General Preface

To the proficient in The Tree of Life, and to everyone, as in “First, learn; then, comprehend.”

1) Our sages said, “There is not a blade of grass below that does not have an angel above that strikes it and tells it, ‘Grow!’” This seems very perplexing, for why would the Creator trouble an angel from above with striking and nursing a tiny, insignificant blade of grass?

Yet, this saying is one of creation’s secrets that are too long to interpret. This is so because the heart of the infinitely wise wishes to reveal a portion and conceal two portions with their golden allegories, as they are wary of revealing the Torah to an unworthy disciple. It is for this reason that our sages said that one does not learn from legends, as legends are sealed and blocked before the masses, and are revealed only to a chosen few in a generation.

And we also find in The Book of Zohar, that Rashbi [Rabbi Shimon Bar-Yochai] instructed Rabbi Aba to write the secrets because he knew how to reveal with intimation. See in the Idra, where it is written that for each secret that Rashbi disclosed in the wisdom, he would cry and say, “Woe if I tell; woe if I do not tell. If I do not tell, my friends will lose that word; and if I tell, the wicked will know how to serve their Master.”

This means that he was in distress from both angles: If he did not reveal the secrets of the Torah, the secrets would be lost from the true sages, who fear the Creator, and if he did reveal the secrets, people of no merit would fail in them, for they would not understand the root of the matters and would eat unripe fruit.

Hence, Rashbi chose Rabbi Aba to write because of his wisdom in allegories, to arrange things in such a way that it would be sufficiently revealed to those who are worthy of understanding them, and hidden and blocked from those unworthy of understanding them. This is why he said that Rabbi Aba knew how to reveal with intimation. In other words, although he revealed, it still remains a secret to the unworthy.

However, in The Zohar they promised us that this wisdom is destined to be completely revealed at the end of days, even for little ones. And they also said that with this composition, the children of Israel would be redeemed from exile, meaning that with the appearance of the wisdom of truth, Israel will be rewarded with complete redemption. And we also see that the words of The Zohar and the hidden secrets in the wisdom of truth are being gradually revealed, generation by generation, until we are rewarded with revealing all this wisdom, and at that time we will be rewarded with complete redemption.

To clarify the text with which we began, we shall first explain the verse in the famous Book of Creation where it is written of the ten Sefirot being ten and not nine, ten and not eleven. Most of the interpreters have already examined it, but we will explain it our own way, so matters will be revealed to all who seek the word of the Creator.

It is known that the ten Sefirot are called Keter, Hochma, Bina, Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, Yesod, Malchut. It is written in the ARI’s Gate to Introductions, in the section HaDaat, that they are actually five phases: Keter, Hochma, Bina, Zeir Anpin, and Malchut; but Zeir Anpin comprises six Sefirot HGT NHY. I have written at length about the ten Sefirot within this composition [the commentary Panim Meirot uMasbirot on The Tree of Life], so here I would briefly say that in this general preface, I wish to give the student a true and general knowledge of the majority of this expansive wisdom, and true orientation in the style of study in the book The Tree of Life. Most students fail to understand the matters, since the spiritual concepts are above time and above place, but they are expressed in corporeal terms, pictured and set in times and places.

Additionally, no order for beginners is arranged in this wisdom in the writings of the ARI. The books were composed by the holy words that he would say before his students day by day, and the students themselves were proficient in the wisdom of truth. Hence, there is no text—long or short—in all the books that were composed, which does not require true proficiency in all the wisdom in general. Therefore, the students grow weary and cannot connect matters altogether.

Thus, I have come out with this preface, to connect the matters and the foundations of the wisdom in a concise manner, so it will be readily available to the student with every text he may wish to study in the writings of the ARI. And for this reason, I do not elaborate or interpret each matter to the fullest, for this will be clarified within my composition. Instead, I summarize sufficiently for my purpose. And our sages said, “First, learn; then, comprehend.”

The ARI taught us that the ten Sefirot KHB, HGT, NHYM are actually five phases, KHB, ZA, and Malchut. This is the meaning of the four-letter-name, Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey. The tip of the Yod is Keter, Yod is Hochma, Hey is Bina, Vav is Zeir Anpin—containing six Sefirot HGT NHY—and the last Hey is Malchut.

You should know that the letters and the Sefirot are one thing. But following the rule that no light expands without a vessel, when we speak of both together, that is, when the light is clothed in the vessel, they are called Sefirot. And when we speak of the vessels alone, they are called letters.

It is written about the light that the white in the book of Torah implies the light, and the black in the book of Torah, meaning the letters, implies the vessels. This means, as the Nachmanides interprets concerning “I form the light, and create darkness,” that the matter of eliciting existence from absence is called “Creator,” since it is an innovation, something that did not exist prior to its creation. And in the light, and all the delight and pleasure included in the light, it is not an innovation and elicitation existence from absence, but rather existence from existence, for the light and all the abundance are already included in His essence.

For this reason, it is said, “form the light,” for it is not a matter of creation, but of formation, that is, forming the light in a way that the dwellers below can receive it. But the darkness is an innovation that was generated with creation, in eliciting existence from absence, meaning it is not included in His essence. This is why it is said, “and create darkness.” But the darkness is the real opposite from the light; hence, we should understand how darkness can be extended from the light.

In Panim Masbirot [A Welcoming Face], “Branch One,” I elaborated on this point, and here I shall only stroll through it. It is known that it is written in The Zohar that the purpose of creation is to delight His creations, since it is the conduct of The Good to do good. Clearly, every wish in Him is a mandatory law for the created being. It follows that since the Creator contemplated delighting His creations, a mandatory nature of wanting to receive His pleasure was immediately imprinted in the created beings, that is, the great desire to receive His abundance. Know that this craving is called a vessel, with respect to its root.

For this reason, Kabbalists have said that there is no light without a vessel, since the will to receive included in each emanated created being is the vessel, and it is also the full measure of the light. In other words, it receives precisely the measure that it wants, no more and no less, since there is no coercion in spirituality, and even in corporeal beings, it is not from the side of Kedusha [holiness].

Clearly, the form of the vessel is different from that of the light. This is why it is called a vessel and not “light.” But we need to understand the meaning of this disparity of form. Indeed, the will to receive for oneself is a great disparity of form, since this form does not apply to the Emanator whatsoever, as from whom would He receive? Rather, it has been initiated now in the first emanated being, by way of existence-from-absence, so that in it, there is a will to receive from The Cause of Causes, and see Panim Masbirot, “Branch One.”

This clarifies what is written in The Zohar that the upper Keter is darkness compared to the Cause of Causes. They are referring to the will to receive included in the first emanated being, and they call this disparity of form “darkness” since it does not exist in the Emanator. For this reason, it is the root of darkness, which is the color black, compared to the light, and is opposite from it.

It has been explained in Panim Masbirot that as corporeal things are separated from one another by an axe and a hammer, the spirituals are separated from one another by the disparity of form between them. When the disparity of form increases to the point of oppositeness, from one extreme to the other, complete separation is created between them.

For this reason, it has been explained there that the form of the will to receive is immediately included in every light that expands from Him, but as a hidden, potential force. This hidden force is revealed to the emanated being only when the emanated being intensifies the desire to want additional abundance, more than the measure of its expansion from the perspective of the Emanator.

For example, when a food is tasty, one’s desire for more food increases more than one’s eating. Hence, after the emanated being increases the desire to draw additional abundance, more than the measure of its expansion, the actual vessel of reception appears. And the thing is that this disparity of form does not apply to Him, but to the emanated being. Hence, it is completed only by the awakening of the emanated being, and understand thoroughly.

2) Hence, the expansion of His light does not stop being an Emanator into being an emanated being until it goes through four phases, called Hochma, Bina, Zeir Anpin, and Malchut. This is so because the expansion of His light is called Hochma. This is the full measure of the essence of the light of that emanated being. When it intensifies and draws more abundance than the measure of its expansion, it is considered phase two, called Bina.

Also, three discernments should be made in the second phase: First discernment: The essence of the Sefira Bina is Hochma. Second discernment: The intensification of the desire that it manifested, for which the root of the vessel of reception was revealed in her, in that sense, there is disparity of form in her, meaning coarseness, compared to the light of Hochma. This is called upper Gevura.

