Monthly Archives: December 2011

So, here we are with two configurations of the same phenomenon known as Adam Kadmon — Primordial Man. And they’re said to be two different perspectives of the same phenomenon, where the “circle” or iggulim depiction of Adam Kadmon refers to a circular mode of Divine governance … which is to say, an overall providence, while a “straight line” or yosher depiction of Adam Kadmon … indicates a detailed mode of governance (Petach 13). That’s to say (according to the thrust of Ramchal’s own comments there) that the yosher construct alludes to God’s governance of the universe in response to our ethical and spiritual input, while the iggulim depiction alludes to His more supernal Self-driven governance that functions despite us.

 Why then do we largely disregard the iggulim depiction? It has been said that’s because it alludes to things beyond us whereas the yosher depiction speaks to our situation and our raison d’être which is rooted in our ethical and spiritual betterment [1].

Note:

[1] R’ Y.I. Chaver in Pitchei Chochma. R’ Chaver was known to have drawn a lot on Ramchal’s thoughts.

This is purely conjecture, but might the iggulim construct then be an element of the Torah of Atzilut which the Zohar (predominately in Ra’aya Mehemna and Tikkunei Zohar; also see Zohar 1, 23a and T.Z. 113a) and Ari spoke about (see his Likutei Torah at the beginning of Breishit), which is more sublime than the Torah of Briah that we’re privy to now? And might a great future Kabbalist, or even the Moshiach himself, then address the iggulim construct?

(c) 2011 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org

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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”.

Ari continues as follows:

“We will now explain the second aspect of the ten Sephirot, the linear aspect of light in the shape of three (parallel) lines that form the image of the supernal human (Adam Elyon). This (three-pronged) line extends from (the) top (of the trace environment) to (its) bottom, with the aforementioned circles spreading out from it….

“It is comprised of ten Sephirot in the image of a man standing straight, and it includes all of its 248 body-parts. This is portrayed by three (parallel) lines: right, left, and middle…. This second aspect in termed ‘the image of God’ which is alluded to by the statement ‘And God created (a) “Man” (-like form) in His image’ (Genesis 1:27).”

We assume that Ramchal didn’t offer both iggulim and yosher, and thus the whole of Ari’s presentation, in Klach because of this statement which immediately follows in Ari’s remarks:

“Almost everything in the Zohar and the Tikkunim (i.e., in the Tikkunei Zohar) deals with this second, linear aspect” [1].

Notes:

[1]       The Tree of Life pp. 19-20 (with slight changes). Once again see Ramchal’s Klallot HaIlan 1:1 and Pitchei Chochma v’Da’at 28; and see his Biurim l’Sefer Otzrot Chaim 14 for a discussion of both systems.

(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”.

The ten Sephirot that comprise Adam Kadmon assumed two formations upon inhabiting the trace environment: one that resembled a series of onion-skins (known as iggulim or “circles” in Hebrew), and another which was the better-known straight-line configuration (known as yosher or “straight [line]”).

As Ari puts it,

”This is the (first) way the light descends and extends from the Ein Sof and flows into the circle (i.e., the trace environment). Ein Sof surrounds and encircles the circle on all sides because it, too, has a circular aspect….

“The first circle, which is closest to Ein Sof, is called the Keter (i.e., the outer- and top-most layer) of Adam Kadmon. After this, the line continued to descend some more, then spread out and around and became a second circle inside the first one. This one is called the circle of Chochma of Adam Kadmon. Then the line continued downward some more … until it became a third circle inside the second circle … which is called the circle of Binah of Adam Kadmon. It kept going down and creating circles in this way until it made the tenth circle, which is called the circle of Malchut of Adam Kadmon.” [1]

Notes:

[1]       The Tree of Life pp. 16-17 (with slight changes). See Ramchal’s Klallot HaIlan 1:1 and  Pitchei Chochma v’Da’at 28.

(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”.

Before we get into the details of Adam Kadmon, though, we need to point out a missing step here. Ramchal first mentioned Adam Kadmon in Petach 12, as we’d mentioned. In short he said there that: The whole on-going process of governance … and the whole of creation (itself) encompass one single phenomenon … which is the mystic figure of a single “person” with all his body-parts … which is known as Adam Kadmon. And none of that contradicted what’s said in our section.

He then followed that with Petach 13 which, curiously enough, doesn’t seem to refer to Adam Kadmon itself (though it really does), but addresses the fact that the images that the prophets and high souls envisioned — including but not limited to Adam Kadmon — assumed various this-worldly shapes, including circles and straight lines, which actually refer to different modes of Divine governance.

We already offered some of the various details involved in this (in 3:4) where we pointed out how this refers to Adam Kadmon indeed, but it’s important for us now to fill in the gaps, so we can follow the flow of Ari’s depiction of creation downward from Ein Sof unto itself, to the Tzimtzum, trace, and line, and to the formulation of Adam Kadmon proper and onward.

So let’s simply quote Ari, mention where Ramchal offers the same in his own words, and then move on to Adam Kadmon itself.

(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”.

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 “BaN” which 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”.