Explains about the Eser Sefirot of Igulim that appeared after the Tzimtzum. Ohr Ein Sof surrounds them, and the entire Ohr of the Sefirot de Igulim is given to them by the Kav. There are eleven subtopics in this chapter:
1.The Kav is like a thin Tzinor.
2. Hitpashtut of Ohr Ein Sof into the Halal.
3. The Hitpashtut came about slowly.
4. The Igul is not cohesive with Ein Sof, but is connected to it through the Kav.
5. Ohr Ein Sof surrounds and influences the Igul from afar.
6. Kav is called Adam Kadmon.
7. The expansion order of the Eser Sefirot of Igulim.
8. The Kav connects all the Igulim.
9. Each Olam and each Sefira consist of ten inner Sefirot. Inside each Sefira there are another ten inner Sefirot, and so on and so forth ceaselessly.
10. The Sefirot of Igulim envelop each other like onionskins.
11. The closer the Igul to Ein Sof, the higher and better it is considered. Because Olam ha Zeh is at the middle point, the farthest from Ein Sof, it is utterly corporeal.
The Kav is like a thin Tzinor
1. This Kav (1) is like (2) one thin Tzinor (3), where the water of the Ohr Elyon (4) of Ein Sof expand and Nimshachim (extend) to the Olamot in that place of Halal and Avir.
Ohr Pnimi
1. The Kav that extends from Ohr Ein Sof into the Halal after the Tzimtzum (see Part 1, Chap 2, item 2).
2. The Kelim of the Eser Sefirot de Yosher are called Tzinor, or Tzinorot (pl), because they confine the routes of the Ohr that travels through them with great accuracy and control. They guarantee it will expand only through certain routes in those Kelim.
They are like a Tzinor that channels the water that travel through it accurately. They extend and continue from it in the same shape as inside the Tzinor. If it is narrow, the water is narrow; if it is wide, so is the current, and it never changes.
For that reason, the Lights that travel through those Tzinorot are called Eser Sefirot de Yosher. It is so because they expand in Yosher and in Tzedek (honestly and justly, respectively) by the same rules as these Tzinorot.
This means that the purer the Kli, the greater the importance of the Ohr that clothes it. This rule is unchanging because of the strong influence of the Tzinorot on them.
This power of control in the above Tzinorot is there because any desire in the Upper Degree is a compelling force in the lower degree, which is created by it. Therefore, the Tzimtzum on Behina Dalet, which is a free choice
in the Kelim of Igulim, becomes an obligating force in the Kelim of Yosher created by them. This force is called Masach.
This is the meaning of the words in the Zohar (Tikunim): “Invert Ratzon and you will find Tzinor.” This means that when the Tzinor is a Masach, a controlled Tzimtzum, meaning when it detains its will to receive in Behina Dalet by the power of the Elyon that controls it, it is the opposite of the substance of the Kli itself, namely the will to receive. That is because it detains itself from using its desire.
That is why they implied, “Invert Ratzon and you will find Tzinor.” It means that the Tzinor is opposite to the Ratzon for it compels its desire and does the opposite of what it wants.
That is why you can find in all the teachings and the writings that when they want to denominate and emphasize the departure of the Ohr from Behina Dalet, they call it Tzimtzum.
When we want to emphasize the power of the Tzimtzum that is added by the Ohr of Kav that did not expand to Behina Dalet, we define it as Masach, which is a detaining force that prevents the Ohr from reaching Behina Dalet.
When we discuss the Kli in general, meaning the Kli and the Masach together, we define it as a Tzinor. When discussing the Ohr, the Kli, and the Masach together, meaning the Ohr that is clothed in the size of the Tzinor, it is defined as a Kav. And when we discuss a Kli that does not have a Masach, we denominate it by the name Igul.
3. The Rav’s precision with regards to the word “one” emphasizes the Tikun of the three Kavim that was performed in Olam Atzilut. It tells us that in Olam Adam Kadmon this Tikun is still absent, and there is only one Kav.
The reason for it is that the Tikun of Gimel Kavim occurred afterwards, in Olam Atzilut. This Tikun Nimshach from the association of Midat ha Rachamim with Midat ha Din. Here, however, we are concerned with Olam Adam Kadmon, where this association has not yet taken place. That is why there is only one Kav here.
The entrance of the Ohr into the Kli de Kabbalah of the creature is called Hitpashtut (see Table of Answers, Part one, item 14). It has already been clarified that the Kli de Kabbalah in this Ne’etzal is called Tzinor.
4. There is a specific value that discriminates between the degrees of the birth of the Partzuf. In that birth, the four Behinot of the desire are called by the names: Ohr, Mayim, Rakia, and one hundred blessings (or one hundred Gates). It happens because the Lights change their places. Because of that displacement, the Ohr takes the form of Mayim.
