{"id":1235,"date":"2012-05-31T11:56:16","date_gmt":"2012-05-31T15:56:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ramchal.wordpress.com\/?p=1235"},"modified":"2012-05-31T11:56:16","modified_gmt":"2012-05-31T15:56:16","slug":"a-preview-of-section-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/2012\/05\/31\/a-preview-of-section-8\/","title":{"rendered":"A preview of Section 8"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first subject at hand in this section is how the world of Nikkudim<\/em> — also known as the world of Tohu<\/em>, chaos — was produced: in stages, <\/strong>the way a craftsman produces something out of what\u2019s at first an amorphous piece of wood but which shows itself to be <\/strong>something orderly and beautiful when completed <\/strong>(Petach<\/em> 36).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ramchal then goes on to the three interrelated major themes of Sh\u2019virat<\/em> HaKeilim<\/em>, \u201cThe Breaking of the Vessels\u201d; the production of wrong, evil, injustice, and the like from the Divine essence; the subsequent rectifying, correcting, repairing of all wrong, evil, and injustice; and lastly, humankind\u2019s role in all that.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re told in fact that the<\/strong> existence of flaws and<\/strong> their repair<\/strong> is rooted in the issue of \u201cThe Breaking of the Vessels\u201d, <\/strong>which occurred <\/strong>within <\/strong>the Sephirot<\/em> of the world of Nikkudim<\/em>. A <\/strong>form of repair occurred <\/strong>there afterwards. Yet the repair was only partial and only to the degree that would allow <\/strong>human actions to allow the sequence of flaw and repair to continue in the universe <\/strong>in the course of the 6,000 years of Divine services. Nonetheless, in the end everything will be utterly repaired, as a consequence of which there\u2019ll no longer be any flaws <\/strong>(Petach <\/em>37), which are ideas he\u2019ll return to below.<\/p>\n

We move from there to the makeup of the worlds of Atzilut<\/em>, Briah<\/em>, Yetzirah<\/em>, and Assiyah<\/em> <\/strong>that comprise the world of Nikkudim. <\/em>We\u2019re that the four of them are <\/strong>actually one<\/em> world<\/strong>, Atzilut, which is <\/strong>over-covered with three \u201cgarments\u201d<\/strong>. That breakdown isn\u2019t all that cut and dried, though, given that when we examine these \u201cgarments\u201d <\/strong>of Briah<\/em>, Yetzirah<\/em>, and Assiyah<\/em> individually, each one is termed a world <\/strong>unto itself <\/strong>indeed, since each one of them serves a unique function. <\/strong>As such, when we consider <\/strong>the four of them together, then Briah<\/em>, Yetzirah,<\/em> and Assiyah <\/em>are only considered Atzilut<\/em>\u2019s \u201cgarments\u201d, while when they\u2019re considered in light of their functions, <\/strong>the three \u201cgarments\u201d of Briah<\/em>, Yetzirah,<\/em> and Assiyah <\/em>are termed <\/strong>and in fact to be treated as separate worlds <\/strong>(Petach<\/em> 38).<\/p>\n

Ramchal then meanders a bit more on the makeup and function of these (three or) four worlds, as well as first addresses the necessity of wrong, evil and injustice, and its eventual role in the revelation of God\u2019s sovereignty to be expanded on later (which we\u2019d referred to early on in this work).<\/p>\n

He says that that the <\/strong>entire world of Nikkudim<\/em> was like a single mass out of which all the details<\/strong> had to come about; as all of existence — both above and below — is a single phenomenon comprised of many details <\/strong>waiting to come about. But this phenomenon is only comprehensive when all its details function together. For in this way, everything in creation exists only for the glory of the Creator, which is the gist of the verse, “God has made everything for His own sake” (Proverbs 16:4). In this are included all created beings — good and bad — as the whole of it is a single system and a single phenomenon of a creation that implements the revelation of the sovereignty and glory of Ein Sof<\/em> <\/strong>(Petach<\/em> 39).<\/p>\n

He then readdresses the makeup of the (three or) four worlds within Nikkudim<\/em>, saying that it had to be divided up into its component parts <\/strong>after which there initially came to be the \u201cbasic foundation\u201d which is called Atzilut<\/em> with its three garments, <\/strong>after which control was passed to each garment unto itself. <\/strong>That <\/strong>all had to come about given that Atzilut<\/em> when fully repaired is the root of everything, while Briah<\/em>, Yetzirah<\/em> and Assiyah<\/em> serve to bring forth the offshoots of Atzilut<\/em>. <\/strong>It\u2019s also important for us to know that each one<\/strong>, Atzilut<\/em>, Briah<\/em>, Yetzirah<\/em>, and Assiyah<\/em>, <\/strong>eventually brings forth its own distinct offshoot, but those all merely offshoots of what already existed in Atzilut <\/em><\/strong>(Petach<\/em> 40).<\/p>\n

