Part 13 · Chapter 18
The Ari's Text
AI translated
- And once I heard from my master, may his memory be blessed, that the aforementioned nine Sefirot were divided into three parts: for their GAR, which are KHB, spread in AA; and HGT in ZA; and NHY in the Nukva. And in this you will understand why the existence of AVI was not mentioned in the Idra Rabba except at the end, in the Idra Zuta, for AVI hang on the Mazal.
Inner Light
AI translated
Inner Observation, Questions, and Answers
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And the matter is that the ARI is conveying to us here a source-key, by which to understand every aspect of the Mochin and the heads in Atzilut, and therefore he calls them the original and rooted ten Sefirot, to say that they are not in the ordinary order that governs the ten Sefirot of every Partzuf, but rather it is an abstract order of ten Sefirot, which all the Partzufim are drawn after, from the aspects of the Mochin within them, which are called heads. And they were renewed here through the clothing of Radla [the unknown head] in the Rosh of AA, only from the aspect of nine Sefirot alone — from which He concealed the Malchut of the first restriction and hid her in His Rosh — and He clothed in AA only from the aspect of the screen of the second restriction, in the secret of the membrane of the air, as above, which is the aspect of the rising of the bottom Hey into the Einayim.
And from this comes a great difference between the Partzufim of AK and the Partzufim of Atzilut: that only in AK are there five discernments — KHB ZON — in their completeness, whereas in the Partzufim of Atzilut they are regarded as HGT NH alone, which are the five Hassadim and the five Gevurot standing in the middle line, and they are regarded as GAR only when the illumination of Hochma is in them, and we have already spoken of this in the previous parts. And the root of this matter takes place here in the screen of the second restriction that is in Radla, which is the meaning of the rising of the bottom Hey to the Nikvey Einayim, which took the AHP out from all the degrees, and nothing remained in the aspect of Rosh except Galgalta and Einayim and Nikvey Einayim. And although at the time of Gadlut the AHP are returned to their degree, still the main construction of the Partzuf is what came out with it at the time of its Katnut, as stated in the previous parts.
And with this you will understand what the ARI writes, that there are only three vessels in a Partzuf, namely: Bina, ZA, and Malchut, in which Nefesh is in Malchut, Ruach is in ZA, and Neshama is in Bina, which are called, from the aspect of the correction of the lines, HBD, HGT, NHY. For the three lines of the vessel of Bina are called HBD; and the three lines of the vessel of Tifferet are called HGT; and the three lines of the vessel of Malchut are called NHY. But for Haya and Yechida there are no vessels, for they require the vessel of Keter and the vessel of Hochma, and these two vessels do not exist in the Partzufim of Atzilut, as is known. And therefore the Rosh of every Partzuf is called HBD, and the Guf [body] is called HGT NHY, as is known.
And you will understand these matters together with what was explained above, that Radla took half of the upper Keter, which is GE [Galgalta ve Einayim], and AA took half of the lower Keter, which is AHP. And it turns out that AA lacks the two upper vessels, which are Keter and Hochma, which Atik took; and this lack pertains to all that are below it, which are the Partzufim of ABYA. For they begin from Bina downward, lacking the vessels of Keter and Hochma, and they have no vessels for Haya and Yechida; rather, these clothe within the vessel of Bina, as is known. And one needs to understand well the matter of this clothing of Haya and Yechida within the vessel of Bina.
And the matter is that every lower one is the aspect of the AHP of the one above it, as above, that the Ozen [ear] alone can be in the aspect of Rosh, whose three lines are called HBD, as above. But in HP [Hotem and Peh], which are Tifferet and Malchut, they are the aspect of Guf, called HGT NHY. And the reason is that the screen of the bottom Hey standing in the Nikvey Einayim of the one above does not act at all upon the GAR of Bina, since they are in the secret of “for He desires mercy,” as is known, and therefore they are fit to be Rosh, for the screen of the one above does not touch them at all. However, the ZAT of Bina, which need the illumination of Hochma, are compelled to descend to the aspect of HGT, for they are the root of ZON, which need the illumination of Hochma, and therefore the screen of the one above diminishes them to the aspect of Guf, for the power of the restriction of the bottom Hey standing in that screen separates them from the illumination of Hochma, and they are regarded as Guf without Rosh. And you see that even in the ten Sefirot of Bina herself there is HBD and HGT, meaning that only the GAR of Bina are fit for the Rosh of Neshama and Ruach, being HBD, and not the ZAT of Bina, since they suffer from the restriction of the bottom Hey that is in the screen of the one above. And the discernment is explained that exists in the vessel of Bina itself, between her GAR and her ZAT. And accordingly one must discern also in the Guf, between the GAR of the Guf, called HGT, which can receive from the corresponding discernment from the GAR of Bina, and the VAK of the Guf, called NHY, which can receive only from the ZAT of Bina.
