Lesson #36. Kabbalah Dissemination as the Key to Spiritual Correction - Practical Kabbalah

Part 1: Kabbalah Dissemination as the Key to Spiritual Correction

Selected Excerpts from the Sources

1. From Baal HaSulam, "The Last Generation"

"There is an allegory about friends who were lost in the desert, hungry and thirsty. One of them had found a settlement filled abundantly with every delight. He remembered his poor brothers, but he had already drawn far off from them and did not know their whereabouts. What did he do? He began to shout out loud and blow the horn, perhaps his poor, hungry friends would hear his voice, approach him, and come to that settlement that is filled with every delight.

So is the matter before us: We have been lost in the terrible desert along with all of humanity, and now we have found a great, abundant treasure, namely the books of Kabbalah in the treasure. They satisfy our yearning souls and fill us abundantly with lushness and contentment; we are satiated and there is more.

Yet, we remember our friends, who were left hopeless in the terrible desert. There is a great distance between us, and words cannot bridge it. For this reason, we have set up this horn to blow out loud so that our brothers might hear and draw near and be as happy as we are."

2. From the Prophecy of Baal HaSulam

"After all these days, I listened attentively to all the promises and destinies I have been chosen for by the Lord, yet I found in them neither satisfaction nor the words by which to speak to the dwellers of this world and lead them to God’s will, as He had told me. I could not stride among the people, who are vain and slandering the Lord and His creation, while I was satiated and praising, and walking merrily as though mocking those wretched ones.

Matters have touched me to the bottom of my heart, and I resolved that come what may, even if I descend from my sublime degree, I must make a heartfelt prayer to the Lord to grant me attainment and knowledge of the prophecy and wisdom, and the words by which to help the forlorn people of the world, to raise them to the same degree of wisdom and pleasantness as mine."

3. From Baal HaSulam, "Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot", Item 1

"At the outset of my words, I find a great need to break an iron wall that has been separating us from the wisdom of Kabbalah, since the ruin of the Temple to this generation. It lies heavily on us and arouses fear of being forgotten..."

4. From Baal HaSulam, ”Introduction to the Book Panim Meirot uMasbirot", No. 5

"It is the great expansion of the wisdom of truth within the nation that we need first <...>.

Therefore, we must establish seminaries and compose books to hasten the distribution of the wisdom throughout the nation."

5. From Degel Machaneh Ephraim, BeShalach [When Jacob Sent]

"One who truly wants to serve the Creator must include himself with all creations, connect himself with all the souls, include himself with them, and they with him. That is, you should leave for yourself only what is needed for connecting the Shechina [Divinity], so to speak. This requires closeness and many people, for the more people serve the Creator, the more the light of the Shechina appears to them. For this reason, one must include himself with all the people and with all creations, and raise everything to their root, to the correction of the Shechina."

6. From Baal HaSulam, Letter No. 4

"You lack nothing but to go out to a field that the Lord has blessed, and collect all those flaccid organs that have drooped from your soul, and join them into a single body."

7. From Baal HaSulam, "Introduction to the Book Panim Meirot uMasbirot", No. 22

"One does not live for oneself, but for the whole chain. Thus, each and every part of the chain does not receive the light of life into itself, but only distributes the light of life to the whole chain."

Part 2. The Structure of the Upper Worlds

Items 56-64 from the "Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah" >>

The Second Restriction [Tzimtzum Bet], Called the Restriction of NHY of AK

56) We have thoroughly explained the first restriction [Tzimtzum Aleph], carried out on the vessel of Malchut, which is phase four, so it would not receive the upper light within it. We have also explained the matter of the screen and its coupling by striking with the upper light, which raises reflected light. This reflected light became new vessels of reception instead of phase four.

Also explained was the refinement of the screen of the Guf, made in the Gufim [plural of Guf] of each Partzuf by the clash of surrounding light and inner light, which produces the four discernments Taamim, Nekudot, Tagin, Otiot of the Guf of each Partzuf and raises the screen of the Guf to be considered the screen of the Rosh. It qualifies it for a coupling by striking with the upper light, on which another Partzuf is born, one degree lower than the previous Partzuf. Finally, we have explained the emergence of the first three Partzufim of AK, called Galgalta, AB, SAG, and the order of their clothing on one another.

