You are here: Kabbalah Library Home / Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam) / Shamati Articles / 87. Shabbat Shekalim / Article "Shabbat Shekalim" - Lessons / Article "Shabbat Shekalim"

Article "Shabbat Shekalim"

Shamati, Article #87
Lesson by Rav Michael Laitman, Bnei Baruch, Israel
October 26, 2006
Lecturer: Michael Laitman, PhD

We are reading in the book Shamati, Article #87, Shabbat Shekalim.

On Shabbat Shekalim (name of weekly portion), when he began the Kidush... [Now Rabash is talking about Baal HaSulam. When Baal HaSulam went into Kiddush after the morning prayer Shaharit] he said, “There was a custom among the Admorim (rabbis, heads of congregations) in Poland, that all the rich men would come to their rabbis on Shabbat Shekalim, to receive Shekalim (coins) from their rabbis.”

Hassidut is unique in that it was established by Kabbalists, the students of Baal Shem Tov. He himself was a Kabbalist, whose caliber we can’t describe. He didn’t leave any writings after him. Everything that was written about him was written by his students. But he was the greatest Kabbalist between the Ari and Baal HaSulam. There was none other like him.

The Baal Shem Tov established a movement called Hassidut. What characterized it was that within that movement he instilled customs that were either similar to spirituality, or whose roots were in spirituality. There were all kinds (of customs): in clothing, in gestures, in all kinds of mannerisms, which were not previously the custom in Israel.

His intention was that a person who is within those customs will ask “what” and “why” and “what for.” A child would ask his father, and the father would then ask his Rav. Thus, he would receive an explanation that it stems from higher, spiritual roots that have the power, reason, and purpose to bring a person to Gmar Tikkun (the end of correction). A person should do according to what the custom indicates and that was his purpose in establishing many customs in the movement of the Hassidut.

One of the customs is that the rich men would come together on Shabbat Sheckelim, each to his own Rav, to receive money from him, one shekel. Of course, at that time there weren’t shekels in Poland, but they would use whatever money there was at that time. Normally it was rubles because Poland was under Russia's rule most of that time and that’s what they used. So what does this custom imply?

And he said that it implies that there cannot be obliteration of Amalek without Shekalim.

Amalek is the greatest, most ferocious will to receive in us. There is the Mitzva (precept/commandment) to obliterate the memory of Amalek from under the sky, meaning, it has to be killed entirely so that it will not exist in the world. The will to receive at that degree, Amalek, can’t be corrected any other way; its death is the correction.

This means that you can’t use it by taking it through the correction from in order to receive and with it reach the intention to bestow, i.e., that the results of it might be corrected and used. This cannot happen and this is why its correction is death. Death means that a person makes the restriction, and then a person rejects the desire from using it altogether. In that the desire dies. So how in that state can you make that correction, i.e., how can you obliterate Amalek? Through Sheckalim.

This is so because before one receives Shekalim, there is still no Klipa (shell) of Amalek. Rather, when taking Shekalim, the great Klipa called “Amalek” arrives, and the work of obliterating Amalek begins. However, prior to that, there is nothing to erase.

And he added an explanation to it, concerning what the Sayer of Kuznitz said about what is said in the closing prayer: “You have separated man from the beginning and You will recognize him to stand before You.” The sayer asked about it: “How is it possible to stand without a Rosh (head, but also beginning)? It means that he has separated the Rosh from the man, and how can such a thing be?” The explanation is, “When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel,” by which we extend the discernment of Rosh. If we give the half Shekel, through it we are awarded the Rosh.

There are many things here. First of all, the rich are coming to receive the shekel. When a person with power, meaning rich, has the ability to do what he wants (what he decides) and he is strong in his abilities, he then comes to receive this additional desire called “Amalek and then he begins to work with it.

Now, Baal HaSulam is beginning to explain to us what it means to work above reason, working above the Rosh (Head) as if a person has no Rosh. But in everything he executes he takes his work plan, all the actions he will have to perform from Above, from a higher Partzuf and seemingly erases himself from thinking and planning and attaining what he now does. It’s all done in complete dedication to the Upper One. Because the will to receive that is currently in him is the desire of Amalek and with that desire you cannot do anything, not in potential and not de facto.

