Kabbalah Library

THE TEN SEFIROT

1. First of all, one should know the names of the ten  Sefirot:  KaHaB HaGaT NHYM (Keter, Hochma, Bina, Hesed, Gvurah, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, Yesod and Malchut). These ten  Sefirot constitute the ten concealments of the Supreme Light, which exist in order to let the created beings receive that Light. It is impossible to look at the Sun without the help of some darkened glass that weakens sunlight and makes it suitable for visual perception.

With certain reserve, this may be compared to the reception of the light by the spiritual objects (created beings), for which the Creator’s Light is too powerful; hence, it can be received only through these ten concealments. It should be noted that the lower the concealment is located, the more it weakens the Creator’s Light.

2. These ten  Sefirot correspond to the Creator’s ten Sacred Names, mentioned in the Torah  (Zohar, Vayikra §§ 156-177):

The Name  אהיה (Ekeh) corresponds to  Sefira Keter.

The Name  יה (Yah, pronounced as  “Koh”) corresponds to  Hochma.

The Name  יהו”ה (HaVaYaH, with the vowels of  “Elohim”) corresponds to  Bina.

The Name  אל (El) corresponds to  Hesed.

The Name  אלהים (Elohim) corresponds to  Gvura.

The Name  יהו”ה (HaVaYaH, with the vowels of  Shvah-Holam-Kamatz) stands for  Tifferet.

The Name  צבאות (Tzevaot) corresponds to two  SefirotNetzah and  Hod.

The Name  שדי (Shaddai) is  Yesod.

The Name  אדני (Adonai) is  Malchut.

3. Ten  Sefirot correspond to the five  Behinot (phases). The fourth  Behina Zeir Anpin (ZA) or  Tifferetcontains six  Sefirot:  Hesed,  Gvura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, Yesod. The reasons for it are explained in great detail in the Book of the Zohar (See  “Hakdamat Sefer Zohar”,  “Marot HaSulam”, p.5). Thus, the 5  Behinot are called:  Keter, Hochma, Bina, Tifferet (or ZA) and Malchut (See also “The Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah”, §§ 1-7)  .

WHY DOES TIFFERET CONSIST OF HAGAT NHY?

4. Each of the five  Behinot KaHaB TuM in turn consists of its own five  Behinot KaHaB TuM. However, the  Sefirot de Tifferet are not called  KaHaB TuM, but  HaGaT NH (Hesed,  Gvurah, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod), since their level is lower than the  Gar.  Sefira Yesod unites all of them. The fact that  Behina Tifferet includes six  Sefirot does not at all mean it is higher and better than  Keter,  Hochma and  Bina.

On the contrary, since the  Behina Tifferet does not have the light of the  Gar, its five  Sefirot KaHaB TuM received new names –  HaGaT NH. Sefira Hesed corresponds to  Keter,  Gvurah – to  Hochma, Tifferet – to  Bina,  Netzah – to  Tifferet and  Hod – to  Malchut.  Sefira Yesod is added to them. It is not a new level; it is rather a mixture of all the previous  Behinot.  Tifferet is otherwise called  VAK–“Vav Ktzavot” (six edges), which means six  Sefirot.

THE LIGHT AND THE VESSEL

5. We cannot speak about the light in the absence of the vessel. “The Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah” in §§ 3-4 explains what the spiritual vessel is. First, there was just one vessel –  Malchut. When we say, there are the five  Behinot KaHaB TuM, we actually mean that they constitute parts of Malchut called  Behina Dalet. In fact, these  Behinot are stages of the vessel’s development, whereas Malchut is a final stage (See “The Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah”, § 5).

After the First Restriction  (Tzimtzum Alef, TA) the  Kli Malchut puts up a screen  (Masach), which prevents the light from getting inside it. As the Supreme Light tries to enter  Malchut, it impacts the screen, and is reflected by it. This process is called “a  Zivug de Haka’a” (a stroke interaction) between the light and the screen of  Malchut. The light that bounces back is called “the ten  Sefirot of the Reflected Light”.

ROSH, TOCH, SOF PEH, TABUR, SIUM RAGLIN

6. Because of the emergence of new vessels of the Reflected Light, three parts are formed in each Partzuf: the  Rosh, the  Toch, and the  Sof. As was already stated, the screen blocked the reception of the light inside  Malchut, which led to the Stroke Interaction (a  Zivug de Haka’a) between the light and the screen. The ten  Sefirot of the Reflected Light created by this  Zivug “dressed” on the ten Sefirot of the Direct Light. The ten  Sefirot of the Reflected Light combined with the ten  Sefirot of the Direct Light form the ten  Sefirot de Rosh. However, the ten  Sefirot of the Reflected Light and the ten Sefirot of the Direct Light are not yet genuine vessels.