57) Know that in these three Partzufim, Galgalta, AB, and SAG of AK, there is not even a root for the four worlds ABYA, since there is not even a place for the three worlds BYA here. This is because the inner Partzuf of AK extended down to the point of this world, and the root of the desirable correction, which was the cause for the restriction, has not been revealed. This is so because the purpose of the restriction that occurred in phase four was to correct it, so there would be no disparity of form in it as it receives the upper light (see Item 10).

In other words, to create Adam’s Guf from that phase four, and with his engagement in Torah and Mitzvot in order to bestow contentment upon his Maker, he will turn the force of reception in phase four to work in order to bestow. By this he will equalize the form of reception with complete bestowal, and that would be the end of correction, since this would bring phase four back to being a vessel of reception for the upper light, while also being in complete adhesion with the light, without any disparity of form.

Yet, thus far, the root of this correction has not been revealed, as this requires Adam to be incorporated also with the higher phases, above phase four, so as to be able to perform good deeds of bestowal. Had Adam emerged from the state of the Partzufim of AK, he would have been completely in the state of vacant space since then all of phase four, which should be the root of Adam’s Guf, would have been below the Raglaim [feet] of AK, in the form of a vacant and empty space, devoid of light, as it would be of opposite form from the upper light. Thus, it would be considered separated and dead.

Had Adam been created from it, he would not have been able to correct his actions whatsoever, since there would be no sparks of bestowal in him at all. He would be deemed a beast that has none of the form of bestowal, and whose lives are only for themselves, like the wicked who are immersed in the lust of self-reception, and “even the grace that they do, they do for themselves.” It is said about them, “The wicked in their lives are called ‘dead,’” since they are in oppositeness of form from the Life of Lives.

58) This is the meaning of our sages’ words (Beresheet Rabbah, end of Portion 12): “In the beginning, He contemplated creating the world with the quality of judgment [Din]. He saw that the world could not exist and brought forward the quality of mercy [Rachamim] and associated it with the quality of judgment.”

Explanation: Every “first” and “next” in spirituality refers to cause and consequence. This is why it is written that the first cause for the worlds, meaning the Partzufim of AK that were emanated before all the worlds, were emanated in the quality of judgment, that is, in Malchut alone, called the quality of judgment. This refers to phase four, which has been restricted and departed as a vacant and empty space and the Sium of the Raglaim of AK. This is the point of this world, below the Sium Raglaim of AK’s, in the form of a vacant and empty space, devoid of any light.

“He saw that the world does not exist” means that in this way, it was impossible for Adam, who should be created from this phase four, to acquire acts of bestowal, so that through him the world would exist in the desired measure of correction. This is why he “associated the quality of mercy with the quality of judgment.”

Explanation: The Sefira of Bina is called the quality of mercy, and the Sefira Malchut is called the quality of judgment, since the restriction was made on her. The Emanator raised the quality of judgment, which is the force of Sium made in the Sefira of Malchut, and raised it to Bina— the quality of mercy. He associated them with one another, and through this association, phase four— the quality of judgment —was incorporated with the sparks of bestowal in the vessel of Bina (see Item 5).

This qualified Adam’s Guf, which emerged from phase four, to be incorporated with the quality of bestowal, too. Thus, he will be able to perform good deeds in order to bestow contentment upon his Maker until he inverts the quality of reception in him to work entirely in order to bestow. Thus, the world will achieve the desired correction for which the world was created.

59) This association of Malchut in Bina occurred in Partzuf SAG of AK, and prompted a second restriction in the worlds from it downward. This is because a new Sium on the upper light was made on it in the place of Bina. It follows that the ending Malchut, which stood at the Sium Raglaim of SAG of AK, above the point of this world, ascended and ended the upper light at the place of half of Bina of the Guf of SAG of AK, called Tifferet, since KHB of the Guf is called HGT. Thus, Tifferet is Bina of the Guf.

Also, the coupling Malchut, which stood at the Peh of the Rosh of SAG of AK, ascended to the place of Nikvey Eynaim [pupils] of AK, which is half of Bina of the Rosh. Then, a coupling for the MA of AK, called “the world of Nekudim” was made there, at the Nikvey Eynaim.