That’s why he seemingly works without Rosh. He works with Amalek’s desire without the Rosh. He doesn’t plan anything with Amalek’s desires, but uses these desires in actions only to protest against them.

And he later asked … “Why does he prepare for the Kidush more drinking that eating? This is not the right order, since the order should be eating more than drinking, as drinking comes only to complement the eating, by way of ‘And thou shalt eat and be satisfied, and bless.’

We see this in our world too, as a result of spirituality, of a person’s structure, that he needs eating more than drinking, because eating is the intention for the Orh Hassadim (Light of Mercy). And normally, drinking doesn’t refer to water, but to an alcoholic beverage, and is the Orh Hochma (Light of Wisdom). So the order is that eating is more than drinking. If the drinking is more than the wisdom, then comes intoxication where there is no clothing of Light of Hassadim over the Light Hochma and this is called “getting drunk.” Meaning when a person receives the Light of wisdom without clothing.

However, it is not so when drinking is more than eating.” And he interpreted that eating implies Hassadim (mercy) and drinking implies Hochma (wisdom).

And he said further, that the Shabbat prior to the month of Adar contains the whole of the month of Adar. Hence, “when Adar enters, there is much gladness.” And he said that there is a difference between a Shabbat and a good day. Shabbat is called “love,” and a good day is called “gladness.” The difference between gladness and love is that love is an essence [where there is already the bonding between the Creator and the creature and the love is the result] and gladness is only an outcome, born off some cause.

When the act is not completed yet but there is still a reason because of which there is joy. But with love it’s not because of anything except the act itself within which appears the sensation of love from the unity.

The cause is the essence, and the outcome is only a progeny of the essence. Hence, Shabbat is called “love and good will”[because it’s seemingly the next world. It’s a part of Gmar Tikkun when love appears] and a good day is called “gladness and joy.”

He also explained concerning what Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai replied to his wife, that I was like a minister before the King, and he, Rabbi Hanina Ben Dosa, like a slave before the King; this is why he could pray. It seems as though it should have been the opposite—that the minister would have more strength to induce his opinion on the King, and not the slave.

However, a “minister” is one who has already been awarded private Providence. In that state, one sees no room for prayer, since everything is good. But a slave is one who is at the degree of reward and punishment, and then he has room to pray because he sees that he has more to correct.

He hasn’t come to the degree of love. He has only subjugated himself. He has, however, corrected his vessels of bestowal and that’s why he can still ask. But he has more to go, i.e., he still has uncorrected Kelim (vessels). Although, from several verses, it seems that slavery is the highest degree. We learn that there is a slave and a son and partners, until they all come to being loved.

So at the degree of the slave, for the time being, he corrects the vessels of bestowal, Galgalta ve Eynaim ( GE) , the degree of reward and punishment and incomplete righteous. And then he has still has Kelim that he asks for corrections on them and this is called “praying.”

When he has corrected his Kelim and arrives at private Providence, (his own private Dvekut (adhesion) with the Upper Force, with the Creator) then of course there is nothing to pray for there, because he and the Creator are integrated in all the actions together. He’s got nothing to pray for because he doesn’t have any deficiencies. All of his thoughts, all of his desires are according to the Upper Force. That’s why it’s called “complete righteous” and that’s the complete revelation of private Providence.

And there is another degree called “the general Gmar Tikkun (End of Correction),” which might still be before him. That’s why he is called “minister” when in his own Behina (aspect/observation/discrimination /distinguishment/feature) he already performs all the desires and all the plans and thoughts and calculations as the Creator.

And he adds an explanation from an article that is presented ( Baba Metzia 85a).

Also Baba Metzia, from the Gmarrah, seems very dry. But actually it’s according to “I labored and found.” Baba is called “a gate,” an entrance to the finding of “I labored and found.” How is that done? Only through the words of the Talmud that we don’t really understand, through these clothes, these stories, these pictures that appear to us, from what those great ones, the writers of the Gmarrah tell us. How can we, through that story, see spiritual forces? Actually, they are telling us about how from laboring one comes to finding. That’s why it’s called Baba Metzia, “I labored and found.”

