Topics examined in this lesson:
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The Spreading of the Worlds
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Reaching the World of Infinity
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The Partzufim of World of Atzilut
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Three Elevations in Shabbat
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Time – Spiritual Meaning
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Advancing with the Help of the Surrounding Light
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Final Correction
The birth of the five worlds:
(i) Adam Kadmon
(ii) Atzilut
(iii) Beria
(iv) Yetzira
(v) Assiya
is actually the realization of the five Sefirot: Keter, Hochma, Bina, Zeir Anpin, and Malchut, which were in Malchut itself.
The spreading of the worlds from Above to Below matches the progressive increase of the Aviut of the four desires or phases from 0 to 4.
The worlds are like a sphere surrounding Malchut. As an analogy, you can picture a man surrounded by spheres and using his organs of sensation to perceive only the sphere that is closest to him: the World of Assiya.
By sharpening his organs of sensation and by modifying his qualities, man begins gradually to perceive the next sphere, and so on.
All the worlds are a sort of filter placed in the Light’s path, a special Screen that blocks the Surrounding Light: the Ohr Makif.
As soon as man senses the presence of these worlds, he removes the “screen-filters.” This draws him closer to the Creator.
If the Light reached man without being filtered, it would bring about the Shevirat haKelim of man’s Vessels.
By removing all “Screen-Worlds” man allows all the worlds to penetrate him. At this stage man acquires the Light and possesses attributes similar to the Light’s.
Such a state of being is associated with Gmar Tikkun – the Final Correction.
In the beginning, a man is located inside the worlds and he perceives their power and the constraints imposed upon him.
How can one overcome these constraints? By performing an inner correction, corresponding for instance to the attributes of the World of Assiya. This means being an altruist on level zero.
After having been overcome, the World of Assiya penetrates man and can be sensed by him.
In order to sense the World of Yetzira, it is necessary to acquire attributes similar to those of this world and to allow this world to penetrate us.
At this stage we become level one altruists. The goal is to let all the worlds in, and to become similar to these worlds according to the following degrees of Aviut: 2, 3, 4.
By this means, Malchut is fully corrected and absorbs the first nine Sefirot, while man moves beyond the limits of all the worlds and reaches the World of Infinity (Olam Ein Sof).
To begin correction man needs to aspire to the attributes of the Creator as well as attain his own.
Each new Partzuf of the World of Atzilut starts from the Peh of the previous Partzuf, except the Partzufim of Zeir Anpin and Malchut; Zeir Anpin starts from the Tabur of Abba ve Ima and Malchut starts from the Tabur of Zeir Anpin.
The three Partzufim of Atik, Arich Anpin, and Abba ve Ima are called Keter, Hochma and Bina and this corresponds to Keter, Hochma and Bina of the World of Nikudim.
Rosh of the World of Atzilut corresponds to the two Heads of the World of Nikudim and fulfills the same function. Rosh of the World of Atzilut, which consist of Atik, Arich Anpin and Abba ve Ima, was the first to emerge on the Reshimot of the non-broken Kelim of the World of Nikudim.
However, Zeir Anpin and Malchut are gradually restored. Only Galgalta ve Eynaim is restored from Zeir Anpin and a single point from Malchut.
AHPs of Zeir Anpin and Malchut are in the Worlds of BYA. If these AHPs are corrected, then all worlds are corrected.
The correction is carried out with the help of the Partzuf of Adam HaRishon.
What is this Partzuf of Adam HaRishon like? Malchut of the World of Atzilut is raised to the level of Bina. This is achieved in three phases. The whole World of Atzilut then ascends three levels.
The normal condition of the World of Atzilut is called “a weekday.” During such days the World of Atzilut is illuminated by an incomplete Light which spreads down to the Parsa.
After this, a greater Light comes down from Above and grants higher attributes to the World of Atzilut, making it move up one level.
