it. A new structure of ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>emerges from it, which is called “</b><i><b>Ab</b></i> (or <i>ayin-bet</i>), <b>of <i>Adam Kadmon</i></b><b>,” or the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of “<i>Ḥokhma</i> of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>.” This is considered a son and an offspring of the first</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>After the</b> <i><b>Ab partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i> <b>emerges and is made complete with a</b> <b>head</b> <b>and</b> <b>body</b><b>, the beating of the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>on the</b> <b>inner light</b> <b>is repeated within</b> this <i>partzuf</i> <b>as well, in the manner described above regarding the first</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>. The</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b> of the <i>Ab partzuf</i> <b>is likewise purified of all the</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>) <b>of the</b> <b>body</b> <b>until the form</b> of the partition of the body <b>is equated with the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b><b>.</b> The partition of the body <b>is then incorporated in the</b> <b>fusion</b> through collision <b>that occurs in the</b> <b>mouth</b> <b>of its</b> <b>head</b><b>, and a new</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>is performed on it, which produces a new structure of ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>with the</b> <i><b>shiur koma</b></i>, or height dimension, <b>of</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>, called the “</b><i><b>Sag</b></i> (or <i>samekh-gimmel</i>) <b><i>partzuf</i></b> of <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>.” This</b> too <b>is considered a son and offspring of the</b> <i><b>Ab partzuf</b></i><b> <b>of</b> <i>Adam Kadmon</i></b><b>, as it emerged from the</b> <b>fusion</b> through collision <b>in the</b> <b>mouth</b> <b>of</b> the <b>head</b> of the <i>Ab partzuf</i>. <b>The</b> <i><b>partzufim</b></i><i> <b></b></i><b>from</b> <i><b>Sag</b></i><b> of <i>Adam Kadmon</i></b> <b>and below emerge in the same way.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>We have thus clarified the emergence of the</b> <i><b>partzufim</b></i><b>, one below the other, which are formed through the force of the beating of the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>against the</b> <b>inner light</b><b>, which purifies the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b> <b>until it restores it to the state of the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>mouth of the head</b><b>. At this stage,</b> the partition of the body <b>is included in the</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>that occurs in the</b> <b>mouth</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b><b>, and it emits, by means of its fusion, a new structure of ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i><b>. This new structure is categorized as a son of the previous</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>.</b>",
            "<b>In this manner,</b> <i><b>Ab</b></i> <b>emerges from the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Sag</b></i> <b>from the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Ab</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Mah</b></i> <b>from the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Sag</b></i><b>, and likewise the other levels in the</b> worlds of <i><b>Nekudim</b></i> <b>and</b> <i><b>Atzilut</b></i> (Emanation), <i><b>Beria</b></i> (Creation), <i><b>Yetzira</b></i> (Formation), and <i><b>Asiya</b></i> (Actualization). <b>However, it still remains to be understood why the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Ab</b></i> <b>emerge only from the third level</b> of opacity (<i>ovyut</i>) within the partition <b>rather than from the fourth level, and likewise</b> <i><b>Sag</b></i> emerges <b>only from the second level. In other words, each</b> subsequently emerging <b>lower</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><i> <b></b></i><b>is one level lower,</b> in terms of the levels of lights it contains, <b>than the one higher than it</b> and preceding it. <b>Why don’t they all emerge one from another at the same height,</b> with the same number of vessels and lights?<sup class=\"footnote-marker\">53</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The question that the author of the <i>Sulam</i> is asking here is in reference to the incremental decrease in the heights of the structures of the <i>partzufim</i> after each purification and subsequent collision. Why is the emerging <i>partzuf</i> considered a “son” to the preceding one given that it emerges from the partition of the mouth of the head just like the preceding one? In other words, if the body of the first <i>partzuf</i> emerged from the mouth of the head of the first <i>partzuf</i>, and so did the second <i>partzuf</i> (the <i>Ab</i>), why are these viewed as two separate entities in which <i>Ab</i> is an “offspring” of the first <i>partzuf</i>, instead of being viewed as all part of one <i>partzuf</i>, like the head and body of the first <i>partzuf</i>? Additionally, why is the emerging <i>partzuf</i> smaller in height, lacking some vessels below and some lights above, than the preceding one, given that they were both formed using the partition of <i>Malkhut</i> of the head?</i>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>First, one must understand why the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Ab</b></i> <b>are categorized as offspring of the first</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>. After all,</b> the <i>partzuf</i> of <i>Ab</i> <b>emerged from the</b> <b>fusion</b> through collision that took place <b>in the</b> <b>mouth</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>of the first</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>, just as the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b> <b>of the</b> first <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>itself</b> also emerged from there. <b>Why, then, is</b> the <i>partzuf</i> of <i>Ab</i> <b>removed from the category of the first</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>so that is should be considered like a second</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>and offspring</b> of the first <i>partzuf</i>?",
