Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Inner Observation
Table of Questions for the Meaning of the Words
Table of Questions for Topics
Table of Answers for the Meaning of the Words
Table of Answers for Topics
Chapter Four
Explains that if the clothing of upper light is in the reflected light of the level of Hochma, all ten Sefirot will be in the light of Hochma. If on the level of Bina, all ten Sefirot will be in the light of Bina. If on the level of ZA, all ten Sefirot will be in the light of ZA. If on the level of Malchut, all ten Sefirot will be in the light of Malchut. It contains four issues:
1. When Ein Sof shines in Bina of Atzilut, it does not shine through clothing in the reflected light of the screen of Bina. Rather, the light of the level of Hochma shines in Bina, too. Consequently, even ZA that receives from Bina has the light of Hochma, as well. 2. But in order to shine in the world of Beria, it clothes in the reflected light of the screen of Bina. Hence, all ten Sefirot are the light of Bina, even the Keter and Hochma there. 3. In the world of Yetzira, it clothes the reflected light of the screen of ZA, and all ten Sefirot are from the light of ZA. It is the same in the world of Assiya: It clothes the screen on the level of Malchut, and all ten Sefirot are in the light of Malchut, even KHB ZA there. 4. The four letters Yod, Hey, Vav, Hey imply the four worlds ABYA.
When AK clothed to shine in Atzilut, it only clothed in the reflected light on the level of Hochma, not in the reflected light of phase two, which is the level of Bina. Hence, only Keter disappeared from that level, and Keter clothed within Hochma.
1. You should indeed know that when the Emanator wanted to shine in Atzilut, He clothed in the Hochma that is above Atzilut (1), and through the Hochma He clothes in, He enters and shines in Keter and Hochma of Atzilut and did not have to clothe in Bina above Atzilut, as well. He only clothed in Hochma above Atzilut, and through her, He shines in Keter and Hochma of Atzilut (2).
Inner Light
1. You should indeed know that when the Emanator wanted to shine in Atzilut, He clothed in the Hochma that is above Atzilut: Here the ARI labored to explain the difference between the four phases of direct light, called Hochma, Bina, ZA, and Malchut, and the four phases of reflected light, which are also called by the same names: Hochma, Bina, ZA, and Malchut. The ARI has already explained (Chapter 1, Item 3, and in Inner Light, Item 70) that the vessels of Atzilut are made by the reflected light that rises to its place, in which the light of Ein Sof itself is clothed, which are the four phases of direct light. You can see how the four phases HB, ZA, and Malchut of direct light clothe the reflected light that rises through a coupling by striking in the screen in Malchut of direct light.
You can therefore see that wherever it specifies the word “clothing,” it means that direct light clothes reflected light. When he says that Ein Sof clothed Hochma, it means that the four phases HB TM of direct light that expand from Ein Sof, clothed the Hochma of reflected light. This means that according to the measure of reflected light that has the level of Hochma of direct light, the reflected light of that level of Hochma clothes all four phases of direct light: Hochma, Bina, ZA and Malchut, besides Keter of direct light, which is concealed inside the Hochma of direct light (Chapter 3, Inner Light, Item 1).
It is certain that the four phases of direct light that expand from Ein Sof, also come gradually by way of cause and consequence, since they emerge and are extended from one another: Hochma is extended from Keter, Bina is extended from Hochma, ZA is extended from Bina, and Malchut is extended from ZA (Part 1, Chapter 1, Inner Light, Item 50).
However, this is still not considered clothing, since the four phases of direct light do not clothe one another, so we can say, for example, that the upper light clothes in Bina in order to shine for ZA. That is because clothing refers to the clothing of reflected light that rises through a coupling by striking from the screen that is established in phase four, which is Malchut (Chapter 1, Item 3 and in Inner Light there, Item 100).
Here, in Bina, there was no restriction, and of course there is no screen there that is ready for the striking of upper light into reflected light, so that you say that the light clothed in Bina of direct light in order to shine in ZA of direct light. Rather, it is called “in passing,” which means that the light of Ein Sof that belongs to ZA of direct light necessarily passes through the Sefirot of Bina of direct light, since she is the cause and the reason for ZA of direct light. That ZA of direct light cannot acquire any light if not through its cause, namely Bina. However, this is not regarded as clothing in the screen of Bina, since there is no screen there, as it says that there is a screen only in phase four, meaning in Malchut.
