Part 16 · Chapter 231

The Ari's Text

*Know that I have found from my teacher Rabbi Gedaliah Halevi, may his memory be blessed, that the three highest of the VAK of AA of Beriah, which are HGT, which remained revealed without clothing — behold, these three are in the secret of a screen.

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.

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1The GAR of the VAK of AA of Beria etc., these three are in the secret of a screen, and the explanation of the matters is so etc. Behold, this explanation is very deep and requires an explanation of its explanation. For we need to understand the difference between the passing of the lights through the screen and the breaching of the screen. And the matter is that it has already been explained that this screen is the screen of phase two, which brings out, through coupling with the upper light, the level of SAG, which is the light of Neshama. But since AVI and YESHSUT became one and descended and were clothed within ZON of Atzilut, and it is found that Tevuna is clothed within the Nukva, whereby the feet of Tevuna touch the Parsa between Atzilut and Beria, and in this Parsa the concluding Malchut of the first restriction was included, which made a new Sium for the world of Atzilut at Bina of the Guf [body], as above in this part (item 2), it is found therefore that the power of the Parsa is included in those Mochin, and therefore they descend to the Partzufim of Beria, and are not fit to be Mochin in Atzilut. (As above, page 1998, the passage beginning “The fourth discernment” — see there.) And behold, through this coupling all the five Partzufim of Beria came out in the place of ZON of Atzilut, and descended from there to the world of Beria, to their place. And this is regarded as their having come out in the secret of the screen, for they came out through a coupling on the screen and the Parsa.
However, the point of the Malchut of Atzilut that became Atik of Beria and was clothed within the HGT of AA, behold, she was not drawn through coupling by striking in the screen, like the five Partzufim of Beria, but descended there in the secret of the diminution of the moon and the breaching of the screen and Parsa. Which means: that she did not heed the power of the boundary in the screen that returns the direct light backward, but overpowered it and descended through it, from it downward; and it is found that the self of the point of the Malchut of Atzilut descended and became the Rosh [head] of Beria.
And it is found that there is a very great difference between the point of Malchut that was clothed in the HGT of AA, and the HGT of AA that clothe her. For the HGT of AA came together with all the five Partzufim of Beria, through coupling by striking in the screen and Parsa, and therefore they are regarded as a light of offspring from the feet of the five Partzufim of Atzilut. Whereas the point of Malchut is the light of the self of Atzilut, and not a light of offspring from the screen, as explained. And this is what he says, “The GAR of the VAK of AA of Beria, which are HGT, which remained revealed without clothing — behold, these three are in the secret of a screen,” meaning, that although these HGT became a revealed head, nevertheless they came together with all the five Partzufim of Beria in the secret of a screen, and they are the discernment of a light of offspring.
Yet we must understand what novelty he is telling us here, and what compelled him to be so precise that the HGT of AA are equal to all the Partzufim of Beria and came out together in the secret of a screen. And the matter is that there is a great difficulty here, for he says here that the point of Malchut was clothed in the HGT of AA and they became a revealed head and the discernment of Atik of Beria. And one can object: surely even without this there is Atik in Beria, for the feet of Atik of Atzilut were clothed in the feet of AA, etc., up to the feet of ZON, and descended to Beria, as written in Etz Chaim, Gate 42, Chapter 13. And if so, behold, there is the discernment of Atik, from Atik of Atzilut himself, who descended to Beria; so why is it further necessary for the point of the Malchut of Atzilut to be Atik of Beria?
And this is what compelled him to distinguish between the HGT of AA, which are the discernment of the feet of Atik (as above, page 2007, the passage beginning “However”; see there), and the point of the Malchut of Atzilut. For the feet of Atik that are included in the HGT of AA, behold, they came out in the secret of the screen, through coupling by striking, and therefore they are only a light of offspring and are not the self of Atzilut. But the point of Malchut that was clothed in them, behold, she descended to Beria in the secret of the breaching of the screen, as above, and it is found that her self descended to Beria, which is Atzilut, and not a light of offspring. For the difference between them is infinite. And therefore they did not become the discernment of Radla [the unknown head] for Beria, only the point of the Malchut of Atzilut did. And understand.