Lesson # 35. The Spiritual Message of Passover - Practical Kabbalah

Part 1. Passover - Selected Excerpts from the Sources

1. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 86, "And They Built Arei Miskenot"

"We can interpret what Abraham the Patriarch asked of the Creator: “How will I know that I will inherit it?” For how will they be able to accept the burden of faith, since it is against reason, and who can go against reason? Thus, how will they come to be granted the light of faith, since perfection depends on this alone?

The Creator answered him about this: “Know for certain, etc., that they will be in exile.” This means that He prepared a Klipa [shell], which is the evil inclination, an evil person, Pharaoh king of Egypt."

2. RABASH, Article No. 71, "The Meaning of Exile"

"What is exile? It is that he is under the rule of self-love and cannot work for the sake of the Creator. When is self-love considered exile? It is only when he wants to emerge from this control because he suffers from not being able to do anything for the sake of the Creator."

3. RABASH, Article No. 15 (1990),"What Does It Mean that Before the Egyptian Minister Fell, Their Outcry Was Not Answered, in the Work?"

"The ARI says that the exile in Egypt was that the view of Kedusha [holiness] was in exile. This means that the Klipa of Egypt ruled over the people of Israel. We should interpret that the people of Israel means that the whole nation wanted to work for the sake of the Creator and not for their own sake, as it is known that “Israel” means Yashar-El [straight to the Creator], meaning everything for the Creator.

The governance of Pharaoh is the opposite: to work only for one’s own sake. For this reason, the view of Kedusha means that we must work for the sake of the Creator, meaning to bestow. This discernment was in exile under the rule of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, where Mitzrayim [Egypt] has the letters of Metzar-Yam [narrow sea], and it is known that “narrow” means scarce in Hassadim [mercies]."

4. RABASH, Article No. 11 (1988), "What Are the Two Discernments before Lishma?"

"When they had to take upon them the kingdom of heaven. They regretted not being able to do so because of the questions of Pharaoh, King of Egypt, who governed them with the “who” and “what” questions, which are regarded as “mind” and “heart,” meaning “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice,” and “What is this work for you?”"

5. RABASH, Article No. 936, “The Time of Redemption”

"It is impossible to emerge from exile before one is in exile. It is also known that the holy Torah is eternal and applies to each and every generation. Also, we say in the Haggadah [Passover story], “Every generation, one must see oneself as though he came out of Egypt.”

For this reason, we must know the meaning of the exile we are in, and what it means that each generation we must emerge from this bitter exile."

6. RABASH, Article No. 11 (1990), "What Placing the Hanukkah Candle on the Left Means in the Work"

"The Creator delivered them from the land of Egypt, meaning that the Creator brought them out from under the afflictions of Egypt. One should believe that as this miracle happened in the exodus from Egypt, every single one who is walking in the work of the Creator must believe that the Creator will deliver him, for it is truly a miracle that one exits the governance of self-love and cares only about that which belongs to the benefit of the Creator."

Part 2. The Structure of the Upper Worlds

Items 46-49 from the "Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah" >>

Taamim, Nekudot, Tagin, Otiot [Flavors, Dots, Tags, Letters (TNTO, pronounced Tanta)]

46) Now we have clarified the clash of surrounding light and inner light, occurring after the expansion of the Partzuf into a Guf. This causes the screen of the Guf to be refined, all the lights of the Guf depart, and the screen with the records that remain in it rise to the Peh of the Rosh, where they are renewed with a new coupling by striking, and produce a new level in the measure of coarseness in the records. Now we shall explain the four types of lights, Taamim, Nekudot, Tagin, Otiot, occurring with the clash of surrounding light and the ascents of the screen to the Peh of the Rosh.

47) It has been explained that through the clash of the surrounding light in the screen of the Guf, it refines the screen of all the coarseness of the Guf until it is refined and equalizes with the screen of the Peh of the Rosh. The equivalence of form with the Peh of the Rosh unites them as one, and it is incorporated in the coupling by striking in it.

However, the screen is not refined at once, but gradually: first from phase four to phase three, then from phase three to phase two, then from phase two to phase one, and then from phase one to the root phase. Finally, it is refined from all its coarseness and becomes as refined as the screen of the Peh of the Rosh.