Third discernment: This is the essence of the abundance that she has acquired through an awakening of her own desire. This light is given its own name—light of Hassadim, which is much lower than the light of Hochma, which expands solely from the Emanator. The light of Hassadim is associated also with the intensification of the emanated being, as it was mentioned, that the Gevura, which is a light that has grown coarser, became the root of the light of Hassadim. These three discernments together are called Bina, and the second phase from Hochma. Thus, the two Sefirot Hochma and Bina have been clarified, and the Keter is Ein Sof [Infinity], the root of the emanated being.

Although phase two manifested an intensified desire toward the Operator, she is still unfit to be a complete vessel of reception. The thing is that in spirituality, the vessel with the light in it are very close, virtually interdependent. When the light disappears, the vessel is canceled, and when the vessel disappears, the light is canceled. Thus, the importance of the vessel is as the importance of the light.

Hence, the form of the vessel of reception was not completed in Bina, since her essence is the light of Hochma. For this reason, the light of Hassadim, which she drew through her own intensification, was annulled before her essence as a candle before a torch. Thus, this light of Hassadim expanded further from Bina outward from herself and gained strength to draw additional abundance, more than the measure of its expansion through Bina. At that time, the vessel of reception was completed.

Hence, we discern two more phases, phase three and phase four, which are expansions that are extended from Bina, where the form of the vessel is still in potential, hidden, and as long as it did not intensify for addition, it is called Zeir Anpin. And its intensification for more abundance is called the “the vessel of Malchut,” which is a vessel of reception that was completed in that emanated being, which now consists of light and vessel. By this it emerges from the state of Emanator and is discerned as an emanated being.

These are the four phases known as HB, ZA, and Malchut, which are the four-letter-name [Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey, HaVaYaH]. HB are Yod-Hey, and ZON are Vav-Hey. They are considered ten Sefirot because Zeir Anpin contains six Sefirot, which are Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, Yesod.

The thing is that the essence of ZA is the light of Hesed and Gevura, meaning the two phases light of Hassadim and upper Gevura, which expanded from Bina outward. We should note here that in Bina, Gevura is the first and the root of the light of Hassadim, but in Tifferet it is to the contrary: Hesed precedes the light of Gevura, since the main light that expands is Hesed, and the Gevura is ancillary within it, in Bina.

Now you can understand what was written in The Tree of Life and by Rashbi, that in the world of Nekudim, Gevura of [of] ZA preceded its Hesed, since ZON of Nekudim are considered ZON of Bina, and not the actual ZON, as in the two bottom phases of the four above-mentioned phases. This is why Gevura of ZA precedes its Hesed.

Also, the Sefira Tifferet of ZA is the unification of the above Hochma and Gevura to the act of the vessel of Malchut. It is called Tifferet since the light Mitpa’er [boasts] itself on phase one, which is Hochma, whose desire did not suffice to make a vessel. But phase three, which is Hassadim and Gevura that expand from Bina outward, sufficed to make the vessel of Malchut. This is the meaning of “according to the beauty [Tifferet] of a man, to dwell in the house.” This explains the three Sefirot HGT of ZA, and they are called “the three patriarchs,” as they are the essence of ZA. Also, Netzah, Hod, and Yesod are called “sons,” since they expand from HGT.

The thing is that because of the first restriction, which is thoroughly explained inside the book, a hard screen was made in the vessel of Malchut. This means that phase four in the vessel of Malchut detains the upper light from expanding into phase four, due to the disparity of form there, as it is written there.

Yet, the light expands and wishes to come to phase four, too, as the nature of the upper light is to expand to the lower ones until it is almost separated from its place, as it is written in Panim Masbirot. Hence, a coupling by striking was made between the upper light that expands into the vessel of Malchut and the detaining screen in the vessel of Malchut.

This is like sunlight hitting a mirror, with sparks being reflected. Hence, ten new Sefirot emerged from this coupling by striking, called ten Sefirot of reflected light. It turns out that there are two sets of ten Sefirot in each emanated being: ten Sefirot of direct light over the four phases, and ten Sefirot of reflected light.

Know that this is the upper light that re-expanded from HGT of ZA for a coupling by striking in the screen in the vessel of Malchut. They are called Netzah, Hod, Yesod.

Now you can understand what is written in Tikkuney Zohar [Corrections of The Zohar], that Malchut is fourth to the fathers and seventh to the sons. This means that when she is first emanated, Malchut is discerned from the act of Tifferet of ZA and follows the HGT, which are called “fathers.” And from the perspective of the illumination of the reflected light in her screen, she follows the NHY that expanded to her for coupling by striking. And the NHY are called “the sons of HGT”; hence, it is seventh to the sons.

Thus we have properly explained the essence of the ten Sefirot KHB, HGT, NHY, and Malchut at their root. This is the first concept in the wisdom of truth, and it must always be before the eyes of the student while delving into this wisdom.

Now we understand the sound warning in The Book of Creation, “ten and not nine.” It means that since a detaining screen was made in phase four from the restriction downward, it is impossible to mistakenly say that phase four is excluded from the ten Sefirot, and only nine Sefirot remain in Kedusha [holiness]. For this reason, it warns, “ten and not nine.”

And it warns further, “ten and not eleven.” This means that you should not mistakenly say that phase four became a vessel of reception after the restriction. Thus, there are two Sefirot in one Malchut: One is the screen that always raises reflected light, and a vessel of reception to receive the direct light, as well. This is why it states, “ten and not eleven.”

3) There are five prominent discernments in the ten above-mentioned Sefirot, which should not move from your eyes and will straighten your ways in studying the wisdom. The first discernment is the light of self, which is all the light from Ein Sof that exists in that emanated being. This is the essence, since the lower one does not participate here whatsoever, and it is called Hochma of direct light.

The second discernment is light of Hassadim that is extended from above downward. This light is conjoined with the awakening of the Gevura of the emanated being of phase two, which is the light of Bina that she drew. The third discernment is light of Hassadim that rises from below upward through a coupling by striking. It is called “reflected light” that rises and is extended only from the emanated being, due to the above-mentioned detainment.

The fourth discernment is the light of upper Gevura, meaning phase two, which is the coarseness of Bina that she acquired by her intensification.

The fifth discernment is the lower Gevura, meaning phase four, where the intensification of the desire is activated in the light of Hassadim that was added by the emanated being. This is called “the vessel of Malchut of direct light,” and this Gevura is the vessel of ten Sefirot, and remember this.

Know that the screen in the vessel of Malchut is the root of the darkness because of the detaining force that exists in the screen, to stop the upper light from expanding in phase four. This is also the root of the labor in order to receive reward, since labor is an involuntary act, for the worker feels comfortable only when resting. But because the employer pays his salary, he cancels his will before the will of the employer.

Know that here, in this world, there is no being or conduct that is not rooted in the upper worlds, from which branches expand to the lower worlds until they are revealed to us in this world. And you see that in general, work and labor are rooted in the screen in the vessel of Malchut, which detains the upper light that she covets, due to the Emanator, Who wishes to bestow delight, and everything that is a thought in the Emanator is a mandatory law in the emanated being. Naturally, He needs no actions, but His thought completes. And yet, she chooses by herself to not receive the upper light, lest it will come to disparity of form, see in Panim Masbirot, “Branch One.”

It follows that the detaining force in the screen is equal to the labor. And the reward that the employer gives to the worker is rooted in the reflected light emitted by the coupling by striking where by the screen, a root was made for the reflected light. It turns out that she returns to being Keter to these ten Sefirot of reflected light, as well as to direct light. As will be explained below, all this profit came to her because of this act of detaining.

From the above-mentioned, it follows that the ten Sefirot are really one vessel, called Malchut. But to complete its form, it is discerned with three roots—the three phases Hochma, Bina, and ZA that are extended from one another. Know that this Malchut is still included in the light of Ein Sof from before the restriction, and which is called Malchut of Ein Sof, in which was the first restriction.