The word “vessel” points to a certain  “Aviut” – the size of a ‘desire to receive’. This means that the power of the category of Judgment, the ban inherent in the screen, prevents the light from entering Malchut. There is a rule: the power of the ban is effective only below the point of the restriction, but never above it. Since the ten  Sefirot of the Reflected Light rise above the screen, the restriction does not apply to it; therefore, it cannot be a genuine vessel.

The ten  Sefirot of the Reflected Light are called “the  Rosh”. These ten  Sefirot are not considered the real vessels.  Malchut with a screen that makes a  Zivug de Haka’a is called “the  Peh” (mouth). Similar to a material mouth, which utters sounds designated by letters, the spiritual  Peh forms the ten Sefirot of the Reflected Light called the five  Behinot KaHaB TuM resulting from a  Zivug de Haka’a. These  Sefirot are the vessels for the Direct Light; these vessels are called “letters”  (“Otiot”). Thus, now we know what the ten  Sefirot de Rosh are.

7. When the ten Sefirot of the Direct Light, and the ten  Sefirot of the Reflected Light spread under the screen, the ten  Sefirot of the Reflected Light turn into the real vessels for the reception of the light. These in turn dress onto the ten  Sefirot of the Direct Light. This happens because the screen that created the Reflected Light already rules over it with the help of its  Aviut. These ten  Sefirot (now genuine vessels) are called “the  Toch” and “the  Guf”, i.e., they constitute the inner part of the Partzuf.

The  Malchut de Toch is called  “Tabur”. The  Tabur is a center. It means that  Malchut de Toch is a central, principal  Malchut. The genuine vessels of the  Guf were formed out of its Reflected Light. We may also add that the word  Tabur (טבור) consists of the same combination of letters as the word טובאור (“Tov –  Ohr”, good light). This suggests that the light is good when it is inside the vessels fit to receive it. Thus, now we understand the meaning of the ten  Sefirot de Toch down to the  Tabur.

8. There are two  Behinot in  Malchut de Rosh:  1. Malchut Mesayemet (limiting), i.e.,  Masach in this place prevents the light from entering the vessels of  Malchut;  2. Malchut Mizdaveget, which makes Zivug. There would have been no vessels of reception, unless the light impacted on the screen (a Zivug de Haka’a) and elevated the Reflected Light. There would have been no light, because without the vessel the light does not exist.

These  Behinot exist in  Malchut de Rosh only as  “Shorashim” – roots, sources.  Malchut Mesayemet de Rosh is a root of the  Malchut Mesayemet, which completes this level.  Malchut Mizdaveget de Roshcauses the light to get inside the vessels. Both of these actions really happen only in the  Guf of the Partzuf, i.e., in the space between the  Peh and the  Tabur, where the  Malchut Mizdaveget rules, and so the Supreme Light enters the vessels.

Malchut Mesayemet rules in the space between the  Tabur and the  Sium, creating the ten  Sefirot de Sium (end of the  Partzuf). Each of these  Sefirot has only luminescence of the Reflected Light; the Supreme light cannot enter them. The  Partzuf ends at the point of  Malchut de Sium, since this is exactly the  Malchut Mesayemet that does not receive any light; it limits the spreading of the  Kli de Partzuf. We also call it  Malchut de  “Sium Raglin” (“end of the legs”), which cuts the light off and limits the  Partzuf.

These ten  Sefirot de Sium, which spread from the  Tabur down to the  Sium Raglin, are called the ten Sefirot de Sof; they are all parts of  Malchut de Sof and  de Sium. By saying that there is only the Reflected Light inside these  Sefirot, we do not mean they have no Direct Light at all. There is some luminescence of the Direct Light in them, but it is considered the  VAK bli Rosh (See “The Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah”, §50-53).

CHAZEH (CHEST) 

9. Up to this point, we have spoken about the  Partzufim of the world of  Adam Kadmon (AK). However, a new  Sium is added in the  Partzufim de Atzilut, in the ten  Sefirot de Toch. It happens because  Malchut de Toch, called the  Tabur, rose to  Bina of the ten  Sefirot de Toch, and restricted them. This new  Sium (end) is called “the  Chazeh”. This is where the  Parsa is.

