The transcript has been transcribed and edited from English simultaneous interpretation, thus there may be potential semantic inaccuracies within it.

Daily Morning Lesson: October 15, 2025

Part 3: Lessons of The RABASH

Baal HaSulam. "Study of the Ten Sefirot" (TES). Vol. 1. Part 4

RABASH (Source Text/ Commentary): (00:06) Part 4, here, he is talking about the ten Sefirot of the world Akudim, including 6 chapters. Item 1, here he says, 

“we do not have the power to engage before the world of Atzilut.” You already know that we don’t have the force to engage in Atzilut before the Atzilut of the ten Sefirot, and not to imagine any imaginary shape, 

God forbid, 

but to relieve the ear we should talk through allegory and imagination. Therefore, even if we speak of a picture that is up there, it is only to simplify matters. 

What is written here? That before the ten Sefirot of Atzilut, we can't speak about any image or picture whatsoever. But to simplify matters, we need to speak through allegory and picture. So, if we talk about some pictures above there, it is only in order to simplify matters. Here, there is a very difficult question. Meaning, through Atzilut, where we talk about what we discussed to simplify matters. However, acquiring spirituality, that is what he wants to explain below in the “Inner Light” Item 1, Inner Light, let's see what he says. 

Not to look at any picture or imagination. Because all of those discernments that we see in the worlds, they all emerge from the world of Atzilut and below. Meaning, from the world where the ten Sefirot and the correction of lines was already revealed, by way of Hesed, Din, and Rachamim. However, above the world of Atzilut, meaning before the ten Sefirot appear, we have no grasp there sufficient to discern any similarity and disparity of form between one Sefira and another. That is because attainment begins from the clothing of the ten Sefirot in ten vessels, meaning from the world of Atzilut downward. 

So, first of all, we need to know what he says, that before the world of Atzilut, it wasn't called ten Sefirot because there were still no ten vessels. What's that, we'll see later. So, he says later on:

This is why the ARI writes, we have no strength to study prior to the emanation of the ten Sefirot or to imagine any image and shape whatsoever. 

Same thing, he says, 

The ten Sefirot that were considered as light without a vessel suitable for it. And it is known that we have no attainment in the light without a vessel. 

So, he says, ten Sefirot that were made vessels, that was actually made in the world of Atzilut, the clothing of Atzilut in the vessels. And before that, they're not considered vessels.

RABASH (Source Text/ Commentary): (04:57) Even though we talk about the vessels there, it's only to simplify matters; why, he doesn't interpret here. He considers the vessels, he says it once: 

The vessels that are worthy of receiving, so there was no longer a departure. That was specifically in the world of Atzilut where there was a correction of lines, which didn't exist before. It means that from the world of Atzilut downward, we can hint at the discernments in the spiritual roots above, as an allegory and metaphors taken from the reality or from the conducts of this world. All the details of the created beings and their modes of conduct in this world cascade and are extended from the upper worlds. That is just like the relation between the seal and its imprint. Where all the details in the seal are copied and transferred to its imprint, none are missing. 

Our Sages wrote, “There's not a single blade of grass below that does not have an appointed angel above that strikes it and tells it grow.” This tells us that there's not even a tiny detail in this world that does not have a root in the upper world. This root operates on it, on the branch, in all its forms and inclinations, in everything it does here before us in this world. Thus, our Sages have devised a special language to convey their attainment of the upper worlds orally and in text from generation to generation. They take the branches in this world and with them explain the reality of the upper worlds, which relate to these branches. And since the above relations of root and branch begin only from the world of Atzilut downward, meaning after revealing the complete ten Sefirot and not at all before that, it is therefore obvious that it is impossible to imply the existence of the upper worlds using the corporeal branches, as these branches do not have a direct relation to them, qualifying them to explain these concepts. The ARI writes there that here too, he's speaking allegorically only to appease the ear. 

In other words, it is to give us some grasp so as to show us the roots of the world of Atzilut. Thus, we must first understand the branch as it relates to its root in Atzilut, and then we can relate this root to its earlier root in the worlds that precede Atzilut. If so, what is the question and what is the answer? He says this:

Everything we discuss about the upper worlds is only through allegory and imagination. Allegory and imagination refers to the language of the branches. He speaks through the branches, and every branch indicates its root. Therefore, those who have an understanding, attainment of the roots, when they speak of the branches, they already know what they're talking about.

RABASH (Source Text/ Commentary): (10:13) This can only come from the world of Atzilut, called the world of correction. What exists above that, comes from the world of Atzilut in one direct way. Therefore, one indicates the other. But in the worlds above Atzilut, there is no allegory and imagination directly. Therefore, what we discuss there through allegory and imagination is only to appease the ear. Meaning, after we clarify the branches relating to their roots in Atzilut, which is a direct relation, after that, we're indicating the roots of the world of Atzilut in the upper worlds. That's what he says here. He says here, the ten Sefirot of Atzilut are lights and vessels. And in order to connect to their root above, we must speak in a gradual order from Rosh to Sof.

Two: 

However, you should know that the ten Sefirot of Atzilut are two matters. The first is the expansion of spirituality, expansion of lights, called NRNHY, and the matter of vessels and organs, where the self expands. All this must have a root above for these two phases. Meaning, therefore, we have to speak of the order of degrees from Rosh to Sof, and the roots to the world of Atzilut where they are drawn from. 

Three:

What's written in item three? There are two matters, which are the expansion of spirituality, the expansion of lights, called NRNHY, and the matter of vessels and organs called KHB, HGT, NHYM or five Partzufim also called vessels AA, Abba ve Ima, Zeir Anpin, Nukva in which the NRNHY clothed in them, these five Partzufim. Each of these matters is a separate study in itself, meaning that its conduct of cascading and manifestation differ from the other. The vessels and lights of each and every one have a different order. Moreover, they are completely opposite from one another. The lights and the vessels from one to the other, one end to the other. Since in the vessels, the upper vessels appear first, meaning Keter appears first, then Hochma and finally Malchut. The lights are the opposite. In them, the lower ones appear first, beginning with the appearance of Nefesh, then Ruach, and finally Yechida. Also, they are opposite in all their appearances and phases. Thus, each and every one has a different process and is different from the other. If we do not thoroughly know the reasons for the matters from the root, we will not be able to avoid confusion in this wisdom. The ARI wrote, “therefore, we need to speak of the order of degrees from Rosh to Sof.” Meaning, it means that then we will thoroughly know the reasons for every single matter at its root. We will be able to understand and distinguish in each degree the proper conducts and the orders in the vessels, the proper conducts and the order in the lights, and we will not replace the terms of one with the other.

RABASH (Source Text/ Commentary): (15:47) He brings us that here he speaks of the lights of the Guf of AK from the Peh to the Tabur called Akudim. 

Item 3. It is written, and saw in a dream, and behold, the he-goats which leaped upon the flock were Akudim, streaked, Nekudim, speckled, and Brudim, grizzled. It is also written, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. This verse implies all these phases that we discuss here. 

He starts interpreting now. Laban is the wicked one. Laban is the upper whiteness that precedes all this Atzilut and what we are discussing from below. And namely, Akudim, Nekudim, and Brudim for the purpose of Atzilut that will emanate after them. It is called by the name Yaakov. And began with Akudim, as they are the lights that come out from the Peh of Adam Kadmon. The manifestation there in Akudim, the manifestations of the HaVaYot of the vessels began in them, since the ten inner and surrounding lights are tied and connected to each other together in a single vessel. For this reason, that the inner and surrounding lights are interconnected, it is called Akudim, bound from the words, and bound Isaac, meaning tied. He wants to... This is what he interprets for us.

Four:

. Akudim and Nekudim, Inner Light. They, Akudim, Nekudim and Brudim, they are names of the first three worlds that cascaded down from one another until the ten Sefirot were emanated properly, meaning ten lights called Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Haya, Yechida, clothed in the ten vessels called Keter, Hochma, Bina, Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, Yesod, and Malchut. In the beginning, only one vessel was emanated called the vessel Malchut. All the other ten lights were clothed and tied to that single vessel. Thus, the first world is called the world of Nekudim, Akudim, from the words bound and tied, as we will discuss henceforth.