The Rav tells us that the root of this state occurred with the appearance of the Kav: The Ohr that expands as Kav is considered to be Mayim with regards to the OhrElyon. For that reason he states precisely: “The water of the Ohr Elyon of Ein Sof.” With the expansion of the Ohr Elyon into the thin Tzinor, the value of the Ohr was greatly lessened from its value in Ein Sof, and is therefore considered as Mayim.
Hitpashtut of Ohr Ein Sof into the Halal. The Hitpashtut occurred slowly
2. When Ohr Ein Sof Nimshach as a straight Kav (5) into the above Halal, it did not expand (6) and extend all the way down at once, but it expanded slowly.
I wish to say that in the beginning the Kav of Ohr began to expand and right at the beginning (7) of its expansion as a Kav, it expanded and Nimshach and became like one Galgal (8) round on all sides.
Ohr Pnimi
5. A Light that expands gradually, according to the laws of the four Behinot, meaning from Zach to Av, and stops at Behina Dalet, is called Kav Yashar (straight Kav).
6. Do not be mistaken and interpret the terms, “all the way down at once” and “slowly” that are used here, as times, for it is known that spirituality is above time. Therefore, “all the way down at once” means that there is no change of degrees. The term “slowly” refers to an order of degrees. He wishes to say that it follows the order of the four known Behinot, as he will explain henceforth.
7. This is the Shoresh of the expansion that was innovated, called Kav. Because it is a new Ne’etzal, it has a new, specifically designated Shoresh that shines upon it in Behinat Hidush. That He’arahis called the Sefira of Keter of the Kav.
From this Keter, Ohr Ein Sof expands to the Kav by way of the above four Behinot: Behina Aleph is called Hochma; Behina Bet is called Bina; Behina Gimel is called Zeir Anpin; and Behina Dalet is called Malchut.
The Rav says with regards to this order that it expanded “slowly.” He says that Keter expanded first, Hochma next, and then Bina, Zeir Anpin etc. (see Answers Table part one, item 8, the meaning of the word, “afterwards”).
8. For the meaning of the word Igul see Answers Table part one, item 41, and also Part One, chapter one, item 100. It is called Galgal because the Ohr Kav clothes the Igul.
The Igul is not adhesive with Ein Sof, but is connected to it through the Kav
3. This Igul was not adhesive (9) with Ohr Ein Sof that surrounds it from all sides. That is because if it adheres to it (10), it will return to its prior state, and will be annulled in Ohr Ein Sof. In that case, its power will not be apparent at all and everything will be only Ohr Ein Sof as in the beginning.
Hence, this Igul is adjacent to Igul Ein Sof and does not become adhesive with it. The connection and adhesion of that emanated Igul with the emanating Ein Sof (20) is done primarily through that Kav (30), through which Ohr from Ein Sof descends, Nimshach and influences in that Igul.
Ohr Pnimi
9. That means that the entire Ohr that is found in the Igulim comes only from what they receive from the Kav, which is regarded as a new He’arah. Since that Ohr has only three Behinot, it differs from Ohr Ein Sof that orbits in the form of Ohr Agol.
That is why the Rav writes that it is nonadhesive with the Ohr Ein Sof. This means that the form of the Ohr Agol of Keter de Igulim is not the same as the Ohr in Ein Sof. It is so because Hishtavut Tzurameans adhesion in spirituality (see Part 1, Table of Questions, item 12 and Part 1, Chap 2, Ohr Pnimi item 1), and the term Sovev is regarded as the “causing element.”
10. If its He’arah had been in all four Behinot as is Ohr Ein Sof, its Tzura would have been the same and adhesive with Ein Sof. In that state it would be totally annulled in Ein Sof and completely indistinguishable.
20. The Light that expands from Ein Sof to the Ne’etzal is called Ohr Yashar. This Light is tied to the Ne’etzal by a clothing of Ohr Hozer that rises from the Masach upward through a Zivug de Hakaa (will be explained later). This is called Hitkashrut because this Ohr Hozer that ascends from the Masach of Behina Dalet, from the straight Kav, holds and captures the Ohr Elyon in the Igul.
Thus, in a place where the Ohr Hozer does not clothe the Ohr Elyon, the Ne’etzal regards it as absent, because it cannot attain it without this clothing called Ohr Hozer. It is like a candle made of tallow; although its lighting force comes primarily from the tallow, still that Light is not connected with it, but with the wick. When the wick burns down, the Light burns out, although there is still a lot of tallow left.
30. The reason for it is that there isn’t a Masach in the Igulim that can raise Ohr Hozer. Without it the Ne’etzal cannot connect with the Ohr Elyon.