He then expands upon the notion of the \u201cbasic foundation\u201d of Atzilut<\/em>\u00a0and its offshoots, and once again alludes to the existence and role of wrong\u00a0<\/strong>by indicating that Atzilut<\/em> was to have originally received its light in line with the mystical notion of the joining of the \u201cline\u201d\u00a0with the \u201ctrace\u201d <\/strong>discussed earlier on. <\/strong>His point here is that <\/strong>process of the implementation of the \u201ctrace\u201d first had to be completed, given that the\u00a0Tzimtzum<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>(which we also discussed earlier on) came about in the first place in order to provide a place for wrong which could be rectified and to ultimately have everything become good.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>Here\u2019s how wrong started to come about: the light\u00a0<\/strong>of\u00a0Atzilut<\/em>\u00a0and its offshoots, which is from\u00a0Ein<\/em>\u00a0Sof<\/em>, had to also wait for its vessel to be complete, since that\u2019s where the root of evil lies. Only afterwards will the light shine within it<\/strong>, i.e. join with it, after which everything will be completed. <\/strong>It\u2019s also explained here that the light wasn\u2019t originally joined with the vessels\u00a0<\/strong>in the world of Nikkudim<\/em>,\u00a0but remained hidden above\u00a0<\/strong>in\u00a0Adam<\/em>\u00a0Kadmon<\/em>\u00a0until the vessels completed their task in order to provide a place for wrong to rule and to complete its rule. The light\u2019s own repair will then come about, which will then return everything to\u00a0<\/strong>a state of good, when\u00a0<\/strong>Atzilut<\/em>\u00a0and its offshoots\u2019\u00a0light will shine within it <\/strong>(Petach<\/em> 41).<\/p>\n

We then return to the notion of the repairing of the vessels subsequent to their breaking. We\u2019re told that it happened step by step <\/strong>and by degrees, and <\/strong>that the light entered into them gradually according to the degree that the<\/strong> vessels had been repaired. <\/strong>Make no mistake about it, though — the vessels\u2019 repair will <\/strong>only be complete<\/em> in the ultimate future, as will the entry of the light and its joining with them <\/strong>(Petach<\/em> 42).<\/p>\n

Ramchal once again treats the subject of wrong and its rectification in light of the \u201cbasic foundation\u201d.\u00a0 We\u2019re told that wrong was <\/strong>in fact rooted in nothing other than in the mystical notion of the \u201cgarments\u201d of Atzilut<\/em>, i.e., Briah<\/em>, Yetzirah<\/em> and Assiyah<\/em>.\u00a0 <\/strong>As such, in order to bring these \u201cgarments\u201d to a state of perfection they <\/strong>first had to be separated into all their component elements in such a way that they would first provide an environment for wrong in accordance with what had prepared for them <\/strong>in the course of the breaking of the vessels, and then to eventually return <\/strong>to their original state in order to repair all the harm done <\/strong>by allowing the light to enter <\/strong>(Petach<\/em> 43).<\/p>\n

We then probe a little more deeply into how it could be that wrong could derive from God and Ramchal makes the point that while it did derive from Him, that was only after a very long series of downward and attenuated spirals.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>It\u2019s first important to realize that lights <\/strong>of all sorts only produce their offshoots once they reach their appropriate levels. For a great light cannot be termed the <\/strong>direct \u201ccause\u201d of one lone, minor created phenomenon since the latter would never emerge <\/strong>directly from the former. For, God formulated the tenet of <\/strong>things coming about in sequences. <\/strong>That being so, the <\/strong>degree of \u201cjudgment\u201d that was revealed in the \u201ctrace\u201d <\/strong>\u00a0in the space formed by the Tzimtzum<\/em> did not reach the level it would need to in order to be called the <\/strong>direct<\/em> cause of the other side <\/strong>and wrong until it came to produce a vessel in Nikkudim<\/em>. For we find nothing that relates in any way to the other side on <\/strong>these higher levels. But something is <\/strong>indeed revealed in Nikkudim<\/em> that does bear some <\/strong>however slight relation to <\/strong>it, which is the fact of vessels. For there alone <\/strong>in Nikkudim<\/em> lies the \u201cbasic foundation\u201d consisting of the worlds of Atzilut<\/em>, Briah<\/em>, Yetzirah<\/em> and Assiyah<\/em> that extend <\/strong>downward to the material level and to the end of all existence <\/strong>including wrong (Petach<\/em> 44).<\/p>\n