As it is written in Panim Masbirot, “Branch One,” because of the equivalence of form with the Emanator, her desire rose from wanting to receive in phase four, and the light of the line was extended to her from Ein Sof. The light of the line contains all the light that is extended through five worlds, called Adam Kadmon, Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, and Assiya. This light is generally referred to as a line, from the words “measurement line”, as it is extended into the worlds by measure and a rationed number in each world, according to the form of the vessel of Malchut in that world, as it is elaborated in Panim [Panim Meirot uMasbirot].

The matter of the five above-mentioned worlds are truly the matter of Keter and the four known phases in the ten Sefirot. Thus, the world of AK is the world of Keter, the world of Atzilut is the world of Hochma, the world of Beria is the world of Bina, the world of Yetzira is the world of Zeir Anpin, and the world of Assiya is the world of Malchut. However, in each world there are ten Sefirot, and each of the ten Sefirot of that world comprises ten Sefirot, as well, as it is written inside.

They are divided into the five above-mentioned worlds because the vessel of Malchut should first be included in each Sefira, through Keter. This occurs in 1) The first expansion of AHP of AK, where she was included in ZON. 2) In the second expansion of AHP, she was included in Bina. 3) In the world of Nekudim, she was included in Hochma, 4) and in the world of Atzilut she was included in Keter.

And since Malchut has been included in each Sefira, the world of Tikkun [correction] begins: Its Rosh [head] is the above-mentioned world of Atzilut, where the light of Ein Sof dresses in phase one. Then the light of Ein Sof dresses in phase two, creating the world of Beria. Following, it dresses in phase three, creating the world of Yetzira, and then it dresses in phase four, creating the world of Assiya. It will be elaborated in Panim [Panim Meirot uMasbirot] how they all stem from one another by a mandatory manner of cause and consequence, and how they are tied to one another.

4) First, we need to understand the quality of each of the worlds AK and ABYA, which I will explain one at a time. Let us begin with the world of Keter, which is the world of Adam Kadmon. Its first vessel is the world of Akudim [tied]. In The Gate of Akudim, Chapter Three, the ARI wrote that all ten Sefirot emerged, but not all of them emerged together. In the beginning, only Malchut came out in the world of Akudim, and this Malchut came out in the form of Nefesh. Following it, the rest of the parts emerged, through Keter.

When Keter came, Malchut was completed with all five inner lights—Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Haya, and Yechida. Yet, they were still missing all the above-mentioned Sefirot, which emerged incomplete. Hence, they had to rise back to the Emanator to be completed. But now, upon the return, Keter returns first.

When Keter rose, the light of Hochma rose to the place of Keter, Bina to the place of Hochma, ZA to the place of Bina, and Malchut to the place of ZA. Subsequently, Hochma rose to the Emanator, too. Then Bina rose to Keter, following Hochma, ZA to Hochma, and Malchut to Bina. Then Bina rose, too, and ZA rose to Keter, and Malchut to Hochma. Finally, ZA rose, as well, and Malchut rose to Keter until Malchut, too, rose to the Emanator.

After that, the light returned from the Emanator and expanded in them, though not in their initial order. Instead, the light of Keter did not return but departed and remained missing. Hence, the light of Hochma came out in the vessel of Keter, the light of Bina in the vessel of Hochma, the light of ZA in the vessel of Bina, and the light of Malchut in the vessel of ZA. The vessel of Malchut remained without light at all, thus far his words in brief. Additionally, the ten Sefirot of Akudim emerged from below upward. Malchut emerged first, then ZA, then Bina, then Hochma, and finally Keter, thus far his words.

We should thoroughly understand the matter of the elicitation of the Sefirot from above downward and from below upward, mentioned in the ARI’s words. Certainly, this is not about measures of above, below, before, or after in time and place. Rather, it is in terms of reason and result, cause and consequence. Hence, how can Malchut emerge first, followed by ZA, followed by Bina, until Keter—the root of them all—emerges last? This seems perplexing. And who and what gave and inverted the upper to be lower and the lower to be above?

The thing is that the order of the ten Sefirot of direct light has already been explained above, being five degrees one below the other, by the measure of refinement of each of them from the coarse light whose form has changed, that is, phase four. Since phase one is considered a hidden potential, it is the most important in the degree. And phase two has already moved from potential to actual by intensifying with a worse desire than in phase one. Phase three is worse than phase two, and phase four, Malchut, is the worst, since the coarseness in her is greater than in the rest.

It is also known that once the vessel of Malchut emerged, it experienced the first restriction, not to receive in phase four. This detaining force is called screen, and when the direct light that descends from Ein Sof strikes the screen in Malchut, there is a coupling by striking, and thus ten Sefirot of reflected light emerge, as it is written in Panim, “Branch Three.”

Within these ten Sefirot of reflected light, the degrees are inverted compared to the value of the ten Sefirot of direct light. In the ten Sefirot of direct light, the more refined is higher in merit and better. But in the ten Sefirot of reflected light, the coarser is higher and better because Malchut is the Keter and the root of these ten Sefirot of reflected light, since her coarse screen detains the light from descending into her phase four. Thus, Malchut returns to being Keter by way of “Its end is in its beginning,” as it is written in Panim Masbirot, “Branch Three.”

It turns out that ZA receives the light from Keter of reflected light; hence, ZA is considered a degree of Hochma, and Bina is considered a degree of Bina because she receives from ZA, who returns to being Hochma. Also, Hochma of direct light is considered ZA in the reflected light, since it receives the reflected light from Bina. And Keter of direct light is considered Malchut in the reflected light, since it receives from ZA. Thus, you find that the more refined in the degree will be lower in praise and merit, and understand that thoroughly.

Yet, the ten Sefirot of reflected light join and integrate together in the ten vessels. When they join as one, all the degrees are of equal merit, since Malchut’s level is equal to that of Keter from the perspective of the reflected light, where Malchut returns to being Keter. Also, ZA is equal to Hochma, since ZA is considered Hochma of reflected light. And the level of Hochma is equal to that of Keter, since Keter receives the reflected light from her, as Hochma receives the direct light from Keter.

Since the level of ZA is equal to Hochma, and Hochma to Keter, it follows that the level of ZA is equal to that of Keter, too. It follows that by the elicitation of the ten Sefirot of reflected light from phase four, all the degrees in the ten Sefirot have been equalized, having the same level through Keter.

5) But the ten Sefirot of the world of Akudim disappeared once more. And we need to understand the reason for their departure. The ARI says that the reason is that when they emerged, they emerged incomplete and hence departed once more to receive their completion.

However, we need to understand the deficiency and the correction that came to them through this departure. Here the ARI wrote that the deficiency was because Keter emerged only in the quality of Nefesh. In another place, he wrote that the deficiency was because the inner light and the surrounding light came from the same foramen and were clashing with each other, as he writes in Heichal AK, Shaar Vav, Shaar Akudim, Chapter 1, Branch 4.

Afterwards, the lower Taamim [tastes, and also punctuation marks] came, below the letters, which are lights that emerge through the Peh of AK, and from there outward. And here the lights have completely joined, since they come out through a single channel. Since the surrounding lights and inner lights have conjoined, here begins the making of the vessels.

For this reason, the five inner lights and the surrounding lights emerged tied together. This is why they are called Akudim, from the verse, “and tied Isaac.” Thus, when they emerge together outside of the Peh [mouth], tied together, they beat and strike each other, and their beatings beget the existence of the vessels.

This means that the lights of Ozen and Hotem where the inner light expands through the left foramens of the Ozen and the Hotem, and surrounding light expanded through the right foramens of Ozen and Hotem. Hence, they persisted and did not depart, since there is a special vessel for the inner light and a special vessel for the surrounding light.

But in the light of the Peh, where there is only one foramen, the inner light and the surrounding light were in the same vessel. Hence, they were beating on each other, as a result of which the light departed and the vessels fell down. In other words, they fell from their degree, and more coarseness was added to the previous coarseness, and by that the vessels were made, since the departure of the light completes the vessels.

To thoroughly understand the issue of the two foramens of Ozen and Hotem of AK, the issue of the single foramen in the Peh of AK, and the matter of the five internal and five surrounding, the clash and the vessels and the increasing coarseness, I must elaborate, since the ARI’s words on these matters are quite succinct.