            "<b>In this context, you must understand that there is a great difference between the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>and the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b><b>. For there are two types of</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>in the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>:</b>",
            "<b>The first is the</b> <b>fusing <i>Malkhut</i></b><b>,</b> which fuses <b>with the supernal light through the force of the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>placed upon it, as stated above. The second is the</b> <b>terminating <i>Malkhut</i></b><b>, which arrests</b> the flow <b>of the supernal light into the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b> <b>through the force of the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>placed upon it.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">54</sup><i class=\"footnote\">As the author of the <i>Sulam</i> goes on to explain, the vessel of <i>Malkhut</i>, and the partition that rests on it, exists in this system in two forms. The partition that was placed on the <i>Malkhut</i> of the head is used to create the returning light, which enclothes the vessels of the head and allows them to receive the supernal light. This <i>Malkhut</i> can therefore be viewed as facilitating the process of channeling and transmitting the supernal light. It is referred to as the fusing <i>Malkhut</i> because it is able to interact with the supernal light and fuse with it to some extent, generating the returning light through the collision. By contrast, once the <i>Malkhut</i> vessel has expanded downward, forming the body of the <i>partzuf</i>, the partition of the <i>Malkhut</i> of the body does not engage in any fusion with the supernal light. Instead, it serves as a barrier that blocks out the supernal light from fully entering the <i>Malkhut</i> of the body. It is this barrier against which the surrounding light beats. For this reason, the <i>Malkhut</i> of the body is referred to as the terminating <i>Malkhut</i>. This is the meaning of the “force of the partition”: the partition has the power to block the surrounding light from entering the <i>Malkhut</i> of the body.</i>",
            "<b>The difference between them is like the distance of an emanator from an emanated being. The</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>that fuses, by means of a</b> <b>fusion through collision</b><b>, with the supernal light, is regarded as an emanator relative to the</b> <b>body</b> <b>because the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>placed on</b> the <i>Malkhut</i> of the head <b>did not repel the supernal light when</b> the light <b>impacted against</b> the partition. <b>On the contrary, by means of the</b> <b>returning light</b> <b>that rose</b> from the partition, the partition <b>enclothed</b> <b>and drew in the supernal light of the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b><b>.</b> The <i>Malkhut</i> <b>then expanded from above to below so that the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the supernal light were</b> <b>enclothed</b> <b>in the vessel of the</b> <b>returning light</b><b>, which is called</b> <b>body</b><b>.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">55</sup><i class=\"footnote\">This refers to the ten <i>sefirot</i> of the lower half of the <i>partzuf</i> called the body. As explained in section #26#, these are fully formed <i>sefirot</i>, as opposed to the <i>sefirot</i> of the head of the <i>partzuf</i>, which are only theoretical roots.</i>  <b>Consequently, the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>are regarded as the emanator of the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b><b>, and no dynamics of limitation or rejection are as yet discernible in this</b> <b>partition</b> <b>and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><i></i> of the head.",
            "<b>This</b> lack of dynamics of limitation in the partition of the head <b>is not the case with regard to the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b><b>. Meaning, after the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>expand from the</b> <b>mouth</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b><b>, from above to below, they expand only until the</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>in those ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i><b>. The supernal light cannot expand into the</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b> <b>because the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>established there prevents it from expanding into the</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i><b>. Therefore, the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>stops there, and the end of the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>is reached. Accordingly, the full force of constriction and limitation is revealed only in this</b> <b>partition</b> <b>and the</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b><b>.</b>",