60) This is also called the restriction of NHY of AK, since SAG of AK, which ended equally with Partzuf Galgalta of AK, above the point of this world, ends above the Tabur of the inner AK through the association and the ascent of Malchut to the place of Bina, at half the Tifferet, which is half the Bina of the Guf of the inner AK. This is so because the ending Malchut ascended to that place and detained the upper light from expanding from it downward.

For this reason, a vacant and empty space was made there, devoid of light. Thus, the TNHY [Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, Yesod] of SAG became restricted and devoid of the upper light. This is why the second restriction is called “restriction of NHY of AK,” since through the new Sium at the place of Tabur, NHY of SAG of AK were emptied of their lights.

It is also considered that the AHP of the Rosh of SAG departed from the degree of the Rosh of SAG and became its Guf, since the coupling Malchut ascended to Nikvey Eynaim and the ten Sefirot of the Rosh emerged from the screen at Nikvey Eynaim and above. Also, from Nikvey Eynaim down it is considered the Guf of the Partzuf, since it can only receive illumination from Nikvey Eynaim and below, which is considered Guf.

The level of these ten Sefirot that emerged at the Nikvey Eynaim of SAG of AK are the ten Sefirot called “the world of Nekudim.” They came down from the Nikvey Eynaim of SAG to their place below the Tabur of the inner AK, where they expanded with Rosh and Guf. Know that this new Sium, made at the place of Bina of the Guf, is called Parsa. Also, there is internality and externality here, and only the external ten Sefirot are called “the world of Nekudim,” while the ten inner Sefirot are called MA and BON of AK itself.

61) Yet, we should understand that since the ten Sefirot of Nekudim and the MA of AK were emanated and emerged from the Nikvey Eynaim of the Rosh of SAG, they should have clothed the SAG from its Peh of the Rosh and below, as with the other Partzufim, where each lower one clothes its upper one from the Peh of the Rosh downward. Why was it not so? Why did they descend and clothe the place below Tabur of AK? To understand this, we must thoroughly understand how this association came about, when Bina and Malchut connected into one.

62) The thing is that during the emergence of Partzuf SAG, it ended entirely above the Tabur of the inner AK, as has been explained concerning Partzuf AB of AK. They could not expand from the Tabur down, since the governance of phase four of the inner AK begins there, in its ten Sefirot of Sium, and there is nothing of phase four whatsoever in the Partzufim AB and SAG (see Item 54).

Yet, when the Nekudot of SAG of AK began to emerge, after the screen of SAG, which is phase two of coarseness, has been refined through the clash of surrounding light in it, and came to phase two of clothing and phase one of coarseness, the Taamim of SAG departed. Then, the level of Nekudot emerged on the coarseness that remained in the screen, in VAK without a Rosh.

This is so because the ten Sefirot that emerge on phase one of coarseness are the level of ZA, lacking GAR. Also, there is no phase of Bina at the male level, which is phase two of clothing, but only nearly that, which is considered VAK of Bina.

Hence, this level of Nekudot of SAG has equalized its form with the ten Sefirot of Sium below the Tabur of AK, considered VAK without a Rosh, too (see Item 52). It is known that equivalence of form unites the spirituals into one. Hence, this level descended below the Tabur of AK and mingled there with ZON of AK, where they were as one, since they are of equal level.

63) We might wonder at the fact that there is still a great distance between them with respect to their coarseness, since Nekudot of SAG come from the coarseness of phase two and have nothing of phase four. And although they are the level of ZA, it is not like the level of ZA below the Tabur of AK, which is ZA of phase four. Thus, there is a big difference between them.

The answer is that the coarseness is not apparent in the Partzuf during the clothing of the light, but only after the departure of the light. Hence, when Partzuf Nekudot of SAG appeared at the level of ZA, descended, and clothed at the level of ZON from Tabur of AK downward, phase two and phase four were mingled together and caused the second restriction. This created a new Sium at the place of Bina of the Guf of that Partzuf, and also caused a change in the place of the coupling, making it the Peh of the Rosh instead of the Nikvey Eynaim.

64) Thus, you find that the origin of the association of Malchut in Bina, called the second restriction, occurred only below Tabur of AK, by the expansion of Partzuf Nekudot of SAG there. Hence, this level of ten Sefirot of Nekudim, which comes from the second restriction, could not expand above Tabur of AK, since no force or ruling can appear above its origin. And since the place of the forming of the second restriction began from Tabur and below, the level of Nekudim had to expand there, as well.