Continuing to make the point about how tenuous the connection between God Himself and wrong is (which necessitated the Breaking of the Vessels) Ramchal then says that the aforementioned slender trace of a root for the \u201cother side\u201d only manifested itself in the very lowest aspects of the vessels<\/strong>, i.e., in the lower seven Sephirot<\/em> of Nikkudim<\/em>. Thus, the overall light initially entered <\/strong>into the vessels of Nikkudim<\/em> and continued spreading in accordance with the mystical notion of the \u201cbasic foundation\u201d until <\/strong>it <\/strong>reached these lowly aspects. In fact, <\/strong>he offers parenthetically, these encompass the notion of the \u201cgarments\u201d<\/strong> we\u2019d spoken of above which are considered the \u201cfeet\u201d of Atzilut<\/em>. <\/strong>Be that as it may, there was thus no breaking <\/strong>of vessels as long as the lights did not reach them; it only occurred when the lights did reach there, after which they<\/strong> i.e., the lights of Nikkudim<\/em>, then turned around and departed from even the highest aspects <\/strong>of each of the seven lower Sephirot<\/em> <\/strong>(Petach<\/em> 45).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>We now expand upon the world of Nikkudim<\/em> and its component parts, and how they all played a role in the formation of wrong. When it became necessary to grant rule to the \u201cgarments\u201d themselves<\/strong>, i.e., to the world of Briah<\/em>, Yetzirah<\/em>, and Assiyah<\/em>, in order for them to repair themselves <\/strong>and to appear as separate and distinct worlds, their most exalted element — their Atzilut <\/em>aspect — which was contained in Nikkudim<\/em>, became concealed. And the \u201cgarments\u201d then ruled on their own. This <\/strong>rule of the \u201cgarments\u201d was considered a <\/strong>relative \u201cdescent\u201d for them, since they had descended from having <\/strong>once been incorporated in Atzilut<\/em> as its mystical \u201cgarments\u201d while they were now ruling by themselves <\/strong>as a consequence of the breaking of the vessels albeit not in a state of order and repair but rather in one of damage, and while devoid of all the lights that had separated from them. They were thus always ready to provide a place for wrong to emerge and exist, and to be rectified in the end <\/strong>(Petach<\/em> 46).<\/p>\n

We now consider what Ramchal refers to as \u201cthe repair (and purification) of the garments of <\/strong>Nikkudim<\/em>\u201d, which comes down to the rectification and elimination of wrong on the higher levels and its production on the lower ones, once again denying God\u2019s own direct \u201cresponsibility\u201d in the process.<\/p>\n

He offers that when God wanted to rectify these \u201cgarments\u201d<\/strong>, He <\/strong>first purified each level in turn<\/strong>, so that instead of facing toward wrong they\u2019d turn their visages away from it and avoid it. Then each level<\/strong> left the task of producing wrong<\/strong> to the level below it. The while upper level thus had a share in this, it was in the process of getting away from and being cleansed of it <\/strong>as a consequence of which wrong wasn\u2019t a part of it, and it was then able to receive light. The same <\/strong>process of the <\/strong>elimination of wrong occurred on each successive level in relation to the one below it, until all the levels of Atzilut<\/em>, Briah<\/em>, Yetzirah<\/em> and Assiyah<\/em> were purified, as they are now. They then left the task of producing wrong to the lowest of all levels, that of Malchut<\/em> of Assiyah<\/em>. They<\/strong>, i.e., the vessels of all levels, were then ready to receive the light except for this last level, because the light can only spread within a vessel that\u2019s cleansed of <\/strong>all wrong.<\/strong><\/p>\n

All this is termed the repair <\/strong>and purification of the garments of Nikkudim<\/em>. For it\u2019s only to the extent that the vessels were repaired that the light can enter into them in turn. The farther removed the level of a given vessel is from anything that has to do with wrong, the greater the light was it fit to receive. Still and all, the initial Atzilut<\/em><\/strong>, i.e., the loftiest light of the world of Nikkudim<\/em>, was not revealed again, for the repair of all these garments cannot be termed <\/strong>truly complete as long as this lowest level is still facing toward the production of wrong and consequently devoid of the light<\/strong>, and in fact the initial Atzilut<\/em> will only be revealed in the World to Come, when the Malchut<\/em> of Assiyah<\/em> will be purified <\/strong>(Petach<\/em> 47).<\/p>\n

This Petach<\/em> touches on the final, ultimate rectification and reiterates humanity\u2019s role in all that, as indicated above. As Ramchal puts it, the repairing of this final degree<\/strong>, <\/strong>i.e., of Malchut<\/em> of Assiyah<\/em>, depends on human input, for humanity is meant to strengthen the power of holiness<\/strong> within the Sephirot<\/em> and to purge it of all sin. Once that\u2019s accomplished there\u2019ll no longer be wrong <\/strong>even in Malchut<\/em>, since there\u2019ll no longer be the need a yetzer<\/em> harah<\/em> or free will, and everything will serve only <\/strong>to manifest the glory of the Creator. The \u201cgarments\u201d will be completely repaired, and everything will revert to helping to perfect the \u201cbasic foundation\u201d that was established so that all of creation would be of one accord, and so that the single rule of perfect repair would lead to the revelation of God\u2019s sovereignty. Atzilut<\/em> of Nikkudim<\/em>, which is this basic foundation, will then be revealed. Light will complete its entry into all the vessels<\/strong> as a result, all \u201cgarments\u201d will be under the influence of Atzilut<\/em>, and everything will be in a state of utter repair <\/strong>(Petach<\/em> 48).<\/p>\n