It is written there that a calf was being led to the slaughter. It went, put its head in the rabbi’s lap and wept. He told it, “Go, this is what you were made for.” They said, “Since he does not pity, suffering shall come upon him.”

“This is what you were made for” means private Providence, that there is nothing to add or to subtract, since there the sufferings, too, are considered merits. This is why he extended sufferings upon him.

And the Gemarah says that he was rid of the suffering through an act, by saying, “and His mercies are over all His works.” [He corrected his attitude to the pains and then he saw in them mercy.] One day, the rabbi’s maid was sweeping the house. There were rat young there, and she was sweeping them away. He told her, “Leave them!”, it is written, “and His mercies are over all His works.” Since he attained that a prayer, too, remains in eternity, he now had room for prayer. This is why the sufferings departed from him.

Well, it is with these pictures and descriptions that the writers of the Gmarrah tell us we should understand that this is all within one person because a person is a small world. And all of these discernments—of the slaves, the rats, the servant and the Rabbi, and the poor lamb, etc.—are all forces within a person. That’s how a person judges and scrutinizes them, and afterwards elevates them for a correction.

At the end of Shabbat, he said an interpretation about what the Holy Zohar says about the verse, “For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto Himself.” Who chose whom? And the Holy Zohar replies, “The Lord chose Jacob” ( Beresheet, 161b). And he said that the question of the Holy Zohar is if the Creator chose Jacob. It follows that Jacob did not do anything, but all was under private Providence. And if Jacob did choose, it means that Jacob is the doer, meaning an issue of reward and punishment.

So it depends on the degree we stand on. We always speak from the creature’s perspective because from the Creator there are no changes, “I the Lord do not change.” It’s not that the Creator now gives and then doesn’t give and treats the creature this way or that way, but He is benevolent to the good, to the bad, above time and space, and from what can ever happen. In the Creator’s attitude to reality, there is nothing that changes and all the changes are within a person.

That’s why when we say that Jacob chose, it's the Creator that chose. What happens there? Does anything change? It changes according to the degrees, i.e., if we reach the degree of Jacob. What is the degree of Jacob? What does a person feel then? Does he choose or does the Creator? Is he integrated in private Providence or in reward and punishment or in eternal love? What is that degree? That’s what we are trying to find out. What state is called “the degree of Jacob?”

But of course, it’s about one person who experiences all these forms of Providence that appear to him according to the level of his correction to become benevolent to the ideal, without any changes. And that’s how we talk about the inner correction of a person.

So when a person is integrated in a certain state he himself is called “Jacob” and then he can write all kinds of stories about Jacob. Because when he is integrated in that same act with respect to the Creator in whichever desires that are corrected, and in whichever fulfillments that he is now filled with in his Kli through the Zivug (mating), then that’s what he writes about.

From all that, we have all the stories, the legends of our sages, and everything we read in books that they wrote about regarding Jacob. How did they attain it? Through rising to that degree and understanding that this is the degree of Jacob. They then wrote about all kinds of actions that happened between the will to receive that is corrected at the degree called “Jacob” and the Upper Light, which is in complete rest called “the Creator.”

And he replied that in the beginning, one should begin on the path of reward and punishment. When he completes that phase of reward and punishment [Which is the first degree beyond Machsom (barrier) when a person enters spirituality, the correction of his spiritual Kelim the vessels of bestowal], one is rewarded with seeing that everything is under private Providence...

That’s already after reward and punishment. Reward and punishment is still when he corrects his Kelim.The sins become Mitzvot (precepts/commandments), or good deeds. Sins are called “desires in which he doesn’t perform great transgressions” because sins are desires with Aviut (coarseness/thickness) of vessels of bestowal.

It’s not the heaviest or deepest Aviut, that is, this is AviutShoresh (Root), Aleph (one) , and Bet (two), which is GE. And when he corrects them he is called “incomplete righteous.” It’s considered that he acquired the degree of reward and punishment.