RABASH (Source Text/ Commentary): (19:51) Now he's adding,

 it is also called one line,

or the world of... that's from Akudim, or 

the world of Adam Kadmon, he interprets. It is called one line because the light is clothed in but a single vessel, and it still does not have the three lines of governance called Hesed Din Rahamim. This vessel is called the quality of judgment, which is the vessel of Malchut. However, afterwards, there was the association with the quality of mercy. It means that Malchut, which is... 

when she interprets this one line, is called that way because she was mingled with... made in each... a vessel was made in each and every Sefira, at which time the ten Sefirot were completed properly. Then the three lines of governance are formed in the ten Sefirot. Then the three lines of governance are formed in the ten Sefirot, called Hesed, judgment, mercy. Our Sages wrote, “In the beginning it came upon the thought to create the world in the quality of judgment. He saw that the world does not exist, preceded the quality of mercy, and associated it with the quality of judgment.” This verse seems unbecoming. Are His thoughts like the thought of flesh and blood, who first want to do thus but regret for some reason and do otherwise? However, we've already explained that before and after in spirituality mean cause and consequence. The cause is called first, and the consequence that is extended from it is called after. 

If so, what's written “before and after,” he interprets as cause and consequence, that first it needs to be in this manner, and afterward, another discernment can extend from there.

Our Sages tell us that the first cause for the emanation of the worlds, called the first world, the world of Adam Kadmon, was emanated and emerged as only the vessel of Malchut, called the quality of judgment.

What is the quality of judgment? That there was judgment over Malchut, that it's forbidden to receive, that it's forbidden to use this vessel called receiver in order to receive. However, He saw that the world does not exist, meaning it does not have that wholeness desired from the creation of the world. And so, He associated it with the quality of mercy. 

In other words, it therefore became the element that causes the association of the quality of mercy with judgment. 

Meaning that the upper knowledge, the quality of judgment, and the quality of judgment needs to be corrected. Therefore, there is association with the quality of mercy to correct the judgment. It's not a regret, it's the reason why the association then happened. And he says, therefore they became, they emanated the ten Sefirot, lights and vessels, in the three lines, Hesed, judgment, mercy, emerged and were emanated. Our Sages also implied the same matter in another place, that's from the Avot tractate, 285. The world was created in ten utterances. He's asking, “could it have not been created with one utterance? Why do you need ten?” Any answers. But to avenge the wicked who destroy the world that was created in ten utterances and give a good reward to the righteous who keep the world that was created in ten utterances.

RABASH (Source Text/ Commentary): (25:44) Ten utterances refer to the ten Sefirot. They ask, “since the first world of Hesed had been created in a single utterance, meaning with a single vessel, the vessel of Malchut, why then did the ten Sefirot cascade and emerge from it?” They answered, “to avenge the wicked, etc., and to give a good reward for the righteous, etc.” In other words, the thought of creation, to delight his created beings, does not happened in another way but by a conduct of reward and punishment, meaning the ten Sefirot, which is the governance in three lines, Hesed, judgment, and mercy. Thus, the first world, the world of Adam Kadmon, where there was only the vessel of Malchut, had to cascade from state to state until the ten Sefirot were emanated. Meaning, the association of the quality of mercy with judgment. Why do we need that? Because of reward and punishment, that in turn manifests the governance of reward and punishment that brings the benefit incorporated in the thought of creation. What is the meaning when he says in the quality of judgment, there is no reward and punishment. In the association with the quality of mercy in judgment, then there's reward and punishment. They interpreted that after the judgment was made, meaning that it's forbidden to receive in order to bestow. 

Student: Forbidden? 

RABASH (Source Text/ Commentary): Rabash. Sorry, that it's forbidden to receive in order to receive. Only to receive in order to bestow. Then, the lower one had no ability to once do in order to bestow. Therefore, no punishment comes to him because he can't. And because when he is able, he brings it there in the preface. 