We learned that the Kli of the Kav is called Tzinor, and that it is much lower than the Kelim de Igulim that appeared with Tzimtzum Aleph, before the Kav appeared. That is why the Rav tells us that although the Kelim de Igulim are much higher than the Kav, they do not receive any Light by themselves. Instead, they are compelled to receive all the Light through the (much lower) Kav, for the above reason.
Ohr Ein Sof surrounds and influences the Igul from afar
4. The Ein Sof Sovev and revolves it from all sides (40) because it too is like an Igul around it and far from it (50). The He’arah of Ein Sof in the Ne’etzalim must only come through this Kav. If the Ohr had come to them through their surroundings as well, the Ne’etzalim would have been like the Maatzil Himself (60), without Gevul (meaning unlimited) and Kitzba (meaning unrestricted) (70).
Ohr Pnimi
40. We distinguish two kinds of Light in each Sefira: Ohr Pnimi and Ohr Makif. The Light that is clothed inside the Sefira is called Ohr Pnimi, and the Light that cannot clothe inside it because of the Gevul there, is considered to be remaining in its Shoresh. In that state the Sefira receives from it only a He’arah from afar, called Ohr Makif.
The Rav tells us that although the Igulim are far from Ein Sof, meaning that there is a great Shinui Tzura between them, still they receive from it a He’arah from afar, called Ohr Makif. That Light shines in two manners, namely in general and in particular. The term Sovev relates to the general Ohr Makif, and the term Makif relates to the particular Ohr Makif.
50. He tells us that this Ohr Makif that the Igulim receive from Ein Sof shines and surrounds them from all sides, meaning from all four Behinot. This means that even Behina Dalet, where the Ohr Pnimi does not shine, still receives a He’arah from afar by means of the Ohr Makif from Ein Sof.
The reason for it is that because Ein Sof, “it too is like an Igul.” This means that the Ohr Ein Sof is called Ohr Agol because it does not discriminate between the Behinot, and shines and fills Behina Dalet as well. Therefore, its He'arah reaches Behina Dalet of the Igulim as well, though from afar.
60. See answer 10.
70. The Tzimtzum and the Masach that were placed on Behina Dalet, so that she would not receive Light inside, puts a Gevul on the Light. It limits its expansion as it stops on the Gevul of Behina Dalet. What the Ne’etzal does receive in general (though diminished by the Tzimtzum) is called a Kitzba (ration).
The expansion order of the Eser Sefirot of Igulim. Kav is called Adam Kadmon.
5. That first Igul is the closest to Ein Sof (80), and is called Keter of Adam Kadmon.
Afterwards this Kav continued to expand, Nimshach a little and became round once more (90), turning into a second Igul (100) within the first Igul. This Igul is called Igul Hochma of Adam Kadmon (200).
Then it expanded further down, became round once more, and formed a third Igul within the second Igul. It is called Igul Bina de Adam Kadmon (300).
It continued to expand and become round in the same manner, finally reaching the tenth Igul, called Igul Malchut of Adam Kadmon (400).
Thus we explained how the Eser Sefirot (1) were emanated as ten Igulim, one within the other (2).
Ohr Pnimi
80. We must understand the discernments in the names of the Eser Sefirot. Sometimes we refer to them as four Behinot, sometimes we call them Yechida, Haya, Neshama, Ruach, Nefesh, and sometimes we refer to them as Keter, Hochma, Bina, Zeir Anpin (consisting of six Sefirot of its own), and Malchut.
When we refer specifically to the Kelim, meaning only to the substance of the Ne’etzal, we define the names of their Eser Sefirot by means of the four Behinot in the will to receive. When we refer specifically to the Light that clothes these Kelim, we call them Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Haya, Yechida.
Lastly, when we refer specifically to the Kelim, but want to emphasize the Reshimot of the Lights that they contain when they are emptied of their Lights, we then refer to them as Keter, Hochma, Bina, Zeir Anpin, and Malchut.
The origin of the above ten Kelim - Keter, Hochma etc. is back in the Olam Tzimtzum, before the emergence of the Kav. It happened after the departure of the Ohr Ein Sof from the Eser Sefirot, when the Kelim remained empty from Lights, which are called ten Igulim.
It is known, that although the Light departed from them, there still remained a Reshimo in each and every Igul from the Light that it had. In other words, a very small He'arah from the entire previous Light was left in every Kli. This He’arah produces a yearning to the Kli that will not rest and will not be at peace until it draws once more all that Ohr it had before, both in quantity and quality.
This He’arah is called a Reshimo. Know, that the content of the names of the Eser Sefirot, Keter, Hochma, etc. define primarily the Reshimot of the Light that remained in the ten Kelim.