He then reaches the degree of love, correcting his vessels of reception. And then his sins become merits too and he discovers the Creator with respect to him in every way from within his personal corrected Kelim. When his will to receive becomes corrected in order to bestow (from within that will to receive that now behaves like the Creator in bestowal), he attains the intentions of creation. He attains what being a giver means through his own desire. And that’s why it is considered that he discovers within himself the private Providence.

…that “He alone does and will do all the deeds.”

Then it says that “There is none else besides Him.” But before he reaches that degree, of course, (according to the condition “judge only what his eyes can see”), he can’t say that everything comes from Above. But here there is also “If I’m not for me who is for me?” Because his Kelim aren’t yet corrected, in them he feels that he is still not completely united with the Creator. And he is then forbidden in that state to go according to the corrected Kelim with “There is none else besides Him.” But a person should check the state he is in and follow exactly according to the measure of his correction.

This is called “The judge has only what his eyes can see” where he judges himself and sees precisely in which state he is in, by what appears before him. He doesn’t fool himself that he is already in “There is none else besides Him.” There is still something to correct in his Kelim. If there are still Kelim (which are especially dedicated to the Creator) that through the corrupted desire, he still feels that he is in “If I am not for me who is for me?” then from that state, he should act. And then he’ll come to unity with the Creator in those desires also, to “There is none else besides Him” to private Providence.

However, before one completes one’s work in reward and punishment it is impossible to understand private Providence. [Because that's the next degree of love, the correction of the vessels of reception.]

And on Sunday night, after the lesson, he explained the matter of Jacob’s cunningness, that it is written about Jacob, “Thy brother came with guile.” There was certainly no issue of falsehood here. Otherwise, the text would not say about Jacob, the “elect” patriarch, that he was a liar.

Jacob lied: he took Esau’s clothes to present himself to Yitzhak as if he is full of hair. Hair means storms: full of deficiencies. And it's good because it is the will to receive filled with deficiencies, the wanting of fulfillment. Yitzhak is happy when there are deficiencies and you can correct them and progress. Whereas Jacob is a smooth man, meaning that he is without deficiencies, without hair. So without hair what's to progress? Where do you progress to? That's why it's called Katan (small) because his state is Katnut (smallness): vessels of bestowal, i.e., GE.

But Esau—the vessels of the AHP, the vessels of reception—is full of hair i.e. stormy. And that's why Yitzhak, because of the purpose of creation, favored Esau. Because his Kelim are the Kelim that are intended to attain the goal. Through his Kelim, by correcting them, you can cling to the Creator. However, for the correction of Esau, we need the Kelim of Jacob.

That's why it says, “The voice is the voice of Jacob,” i.e. the prayer, the request for bestowal is Jacob. And “The hands are the hands of Esau,” i.e. the Kelim of Esau. When you have that combination, a person progresses.

Rather, the guile means that when one performs an act of wisdom without intending for wisdom, but to educe some benefit that he needs…

This is to say that he hides his vessels of reception for the time being and works in the vessels of bestowal and then he uses the vessels of reception by adding them to the vessels of bestowal

…and sees that it cannot be obtained directly, hence, he performs an act of wisdom, to obtain the needed thing. This is called “wisdom.” needs. This is called cunningness.

And how can that be done? Only with respect to the high degree, which is called “his father.” So in that way he relates to the Higher Degree when he hides. Actually, he doesn’t hide from a Higher Degree. But he hides from using these vessels, from using the real Kelim of Esau.

With the deficiencies that are GE, he ascends to the vessels of the Higher Degree. They are called, “those skins,” or “the clothes of Esau” (the externalities) that Jacob put on himself. This is to show the Higher Degree, the AHP of the Upper One, that he had deficiencies, because GE themselves, have no deficiencies. In fact, GE took the AHP's deficiencies and elevated the AHP's deficiency through it to a Higher Degree. This is called “Jacob is taking clothes of Esau and raising them” up to Yitzhak (Isaac), to a Higher Degree.

