Introduction to Sulam Commentary

74. The meaning of all this is as follows: Although the purification of the partition causes it to lose the last level,212As was mentioned previously, the partition of a given level loses “layers” of opacity after generating a column of returning light. The returning light serves as a vessel for the supernal light, but only a certain amount can be contained, called the “inner light.” The remaining supernal light, surrounding light, beats against the vessel of the returning light, eroding the opacity within it until it is purified. The “last level” referred to here is relative, meaning, the surrounding light erodes the most opaque level of the partition that is present in a given context. on account of which the five heights of partzufim are positioned one beneath the other (as explained in detail in Petiḥa LeḤokhmat HaKabbala, sections 40–41), the last level is, nevertheless, not entirely lost. Rather, a trace of enclothing remains of it in the partition (as explained there in section 42).

For example, when the partition of the partzuf of Keter of Adam Kadmon was purified and ascended to the mouth of the head,213When a partition is purified of opacity, it then ascends to the head of its partzuf where it unites with the partition of the head. In that new context, remnants of its previous opacity are renewed (except the lowest level directly eroded by the surrounding light) and it is now able to undergo a new fusion through collision, creating a new partzuf. it was incorporated in the fusion there and its remnants were renewed. From the perspective of the opacity of the partition, upon which the fusion through collision occurred, only the trace of opacity of the third level remained in the partition, since the last level, which is the fourth level, was lost.214These levels are specific to this example. In an example in which the partition had previously had the second level eroded directly, only the trace of opacity of the first level would have been renewed, while the second would have been lost. However, the enclothing part of the fourth level still remained in the partition.215This is the key idea of this paragraph. Although the lowest level of the partition is eroded and lost because of the returning light, only one of two aspects of this level are fully lost. The traces, or remnants of opacity of the level are fully lost. There remains, however, a remnant of that level of the partition called “the traces of enclothing.” This remnant, while unable to participate in a fusion through collision on its own, can join an existing fusion through collision with renewed opacity in the partition.

It thus turns out that there are two upper aspects that are fit for fusion through collision in the partition: (a) the opacity of the third level,216This is the level with the greatest opacity remaining in the partition after the erosion of the surrounding light in this particular example. which blocks the supernal light and receives the fusion through collision upon which the level of Ḥokhma emerges,217This is the new partzuf generated in this example as a result of the third level of opacity generating returning light of the height of the level of Ḥokhma. and (b) the aspect of enclothing of the fourth level.218This is the remnant of the fourth level of opacity of the partition that was not lost, the “trace of enclothing.” Although the aspect of enclothing is unfit for a fusion through collision, since it does not contain opacity that blocks the spread of light, nevertheless, when it is incorporated and participates in the opacity of the third level, a fusion through collision occurs upon it as well, and a height near to that of Keter219Returning light that is the height of Keter is generated by opacity of the fourth level in a partition. Since the aspect of enclothing here is a remnant of the fourth level, the height of light generated by it in this second-hand fusion through collision is also that of Keter. is generated from it.

These two heights are called “male” and “female.” The height that emerged upon the fourth level of enclothing participating with the third level of opacity, is called “male,” while the height that emerged only upon the third level of opacity in the partition, is called “female.” (All this is explained in Petiḥa LeḤokhmat HaKabbala, section 42.)

Along the same lines, when the partition of the body of the partzuf of Ḥokhma of Adam Kadmon220This is the same situation as the previous example, except that it relates to the partzuf of Ḥokhma of Adam Kadmon instead of Keter of Adam Kadmon. As a result, each of the levels discussed are reduced by one, since Ḥokhma is the level one step down from Keter. was purified and ascended to the mouth of its head, two remnants,221This refers to the remnants of opacity and the remnants of enclothing mentioned in the preceding paragraphs. male and female, remained in it as well, in the manner described above with regard to the partzuf of Keter. The trace of enclothing of the third level, which joins the opacity of the partition of the second level, generates nearly the height of Ḥokhma, and this is the male aspect. The trace of opacity of the second level, which is the core element that undergoes a fusion through collision, generates the height of Bina, which is the female aspect.

In the same manner, there are male and female aspects in the purification of the partition of the body of the partzuf of Bina. The male aspect is nearly at the height of Bina, while the female is at the height of Ze’er Anpin, which is the level of the fusion through collision for the partzuf of Nekudim.222The partzuf of Nekudim refers to the structure that emerges at this point in the levels of Adam Kadmon, yielding the world of Nekudim.

Similarly, there are male and female aspects in the purification of the partition of the body of the partzuf of Nekudim. The male, which constitutes the trace of enclothing of the first level that remained in the partition, which joins with the opacity of the root level in the partition, is nearly at the height of the first level, that is, the level of Ze’er Anpin. This is the height of ruaḥ, which is the height of Ḥesed, Gevura, and Tiferet. The female, which constitutes the opacity of the level of the root and which receives a fusion through collision, is at the height of the light of nefesh. This is the structural height of Malkhut, which is called Netzaḥ, Hod, and Yesod from the perspective of the three lines.