There was a mingling of the sparks of bestowal in the vessel of reception by which there's a place to correct in order to receive in order to bestow. 

He's given an opportunity and he's not doing it. There's reward, and then you can say reward and punishment. Otherwise, there's no reality for a reward and punishment if he's not guilty. He was given an opportunity by the correction, then it's relevant to say reward and punishment. This is the meaning that the ten Sefirot in the correction of the lines, he brings it together. We'll see why in a bit. We'll see.

The beginning of the above association, the association of the quality of judgment and mercy, occurred in the world of Akudim itself. 

Here, he goes from the method of judgment and mercy, which is called... judgment is called reception. Mercy is not actual reception. It's farther from reception. 

Student: Departure from Kabbalah. 

RABASH (Source Text/ Commentary): (30:07) From reception, yes. And then, the beginning of the above association occurred in the world of Akkudim itself by the refinement of the coarseness in the screen. As a result, three Partzufim emerged and cascaded there, called Galgalta, AB, SAG. Even though they are all still regarded as Akudim, I want to tell you what he said before. He says that why Laban, which is the upper whiteness is before Atzilut, it makes all of the discernments, all the worlds, which are what they are called, all the worlds, Akudim, Nakudim, Burdim, for the purpose of Atzilut, to emanate after... On whose name Atzilut is called, he says Yaakov. So, we have to understand why all of Atzilut, all that he says about all the discernments that are included in those three names, Akudim, Nekudim, and Burdim.

So, he interprets there. Akudim means, like he says here, that all the ten Sefirot are bound in the vessel of Malchut. And over that phase emerged Galgalta, AB, SAG. And after that, we learn that Malchut arose in each and every Sefira that was in the Partzuf MA, called the world of Nekudim. Then we learned about the shattering. And we've learned why the shattering happened, that there were great lights and small vessels, and they couldn't bear the lights. What does it mean they couldn't bear them? They couldn't receive the lights in order to bestow. Therefore, they broke. Afterwards, there was the correction of the world of Atzilut. So, there will be small lights. That's why it's called Burdim, meaning they descend from their degree that they had before. Therefore, he interprets that all of these aspects were included in Akudim, Nekudim, Budim. So, he says here, he starts here, that although Galgalta, AB, SAG, which are still phases of Akudim, which is called the measure of judgment, still the matter of association happens in them gradually, gradually occurs in them. Meaning in the Partzuf of Galgalta, there's a light of four, and in the world of AB, it already descended from four to three, less coarseness, and from three to SAG there's even less coarseness. And after three Partzufim, which are called Galgalta, AB, SAG, which he calls Akudim, emerged Partzuf BON of AK, called the world of Nekudim, where the three lines, Hesed, judgment, mercy, were emanated in the ten Sefirot of the first three: Keter, Hochma, Bina, or Keter and AVI, called Rosh. There was a correction of lines there.

 However in ZAT, in the lower seven of Nekudim, the ten Sefirot still emerged in one line. And in that world, called the world of correction, and in that world, the world of Nekudim, there was a matter of the breaking of the vessels. And the breaking of the vessels became the cause. He interprets how the matter of the association of the quality of mercy with judgment to be completed. Meaning if it wasn't shattered, there would be no departure. Then the world of Atzilut would not emerge with the three lines. So he says, in the shattering of the vessels, there's a reason for the completion of the matter of association of the quality of mercy and judgment by way of three lines, Hesed, judgment, mercy, and ten complete vessels, which he considers complete vessels. What does it mean complete? There's no departure in those vessels.

RABASH (Source Text/ Commentary): (35:45) Also in the seven lower Sefirot HGT NHY that are in the following world, below the world of Nekudim, called the world of Burudim, and also called the world of correction. Why called Burudim? I explained that here there was a descent of the lights to a smaller degree. Meaning, in Nekudim, there was an illumination of GAR of Hochma. However, in Atzilut, there was only VAK of Hochma. So, that's considered a descent. And why the world of correction is called, and he says, 

the world of correction is called that way, since the correction of the world, according to the thought of creation to do good to his creations, begins specifically in that world and not before.