            "<b>Consequently, the entire beating of the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>on the</b> <b>inner light</b> <b>that was discussed above occurs only on the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b><b>, as</b> only this partition <b>limits and repels the</b> <b>surrounding light</b><b>,</b> preventing it <b>from shining into the interior of the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>, and not the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <i>Malkhut</i> of the <b>head</b><b>. The</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>only draws in and</b> <b>enclothes</b> <b>the light, but no trace of the force of limitation manifests itself within it.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>Now it can be explained how, by means of the force of the beating of the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>against the</b> <b>inner light</b><b>, the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>terminating <i>Malkhut</i></b> <b>reverts to the status of</b> <b>fusing <i>Malkhut</i></b> <b>(</b>see <b>section #35# above). The beating of the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> against the inner light <b>purified the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>terminating</b> <i>Malkhut</i> <b>of all the</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>) <b>of the</b> <b>body</b> <b>that it contained. Only slight remnants of that</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>remain in it, which are equal to the</b> amounts of <b>opacity</b> <b>found within the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b><b>. As is known, the</b> <b>equating of form</b> <b>attaches and unites spiritual entities together. Therefore, after the partition of the</b> <b>body</b> <b>has</b> <b>equated the form</b> <b>of its</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>to</b> the opacity found in <b>the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b><b>,</b> the partition of the body <b>is immediately incorporated within</b> the partition of the head, <b>joining it as though they were a single</b> <b>partition</b><b>. Then</b> the partition of the body <b>receives the power for a</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>to the same extent as the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b><b>, and the new structure of ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> of the next <i>partzuf</i> <b>emerge from</b> the impact against the partition, <b>as stated above.</b>",
            "<b>However, together with this fusion, the remnants of the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b><b>, which were within</b> the partition of the body <b>at the outset, are manifest anew within the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b><b>.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">56</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The author of the <i>Sulam</i> is clarifying here that this partition is slightly different from the original partition of the <i>Malkhut</i> of the head because it contains a different measure of opacity than that of the original partition. Since the surrounding light degraded some of the original measure of opacity in the process that led the partition of the body to merge with the head, this partition lacks the opacity of the fourth level, but retains only that of the third level and above. As a result, this partition gives rise to a different structure of returning light, purified of the opacity of the lowest, or fourth, level. Accordingly, it cannot contain the highest light in its vessels, since it lacks the lowest vessel. The head of this new <i>partzuf</i>, then, is only as high as the bottom of the head of the previous <i>partzuf</i>, as the author will explain.</i> <b>The difference in form between the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b> that was purified and then unified with the partition of the head <b>and the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>is then discernible once again within</b> the partition of the body <b>to some extent. This detectable difference</b> of form between the two partitions <b>separates</b> the partition of the body <b>and expels it from the</b> <b>mouth</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>of the upper</b> <i>partzuf</i>.<sup class=\"footnote-marker\">57</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The upper <i>partzuf</i> here refers to the complete structure of head and body with their respective partitions discussed in the previous sections. This process of unification of the partition of the body of the upper <i>partzuf</i> with that of the head of the upper <i>partzuf</i> leads to a new fusion through collision, since the partition of the body is now a fusing <i>Malkhut</i> instead of an terminating <i>Malkhut</i><i>.</i> The surrounding light then beats against this partition and creates a fusion through that collision. This fusion leads to a new returning light arising as a result of that fusion that can serve as vessels for the surrounding light that was beating against the partition, creating a new head that will then expand into a complete body. However, this entire emergent structure of head and body rises only as high as the headof the previous <i>partzuf</i> since that is where the partition was operating. As a result, the head of the new <i>partzuf</i> is only as high as the bottom of the head of the previous <i>partzuf</i>.