Remember the difference between the four phases of direct light and the four phases of reflected light well, so you will not be confused by the similarity in their names. When we say Hochma of direct light, we mean the second Sefira following the Keter of direct light, which is called Hochma. But when we say Hochma of reflected light, it means that there is a coupling by striking here, and ten Sefirot of reflected light that clothe ten Sefirot of direct light, meaning twenty complete Sefirot.
When they are incorporated in one another, they are one hundred Sefirot. We call all of them by the name Hochma of reflected light, since it designates the level of the reflected light. Because it rises and clothes up to Hochma, we call all one hundred Sefirot by the name Hochma. Remember this, for it is the most important key in this wisdom. In the same way, understand that Bina of reflected light is also twenty Sefirot, except Keter and Hochma are concealed inside Bina. ZA of reflected light also has twenty Sefirot, but Keter, Hochma, and Bina are concealed inside ZA (Chapter 3, Inner Light, Item 1).
The ARI wrote, “and did not have to clothe in Bina above Atzilut as well. He therefore clothed only Hochma above Atzilut.” He wishes to say that for the purpose of the ten Sefirot of Atzilut, He clothed the Hochma above Atzilut, meaning the Hochma of reflected light (Chapter 3, Inner Light, Item 10), through a coupling by striking in the screen of phase three in Malchut.
However, it did not have to clothe Bina of reflected light, meaning through a coupling by striking in the screen of phase two in the vessel of Malchut, since the level of Bina of reflected light belongs to the ten Sefirot of Beria, and not to the ten Sefirot of the world of Atzilut, where it clothes the level of Hochma of reflected light (Chapter 3, Inner Light, Item 1).
2. Through her, He shines in Keter and Hochma of Atzilut: This means that it shines in the ten Sefirot of Atzilut at the level of Hochma. Since Keter is concealed here inside Hochma, as is written above, he includes Keter and Hochma as one in this level.
Bina passes the light at the level of Hochma through a window to ZA and Malchut, without a second clothing in the reflected light of the screen of phase two.
2. Indeed, when He wanted to shine from Bina of Atzilut through the end of Atzilut (3), He certainly had to clothe Bina of Atzilut, as well (4), since ZA and Nukva receive light only through Bina (5). However, the thing is that Bina was helpful only as a passageway for the light of Ein Sof (6) that is clothed in the upper Hochma and passed through Bina to Atzilut. Bina did not become a second screen and garment to shine for ZA (7), but rather the light itself came through a window, without any screen (8). Thus, even though it extended through Bina, it is not regarded as clothing, because there is no screen there whatsoever. For this reason, what ZON of Atzilut receive is the light of Ein Sof itself that is clothed only in Hochma.
Inner Light
3. He wanted to shine from Bina of Atzilut through the end of Atzilut: Meaning from the Sefira Bina of direct light to Malchut of direct light.
4. He certainly had to clothe Bina of Atzilut, as well: He did not use the term “clothing” here, as the ARI deduces immediately afterwards when he says, “Even though it was extended through Bina, it is not regarded as clothing because there is no screen there.” It has already been explained elaborately above, that the word “clothing” means that ten Sefirot of direct light clothe the reflected light that rises through a coupling by striking in the screen, as the ARI says that because there is no screen in Bina, it is not regarded as clothing.
5. ZA and Nukva receive light only through Bina: Bina is the cause and the reason for ZON, even in the four phases of direct light. Consequently, every consequence must receive everything it has from its cause, as explained above.
6. Bina was helpful only as a passageway for the light of Ein Sof: This has been thoroughly explained above.
7. Bina did not become a second screen and garment to shine for ZA: It means that there is no screen there for the light of Ein Sof to expand there for a coupling by striking and raise reflected light in the level of Bina. This reflected light at the level of Bina will become a second garment on the light of Ein Sof, in addition to the first garment from the reflected light at the level of Hochma.
