32. The most ancient [Atik] of all the ancients, RADLA, the most concealed of all that are concealed, was corrected and not corrected. He was corrected in order to sustain everything, for he is the first Partzuf of Atzilut, and through his corrections, everything exists. But with respect to himself, he is not corrected since his corrections reveal nothing of his own phase, and he is unattainable.
33. When he was corrected, he elicited nine lights, nine Sefirot KHB HGT NHY of AA, whose garments are AVI and ZON. They blaze from him, from RADLA, from his corrections. These nine lights shine from him with Hassadim, and blaze from him with Gevurot, and expand to every direction, both to Hochma and to Hassadim, like a candle from which lights spread out in all directions.
When one approaches to know those expanding lights, only the candle itself is found. That is, the candle and the lights that expand from the candle are not two things, since the light that spreads from the candle has no reality or governance of its own. Rather, its whole existence is within the candle. If you take the candle elsewhere, the expanding lights will be elsewhere and will leave nothing of them in the former place.
So is holy Atik, the upper candle, the most concealed of all that are concealed, which is unattainable, but only the lights that expand from him, of which some are revealed and some are concealed, and they are called the “holy name.” However, the lights that expand from holy Atik have no reality of their own; rather, their whole existence is within holy Atik, although they are attained and holy Atik is unattainable, like the lights that expand from the candle. And because of it, it is all one.
The beginning of all the Sefirot is Keter, and he is called Atik, from the verse, “And he moved from there,” since he is sublime and exalted, and there is no attainment in him, since Ein Sof [infinity] dresses him. There are two Partzufim to Keter: The first is called RADLA, and the second is called AA.
RADLA is completely hidden, and the revealing begins from AA. Since there is a big difference between these two Partzufim, he cautions about the unification and the unity, and compares them to the candle and the lights that spread from it. This is how the nine Sefirot of AA expanded from RADLA and are not any addition in reality.
The whole reality of the nine Sefirot of AA is within RADLA, just as the whole reality of the lights that spread out from the candle have no reality outside the candle, but are given in order to delight people with the light of the candle. Likewise, in the nine lights of AA, there are corrections with respect to people so they will be able to attain them. Thus, the difference between the degrees is the difference in the value of people and in their attainment, and not at all from the perspective of reality, since everything is Ein Sof, like the candle and the expanding lights. This is a very deep matter.
He regards nine Sefirot in AA, and not ten Sefirot, since the first sweetening of Malchut in Bina is done in Partzuf AA because Malchut ascended to Bina of RADLA and took AA outside, namely Bina and TM of RADLA, and it was established in the Partzuf in nine Sefirot, and his Malchut is Ateret Yesod, while his main Malchut is in Bina of RADLA. This is why there are only nine Sefirot in him. Since Malchut ascended to Bina of RADLA, a male and a female were made in RADLA, called his Atik and Nukva. Also, there are male and female in AA.
These nine Sefirot of AA contain all the Partzufim in Atzilut: KHB are his three Roshim [heads], HGT are the three Roshim of AVI, and NHY are the three Roshim for ZON. It cannot be said that this refers only to the nine Sefirot of AA, since they, too, are unattainable by the lower ones, so how could it be said about them “the lights that expand from him, of which some are revealed and some are concealed”? Rather, this refers to their expansion to AVI and YESHSUT and ZON.
Remember that there is no change of reality in all the degrees and changes we explain in Atzilut. Rather, there is only one unique, and unified Ein Sof here, and the degrees that expand have value in the lights that expand from the candle. Do not fail in time or place and multiplicity due to the discernment of degrees.
34. Those changes that expand from the Creator are degrees that were created, which are formed because of corrections that were created. Holy Atik was revealed in each of them since they are corrections of holy Atik, which are types of covers over the illumination of Ein Sof, where through these covers, there is an ability to obtain it in the lower ones, as well. It was certainly created with respect to man, but there are no changes in the light itself. Like a person who covers himself before his friends, the covers do not do anything to the person, but the others are impressed.