Therefore, here, the world will come to its completion and correction. And that's why it's called the world of Atzilut, it's called the world of correction. What needs to be corrected? The thought of creation that was to delight the created beings. And in order to have wholeness of equivalence of form, that can happen specifically through the world of Atzilut. That's why the world of Atzilut is called the world of correction. You're asking, why, before the correction of the association of mercy and judgment, you're asking, there can't be a matter of reward and punishment.

We've learned about that in the Preface, 57. It says this, “you should know that in those three Partzufim, Galgalta, AB and SAG of AK, there's not even a root for the four worlds of ABYA.

Because even the place for the three worlds of BYA wasn't there. That the inner Partzuf of AK extended to the point of this world. If so, what is the place of BYA outside the degree? Everything shines, where is outside of the degree? And also, the root for the required correction was not apparent yet. What is the required correction? To receive in order to bestow. For which, for this correction called receiving in order to bestow, the restriction was made. Because all that was required by the restriction that happened over phase four was the restriction. What, why should he now receive if he receives in order to receive? In order to correct her to have no equivalence of form as she receives the upper light. As she can receive all the pleasures and also maintain equivalence of form. So, how could there be such a thing, we've learned above, in order to create man's body from that fourth phase, where there is receiver in order to receive. And with his engagement in Torah and Mitzvot in order to bestow, in order to bring contentment to his maker with the Torah and Mitzvot, what for? In order to become, in order to bestow. To turn the force of reception in phase four to become in order to bestow. By which, he equalizes the form of reception to complete bestowal. And then, the end of correction will come. Because this way, the fourth phase becomes again a vessel of reception for the upper light. And it will also be in complete adhesion with the light. With no disparity of form whatsoever. 

RABASH (Source Text/ Commentary): (40:21) However, so far, meaning until the second restriction, there was yet no root for this correction that had been revealed as this requires Adam to be incorporated also with the higher phases above phase four, above the vessel of reception. If he will come only from the vessels of reception alone, then he cannot transform his quality. But what man needs in order to be included with the upper phases, the higher phases, above the fourth phase, so as to be able to perform good deeds of bestowal. Had Adam emerged from the state of the Partzufim of AK, which are called the measure of judgment, he would be completely in the state of vacant space. Since then, all the phase four, which should be the root of Adam's Guf, would have been below the Raglaim of AK in the form of vacant and empty space, devoid of light, as it would be of opposite form from the upper light. Thus, it would be considered separated and dead. Had Adam been created from it, he would not have been able to correct his actions whatsoever, since there would be no sparks of bestowal in him at all. He would be deemed a beast that has none of the form of bestowal and whose lives are only for themselves. Like the wicked who are immersed in the lust of self-reception and even the grace they do, they do for themselves, meaning to have something for bestowing. It is said about them, “the wicked in their lives are called dead.” Why? Since they are in opposite of form from the life of lives. 58

This is the meaning of what our sages… of our sages words. In the beginning He contemplated beginning, creating the world with the quality of judgment. He saw that the world could not exist and brought forward the quality of mercy and associated it with the quality of judgment.

Explanation. Every first and next in spirituality refers to cause and consequence. This is why it is written that the first cause for the world's, meaning Partzufim of AK, which were emanated before all the worlds, were emanated in the quality of judgment. That is, in Malchut alone, called the quality of judgment. This refers to phase four, which has been restricted and departed as a vacant and empty space. And the Sium of the Raglayim of Ak, this is the point of this world below the Sium Raglayim of Ak, in the form of vacant and empty space, devoid of light. He saw that the world does not exist, means that in this way it was impossible for Adam, who should be created from this phase four, to acquire acts of bestowal, so that through him the world would exist in the desired measure of correction. If so, reward and punishment, without that, we have no ability to make any action. This is why he associated the quality of mercy with the quality of judgment.