8. The light itself came through a window, without any screen: Look up the word “window” in the Questions and Answers on the Meaning of Words, Item 30. In any place where the screen acts to raise reflected light from below upward, the coarseness is called “window” (Part 2, Chapter 2, Inner Light, Item 70). Here, too, the coarseness operates from below upward, as the ARI says above (Part 3, Chapter 1, Item 3). For this reason, the ARI calls the coarseness of ZA and Malchut by the names window and narrow aperture (Chapter 1, Item 4), since the screens below the level of Hochma operate there only from below upward.
We should not compare this with what is explained elsewhere, that there are five Partzufim in the ten Sefirot of Atzilut, as well, and in each one, there is a coupling by striking. Indeed, there is a great difference between them, as all these five Partzufim of Atzilut are five parts of the ten Sefirot at the level of Hochma. This will be explained in its place, and there is no room to elaborate here.
In order to shine in the world of Beria, the upper light clothes the level of phase two, which is Bina. Thus, Hochma disappeared, too, and Keter and Hochma became incorporated in Bina.
3. However, in Beria, Ein Sof wears a different garment in Bina of Atzilut (9). This Bina becomes a blocked screen and a complete garment (10), by which all ten Sefirot of Beria receive, even Keter and Hochma of Beria.
Inner Light
9. Ein Sof wears a different garment in Bina of Atzilut: It means that the screen and Malchut refine to phase two, called Bina, and the light of Ein Sof expands to a coupling by striking on that screen, and raises reflected light in the level of Bina (Chapter 3, Inner Light, Item 6). That reflected light is a different and new garment over that light of Ein Sof, which greatly differs from the garment of reflected light of Atzilut itself, since the garment of Atzilut comes from the striking in the screen of phase three that extends the light of Hochma in all ten Sefirot. That new garment is from the striking in the screen of phase two, whose level does not reach clothing Hochma of direct light, but only Bina of direct light. For this reason, it has none of the light of Hochma.
That coupling is necessarily done in Atzilut (Chapter 3, Inner Light, Item 6), but all these ten Sefirot that clothe the garment at the level of Bina are extended from the screen downward and come to the world of Beria.
10. This Bina becomes a blocked screen and a complete garment: The reflected light first rises from the screen in Bina upward, meaning in the world of Atzilut, and the Sefirot of Atzilut necessarily clothe this garment at the level of Bina. Nevertheless, the coarseness and the blocking of that screen do not rise there even a bit, since the coarseness and the blemish cannot operate at all in the ones above them. Such reception is called a window and an aperture (Part 2, Chapter 2, Inner Light, Item 70), meaning without any coarseness.
However, in the descending reflected light below the screen between Atzilut and Beria, meaning in the ten Sefirot in the world of Beria, the force and the coarseness of the screen is the entire root of the expansion of the light of Ein Sof in them. Hence, the screen becomes a blockage and complete clothing that limits the light of Ein Sof from shining any of the light of Hochma there, since it is the screen of phase two where reflected light does not reach Hochma, but only Bina of direct light. This is why the ARI writes that it became a “blocked screen,” meaning it blocks the light of Atzilut, meaning the light of Hochma, from appearing in the world of Beria, even a bit, since that screen bestows upon Beria from above downward, as explained above.
The highest Sefira in any level of ten Sefirot shines in all the ten Sefirot of that level, in a way that all ten Sefirot in the world of Atzilut receive the light of Hochma, and all ten Sefirot in the world of Beria receive the light of Bina.
4. It follows that Atzilut receives the light of the upper Hochma because Ein Sof is clothed within her (20), and is therefore regarded as receiving only from Hochma. Beria receives the light of Bina because Ein Sof and Hochma are clothed within her (30). For this reason, Beria receives only from Bina. This is the meaning of “upper Ima nests in the chair” (40), because the chair receives light from the above-mentioned Bina of Atzilut, as it became a screen that separates Ein Sof and Hochma from Beria.