It is even more so concerning the surrounding, where he seemingly contradicts himself in each and every section. Once he says that they had inner lights KHB ZON and the five surrounding lights KHB ZON from the Hotem upward, but from the Peh down, the surroundings of Bina and ZON stopped and only two surrounding [lights], Keter and Hochma remained, and the five Partzufim KHB ZON. Another time, he said that from the world of Nekudim downward, the lower surroundings have stopped, but there are still five surrounding lights and five inner lights in the lights of the Peh. And another time, he says that there are five inner and five surrounding in the whole of ABYA, and other such contradictions.

6) I will elaborate inside the book [Panim Meirot uMasbirot], and here I will be brief so as to not stray from the issue. It is explained in Branch One and in Branch Four in the order of the ten Sefirot, concerning the four phases of ten Sefirot of direct light and reflected light, that in every ten Sefirot, there are two phases of expansion and two phases of increasing coarseness, which expand from the root, which is the Keter of these ten Sefirot.

Hochma, considered broad expansion, emerges first. This means that this expansion contains all the light that is extended from Ein Sof to that emanated being. And the vessel, called the coarse light, meaning the will to receive included in the expansion of the light, for which it acquires disparity of form from the Emanator, in whom there is no reception, and for which it becomes darker than the light, is still not revealed in this broad expansion, as long as its desire does not intensify, craving additional abundance more than the measure of its expansion. However, it is included in the above-mentioned coarse light from the perspective of the Emanator, who wishes to bestow upon it.

For this reason, it must reveal its vessel of reception and realize it from potential to actual. Hence, it grows coarser as it expands, meaning its desire to draw more abundance than its measure of expansion increases. And the increasing of coarseness that was made in this expansion is given its own name, due to its intensification. It is called Bina because it is darker than the light of Hochma, in which the will to receive was revealed in actuality.

This Bina is still unfit to be an actual vessel, since its essence is from Hochma, but she is the root of the vessel, for the vessel can only be completed from the increasing of coarseness that occurred in the second expansion. It is called “expansion through a window,” meaning that the additional abundance that Bina drew through her intensification expands from her outwards. This is called light of Hassadim, the opposite of the broad first expansion, called the light of self.

The expansion through a window that expands from Bina is called ZA, and it becomes coarser as it expands, like the first expansion. This means that it, too, intensifies to draw additional abundance, more than the measure of its expansion from Bina. By this it actualizes the vessels of reception contained in it. This second increasing of coarseness is given its own name, since through this intensification, it grew darker than the light of expansion, and it is called Malchut.

Phase four, which is the increasing of coarseness created in the expansion through the window, called Malchut, is the complete vessel of reception, and not the three phases preceding it, which cascaded only in order to reveal this fourth phase. It is she who undergoes the first restriction, preventing herself from receiving abundance in this phase four, due to the disparity of form revealed in her. This detaining force is called a screen or a curtain, meaning that it detains the abundance from shining and expanding within it.

This is the whole difference between the first increasing of coarseness made in the broad expansion, and the increasing of coarseness that occurred in an expansion through a window. This is so because in the first increasing of coarseness, the restriction does not govern; hence, it is fit for reception of light. This is why she is called “a window,” meaning receiving, as a house receives daylight through the window in it. But in the second increasing of coarseness, the force of restriction governs her and she prevents herself from receiving abundance in her coarseness. Hence, she is called a screen, meaning detaining the light.

After phase four appeared with her screen, the light expands to her again, and the screen detains it, as mentioned above. Consequently, a coupling by striking is made on it, and ten Sefirot of reflected light emerge, as it is written in Branch 3. The arrangement of these ten Sefirot is opposite from the ten Sefirot of direct light, which emerge from below upward, since the screen that elicited that great light, and which is its root, has become Keter.

This is the meaning of “Their end is embedded in their beginning.” Just as Keter is the beginning and the Rosh [head] of the ten Sefirot of direct light, the end, which is Malchut, has become the beginning and the Rosh of the ten Sefirot of reflected light.

Thus, Malchut has returned to being a Keter to these ten Sefirot, and ZA of the ten Sefirot of direct light has now become Hochma, since the first receiver from the root is called Hochma. It is similarly with the rest, through Keter of direct light, which becomes Malchut in the ten Sefirot of reflected light, since it receives from ZA of reflected light, which is Hochma of direct light.

It turns out that in the ten Sefirot KHB ZON of direct light, the degrees are measured according to the refinement from the coarse light, where the more refined is higher and more important. But in the ten Sefirot KHB ZON of reflected light, the degrees are measured by the coarseness, where the greater the coarseness in the degree, the higher it is and more important. This makes the higher ones in the ten Sefirot of direct light lower in the ten Sefirot of reflected light, and the lower ones in the ten Sefirot of direct light higher in the ten Sefirot of reflected light.

The first ten Sefirot that expand from Ein Sof are called Adam Kadmon. These are the roots of the vessels of Rosh; hence, the ten Sefirot are named after the vessel of Rosh: Galgalta [skull], Einayim [eyes], Oznayim [ears] are the KHB of the ten Sefirot of AK, and Hotem [nose] and Peh [mouth] are ZA and Malchut of the ten Sefirot of AK. Also, it is known that the ten Sefirot are included in one another, as it is written in Panim. Hence, each of the above-mentioned Galgalta, Einayim, and AHP, expanded into ten Sefirot.

It is forbidden to speak of the ten Sefirot that expanded in Galgalta and Einayim, which are Keter and Hochma of the ten Sefirot of AK, and we do not deal with them. We begin to speak from the AHP down, from Bina and ZON of AK.

Also, it is known that the ten Sefirot are Keter and the four phases HB ZON, and there are inner light and surrounding light in them. This means that what has already been clothed in the vessel is called inner light, and what has not been clothed in the vessel is called surrounding light. Thus, in each of the ten Sefirot of AHP of AK there are five internal KHB ZON, and five surrounding KHB ZON.

7) Now we shall explain the inherent quality of the inner light and surrounding light of the ten Sefirot of AK. The matter of the ten Sefirot of direct light and ten Sefirot of reflected light that exist in each ten Sefirot has already been explained. In these ten Sefirot of AK, too, there are ten Sefirot of direct light from Keter to Malchut, and likewise, ten Sefirot of reflected light from Malchut to Keter, and the direct light is extended and comes in completeness to that emanated being. Yet, the ten Sefirot of reflected light are not fully and immediately extended to that emanated being. Instead, it is extended through all the Partzufim emanated after Adam Kadmon.

The thing is that everything that is extended from the Emanator is extended complete and with all the fillings. These are the ten Sefirot of direct light. But the ten Sefirot of reflected light that are extended from the emanated being, meaning from the detaining force in phase four, called screen, does not immediately emerge in full. Instead, each emanated being has a part in it, and is proliferated and multiplied according to the proliferation of the emanated beings, as it is written in Panim. Now you can see that the ten Sefirot of direct light and a part of the ten Sefirot of reflected light are the inner light, while the whole of the reflected light is the surrounding light.

Also, it has already been explained above that there are two Nukvaot [plural of Nukva] in the ten Sefirot: increasing of coarseness in the broad expansion, and increasing of coarseness in the expansion through a window, called Bina and Malchut. Know that Bina is discerned as an inner vessel, in which all the inner light is clothed, and Malchut is the outer vessel, in which all the surrounding light is clothed. This means that the surrounding light is tied to her, since she has a screen that is unfit for reception, due to the detaining force in it. Instead, it is the root of the ten Sefirot of reflected light.

Thus, the content of the inner light and surrounding light has been thoroughly explained, as well as the content of the inner vessel and the outer vessel. Now we can understand the ARI’s words, brought above in Item 5 concerning the five internal and five surrounding that emerged tied to one another through the Peh of AK. This concerns what he had explained in Shaar TANTA, Chapter 1, that the inner light and surrounding light of the ten Sefirot of Oznayim [ears] and the inner light and surrounding light of the ten Sefirot of Hotem emerged in two vessels: an inner vessel for inner light and an outer vessel for surrounding light.

Also, they are remote from one another, since the five surrounding KHB ZON emerge from the foramen of the right Ozen, and the five internal KHB ZON emerge from the foramen of the left Ozen, and similarly in the Hotem. Hence, he tells us here, in the ten Sefirot of Peh of AK, that there are no two distinct vessels here, but both, the five internal and the five surrounding, emerged tied to a single vessel—the Peh, called Malchut of AK, meaning phase four. Yet, the inner vessel, which is phase two and the phase of Bina, is absent here.