And with this you will understand the first of the seven corrections of the head, called Galgalta. For you know that it is Ozen, meaning the vessel of Bina, and it was corrected by the light of Hesed of Atik, drawn from the GAR of Bina, in the secret of, “By day, the Lord will command His mercy,” etc. And the matter of its correction is that Atik corrected it to the aspect of Rosh, meaning GAR. For being the aspect of GAR of Bina, it does not suffer from the screen that is in the Malchut of the Rosh of Atik, and therefore it becomes a complete Rosh. And the matter of its being clothed with the upper Hesed of Atik fixes it so that it can never reverse its nature, for it must always be in the secret of GAR of Bina, meaning that it will receive into itself only the aspect of the light of Hassadim alone.
However, it has been explained that the vessel of Bina also includes the aspect of the ZAT of Bina, which are the roots of ZON that need the illumination of Hochma, and which are diminished by the bottom Hey in the screen of the Rosh of Atik; and it turns out that a part of this Galgalta cannot remain in the aspect of Rosh. And know that this is the secret of the third correction, called the membrane of the air, for that screen that is in the Malchut of the Rosh of Atik clothes there, and blocks off a part of Galgalta, and takes it out from the aspect of Rosh to the aspect of air, meaning Ruach and not Neshama, for it cannot be there in the aspect of Galgalta, which is HBD and Neshama, and it becomes the aspect of HGT and Ruach. And therefore the ARI calls it by the name “the sealed brain within Galgalta,” meaning that the illumination of Neshama in Galgalta is blocked from it, and it has only the light of Ruach. However, despite all this it is still regarded as the aspect of Ozen, but as the aspect of HGT of Ozen. And their relation to Galgalta itself is like YESHSUT to the upper AVI, who are both the aspect of Bina, except that this one is GAR and that one is ZAT. However, the third head, called Mocha Stimaa [the concealed brain], is the aspect of HP that came out from Atik, and therefore it is regarded as the aspect of ZON itself, for it receives from the Mocha of the air, which is the aspect of Ruach, and therefore it is regarded only as the aspect of Nefesh.
And this is what he says: “And indeed these two heads divide and become three heads besides Radla, etc., and these three heads are called Galgalta, the air, and Mocha Stimaa, and they are below this Radla” — meaning, as explained, that Galgalta itself divides into GAR and VAK, since it is Bina that came out from Atik, wherein there is this distinction between its GAR and its ZAT. Such that these three heads are the aspect of NRN: Nefesh in Mocha Stimaa, Ruach in the air, and Neshama in Galgalta, as explained.
And know that from here comes the root of the division of the Mochin of AVI for the sake of ZON, into three discernments called by the three letters of Tzelem, as the ARI elaborated in explaining them (above, Part 11, items 101 and 108), study it there well, the whole continuation. For the Mem of Tzelem is drawn from the correction of Galgalta, and is regarded as the aspect of AB, and as the Yod of HaVaYaH, and as the upper AVI, and as the aspect of the air, and as KHB. And the Lamed of Tzelem is drawn from the correction of the Mocha of the air, and is regarded as the aspect of HGT, and as the aspect of SAG, and as the Hey of HaVaYaH, and as YESHSUT, and as the aspect of the Yod that comes out of Avir [air], leaving Or [light]. And the Tzadi of Tzelem is drawn from the correction of Mocha Stimaa, and is regarded as the HaVaYaH of MA, and as the Vav of HaVaYaH, and as the aspect of ZA, etc. Study it there well.
And the explanation of these matters: although we said that the three heads are Neshama, Ruach, Nefesh, this is before the Daat of Radla showed its light in the Mocha of the air; but afterward, through the upper coupling of AB and SAG of AK, the Mochin of Haya are drawn into AA, and then it is discerned that the aspect of the illumination of Hochma is not revealed in Galgalta itself, but in the Mocha of the air. And this is because Galgalta, being the aspect of GAR of Bina, and corrected by the upper Hesed of Atik, does not change its taste even upon attaining the level of AB, and it is still regarded then as the aspect of air, meaning the aspect of covered Hassadim, since it is in the secret of “for He desires mercy,” and all the Hochma that it receives, it bestows to the Mocha of the air, which is the aspect of its ZAT, which need the illumination of Hochma. And this is exactly as was explained there regarding the Mem of Tzelem and the Lamed of Tzelem, study it there well. In such a way that the matter of the Yod that comes out of Avir, through the illumination of the Daat of Radla, does not help at all to change the Rosh of Galgalta, but the Mocha of the air receives this correction, and it now remains in Or, through the Yod that comes out of it, see there. So the relation of Galgalta to the Mocha of the air is like the upper AVI to YESHSUT, for Galgalta is the aspect of the HaVaYaH of AB and the upper AVI, and the Mocha of the air is the HaVaYaH of SAG and the aspect of YESHSUT, in which the matter of the Yod that comes out of Avir applies. And Mocha Stimaa is the HaVaYaH of Alpin, for it is the aspect of ZON, as above.