Inner Light
20. And is therefore regarded as receiving only from Hochma: Meaning only from the level of Hochma. However, Atzilut cannot receive from Keter because the screen of phase three operates there from above downward, as it clothed phase three above Atzilut. Hence, it became a blocked screen on the light of Keter and is regarded as receiving only from Hochma.
30. Ein Sof and Hochma are clothed within her: This means that Keter and Hochma are concealed in the level of Bina since that reflected light does not reach them, but only the level of Bina. Hence, Beria receives only from Bina and cannot receive from Keter and Hochma, because the screen blocks them, as it is above Beria. This is the meaning of the words of the ARI, that a separating screen was made between Keter and Hochma and Beria. You should remember that Keter is called Ein Sof.
40. “Upper Ima nests in the chair,” because the chair receives light from the Bina of Atzilut: An intermittent illumination is called “nesting.” It is like a bird that does not always sit over its chicks, but only sometimes. Because the above coupling of phase two is not a perpetual illumination to the world of Beria, he calls it “nesting.” He says, “upper Ima nests in the chair.” Bina is called “upper Ima,” and for the reason Bina is called so, see my book Panim Meirot uMasbirot (p. 61) for the reason for the calling of the name.
Bina of Atzilut passes the light of Hochma to ZON, and Bina of Beria passes the light of Bina to ZON.
5. If you say, “It follows that ZA and Nukva of Atzilut and Beria are all equal because they all receive from Bina of Atzilut,” we should say that we have already explained that Zeir and Nukva receive the light of Hochma itself, for “You have made them all in wisdom,” and Bina is used only as a passageway. But after Atzilut, Bina becomes a screen and a complete clothing from the externality of the vessel of Bina of Atzilut, and through that screen, all ten Sefirot of Beria receive the light of Ein Sof.
ZA of Beria passes the light of Bina to Malchut.
6. Know that Beria, too, although the light returned to clothe ZA of Beria, nevertheless, Malchut of Beria, too, receives the light of Bina of Atzilut herself. ZA does not stop her; it is only a passageway (50), such as what is written in Atzilut. So it is in the inner Yetzira from her and within her (60), and also in the inner Assiya from her and within her.
Inner Light
50. ZA does not stop her; it is only a passageway: As was explained above regarding Bina of Atzilut, the coupling was made in the screen of phase two for Beria, and reflected light rose and clothed Bina. However, it did not stop the light of Hochma with respect to ZA of Atzilut, which stands past that Bina. It is so because the screen that operates from below upward does not carry with the reflected light that rises by it any new boundary and coarseness to those who receive from it. ZA of Atzilut, too, receives from this reflected light, but it is not diminished so it cannot draw the light of Hochma, since reception by the power of a screen from below the degree is called only a window and an aperture, but it does not block or limit anything. This is so in all the screens in all the places, that the boundaries that are always made because of the screens, these boundaries are apparent only to the receivers below the screen, but not at all to the receivers above the screen.
This is the meaning of the ARI’s words, that “Although the light returned to clothe ZA of Beria,” and made a coupling by striking in the screen of phase one, that reflected light has the level of ZA. Although Malchut of Beria receives from this reflected light, too, because that screen operates from below upward, it does not limit Malchut of Beria at all so she cannot draw the light of Bina, since “ZA does not stop her,” Malchut of Beria, through his screen, which is from below upward, for “it is only a passageway,” meaning as a window and not as a screen (Part 3, Item 4, in Inner Light, Item 6). So it is in all other places too.
60. So it is in the inner Yetzira from her and within her, and also in the inner Assiya from her and within her: Regarding the reflected light that descends from above downward, whose conduct is to broaden the screen and the vessel of Malchut until they themselves expand into ten Sefirot from above downward, from Keter to Malchut, as it is written in Inner Light (Chapter 3, Item 5), the expansion of that Malchut is always referred to as “expansion from her and within her.” This means that the one vessel called Malchut expands into ten Sefirot from her and within her, and you already know that the ten Sefirot that are limited in all the worlds, are made only by the reflected light that expands to them from above downward. Thus, these ten Sefirot are called “the inner ten Sefirot from her and within her,” in Atzilut, in Yetzira, and in Assiya.
