Introduction to Sulam Commentary

Three Criteria for the Emergence of a Lower Partzuf 66. There are three criteria for the process of fusion through collision for the birth of a lower partzuf.169“Lower partzuf here refers to the emergent partzufim discussed in the preceding sections.

The first criterion is the partition that fuses with the supernal light through a fusion through collision, giving rise to the returning light and enclothing the supernal light. The height of the lower new partzuf will be commensurate with the measure of the enclothing of the supernal light (as explained in Petiḥa LeḤokhmat HaKabbala, section 21).170The height of the new partzuf is a function of the height of returning light that the partition releases, as that returning light enclothes the previous partzuf. In this way, after the partition generated all the partzufim and the levels in the world of Nekudim, which did not endure but were broken and negated,171This refers to the breaking of the vessels of Nekudim, a complex process that is explained elsewhere. and the partition was purified172This purification takes place in the process that was explained previously, in section 63 above, through the beating of the surrounding light against the inner light. from all its five levels of opacity and returned to the head of Sag (as explained in Talmud Eser Sefirot, part 8, sections 2 and 4), all the levels that had emerged in Nekudim left their remnants in the partition.173This refers to remnants of opacity. Therefore, when the partition was incorporated in the fusion in the head of Sag, those previous remnants were renewed within it.174The renewal of these remnants gives rise to new releases of returning light to create the partzufim of Atzilut.

At first, the partition generated its highest level, which constituted the remnant of the partzuf of Keter. This is called “Atik of Atzilut,” which is the opacity of the fourth level.175This remnant generated returning light of a height of Keter, forming the partzuf of Atik, the Keter level partzuf of Atzilut. The other remnants that were in the partition migrated with the birth of Atik to the place of Atik. Once Atik was completed, a fusion through collision was performed upon its partition, on the uppermost level of the remnant in the partition within it, which is the third level,176This means it contained opacity up to the third level, able to generate returning light that could climb as high as a height of Ḥokhma. and generated the height of Arikh Anpin177This is a partzuf of the height of Ḥokhma. upon it. The remaining remnants in the partition, which had not yet had a fusion through collision performed upon them, descended with the birth of Arikh Anpin to the place of Arikh Anpin. When Arikh Anpin was completed, a fusion through collision was performed upon it, on the uppermost level of the remnant in the partition, which is the second level,178This opacity of the second level can generate returning light of the height of Bina. producing a height of Abba and Imma179This refers to a partzuf of the first three of Bina as was described in sections 41 – 43 and elsewhere in the preceding sections. upon it, and so on in the same manner. Thus, all the partzufim emerge by means of a fusion through collision of the supernal light with the partition.