Introduction to Sulam Commentary

54. For this reason,117As a result of the ascent of Malkhut, it took these vessels of Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya into its domain, meaning, below Malkhut. Malkhut took all the vessels in Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya into its domain, because Malkhut is now positioned at the point of the chest. This positional point expelled the vessels of Tiferet, Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod of Ze’er Anpin into Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya, and it likewise returned those vessels to the levels of Atzilut when the phase of maturity of Nekudim emerged, before the vessels were broken.118The “breaking of the vessels” refers to a process that took place in the world of Nekudim, ultimately giving rise to the world of Tikkun (rectification) (rectification). At the phase of maturity, the terminating Malkhut again descended from the place of the chest to its place under Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod of the vessels of Ze’er Anpin, and then the vessels of Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, which had fallen to Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya – these are Tiferet Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod119As explained in the preceding section . – ascended back to Atzilut. Since at that point Ze’er Anpin acquired completion120These sefirot returned to the level, completing it. with the vessels of Tiferet, Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod, the first three of the lights emerged upon it (as stated in section 19 above).121As explained in the footnote in the previous section, quoting from section 24 of Petiḥa LeḤokhmat HaKabbala, when there are more vessels, higher lights are able to be contained.

Since there is no such thing as loss in the spiritual plane, now too122During the phase of maturity, although the Malkhut “descends” from the chest, it is not truly lost from there, since there is no real change or loss in the spiritual space. the Malkhut remains in the place at the chest of Ze’er Anpin as before. It is only its power of judgment and termination123In other words, only this aspect of the power of Malkhut was lowered from the chest, allowing the vessels that had been ejected to lower levels by this terminating force to return to their proper place. that descended to the point of this world.124The “point of this world” refers to the low state of being of our world, the context in which the limiting, terminating force of Malkhut “blocks” the divine light from being perceived. Therefore, those vessels of Tiferet, Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod of Ze’er Anpin, which were under the domain of Malkhut at the phase of immaturity and have now returned and become connected once again to Ze’er Anpin, are also still connected to Malkhut at the phase of maturity even after they already became reconnected to Ze’er Anpin as its vessels of Tiferet, Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod and completed them. These sefirot of Tiferet, Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod also become the nine lower sefirot of Malkhut.125In other words, these lower sefirot of Tiferet, Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod seemingly play two roles here. When the terminating force of Malkhut descends from the chest, during the phase of maturity, Tiferet, Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod can reascend to their proper place as the lower part of Ze'er Anpin. However, the sefira of Malkhut remains at the chest since there is no real loss in the spiritual context. Thus, the sefirot of Tiferet, Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod now lie directly below the point of the chest, with Malkhut. As the section explains, Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod now form nine lower sefirot, with the Tiferet and Malkhut of the chest serving as their Keter. This is because the point of the chest, which is the root of Malkhut that was present there from the phase of immaturity, becomes Keter. Each of the three vessels of Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod of Ze’er Anpin divides into three thirds. The three thirds of Netzaḥ of Ze’er Anpin become the sefirot of Ḥokhma, Ḥesed, and Netzaḥ for Malkhut; the three thirds of Hod of Ze’er Anpin become for Malkhut the sefirot of Bina, Gevura, and Netzaḥ; and the three thirds of Yesod of Ze’er Anpin become the sefirot of Da’at, Tiferet, and Yesod for Malkhut. Consequently, it turns out that these vessels of Tiferet, Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod of Ze’er Anpin, which ascended from Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya at the phase of maturity and became attached to the level of Ze’er Anpin causing the emergence of its first three lights, also become attached to Malkhut, and become for it nine lower sefirot of the vessels and the first nine of the lights.126Before this phase of maturity, the point of Malkhut that was at the chest was only one vessel (the vessel that would become Keter with the return of the Tiferet, Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod of Ze'er Anpin) and one light (the lowest light, and the highest vessel, following the pattern mentioned previously that the vessels “appear” from highest to lowest, while the lights enter the vessels lowest to highest). Once the phase of maturity is manifest, the remaining vessels appear (Tiferet, Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod form the lower nine sefirot below Malkhut of the chest, with Malkhut serving as the Keter for the structure) and the other nine lights enter accordingly.