From this you learn that there is not a single desire in the Olamot, or even a slight awakening of a desire, both in the Elyonim as well as in the Tachtonim, that is not rooted in these Eser Sefirot of Igulim. It is true even with respect to the corporeal still, vegetative, animate and speaking. However, it is clearly impossible for any desire to awaken in an essence, if a sufficient fulfillment for that Ratzon did not appear before.
We have already clarified thoroughly in the Part 1 of this book, that the will to receive is not the first reason for the Ohr, or for its fulfillment, as people think. Quite the contrary, the Light and the fulfillment are the reason for the desire. It is the attribute of the will to bestow that is necessarily contained in the Upper Light that created the will to receive in the Ne’etzal, because a desire in the Elyon becomes a compelling force in the Tachton.
Thus, the Ohr Elyon became the reason for the occurrence of the four Behinot of the will to receive in the Ne’etzal. These Behinot are the roots of all the desires that appear in the Olamot.
Therefore, how can a desire appear without a reason, meaning without that Ohr Elyon that begets it. It is tantamount to stating that there is a creation in the world without a father and a mother that made it.
You must also know, that the entire reality and all the creations that are destined to come into the Olamot, already exist in Ein Sof. Moreover, they exist there in their full glory and perfection, as it is destined to appear in the Olamot.
Thus you evidently see, that all the desires that are destined to appear, already appeared and were revealed in Ein Sof. They appear there in their perfect, complete state, and it is the completeness and the fulfillment, namely the Ohr Elyon, that fathered and created these desires. It turns out, that the fulfillment for the desire precedes the occurrence of the desire that is related to that fulfillment and indeed causes it.
Now you can thoroughly understand the issue of the Reshimot that remained in the Eser Sefirot of Igulim after the Tzimtzum and the departure of the perfection and the fulfillments in the above four Behinot, called ten Igulim. These Reshimot mean that all the desires that filled them when they were in Ein Sof, and that they now lost, remained thoroughly carved and “imprinted” in them.
For that reason, they necessarily remained longing and yearning for the fulfillments and the perfection that they had. This is what we call Reshimot.
We said above, that there cannot be any occurrence of a desire of any kind, both in the Upper Worlds and in the corporeal world, that is not rooted in the Eser Sefirot of Igulim. There are two roots that precede the existence of all the Olamot after the Tzimtzum:
1st. root: Every desire already exists in its full glory and grandeur. This is the reality that exists in Ein Sof.
2nd. root: All the desires are completely emptied of the fulfillment that was related to them in Ein Sof. This root is called the Olam Tzimtzum. All the Kelim and the substance of the creations extend from the Olam Tzimtzum. This means that they are only empty Kelim and desires that have lost their fulfillments, while all the fulfillments of these desires come from Ein Sof.
Remember these roots well, for they are among the most necessary to remember as we continue to study this wisdom.
90. Do not be misled into the interpretation that the word Nimshach refers to a place and an area. Rather, anything that gains Aviut is considered to be Nimshach from above downward. Thus, the Zach is considered to be above, and the Av, below.
This is evaluated according to the closeness of form with Behina Dalet: the closer to Behina Dalet, the greater Aviut it is considered to have, and the farther from it is regarded as being more Zach. “Nimshach a little” implies that it gained some Aviut, and the word Nimshach relates to the Light of Kav.
This issue of Hamshacha appears because in each and every Sefira, there are ten inner Sefirot, both in the Eser Sefirot of Igulim and in the Eser Sefirot of Yosher.
When the Eser Sefirot of Keter first emerged, the Kav appeared only with its three upper Sefirot. These are called Rosh de Keter de Yosher, and their shine reached the Sefira of Keter de Igulim, which consisting of Eser Sefirot as well.
These Eser Sefirot of Keter de Igulim surround only the first three Sefirot of the Eser Sefirot of Keter of the Kav. After that, meaning after the Eser Sefirot of Igulim were fully completed, the Kav Nimshach a little and expanded further down, meaning produced its seven lower Sefirot in order to complete the Keter with Eser Sefirot of Yosher.
Thus, these seven lower Sefirot of Keter de Kav Nimshach downward, meaning became more Av than the Eser Sefirot of Keter de Igulim. The reason that there are no Sefirot of Igulim around these seven lower Sefirot is that the Igulim are higher than them, meaning purer, and you already know that higher means purer.
You can understand the reason for it according to the above explanation (item 30) that the Sefirot and the Igulim precede and are much more important than the Sefirot in the Kav. That is because there is no Masach in the Igulim, and this Masach in the Sefirot of the Kav stands in the middle of each Sefira, meaning in the last Behina of the Rosh of the Sefira.