The Torah calls this boundary “the firmament”  (“Rakia”); it separates “the upper waters” (i.e.,  Keterand  Hochma de Toch) from “the lower waters” (the vessels of  Bina,  ZA and  Malchut), which descended from the level of the  Toch to the  Sof. Because of this, the ten  Sefirot de Toch split into two levels: a space from the  Peh to the  Chazeh, still considered the  Toch,  Atzilut and the  Gar de Guf; and a space below the  Chazeh and the  Tabur, regarded as the ten  Sefirot de Sof,  Beria and also the  VAK bli Rosh like the ten  Sefirot de Sof.

THE INVERSE RELATION BETWEEN THE LIGHTS AND THE VESSELS

10. The lights and vessels are always inversely related. This happens because the upper vessels are the first to grow in the  Partzuf:  Keter emerges followed by  Hochma,  Bina,  Tifferet (ZA) and  Malchut. Hence, we call the vessels  KaHaB TuM, i.e., top-down, according to the order of their emergence in the  Partzuf.

The lights, however, enter the  Partzuf in the opposite order, starting with the lowest: first,  Nefesh, then  Ruach,  Neshama,  Haya and  Yechida. Thus,  Nefesh (the smallest light), which corresponds to the Sefira Malchut is first to enter the  Partzuf, whereas  Yechida (the most powerful light), which corresponds to the  Sefira Keter, is last to enter the  Partzuf. Hence, we always call the lights NaRaNHaY, i.e., according to the sequence of their emergence inside the  Partzuf.

11. It turns out that when there is only one upper vessel,  Keter, which appears first, it is not filled by the light of  Yechida that corresponds to it, but with the weakest light of  Nefesh. When the second vessel  Hochma appears in the  Partzuf, the second light of  Ruach enters it. By this, the light of  Nefeshdescends from  Keter to  Hochma, while  Ruach fills  Keter.

After the emergence of the third vessel,  Bina, the light of  Nefesh descends from  Hochma to  Bina, Ruach passes from  Keter to  Hochma, and the light of  Neshama enters  Keter. As the fourth vessel  ZAappears, the light of  Nefesh descends from  Bina to  ZA,  Ruach passes from  Hochma to  Bina,  Neshama– from  Keter to  Hochma, and  Haya enters  Keter. With the emergence of the fifth, last vessel, all lights take their rightful places:  Nefesh enters  Malchut,  Ruach –  ZA,  Neshama –  Bina,  Haya –  Hochmaand  Yechida fills  Keter.

12. It turns out that before all the five vessels of the  KaHaB TuM emerge, the lights are not in their places. Furthermore, the lights and vessels are inversely related, for unless  Malchut, the smallest vessel, appears, the light of  Yechida will remain outside the  Partzuf. If two lower vessels,  ZA and Malchut, are absent in the  Partzuf, the two upper lights,  Yechida and  Haya, will not be able to enter it.

13. By saying that because of the rise of  Malchut to  Bina, each level  (Partzuf) ends after  Hochma and only two  Sefirot –  Keter and  Hochma remain in the  Partzuf, while  Bina,  ZA and  Malchut descended one level (See § 17), we mean only the vessels. Contrary to that, the lights  Nefesh and  Ruachremained on their level, and  Neshama,  Haya, and  Yechida exited the  Partzuf.

14. Certain places in “the Book of the  Zohar” say that since  Malchut rose to  Bina, only two letters  מ”יof the five letters that make up the Name  Elokim (אלהים) remained on the same level, while three letters  אל”ה descended to the lower level (See The Introduction to the  Zohar, p. 20). Other places in the  “Zohar” state the contrary, that because of this ascent, two letters  א”ל remained on their level, while three letters  הי”מ descended to the lower level (See “The  Zohar”,  “Bereshit (Genesis) 1”, § 59).

The fact is that the five letters of the Name  אלהים constitute the five  Sefirot KaHaB TuM or the five lights  NaRaNHaY. When  Malchut rises to  Bina, two upper vessels remain on this level –  Keter and Hochma, designated by letters  א”ל, and three letters,  ,הי”מ descended to the lower level. The opposite happens to the lights: the two last letters,  מ”י, correspond to the two lower lights –  Nefeshand  Ruach. They retain their level while the first three letters,  אל”ה, corresponding to the lights Yechida,  Haya, and  Neshama descended to the lower level. If one keeps that in mind and determines whether the lights or the vessels are meant in each particular case, many seeming contradictions will no longer be relevant.

THE RISE OF MALCHUT TO BINA

15. One should pay close attention to the correction of  Malchut in  Bina. This notion is the root, the source of all  Kabbalah, since  Malchut represents the category of judgment (restriction). The world, the spiritual Universe, cannot be based only on restriction. Hence, the Creator elevated  Malchut(judgment, restriction) to  Sefirat Bina, which is the category of mercy.