</i>  <b>Once the original source</b> of the partition of the body <b>is again discernible, from the</b> <b>mouth</b> <b>of the upper</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>and below,</b> the partition of the body <b>can no longer remain above the</b> <b>mouth</b> <b>of the upper</b> <i>partzuf</i>, unified with the partition of the head, <b>since the difference in form separates spiritual entities from one another.</b> Instead of remaining on the level of the head of the upper <i>partzuf</i>, <b>it must descend from there to the place that is from the</b> <b>mouth</b> <b>of the upper</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>and below. Consequently, it is necessarily categorized as a second</b> <b>body</b> <b>in relation to the upper</b> <i>partzuf</i>,<sup class=\"footnote-marker\">58</sup><i class=\"footnote\">This answers the author of the <i>Sulam</i>’s first question (see section #38#): Why is this structure is viewed as a separate <i>partzuf</i>? This difference in the height of the structure, resulting from the returning light being unable to enclothe the same amount of vessels as it did in the first partzuf, means that the upper <i>partzuf</i> and this <i>partzuf</i> are different and therefore exist as spiritually different entities.</i> <b>as even the</b> <b>head</b> <b>of the new</b> emergent <b>structure is categorized relative to the upper</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>as merely its</b> <b>body</b><b>, since it is drawn from the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of</b> the <b>body</b> of the upper <i>partzuf</i>. <b>Therefore, this difference in form divides them into two separate bodies. Since this new structure is entirely an offshoot of the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b> <b>of the previous</b> upper <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>, it is categorized as a son in relation to it and like a branch that extends from it.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">59</sup><i class=\"footnote\">This point answers the author of the <i>Sulam</i>’s second question (see section #38#) as to why this second <i>partzuf</i> is viewed as the “offspring” of the upper <i>partzuf</i>.</i>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>There is another element to the difference between the lower and upper</b> <i>partzufim</i>. <b>It is that each lower</b> <i>partzuf</i> <b>emerges from a different</b> <i><b>shiur koma</b></i><b>,</b> literally, “dimension of height,” <b>in the five levels of the</b> <b>partition</b><b>, as described in sections #22# and #24# above. Each lower</b> <i>partzuf</i> <b>lacks the highest level of the lights of the</b> previous, <b>upper</b> <i>partzuf</i> <b>and the lowest level of the vessels of that upper one. The reason for this is that it is the nature of the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>to destroy the last level of</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>) <b>in the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>when beating upon the</b> <b>partition</b><b>.</b>",
            "<b>For example, in the first</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>, whose</b> <b>partition</b> <b>has all five levels of its</b> <b>opacity</b><b>, that is, up to</b> and including <b>the fourth level, the beating of the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>on the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b> <b>purifies the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the fourth level entirely without leaving even a trace of that</b> <b>opacity</b><b>. Only the traces of the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the third level and upward remain in the</b> <b>partition</b><b>. Therefore, when that</b> <b>partition</b> <b>is incorporated into the</b> <b>head</b><b>, where it undergoes the</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> where the supernal light impacts <b>against the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>that remains in trace amounts from the</b> <b>body</b><b>, the</b> <b>fusion</b> through collision <b>takes place only</b> through the light beating <b>against the third level of the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>in the</b> <b>partition</b><b>, as the traces of</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the fourth level are gone and are no longer there.</b>",
            "<b>Therefore, the structure that emerges from this</b> <b>partition</b> <b>is at the</b> <i><b>shiur koma</b></i><b>,</b> at the structural height, <b>of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i> <b>alone, which is called “</b><i><b>Havaya</b></i><b> of <i>Ab</i> of <i>Adam Kadmon</i></b><b>,” or the “</b><i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Ab</b></i><b> of <i>Adam Kadmon</i></b><b>.” As explained in section #22# above, the</b> structural <b>height of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i> <b>that emerges from the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the third level lacks the</b> vessel of <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>among the vessels and the light of</b> <i><b>yeḥida</b></i> <b>from among the lights, which is the light of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>; see there. Thus, the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Ab</b></i> <b>lacks the last level of the vessels of the</b> previous, <b>upper</b> <i>partzuf</i>, <b>and the highest level of the lights of that upper</b> <i>partzuf</i>. <b>Due to this great difference in form, the lower</b> <i>partzuf</i> <b>is regarded as distinct from the upper</b> <i>partzuf</i>."