There is a degree called “Yitzhak” and belonging to that degree are his two sons (attached to him): GE—Jacob, and AHP—Esau. What's the connection? Esau can be in contact with Yitzhak only through Jacob. So Jacob, who elevates Esau’s Kelim, does not elevate his own Kelim. He elevates only his deficiencies. These are called “the clothes of Esau.” The voice of Jacob asks for them. This means the vessels of reception that are within the vessels of bestowal thus rise to the AHP of the Upper One, the AHP of Yitzhak.

Drawing No. 1

Why does Yitzhak respect Jacob? Because he expects that he would come to him to ask, because he knows that the AHP has to come to him. He relates to both sons only through the AHP. To whom can he give? He can't give to Jacob because Jacob has no deficiencies.

Drawing No. 2

So he seemingly sits there and waits for “this man of the field” to come (the field that was blessed by the Creator for the work); i.e., for Esau to take the vessels of bestowal of Jacob and come to him. But he can't take them, as it should be the other way around so that the vessels of reception will be integrated in the vessels of bestowal, and, in this way they ascend. So this seemingly happens by cunningness, by clothing the vessels of Esau within the vessels of Jacob.

Question: Why did Jacob's mother help him with this deceit?

In Ima (mother) are the vessels of bestowal. And in Abba (father) are the vessels of reception. Issac symbolizes the left line of the Patriarchs that will have to be corrected in the vessels of Jacob and those of Esau.

Jacob, at the beginning (from the time of his birth as well) comes out by falsehood. Actually, the vessels of reception should be born first, but the vessels of reception are born after because they are not worthy of life without the correction; correction must come first. So it turns out that even in birth (meaning their exit), there must also be preparation: Jacob first and then Esau. From the decent of Above to below, and then from awakening and exaltation to ascent from below upwards.

The problem for now is that we are working with the vessels of reception when we come to study the wisdom of Kabbalah. We think that it is through these vessels of reception, through ruthlessnessand the force of arm (just like we acquire everything else in this world), we can continue that way in spirituality. But it doesn't work that way, not by pressure nor by force. A person must acquire the vessels of bestowal and before he decides to do that it takes a long while.

And in the end he sees that his vessels of reception will not help him one bit and that he must first acquire the vessels of bestowal. But it happens by a kind of detouring from the seemingly logical, direct way. He learns to leave his nature, i.e., the vessels of reception, and everything that seems to make sense, and goes on to acquire something that is above reason, above mind, against his better judgment. And those are the vessels of bestowal, which are seemingly unrealistic or unreal.

And when he does acquire the vessels of faith, of bestowal, which are not in him at all, then he returns to the vessels of reception, to his own nature, i.e., to the Kelim of Esau, and begins to correct them.

That is also why the Torah was given. At first, the Creator seemingly wanted to give the commandments to the nations of the world, to the vessels of reception, i.e., the vessels of Esau, but they couldn't receive this correction and the adhesion that they should make in being united with the Creator. So He gives them to the people of Israel, to the vessels of bestowal, GE.

So in this way, also seemingly by deceit, all the souls of the people of the world will be integrated in GE, by the people of Israel, and will receive the Torah through them.And from within them will come the clothing of Yisrael, and they will come to adhesion with the Creator. When they all come to Jerusalem, to the qualities of Bina, there, they will be integrated in the Zivugwith the Creator.

There are thousands of stories in the Torah about connection of Issac, Jacob and Esau. The Gmarrah too , speaks of hundreds of thousands of actions of all sorts that are from this (connection) but in all kinds of degrees and manners. In the Talmud Bavli every element is very detailed: in which relationships, in which desire, with respect to which degree. But actually, it's about this one principle: the vessels of reception awaken first and they are the ones that deserve the correction. The purpose of creation is with respect to them. They are to come to the Creator and only in them appears the Light of Wisdom. They were what was created and they are called “the creature.” They are called “the nations of the world,” Esau.

