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
Circles and straightness; containing ten chapters
1. The ARI spoke very little of the ten Sefirot of circles, and even those few words seem filled with contradictions. However, it is impossible to elaborate on them because they are regarded as the first three Sefirot, in which we are forbidden to engage. Nevertheless, the little that the ARI did write should be explained elaborately, enough to accomplish the goal that the ARI had aspired for, meaning as much as is necessary to understand the interconnections in this wisdom.
2. At first, let us understand the matters in general. The ARI divides all of reality into two discernments: circles and straightness. This means that all the Partzufim in the five worlds, Adam Kadmon and ABYA, down to this world, contain ten Sefirot of circles and ten Sefirot of straightness. We saw that in the Sefirot of the circles, the more external is better, and the more internal is worse, since the top circle, the closest to Ein Sof, which surrounds and encircles all of reality, is the best among them, and it is called Keter. Within it there is a second circle, called Hochma, which is worse than Keter, down to the innermost sphere, which is this world, the worst of all the circles, which is darkness without light, and is full of filth. Thus, the more internal the circle is, the worse it is, and the more external the circle is, the better it is.
3. It is the opposite with the Sefirot of straightness, since in them, the more internal is better. That is because the first and innermost ten Sefirot of straightness are the ten Sefirot of the world of Adam Kadmon. They are called the line that expands from Ein Sof and is extended down to near this world, but does not touch it. Its externality is clothed by the ten Sefirot of straightness of the second world, called the “world of Atzilut,” whose merit is lower than the world of Adam Kadmon. The externality of the world of Atzilut is clothed by the ten Sefirot of straightness of the world of Beria, which is worse than the world of Atzilut, down to the ten Sefirot of straightness of the world of Assiya, the worst of all the worlds, and which clothes the externality of all the worlds. Thus, in the Sefirot of straightness, the more external than the other is worse, and the more internal than the other is better than the other, the opposite of the ten Sefirot of circles. Indeed, a great and profound concept is presented here in this oppositeness between the Sefirot of the circles and the Sefirot of the straightness, and we should understand it thoroughly.
4. You already know about the middle point in Ein Sof, where the restriction took place and the light departed from that point and became an empty space (Part One, Chapter One, Item 50). It explains that it is called the “the middle point” to indicate that it does not receive through its internality and Toch [interior], but only through its externality, from its surroundings. It receives the light without any limitation and measuring because one that receives from its externality does not place a limit on the light. As a result, we have two kinds of reception in the vessels: The first kind is receiving in its externality, and the second kind is receiving in its internality. Certainly, this does not refer to a place and an area by which to imagine externality and internality. Thus, we must thoroughly understand with which internality and externality we are engaging here.
5. You already know that the term “spiritual vessel” refers to the desire in the emanated being to receive its abundance from Ein Sof (Questions and Answers on the Meaning of Words, Part one, Item 25). You also know that this desire has four phases, one below the other. In other words, this vessel, meaning the above will to receive, is set in the emanated being and can perform its task only after it gradually passes through the above four phases. The first phase is a very faint desire; phase two is greater than phase one, etc., up to phase four, which is the full measure of the desire required to establish the completion of the vessel. The reason for this has already been explained above (Part One, Chapter One, Item 50). Since the form of this will to receive is absolutely opposite from the will to bestow included in the light of Ein Sof, it cannot appear all at once, but only gradually. It begins from the will to bestow included in the root, called Keter, and then to the coarser, which is a little different from it, which is phase one, and then to the coarser, called phase two, and so on until phase four, which is absolutely different from the form of the light, and which is specifically able to serve as a vessel in the emanated being.
Conversely, the will to receive in the previous three phases is not disclosed enough to serve as a vessel for reception. Thus, only phase four is regarded as the vessel for reception of the emanated being, and for this reason, it is called the internality and the Toch of the emanated being. Phase three in the desire is regarded as outside phase four; phase two is outside phase three; and phase one is outside phase two; and the phase of Keter is outside them all. Like the wall of a corporeal vessel that is made of four layers one on top of the other, the abundance received in that vessel is certainly in the fourth, innermost layer. The three external layers that surround it are only there as support for the innermost fourth layer. Here, too, the light is received only in phase four, while the first three phases are exterior to it, and come only because it is impossible for phase four to appear at once, but only by cascading, as we have explained above.
6. Now the internality and externality that we must distinguish in every vessel have been thoroughly explained to you. Because there are necessarily four phases in every vessel, the last of which is called the Toch and the internality of that vessel, as it is the prime receiver in the vessel. The phases that precede it in order to reveal the final phase, are regarded as the externality of the vessel. The farther the degree is from the last phase, the more external it is considered to be. You should also know that phase one is more refined than phase two, and phase four is the coarsest. It turns out that internality and coarseness are one and the same, and the reason that phase four is regarded as the one that receives the abundance is only because she is the coarsest. Similarly, externality and refinement are one and the same, because her desire is faint and refined, and closer to the Emanator. For this reason, it is the most external, meaning the farthest from reception, which is Toch and internality.
7. This is what the ARI wrote about the Sefirot of the circles, that all that the more external is better and closer to the Emanator, since the root phase, called Keter, is the most refined, and closest in form to Ein Sof, meaning close to the Emanator. This is called that she is the most external, meaning the farthest from the Toch and the internality, namely reception. After her comes phase one, which is more internal than Keter, meaning closer than her to reception. Phase two is more internal than her, meaning closer to phase four, which is the phase of reception. Finally, phase four is the actual internality, meaning that the abundance is received in her. For this reason, her form is also the farthest from the Emanator.
8. In the Sefirot of straightness, there is the matter of reflected light that rises from the coupling of the screen with the upper light (Part One, Questions and Answers on the Meaning of Words, the word “screen”). The amount of that reflected light is measured by the measure of coarseness in the screen that makes a coupling with the upper light. The coarsest screen, namely phase four, reveals a full measure of ten Sefirot, up to Keter. If the amount of coarseness in the screen is less by one phase, consisting only of phase three, it only reveals ten Sefirot that have the level of Hochma, and the Keter is missing. If it has only the coarseness of phase two, it reveals only ten Sefirot, where each has the level of Bina, lacking Keter, and lacking Hochma. If the screen has only the coarseness of phase one, it reveals ten Sefirot where each has only the level of Zeir Anpin. If the screen is refined and does not have even the coarseness of phase one, it does not reveal any level, but only the phase of Malchut. The reason for this will be explained below, in Part Three.
9. Know that what distinguishes the five worlds AK and ABYA of straightness is the measure of the coarseness of the screen of their vessels. The screen of the vessels in the world of Adam Kadmon is very coarse, meaning coarseness of phase four, the greatest coarseness in all the worlds. Therefore, its ten Sefirot are complete, meaning all of them are on the level of Keter, the closest to Ein Sof, which is the first and most important world, reaching from end to end: from Ein Sof to this world. For this reason, it is considered to be positioned in the internality of all the worlds, for you already know that internality and coarseness are one and the same. Because the screen in the vessels of Adam Kadmon is of phase four, meaning with the coarsest, it is therefore the most interior.
10. The screen in the vessels of the world of Atzilut is not as coarse as that of the world of AK because the coarseness in the screen of Atzilut is only of phase three. Consequently, none of the ten Sefirot of straightness of Atzilut reach higher than the degree of Hochma and they lack Keter. Hence, they are evaluated as low compared to the ten Sefirot at the level of Keter in the world of Adam Kadmon. They are considered external compared to the ten Sefirot in AK, since the coarseness of phase three is external to phase four, and refinement and externality are one and the same. Consequently, the world of Atzilut becomes a garment, meaning externality that clothes the world of AK, which is more internal than it.
11. The screen in the vessels of the ten Sefirot of the world of Beria is even more refined than that of the world of Atzilut, consisting only of the coarseness of phase two. For this reason, the level of these ten Sefirot is does not higher than the level of Bina. Therefore, the world of Beria is regarded as more external than the world of Atzilut, where there is coarseness of phase three, making it more internal than the world of Beria, which is only the coarseness of phase two. Thus, the world of Beria is regarded as external and a garment over the world of Atzilut.
12. The screen in the world of Yetzira has only the coarseness of phase one, the faintest. For this reason, the level of the ten Sefirot of the world of Yetzira is short, reaching only the level of Zeir Anpin, and lack the first three Sefirot: Keter, Hochma, Bina. Therefore, the world of Yetzira is more external than the world of Beria, for there, there is coarseness of phase two, which is internal to the coarseness of phase one in the world of Yetzira. For this reason, the world of Yetzira is regarded as external a garment over the world of Beria.
13. The screen in the ten Sefirot of straightness in the world of Assiya is completely refined, lacking any coarseness. Consequently, there is no issue of coupling with the upper light in it, which raises reflected light. Because there is no right line in them, they also do not have upper light, since the upper light is not gripped in the Partzuf without reflected light. Therefore, these ten Sefirot have only the degree of Malchut, lacking the first nine Sefirot, which are Keter, Hochma, Bina, and Zeir Anpin (which includes the six Sefirot HGT NHY).
Because the screen in them is more refined than in all the previous worlds, they are naturally regarded as exterior to all of them since you already know that refinement and externality are one and the same. Thus, the world of Yetzira, whose vessels have the screen of phase one is nevertheless regarded as an internal world compared to the world of Assiya, and the world of Assiya is regarded as external to and a garment of the world of Yetzira and of all the worlds, for it is the most refined of all.
14. This may be surprising, for it is reasonable to think that the more important light should clothe in the more refined vessels because the form of the refined vessel is closer to the light. Thus, why is it said here that the greater the coarseness, the higher its degree? Indeed, we should know that the issue of the clothing of the light in the vessels is an issue in and of itself, and the bestowal of the upper light to the Partzuf is a different matter altogether. They are far apart and have an inverse relation between them from one end to the other. The rule is that the upper one bestows upon the lower one only with its coarsest part, while the lower one receives light from the upper one only with its most refined part. We must thoroughly understand this, as it is an essential key in the wisdom.
