Part 3 · Inner Observation 7

Explains the ten Sefirot of the Sof of the Partzuf, and it has three matters: 1. In the ten Sefirot of Toch, the coarseness of the screen does not rule, because the Malchut of Malchut, which concludes the lights, is found below in the Tabur, and its coarseness cannot bestow above the place of its existence. But in the ten Sefirot of Sof, where the concluding Malchut is above them, the coarseness of the screen already rules over them. 2. Therefore, the ten Sefirot of Sof are called female light, which receives and does not bestow, since it is fit to receive only reflected light. 3. For this reason they conclude the Partzuf and stop its illumination.

The difference between from the Peh to the Tabur, and from the Tabur downward

And as to why the ARI always calls the whole Guf by the name of seven lower Sefirot, there is a very important matter in this. And it is, since you already know, that the matter of coarseness and limit in Malchut acts only at the time of the illumination of the reflected light from above downward, namely from Malchut downward. And know, that there is a very great difference here between the illumination of the reflected light from above downward, before the clothing of the light in complete vessels, which is the secret of from the Peh to the Tabur, and the illumination of the reflected light from above downward after the clothing in complete vessels has already been made, which is the secret of from the Tabur downward. For the from-above-downward before clothing is called by the name Toch of the Partzuf, meaning the essence of the Partzuf, since there the entire direct light of the Partzuf is clothed, and this place is called from the Peh to the Tabur of the Partzuf, where the Peh is the Keter of Malchut, and the Tabur is the Malchut of Malchut.

The ten Sefirot of the Sof of the Partzuf are reflected light

Indeed, the reflected light descending from above downward, after the clothing in the vessels has already been made, is considered the ten Sefirot of the conclusion of the Partzuf. And this place is called from the Tabur downward, to the conclusion of the Partzuf. For the Tabur is the Malchut of Malchut, which from the time of the restriction onward can no longer receive anything of the direct light. Therefore, those ten Sefirot from the Peh to the Tabur, although they also sparkle below the Tabur, nevertheless, since the direct light does not extend along with the sparkling, but only the reflected light alone, they are therefore considered female light, meaning that it receives and does not bestow. And since there is no bestowal or expansion at all in these ten Sefirot, they therefore conclude that degree.

Everything the lower one causes the upper one, the lower one also attains. The Peh still has nothing of the aspect of reception

And one should not ask, according to this, how does the direct light pass from the Peh downward, since the Peh too is an aspect of Malchut, which does not receive direct light from the restriction onward, as above. Indeed, you already know, that the restriction was made on phase four from the aspect of its being a vessel of reception, meaning, after Malchut had already expanded by herself and clothed the entire upper light, which is not so with the Peh, which is the Malchut of the Rosh, functioning there in the aspect of from below upward, meaning that it has not yet anything of the aspect of a vessel of reception at all, but only that it raises reflected light from itself upward. Therefore, since it caused the expansion of the ten Sefirot of the Rosh, it too can expand from there downward, from itself and within itself, into four aspects of Hochma, Bina, Tifferet, Malchut, of which the first three aspects, Hochma, Bina, Tifferet, which are in Malchut, are fit for receiving the direct light, and only the Malchut of Malchut, namely the Tabur, is considered here as the vessel of Malchut, upon which the restriction rides, and it cannot receive anything within itself from the direct light.

The Tabur, which has already come into the category of reception, is not fit for expansion together with the direct light, but only with reflected light alone

And from here you should always understand to discern, that the Malchut functioning from below upward has the ability to expand from itself and within itself into four aspects, in which, in the first three aspects, it receives direct light. Indeed, the Malchut already functioning from above downward, namely the Malchut within that Malchut which expanded, as above, is no longer fit to receive within itself anything of the direct light, since the power of the restriction already rides upon it. And the Malchut functioning from below upward is called by the name Keter of Malchut, or Peh. And the Malchut functioning from above downward is called by the name Malchut of Malchut, or Nefesh of Nefesh, or Tabur.

In the Rosh there are only roots of vessels. In the Toch, there are vessels for the direct light. In the Sof, there is only reflected light

Now the distinction has been explained, between the Rosh, Toch, and Sof of every Partzuf. For in the ten Sefirot of the Rosh, there are no complete vessels of reception, since the reflected light that ascends and clothes them from below upward is not considered vessels, but only helps to grasp the direct light in the Partzuf, in a way that it can afterward sparkle and pass from above downward, as above. Therefore they are called by the name roots of vessels. And the ten Sefirot of the Toch of the Partzuf, from the Peh to the Tabur, are the complete vessels, and there is the essential clothing of the direct light in the Partzuf. And the ten Sefirot of the Sof of the Partzuf are the aspect of female light, since they are reflected light without direct light, and they receive and do not bestow, and therefore they conclude the Partzuf and stop its lights.