Petach<\/i> 64 then explains how MaH<\/i> and BaN<\/i> — as male and female — then join and function together. It comes to this, as enunciated in the Petach<\/i> itself and Ramchal\u2019s own remarks on it.<\/p>\n
The female has the vessels that had been clarified in BaN<\/i> ascend upward from the combination of Briah<\/i>, Yetzirah<\/i>, and Assiyah<\/i> where they\u2019d been upward to Atzilut <\/i>[1], in order to receive their light. And the male then rectifies their Chessed<\/i> (right-side) aspect while the female rectifies their Gevurah<\/i> (left-side) aspect [2]. But there\u2019s more to it, that\u2019s far less arithmetic and linear than that.<\/p>\n
The male then shares some of itself with the female and they join together. And that rectifies the center aspect of the equation, thanks to the Da\u2019at<\/i> (from the center aspect) that then joins them. That process then forms the thesis-antithesis-synthesis (left-right-center or Chessed<\/i>–Din<\/i>–Rachamim<\/i>) triad that hadn\u2019t yet been formed in the Shevira<\/i> process, and that is the richness of the Partzufim<\/i>.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s one more event. The male then grants the female the light and vessels from MaH<\/i> while joining MaH<\/i> with BaN<\/i> in the process and the male then allows for the general makeup of the offspring, while the female then allows for a breakdown into parts. That final aspect is based on the fact that the male MaH<\/i> alludes to The Line spoken of earlier on which is all-inclusive rather than specific, while the female BaN<\/i> alludes to The Residue [3] which is specific and breaks The Line down into parts.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how the Petach itself is worded:<\/p>\n
Out of all of the Sephirot<\/i> <\/b>in BaN<\/i> that were broken and that descended<\/b> down to Briah<\/i> in the Shevira<\/i> process, those parts that were to be clarified were <\/b>indeed clarified, and they<\/b>, i.e., their vessels, then ascended to receive their lights <\/b>that were in Atzilut. <\/i>And they did that <\/i>by means of Nukveh<\/i>, which elevated them that way. Alternatively, all the levels of MaH<\/i>, <\/b>both their vessels and lights that joined with them, then descended by means of the male<\/b>, i.e., the Yesod<\/i> of Adam<\/i> Kadmon<\/i>, which drew them downward that way and placed them in Nukveh<\/i>.<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b>Nevertheless, the male also took part in the Tikkun<\/i> of the vessels that ascended through the female: the male repaired the right side, while the female repaired the left side. The parts then joined together <\/b>in Nukveh<\/i>, and MaH<\/i> joined with every one of them. And the offspring was complete.<\/b><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
Notes:<\/p>\n
[1] See Petach<\/i> 46.<\/p>\n
[2] This depiction comes to settle an apparent contradiction between Ar\u201di\u2019s statements in Mevoh Sha\u2019arim<\/i> 2:3:9, and Eitz Chaim<\/i>, Sha\u2019ar Anach<\/i> 1.<\/p>\n
[3] See our discussion in 8:6.<\/p>\n
(c) 2013 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":" Petach 64 then explains how MaH and BaN — as male and female — then join and function together. It comes to this, as enunciated in the Petach itself and Ramchal\u2019s own remarks on it. The female has the vessels … Continue reading