We could ask about this: How is it possible for the inner light, which is the ten Sefirot of direct light, to clothe in the vessel of Peh, which is phase four that was erected with a screen, and is unfit for reception? The thing is that Malchut herself is discerned with four distinct phases, called Atzamot [bones], Gidin [tendons], Bassar [flesh], and Or [skin]. The Atzamot of Malchut indicate the Etzem [“essence” or “self”] of her structure. This is the actual phase of ZA, meaning the expansion through a window, except it has gained coarseness along its expansion due to the intensification of the desire to draw more abundance than in its expansion from Bina.

For this reason, it is defined by a name in and of itself. Thus, two phases are discerned in her: phase one is the Atzmut [self, spelled like Atzamot in Hebrew] in her, the part of ZA, and phase two is the coarseness added to her by her intensification. This is called Gidin [tendons]. And what she takes from the force of restriction—the detaining force so as to not receive abundance in this coarse light—called a screen, the one with the coupling of the ten Sefirot of reflected light, is phase four in Malchut, called Or [skin]. And the reflected light that rises from the screen by the force of the coupling is called Bassar [flesh], and this is the phase three of Malchut.

You find that Malchut consists of the expansion of Bina, too. Moreover, it is the core of its structure. Now you will understand that the self in Malchut becomes the inner vessel to the inner five in the lights of the Peh, and the skin in her becomes an outer vessel for the surrounding five in the lights of the Peh. Now it has been thoroughly clarified how the five internal KHB ZON and five surrounding KHB ZON emerged in a single vessel—Malchut—in which there are two vessels, as well, inner and outer, though connected to each other, since all four phases are but one vessel: Malchut.

8) Now we shall explain the issue of the striking and the clash that occurred between the surrounding light and the inner light due to their tying in one vessel. See in The Tree of Life, Heichal AK, Shaar 2, p 3, as well as in Shaar Akudim, Chapter 2, that the nature of the inner light is to refine the vessel in which it is clothed. Hence, since in the ten Sefirot of Peh of AK the inner light and surrounding light were tied in a single vessel in Malchut, the inner light was refining the vessel of Malchut degree by degree. This is the reason for the departure of the ten Sefirot of Peh, called “the world of Akudim.”

The thing is that it has already been explained in Item 6 and Item 4 that the ten Sefirot of reflected light are of opposite value to the ten Sefirot of direct light. In the ten Sefirot of direct light, the degrees rise one above the other according to their refinement, up to their root, which is the most refined among them. But in the ten Sefirot of reflected light, the degrees rise one above the other according to their coarseness, up to the root, which is the coarsest among them. This is phase four, and Malchut that became Keter again, while phase three is Hochma, phase two is Bina, phase one is ZA, and Keter is considered Malchut.

In the beginning, the screen was refined by one degree. This means that the coarse form of light of phase four was refined and reacquired the form of coarseness of phase three. This is considered that the light of Malchut departed from its place and rose to vessel of ZA, since then, too, the direct light expanded from Ein Sof on the screen, and the detaining force controlled the screen until a coupling by striking was made and the ten Sefirot of reflected light emerged from the screen of phase three.

However, they are no longer at the level of Keter, as they were initially, but are at the level of Hochma. This is because the coarseness of the phase of ZA and phase three of direct light has the value of Hochma in the reflected light. It turns out that the screen did not return to being Keter due to the reflected light, but returned to being Hochma.

Afterward, it was refined further and received the refinement of phase two, which is Bina. There, too, the direct light expanded to it up to the coupling by striking and the raising of reflected light, though at the level of Bina. As the coarseness of phase three and phase four were lost, she lost the first two Sefirot of reflected light.

Subsequently, it was refined further, and received the refinement of phase one, the direct light from Ein Sof mated in it, and the reflected light rose, though at the level of ZA, lacking the phase of Bina, too. Then it was refined even more, up to the form of the root, which rose to the level of Keter.

At that time, there was no coarseness left in the screen; hence, there was no more coupling by striking on the direct light in it. For this reason, the reflected light completely disappeared from the ten Sefirot of Akudim, and see in Panim in Branch 3 and Branch 4, where all this is explained elaborately.

Thus, it has been clarified that since the inner light is clothed in the vessel of Malchut, it refines it degree by degree, and along with its refinement, the ten Sefirot KHB ZON of reflected light vanish, too. This is so because during her rise to the phase of Keter, the screen loses all its power to raise reflected light. Thus, the ten Sefirot of direct light also depart from it since the direct light and reflected light are interdependent and tied to [one another].

9) To explain this, I shall first explain the state of the Sefirot with a picture of the Taam [singular for Taamim—punctuation marks] Segolta, like this:, that is, the Keter is on top, below it on the right is Hochma, and at its left—Bina. We need to understand this, for God forbid that we should understand it as a depiction of places that the tangible eye perceives. Also, the matter of face-to-face and back-to-back that apply in the ten Sefirot, God forbid that there should be back and front here.

The thing is that it has already been explained in the four phases of direct light that expand from Ein Sof, which is Keter, that the expansion of Keter is called Hochma. Also, it grows coarser as it expands, meaning the intensification of the desire to draw abundance more than the measure of its expansion. Hence, it is regarded as two phases: phase one is the whole of the light that expands from Ein Sof to that emanated being. This is called Hochma. Phase two is the increasing of coarseness, given to it by the intensification of the desire to draw new abundance, and this is called Bina.

For this reason, there are three discernments in the Sefira Bina: The first discernment is her own structure, which is a part of Hochma itself. The second discernment is the light that grew coarser in her through her intensification to draw new abundance from Keter. The third phase is the essence of the abundance that she draws from Keter, called light of Hassadim, which is much lower than the light of Hochma that is extended directly from the Emanator. But the light of Bina that she draws from the Keter is associated by her initial intensification, which became coarser for it.

And when Bina suckles the light of Hassadim from Keter, she does not suckle the light of Hochma from the Sefira of Hochma. Hence, she is considered to be back-to-back with Hochma. It turns out that the light of Hochma, which is the light of self of the general ten Sefirot in that emanated being, ceases from it, since Bina has turned her anterior to draw light of Hassadim from Keter.

Yet, when phase four appears, and the ten Sefirot of reflected light that emerge from her, which is also regarded as light of Hassadim, even more than the light of Hassadim in Bina, then Bina no longer needs to suckle light of Hassadim from Keter, since she receives abundantly from the reflected light of Malchut. Hence, she turns her anterior back to Hochma and suckles light of Hochma once more. At that time, the light of Hochma, too, is extended abundantly in the general ten Sefirot in that emanated being. This is called face-to-face of HB, which they gained through the reflected light that rises from the Malchut.

However, prior to the revealing of the vessel of Malchut, Bina turned her anterior to Keter, which is the state of the Taam Segolta, where Bina is below Keter, like Hochma, but Hochma draws the light of self from Keter, and Bina draws light of Hassadim from Keter. And since the light of self is the collective light in the emanated being, Hochma is considered “right,” and the light of Hassadim is considered “left,” as it is associated with Gevura.

Thus we have explained that the light of self cannot expand in the whole of the ten Sefirot of direct light, since Bina is back-to-back with it, except during a coupling by striking in the screen in the vessel of Malchut. At that time, Bina no longer needs the light of Hassadim and returns to being face-to-face with Hochma.

It turns out that when the ten Sefirot of reflected light depart from the world of Akudim, the light of self of the ten Sefirot of direct light depart along with it. This is because the light of Hochma and the reflected light are interdependent, and only the posterior of Bina remain there in the world of Akudim, meaning light of Hassadim and her Gevura.

Now you will understand the words of the ARI that we brought above, that the nature of the inner light is to refine the vessel it is clothed in, since it revolves around the light of Hochma that clothes in the internality of the emanated being through the Bina that returns to being face-to-face with it. Thus, the posterior of Bina are refined, and since the posterior of Bina, which is phase two, is the root of phase four, since the root is refined, the branch, phase four, is refined along with it.