In other words, it stands at the last Behina of the first three Sefirot of the Eser Sefirot of Yosher. These Sefirot exist in each and every Sefira of Yosher, and are called the Rosh of that Sefira.
It turns out, that our statement that the Masach is incorporated in the Sefirot of the Kav is true only in the seven lower Sefirot of each Sefira below the Masach. However, in the upper three, called the Rosh, there is no Masach, because they are above it.
Thus, these upper three are completely identical to all the Eser Sefirot of Igulim in that they don’t have a Masach. For that reason, they stand at the same Behina, and you find that the Eser Sefirot of each Sefira of Igulim are the cause of the three upper Sefirot of each Sefira of the Kav.
However, the seven lower Sefirot of each Sefira of the Kav is indeed much worse than the Igulim. Because worse is also regarded as lower, they are regarded as being lower than all the Eser Sefirot of Igulim. There is not a single Behina of Igulim that can be in the place of these seven Sefirot, because of the importance of the Igulim.
Thus it has been thoroughly explained how there is a vacant space between each two Sefirot of Igulim, the size of the seven Sefirot of the Sefira of Yosher that stands there. That is because all Eser Sefirot of Igulim of the Sefira of Keter surround only the first three Sefirot of Keter of the Kav.
However, the seven lower Sefirot of the Keter de Kav extend lower than every Eser Sefirot of Keter of Igulim. At the end of these seven Sefirot of Keter of the Kav, the first three Sefirot of Hochma of the Kav begin to emerge, surrounded by the Eser Sefirot of Hochma of Igulim.
Thus, between the last Behina of Keter de Igulim and the first Behina of Hochma of Igulim, there is a vacant space. That is where the seven lower Sefirot of Keter de Kav are, meaning where the Igulim do not surround them. It is like that between Hochma and Bina too, as it is between each two Sefirot.
100. We must be very careful here, so as not to be confused with imaginary descriptions of space and area in the Yosher and the Igul, which might trip us into this notion by a slip of the tongue.
As we continue, you should remember that straight He’arah means that the Light permeates Kelim that have a Masach on Behina Dalet, and that it becomes round in Kelim that do not have a Masach on Behina Dalet.
You should bear in mind that although there is no Masach on Behina Dalet in the Kelim de Igulim, still Behina Dalet cannot receive any He’arah from there after Tzimtzum Aleph. It is so because all the Light in the Igulim must come from the He’arah of the Kav, which is a straight He’arah (see item 30), and the Light of Kav does not shine in Behina Dalet at all, since it stems from the power of the Masach.
Thus, the absence of Light in Behina Dalet of Igulim is not because of the Kelim, for they do not have a Masach. Rather, it is because of Tzimtzum Aleph that operates on them. Because Tzimtzum Aleph is not regarded as a disadvantage, all four Behinot of the Kelim de Igulim are of equal degree, without any differentiation of great and small. Instead, the darkness that exists in Behina Dalet comes from the Light that comes from the Kav, and does not shine there, as aforementioned.
Now you can understand that after (and because) the Igulim received the Light through the Kav, there came about a differentiation of great and small in their degrees, and also in the Eser Sefirot of Igulim. Zeir Anpin became greater and more important than Behina Dalet, namely Malchut, because Malchut does not have Light, while Zeir Anpin has Light, being that it is Behina Gimel.
Similarly, the Sefira of Bina de Igulim has a greater Light than Zeir Anpin, since it is farther from Behina Dalet than Zeir Anpin, being that she is Behina Bet. Thus, you should remember that all these degrees are created not by the Kelim, but by the Light of Kav that they receive.
200-300. It has already been explained with regards to the names of the four Behinot, whose Shoresh, namely the will to bestow that is contained in the Ohr Elyon, that its name is Keter. The beginning of the Hitpashtut to the Ne’etzal, meaning Behina Aleph, is called Hochma.Behina Bet is called Bina, Behina Gimel is called Zeir Anpin (or the six Sefirot: Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, Yesod), and Behina Dalet is called Malchut.
It has also been explained that only when we speak of the first substance in them, we denominate them by the names of the four Behinot and their Shoresh. However, if these four Behinot are already contained in the Behinat Reshimot, as they were in the OlamTzimtzum, they are called Keter, Hochma, etc.
Now we will explain why they are called by these names:
- The Shoresh is called Keter because it is not clothed inside the Kelim of the Ne’etzal, but surrounds and crowns Him from outside his own Kelim. The word Keter comes from the word Mesabev.
- Behina Aleph is called Hochma because the wisdom of the Torah extends from her, and all the various kinds of wisdoms that exist in the world, in their final form. Our sages have already defined that name well, when they said, “Who is wise? He who sees the outcome.” This means that at first glance upon a thing, the wise knows the outcome and the consequence of it. It means that he sees all the future effects that will emerge from it, to the last upshot of it.