15. In order to understand this, we need a thorough understanding of the matter of restriction and line, for you already know that the restriction was only on phase four, called “Malchut of Ein Sof,” or the “middle point.” The reason is simple: Restriction means detainment from wanting to receive. In other words, one stops oneself from receiving the abundance from the light of Ein Sof. Thus, the restriction applies only to the receiving vessel. Since there is no other vessel of reception there but phase four, the restriction applies only to phase four. It has already been explained above that the three phases that preceded phase four are not regarded as vessels of reception whatsoever, but only as causes, where because of their cascading, the vessel of reception is revealed, which phase four. This is why the restriction does not apply to them but at all, only to the middle point, which is phase four.
16. Therefore, since she diminished her desire from phase four, the light departed from the three former phases, too, since they do not have other vessels of reception to hold the light in them. Even the lights that belong to the three previous phases must be received in phase four, since they do not have their own vessels of reception. Thus, because phase four stopped receiving, all the light promptly disappeared.
17. After the light departed because of the restriction, she drew the light from Ein Sof once more in the form of a line, meaning only a small amount of light, containing only the first three phases of the will to receive, without phase four (Part One, Chapter Two, Item 2). according to what we have explained, that there are no vessels of reception whatsoever in the first three phases of the desire, we should therefore ask how can light be received without vessels of reception? After all, these three phases still do not have any form of reception in them. Moreover, phase four, the only vessel for reception in the Partzuf, is here only as a line.
18. Since the restriction is only from the perspective of the emanated being, and not at all from the perspective of the Emanator, the upper light is not at all meticulous about the restriction that the middle point performed. Because of that, it is considered that the upper light descends to phase four, too, but phase four detains it from appearing within her due to the prior restriction on phase four before that light came. The books call this matter “coupling by striking” since it is similar to two objects where one wishes to break through and pass over the fence and the boundary that the other erected, but the other stands firmly against it and prevents it from trespassing. In that state, each one strikes the other’s boundary.
It can also be compared to two solid matters because the nature of the liquid is that it lets other things permeate and mix with it, and soft matters, too, let other matters permeate them a little and push their upper shell to some extent. However, with two solid matters, one does not let the other push it from its boundary even a little. As a result, when two hard objects meet, they strike one another since the encounter itself is the cause of this striking.
The same applies to the expansion of the upper light from Ein Sof: Its conduct is to fill phase four, as well, in the way it is in Ein Sof. For this reason, the light indeed descends to clothe in phase four, but the force of the restriction of phase four detains it and does not let it descend into her. Consequently, this encounter of the upper light with the force of the restriction is called “coupling by striking,” meaning that each of them obstructs and detains the passage of the other, because the conduct of the light of Ein Sof is to fill phase four, and phase four herself has the conduct of rejecting the upper light, not receiving it.
19. A new light was born and emerged by the above encounter and striking that was done in phase four. Like sunlight on a mirror, meaning on a glass that is painted on the other side, the lines of the sun cannot pass through the mirror because of the paint on the other side. Consequently, the lines of the sun return backwards, and produce there a glitter of light. In much the same way, when the upper light meets the force of the restriction in phase four, called a “screen,” that screen turns it back to its root. However, it is not a matter of concealment, but to the contrary, the return of the upper light from phase four upwards is regarded as a new and special light. It mounts the upper light, clothes it, and holds it within it. Because of this, it is regarded as a vessel that receives the upper light.
20. Know that there are no other vessels of reception in the Rosh of every Partzuf, other than the above reflected light. The entire force of reception in this reflected light comes because it is born and emerges from the striking that is done in phase four. Because it is a consequence of phase four, it becomes a vessel of reception like it. This matter will be explained in full in Part Three, for that is its place.
21. Now you can understand what we asked above: “How can the upper light expand only in three phases, while no vessels of reception reach these phases?” From the preceding explanation you can thoroughly understand that now, the reception of that light also stems only from phase four. However, in the vessels of reception of the reflected light that rises from the coupling by striking in phase four, that reflected light is the vessel of reception in the line that is extended from Ein Sof into the space, and it is exactly like phase four herself, who is the phase of reception in Ein Sof. Thus, now, after the restriction that was missing in phase four, the reflected light that is born by the screen in her takes her place.
22. It has already been thoroughly clarified that although there are four phases in the will to receive, not all of the phases are regarded as vessels for reception, but only phase four. We have also learned that the vessel for the reception of that line, which is extended from Ein Sof into the space after the restriction, is the reflected light that rises from the screen in phase four. Because it stems from phase four, through her, it becomes capable of being a vessel of reception. It will be explained that this reflected light does not complete its qualification of becoming a vessel for reception before it expands from its screen downward, too. Consequently, the screen expands once more into four degrees, up to phase four, and these are the real vessels of the above-mentioned line.
Conversely, the first four phases that were emanated by the power of coupling by striking from the screen and above up to the root, are regarded as only the roots of the vessels since the force of the screen cannot rise with that reflected light from its place and above. Hence, there is only light there, without any coarseness of screen. For this reason, these are not real vessels, but only roots for the vessels. Afterwards, when this reflected light expands downward from the place of the screen, it leads the coarseness of the screen with it, and becomes the real vessels.
23. Now there opens before us a way to understand our previous question about the order of the Sefirot of straightness, in which the coarser is higher and more important. This is opposite from common sense, since according to common sense, the more refined vessel should clothe the higher and more important light, and the coarse vessel should clothe a lower and lesser light. You can understand it from the aforementioned, but we should first elaborate on the meaning of the four phases in the desire, which are the vessels of the ten Sefirot called Hochma, Bina, Zeir Anpin, and Malchut, and their root, which is called Keter (and ZA alone consists of six Sefirot HGT NHY), which need an elaborate explanation.
24. There are three fundamental phases in these vessels: The first is the self of the substance of the vessel. The second is the force of restriction in her, meaning the retirement from the great will to receive, through its own independent choice, and not because of the control of the upper one on it. The third is the screen in it, meaning the retirement from the great will to receive by the control of the upper one on it. This is a compelled retirement, not of one’s own choice. We will explain them one at a time.
25. You already know that the substance of every vessel consists of four degrees of the will to receive, one below the other. The upper one is the reason and the cause of the emergence of its lower one. The root is the cause for the emergence of the desire in phase one; phase one is the cause for the emergence of the desire of phase two; phase two is the cause for the emergence of the desire of phase three; and phase three is the cause for the emergence of the desire of phase four. This compelled cascading of cause and consequence has already been thoroughly clarified in Part One (Inner Light, Chapter One, Item 50, study it there well for I wish to avoid the repetition of that long text unnecessarily. However, you should study these matters in depth for I rely on them in the continuation of my henceforth explanation).
26. We should note that there are two phases in each of these four phases: The first is the amount of substance that came to it by its own reason. The second is the amount of substance in its essence, which is activated by the light that is clothed in it. It is known that the desire in a degree is called by the name of the Malchut of that degree. Even where no recognition of a vessel is discerned, meaning in Ein Sof, we still call the desire that is there by the name Malchut of Ein Sof. Concerning “He is one and His name is one, it is known that a “name” is an appellation of the sefira of Malchut, and “His name” is “desire” in Gematria.
27. Now we shall explain the two phases we should discern in each of the four phases: The root of each degree, which is the discernment of the instilling of the light of Ein Sof on it, is called the Keter of that degree. It is known that in the upper light, there is only the will to bestow and to do good to others, meaning to entire reality that exists in the worlds He has created. However, there is nothing in Him of the will to receive, as is written at length in Inner Observation, Part One. Malchut of Keter is the cause for phase one, since the desire in the upper one becomes mandatory and a must in the lower one.
Thus, the will to bestow and to do good, which is Malchut of Keter, became the “will to receive” in phase one, called Hochma. It is regarded as though Malchut of Keter herself came down and clothed and became the will to receive of phase one, meaning its actual substance. It is so because the desire in phase one is the substance in that phase, and the upper light, called Haya, is clothed in that substance. Hence it is considered that Malchut of Keter became the substance of the Sefira called Hochma. This is the first discernment that should be made in the substance of phase one.
28. The second phase is that after the upper light, called Haya, expanded inside Malchut of Keter, which is the aforementioned substance of Hochma, Malchut of Keter received the real substance of phase one. This means that although Malchut of Keter, namely the will to bestow that is included in the upper light, became a will to receive and the first substance of phase one, it was sufficient only to be a root for phase one, meaning for this will to receive to draw the upper light into it. We can call it the “first substance of the Sefira Hochma,” for it is still regarded as emanator and Keter. It shifts from being Emanator and Keter into being emanated being and Hochma, called phase one, only after the aforementioned will to receive extends into it the light of Haya that is related to it. Then, it stops being regarded as an emanator and is regarded as an emanated being or Hochma. Study it thoroughly and you will not miss the goal. Now you have learned the two phases in the vessel that is called Hochma: The first is called Malchut of the upper one, meaning before she drew her light, and the second is called the vessel of Hochma itself, namely Malchut of Hochma, since the vessel is always called Malchut.
29. The same is observed in the substance of phase two, called Bina. Her cause is the desire in phase one, called Hochma, meaning only Malchut of Hochma. The desire in the degree is always called the “vessel,” or “Malchut” of the degree. That Malchut of Hochma clothed and became the first substance in the Sefira of Bina, so as to draw the light that is related to her. This is the first phase in the substance of phase two, called Bina. Then, when she drew the light that is related to her, called Neshama, her substance went out from being Malchut of Hochma, which is phase one, and acquired its own form, meaning the actual phase two, called Bina.
