Part 9 · Chapter 21

The Ari's Text

*And know: the matter of the making of this Kli [vessel] is that there are then also given to her the upper Mochin in the first three [Sefirot], and they spread through the whole of her, as is known. And then the illumination of those Hassadim, called RIU [216] and Kli, also descends into her Yesod, and a Kli is made there. Thus this Kli is not in the Yesod alone; rather, they are the very Mochin in the entire stature of Aba and Bina, in the entire stature of ZA [Zeir Anpin], and in the entire stature of the Nukva [female]. And from the totality of those five Hassadim it is drawn also into their Yesod. And then the females, Ima and Malchut, receive these Mochin by way of their husbands — the one Panim be Panim [face to face], and the other Achor be Achor [back to back] — and their body is built, and the totality of the Hassadim of the RIU is placed in her in the secret of Achor be Achor, and then she is made a Kli. And afterwards Aba returns to extend the actual inner Mochin of Zivug [coupling], and enters Ima in the secret of Mochin and in the secret of Zivug as well. And from there they are extended to ZON [Zeir Anpin and Nukva] in the secret of the Partzuf itself, and afterwards in the secret of a Zivug. Understand this very well.

Inner Light

This commentary hasn't been matched to individual seifim yet — items are shown in reading order, and the number beside each one counts the notes themselves, not the seifim of the Ari's text.

Not matched to a seif

1The making of this vessel is that there are then also given to her the discernment of the upper Mochin in the GAR, and they spread through the whole of her: Meaning, that an upper coupling of AB and SAG is needed to bring down the bottom Hey from the Einayim; for then the posterior vessels of Bina and ZON rise and join to the degree, and then the upper Mochin of GAR are revealed, and they spread within the vessels of AVI, where the coupling of ZON of Gadlut is made — and likewise within ZON themselves, who rose there in the inclusion of the coupling of AVI; except that within AVI they are face to face, while within ZON this is reckoned as back to back, until they come to their place below, and through new MAN they too return to being face to face, as is known.
2Ima and Malchut receive Mochin, the one face to face and the other back to back: For as long as ZON have not descended to their place and received the MAN of the souls of the righteous that return them to being face to face, they are still reckoned as back to back. As above.
3They are drawn to ZON in the secret of the Partzuf itself, and afterward in the secret of a coupling: For at first the Mochin of GAR are drawn to them in the secret of a Partzuf — namely, in the discernment of face to back — which suffices for the coupling of the embryo, for the sake of the anterior vessels of the souls of the righteous; and afterward the souls of the righteous rise as MAN a second time, in the secret of a coupling face to face.