Chapter 3.10 - Reality in General
After the restriction, Malchut decides to receive in order to give to the Creator. This intention is called a "screen." A series of Partzufim then comes out on this screen:
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Partzuf Galgalta is emanated on the screen that can receive Light with fourth-degree coarseness.
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Partzuf AB is emanated on the screen that can receive Light with third degree coarseness.
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Partzuf SAG is emanated on the screen that can receive Light with second-degree coarseness.
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Partzuf MA is emanated on the screen that can receive Light with first-degree coarseness.
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Partzuf BON is emanated on the screen that can receive Light with root degree coarseness.
The names of the Partzufim are given according to the quality and the quantity of the Lights that fill them. Malchut emerges as Behina Dalet, meaning the fifth in the evolution of the Light of the Creator’s essence. For that reason, she receives from her previous phases and consists of them. This is also the reason why Malchut has five phases of desire, from the smallest (Behinat Shoresh), to the greatest (Behina Dalet) and she can take Light indefinitely.
After the restriction, Malchut decides to receive Light only in order to give to the Creator. This kind of reception goes against her natural desire. Therefore, she cannot receive indefinitely and cannot receive the Light all at once as before. For that reason, she decides to receive this Light in small portions. In the end, though, she will be filled to the top and attain the purpose of Creation.
Each part inside Malchut consists of five parts of will to receive, just like the general Malchut, because there cannot be a desire if there aren’t four degrees of expansion of Light that precede it.
For that reason, there is a fixed formation according to the five degrees of Aviut: Shoresh, Aleph, Bet, Gimel, Dalet. In terms of Sefirot they are called Keter, Hochma, Bina, ZA, Malchut, which are also named (in Hebrew letters) – the tip of the Yod (·), Yod (י), Hey (ה), Vav (ו), Hey (ה).
There are five worlds, each consisting of five Partzufim. In each Partzuf there are five Sefirot, thus the sum total of degrees turns out to be 5³ = 125 degrees or Sefirot that each soul must go through on its way from our world to the world of Ein Sof, and the adhesion with the Creator.
Each degree, Sefira, Partzuf, or world, any part of Malchut de Ein Sof, and even the smallest particles of reality, consist of five parts of the will to receive, a screen over it and Light received by the screen. The strength of the screen determines the kind and the degree of the use of the desire.
There is not a single object, spiritual or physical, that is not comprised of these five parts, the tip of the Yod (·), Yod (י), Hey (ה), Vav (ו), Hey (ה).These Hebrew letters comprise the name of the Creator; it is the mold in which He created the creature. The creature feels and names the Creator according to how he feels the Light.
Every vessel is named according to the extent that it feels the Creator. That is why each degree has its own name, starting with this world, the lowest degree, through the world of Ein Sof. When a soul ascends a degree, it means that it receives the Light in that degree, meaning it fills up its Yod (י), Hey (ה), Vav (ו), Hey (ה), also known as HaVaYaH with a certain filling. That specific Light, together with the HaVaYaH, makes up the name of the degree.
It is written that everyone must attain the degree called "Moses." All the names in the Torah are holy names, because they are appellations of manifestations of the Light, i.e. the Creator. That is why the whole Torah is comprised of names of the Creator, including such names as Pharaoh, Balak, and Balaam etc.
A name of a degree is determined by the Light that fills the Partzuf, the HaVaYaH. For example: if the vessel is filled with the Light of Wisdom, and the sign for that Light is the letter Yod, it turns out that the filling of the letters (how they’re spelt in Hebrew) would be:
That is because each letter in the Hebrew alphabet has its own numerical value (when two Hebrew letters appear, the left marks the form of that letter at the end of a word. They are called "final letters"):
Thus, summing up the value of the letters of the name HaVaYaH spelled this way –Yod-Vav-Dalet (10+6+4) + Hey-Yod (10+5) + Vav-Yod-Vav (6+10+6) + Hey-Yod (10+5) = 72, or pronounced in letters: AB (ע"ב). Hence Partzuf Hochma is called AB (ע"ב).
A Partzuf that receives the Light of Mercy ( Hassadim) is called SAG (ס"ג) –Yod-Vav-Dalet (10+6+4) + Hey-Yod (10+5) + Vav-Aleph-Vav (6+1+6) + Hey-Yod (10+5) = 63, or pronounced in letters: SAG (ס"ג).
All the degrees in all the worlds are given these names. Thus, in order to know the name of each degree we need only know the name for each type of Light. Then, when we read the Torah, we will understand which spiritual degrees, actions and places it talks about.
Then we will no longer be led to think that the Torah speaks of anything lower than the spiritual world. We will know that it doesn’t speak of our corporeal life, about history, or about how to get on in the physical world. We will know that all the books in the Torah are in fact instructions for man that explain how to attain the purpose of our lives, while living in this world, so that we do not have to return to it time after time and suffer again and again from this empty, purposeless life.
A Partzuf consists of ten Sefirot: Keter, Hochma, Bina, Zeir Anpin, and Malchut. Expressed in letters it would be: Yod–Hochma, Hey–Bina, Vav–Zeir Anpin, Hey–Malchut.
But the degree of a Partzuf (Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Haya, and Yechida) is not clarified by the name HaVaYaH. The letters of HaVaYaH make up ten Sefirot, the skeleton of the vessel. They explain the state of the empty vessel, without the Upper Light. The degree of the vessel is determined by the power of the screen. The screen fills up the ten Sefirot of HaVaYaH with Lights. The screen can fill up the vessel with the Lights of Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Haya or Yechida. The amount of Light in the vessel determines its degree.
There are actually only two Lights: the Light of Hochma (Wisdom) and the Light of Hassadim (Mercy). The sign for Hochma is the letter Yod (י), the sign for Hassadim is Hey (ה).
A. The degree of Yechida (Keter) is written as HaVaYaH without any filling: Yod (י), Hey (ה), Vav (ו), Hey (ה) =
B. The degree of Haya (Hochma) is HaVaYaH filled with Yod: Yod-Vav-Dalet (10+6+4) + Hey-Yod (10+5) + Vav-Yod-Vav (6+10+6) + Hey-Yod (10+5) = 72, or pronounced in letters: AB (ע"ב). Hence Partzuf Hochma is called AB (ע"ב).
C. The degree of Neshama (Bina) is HaVaYaH filled with Hey, except that in the letter Vav it is filled with Aleph and in the letter Hey, it is filled with Yod: Yod-Vav-Dalet (10+6+4) + Hey-Yod (10+5) + Vav-Aleph-Vav (6+1+6) + Hey-Yod (10+5) = 63, or pronounced in letters: SAG (ס"ג).
D. The degree of Ruach (Zeir Anpin) is HaVaYaH filled with Hey, but only the letter Vav is filled with Aleph: Yod-Vav-Dalet (10+6+4) + Hey-Aleph (5+1) + Vav-Aleph-Vav (6+1+6) + Hey-Aleph (5+1) = 45, or pronounced in letters: MA (מ"ה).
E. The degree of Nefesh (Malchut) is HaVaYaH filled with Hey, except in the letter Vav which remains without any filling: Yod-Vav-Dalet (10+6+4) + Hey-Hey (5+5) + Vav-Vav (6+6) + Hey-Hey (5+5) = 52, or pronounced in letters: BON (ב"ן).