        ],
        [
            "<b>Likewise, after the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Ab</b></i> <b>has expanded into a</b> <b>head</b> <b>and</b> <b>body</b><b>, and the beating of the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>on the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b> <b>of</b> <i><b>Ab</b></i><b>, which is the</b> <b>partition</b> containing opacity (<i>ovyut</i>) up to and including <b>the third level, has been performed, this beating erodes and obliterates from it the traces of</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the last level in the</b> <b>partition</b><b>, which is the third level. Thus, when the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>rises to the</b> <b>mouth</b> <b>of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>and is incorporated into it to engage in a</b> <b>fusion through collision</b><b>, the collision is performed only against the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the second level, which remains in this</b> <b>partition</b><b>. The third level is lost from</b> the partition <b>and is no more, and therefore</b> the partition <b>produces only ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> structural <b>height of</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>, which is called “</b><i><b>Havaya</b></i><b> of <i>Sag</i> of <i>Adam Kadmon</i></b><b>,” or the “</b><i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Sag</b></i><b>,” and</b> the vessels of <i><b>Ze’er Anpin</b></i><b>,</b> or <i>Tiferet</i>, <b>and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>among the vessels, as well as</b> <i><b>ḥaya</b></i> <b>and</b> <i><b>yeḥida</b></i> <b>from among the lights, are lacking, as stated above.</b>",
            "<b>Similarly, when this</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Sag</b></i> <b>expands into a</b> <b>head</b> <b>and</b> <b>body</b><b>, and the beating of the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>against the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of its</b> <b>body</b><b>, which is the</b> <b>partition</b> containing opacity up to and including <b>the second level, has been performed, this beating erodes and obliterates from it the</b> current <b>last level of</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>in the</b> <b>partition</b><b>, which is the second level. Only traces of</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the first level and upward remain in the</b> <b>partition</b><b>. Therefore, when the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>rises to the mouth of the</b> <b>head</b> <b>and is incorporated there to engage in the</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>there, the impact is performed only against the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the first level, which remains in this</b> <b>partition</b><b>. The second level is already gone from</b> the partition, <b>and therefore</b> the partition <b>produces only ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>of the</b> structural <b>height of</b> <i><b>Tiferet</b></i><b>, which is called “the</b> structural <b>height of</b> <i><b>Ze’er Anpin</b></i><b>,” and it lacks</b> the vessels of <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>Ze’er Anpin</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>Malkhut</b></i> <b>among the vessels and</b> <i><b>neshama</b></i><b>,</b> <i><b>ḥaya</b></i><b>, and</b> <i><b>yeḥida</b></i> <b>among the lights, and so on and so forth in this manner</b> are the <i>partzufim</i> formed."
        ],
        [
            "<b>We have thus fully clarified the reason for the diminishment of the</b> structural <b>heights, one below the other, in the course of the development of the</b> <i><b>partzufim</b></i><b>, each</b> lower <i>partzuf</i> forming <b>from the other</b> preceding, upper <i>partzuf</i>. <b>This</b> formation occurs <b>because the beating of the</b> <b>surrounding light</b> <b>on the</b> <b>inner light</b><b>, which occurs in every</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>, always obliterates the traces of</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>) <b>of the last level that are</b> within the partition.",
            "<b>One should know, however, that there are two aspects to those traces that remain in the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>after its purification</b> of the last level: <b>The first is called “trace of opacity,” and the second is called “trace of enclothing.”</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">60</sup><i class=\"footnote\">Here the author of the <i>Sulam</i> introduces a new concept: the “trace of enclothing.” Recall that in order for light to reach incrementally lower layers, it must traverse all preceding layers. In earlier sections, the author described the various <i>partzufim</i> through their differences of structure. For example, the <i>partzuf</i> of <i>gulgalta</i> has the full structural height of <i>Keter</i>, while the Ab <i>partzuf</i> only reaches the height of <i>Ḥokhma</i>. But how does the light transfer from one <i>partzuf</i> to another? In order for light to transfer between these <i>partzufim</i>, the head contains a quality called the trace of enclothing, which serves as a bridge layer between the higher <i>partzuf</i> and the one below it. The trace of enclothing is referred to as the male aspect of the head of the lower <i>partzuf</i> and is nearly at the height of the <i>partzuf</i> above it. Since the trace of enclothing bridges these two <i>partzufim</i>, allowing the light to travel from the higher <i>partzuf</i> to the lower, it is referred to as a <i>mashpia</i>, or giver.</i>",
