Teil 2 · Innere Betrachtung 2

Chapter TwoExplains the five primary discernments in the five worlds of AK and ABYA, and contains six matters:
1. The five worlds called AK and ABYA, are differentiated by the four levels of coarseness in the screen.
2. The upper one bestows upon the lower one only through the coarsest thing, and the lower one receives from the upper one only in the most refined thing.
3. The reason for the departure of the light from the three phases preceding phase four, though only phase four was restricted.
4. Explanation of coupling by striking.
5. What is the reflected light that rises from below upward through a coupling by striking?
6. The reflected light that rises from the coupling by striking becomes a vessel of reception for the upper light instead of phase four.The differentiation between the five worlds AK and ABYA is primarily according to the coarseness in their screen, which is AK in phase four.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.

The world of Atzilut is from the screen of phase three. Therefore, it is external to AK, which is phase four.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.

The screen of Beria is from phase two; this is why it is external to Atzilut.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.

The screen of Yetzira is from phase one, which is why it is external to Beria.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.

The screen of Assiya comes from the root coarseness. This is why it is the most external.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.

An inverse relation between the bestowal of the light and the clothing of the light.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.

The restriction was only on phase four.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.

All the light departed because there was no other vessel of reception other than phase four.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.

There were only the first three phases in the light of the line.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.

Explaining coupling by striking.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.

Explaining reflected light.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.

The reflected light becomes a vessel of reception instead of phase four.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.

Reflected light was the vessel of reception in the line.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.

The vessels of the ten Sefirot of the Rosh are but roots for the vessels.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.