Now Malchut is located in the place of Zeir Anpin. Zeir Anpin now reaches the level of Abba ve Ima. Abba ve Ima replace Arich Anpin, which in turn rises to the level of Atik, which finally rises even higher into SAG.
The first elevation of the World of Atzilut takes place on Friday evening, Erev Shabbat.
Such a progression is called arousal from Above, itaruta de letata, in Aramaic. In our world this corresponds to days, weeks, time and all that is not dependent on us but dependent on the laws of nature and over which we have no control.
The next phase elevates the World of Atzilut one level higher. Malchut now stands on the level of Abba ve Ima, where it is endowed with an additional attribute: the intention to give.
At this stage Malchut may receive, for the Creator’s sake. It now has a Screen and is able to perform a Zivug de Aka’a, thus creating new Partzufim.
Based on the attributes of Abba ve Ima on the one hand, and on the attributes of the Malchut of the Ein Sof, on the other hand, Malchut creates a new Partzuf: Adam HaRishon.
For a Kabbalist, spiritual states, called Erev Shabbat (Friday evening), Shabbat (Saturday), Motzei Shabbat (Saturday evening) may be experienced on days bearing no connection to the calendar.
While on the Shabbat it is prohibited to smoke or to travel in a vehicle, in the personal Shabbat, everything is allowed.
That’s because the Kabbalist lives in this world and is compelled to do and obey its laws.
Thus, for a Kabbalist six days may last a split second, while Shabbat may last several days. These two kinds of things are totally incomparable.
Everything that occurs in this world relates to our body, but what takes place in the spiritual world relates to the soul.
For the time being, we can witness that our soul and body are not synchronized.
But in the future, when our world will operate with the same principles as the spiritual worlds, which will happen when the Gmar Tikkun is achieved, all the deeds of the two worlds as well as all the times will merge together.
If you changed and this has taken you one second, and your next change takes five years, then this means that your next second will have lasted five years.
In the spiritual world time is measured by the transformation of one’s attributes. A thousand years may elapse in our world before a man begins to study Kabbalah.
Upon entering the spiritual, we are able to live in a day what we used to live in several lives. This is an example of transformation and shrinking of time.
Spiritual years correspond to the 6,000 degree levels of BYA and they cannot be matched with our material time referential.
Ascent from the Worlds of BYA to the World of Atzilut is called Saturday, Sabbath or Shabbat. The portion ranging between Tabur of Galgalta and the Parsa is called Shabbat.
The first ascent is the ascent of the World of Beria to the World of Atzilut, the second one is the ascent of the World of Yetzira to the World of Atzilut, and the third one relates to the World of Assiya.
The ascent of the Worlds of BYA and the World of Atzilut takes place simultaneously.
When the third phase of ascent occurs, the World of Atzilut encompasses the Zeir Anpin and the Malchut of Atzilut and the Worlds of BYA.
At this time the Rosh of the World of Atzilut: Atik, Arich Anpin, Abba ve Ima, duly cross the boundaries of the World of Atzilut and enter the World of Adam Kadmon.
The Rosh of Galgalta ascends in its turn (Phase 1 of the ascent) together with Rosh AB (Phase 2 of the ascent), and with Rosh SAG (Phase 3 of the ascent) and enters the World of Ein Sof.
A man who reaches the first spiritual World of Assiya may, during the third phase of ascent, reach the World of Atzilut and experience the spiritual Shabbat.
This man would then be brought back to his initial state, because his ascent was not the result of his own efforts, but received as a gift from Above.
The direction of spiritual time is always from the bottom up. All souls, all of mankind, without being aware of the process, are constantly ascending, getting closer to the Creator in order to bond with Him.
This is called the direct flow of spiritual time. Time always is measured in the positive direction even if man may feel the process as being negative.
Man is egoistic, that is why the spiritual is perceived as negative. However, man never degrades himself when he walks the path of spiritual progression.
In this world man should not seek to inflate his egoism, rather he should long to come closer to the Creator instead.