            "<b>For example, after the purification of the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>of the</b> <b>body</b> <b>of the first</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>, we said that the last level of the traces of</b> <b>opacity</b><b>, which is the trace of</b> opacity from <b>the fourth level, was lost from it, and only the trace of opacity from the third level remains in the</b> <b>partition</b><b>. However, the trace of the fourth level includes the two aforementioned aspects –</b> <b>enclothing</b> <b>and</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>– and that purification caused the</b> <b>partition</b> <b>to lose only the trace of</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the fourth level, whereas the trace of</b> <b>enclothing</b> <b>of the fourth level remains in that</b> <b>partition</b> <b>and has not been lost from it.</b>",
            "<b>The trace of</b> <b>enclothing</b> <b>refers to a very refined aspect of the trace</b> of opacity <b>of the fourth level, which does not contain enough</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>for a</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>with the supernal light. This trace remains from the last level in each</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>when it was purified. Our statement that the last level is lost from every</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>when it is purified refers solely to the</b> loss of the <b>trace of</b> <b>opacity</b><b>.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>The remaining trace of</b> <b>enclothing</b> <b>from the last level that is left in each</b> <b>partition</b> <b>caused the emergence of two structures, male and female, in the</b> <b>heads</b> <b>of each of the</b> <i><b>partzufim</b></i><b>, starting from</b> <i><b>Ab</b></i><b> of <i>Adam Kadmon</i></b><b>, and likewise in</b> <i><b>Sag</b></i><b> of <i>Adam Kadmon</i></b><b>, and similarly in</b> <i><b>Mah</b></i><b> and <i>Ban</i> of <i>Adam Kadmon</i></b><b>, and in all the</b> <i><b>partzufim</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Atzilut</b></i><b>.</b>",
            "<b>In the</b> <i><b>Ab partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>, the result of a</b> <b>partition</b> <b>that has only the trace of</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the third level, producing ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>at the</b> structural <b>height of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>, the</b> <b>trace of enclothing</b> <b>from the fourth level remained there in the</b> <b>partition</b><b>.</b> This trace <b>is not fit at all for fusion with the supernal light on account of its purity, as stated above.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">61</sup><i class=\"footnote\">The trace of opacity retains trace amounts of the opacity of the will to receive, allowing it to create a fusion through collision on the partition. By contrast, the trace of enclothing is far less tangible: It is like a memory or imprint of the enclothing of the supernal light that took place. Such a trace lacks sufficient will to receive to participate in a fusion through collision on its own. By becoming incorporated in the trace of opacity, this trace of enclothing is able to participate in such a fusion, and its presence in the fusion through collision yields a <i>partzuf</i><i>.</i></i>  This trace <b>is</b> therefore <b>incorporated with the</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>) <b>of the third level, becoming one trace. Then the trace of</b> <b>enclothing</b> <b>acquires the force for a fusion with the supernal light, and accordingly a</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>with the supernal light takes place. This</b> collision <b>produces ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>nearly at the</b> structural <b>height of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>, because</b> the partition <b>contains an aspect of the</b> <b>enclothing</b> <b>of the fourth level.</b>",
            "<b>This incorporation is called the incorporation of the female in the male, for the trace of</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the third level is called “female,” since it bears the</b> <b>opacity</b> that remains in that level after the purification of the fourth level, <b>while the trace of</b> <b>enclothing</b> <b>of the fourth level is called “male,” since it comes from a higher</b> structural <b>height and because it is more refined than the</b> <b>opacity</b><b>.</b><sup class=\"footnote-marker\">62</sup><i class=\"footnote\">In kabbalistic thought, the concept of male is associated with the greater refinement and prominence of the realm of ideas, while the concept of female represents the practical reality of the implementation of those ideas. Since implementation inherently draws from the ideas that precede it, or are “above” it, female as a concept is considered lower than the male. Accordingly, when the female is incorporated in the male, that is termed “higher fusion,” and when the male is incorporated in the female, that is termed “lower fusion.” Thus, the male is often described as the <i>mashpia</i>, meaning the one that directs or influences, and the female is described as the <i>mekabel</i>, the receiver that receives the instructions from “above” and actualizes them in implementation. It should be noted that these are abstract concepts that should not be confused with today’s modern usage of gender terminologies.