Chapter 3.12 - The Second Restriction
Nekudot de SAG went below Tabur de Galgalta and filled the empty vessels of the Sof de Galgalta with Light of Mercy. They felt that in the empty vessels of Galgalta there were Reshimot from the Light that filled the Sof de Galgalta before it had been refined.
The Light that filled the Sof de Galgalta was a Light of Mercy with a little bit of Wisdom. After the refining of the screen there were Reshimot that were left there: they were Reshimot of the Light of Dalet (4) de Hitlabshut and Gimel (3) de Aviut. The Sof de Galgalta rejected the Light from expanding in it, like Bina. In that, it is much like Nekudot de SAG. Because of that, Nekudot de SAG mix with the Sof de Galgalta and fill up the empty vessels.
From the mixture of Nekudot de SAG with Sof de Galgalta, they receive Reshimot that remained at the Sof de Galgalta. The Reshimot from Galgalta are stronger than the power in the screen of Nekudot de SAG, which makes Nekudot de SAG begin to want to receive the pleasure that was in Galgalta for themselves. A spiritual law says that if the pleasure that is felt in the will to receive is stronger than the strength of the screen, the vessel wants to receive it for itself, because the strong (screen or desire) rules.
All the worlds and the Partzufim are parts of Malchut de Ein Sof. That Malchut restricted herself and decided never to receive again if it is for her own pleasure. Therefore, when a desire to receive for itself awakens in Partzuf Nekudot de SAG, the Malchut that performed the First Restriction and stood at the Sof de Galgalta rises to the place in Nekudot de SAG, from which Nekudot de SAG began to want to receive the Light for itself.
Each Partzuf consists of ten Sefirot – Keter, Hochma, Bina, Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, Yesod, Malchut.
Nekudot de SAG is Partzuf Bina. Bina consists of two parts:
A. An upper part, comprised of Keter, Hochma, Bina, Hesed,
Gevura, and Tifferet. These Sefirot want only to give and receive
nothing in return.
B. A lower part, comprised of Netzah, Hod, Yesod and Malchut. These Sefirot do not belong to Bina. Their role is only to receive Light of Wisdom from Hochma and pass it on to the lower one. Sefirot Netzah, Hod, Yesod and Malchut, do have a will to receive Light. They have a screen to receive the Light not for themselves, but only in order to pass it to the lower one. But if the screen is gone, the Sefirot, meaning those desires, will immediately want to receive the Light for themselves.
Example: A man was accustomed to receiving a regular sum of money in order to give to the poor. One day, he received a much larger sum than usual. He felt he couldn’t give the money to the poor now because he wanted it for himself. He couldn’t resist the temptation for such great potential pleasure.
The man could resist temptation only as long as the sum of money was smaller than his screen, because the pleasure from giving the money was greater than the pleasure of stealing. But when the pleasure from reception became greater than the giving, he immediately wanted to receive it for himself.
This is how the will to receive works in every person and in every creature, because we are all made of a will to receive. And if we do bestow, it is only because it brings us more benefit than receiving.
This is what happens in Partzuf Nekudot de SAG. When the part of the Partzuf that should receive in order to bestow to the lower ones became exposed to a greater pleasure than its screen could resist, the screen was immediately canceled and the Partzuf wanted to receive for itself.
The will to receive for self was awakened in Partzuf Nekudot de SAG from Tifferet and below, because the Sefirot Keter, Hochma and Bina belong to the Rosh and therefore do not want to receive. Hesed, Gevura, and Tifferet have the same function as Keter, Hochma and Bina respectively, except they are at the Guf of the Partzuf. Thus, Tifferet is like Bina in the Guf of the Partzuf.
Each Sefira consists of ten inner Sefirot. Hence the Sefira Tifferet has its own ten inner Sefirot, that like Bina, are divided into two parts:
-
Parts that do not receive in Tifferet: Keter, Hochma, Bina,
Hesed, Gevura, and Tifferet.
-
Parts that do receive include the lower part of Bina and the
Sefirot Netzah, Hod, Yesod and Malchut.
Partzuf Nekudot de SAG is divided into vessels of bestowal and vessels of reception. The line that separates them is in the inner Tifferet of Tifferet. That place is called the Chazeh (chest) of Partzuf Nekudot de SAG.
Some of the vessels of Nekudot de SAG received a greater will to receive then their screen. Hence, Malchut of the First Restriction that was maintaining the First Restriction, rose to precisely that point, the Chazeh, and did not let the Light go under that point. The border for the expansion of the Light below that point is called Parsa.
The rising of Malchut to the Chazeh of Nekudot de SAG in order to limit the expansion of Light below is called "the Second Restriction." The First Restriction is the prohibition on the receiving the Light of Wisdom in order to receive. The Second Rrestriction, however, is the prohibition on receiving any Light of Wisdom, because from Partzuf Nekudot de SAG onward there isn’t enough strength to receive that Light in order to bestow.
A desire in the Upper World becomes a binding law in the lower one. Hence, in all the Partzufim that emanated after the Second Restriction have a Parsa (border, separating line) that will not let any Light of Wisdom into the vessels of reception.
As a result of that, the area below Tabur de Galgalta was divided into four parts:
-
The place of the world of Atzilut – where Light of Wisdom can shine.
-
The place of the world of Beria under the Parsa. No Light of Wisdom is allowed there, only Light of Mercy.
-
The place of the world of Yetzira – below the world of Beria.
-
The place of the world of Assiya below the world of Yetzira.
Holiness ends at the end of the world of Assiya. Below it there are:
-
The barrier–the border between spirituality and corporeality, which separates the world of Assiya from the point of "This World."
-
The place of "This World."
-
Our world.