In the world of Yetzira, the upper light clothes the reflected light of phase one, which is the level of Zeir Anpin. In the world of Assiya, the upper light clothes the reflected light at the root level of the coarseness, which is the level of Nukva of ZA.
7. In order to shine in Yetzira, Ein Sof becomes clothed in a complete garment in ZA of Beria (70), as well, and becomes a screen and clothing to Yetzira, by which the entire Yetzira receives. In order to shine in Assiya, Ein Sof becomes clothed in a complete garment and screen in the Nukva of Zeir Anpin of Yetzira, as well, and Assiya receives through it. This is the meaning of “six Sefirot nest in Yetzira (80), and the lower Ima nests in the wheel (90).”
Inner Light
70. A complete garment in ZA of Beria: The reflected light that expands from the screen downward is called a “complete garment,” since it limits the lights that it clothes with its unique coarseness, so they will not be able to draw any light outside its boundary. Conversely, the reflected light, which rises from below upward, even though it, too, is a garment over the ten Sefirot of direct light, that garment does not limit the light it clothes in any way. Hence it is regarded as an incomplete garment, and only as a root for the garment. The matter of the expansion of ten Sefirot of Yetzira and Assiya has already been explained above thoroughly.
80. Six Sefirot nest in Yetzira: ZA is called “six Sefirot” because of the absence of GAR KHB, and the absence of Malchut. It has only six Sefirot HGT NHY, and the word “nesting” has already been explained above.
90. And the lower Ima nests in the wheel: Malchut of Atzilut is sometimes called “lower Ima” because Malchut of Atzilut is the primary root of all those who are in BYA. The ARI names Malchut of Yetzira the “lower Ima” after Malchut of Atzilut, since they are one root.
ABYA are the four letters Yod, Hey, Vav, Hey. Yod is Atzilut, which is Hochma; Hey is Beria, which is Bina; Vav is Yetzira, which is ZA; the last Hey is Assiya, which is Malchut.
8. Now you can understand why the four worlds Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, Assiya are implied in the four letters HaVaYaH (100). Yod is Atzilut, Hey is Beria, Vav is Yetzira, and Hey is Assiya. The light of Atzilut is by the upper Hochma, and is therefore called Yod (200). Beria is by Bina of Atzilut, hence the name Hey. It is likewise with Vav in Yetzira and the lower Hey in Assiya.
Inner Light
100. Why the four worlds Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, Assiya are implied in the four letters HaVaYaH: As he explains, the name HaVaYaH consists of ten Sefirot. The four worlds ABYA are ten Sefirot that include all of reality. However, even though each and every world in itself has inner ABYA and inner of inner, we must know that they are all arranged in ten Sefirot, implied by the four letters HaVaYaH. This knowledge must always be before the reader since we must always deduce from the particular ten Sefirot to the general ten Sefirot because they always have parallel properties and one is learned from the other.
200. The light of Atzilut is by the upper Hochma: Although Atzilut has only ten Sefirot, implied in the four letters HaVaYaH, because the level of these ten Sefirot is up to Hochma, all of it is regarded as the light of Hochma, to which the Yod of the name HaVaYaH insinuates, for the lights that are smaller than Hochma do not bear their own name with respect to the important light of Hochma, which greatly surpasses them. For this reason, Beria is called only light of Bina, and so do all of them, meaning after the names of the most important lights in them.
Consequential rule: The main difference between each two worlds in ABYA is according to the screens in the four phases of the coarseness, HB TM.
9. We find that there is a consequential rule: Atzilut receives light only from Hochma because Hochma became a blocked screen between Ein Sof and Atzilut. Beria receives from Bina of Atzilut after the light of Ein Sof and upper Hochma clothed within her. Nevertheless, it is called the light of Bina because she becomes a screen that completely separates. Likewise, Yetzira receives from ZA of Beria herself, and Assiya receives from Nukva of ZA of Yetzira herself. Were it not for these screens and garments, they would not be able to receive the upper light (300), except that each world is at a lower degree than the other, as explained above.
Inner Light
300. Were it not for these screens and garments, they would not be able to receive the upper light: This means that each world cannot receive any light except for what the screen above it gives it, as explained above.