10) Now we shall explain the issue of the clash of the inner lights with the surrounding lights, since they are tied to one another, which I introduced above in Item 5. I shall also bring the ARI’s words in Shaar Akudim, Chapter 5, where he himself explains the issue of this clash at length. This is what he wrote, in brief: It follows that there are three kinds of light [in the expansion of light in the world of Akudim and its departure back to the Emanator]. The first light is the light of Akudim, called tastes. The second is the record of that light, which remains after its departure, and which is called tags. The third is the light that comes to it through the ascent of the Sefirot, at which time it is through the posterior, which is judgment and is called dots.

When the third light, called dots, comes and strikes the second light, called record, which is mercy, they beat and clash with each other. This is because they are opposites: One is direct light, which is mercy, and the other is reflected light, which is judgment. Then sparks fall from the descending reflected light, which is judgment, and these sparks are another, fourth light, called letters. These are the four phases—tastes, dots, tags, letters—all of which are included here in the Akudim. Also, these sparks that fell from the descending reflected light are like the 248 sparks of the breaking of the vessels in the world of Nekudim.

Interpreting his words: According to what has been explained above concerning the order of the expansion of the light in the world of Akudim, first the light expands from Ein Sof to the coupling by striking in the screen in the vessel of Malchut. Following, ten Sefirot of reflected light emerge from it, from below upward, as it is written in Item 6. They have an inverse relation, where the upper ones in direct light are below in the reflected light, since in the ten Sefirot of reflected light the degrees diminish according to the refinement.

Thus, ZA, which is more refined than Malchut, is of a lower degree than Malchut. But this is so only with respect to the Hochma in the ten Sefirot of reflected light. Bina, which is more refined than ZA, was diminished in the degree and possesses only the value of Bina. Hochma, which is more refined than Bina, diminished in her degree and has only the value of ZA. And Keter has the value of Malchut, as it is written there in Panim, in Branch 3.

But once the direct light and reflected light unite and join together, it creates an equal value, where the level of each of the ten Sefirot reaches the level of Keter, as written in Item 4. And the whole of the world of Akudim, the expansion and return of the light of Ein Sof from Keter to Malchut and from Malchut to Keter, and the reflected light that conjoins with the direct light at an equal level through Keter is called the tastes or the first expansion of Akudim.

It has been explained above, Item 8, that because the inner light dresses in the vessel of Malchut, whose nature is to refine the vessel, it causes the refinement of the screen degree by degree. In the beginning, it receives the refinement as in phase three. This is considered that the screen rose to ZA. At that time, the light of Ein Sof expands once more from Keter to the screen in the vessel of ZA, and from ZA to Keter. This diminishes the value of the reflected light that rises from the screen to the degree of Hochma, similar to the value of ZA of reflected light. Similarly, the degrees descend in the refinement of the screen through the refinement of the phase of Keter of direct light, at which time the screen is canceled and the coupling by striking stops.

Thus, all this reflected light, which descends from degree to degree until it completely disappears, is called “light of dots” because the screen is extended from the point of restriction, and hence detains the direct light, too, from approaching and expanding in it. It is like the middle point of the first restriction that decorated itself and left the light in it, and assertively chose the refinement from its coarseness, in order to equalize her form with the Emanator, as has been explained in detail in Panim Masbirot, Branch 1. Hence, this force, the desire to be refined, is imprinted in the screen.

Now we shall explain the meaning of the record—the light of tags. It is known that even though the light departs, it still leaves a record behind it. Hence, the first expansion in the world of Akudim, which expanded and returned from Keter to Malchut and from Malchut to Keter, eliciting ten Sefirot whose level equals Keter in inner light, and similarly, ten Sefirot of surrounding light, as written in Item 7 [note that here there was no distinct vessel for inner light and a distinct vessel for surrounding light]. That vessel, as a whole, is called vessel of Keter, since all ten Sefirot were at the level of Keter. Hence, even though this expansion departed once more, a record of it nevertheless remained, keeping and sustaining the previous form there, so it would not be altogether revoked due to the departure of the light.

Accordingly, you can see how the light of record, which remained from the first expansion, and the descending reflected light, which is the light of dots, are two opposites, striking and beating one another. This is so because the light of record is strengthened by the first expansion, where the direct light expanded through the screen of phase four, and wished very much for the screen to remain specifically in coarseness of phase four, since only through the power in the excessive coarseness in phase four does it have the value of the level of Keter. However, the light of dots, the screen itself, intensifies with all its might only to be refined from its coarse light, discerned as judgment. It wishes to be utterly refined and equalize its form with the Emanator, since the first beginning of the point of restriction has been imprinted in it, and this is its root.

11) Now we can understand the fourth light, which fell through the clash of the light of record with the light of dots, called letters. They are like the 248 sparks in the breaking of the vessels in the world of Nekudim.

You should know that in every place in The Zohar, the Tikkunim [corrections of The Zohar], and in the writings of the ARI, the word sparks or sparkling indicates reflected light. This is because the illumination of direct light is defined by the names lights or Nehorin [Aramaic: lights], and the illumination of reflected light is defined by the name sparks or sparkling. Thus, you see that the issue of the sparks that fell through the clash of the record in the descending reflected light is also considered record, though it is a record of reflected light, and hence defined by the name sparks.

The order of the descent of the reflected light has been explained above, Item 8. In the beginning, it received for the refinement of ZA and was detached from phase four, which is the actual vessel of Malchut. And when the light of Ein Sof expands to the screen in vessel ZA once again, this light of Malchut will be at the level of Hochma, lacking the phase of Keter from the general light of Akudim, since the Malchut in ZA does not return to being Keter, but Hochma. [It has been explained that the essential giver of the level in the ten Sefirot of the emanated being is the light of Malchut, as above-mentioned, see Panim Masbirot, Branch 4.]

It follows that the real vessel of Malchut is without light, and two records should have remained in it. The first record is from the light of tastes, which keeps and sustains the coarseness of phase four as much as it can. The second record is from the light of dots, meaning the light ascribed to the screen and which craves the refinement.

However, both cannot remain together, since they are opposites. This is because the place of the record of tastes is called the vessel of Keter, since its ten Sefirot are at the level of Keter. And the place of the record of the descending reflected light is called the vessel of Hochma or “below Keter.” Hence, her own record has departed Malchut, too, and rose to the vessel of ZA. And the record of the descending reflected light remained in its place. Thus, here the record for the sparks of reflected light were rejected. However, from here onward the sparks of reflected light are rejected for the light of the record.

Afterward, in the ascent of the screen to the place of Bina, when it received the refinement of phase two, and the light of Ein Sof expands once more from Keter to Bina and from Bina to Keter, the phase of Hochma is subtracted, too. Then the vessel of ZA remains without light, and two records remained there, too, from the light of tastes and from the reflected light, which are opposites. Here the record overpowers the sparks of reflected light, since the record of tastes remained in the vessel of ZA; hence, it remained in the form of the vessel of Keter.

Yet, the record of reflected light, which are the sparks of vessel Hochma, are rejected below Tabur, below the vessel of Keter, since the expansion of the world of Akudim is through Tabur, as Malchut of Akudim is called Tabur. Also, it is already known that sparks of Keter of the descending reflected light, whose value is considered Keter of Hochma, remain there since the record of Malchut of tastes, which are actual phase of Keter, rose to ZA. And the sparks that fell from vessel ZA, which are the sparks of Hochma in Hochma, fell below Tabur, where there is Keter of Hochma.

Similarly, in the ascent of the screen to Hochma, when it was refined into phase one, the light of Ein Sof was still expanding from Keter to Hochma and from Hochma to Keter, and this light is at the level of ZA. Hence, the level of Bina has been withdrawn, as well, and the vessel of Bina remained empty, without light. This left two records, as written above: a record of tastes that remained in their place, and a record of the descending reflected light that were rejected and fell below the sparks of Hochma below Tabur.

Subsequently, it was refined up to the phase of Keter, the root, and hence lost all the phases coarseness in it. Thus, the coupling by striking was naturally canceled, having no more reflected light. It turns out that no sparks fell from the phase of Keter at all, and only the record of tastes remained there.