The sages say that the world was first created with the help of the category of judgment (restriction), i.e.,  Malchut, but seeing that such a world cannot exist, the Creator mixed the category of judgment (Midat haDin) with the category of mercy  (Midat haRachamim), i.e.,  Malchut with  Bina. Because of the rise to  Bina,  Malchut acquired its properties, i.e., the category of mercy. After that, Malchut starts ruling the world using its new properties. The process takes place on all levels, in all the  Sefirot from the  Rosh de Atzilut and down to the  Sof de Malchut of the world of  Assiya, because absolutely all levels, all worlds and the  Partzufim consist of the ten  Sefirot – KaHaB HaGaT NHYM.

THE DIVISION OF EACH LEVEL INTO TWO HALVES

16. All  Sefirot, all levels, are known to end with the  Sefira Malchut. This means that  Malchut of each level does not let the light enter it. The reason for this lies in  TA (restriction), which forbids  Malchutfrom receiving the Supreme Light. Hence, the light spreads only down to  Malchut without entering it; it stops, blocked by the screen.

A  Zivug de Haka’a (stroke interaction) is made on this screen. Therefore, as  Malchut of each level rises to  Bina, it begins to restrict the light in its new place in the middle of  Bina. The lower part of Bina,  ZA, and  Malchut are now below  Malchut Mesayemet. They happen to be outside this particular level and by this form its second half.

Therefore, owing to the rise of  Malchut to  Bina, each level was divided into two levels.  Keter,  Hochmaand the upper half of  Bina remained on their level, while the lower half of  Bina,  ZA (which includes HaGaT NHY), and  Malchut turned into the lower level. The new end created by  Malchut in the middle of  Bina is called “the  Parsa”.

17. As we know, there must be five lights on each level:  Yechida,  Haya,  Neshama,  Ruach and  Nefesh, which are inside five vessels:  Keter,  Hochma,  Bina,  ZA and  Malchut. After  Malchut rose to  Bina, only two full vessels –  Keter and  Hochma – remained in each level;  Bina,  ZA, and  Malchut are absent there.

Hence, only two lights –  Nefesh and  Ruach – were left in each level. They are inside the vessels  Keterand  Hochma. Three lights –  Neshama,  Haya and  Yechida are absent for the lack of appropriate vessels. In the language of Kabbalah, this process is described in the following way: letter  י (Yud) enters the word  “אור” (“Ohr”, “light”). As a result, the word  “אור” turns into  “אויר” (“Avir”, “air”). It means that the rise of Malchut to Bina causes the loss of the three first lights called  “Ohr”, the light by each level.

It retains only the lights  Nefesh and  Ruach, called  “Avir”, air. Alternatively, this process can be described with the help of five letters of the Name  “אלהים”, which was divided in two parts – אל”המ”י, so that the two letters  מ”י correspond to the two lights  Nefesh and  Ruach in two vessels Keter and  Hochma that remained on their level. The remaining three letters  אל”ה correspond to the three vessels  Bina,  ZA, and  Malchut, which descended to the lower level.

DESCENT OF MALCHUT FROM BINA TO ITS OWN PLACE

18. Because of raising  MAN (request, prayer) by the lower  Partzufim, the upper luminescence descends from the  Partzufim AB and  SAG (Hochma and  Bina). This forces  Malchut to leave  Bina and return to its own place. Now letter  י’ exits the word  “אויר” (“Avir”, “air”), turning it into  “אור” (“Ohr”, “light”).

The vessels of  Bina,  ZA, and  Malchut return to their level. Now each level again has the five vessels KaHaB TuM filled with the five lights  NaRaNHaY.  “Avir” turns to  “Ohr”, because the three upper lights of  Gar, called  “Ohr”, returned.

THE TIME OF KATNUT AND THE TIME OF GADLUT
 

19. Owing to the rise of  Malchut to  Bina, each level began to have two states, two periods:  Katnutand  Gadlut. After  Malchut rose to  Bina, the level ends under  Sefirat Hochma;  Bina,  ZA, and  Malchutdescend to the lower level. Only the vessels  Keter and  Hochma with the lights  Ruach and  Nefeshremain there.

This state is called  Katnut. When because of raising  MAN by the lower  Partzufim, the luminescence of Hochma and  Bina (light  AB and  SAG) descends from the world of  AK;  Malchut descends from  Binaand returns to its position. The vessels of  Bina,  ZA, and  Malchut rise to their level.