30. In this way you will also learn the substance of phase three, called Zeir Anpin. Malchut of Bina is its cause, and she became the first substance of Zeir Anpin, namely phase three, so as to draw the light that is related to it, called Ruach. The second phase is after he drew and received his light. At that time, his substance stopped being regarded as Malchut of Bina, and received the form of Malchut of Zeir Anpin.
31. So are the two phases in the substance of phase four: Malchut of Zeir Anpin is her cause, which clothed and became the first substance of phase four, called Malchut. When she received sufficient light of Nefesh that is related to her, Malchut of Zeir Anpin departed from Zeir Anpin and became phase four, meaning regarded as Malchut of Malchut.
32. Understand, that although we have clarified and ascribed a phase of reception to each and every phase in and of itself, it relates only to the drawing of light, where each phase draws for itself its respective light. However, a real vessel, which merits the name “vessel of reception for the emanated being,” is specifically phase four, and not its three preceding phases.
33. In order to provide an accurate and elaborate explanation, now I will clarify this to you through the words of our sages (Pesachim 25): “It is said, ‘A pleasure that comes to a person against his will, Abaie [name of a sage] said, ‘permitted,’ and Raba [name of another sage] said, ‘forbidden,’ possible and intending, impossible and intending, the whole world does not dispute that it is forbidden. Impossible and not intending, the whole world does not dispute that it is permitted. They were disputed over possible and not intending.’” RASHI interpreted that it is possible, possible for him to be separated. Intending, he intends to come near in order to enjoy it, like a scent of sin, see there.
34. Four phases of receiving pleasure are found in their words: Phase one is “impossible” for him to be separated and “not intending” to come near and enjoy, for by receiving a forbidden pleasure in such a way, the whole world does not dispute that it is permitted since the reception and the desire do not matter when there is no way or a choice not to receive, and there is also no desire to draw near to the forbidden in order to enjoy it.
35. Phase two is possible for him to be separated, and not intending to draw near and enjoy. Regarding the reception of the forbidden in such a way, Abaie and Raba are disputed: Abaie thought that although it is possible, meaning that there is a choice to draw far and refrain from enjoying the forbidden, it is still permitted to draw near and enjoy it because he is not intending. In other words, because there is no desire in his heart to draw near the forbidden, it is not regarded as reception, although he does draw near and enjoys the forbidden. Raba said that because he can refrain from approaching and enjoying the forbidden, he is forbidden to come near and enjoy. It is so even if he has no desire to draw near the forbidden and enjoy.
36. Phase three is impossible and intending. This means that it is impossible for him to be separated and to draw far from the forbidden so as to refrain from enjoying it. Intending means that he has a desire to enjoy the forbidden. There is no dispute in the whole world that enjoying the forbidden in such a way is forbidden. Although he cannot, and has no way to separate himself from the forbidden and refrain from enjoying, because he has a desire in his heart to enjoy and approach, this desire is regarded as reception of pleasure from something that is forbidden to enjoy, and he sins. Yet, some say that even here, Abaie thought that it was permitted.
37. Phase four is possible and intending. This means that it is possible for him to be separated and move away from the forbidden and refrain from enjoying it, and he is also intending, meaning that he has a yearning to draw near and enjoy the forbidden. Here, the whole world agrees that it is forbidden since it is receiving pleasure from the forbidden in the crassest way, for he craves the pleasure, it is possible for him to separate himself, and he does not do so. Therefore, it is regarded as the greatest will to receive in its final form, which is forbidden according to everyone. Even according to those who speak according to Abaie, who permitted in the third phase, here they admit it is forbidden.
38. Their above words provide us with the precise terms by which to define each and every phase of the four phases of the will to receive in a way that hits the mark and does not miss the desired purpose. They have given us four degrees, one below the other, in the sin of forbidden pleasure, which depends on the will to receive of the sinner. In the first three degrees—impossible and not intending, possible and not intending, and impossible and intending—the prohibition on pleasure is not agreed by all, but only in phase four.
39. We see that our sages put two things together here: the possibility to separate and not receive the pleasure, and the yearning and attraction of the heart to want that pleasure. The combination of these two creates the four phases. Now we will accept these words and examine them regarding our matter in the upper worlds, which are the roots of every kind of desire in reality, and from the lower one, we shall learn the upper one.
40. We should distinguish two phases in phase one, which is called Hochma, as well as Haya (Part Two, Inner Observation, Item 27): The first phase is her first substance. You already know (Part Two, Inner Observation, Item 23) that it is her Malchut of the upper one, meaning Malchut of Keter, which received the form of the will to receive. In this new form, Malchut of Keter received a new name: phase one. You already know that when a spiritual entity acquires a new form, it becomes distinguished as a new authority in and of itself. So it is with Malchut of Keter, who is the will to bestow in the Emanator. When the desire to emanate was seemingly born in Him, He certainly does not need a tool of action. Rather, His desire was instantly carried out, meaning that she received the form of the “will to receive” which is the first substance of the emanated being, who is called phase one.
41. Here you should remember that there is no absence in the spiritual. What is said about Malchut of Keter receiving the form of phase one does not mean that Malchut of Keter is now absent from Keter. Rather, Malchut of Keter retained her initial merit, unchanged. It is like lighting a candle from another without the first being diminished. That Malchut of Keter, which received phase one did not diminish Keter in any way, but only added a new phase. In other words, Malchut of Keter remained in her place, as complete and virtuous as before, but a new phase of Malchut of Keter has been added, namely the Malchut that received phase one and became the first substance in the Sefira Hochma. Remember this henceforth and you will not be confused.
42. The second phase is of the substance of that vessel after it received its light. At that time, the vessel is completed and is called Hochma. In other words, before she received her light, she was named only after her own phase, meaning phase one, and was still not a vessel of Hochma, but only Malchut of Keter. This can be likened to a fetus in its mother’s abdomen. Before it is born and given its light and vitality, it does not have a name. So it is with the first substance: Before it receives its light, it does not bear the name Hochma, but is still incorporated in Malchut of Keter. Afterwards, when the substance draws its light, called Haya, it acquires its unique name, meaning Hochma (Item 27). We should distinguish these two phases in each and every Sefira. They are: the vessel before it receives the light, when it is still named after the upper one, and the vessel after it receives the light, for then it is regarded as its own authority.
43. Now you will understand that phase one, which is Hochma, is regarded as impossible and not intending. From the perspective of her first substance, which Malchut of Keter, when she received the new form of phase one, when the Sefira Hochma still did not have its own name, that appearance of the will to receive is certainly regarded as impossible with regard to the Sefira of Hochma itself. Also, from the perspective of Malchut of Keter, she is regarded as impossible, since she cannot emanate the Hochma without Hochma having a will to receive, for receiving the abundance without the will to receive it is regarded as coercion and a burden, the opposite of the intention of the Emanator, which is to do good and delight.
She is also regarded as not intending, meaning she has no attraction and yearning to receive the light, for you already know that there is no wholeness in the desire before the yearning and attraction to the light appear in it (Part One, Chapter One, Item 50). It has also been thoroughly clarified there that the yearning appears only when there is no light and abundance in the vessel, since it is possible to yearn for it. However, that cannot come to be when the vessel is still filled with her light. Thus, because the above vessel of Hochma is filled with its light, it still has no yearning for the abundance. This is why Hochma is regarded as not intending, meaning that she does not have attraction and yearning for the abundance.
44. Phase two, which is Bina, is regarded as possible and not intending. Her first substance (Part Two, Inner Observation, Item 29) is her Malchut of the upper one, meaning Malchut of Hochma that received within her the new form of phase two, meaning through her intensification (Part One, Chapter One, Item 50). From that perspective, the intensification of that desire is regarded as possible. This means that it was possible for her to avoid awakening that desire.
She is also regarded as not intending because it is Malchut of Hochma, and is filled with her light. For this reason, the yearning is not revealed in her. You should understand that any additional appearance of the desire that were made in phase two more than in phase one, is only regarded as possible. In other words, it is the intensification of the desire that she made by the power of the emanated being himself (Part One, Chapter One, Item 50).
45. We might ask: “But Malchut of Keter, when she became phase one in the Sefira Hochma, also had the same possibility not to take on that new form of the will to receive. Thus, why is phase one regarded as impossible?” Indeed, there is a big difference here: Malchut of Keter could not emanate the emanated being without it having a will to receive. Conversely, Malchut of Hochma, who is the emanated being itself, could settle for her own will to receive, without an awakening with a desire to bestow, which is phase two, and drawing light of Hassadim, since the light of Haya is quite sufficient for the emanated being, and he does not need any addition.
46. Phase three, which Zeir Anpin, is regarded as impossible and intending. It is impossible because after phase two awakened and drew the light of Hassadim, it caused a delay on the light of Hochma in the emanated being. The will to bestow is opposite from phase one, which is a will to receive, where there is light of Hochma. Since the light of Hochma is the essential vitality of the Partzuf, that light is called Haya [alive/life]. For this reason, Malchut of Bina necessarily drew illumination of the light of Hochma once again into her light of Hassadim, and when Malchut of Bina drew it and created that new form, she emerged from being phase two and became phase three, called Zeir Anpin (Part Two, Inner Observation, Item 30).
47. We should discern two things in this extension, which is phase three: The first is Impossible, meaning she has no other choice since the light of Haya was absent in the emanated being. The second is Intending, for here there is yearning for the illumination of Hochma that she drew, because she drew it when she was empty from it because phase two was covering the light of Hochma and there was only light of Hassadim in her, without Hochma. For this reason, her Malchut, which drew the illumination of Hochma, drew it as a yearning called intending. Hence, the phase of Zeir Anpin is called impossible and intending.
48. Phase four, which is Malchut, is regarded as possible and intending. It is possible because there is already illumination of Hochma in Zeir Anpin, meaning in phase three. Thus, Malchut of Zeir Anpin does not have to perform this intensification once more in order to draw a greater light of Hochma than in phase three. It is regarded as intending because this intensification, after the light of Hochma, created a yearning. In other words, when she does not have light of Hochma, it is then that the yearning appears.