This next-to-last Petach<\/em> of the section reiterates the need for and the ultimate benefits to be derived from the existence of wrong, evil, and injustice, and to their eventual undoing. Ramchal refers to that all here as the time when \u201cwrong will then be rectified and revert to goodness, things will revert to what they\u2019d been at first, and there will no longer a need for wrong to exist in actuality\u201d.<\/p>\n

Accordingly, we\u2019re taught that the fact that these vessels <\/strong>of Nikkudim<\/em> or \u201dgarments\u201d should be the root of wrong isn\u2019t a flaw; on the contrary, it\u2019s the fulfillment of the underlying intention behind creation, which is the revelation of\u00a0 God\u2019s ultimate sovereignty. It\u2019s just that first there <\/strong>first needed to be a root of wrong<\/strong>, which was truly wrongful, that was to revert to goodness through the repairs carried out by humankind. That itself will be for the glory of the King by means of which humans could earn merit. But in order to actually bring this about, these \u201cgarments\u201d had to provide a place for wrong to exist. That was accomplished by the selection and gradation that took place among them, until only the very last level of Malchut<\/em> of Assiyah<\/em> was left to produce wrong. Briah<\/em>, Yetzirah<\/em>, and Assiyah<\/em> will then become Atzilut<\/em>, Briah<\/em>, Yetzirah<\/em>, and Assiyah<\/em>. Wrong will then be rectified and revert to goodness, things will revert to what they\u2019d been at first, and there will no longer a need for wrong to exist in actuality, as it will enough for it to have once existed and to have then been rectified. This is the meaning of the verse, “He has consumed death forever” (Isaiah 25:8). <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0 Then Atzilut<\/em>, Briah<\/em>, Yetzirah<\/em>, and Assiyah<\/em> will revert to Briah<\/em>, Yetzirah<\/em>, and Assiyah<\/em>, and the Malchut<\/em> of Assiyah<\/em> will become integrated with its whole<\/strong>, i.e., with the world of Yetzirah<\/em> that would then exist, and the <\/strong>original exalted Atzilut<\/em> of the general Nikkudim<\/em> <\/strong>that was removed in the course of the \u201cbreaking of the vessels\u201d will be revealed. The \u201cgarments\u201d will then remain the root of the wrong that once existed but was rectified and reverted to goodness. Ein<\/em> Sof<\/em> will then be said to have completed His task, and He will be exalted unto Himself in His sovereignty <\/strong>(Petach<\/em> 49).<\/p>\n

And the final Petach<\/em> here speaks to the purposeful, God-driven nature of the process and all of its elements. Since nothing is in vain, <\/strong>we\u2019re told, then when the light first entered<\/strong> the various vessels, then turned back, and departed — couldn\u2019t <\/strong>we make the point that it <\/strong>could have achieved all these steps <\/strong>in the process of rectifying wrong and of cleansing Atzilut<\/em>, Briah<\/em>, Yetzirah<\/em>, and Assiyah<\/em> in one move without <\/strong>all of this<\/strong>, i.e., without all these <\/strong>apparently extra moves? But <\/strong>that goes to show that this <\/strong>entire process serves an essential function with a <\/strong>purposeful and specific <\/strong>earthly consequence. Indeed, this <\/strong>entry of the light within the vessels is a specific underpinning of the governance of the world with all of its harm and repair, and its reward and punishment, all in accordance with the exact measure of what\u2019s required for this <\/strong>governance, neither less nor more <\/strong>than <\/strong>necessary <\/strong>(Petach<\/em> 50).<\/p>\n

(c) 2012 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman<\/p>\n

Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org<\/a><\/p>\n

———————————————————-<\/p>\n

AT LONG LAST! Rabbi Feldman’s translation of Maimonides’ “Eight Chapters” is available here<\/a> at a discount.<\/p>\n

You can still purchase a copy of Rabbi Feldman’s translation of “The Gates of Repentance” here<\/a> at a discount as well.<\/p>\n

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

Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled “Spiritual Excellence<\/a>\u201d and \u201cRamchal<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first subject at hand in this section is how the world of Nikkudim — also known as the world of Tohu, chaos — was produced: in stages, the way a craftsman produces something out of what\u2019s at first an … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1235"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1235\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}