</i>  <b>Consequently, although the trace of the male alone is insufficient for a</b> <b>fusion through collision</b><b>, even it becomes fit for</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>by means of the incorporation of the female within it.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>Subsequently, there is also an incorporation of the male within the female; that is, the trace of</b> <b>enclothing</b> <b>is incorporated in the trace of</b> <b>opacity</b><b>. Then a fusion through collision takes place against</b> the partition of <b>the structure of the female alone, which is the structure of only the third level, and that is the</b> structural <b>height of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i> <b>called “</b><i><b>Havaya</b></i><b> of <i>Ab</i></b><b>,” as stated above.</b>",
            "<b>The higher fusion, where the female is incorporated in the male, is regarded as the structure of the male, which is nearly the</b> structural <b>height of</b> <i><b>Keter</b></i><b>. The lower fusion, in which the male is incorporated in the female, is regarded as the structure of the female, which is the</b> structural <b>height of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i> <b>alone. However, since the structure of the male does not contain</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>) <b>in and of itself but only as a result of its incorporation within the female, and although that is enough for the aforementioned emergence of the ten</b> <i><b>sefirot</b></i> <b>from below to above called</b> <b>head</b><b>, nevertheless this structure cannot expand</b> downward <b>from above to below to form the level of the</b> <b>body</b><b>, meaning the</b> <b>enclothing</b> <b>of the lights in the vessels. This is because</b> <b>fusion through collision</b> <b>against the</b> <b>opacity</b> in the partition <b>that results</b> only <b>from the incorporation</b> of the female within the male <b>is insufficient for the expansion of the vessels</b> to form the body of a <i>partzuf</i> since the measure of opacity is insufficient. <b>Therefore, the structure of the male contains only a</b> <b>head</b> <b>without a</b> <b>body</b><b>, and the</b> <b>body</b> <b>of the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>is formed only from the structure of the female, which has its own</b> <b>opacity</b><b>. For this reason, we name only the structure of the female by the name of the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i><b>, that is, the name</b> of the <i><b>partzuf</b></i> called <i><b>Ab</b></i><b>, since the main part of the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>is its</b> <b>body</b><b>, which is the</b> <b>enclothing</b> <b>of the lights in the vessels, and this</b> body <b>emerges only from the structure of the female, as explained. Therefore, the name of the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>is attributed to it.</b>"
        ],
        [
            "<b>In the same manner that we explained the two structures of male and female in the</b> <b>head</b> <b>of the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> called <i><b>Ab</b></i><b>, these two</b> structures <b>emerge also as the</b> <b>head</b> <b>of</b> <i><b>Sag</b></i><b>, in exactly the same way, only in that case the structure of the male is nearly at the level of</b> <i><b>Ḥokhma</b></i><b>. This is because it is</b> formed <b>from the</b> <b>trace of enclothing</b> <b>of the third level, incorporating the</b> <b>opacity</b> (<i>ovyut</i>)  <b>of the second level, while the structure of the female is at the</b> structural <b>height of</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>, that is,</b> formed <b>from the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>of the second level. Here too the name of the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>is attributed only to the structure of the female, because the male is a</b> <b>head</b> <b>without a</b> <b>body</b><b>.</b>",
            "<b>The same applies to the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Mah</b></i> <b>of</b> <i><b>Adam Kadmon</b></i><b>. There, the structure of the male is nearly at the</b> structural <b>height of</b> <i><b>Bina</b></i><b>, which is called “the</b> structural <b>height of</b> <i><b>Yisrael Saba</b></i><b> and <i>Tevuna</i></b><b>,” since it is</b> formed <b>from the</b> <b>trace of enclothing</b> <b>of the second level of, incorporating the</b> <b>opacity</b> <b>from the first level. The structure of the female constitutes the</b> structural <b>height of</b> <i><b>Ze’er Anpin</b></i><b>,</b> or <i>Tiferet</i>, <b>alone, as it contains only the first level of</b> <b>opacity</b><b>. Here too the name of the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>is attributed only to the female, that is, the</b> <i><b>Mah partzuf</b></i> <b>or the</b> <i><b>partzuf</b></i> <b>of the</b> <b>six extremities</b><b>, because the male is a</b> <b>head</b> <b>without a</b> <b>body</b><b>. In this manner, you can understand</b> the dynamics in <b>all the</b> <i><b>partzufim</b></i><b>.</b>"
        ]
    ],
    "versions": [
        [
            "The Sefaria Sulam, 2023",
            "https://www.sefaria.org/"
        ]
    ],
    "heTitle": "פתיחה לחכמת הקבלה",
    "categories": [
        "Kabbalah",
        "Baal HaSulam"
    ],
    "sectionNames": [
        "Chapter",
        "Paragraph"
    ]
}