Thus, five vessels,  Keter,  Hochma,  Bina,  ZA and  Malchut and five corresponding lights,  Nefesh, Ruach,  Neshama,  Haya, and  Yechida again make up each level. Such a state is called  Gadlut. Therefore, the state without  Gar, without the three upper lights, is called  Katnut. The state wherein the three vessels  Bina,  ZA, and  Malchut return and the lights of the  Gar reappear is called  Gadlut.

THE RISE OF THE LOWER PARTZUFTO THE UPPER

20. The rise of  Malchut to  Bina creates an opportunity for each lower object to rise to the level of the upper. The rule states that the upper  Partzuf, which descended to the lower, acquires its properties; and vice versa, the lower  Partzuf, which ascended to the upper, becomes similar to it.

Thus, during  Katnut, i.e., when  Malchut rises to  Bina, moving  Bina,  ZA, and  Malchut to the lower level, these  Bina,  ZA, and  Malchut become similar to that new level. During  Gadlut, i.e., when Malchut returns to its place,  Bina,  ZA and  Malchut rise to their level.

By this, they elevate the lower level, inside which they were before, to their own. Consequently, the lower level receives all the lights that were in the upper level. Thus, we have discovered how the connection between the levels is formed due to the rise of  Malchut to  Bina, which allows even the lowest level to reach the highest.

KATNUTAND GADLUT OF THE YESHSUT AND THE ZON

21. Now that we know what the rise of  Malchut to  Bina generally means in all phases of the worlds of ABYA, let us look at the details. For example, let us take to phases in the world of  Atzilut called the YESHSUT and the  ZON. Because of the rise of the  Malchut de YESHSUT to  Bina de YESHSUT during Katnut, three  Sefirot –  Bina,  ZA, and  Malchut descended to the  ZON. While being in the  ZON, these three  Sefirot acquired their properties.

During  Gadlut, when  Malchut descended to its place,  Bina,  ZA, and  Malchut returned theirs – in the YESHSUT. At the same time, they elevated the  ZON (or, rather,  Keter and  Hochma de ZON), with which they actually constitute a single whole. As a result, the  ZON also became the  YESHSUT, i.e., acquired their properties and received the corresponding lights.

UNLESS MALCHUT RISES TO BINA, THE ZON CANNOT RECEIVE GADLUT

22. It should be stressed that the  ZON cannot receive the light of  Gadlut by themselves, since they refer to the space under the  Tabur de AK.  Malchut rules there, controlled by the power of  Tzimtzum(Restriction), which prevents it from receiving the light. However, during  Gadlut, when  Bina,  ZA, and Malchut de YESHSUT elevated the  ZON with them,  ZON, in fact, turn into  YESHSUT; now they (like the  YESHSUT) can receive the light of  Gadlut.

23. Now we can understand what our sages meant by saying, “First, the Creator created the world in the category of judgment”. The  ZON de Atzilut is called “world”. This word refers to our world, which receives the light from  ZON de Atzilut. Whatever was received in  ZON de Atzilut can be received by people in our world.

Conversely, whatever was absent in  ZON de Atzilut, cannot descend to our world. As we said, the root (Shoresh), the source of  ZON de Atzilut, is the space under the  Tabur de AK, where  Malchut rules in the state of restriction. Therefore, the  ZON cannot receive the light and exist. Even more our world, located much lower and receiving from  ZON de Atzilut, would be unable to exist.

That is exactly what the following words refer to: “Then the Creator saw that such world cannot exist, so He mixed mercy with judgment”. It means that the Creator elevated the  Malchut (judgment) of each level to  Bina (mercy). In particular, the  Malchut de YESHSUT rose to  Bina de YESHSUT; as a result,  Bina,  ZA and the  Malchut de YESHSUT descended one level, i.e., to the  ZON. By this, they acquire that level’s properties. In fact, the  Sefirot and the  ZON become a single whole after their descent.

Hence, during the  Gadlut de YESHSUT, when  Malchut descends to its own place from  Bina, the three vessels –  Bina,  ZA, and  Malchut also return to their position on the level of the  YESHSUT. With that, they also elevate the  ZON, with which they form a single whole. As a result, the  ZON rise to the level of the  YESHSUT. This means they can now receive the same lights that  YESHSUT gets. At the same time, they pass the light to our world allowing it to exist.

However, unless the categories of judgment and mercy were mixed, i.e., unless  Malchut de YESHSUTrose to  Bina de YESHSUT, forcing  Bina,  ZA and  Malchut to descend one level to the  ZON, the  ZONwould never be able to rise to the  YESHSUT, or receive the Supreme Light for our world and allow its existence. Thus, we understand what the rise of  Malchut to  Bina means.