49. We might ask: “Since there is illumination of Hochma in phase three, which is why phase four is regarded as possible, how then does the yearning for light of Hochma appear in phase four?” You must understand that there is a big difference between the illumination of Hochma and the light of Hochma. Illumination of Hochma means that the self of the degree is the light of Hassadim, but it receives illumination from the light of Hochma. conversely, the light of Hochma, the entire self of the light is Hochma, and not Hassadim at all. Illumination of Hochma is quite sufficient for the sustenance of the degree, as it is in phase three, which is Zeir Anpin. This is why Malchut of Zeir Anpin, which intensified her desire to draw light of Hochma, did not have to have it. Rather, there was a yearning in her for the self of the light of Hochma, which is much higher than the illumination of Hochma in phase three. With regard to the above-said light of Hochma, she is regarded as empty of that light. Hence, it is possible that a yearning for it will appear in her.
50. Thus, we find that not all the desires are regarded as vessels of reception, but only phase four. This is because the desire is not regarded as reception, except under the two conditions—possible and intending. This means that there should not be coercion for reception, and a yearning to receive will appear in it. It is the opposite with phase three: Although there is a yearning to receive there, meaning intending, because the reception is compulsory, since it is its necessary vitality, it is not regarded as a vessel of reception. Conversely, although phase two does not have to receive, since there is no yearning there, she is not regarded as a vessel of reception. It is all the more so with phase one, who has neither, for she must receive her light, which is her vitality, and at the same time she has no yearning. Thus, it is certainly a completely faint desire.
51. Once we thoroughly learned the four degrees in the will to receive one below the other well, in its precise measure, we will now explain the matter of the restriction, the screen, and the difference between them. The restriction has already been thoroughly explained in Part One and in Inner Light here, and we need not repeat the words here. The main thing we need for our concern is the equivalence that was there (Inner light, Part One, Chapter One, Item 90).
52. It has been explained above that since the light of Ein Sof is completely even, it had to restrict itself evenly on all sides. This means that all four phases that were restricted are of equal level, without a discernment of refinement and coarseness that make four degrees be one below the other down to phase four, the coarsest and the lowest of them all. Rather, they are all even. All that was added in the restriction, to distinguish in it more than in Ein Sof, is only the matter of the four phases with respect to their causing and cascading from each other by way of cause and consequence. Phase one is the reason and the cause of the emergence of phase two; phase two is the cause of phase three; and phase three is the cause of phase four. However, in terms of refinement and merit, they are even.
53. This matter of cause and consequence that nevertheless divides them into four phases could not emerge in Ein Sof prior to the restriction since there, even the vessel in general is not apparent. Rather, it is all light, as it is written in Part One. However, after the light of Ein Sof departed from those phases, they became apparent and what we must now discern became disclosed, namely the light itself, meaning what was in them before the restriction. The four phases themselves remained empty of light because after the restriction, it became apparent that these phases are not the same as the light of Ein Sof, as was apparent prior to the restriction. This is like a candle that is incorporated in a torch: It is indistinguishable. However, when separated from the torch, it becomes apparent to all.
54. There seems to be a question here: Since the restriction occurred primarily in phase four, it became evident that that phase is unfit to receive the light. However, it became evident that the three preceding phases, on which the restriction was not evident, are suitable to receive the light. Thus, we have a distinction of merit and importance of one over the other. In other words, phase four is lower than the first three phases.
55. The thing is that the restriction of the light in phase four was not because of her inferiority, for we are still dealing with Malchut of Ein Sof, where phase four was as the light of Ein Sof itself. Thus, how can we even think that the restriction was due to the inferiority of phase four? Rather, the restriction was only as an adornment, when that Malchut wanted the highest possible adhesion, to adhere to the Emanator completely, which is the greatest equivalence of form with the Emanator (Part One, Chapter One, Item 90). Thus, phase four did not lose her merit after the restriction, too.
56. Now we will explain the screen that was made over phase four, which is Malchut. When the world of restriction, meaning Malchut of Ein Sof was clothed there, as it is known that every degree begins with her Malchut of the upper one that becomes her first substance (Item 27). When that restricted Malchut drew the upper light over the first three phases once more, this extension was necessarily with the yearning in phase four in her. This is because the first three phases are not vessels of reception and extension whatsoever. Thus, it was necessary for her to first draw the upper light into all four phases, even to her phase four. However, in order to prevent the light from reaching phase four, she had to add a new force so as to detain the light from spreading to phase four.
57. That new force that she added is called a “screen.” That screen is the fundamental factor in the extension of the light of the line over the three phases, since because the restriction she performed, meaning revoking her desire from receiving in phase four, sufficed only for the departure of the upper light only from her. However, afterwards, she drew the light once more, and was forced to reawaken her phase four in order to draw that new extension. Thus, if she had not made that new force toward the expansion of light, the light would have reached phase four once again. Thus, the primary factor in the extension of the light of the line on the three phases is only the force of the screen exclusively, which she made once more with respect to the light. You must thoroughly understand these two phases, namely the restriction and the screen, for they are the foundations for all the rest in this wisdom.
58. You must understand the difference between the restriction that Malchut of Ein Sof did, which is the departure from the great will to receive of her own volition, and her choice to equalize her form completely with the Emanator, and the screen, which is the detaining force, through control and compulsion, so that no light would reach phase four.
59. The reason for this is that although both the restriction and the screen were made by Malchut of Ein Sof, you already know that when a spiritual entity acquires a new form, additional to its own, by this it is regarded as two spirituals, and as two phases that are as far apart from one another as the measure of their disparity of form. Just as corporeal objects become separated from one another by an axe, and are distanced from each other by place and area, the spirituals are distinguished from each other by an innovation of form. Their distance from each other is according to the measure of disparity between one form and the other, whether less or more.
60. Thus, after the above Malchut performed an extension on the light of the line over three phases, this extension is regarded as a new form that was added to the form of restriction. Thus, how there are two phases in the above Malchut: The first is the restricted Malchut, which is the first form that was made in Malchut of Ein Sof, and which now received a new form called the “restricted Malchut.” Later, when that Malchut performed an extension on the light of the three phases, a new form was born and emerged, which is called a screen, preventing the light from appearing in phase four. It is known that every desire in the upper one becomes an authority in the branch that comes out from it. Since the screen is a branch, a consequence of the restricted Malchut, hence, although Malchut restricted herself voluntarily and knowingly, without any control by her upper one, the consequence that is extended from her, namely the screen, is already completely controlled by the restriction, since it is a second degree in the world of restriction.
61. It follows from the above that there are two phases of Malchut: The first is the restricted Malchut, and the second is Malchut that has a screen. Know that this is the whole difference between the Sefirot of the circles and the Sefirot of straightness, which are called a “line.” Malchut in the ten Sefirot of circles is the restricted Malchut, where there is no screen, and Malchut in the ten Sefirot of straightness is corrected with the above-mentioned screen.
62. Now you can thoroughly understand the matter of the reflected light that rises through a coupling by striking from the encounter of the upper light with the screen on phase four that we began to explain above (Item 18). You should understand what we said there, that the upper light is not meticulous about the restriction that the emanated being performed, and it comes down to expand in phase four, too. The reason is that the emanated being himself necessarily draws it to begin with. It has already been explained (Part One, Chapter One, Item 2) that the upper light is always in a state of complete rest and does not stop shining to the lower ones even for a minute, since it does not come under the definition of an incident and innovation. Rather, all the issues of the expansion of upper light that were discussed refer to the drawing on the part of the emanated being, who receives from the upper light according to the understanding of the will to receive, meaning the yearning in it, as has been explained above (Part Two, Inner Observation, Item 50).
63. At the very moment when the emanated being yearns to receive from the upper light, he immediately pumps to it the upper light, like one who lights a candle from another and the first is not lessoned. By the same manner, when the emanated being draws to itself the upper light, the upper light is not lessened at all because of that part that the emanated being drew into itself. Also, it is not impressed or affected in any way by the extension of the emanated being. Rather, in order to simplify matters, we refer to the extension of the emanated being as expansion of upper light. Remember this in every place, for we always speak of expansion of the upper light, and mean the extension of the emanated being by his yearning alone.
64. For this reason, after the restriction, when Malchut of Ein Sof drew the light once more, because she drew it through the yearning in her phase four, the upper light was drawn to phase four, as well. However, by the power of the screen that she had made, to detain the light from expanding into phase four, that part of the light returned backward. By this she fulfilled her initial will—that the light would reach her only in three phases. However, that part of the light that the screen pushed back to its root, meaning the part that was intended for phase four, did not vanish from her. Instead, it became a great light, clothing the three phases of the upper light, from the place of the screen up to the root. That reflected light became a vessel for reception of the three phases of upper light instead of phase four (Inner Observation, Item 21).
65. From the aforementioned you can thoroughly understand the measure and size of that reflected light. It is no more and no less than the measure of the light that the screen pushes backwards. In other words, it is the part that was intended to expand to phase four had the screen not pushed it back. It ascended and clothed the phases of the upper light, meaning phase three, called Zeir Anpin, phase two, called Bina, phase one, called Hochma, as well as the root phase, called Keter. For this reason, phase four is regarded as having been divided in itself into those four degrees that her reflected light clothed, and which became four degrees, one above the other in the vessel of phase four herself. This is because the light that belonged to her ascended and clothed these four degrees. For this reason, phase four is regarded as their root, called the Keter of this reflected light.
66. Now there are two kinds of ten Sefirot in the emanated being: ten Sefirot from above downward, and ten Sefirot from below upward. It is so because there are ten Sefirot in the upper light, which are the root, which is called “Keter of the upper light.” Also, four phases expand from Keter: Phase one is called Hochma; phase two is called Bina; phase three is called Zeir Anpin (containing six Sefirot HGT NHY); and phase four is Malchut. Their order is from above downward, meaning from the more refined to the coarser, meaning that the more refined is also more important, and the most refined of all, namely the root, is called Keter.