The upper light does not stop shining for even a moment. It couples with the screen at each and every state of its refinement, since once it has been refined of phase four and the entire level of Keter has departed, and the screen has reached the coarseness of phase three, the upper light couples with the screen on the remaining coarseness of phase three and produces ten Sefirot at the level of Hochma.

Afterward, when the screen departs from phase three, too, and the level of Hochma departs, as well, leaving only phase two in the screen, the upper light couples with it on phase two and produces ten Sefirot at the level of Bina. Then, when it has been refined of phase two, too, and this level has departed, leaving only the coarseness of phase one in it, the upper light couples with the screen on the remaining coarseness of phase one and produces ten Sefirot at the level of ZA. And when it has been refined of the coarseness of phase one, too, and the level of ZA has departed, and it remains with only the root of the coarseness, the upper light makes a coupling on the coarseness of the root that remains in the screen and produces ten Sefirot at the level of Malchut.

And when the screen is refined of the coarseness of the root, as well, the level of Malchut departs thence, too, since no coarseness of the Guf remains there. In that state, it is considered that the screen and its records rose and united with the screen of the Rosh, became incorporated there in a coupling by striking and produced a new ten Sefirot over it, called a “son” and a “consequence” of the first Partzuf.

Thus we have explained that the clash of surrounding light and inner light that refines the screen of the Guf of the first Partzuf of AK and elevates it to its Peh of the Rosh, by which the second Partzuf, AB of AK, emerges, is not done at once. Rather, it occurs gradually, as the upper light couples with it at each state in the four degrees it traverses during its refinement, until it equalizes with the Peh of the Rosh.

As has been explained regarding the emergence of the four levels during the refinement of the Guf of the first Partzuf for the purpose of AB, three levels emerge during the time of the refinement of the screen of the Guf of Partzuf AB, as it emanates Partzuf SAG, and similarly in all the degrees. The rule is this: A screen does not become refined at once, but gradually. And the upper light, which does not stop expanding to the lower one, couples with it at each and every degree along its refinement.

48) Yet, these levels, which emerge on the screen during its gradual refinement, are not considered an expansion of real degrees, like the first level that emerged before the beginning of the refinement. Rather, they are considered Nekudot, and they are called reflected light and judgment [Din], since the power of judgment of the departure of the lights is already mingled in them. This is so because in the first Partzuf, as soon as the clash began to occur and it refined the screen of the Guf from phase four, it is considered as having been completely refined, since there is no “some (part)” in the spiritual.

Once it begins to be refined, it has to be refined completely. Yet, since the screen is refined gradually, there is time for the upper light to copulate with it at each degree of coarseness that the screen assumes during its refinement, until it is completely refined. Hence, the force of departure is mingled with the levels that emerge during its departure, and they are considered as only Nekudot and reflected light and judgment.

Therefore, we discern two types of levels in each Partzuf: Taamim and Nekudot. This is so because the first ten Sefirot of the Guf that emerge in each Partzuf are called Taamim, and the levels that emerge in the Partzuf as it refines, after the screen had already begun to be refined until it reaches the Peh of the Rosh, are called Nekudot.

49) The records that remain below, in the Guf, after the departure of the lights of Taamim, are called Tagin, and the records that remain from the levels of the Nekudot are called Otiot, which are vessels. Also, the Tagin, which are the records from the lights of Taamim, hover over the Otiot and the vessels and sustain them.

Thus we have clarified the four types of light, called Taamim, Nekudot, Tagin, Otiot. The first level to emerge in each Partzuf of the five Partzufim called Galgalta, AB, SAG, MA, and BON is called Taamim. The levels that emerge in each Partzuf once it has started to be refined, until it is completely refined, are called Nekudot. The records that remain of the lights of Taamim in each level, after their departure, are called Tagin, and the records that remain from the lights of the levels of Nekudot after their departure are called Otiot or vessels. Remember this in all five Partzufim called Galgalta, AB, SAG, MA, and BON, for in all of them there is refinement and they all have these four types of lights.