Частина 2 · Внутрішнє споглядання 5

Chapter FiveExplains the restriction and the screen, and contains four issues:
1. The restriction was even on all sides.
2. The issue of the screen: Because any extension of light is in phase four, there needs to be a detaining force that will prevent the light from expanding into phase four, too. That force is called the screen.
3. Two phases in Malchut: a. She is restricted so as not to receive light inside her by her own will. This applies to the circles. b. She is restricted because of a detaining force on her, namely a screen. This applies to the Sefirot of straightness.
4. The upper light is in complete rest, and does not stop shining even for a minute. When the emanated being yearns, it draws the light to it.The difference between the restriction and the screen.Once we thoroughly learned the four degrees in the will to receive one below the other well, in its precise measure, we will now explain the matter of the restriction, the screen, and the difference between them. The restriction has already been thoroughly explained in Part One and in Inner Light here, and we need not repeat the words here. The main thing we need for our concern is the equivalence that was there (Inner light, Part One, Chapter One, Item 90).

The four phases received in restriction; the matter of cause and consequence.It has been explained above that since the light of Ein Sof is completely even, it had to restrict itself evenly on all sides. This means that all four phases that were restricted are of equal level, without a discernment of refinement and coarseness that make four degrees be one below the other down to phase four, the coarsest and the lowest of them all. Rather, they are all even. All that was added in the restriction, to distinguish in it more than in Ein Sof, is only the matter of the four phases with respect to their causing and cascading from each other by way of cause and consequence. Phase one is the reason and the cause of the emergence of phase two; phase two is the cause of phase three; and phase three is the cause of phase four. However, in terms of refinement and merit, they are even.

There were no cause and consequence in Ein Sof.This matter of cause and consequence that nevertheless divides them into four phases could not emerge in Ein Sof prior to the restriction since there, even the vessel in general is not apparent. Rather, it is all light, as it is written in Part One. However, after the light of Ein Sof departed from those phases, they became apparent and what we must now discern became disclosed, namely the light itself, meaning what was in them before the restriction. The four phases themselves remained empty of light because after the restriction, it became apparent that these phases are not the same as the light of Ein Sof, as was apparent prior to the restriction. This is like a candle that is incorporated in a torch: It is indistinguishable. However, when separated from the torch, it becomes apparent to all.

There seems to be a question here: Since the restriction occurred primarily in phase four, it became evident that that phase is unfit to receive the ­light. However, it became evident that the three preceding phases, on which the restriction was not evident, are suitable to receive the light. Thus, we have a distinction of merit and importance of one over the other. In other words, phase four is lower than the first three phases.

The restriction was not because of the inferiority of phase four, but solely for the purpose of adornment.The thing is that the restriction of the light in phase four was not because of her inferiority, for we are still dealing with Malchut of Ein Sof, where phase four was as the light of Ein Sof itself. Thus, how can we even think that the restriction was due to the inferiority of phase four? Rather, the restriction was only as an adornment, when that Malchut wanted the highest possible adhesion, to adhere to the Emanator completely, which is the greatest equivalence of form with the Emanator (Part One, Chapter One, Item 90). Thus, phase four did not lose her merit after the restriction, too.

The extension of the line was first in phase four. This is why there had to be a detaining force on phase four, so the light would not enter her.Now we will explain the screen that was made over phase four, which is Malchut. When the world of restriction, meaning Malchut of Ein Sof was clothed there, as it is known that every degree begins with her Malchut of the upper one that becomes her first substance (Item 27). When that restricted Malchut drew the upper light over the first three phases once more, this extension was necessarily with the yearning in phase four in her. This is because the first three phases are not vessels of reception and extension whatsoever. Thus, it was necessary for her to first draw the upper light into all four phases, even to her phase four. However, in order to prevent the light from reaching phase four, she had to add a new force so as to detain the light from spreading to phase four.

The detaining force that was added to phase four is called a “screen.”That new force that she added is called a “screen.” That screen is the fundamental factor in the extension of the light of the line over the three phases, since because the restriction she performed, meaning revoking her desire from receiving in phase four, sufficed only for the departure of the upper light only from her. However, afterwards, she drew the light once more, and was forced to reawaken her phase four in order to draw that new extension. Thus, if she had not made that new force toward the expansion of light, the light would have reached phase four once again. Thus, the primary factor in the extension of the light of the line on the three phases is only the force of the screen exclusively, which she made once more with respect to the light. You must thoroughly understand these two phases, namely the restriction and the screen, for they are the foundations for all the rest in this wisdom.