Following it, meaning the slightly coarser than Keter, it is called Hochma, and the coarsest, which is Malchut, the most inferior.
67. There are ten more Sefirot in the emanated being. They have an inverse relation to the ten Sefirot of the aforementioned upper light, namely the ten Sefirot of reflected light that rises from the screen in phase four. They clothe the ten Sefirot of upper light, and their order is from below upward, meaning from coarse to refined. The coarsest is of the highest merit, and the greater the refinement, the lower it is. This is an opposite order to that of the ten Sefirot of upper light.
68. The coarsest of all, namely phase four, is the most important, since she is the root of all these ten Sefirot of reflected light. It is so because this reflected light is no more than the part of the light that belongs only to her, and which the screen pushed back. Therefore, phase four is regarded as Keter, meaning the root.
69. Phase three, which is not as coarse as phase four, is regarded as the Sefira Hochma of reflected light, meaning second in degree to Keter. Phase two, which is more refined than phase three, is regarded as the third degree from Keter, meaning Bina. Phase one, which is even more refined than phase two, is regarded as the fourth degree in merit from Keter, meaning the Sefira Zeir Anpin, consisting of six Sefirot HGT NHY. The Keter of direct light, the most refined of all, is regarded in relation to the aforementioned reflected light as only Malchut, meaning of the least merit. This is because the greater the coarseness, the greater the importance, and the greater the refinement, the lower the degree, since the degrees expand from coarse to refined. Remember that well.
70. Phase four herself is also divided into ten Sefirot, meaning four phases and Keter, by the power of her reflected light that expands to ten Sefirot. It is so because phase four herself is the Keter of reflected light, namely the root, and the nine Sefirot of reflected light that expand and rise from her are her branches. It is known that all the branches are included and exist in the root. Hence, five phases are discerned in phase four herself, which are Keter and the four phases, which are from below upward.
71. Now you can understand what we have said above (Part Two, Inner Observation, Item 8). The extent of reflected light is measured by the amount of coarseness in the screen. The coarsest screen, namely the screen of phase four, reveals a complete degree up to Keter. The screen of phase three reaches only up to Hochma; the screen of phase two, only up to Bina; and the screen of phase one only up to Zeir Anpin. A screen that has not even the coarseness of phase one, which is like a root, reveals no level of light, but only Malchut. With the above explanation you will understand the aforementioned matter of refinement of the screen over the above five phases. It is the matter of the division of phase four herself into the five phases discussed here. The conduct of the screen is to ascend and be refined in these partial degrees of coarseness that exist in phase four, for a reason that we will learn henceforth.
72. In order to understand the issue of the refinement of the above screen, we must first present two forewords: The first is that the detaining force in the screen is equal to the level of coarseness, which is the yearning in phase four, like the two pans of the scales. There is a simple reason for it: If there is a great yearning to receive, it necessitates great efforts to refrain from receiving; and if there is a small yearning, it does not take a great effort to refrain from receiving. Thus, the detaining force in the screen is equal to the measure of coarseness in phase four, whether more or less.
73. The second foreword is that the surrounding light, which is not clothed in the emanated being, its nature is to refine the coarseness in phase four bit by bit, by order of the four phases, until it refines all the coarseness in it. First, it refines it from phase four to phase three, then to phase two, then to phase one, until it makes it completely refined, without any coarseness whatsoever.
74. The reason for it is that surrounding light is the upper light that cannot clothe in the emanated being because of the screen that detains it from expanding further than its own level. It remains outside the Partzuf and surrounds it. In other words, it shines on it from afar. Because the surrounding light wants to shine in the internality of the Partzuf, as well, as it did in Ein Sof, when it shone in phase four, too, it strikes the screen and refines it, meaning revokes the coarseness and hardness in it so it will be able to clothe.
75. In the beginning, the screen intensifies and pushes it back. Afterwards, the light intensifies and refines the screen. However, it revokes only the level of coarseness over which there was a coupling by striking. If the coupling by striking was on phase four, it revokes the coarseness of phase four that detains it from clothing in the Partzuf, leaving the coarseness of phase three, with which it had no dealings. If the coupling by striking was on the coarseness of phase three, it revokes only the coarseness of phase three, leaving the coarseness of phase two, etc. (The Study of the Ten Sefirot, Part 4, Inner light, Chapter One).
76. You already know that with any new form that forms in spirituality, the previous form does not become absent as a consequence, since there is no absence in spirituality, but there is only an additional form here. From this you can understand that that phase four that has now become refined into phase three in it, is regarded as having emerged from that emanated being into a new emanated being that was added to the first. Its Phase four is not the phase four in phase four, but phase three in phase four. However, that refinement did not cause any change at all in the first emanated being.
77. It has been explained above that the upper light does not stop shining to the lower ones even for a minute. Its expansion to the emanated being depends solely on the preparation of its vessel, meaning according to the measure of the will to receive in the emanated being. Any time the emanated being awakens and yearns for the upper light, it immediately receives it, to the extent of its desire, as it is written above (Part Two, Inner Observation, Item 63). Therefore, after phase four was refined into phase three, became a new emanated being in and of herself, and drew the upper light to herself, new ten Sefirot of upper light emerged in her from above downward, as well as new ten Sefirot of reflected light from below upward, just as the first emanated being had expanded. However, there is a big difference between their statures because the new emanated being lacks the level of Keter and has only the level of Hochma.
78. The reason for the absence of the degree of Keter in the second emanated being is that it does not have the coarseness of phase four in phase four, which, with respect to the reflected light, is the Keter in phase four. For this reason, the screen did not push back the upper light but only from Hochma downward, meaning that measure that was intended to enter phase three in phase four. Conversely, there would not be expansion in Keter of phase four even if the screen had not detained it, since the vessel that drew the upper light did not draw more than from Hochma and below to begin with. For this reason, the screen did not push the light of Keter back, but only from the light of Hochma downward. Therefore, the light of Keter is absent in this reflected light. Because the reflected light lacks the light of Keter, the light of Keter of the upper light is absent there, as well, since no light can clothe in the emanated being without reflected light to clothe it, which is its vessel of reception (Part Two, Inner Observation, Item 21). This is why it has only the level of Hochma.
79. The rule is that any extension of light must be only in phase four in the emanated being, even though there is no intention to draw the light into there. The reason is that the coarseness, which is above phase four, is unsuitable for extension (Inner Observation, Chapter Five, Item 56). Even phase one in phase four is more suitable for extension than the real phase three, which is above, meaning more refined than all of phase four. Therefore, if all the coarseness has vanished from phase four, there is no one there to draw light from Ein Sof and the light stops there entirely. Since the extension must be done with phase four, while at the same time, she must guard herself so that the light will not expand into her own phase due to the restriction on phase four, therefore, she set the screen on herself, which guards that thing. When the light expands and reaches phase four, the screen awakens and pushes that part of the light back to its root, and the part that is pushed back does not disappear, but is turned into reflected light, meaning that from it are the vessels of reception for the upper light.
80. Regarding the extension of light from Ein Sof, phase four and the screen that is placed on her are regarded as one because the hardness of the screen lies over the coarseness in phase four. Hence, in most cases, only the screen is mentioned. Regarding the extension of light, it necessarily refers to both. To keep our words brief, we, too, will name the extension of the light from Ein Sof only after the screen. Regarding the emergence of the degrees from one another, we will also refer to it with the name refinement of the coarseness, although it actually refers to the hardness in the screen. Remember that it refers to the levels of the coarseness in phase four, which make four levels of hardness in the screen.
81. The emergence of the degree of Hochma from the degree of Keter has already been explained in detail above. The first ten Sefirot emerged after the restriction by the encounter with the upper light in the screen that consists of the complete coarseness in phase four (Part Two, Inner Observation, Item 64). For this reason, it raised reflected light in the entire level up to the root, which is called Keter. Once that degree was completed with Rosh, Toch, and Sof, a part of the coarseness in the screen was refined from phase four to phase three (Part Two, Inner Observation, Item 74). Because the screen acquired a change of form, it is regarded as having gone out from the degree of Keter. Then, by the encounter of the light of Ein Sof with that screen, which was refined to phase three, a second ten Sefirot emerged, whose level is only up to Hochma, lacking Keter (Part Two, Inner Observation, 78).
82. Once that degree of Hochma was completed with Rosh, Toch, and Sof, the surrounding light returned and refined another part of the coarseness of the screen, meaning from phase three in phase four, to phase two in phase four. That new screen of phase two in phase four is considered to have gone out from the degree of Hochma for the same reason mentioned concerning the degree of Keter (Part Two, Inner Observation, Item 76). From the encounter of the upper light with that new screen of phase two emerged new ten Sefirot at only the level of Bina, lacking Keter and Hochma.
83. The reason for the absence of Hochma from this new degree is the same reason mentioned above (Part Two, Inner Observation, Items 75-76) regarding the absence of Keter. Because that phase four has only the coarseness of phase two, which is regarded as Bina of phase four, this extension that was made was not from her beginning, but only from Bina downward. Therefore, even the screen would not detain the upper light, it would not expand to phase four herself, but only from Bina and below. Thus, now the screen did not push back the Keter and Hochma that are intended for phase four, and therefore, there are no Keter and Hochma in this reflected light. Because that reflected light is not there, the upper light of Keter and Hochma is also not there, for they do not have vessels of reception.
84. After that new degree of the level of Bina was completed with Rosh, Toch, and Sof, the surrounding light returned and refined one more part from the coarseness in the screen, meaning from phase two to phase one. Consequently, it, too, is considered to have gone out from the degree of Bina. From the encounter of the upper light with the screen of phase one in phase four emerged ten new Sefirot on the level of Zeir Anpin. The first three Sefirot Keter, Hochma, and Bina, are absent here for the above reason.