But they cannot be corrected without the means called GE, the vessels of bestowal, Yisrael. And that's why the process is that a person first progresses through the vessels of reception, then restricts them. He doesn't want to use them. He despairs that he can’t attain the purpose with them so he switches to the vessels of bestowal. He wants desperately to have these vessels of bestowal in him, he pledges before studying to acquire faith above reason. As it's written, he acquires GE, goes beyond the Machsom, and begins to acquire GE, going through all the phases of building the GE, his Katnut.He then returns to the vessels of reception, and enters with them into the degree of love, Dvekut. In the vessels of love he can receive, and in that, he actually gives to the Creator, de facto. This is called “the degree of love.”

So the process begins with the vessels of reception, after which he acquires the vessels of bestowal, returns to working with the vessels of reception called “the revival of the dead” and with them he reaches the Gmar Tikkun. So there is always Jacob, here in the middle, and Esau at the beginning, and the vessels of Esau corrected through Jacob at the end.

And it's the same with the whole of humanity. In the beginning, humanity was one Kli, and then the will to receive arose, as we learn in Babylon, for example. Part of the Kelim at the level of the GE, already at the level of Aviut, received correction and became Yisrael. The rest began to evolve toward the Aviut of AHP (Azen, Hotem, Peh), toward Aviut of Gimel (three) and Dalet (four). By this time Yisrael should be mixed with these Kelim of Gimel and Dalet, and begin to correct themselves, and then begin correcting the vessels of the AHP.

The process of evolution for all humanity is the same, whether in individual stories or in general. The integration and reciprocal correction between the ten Sefirot with the GE and AHP in them, is all you have. It's as though every single person is a small world. At first, he thinks that with the vessels of reception he can acquire everything, but then becomes greatly discouraged. Eventually, however, he begins to really think, and finally comes to study the way to truly reach the purpose.

So this is how we view the whole of humanity right now: in general it is beginnning to despair from using its vessels of reception. The next phase will be when it begins to come to study the method. A great desire and need from within will reveal how to reach the purpose. Since all the roots and Reshimot (reminiscences) in us are already prepared from the breaking of the vessels, it'll become necessarily clear that the way will certainly be realized through the Reshimot. But the next phase in humanity is for them to crave the method of correction.

Why? Because they need to discover for themselves that there is no correction in the vessels of reception, i.e., in Esau. Once they discover evil in their self, they have to approach the vessels of Yaakov, acquire them, and be corrected in them. After which they return to the vessels of reception, the vessels of Esau, and add them to the vessels of Yaakov. This is the time when the vessels of Yaakov are to be scrutinized, clarified, and ultimately corrected.

Baal HaSulam writes about this at the end of The Introduction to the Book of Zohar. He says that the people of Israel must be the first to correct themselves. But in its correction, first and foremost, it has to understand that it has no other duty in the whole process but to correct the AHP, i.e., all of humanity. This must be its mission, and not for itself only. The vessels of bestowal actually have no need to correct themselves if it isn’t for the purpose of correcting the AHP.

In the story of Jacob and Esau, with the mother that helps her son in this way (as if they were cheating the father), we can see what kind of forces are within a person which he must use to carry out this process.

This is the meaning of the verse, “be guile with reason,” meaning wisdom through reason. This means that the wisdom he wants to obtain is not for wisdom’s sake, but for another thing, which forces him to extend wisdom. In other words, he must extend to complement the Hassadim.

This is because before the Hassadim obtain Hochma, they are discerned as Katnut (smallness). However, afterwards, when he extends Hochma, but still prefers Hassadim to Hochma, it is apparent that the Hassadim are more important than Hochma. This is called Gar de Bina, which means that he uses the Hassadim because of a choice.

This is the meaning of Hochma through Daat, that Hochma appears in the form of Vak in YESHSUT. And in AVI, Hochma appears by improving the Hassadim and remaining in Hassadim.

Because it's GAR de Bina (the first three of Bina) , which doesn't want anything but to be in Mercy. And ZATde Bina (seven lower of Bina) wants to extend Hochma to the lower ones. Then it is integrated in the deficiencies of the lower ones. That's why ZAT de Bina is called “ Ima”after her act toward the lower ones.

However, although Bina is considered “delighting in mercy,” its choice of Hassadim is not apparent because of Tzimtzum Bet, where there is no Hochma. However, in Gadlut (adulthood), when Hochma comes, the Hassadim that she uses are because of choice.