Thus we have thoroughly explained the oppositeness between the record and the descending reflected light, for which the package was broken, and the record of the ten Sefirot of tastes that remain in their places. These are considered vessels KHB ZON of Keter, through Tabur of AK. And the sparks, which are record of the descending reflected light, fell outside the degree they were in. They are regarded as being below Tabur, meaning below Malchut of Akudim, which are considered vessels KHB ZON of Hochma, as we have said above, that they are called letters.

12) The reason for the refinement has already been explained above, at the end of Item 9: The inner light is connected to the vessel of Malchut, which is actually only an external vessel for the surrounding light, as it is written in Item 7. Hence, when the reflected light rises and brings HB back to face-to-face, as written in Item 9, coarseness of Bina leaves it, for it returns to being one with the Hochma, as they initially were. And when the coarseness in the root is canceled, the coarseness in the branch is canceled, too. Thus, when Bina becomes one object with Hochma, she refined the screen along with her, and it, too, rises degree by degree, through her and because of her, until it disappears.

At the beginning of the entrance of the reflected light to Bina, she begins to turn her anterior back to Hochma. Thus, the screen rises from phase four and phase three. And when she draws the light of Hochma from the anterior of Hochma, the screen rises to phase two. And when she becomes one object with the Hochma, the screen rises to phase one, until it rises to the root phase. This is the meaning of what is mentioned in the Idra Raba, “the spark was sucked.”

It follows that the light of Hochma, which is all the light of self in the first emanated being, meaning the world of Akudim, and the reflected light that rises from the vessel of Malchut are tied to one another and chase one another for without the reflected light, the light of Hochma would not able to expand in the emanated being, since Bina turns her face to suckle light of Hassadim from Keter, and her back to Hochma. This means she will not suckle the light of self from it.

However, when the reflected light comes out, Bina turns her face back to Hochma, and only then can the light of self expand in the emanated being. Thus, the light of self depends on the reflected light. But when HB return to being face-to-face, and her suckling from Keter stops, her coarseness is canceled, which naturally cancels the coarseness in the branch, which is the screen. Thus, the reflected light disappears, as well. Thus, the reflected light is repelled and chased due to the light of self.

This will thoroughly explain the ARI’s words, which I presented above, Item 5, that the inner light and surrounding light beat on each other, and their beating begets the vessels. This is because the inner light is the light of Hochma that expands in the emanated being due to the reflected light. And the surrounding light is the screen, which is the outer vessel, which is tied to all the surrounding light that is destined to come out in the worlds by way of reflected light, as written in Item 7.

Although they are interdependent, nevertheless the inner light that expands through HB returning to face-to-face clashes with the surrounding light. This refines the screen and causes the departure of the light from the world of Akudim. Thus, the records of tastes and of reflected light were separated from one another, the record of reflected light was rejected outside her presence, meaning below the Tabur, called letters, and these are the vessels.

13) Thus, we have thoroughly clarified the reason for the departure, due to the gradual refinement of the screen until all the reflected light disappeared, and along with it, the light of self of Keter and Hochma of direct light. Yet, it did not remain so: Following the disappearance of the light of self, Bina turned its anterior back to Keter, for abundance of light of Hassadim, and hence, the previous posterior and coarseness returned to her. Therefore, her coarseness returned to the screen, as well, which is her branch.

It is known that the direct light from the Emanator does not stop from the emanated beings even for a moment. Hence, after the screen regained its coarseness, the direct light of Ein Sof was renewed on the four above-mentioned phases, up to the coupling of reflected light. And once again, the ten Sefirot of direct light and reflected light expanded in the world of Akudim. This is called the second expansion of the world of Akudim.

Yet, since HB in it returned to being face-to-face through the above-mentioned reflected light, the coarseness and posterior of Bina were refined once more, and with it, the coarseness of the screen, which is her branch. And once again, the coupling by striking and the reflected light were canceled, and Bina returns to drawing light of Hassadim from Keter. Thus, the light of self departs as before.

Similarly, once the posterior and coarseness returned to Bina, the coarseness was drawn on the screen, as well, and naturally, the direct light was renewed on the screen. Through it, the light of self expanded, too.

This is repeated similarly: When the reflected light comes, the light of self expands once more. And when the light of self comes, the reflected light leaves. When the reflected light leaves, the screen regains its coarseness, and the reflected light is renewed, and the light of self expands once more, and so on. It turns out that this second expansion is like a constant flame moving to and fro. This is why the ARI says that inner light and surrounding light that are tied in one vessel strike each other and clash with each other.

This clarifies the big difference between the first expansion of Akudim that was at the level of Keter, since the direct light made a coupling with the screen of phase four, and the current expansion, which is only on the level of Hochma. It is because the whole coarseness of the screen is only an expansion from the coarseness of Bina, as in the coarseness of ZA, hence it draws only the level of light of Hochma, as written in Item 8. But this light, too, is not permanent. Rather, it is like a flame that moves to and fro. This thoroughly explains that the matter of the second expansion of Akudim is extended from the departure of the first expansion itself.

14) Now we understand the ARI’s words in Shaar Akudim, Chapters 1 and 2, that AK restricted itself and raised all the lights from below the Tabur to the Tabur and above, and they rose as MAN to AB of Galgalta. There, it placed a boundary in its internals, and the light that rose from NHY came out through the Einayim, extended below the Tabur, and expanded into the ten Sefirot of the world of Nekudim.

And from the light that was innovated by raising MAN, it expanded and breached the Parsa, and descended below the Tabur, expanding through the holes of Tabur and Yesod, into the ten Sefirot of the world of Nekudim. The ten Sefirot of Nekudim were built from these two lights. These two lights and this new restriction require great detail, which will be explained in its time. Here we shall explain them as needed in this place.

It has already been explained in Item 11 that the lights below Tabur of AK are the letters and sparks that fell through the clash of the record of Keter and tastes in the record of Hochma and dots. They came out below the whole record of Keter, and this exit place is called NHY and “below Tabur.”

Now, after the second expansion—which is only light of Hochma in vessel of Keter—returned to the world of Akudim, the equivalence between the records of tastes and the records of dots was made once more. This is because they are both considered Hochma, and hence all the KHB ZON of the records of dots below the Tabur were drawn, rose, and reconnected with the records above Tabur. This is why the ARI says that AK raised the light from below its Tabur to above its Tabur.

However, we should understand why it is called restriction. The thing is that there are two discernments in these sparks that rose. The first is sparks of Keter of the descending reflected light that remained in the Tabur itself, which is Malchut of Akudim and phase four. The light of the second expansion does not reach it, since it is from phase three, and has coarseness from the expansion of the posterior of Bina. The second discernment is sparks of HB and ZON from phase three, as it is written in Items 11 and 12.

Hence, once HB ZON of the sparks rose, the lights increased there more than before, due to the coarseness that was added to them by their fall below the Tabur. Hence, the sparks of the Keter in the Tabur, which are phase four, were extended there, too. And naturally, the light of the direct light of Ein Sof, which never stops from the emanated beings, was renewed upon them. Thus, the coupling of reflected light was made in phase four, and as a result, ten new Sefirot emerged at the level of Keter, as in the first expansion.

Thus, you see how two phases of ten Sefirot were made of the sparks that rose: Ten Sefirot at the level of Hochma were made from the HB ZON of the sparks that were corrected only in their ascent, since they are from phase three, like the second expansion, and ten new Sefirot at the level of Keter were made of the sparks of Keter.

These two Partzufim are the roots of the Partzufim AVI and YESHSUT of Atzilut. The new Partzuf at the level of Keter is AVI, and it is called Hochma and Aba of Atzilut. And the Partzuf of the old light, at the level of Hochma, is YESHSUT, and is called Bina and Ima of Atzilut.

With these roots you will understand what is written in Idra Zuta, that Aba brought Ima out because of her son, and Aba himself was built as a kind of male and female. This is so because the upper Partzuf, which is at the level of Keter, called Aba, was built as a kind of male and female, since he raised phase four—Nukva and Malchut—to him. And Bina, the lower Partzuf, whose level is below Keter, went out from Aba because of the Nukva, which is phase four, which ends and detains the upper light from expanding below her. This is why this phase four is called Parsa [partition], without the Nekev [hole] that exists in phase two. And because of this Parsa, YESHSUT does not clothe the light of Keter.