85. Once the degree of Zeir Anpin was completed with Rosh, Toch, and Sof, the last part in the coarseness of phase four was refined, as well. It is also considered that that screen that was completely refined, departed from the degree of Zeir Anpin, and it is called “the degree of Malchut,” in which no new light was innovated, but it rather receives illumination from Zeir Anpin, for it no longer merits extension. Hence, all it has is the light of Nefesh. The rest about this matter will be explained in Part 3.
86a. A. It has been thoroughly clarified how all the measure of bestowal of the upper light in the emanated being depends on the measure of the coarseness of the screen. The greatest coarseness, namely phase four, is bestowed in the level of Keter, and the lesser degree is bestowed only in the level Hochma etc., down to the most refined screen, to which the upper light bestows nothing because it has no coarseness.
86b. However, all this refers to the bestowal and expansion of the upper light to the emanated being, because the giver always gives into the coarsest thing. It is so because the coarser the screen, the higher the light that expands to it (Part Two, Inner Observation, Item 62). However, it is not so with regard to the manners of reception of upper light by the emanated being. There, the more important light is received in the more refined vessel, and the lower one is received in the coarse vessel.
87a. We have said above (Chapter Two, Item 14) that the giver gives into the coarsest thing, but the receiver receives in the most refined thing. In order to explain these words, I will clarify for you the order of the entrance of the lights into the emanated being after the correction. At that time, it receives the lights slowly, gradually. First, it obtains the light of Nefesh; then, it obtains the light of Ruach, etc., up to the light of Yechida. In the vessels, it is the opposite: At first it obtains Keter, then Hochma, etc.
87b. This is the order: First, the emanated being emerges with ten vessels, which are Keter, Hochma, Bina, ZA, which consists of HGT NHY, and Malchut. In other words, the higher vessels come first. Then, when Nefesh is bestowed upon it, it is considered that this Nefesh comes to it in the vessel of Keter—the most refined vessel. The reason why it still does not have the light of Ruach is that the screen in Keter still does not have any coarseness, not even that of phase one, and light of Ruach is bestowed only by the encounter of the upper light with the screen of phase one. Because the screen is in the vessel of Keter, meaning that the screen is refined, without any coarseness, it therefore has only the light of Nefesh, attributed to Malchut.
88. When it acquires coarseness of phase one, then the light of Ruach is imparted to it through the encounter of the upper light with this screen of phase one. The place of that screen in the vessel of Hochma, which is phase one. However, although the screen of the vessel of Hochma is the one that drew the light of Ruach to the Partzuf, the light of Ruach dresses in the vessel of Keter, and the light of Nefesh that it had before, in Keter, descends to Hochma. The reason is that the order of the reception of the lights is that the more important light dresses in the more refined vessel, and the lower one in the coarser vessel. In other words, it is the opposite of the order of the giving. Hence, Ruach, which is more important than Nefesh, ascends and dresses in Keter, and Nefesh descends and dresses in Hochma.
89. Afterwards, when its screen acquires the coarseness of phase two, it is regarded that the screen is in the vessel of Bina. By the encounter of the upper light with that screen, the light of Neshama is bestowed upon it, which is more important than the lights of Ruach and Nefesh. Here, too, it receives the light of Neshama in the most refined thing, meaning in the vessel of Keter. That is, because the light of Nefesh, the lowest of all, which is in the vessel of Hochma, descends to the vessel of Bina, where there is a screen of phase two, which is now the coarsest vessel. The light of Ruach descends from Keter to the vessel of Hochma, and the light of Neshama, the most important of all, clothes the vessel of Keter, the most refined of them.
90. When its screen acquires the coarseness of phase three, it is regarded that the screen is now in the vessel of ZA, being phase three. Then, by the encounter of the upper light with this screen of phase three, the light of Haya is bestowed upon it, which is more important than the light of Neshama. For this reason, it must be received in the more refined vessel. Consequently, the light of Nefesh, the lowest of all, descends from the vessel of Bina to the vessel that is now the coarsest, which is the vessel of ZA, where there is the screen of phase three. Now the light of Ruach, which is in Hochma, descends to Bina, and the light of Neshama that is in Keter descends to Hochma, and the light of Haya, the most important of all, dresses in the vessel of Keter.
91. When the screen acquires the coarseness of phase four, it is considered that now the screen is in the vessel of Malchut, which is phase four. Then, through the encounter of the upper light with that screen of phase four, the light of Yechida, the most important light, is bestowed upon it. For this reason, it is received in the most refined thing, meaning in the vessel of Keter. Consequently, the light of Nefesh, the lowest light, descends from ZA to the vessel of Malchut, where there is the screen of phase four, and it is the coarsest. The light of Ruach descends from Bina to the vessel of ZA, the light of Neshama descends from Hochma to the vessel of Bina, the light of Haya descends from Keter to the vessel of Hochma, and the newly arrived light of Yechida dresses in Keter. Now, each light from NRNHY has reached its true vessel, designated to it.
92. Now you see the great difference between the order of bestowal of the upper light into the Partzuf and the order of the clothing of the light in the vessels. The giver needs the coarsest phase because the light of Yechida can come to the Partzuf only when it has a screen on the vessel of phase four. Prior to this, when such coarseness was not present there, but rather a thinner coarseness, meaning that of phase three, it was impossible for this important light, called Yechida, to be bestowed upon the Partzuf. Hence, when this important light is drawn to the Partzuf, it does not dress in the vessel of phase four, but in the most refined of all, namely in the vessel of Keter.
93. By the same manner, the light of Haya, which is bestowed only in a screen of the vessel of ZA, meaning phase three, when dressing in the emanated being, it does not dress in the vessel of ZA, but in the most refined vessel, namely the vessel of Keter. It is the same with the light of Neshama, which is imparted only with a screen with the coarseness of phase two in the vessel of Bina. Yet when it dresses in it, it dresses only in the vessel of Keter. Likewise, the light of Ruach, which is bestowed only into a screen of phase one in the vessel of Hochma, still, when it dresses in it, it does not dress in the vessel of Hochma, but in the most refined vessel, namely the vessel of Keter. Thus, each and every light that comes to the Partzuf, first comes in the vessel of Keter, as we have said that any receiver receives only in the most refined vessel, even though the bestowal came to it through the coarsest vessel.
94. From the aforesaid you can also understand why the circles do not receive any bestowal from the upper light, but must receive all their lights from the light of the line. It is so although the vessels of the circles precede the vessels of straightness of the line. It is a simple matter: They do not have any coarseness because all their four phases are equal (Part One, Chapter One, Item 100). Thus, only the vessels of straightness in the line, which have a screen and coarseness, are bestowed upon from the upper light, and the circles receive from them.
95. For this reason, the light of the circles is regarded as the light of Nefesh. The rule is that any degree that is not bestowed upon by the upper light, but receives its illumination through another degree, that light is called the light of Nefesh, or female light. Because the circles do not receive from the upper light, but receive their illumination through the line, they are regarded as female light, or light of Nefesh. It has also been explained about the vessels of straightness (Part Two, Inner Observation, Item 85) that if all the coarseness in the screen had been refined, there is no imparting of upper light there any longer, and there is only the illumination from the previous degree there, which is therefore called the light of Nefesh.
96. It is a wonderful law in the upper worlds that in every Sefira that we choose to examine, we find ten inner Sefirot. If we take a single Sefira from those ten inner Sefirot, we find another ten inner of inner Sefirot with relation to the first Sefira. Also, if we take one Sefira from the inner of inner Sefirot, we find in it ten Sefirot once more, which are inside the previous inner of inner ones, and so on indefinitely.
97. You will understand the reason for this according to the rule that there is no absence in spirituality (Part Two, Chapter One, Inner Light, Item 4). It explains there that it is impossible that there will be any kind of light in the lower one that will not exist in all the upper ones above it up to Ein Sof, since even a very small illumination that emerges in the lowest degree in the worlds must emerge from Ein Sof, and pass through all the worlds and degrees that precede that low degree until it comes there. Because this illumination cascades and passes through the degrees, it cannot be absent from the first degree because it has come to the second, and absent from the second when it comes to the third, etc., until it reaches the last degree, which receives it, as with corporeal objects that move from place to place. This is not at all possible in the spirituals, where there are no absence and replacement whatsoever. Rather, when an illumination travels through a certain degree, even if it only passes, it necessarily acquires its place there.
98. Her coming and transitioning to the following degree does not decrease the light that she had left and has acquired its place in the previous degree in any way. Rather, it is like lighting one candle from another without lessening the first. Here, too, when the light leaves the first degree and descends to the next, the light remains complete in both the first and the second. Likewise, when it enters the third degree, the light does not move from the second one at all; the light is complete in both the second and the third. In this way, it passes through all the degrees that precede the last degree, which is the actual receiver for which the light came down from Ein Sof, and becomes fixed in all of them. The reason for this is that there is no absence in the spiritual. Any light that shone in a spiritual phase once, will not move from that phase forever, not even a bit.
99. From the aforesaid you can thoroughly understand the matter of the incorporation of the ten Sefirot in one another and in one another endlessly. For example, when the first two Sefirot emerge, namely Keter and Hochma, the light of Hochma must emerge from Ein Sof, and must therefore pass through the Sefira Keter before it comes to the Sefira Hochma. Because the light of Hochma shone in the Sefira Keter once, namely when it passed through it, it is therefore impossible for it to ever be absent from there. Consequently, it necessarily implies that even after the light of Hochma has reached the Sefira Hochma, the light of Hochma remains complete in Keter. Thus, the Sefira Keter now has two lights: the light of Keter and the light of Hochma.