For example, when you say that the doctor is very wise, it means that the doctor can vividly see all the possible implications that can come out of any illness. Also, when examining some remedy, he fully perceives all the ramifications of that remedy on the body of the sick.
Similarly, the one who is wise in the conducts of nature sees all the implications of a certain natural being when it connects to the general reality. It is the same in every other kind of wisdom.
It turns out, that the meaning and definition of the name “wise,” or “wisdom,” refers solely to the ability to know the outcome of every detail and item in reality, to the last upshot.
- From this you can also come to know the true meaning of the name Bina: All the power of Hitbonenut (scrutiny/observation) so as to see the outcome of every item in reality, both in the holy Torah and in the Hitzoniut, Nimshach from the Sefira of Bina, hence the name: Bina.
- The name Malchut (Kingdom) indicates the power of authority and coercion that extends from it, much like one fears the king, hence the name: Malchut.
- The names of rest of the Sefirot will be explained later on in the text.
Now we might ask: “Bina should have come before Hochma, because the examination of the future and the desire know it come first. Moreover, they produce and cause the final perfection, meaning the knowing of the result in advance, called Hochma (wisdom).
Indeed, I have already explained to you, that the order of the emanation of the worlds is the opposite of how we understand it: The fulfillment of the desire comes first and causes the appearance of the desire (see item 80). The perfection precedes and causes the appearance of the imperfection, for thus the degrees hang down from Ein Sof, Tzimtzum after Tzimtzum, down to the most corrupted, Olam ha Zeh.
400. The first Olam to emanate after the Tzimtzum was called Olam Adam Kadmon. It is also called Olam Keter. The four Olamot: Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, Assiya, clothe this Adam Kadmon.
1. Although they are but four degrees, meaning the above four Behinot, they still have Eser Sefirot. This is because Behina Gimel, called Zeir Anpin or Tifferet, consists of six Sefirot, called: Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, Yesod. The reason for it will be explained in its appropriate place.
You should be aware of the precision in Sefer Yetzira (Book of Creation) – Chapter 1, section 4. It states as follows: “Ten and not nine.” This is something noteworthy indeed, for it has already been explained that all the illuminations of the Sefirot of the Ohr Elyon, even in the Igulim which are completely even, do not shine in Behina Dalet, namely Malchut.
The name Sefira indicates Light and Kli only when they are together, meaning when the Ohr Elyon is clothed in the Kli. However, a Kli without Ohr is not called by that name, for the name Sefira designates brightness and shine.
Accordingly, it would have been plausible to think that Malchut isn’t a Sefira at all, since the Ohr Elyon does not shine in her. For that reason, the author of Sefer Yetzira indicates and states precisely, “They are ten Sefirot and not nine,” because Malchut too is regarded as a Sefira.
The reason is that any connection of the Ohr Elyon with the Eser Sefirot happens specifically through the Ohr Hozer that Malchut raises by the power of the Masach in her, from below upward (see item 20).
Thus, it is quite the contrary: Malchut is the most notable of the Eser Sefirot, for without her, the Light would not connect with the upper nine Sefirot. For that reason, Malchut is regarded as being all Light (will be explained in detail in its place).
2. (See Part 1, Ohr Pnimi, Chapter 1, item 100)
The Kav connects all the Igulim together
6. What connects all the Igulim together (3) is that thin Kav that expands from Ein Sof and passes (4) and descends (5) and Nimshach (6) from one Igul to the next, down to the very last of them (7).
The Ohr and the Shefa that each of them needs Nimshach through that Kav.
Ohr Pnimi
3. You have already learned that there is a vacant place and an interruption between each Sefira in the Eser Sefirot of Igulim. The size of that vacancy is as the size of the seven Sefirot of the He’arah of Yosher in that Sefira (see item 90).
However, there is no vacancy at all in the Eser Sefirot of the Kav. They begin at Ein Sof and expand to the middle point, which is Behina Dalet, called Malchut, the lowest point there is.
Thus, there is no intermission whatsoever between the first Eser Sefirot that expanded from Ein Sof as a straight Kav, also called Eser Sefirot of Adam Kadmon. That is why the Rav says that the Sefirot of the Kav connect the Eser Sefirot of Igulim as well. The seven lower Sefirot in each Sefira of Yosher connect the Eser Sefirot in the upper Sefira of Igulim with the Eser Sefirot of the lower Sefira of Igulim.
The He’arah of the Eser Sefirot of Hochma of Igulim that receive from the upper three of Hochmade Yosher necessarily travels through the seven lower Sefirot of the Sefira of Keter de Yosher. That is because GAR of Hochma of Yosher must receive from the seven Sefirot of Keter de Yosher, and pour it in the Eser Sefirot de Hochma de Igulim.