It turns out that phase two, which is Bina, on which the first restriction did not apply at all, has now become deficient, since she was restricted, too, as she is below phase four. This is why the ARI said that AK restricted himself by raising light from below Tabur, concerning phase two that has now been restricted due to the ascent of MAN.

15) You should know the big difference between Rosh and Guf. The Rosh is called GAR, and the Guf is called VAK, ZAT, or ZON. The Guf itself is divided into GAR and ZON, too.

The root of this division is that up to the Peh—Malchut—the structure is made essentially of direct light. And the reflected light that rises and joins it is but clothing over it. The opposite of that is the Guf, which is a expansion of the screen itself, to the extent that it clothes the Sefirot of Rosh. Hence, it is made primarily of reflected light, and the ten Sefirot of direct light are like its branches.

Although it is called ZON, it is essentially only Malchut. This is so because there is no light of Malchut in reality at all, except with NHY of ZA that unite with it in a coupling by striking. Hence, they are regarded as one that expands through the reflected light. And it has already been explained above that the detaining screen and the reflected light that emerges as a result of it are not ascribed to the Emanator, but only to the emanated being. For this reason, the Rosh is regarded as the self of the light of the Emanator, and the Guf is regarded only as the act of the emanated being itself.

Now you understand the five general Partzufim of AK, called Galgalta, AB, SAG, MA, and BON, and the order of their emanation and clothing one another, how they are interconnected and emerge from one another by way of cause and consequence. This is so because of His one, unique, and unified thought—thoroughly explained in Panim Masbirot, Branch 1—which is to delight His creations. This thought is the root of the vessel, and of the first restriction that occurred in phase four, though indirectly, as it is written there in Item 7, as in the allegory about the rich man. See in Item 8, that this single thought encompasses the whole of reality, all the worlds, and all the many forms and conducts through the end of correction, when they all reunite with the light of Ein Sof from before the restriction, in simple unity, in the one form that stands above us—“to delight His creatures.”

Immediately following the restriction in phase four, which is the Gadlut [greatness/adulthood] of the desire in Malchut of Ein Sof, four forms of gradations appeared in the record that has been emptied of the light—in the vessel. They are called HB, ZA, and Malchut, and they contain inner light and surrounding light, thus twelve forms.

Afterward, the light was extended on the above-mentioned record, up to the point of the restriction, since His light does not stop at all, and remember this. Then the thin line was extended into the record, and it is called “thin” because the light of self is extended to the emanated being only in the reflected light that rises in a coupling from the screen. And by the power of the reflected light, the image of AK was revealed in the form of Partzuf Galgalta, which is called, in the example, “the beginning of the line.”

It expands over the twenty-five phases, since there are KHB ZON at the length and there are KHB ZON in thickness. As we have said, because Malchut returned to being Keter, each of the KHB ZON expands into ten Sefirot up to Keter, and it is called in the example, Galgalta, Einayim, AHP, or Galgalta, AB, SAG, MA, and BON. The level of each of them reaches Galgalta, and its lights emerge from the internality of this emanated being, as it has been explained in Panim Masbirot, Branch 3, Item 2, concerning the order of the emergence of the lights due to the refinement of the screen.

16) Therefore, initially, AB emerged. Emergence means subtracting. Due to the refinement of phase four of the inner AK, called Peh, she received coarseness of phase three. And after the light of Ein Sof was drawn over this screen, new ten Sefirot emerge at the level of Hochma, called AB. It turns out that the AB that comes out is subtracted from the AB that remains within AK, at the level of Keter.

Thus, Keter of the external AB clothes Hochma of Galgalta, and expands through the Tabur of the Inner AK. And it, too, contains twenty-five phases of its ten Sefirot of direct light, which are its Galgalta, Einayim, Ozen, Hotem, Peh, each of which expands by the power of the reflected light over the five phases, through Keter of AB.

Yet, the general Keter of the inner AK remains revealed, and it is regarded as having Rosh and Guf [head and body, respectively]. From the Peh down, it is called Guf, since it is only an expansion of the screen. Hence, the inner light and surrounding light are tied there only in phase four of AB. This is why they had to depart once more, and this is called “the world of Nekudim,” which are ZON and Guf of the outer AB.

It has already been explained that the coarseness returned to the screen after the departure of its Guf, and a second expansion occurred there, as it is written in Items 13 and 14. It draws the lights from below the Tabur to above the Tabur, and by this ascent, the upper AVI are corrected. A Parsa is spread beneath them, and YESHSUT is from the Parsa to the Tabur. All this ascent is called “the outer Partzuf SAG,” meaning it had departed its previous degree, which, in the outer AB was Bina at the level of Keter Hochma, which is the light of Ozen up to Shibolet haZakan.

However, at this Partzuf, which was made of the sparks that fell from the lights of Peh of the outer AB, Bina of this Partzuf is below all ten Sefirot of upper AVI, hence it is deficient of the Keter. Thus, its place is from Peh down, meaning from Shibolet haZakan, which is its Galgalta.

As the outer AB clothes only Malchut of the general Keter and the first nine remain revealed, the outer SAG, too, clothes only Malchut of Keter of AB, from Peh down, while its first nine—the whole of the Rosh—remain revealed. As the AB elicited its branches through the Se’arot [hair] of the Rosh, this SAG elicited its branches through the Se’arot AHP, which will be explained in their place. This is the meaning of the light that is withdrawn from them due to their exit, compared to the upper one that remains there in the Se’arot as surrounding, as in returning surrounding.

And this SAG clothes AK from Shibolet haZakan through its end. This means that its Rosh, which are GAR, is extended up to Tabur, which are equivalent to Galgalta, Einayim, Ozen, and Hotem. Its Peh expands into ten Sefirot of Guf in itself, as in the Peh of the outer AB. And the case of the lights of the Peh of the outer SAG, as in the case of the lights of Peh of the outer AB, due to their being tied in a single vessel, there was gradual refinement of the screen in them, as well, until it was refined into the phase of Keter, and the whole expansion disappeared.

This is the meaning of the breaking of the vessels and the fall of the 248 sparks. Yet, this happened only in their ZON, and not in their GAR, due to the correction of the Parsa, as will be explained in its place. Afterward, the sparks that fell from the Peh of the outer SAG were extended and rose in the form of MAN, the new MA came out, and the ten Sefirot of Atzilut were established in the form of twelve Partzufim.

Thus, all the previous phases are included in the world of Atzilut, as it is written in The Tree of Life, and the world of Beria was imprinted from the world of Atzilut, in a way that all that exists in Atzilut is imprinted in Beria. Yetzira is imprinted from Beria, Assiya is imprinted from Yetzira, and hence there is no existence or conduct in the lower ones that is not directly related to the upper ones, from which it stems and is extended down to its lower essence.

This is why our sages said, “There is not a blade of grass below that does not have an angel above that strikes it and tells it, ‘Grow!’” This is so because all that is extended from a higher world to a lower one is extended through couplings. But the worlds are divided into internality and externality. The internality of the worlds, from Atzilut and below, is not extended through a coupling by striking in the screen, but through a coupling of Yesodot [plural for Yesod]. But the external phases that are extended from world to world, are extended through a coupling by striking.

This is the meaning of the striking, and this is why our sages accurately stated that the angel in the world of Yetzira, which is the root of the blade of grass in the world of Assiya, bestows upon it and nurtures it in the form of a coupling by striking. In other words, it strikes it and tells it, “Grow!” since saying means bestowing.

Thus, the matter of cause and consequence in Galgalta, AB, SAG of AK has been thoroughly explained, and the quality of their clothing over one another. Each lower one has the value of ZON of the upper one, which extends only from the sparks of the lights of the Peh of the upper one.

It has been clarified that in the emergence of AB, the screen was included in phase three. And in the emergence of SAG, the screen was included in phase two, to the Nukva of Aba. And in the emergence of MA from inside out, the screen was included in phase one. This will be explained in its place.

Also, Malchut of phase three is called Tabur, of phase two is called Parsa, and of phase one is called crust. There is nothing more to add here; I only tied the matters at their roots in an easy and brief manner. This was my intention in this place, but inside the book, the matters are explained elaborately.