100. It is the same with the light of Bina. Because it must travel through the two preceding Sefirot before it comes to the Sefira Bina, the light of Bina necessarily acquires its place in both Keter and Hochma. Thus, now there are three lights in Keter: the light of Keter, the light of Hochma, and the light of Bina. Likewise, there are two lights in Hochma: the light of Hochma, the light of Bina, and one light in Bina, namely her own light. It continues in the same manner until the light of Malchut emerges. At that time, Keter has all ten Sefirot since all the nine lower lights necessarily traveled through Keter, thus acquiring their place there. There are also nine Sefirot in Hochma, because all the eight lower Sefirot below her traveled through her place and remained there. Likewise, there are eight Sefirot in Bina, seven in Hesed, six in Gevura, etc., through Malchut, who has only her own light because there is no other Sefira below it to pass through it.
101. Regarding the above-mentioned light of Malchut, both the light in her and the light that is incorporated from her in the first nine Sefirot, is only reflected light. You already know that since the restriction onwards, a screen was set on the Sefira of Malchut, and the light of Ein Sof is not received there. Instead, a coupling occurs there because of the encounter of the light of Ein Sof with that screen, at which time a new light emerges and rises from the screen in Malchut, which is called reflected light, and shines up to the Sefira of Keter above. It thus clothes all the ten Sefirot from below upward, which is the only way by which it is included in each Sefira of the first nine Sefirot (Inner Observation, Part Two, Item 19).
102a. The Sefira of Malchut is the source of the new light, and every source is regarded as Keter. Hence, Malchut is regarded as the Sefira Keter of that new light. The Sefira before her, meaning Yesod, is regarded as the Hochma of the new light, and the one before her, meaning Hod, is regarded as Bina. Finally, the upper Keter is now regarded as Malchut, meaning what it receives from the aforesaid light.
102b. We have learned that in each degree of the ten Sefirot there are two courses of ten Sefirot: a course of ten Sefirot that are extended from Ein Sof, from above downward, from Keter to Malchut, and which are called the ten Sefirot of the direct light, for they descend in straightness from above downward by a gradual order from the refined vessel to the coarser one, and from there to the coarser still, down to Malchut, the coarsest of all.
103. We have another course of ten Sefirot there. These are extended from the Sefira Malchut, from below upward, meaning from the Sefira Malchut to the Sefira Keter. In that case, Malchut becomes the origin of the new light, called the ten Sefirot of reflected light. They are called so since they are imparted and come in a reversed order of degrees. That is, it is not extended and travels from the refined vessel to the coarse one, where the last receiver is the coarsest. On the contrary, it is extended and travels from the coarsest vessel to the one that is less coarse. Finally, the last receiver is the most refined, which is why it is regarded as shining from below upward.
104. We have explained above about the incorporation of the Sefirot in the order of the ten Sefirot of direct light. Because there is no absence in spirituality, any illumination that passes anywhere remains there in completeness, even after it moves to a different location. For this reason, it is discerned in the emergence of the ten Sefirot of direct light, that all ten Sefirot are present in Keter, nine in Hochma, eight in Bina, etc. (Item 99). For this reason, the same is discerned in the ten Sefirot of reflected light, since here the Sefira Malchut becomes the origin of that reflected light. Thus, it is considered that every phase of reflected light that reaches the Sefirot above it must travel through the place of Malchut, since Malchut elicits that light by the power of her screen, which makes a coupling with the light of Ein Sof that meets that screen.
105. Therefore, when the Sefira Yesod receives her reflected light from Malchut, it necessarily means that Malchut received that light beforehand through a coupling with the light of Ein Sof that passed through Malchut and came to the Sefira Yesod. It follows that the light of Yesod is present in both Malchut and Yesod. It is the same with the reflected light that Hod receives, which necessarily acquired its place by passing through both Malchut and Yesod. In that state, we find that there are three lights in Malchut, two in Yesod, and one in Hod. Similarly, when Keter receives the last reflected light, there are already ten lights of the ten Sefirot of reflected light in Malchut, nine in Yesod, eight in Hod, etc. as was explained regarding the ten Sefirot of direct light.
106. It turns out that we have ten Sefirot in each and every Sefira of the ten abovesaid Sefirot, meaning together with the reflected light. In other words, the light of Malchut that is received in each and every Sefira completes to ten Sefirot. In Keter there are nine Sefirot of [direct light]—KHB HGT NHY—and one Sefira of reflected light, which is Malchut, for she receives last from the ten Sefirot of reflected light. Consequently, he has only one light of the reflected light.
107. Hochma has eight Sefirot of [direct light]—HB, HGT NHY—and two Sefirot of reflected light, which are her own part, which she received from the reflected light of Malchut, which is Yesod of reflected light, and the second is the part of Keter that passed through her and does not move from there again, namely Malchut of reflected light. Bina has seven lights of direct light, which are Bina, HGT NHY, and three Sefirot of reflected light, which are Hod, Yesod, Malchut. She has Hod from her own; Yesod, from the part of Hochma that traveled through her, and Malchut from the part of Keter that traveled through her, meaning from Bina and above.
108. Hesed has six Sefirot of direct light, which are HGT NHY, and four Sefirot of reflected light, which are from Hesed and above. In other words, her own part, which is Netzah, and the parts of Bina, Hochma and Keter, which are Hod, Yesod, and Malchut that passed through her and were set there. Likewise, Gevura has five Sefirot of direct light: Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, and Yesod. She also has five Sefirot of reflected light from Gevura and above, meaning the four parts—Keter, Hochma, Bina, Hesed—which are Netzah, Hod, Yesod, and Malchut, which passed through her, and her own part, which is Tifferet of reflected light. And Tifferet has four Sefirot of direct light from Tifferet and below, and six Sefirot of reflected light from Tifferet and above, meaning five parts KHB HG, which are TNHYM that passed through him, and his own part, which is Gevura of reflected light.
109. Netzah has three Sefirot of direct light from Netzah and below, which are Netzah, Hod, Yesod of direct light. It also has seven Sefirot of reflected light from Netzah and above, which are the six parts KHB HGT that passed through him. These are GTNHYM and her own part, which is Hesed of reflected light. Hod has two Sefirot of [direct light]—Hod and Yesod—and eight Sefirot of reflected light from Hod and above. These are the seven parts, KHB HGT and Netzah that passed through him, which are HGT NHYM of reflected light, and his own part, which is Bina of reflected light. Yesod has one Sefira of direct light and nine Sefirot of reflected light, from Yesod and above. These are the eight parts KHB HGT, Netzah and Hod, that passed through him, which are Bina, HGT NHYM of reflected light, and his own part, which is Hochma of reflected light.
110. It has been thoroughly explained that in every manifestation of ten Sefirot, wherever they might be, they must be incorporated with one another. However, when the ten Sefirot of direct light first emerge, they still do not have ten Sefirot in each of them until the light of Malchut is incorporated in them, too, namely the ten Sefirot of reflected light. Malchut has no other light, and that light of Malchut completes what is missing from the number ten Sefirot for each and every one of the ten Sefirot, until there are ten Sefirot in each and every one of them.
111. If, for example, you take the general Sefira of Keter from the general ten Sefirot, it already consists of ten inner Sefirot, meaning after the light of Malchut appears there, we can immediately see that in the first Sefira of that general Keter, which is now called Keter of Keter, meaning the inner Keter, there are necessarily nine Sefirot of direct light, which are in it, below it, which are HB and HGT NHY of direct light in the Keter.
112. Although it is only the Keter in them that is considered its own phase, the other nine Sefirot in it are but passing lights there. In other words, they are lower lights that have acquired their place there through passing from Ein Sof to the Sefirot below Keter. Yet, since they are in Keter, the highest Sefira, namely their inner Keter, necessarily, in and of itself, contains the nine inner Sefirot below it, too. Because these nine Sefirot are below it, they must have passed through it. Because they passed through it, they must have acquired their place in it, for there is no absence in the spiritual, just as we have said about the general ten Sefirot. It turns out that now this inner Keter itself also has ten inner of inner Sefirot that are nine of direct light, KHB HGT NHY, and one of reflected light, the light of Malchut, as mentioned regarding the Keter of the general ten Sefirot.
113. Likewise, when you examine the inner Sefira of Hochma from the ten inner Sefirot of the general Keter, called Hochma of Keter, by necessity, it now contains ten inner of inner Sefirot by the same manner we mentioned regarding the inner Keter. Because all eight inner Sefirot of the general Keter of direct light below her must have passed through that inner Hochma from above downward, having passed through her, they have necessarily acquired their place in her, in addition to the two Sefirot of reflected light, meaning from the light of the inner Malchut, which also passed through that inner Hochma from below upward. These are her own part of the reflected light and the part of the reflected light that belongs to the inner Keter. Thus, there are ten inner of inner Sefirot in the inner Hochma in the inner ten Sefirot of the general Keter, as well, as it is in the general Hochma of the general ten Sefirot.
114. Also, when you examine the inner Bina in the ten inner Sefirot of the general Keter, called Bina of Keter, you will also find that it necessarily contains ten inner of inner Sefirot, as we have seen in the above-mentioned inner Hochma. This is because all six inner Sefirot HGT NHY of direct light of the general Keter below her, necessarily passed from above downward through that inner Bina and acquired their place in her. Now, together with Bina herself, they are seven Sefirot of direct light. Also, the three inner Sefirot of reflected light passed through that Bina from the inner Malchut of the general Keter from below upward, meaning her own part of the reflected light, the part of the reflected light of the inner Hochma, and the part of the reflected light of the inner Keter. Thus, there are ten inner of inner Sefirot in the inner Bina in the ten Sefirot of the general Keter, as is written concerning the general Bina in the general ten Sefirot.
115. In the exact same manner, you find ten inner of inner Sefirot in the inner Hesed in the inner ten Sefirot in the general Keter. They are six of direct light, HGT NHY from above downward, and four of reflected light, from Hesed and above up to Keter. In the exact same manner, you will find ten inner of inner Sefirot in Gevura, etc., through the inner Malchut in those ten Sefirot, called Malchut of Keter.
