Part 16 · Chapter 173

The Ari's Text

But it is always impossible for the inner vessels to couple without the outer ones and draw drops, for this is impossible. But the reverse is possible: that the outer vessels couple and draw a drop from one to the other. And the inner one, when it does not draw drops, is not called a complete coupling. See there, elsewhere: that the angels are made from the kisses (Neshikin), and human beings from a complete coupling.

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

1It is impossible for the inner vessels to couple without the outer ones etc. But the reverse is possible. And in Etz Chaim, Gate 41, Chapter 3, he wrote that even in the coupling of the externality, which are vessels, it is impossible to raise their MAN [Mayin Nukvin] unless by the power of the internality itself. See there. Thus even in the externality there is no coupling without the internality. And the matter is that here the ARI speaks only of the matter of the coupling itself, for there is a coupling for the sake of Mochin that comes specifically from the coupling of the inner vessels, and there is a coupling for the sake of VAK [six ends] that comes from the coupling of the external vessels. And this is what he says: that even for the sake of Mochin, the whole Partzuf, internality and externality, must be joined in the secret of the coupling, for the drop must come out of the Yesod of Gadlut [greatness/adulthood], which is outside the body and is reckoned as externality, except that it is drawn from the inner vessels in the Partzuf, for there are no Mochin except from the vessels of internality. However, for the sake of VAK the coupling is made in the discernment of externality, without any drawing from the anterior vessels, namely what is called the coupling of Neshikin [kissing], which is reckoned as the coupling of half a Partzuf from the Chazeh [chest] and above, without the coupling of the Yesodot; and therefore it draws only VAK, and from this coupling the angels are drawn, and therefore there is in them only VAK. But the souls of human beings, which are the discernment of GAR [first three], are drawn from the whole Partzuf, namely from two couplings: from the coupling of Neshikin and from the coupling of the Yesodot. And therefore there is in them a complete level, GAR and VAK. Thus the angels are drawn by means of the coupling of half a Partzuf alone, called the coupling of Neshikin, for what is drawn from it is externality without internality. But there, in Gate 41, the ARI speaks of the matter of the MAN of externality, that it is impossible for MAN to rise except by the power of the Rucha that he casts into her, which is the discernment of internality. See there. However, the coupling is made from the discernment of externality without internality. As above.