This means that one first has to acquire vessels of bestowal, then a person can determine what he can add to bestowal by adding the vessels of reception to himself. By adding the vessels of reception to himself, his ability to bestow increases. He doesn’t only bestow in order to bestow, he also receives in order to bestow. This is called, “when the Mercy comes, it is used also because of choice.” When one constantly wants to add vessels of reception to vessels of bestowal, a person reaches even greater bestowal—actual bestowal itself.

Bestowing in order to bestow is not really bestowing, it's just correcting. You are still in your will to receive, i.e., you are like an infant with having nothing to give. Only when it grows with vessels of reception, does the reception in him become bestowal toward the Upper One. Why? Because the Upper One has pleasure of giving to the lower one. And to receive from the Upper One is possible only through its own vessels of reception. It's a very simple thing where we have one picture of the Upper and lower in the relationship and the correction between them. There is nothing else except that one element.

And all the actions are only in correcting the lower one. It is not that it does it like the Upper One but so it would do it out of darkness, out of free choice, out of all kinds of possibilities that appear to him within reason. This is so that it would acquire the reason of the Upper One above reason, and it wouldn't be like it is working with its own Kelim. Rather, so that it would transcend to the degree of the Upper One by that action.

So the difference between what happens in Olam ha Zeh (this world) and spirituality is that the lower one becomes detached from its level of perception of reality of its own existence, and elevates itself to the degree of the Upper One. It is precisely that ascent which is called “the crossing of the Machsom, above reason,” when he constantly acquires a different nature, the nature of the next degree detached from the previous one.

We learn that the difference between the Partzufim is an incision in which Malchut of the Upper Partzuf becomes like Keter of the lower Partzuf. So you have an intrusion between the Upper and the lower.

Drawing No. 3

The transition from the Upper Partzuf to the lower Partzuf doesn’t happen smoothly. Rather, there is somewhat of an explosion here (Big Bang), an eruption at a different degree of reality where the Lights and vessels don’t pass smoothly.

This happens in ascent also. Every time the lower one rises to a Higher Degree, it doesn't understand the reason of the Upper One, the world of the Upper One—and consequently doesn't understand anything about it. That is until an internal inversion happens within it, the acquisition of the mind of the Upper One and then it can ascend. But it can only acquire the next degree through faith above reason.

In order to do that our vessels are divided into the GE and AHP bothof the Upper One and the lower one. They then can begin to become connected in such a way so that the Upper One will teach the lower one. It's all within these connections and other than these connections. There is nothing else in reality.

Drawing No. 4

Our whole world is within these ten Sefirot. If these Sefirot of the AHP are still not corrected sufficiently, then in GE, one feels his "I" like a physical body. Then there is Livush (clothing) and Bait (home). And in AHP, there is and the Hatzer (Yard) and the Midbar (Dessert).

In other words, "I," clothing, and house correspond to Shoresh, Neshama, Guf, and in AHP, yard and dessert correspond to Levush (clothing) and Heichal (Palace).

Drawing No. 5

Heichal is the entire world around me. This means that the whole world is seen through my Kelim. If my Kelim become corrected when there is no difference between ten Sefirot, then the whole world is in my Kli.

Drawing No. 6

There is no “I” and something outside of me, like souls or some objects or stars, whatever; there is nothing. I unite with the Upper Force in my clear internal attainment—the ten Sefirot. That's it. In the ten Sefirot there is only one act: the unity of KaHaB (Keter, Hochma, Bina), ZON (Zeir Anpin and Nukvah) with NRNHY (Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Haya, Yechida).

This world becomes like a fictitious world, and all the worlds that had been in concealment disappear. There is then only one state: Ein Sof (Infinity), the ten Sefirot, in which there is a complete revelation of the Upper Light in a complete equivalence of form, and that's it.

That's why if we thoroughly clarify these relationships between the Upper and the lower through the Tzimtzum Bet (second restriction), and the order of their corrections, then we'll clearly understand everything the Torah talks about. Because it doesn't say anything more than what belongs to the soul and all the actions it should make toward the correction.

Back to top
Site location tree