The restriction was of her own volition. The screen pushes the light through the force of control not of her own volition.You must understand the difference between the restriction that Malchut of Ein Sof did, which is the departure from the great will to receive of her own volition, and her choice to equalize her form completely with the Emanator, and the screen, which is the detaining force, through control and compulsion, so that no light would reach phase four.

The reason for this is that although both the restriction and the screen were made by Malchut of Ein Sof, you already know that when a spiritual entity acquires a new form, additional to its own, by this it is regarded as two spirituals, and as two phases that are as far apart from one another as the measure of their disparity of form. Just as corporeal objects become separated from one another by an axe, and are distanced from each other by place and area, the spirituals are distinguished from each other by an innovation of form. Their distance from each other is according to the measure of disparity between one form and the other, whether less or more.

The screen is a result of the restricted Malchut. A desire in the upper one is a force in the lower one.Thus, after the above Malchut performed an extension on the light of the line over three phases, this extension is regarded as a new form that was added to the form of restriction. Thus, how there are two phases in the above Malchut: The first is the restricted Malchut, which is the first form that was made in Malchut of Ein Sof, and which now received a new form called the “restricted Malchut.” Later, when that Malchut performed an extension on the light of the three phases, a new form was born and emerged, which is called a screen, preventing the light from appearing in phase four. It is known that every desire in the upper one becomes an authority in the branch that comes out from it. Since the screen is a branch, a consequence of the restricted Malchut, hence, although Malchut restricted herself voluntarily and knowingly, without any control by her upper one, the consequence that is extended from her, namely the screen, is already completely controlled by the restriction, since it is a second degree in the world of restriction.

The difference between circles and straightness is in the screen that was innovated in the ten Sefirot of straightnessIt follows from the above that there are two phases of Malchut: The first is the restricted Malchut, and the second is Malchut that has a screen. Know that this is the whole difference between the Sefirot of the circles and the Sefirot of straightness, which are called a “line.” Malchut in the ten Sefirot of circles is the restricted Malchut, where there is no screen, and Malchut in the ten Sefirot of straightness is corrected with the above-mentioned screen.

The reason why the light strikes and wants to enter phase four is that the emanated being extended it this way.Now you can thoroughly understand the matter of the reflected light that rises through a coupling by striking from the encounter of the upper light with the screen on phase four that we began to explain above (Item 18). You should understand what we said there, that the upper light is not meticulous about the restriction that the emanated being performed, and it comes down to expand in phase four, too. The reason is that the emanated being himself necessarily draws it to begin with. It has already been explained (Part One, Chapter One, Item 2) that the upper light is always in a state of complete rest and does not stop shining to the lower ones even for a minute, since it does not come under the definition of an incident and innovation. Rather, all the issues of the expansion of upper light that were discussed refer to the drawing on the part of the emanated being, who receives from the upper light according to the understanding of the will to receive, meaning the yearning in it, as has been explained above (Part Two, Inner Observation, Item 50).

We refer to the drawing of the emanated being as expansion of upper light.At the very moment when the emanated being yearns to receive from the upper light, he immediately pumps to it the upper light, like one who lights a candle from another and the first is not lessoned. By the same manner, when the emanated being draws to itself the upper light, the upper light is not lessened at all because of that part that the emanated being drew into itself. Also, it is not impressed or affected in any way by the extension of the emanated being. Rather, in order to simplify matters, we refer to the extension of the emanated being as expansion of upper light. Remember this in every place, for we always speak of expansion of the upper light, and mean the extension of the emanated being by his yearning alone.

The part of the light that should have entered phase four and was rejected from her became reflected light.For this reason, after the restriction, when Malchut of Ein Sof drew the light once more, because she drew it through the yearning in her phase four, the upper light was drawn to phase four, as well. However, by the power of the screen that she had made, to detain the light from expanding into phase four, that part of the light returned backward. By this she fulfilled her initial will—that the light would reach her only in three phases. However, that part of the light that the screen pushed back to its root, meaning the part that was intended for phase four, did not vanish from her. Instead, it became a great light, clothing the three phases of the upper light, from the place of the screen up to the root. That reflected light became a vessel for reception of the three phases of upper light instead of phase four (Inner Observation, Item 21).