116. You might ask: In the ten inner Sefirot of the above-mentioned general Keter, there is no reflected light that rose from the general Malchut, but only Nefesh, meaning the last part of the reflected light, the smallest of the entire ten Sefirot of reflected light (Item 112), so how can we say that that small part of reflected light has now expanded by itself into ten new Sefirot of reflected light, to the point of completing in each inner Sefira, all the inner of inner Sefirot that they need in order to complete their number to ten Sefirot?
117. Indeed, the answer is that it is ultimately necessary for that part of Nefesh of the inner reflected light that rose from Malchut to the general Keter to have clothed all nine inner Sefirot in the general Keter. Otherwise, these nine Sefirot of direct light would not have been captured and shone in the Partzuf at all, for it is known that direct light cannot connect with a Partzuf, except through the vessels of reception of the reflected light. Since that light of Nefesh clothed the nine inner Sefirot of Keter, we necessarily find that in passing from below upward, it completed each and every one of those inner Sefirot to the number ten inner of inner Sefirot that it lacked. It gave Hochma the two lights that she is missing: one light for her own clothing, and another light in passing, to clothe the Keter. It gave three to Bina and four to Hesed, as explained above.
118. Just as we have explained the ten inner of inner Sefirot in the ten inner Sefirot in the general Keter, so we will explain the ten inner of inner Sefirot in each and every one of the ten inner Sefirot of the general Sefira of Hochma. In Keter of the ten inner Sefirot of the general Hochma, called Keter of Hochma, you necessarily find ten inner of inner Sefirot, which are its own light, and the inner eight Sefirot Bina, HGT NHY, which passed through it from above downward, thus nine, and one reflected light that rose from the inner Malchut of the general Hochma. Thus, you have ten inner of inner Sefirot in the Keter of the general Hochma.
119. Likewise, the inner Hochma in the ten inner Sefirot of the general Hochma, called Hochma of Hochma, has eight of direct light from above downward, and two of reflected light from below upward. Similarly, the inner Bina in the inner ten Sefirot of the general Hochma has seven of direct light from above downward, and three of reflected light from below upward. So it is in Hesed, and so it is in Gevura, etc., through the inner Malchut in those ten Sefirot of the general Hochma, called Malchut of Hochma. She, too, has ten inner of inner Sefirot of reflected light, meaning because she necessarily clothes all the inner ten Sefirot of the general Hochma and sends them her illuminations. Thus, you find that they all necessarily passed through her and acquired their place within her.
120. Just so, the ten inner of inner Sefirot of Bina are discerned in the inner Bina, and likewise in the inner Hesed, inner Gevura, through the inner Malchut, and there is no need to elaborate further on this. Instead, we will explain one more Sefira from the inner of inner ones so as to show how it, too, in and of itself, is discerned by the same necessity as ten Sefirot in itself, which are now ten inner Sefirot of the inner of inner.
121. When we examine Bina of the inner of inner, which is, for instance, one Sefira of the ten inner of inner Sefirot in the inner Hochma in the ten Sefirot of the general Hochma, called Bina in Hochma of Hochma. Here, too, we find that she has ten Sefirot of her own, according to the same principle, meaning seven of direct light that passed through her from above downward, and three of reflected light that passed through her from below upward.
122. We can elaborate and make such discernments indefinitely, for whenever you take any Sefira, even after it has been divided a thousand times, that Sefira still comes from an order of ten Sefirot. Thus, some of those ten Sefirot have necessarily passed through that Sefira from above downward, and some of them passed from below upward. By this, those ten Sefirot have necessarily acquired their place in that Sefira for all eternity, as we have explained above. Thus, in that Sefira you necessarily have all ten Sefirot.
123. However, know that even when you divide the ten into ten, and the second ten to a third one, and so on, do not think that all the Sefirot remain equal. Rather, they change significantly as they divide, and one is not equal to the other since the lights of direct light never come in their place, as the Sefirot divide, except in Keter. Thus, in Hochma there are only eight of direct light, meaning from Hochma and below, and two of reflected light, Yesod and Malchut.
Therefore, the eight lights of direct light come in the more refined vessels, from Keter to Hod, and the two of reflected light in Yesod and Malchut. It follows that the light of Hochma comes in the vessel of Keter, and the light of Bina in the vessel of Hochma, etc., through the light of Yesod in the vessel of Hod. Thus, all the lights of direct light do not come in their place, and only the reflected light always comes in its place: The reflected light of Yesod comes in the vessel of Yesod and the reflected light of Malchut in the vessel of Malchut of Malchut.
124. Similarly, Bina has only seven lights of direct light, which are received in the more refined vessels, since any receiver receives in the more refined thing, meaning from Keter to Netzah. It follows that the light of Bina is in the vessel of Keter, and the light Hesed is in Hochma, down to the light of Yesod in the vessel of Netzah. Only the three lights of reflected light come in their place: the lights of Hod, Yesod, Malchut, in the vessels of Hod, Yesod, Malchut.
125. According to the above, there is a big difference between the inner Bina of Keter, the inner Bina of Hochma, and the inner Bina of Bina, etc. Only in Bina of Keter is the light of Bina in her own vessel. Conversely, in Bina of Hochma, there is only the light of Hesed in the vessel of Bina, and in Bina of Bina, there is only light of Gevura in the vessel of Bina. This is the case with all of them. Thus, one is not like the other.
126. We can discern changes in the manner of division even in the lights of reflected light, which do not change their places. This is so because wherever there is reflected light, illumination from direct light spreads to it. Therefore, in Yesod of Hochma, for example, illumination from the direct light of Hod of Hochma spreads to it. However, in Yesod of Bina, illumination from Netzah of Bina spreads to it, since there is no direct light in Hod of Bina.
127. The exception to the aforementioned rule is if you divide only the general Sefira. That is, if, for example, you take the general Sefira of Bina, and divide it from ten to ten, meaning divide the inner of inner Bina from the ten Sefirot of the inner Bina of the ten Sefirot of the general Bina, called Bina of Bina of Bina, they will all be equal, without any difference, for you will find in all of them the seven of direct light in the seven upper vessels KHB HGT Netzah, and three of reflected light in the three bottom vessels, Hod, Yesod, Malchut. It is likewise even after a thousand divisions, and likewise in the rest of the Sefirot.
128. The topic of coupling by striking requires an elaborate explanation. There is an apparent positive and negative together here, for coupling and striking mean rejection and separation, and great hatred. Thus, how can you say “a coupling of striking,” which implies love of hatred, or adhesion of separation, or extension of rejection? This is indeed perplexing.
129. Indeed, they are two opposites under one governance. However, this governance consists of two unique carriers, meaning two forces: a pulling force and a repelling force. The pulling force is in the coarseness of the vessel, and the repelling force is in the screen in the vessel. They have been assembled together and both govern simultaneously, at one time in two places.
130. I will elaborate in order to examine it thoroughly and make it acceptable to the mind without arousing any confusion or bafflement. I will give you an allegory from the imagined corporeal reality that is depicted and appears to our eyes: When you see a rock or a person falling from a high place to the ground, you see that that person is being pulled from above downward with great force and speed. Still, when he reaches the ground and touches it, the ground strikes him and pushes him a bit upward.
131. There are two conjectures here: One conjecture is that the earth has a great force that pulls everything that is placed in the air, if there is nothing solid to protect it. Thus, when a person disconnects from the roof of the house into the air, that pulling force of the earth immediately controls him. This explains the matter of the speedy fall to the ground. However, there is a question here, for according to this, the earth should have embraced him lovingly, without letting him move from it even a bit. Still, we see the opposite: The minute he touches it, it quickly pushes him back and he returns slightly upwards.
132. Conversely, there is another conjecture, that there is another force, which repels from above, from the air, a repelling force that operates on anything airborne and pushes it to the ground. At the same time, our earth has only the repelling force, and none of the pulling force. Thus, when the person disconnects from the roof of the house and becomes airborne, the repelling force instantly operates on him from above and brings him down to the ground. Hence, when he touches the ground, it pushes him back, upwards.
133. If we deduce from the branch about its root in the upper worlds, for matters are usually close to one another, we will find that both conjectures are incorrect. We might also say that each and every planet has a pulling force and a repelling force that are combined in one another. In other words, there is a force of coarseness, which is the pulling force to draw inwards everything that is outside of it, and opposite it, it has a force of hardness, which repels any external body from entering it. Thus, any extension must certainly come from the central point in its internality, for that is where its pulling force lies. It is so because the central point is coarser than the entire planet, and therefore pulls into it anything within that peripheral space under its force of operation and control.
134. However, it does not pull it to the point of swallowing it, as it should have been had there only been the pulling force. Instead, at the very moment when the pulled object touches its outer crust, the repelling force in the crust, which is the hardness, promptly awakens and repels it back up.
135. It turns out that what it pulled to it was received not by pulling, but in another way, since it was stopped midway by the force of hardness that repels it and detained it in its way. Thus, both coupling and striking operate here together, where the coupling pulls and the hardness repels. As a result, it receives it on it, and does not swallow it alive into its abdomen. We can therefore say that the vessel for reception is primarily the repelling force in it, which receives it and sustains it as it should be, for without the repelling force, it would be swallowed alive within it.
136. You can also see that the pulling and the repelling are as equal as two drops of water in the measure of their strength. Had the pulling force been a little stronger than the repelling force, it would have been impossible to move on it, for anything moving would be glued to it like iron to a magnet. Alternately, had the repelling force been somewhat stronger, the whole world would be dancing on it and would not be able to touch it. Thus, they are equal.
137. In the same manner, you can thoroughly understand the matter of coupling by striking conducted in the upper ones. Even though the coupling and the striking are two opposites, they still participate in one governance, simultaneously, at one time, but in two places, which are the coarseness and the hardness, and remember this for the rest of this wisdom