Parte 2 · Observação Interior 8

Chapter EightExplains: 1. Why during extension of lights, the coarser is greater, and when they are clothed in the vessels, the more refined is more important.
2. The reason for the inverse relation between vessels and lights: In the vessels, the upper ones grow first; in the lights, the lower ones enter first. 3. Why are the circles regarded as light of Nefesh?The measure of the light that is extended depends on the extent of the coarseness of the screen.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.The measure of the clothed light depends on the refinement of the vessel.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.

In the vessels, the upper ones come first, and in the lights, the lower ones come first.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.When it obtains the light of Nefesh, it dresses in the vessel of Keter.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.

When it obtains the light of Ruach, the light of Nefesh descends to Hochma and Ruach dresses in the vessel of Keter.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.

When it obtains Neshama, it dresses in the vessel of Keter, Ruach descends to Hochma, and Nefesh to Bina.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.

When it obtains the light of Haya, she dresses in Keter; Neshama descends to Hochma, Ruach to Bina and Nefesh to ZA.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.

When it obtains Yechida, it dresses in Keter. Then Haya descends to Hochma, Neshama to Bina, Ruach to ZA, and Nefesh to Malchut.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.

The difference between the imparting of the light and the order of the clothing of the light.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.

Each light that comes to the Partzuf is received only 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.

The circles do not receive the upper light because they have no coarseness.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.

Any degree that receives from another, and does not have any form of bestowal in and of itself, is regarded as Nefesh.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.