While working in this direction until his final correction, man will increasingly sense his growing egoism, i.e. his natural egoism will be worsened compared to the divine attributes.
The study of Kabbalah implies the attraction of the Surrounding Light (Ohr Makif) whose function is to reveal to man what his true attributes are. These appear ever more negative, albeit they have remained unchanged.
In fact, man has only become more aware of the true nature of his attributes under the influence of the divine Light. This sensation is an indication that man has made progress, even if he believes to the contrary.
What are the Worlds of BYA like? They are the altruistic Kelim which have fallen into the AHP below the Parsa. These worlds are also divided into Galgalta ve Eynaim and AHPs. Their Galgalta ve Eynaim ends in the Hazeh (Chest) of the World of Yetzira, i.e. after the ten Sefirot of the World of Beria and the six Sefirot of the World of Yetzira.
The fourteen lower Sefirot from the Hazeh of Yetzira and below (four Sefirot of the World of Yetzira and ten Sefirot of the World of Assiya) are the AHPs of the Worlds of BYA.
The World of Atzilut illuminates with its Light the Worlds of BYA all the way down to the Hazeh of the World of Yetzira. The World of Atzilut is called Shabbat.
The sixteen upper Sefirot of the Worlds of BYA (Galgalta ve Eynaim), from the Parsa to the Hazeh, are called the “Domain of Shabbat” (Tehum Shabbat) but the World of Atzilut itself is called Yir (city).
Even when all the Worlds of BYA ascend to the World of Atzilut, it is still possible to work with desires located below the Parsa up to the Hazeh of the World of Yetzira(Galgalta ve Eynaim).
That is why in our world, it is allowed during Shabbat to cross the limits of the city, but only in the limits of the city within the boundaries of Tehum Shabbat.
This distance is measured as 2000 ama (approximately 3000 feet) and 70 ama. How is this distance divided?
From the Parsa to the Hazeh of the World of Beria it is called Ibur and equals 70 ama. This distance is included in the World of Atzilut even though it is located outside it. It is an outer strip surrounding the city. The distance from the Hazeh of the world Beria to the Hazeh of the World of Yetzira equals 2000 ama.
The whole distance between the Parsa and the Sium is 6,000 ama. The portion of the Worlds of BYA stretching from the Hazeh of Yetzira to the Sium is called “a filthy place” – Mador Klipot (the place of the Husks).
This Mador Klipot is composed of the AHPs of the Worlds of BYA, which embrace the four Sefirot of the World of Yetzira and the ten Sefirot of the World of Assiya. It is a place absolutely devoid of sanctity (Kedusha), one cannot go there during Shabbat.
In Israel, cities are surrounded by a special wired fence, which indicates that everything within this fence is related to the city. It is called an Eruv and it creates a unified territory for this city. Within these limits it is permitted to walk, to bring things in and out.
When a man ascends to the spiritual world and crosses the Machsom, he need not go through the Mador Klipot. For him the transition to the spiritual does not take place during Shabbat, when the Worlds of BYA are in the World of Atzilut.
The spiritual Shabbat does not begin at the same time for everybody.
In our world, Shabbat sets in at different times in different countries and cities, but if a man is not under the influence of the sun or the moon, for example in the cosmos, he has to adjust his Shabbat with Jerusalem time: in accordance with the spiritual understanding that the Creator is in Jerusalem.
The souls are lifted to the World of Atzilut to show them what inherent limits exist there, so that they can keep within them.
When a man sets himself limits he does not notice them, he is above these limitations, and they are not constraining.
Then the actions man undertakes stem from his own attributes. The goal of Creation implies a personal ascent, and Shabbat exists in order to show man what exists in the higher worlds, what there is to strive for.
The achievement of correction is when the Light of the Creator shines directly, no longer through the worlds that act like filters.
The shining of the Light is unbounded and brings unbridled delight to fulfill the goal of Creation.