Section Seven Over-all

Though we’d spoken of it earlier in broad terms (see 2:5, and 3:1-2) we’ll now delve into Adam Kadmon’s particulars in this section.

Ramchal terms it the first order … to be established in the mystical configuration of ten Sephirot and to be arranged in the likeness of a human (Petach 31). As such, it is the very first layer of phenomena to overlay the line in the trace-environment that will eventually lead to the formation of our own world and reality, as Ramchal will point out below.

We’ll see what sets it apart from the orders that followed it. Ramchal also speaks there of the fact that Adam Kadmon always and forever follows the sequence of God’s four-lettered name, which itself functions of various levels which we’ll explore.

He then addresses Adam Kadmon’s “face”, its “body”, its “senses”, the four worlds that irradiate outward of Adam Kadmon’s inner being, and of its more-esoteric-yet “forehead” (Petach 32).

From there we go to a discussion of the four numerical variations of the Tetragrammaton known as “AV”, “SaG”, “MaH” and “BaNwhich are first revealed through Adam Kadmon (Petach 33).

Ramchal depicts AV as sending forth its light by way of the “hairs” of Adam Kadmon’s “head”, as well as Adam Kadmon’s “brain”, though on a decidedly esoteric level; and he offers that SaG reveals the lights that are concealed in AV and that it becomes revealed little by little. He goes on from there to addressing the “inner” and “encompassing” lights which eventually reach Adam Kadmon’s “mouth”, as well as MaH and BaN that are to be revealed afterwards by means of the lights of Adam Kadmon’s “forehead” and “eyes”.

The next Petach (34) delves into the “passageways” (i.e., the “ears”, “nose”, “mouth”, and “eyes” within Adam Kadmon’s “face”) through which the lights pass, and their relationship to “AV”, “SaG”, “MaH” and “BaN.

 And the final Petach of this section (35) points to the fact that it was in Adam Kadmon where the conjunction of the line with the trace … came about which we referred to above. It also addresses the notion that only the light that emerged by way of Adam Kadmon’s “senses” was able to produce a receptacle which is vital in the formulation of the concrete reality that defines our world, and that it is the only light that’s fit to … bring about whatever was needed to build all the intended phenomena and to bring about whatever was necessary to actualize what was intended for these phenomena down to the material plane.

We’ll explore these themes and more in the course of our discussion of Section Seven.

(c) 2011 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org

———————————————————-

AT LONG LAST! Rabbi Feldman’s translation of Maimonides’ “Eight Chapters” is available here at a discount.

You can still purchase a copy of Rabbi Feldman’s translation of “The Gates of Repentance” here at a discount as well.

Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has also translated and commented upon “The Path of the Just” and “The Duties of the Heart” (Jason Aronson Publishers).

Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled “Spiritual Excellence” and “Ramchal”.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *