We’re now entering the 3rd section entitled “The Images in which the Sephirot Appear” which covers Petachim 7-13. What we’ll do first is present one Petach at a time, in Hebrew and in English, then go back to analyze the entire section.
Petach 7:
הספירות אפשר שיאירו בהארה רבה או בהארה מועטת. אפשר להם ליראות בכמה מיני ציורים ודמיונות, מה שבהם לא יש באמת שום צורה ודמיון, רק נראות בדרך צורה ודמיון. והמסתכל בהם באמת יראה שאין הדמיון והצורה אלא מקרית לפי הרואה בם, והיינו, “וביד הנביאים אדמה”. אך בעצמם אינם אלא התפשטות כחות, מסתדרים בסדר מה שהם צריכים להסתדר, נתלים החוקים אלה באלה, ונמשכים זה אחר זה, לפי שלמות הסדר המסודר:
The Sephirot can be envisioned as shining brightly or dimly. And they can be pictured as assuming different forms and figures, though they don’t really have forms or figures and only seem to assume them. For as anyone who would truly scrutinize them could see, the forms and figures (they seem to assume) are accidental and dependent on whoever is observing them, as in (the verse that reads) “through the prophets I was imaged (i.e., I was portrayed)” (Hosea 12:11).
In essence, though, the Sephirot are actually an array of (Divine) capacities that are organized a specific way, and which are interdependent and sequential so as to ensure that things are organized just so.
(c) 2011 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org
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