In the end, the seven lower Sefirot of Keter de Yosher, connect the Eser Sefirot of Keter de Igulim, with the Eser Sefirot of Hochma de Igulim. The same conduct applies between Hochma and Bina and so on and so forth.
4. The Kav, which is a He’arah of Yosher, seemingly breaks through the Gagot of the Igulim, passes through the Igulim, descending and extending downward to the Sium, meaning to the middle point. However, this is certainly not about a place and an area.
To understand that, we must know that there is no occurrence of Light in the Olamot, upper or lower, that does not extend from Ein Sof above the Tzimtzum. The Light must hang down and go through all the degrees and the Olamot between Ein Sof above the Tzimtzum and the Olam where the receiver of that of Light stands.
You already know that there is no absence in the spiritual. Thus, it is impossible to say that that appearance, meaning the renewed Light that hangs down through the degrees, becomes absent in the first degree when it moves to the next, and becomes absent in the second when it leaves to the third, as corporeal objects do when they move from place to place.
It is utterly impossible because there is no absence in spirituality. Instead, it necessarily stays in each degree as it passes through it. Moving between the degrees is like lighting one candle from another, where the first does not diminish its light in any way.
Thus, the appearance of the Light that comes to a certain degree in Olam Assiya, is first given to all the degrees in the Olamot between Ein Sof above the Tzimtzum and the receiver that stands in Olam Assiya.
It turns out, that the He’arah of the straight Kav must pass through the Kelim de Igulim because Kelim de Igulim preceded the Kav; they appeared immediately with the Tzimtzum. However, the Kelim de Yosher appeared later, with the Kav, which is why this He’arah that passes between them never leaves there, as we have mentioned “There is no absence in the spiritual.”
Pertaining to the hanging down of Light from place to place, you should also know that there are two contingencies of Light that remain after it passes:
1st. “Permanent Stay”: This means that it mingles and connects with the Light that is already in the degree, and they become one. They become alike as though they were always one.
2nd. There is another contingency, called a “Passing Stay.” It means that it does not mingle and unites with the “local” Light and becomes one. Instead, it remains there designated as a separate instance.
The Rav tells us that that Light of Kav that passes through the degrees of Igulim is not from the “Permanent Stay” contingency, but from the “Passing Stay.” That teaches us that it does not mingle with the Light of Igulim to form one Behina, but is distinguished as its own instance. This is the meaning of the Rav’s precision regarding the word “passes.”
The reason for it is that the Light in the Kav comes before the Light in the Igulim, for the Igulim receive their Lights only from the Light of the Kav. That is why the Light of the Kav is far more important than the Light of the Igulim, and that is why it does not mingle with the Light of Igulim.
The Light of the Kav is called Ruach, and the Light of the Igulim is called Ohr Nefesh.
5. Any Hitpashtut of Ohr Elyon to the Ne’etzal is regarded as a descent. It means that as it expands, it also becomes more Av. You already know that a greater Zakut is regarded as a higher degree, and a greater Aviut, is regarded as a lower degree. Because the Light gains Aviut as it expands, it also descends from above downward.
The reason for the increased Aviut that the Light collects because it expands, is that it expands by the order of the four Behinot: It begins with Behina Aleph until it comes and strikes the Masach in Behina Dalet. It gains Aviut because Behina Aleph is the most Zach, then comes Behina Bet, and so on until Behina Dalet, the most Av (see Part 1, Chap 1, item 50).
6. The He’arah of Yosher is expressed in the word Nimshach and the He’arah of Igulim in the words “becomes round” (see item 90).
7. Meaning Behina Dalet in the Igulim, called the “middle point.” It is also called “the material ball in this world.”
The Behina of Atzilut in Olam Adam Kadmon expanded first to Olam ha Zeh. However, after Tzimtzum Bet had been performed, called Olam Nekudim, the Sium of Atzilut Adam Kadmon rose to the point of Olam ha Ba, whose place is considered to be above Olam Beria, as we will explain in its place.
Each Olam and each Sefira consist of ten inner Sefirot. Inside each Sefira there are another ten inner Sefirot, and so on and so forth ceaselessly. The Sefirot of Igulim envelop each other like onionskins
7. Each and every Olam has its own Eser Sefirot. Each and every Sefira in each and every Olam consists of its own inner Eser Sefirot (8). They are like onion skins one within the other (9), as in pictures of wheels in geometry books.
Ohr Pnimi
8. You can understand the reason for the above Hitkalelut of Sefirot according the famous rule that “There is no absence in spirituality,” and any Light that passes from one place to another retains its place forever in every Behina it passes through (see item 4). Because each inferior Sefira emanates from a higher Sefira by way of cause and effect, the inferior is considered to be passing through the superior.
Consequently, all the Sefirot are necessarily intermingled. For example, when the first two Sefirot appear, namely Keter and Hochma, Ohr Hochma is compelled to exit the Ein Sof, from which every thing comes. Afterwards, the Ohr Hochma must pass through the Sefira of Keter before it reaches the Sefira of Hochma, because Keter caused its emergence.
Because the Sefira of Hochma passed there, it acquired its place there, and now there are two Sefirot in Keter, namely Keter and Hochma. Similarly, after all Eser Sefirot of the Ohr Elyon came out from above downward to Malchut, all nine Sefirot below Keter were compelled to pass through Keter. It is so because it was the first reason for the emergence of them all.
Hence, they all acquired their place there, as there is no absence in the spiritual. It means that all nine lower Sefirot are necessarily in Keter itself too because they passed there.
By the same principal, there are also nine Sefirot in Hochma, because the eight Sefirot below it were compelled to pass through her, as in Keter. Also, there are eight Sefirot in Bina for the above reason, and seven Sefirot in Hesed and so on. In Malchut there is only one because she is the lowest.
We also know that Malchut raises Eser Sefirot of Ohr Hozer from her up, which clothe the Eser Sefirot of Ohr Elyon, called Eser Sefirot of Ohr Yashar. This Ohr Hozer is called the Ohr Malchut, because she has no other Light.
However, in all other places, this Ohr Hozer is referred to as Eser Sefirot that rise from below upward (see Histaklut Pnimit, Part 2, Chap 6, item 66). It is written there, that Malchut is regarded as the Keter of those Eser Sefirot, because she is the reason for their occurrence.
Her proximate is called Hochma, and the third degree from her is called Bina etc. In this manner, the purer is also the smaller, until the real Keter receives only the Malchut of this Ohr Hozer.
From this you can deduce that these Eser Sefirot from below upwards are all found in Malchut, because they pass through Malchut as Malchut is their Shoresh. Thus, all of them acquire their place in Malchut, and you find that Malchut too consists of Eser Sefirot.
Nine Sefirot pass through Yesod of Ohr Hozer, and thus there are Eser Sefirot in Yesod: one from the Ohr Elyon from above downward, and nine Sefirot of Ohr Hozer from below upward, which must pass through it.
The same manner applies in the Eser Sefirot of Hod: two Sefirot from above downward, meaning the Light of Hod and the Light of Yesod that passes through it, and eight Sefirot from below upward. The same applies to the Eser Sefirot of Netzah: three from above downward, and seven from below upward. The rest adhere to the same pattern.
Finally, after the extension of the Eser Sefirot of Ohr Elyon and the Eser Sefirot of Ohr Hozer, each of them was necessarily consisting of ten complete Sefirot. The same pattern applies to every single inner item in them and every single item in the inner items, and so on and so forth indefinitely. This process is an obligated one because of the above-mentioned Hitkalelut, and there is nothing more to add here, and see Histaklut Pnimit where we greatly elaborated on the subject.
9. Meaning every Elyon surrounds its Tachton from every side equally, without any discrimination of degrees (see above item 50).
The closer the Igul to Ein Sof, the higher and better it is considered. Because Olam ha Zeh is at the middle point, the farthest from Ein Sof, it is utterly corporeal.
8. In each and every Igul within each and every Olam in the Halal, the closer (10) it is to Ohr Ein Sof, the higher and finer it is. You find, that in this worldly, material Olam, is the middle point, inside all the Igulim, within the middle of that entire Halal and the vacant Avir.
It is also utterly distanced from Ein Sof, farther from all the Olamot. That is why it is so corporeal and utterly materialized, although it is the middle point, inside all the Igulim.
Ohr Pnimi
10. You already know that the term “close” does not refer to a place, but to proximity of form. You also know that there are four Behinot of Shinui Tzura, which consist the Eser Sefirot of Igulim from Ein Sof to the middle point.
The middle point is Behina Dalet, the most Av of them all, and the first Igul, called Keter, is regarded as the inspiration of the Shoresh of these above four Behinot. Naturally, the Igul of Keter is the most Zach of all the Igulim as its form is the closest to Ein Sof. Behina Aleph, which is slightly more Av is farther from Ein Sof than the Keter.
Behina Bet is even greater Av and is therefore farther from Ein Sof than Behina Aleph. Finally, the middle point, which has more Aviut than all of them, is regarded as the farthest from Ein Sof.
We should not wonder about what we have said above (in Part 1, Chap 1, Item 100), that there is no above and below in the Igulim, because here we refer to the Igulim after they received the illumination of the Kav inside them. It is that which created in them the above and below and all the other characteristics in the Kav.