And from here follow all the distinctions that the ARI states there between Tzadi and Lamed-Mem of Tzelem: that the aspect of Tzadi of Tzelem is inner light, and it is the aspect of ZA clothed in its nine Sefirot; and Lamed-Mem are two surrounding [lights]: the Lamed is a surrounding from the aspect of YESHSUT, and the Mem is a surrounding from the aspect of AVI. Study it there well, in Inner Light, throughout the continuation. And accordingly the ARI also explains here the three heads below, as we have stated before. And these are the original and rooted nine Sefirot of AA: KHB HGT NHY. For KHB is the aspect of the root of the Mem of Tzelem, in all the explanations the ARI gave of it, and it is regarded as the three heads of Atika, which is AA, which is the aspect of AB of Atzilut, and from it is drawn the root of the Mem of Tzelem, which is the aspect of the upper AVI at the time they clothe the GAR of AA, meaning at the time they attain the level of AB, which is at the time of the Ibur of ZA, as stated there, that the GAR of AA rise to Atik, and AVI take the place of the GAR of AA.
And HGT of the original nine Sefirot are the three heads of ZA, meaning they are the aspect of Lamed of Tzelem, which is the aspect of ZAT of Bina that need the illumination of Hochma, being the roots of ZA, and therefore the matter of the Yod that comes out of Avir, leaving Or, applies to them, as above. And they are the aspect of YESHSUT, and the HaVaYaH of SAG.
And NHY of the original nine Sefirot are the three heads of the Nukva. For they are the aspect of ZA, which is the root of the Tzadi of Tzelem, which is the inner light of ZA, from which come all the Mochin of his Nukva.
And the matter of this above-mentioned division of the original nine Sefirot applies to every single aspect, for they are all within the three heads of AA: that Mocha Stimaa is the aspect of NHY, and the aspect of inner light, called Tzadi of Tzelem, and the aspect of the HaVaYaH of MA. And the Mocha of the air is the aspect of HGT of the original nine Sefirot, and the aspect of the small surrounding, called the Lamed of Tzelem, and the aspect of the HaVaYaH of SAG. And the first head, called Galgalta, is the aspect of KHB of the original nine Sefirot, and the aspect of the great surrounding, which is the root of the Mem of Tzelem, and it is the HaVaYaH of AB.
And thus they apply to HGT NHY of AA, for its HGT are clothed in AVI and YESHSUT, that AVI are the aspect of KHB of the original ten Sefirot, and they are the aspect of the Mem of Tzelem and the great surrounding, and the HaVaYaH of AB. And YESHSUT are the aspect of HGT of the original nine Sefirot, and the aspect of the Lamed of Tzelem, and the small surrounding, and the HaVaYaH of SAG. And NHY of AA are clothed in ZA, which is the aspect of NHY of the original nine Sefirot, and the aspect of Tzadi of Tzelem and inner light, and the HaVaYaH of MA.
And thus they apply to every single aspect of all these particulars we have considered above. For in the first head of Galgalta alone, there are all these original nine Sefirot, which are three HaVaYaHs: AB, which is the great surrounding and KHB; and SAG, which is the small surrounding and HGT; and MA, which is inner light and NHY. And accordingly these nine Sefirot exist also in the Mocha of the air alone, and in Mocha Stimaa alone, and likewise in the upper AVI alone, and in YESHSUT alone, and in ZA alone.
And with this, what the ARI writes — that KHB are the three heads of AA, at a time when Bina is the aspect of throat and not Rosh — will not trouble you. For the intent is not according to the order of the Sefirot of the Partzuf of AA, but according to the original order, as above, which applies to every aspect of AA and to all the Partzufim of Atzilut, as explained. And the matter of their being called by the name of three heads is likewise for the same reason, for even in one head of them, there are also all those three heads, which are called Hochma, Bina, Daat: for the Hochma in it is AB, and the aspect of the Mem of Tzelem in all its aspects, and the aspect of the great surrounding, etc.; and the Bina in it is SAG, and the aspect of the Lamed of Tzelem in all its aspects, and the aspect of the small surrounding, etc.; and the Daat in it is MA, and the aspect of the Tzadi of Tzelem in all its aspects, and it is inner light, etc.