The Arizal on the Torah

Rabbi Yitzchak Luria:

Basic Kabbalistic Teachings

by Rabbi Moshe Miller

Although Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (the Arizal) wrote relatively little himself, as mentioned in the “Works” section, his teachings were nevertheless systematically recorded by his disciples, primarily by Rabbi Chaim Vital. It is from these teachings that the startlingly innovative teachings of the Arizal have been given to posterity.

Following the era of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his disciples, a long line of distinguished kabbalists focused their teachings on one or more of the themes already found explicitly or implicitly in early texts such as Sefer Yetzira, Sefer HaBahir and Zohar and in the works of their immediate predecessors and contemporaries. They set out to clarify and compare these teachings, and ultimately to transmit them to a disciple or small group of select disciples. In this sense the work of the Kabbalists after the Tannaitic era (i.e., until the 4^th or 5^th century CE) was primarily classificatory, with very little by way of innovation.

The Arizal, however, was clearly an original thinker. Although he also set out to explain the most abstruse parts of the kabbalistic literature available at the time, particularly Zohar, his analysis of those texts and the innovations he subsequently taught his disciples were unparalleled and may therefore be regarded as an entirely new school of kabbalistic thought.

There are five areas of focus in the Arizal’s teachings that may be regarded as the primary innovations of his system: the concept of tzimtzum (G-d's self-contraction, so to speak) through its various stages; the process of shevirat hakeilim (the shattering of the vessels in the world of Tohu); the Tikkun­ (rectification) of that shevira through birur hanitzotzot (elevating the sparks); the concept of partzufim (literally, "visages" – compound structures of the sefirot in arrays that interact with each other); the nature of the soul, the purpose of its descent into this world, and its relationship with the higher realms and ultimately with G-d.

Tzimtzum

A question that puzzled Jewish philosophers and theologians alike is how a finite world came to exist within the infinite being of G-d. Prior to creation, there was only G-d and His infinite revelation of Himself, the Or Ein Sof, filling all existence.[1] How did finite being evolve from the infinite? One cannot argue that creation always existed, nor that finite being is a mere illusion, since the Torah states explicitly, "In the beginning of G-d's creating the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1).

Before the Arizal, the prevailing view of how the Creator brought the creation into being can be summed up as follows:  In order for a finite world to come into existence within the revelation of the infinity of G-d, a process of self-contraction or self-limitation of the infinite, the Or Ein Sof, was required. The worlds then came about, according to this view, by a series of emanations that proceeded in a sequence of cause and effect, in which the Creator gradually reduced the intensity of the Or Ein Sof and downgraded it from level to level until the worlds were created.[2] Accordingly, the Or Ein Sof was never actually “removed” from any given place – it was merely reduced in intensity.

This view, however, is problematic: If G-d would have merely reduced the intensity of His infinite revelation (the Or Ein Sof) in a quantitative manner, i.e., in a gradual ebb from level to level by means of cause and effect, a finite world could not have come into being, since in a causal process "the effect is encompassed by the cause, in relation to which it is essentially non-existent… so that even numerous contractions would not bring about physical matter…"[3] by way of an evolution from spirituality.  In other words, in the cause-and-effect relationship, the effect is already contained within the cause, albeit in an unrealized state. Thus when the final effect is eventually produced, it is not a newly created entity; it is merely revealed from its former state of potential or of concealment. Accordingly, the effect always remains in some way commensurate with the original cause that produced it. Thus the infinite can never become finite through gradual reduction: “The creation of the worlds is not by way of a development from cause to effect… for even myriads upon myriads of dwindling and evolution from level to level [of the Or Ein Sof] in a causal process will not bring about the development and being of physical matter… Rather, it is the power of Ein Sof who creates ex nihilo, not progressively, but by way of a radical ‘leap’” (Likkutei Torah, Devarim 46c). Thus, tzimtzum as contraction or self-limitation precludes the existence of finite beings, and cannot explain how finite creation came into being.

Moreover, tzimtzum as contraction or self-limitation also seems to contradict the important principle of yesh mei'ayin – that the world was created ex nihilo,[4] and not that it evolved from some prior state of being.

Accordingly, the Arizal explained that we must understand the tzimtzum in an entirely different way – in a qualitative sense – as the total self-exclusion of the infinite Or Ein Sof from its state of revelation, thereby allowing finite worlds to exist:

Prior to creation, there was only the infinite Or Ein Sof filling all existence. When it arose in G‑d’s Will to create worlds and emanate the emanated... He contracted (tzimtzem) Himself in the point at the center, in the very center of His light. He restricted that light, distancing it to the sides surrounding the central point, so that there remained a void, a hollow empty space, away from the central point... After this tzimtzum... He drew down from the Or Ein Sof a single straight line [of light] from His light surrounding [the void] from above to below [into the void], and it chained down descending into that void…. In the space of that void He emanated, created, formed and made all the worlds.[5]

The exact nature of the tzimtzum became the subject of disagreement among later kabbalists. Some viewed the tzimtzum as a metaphorical act of self-limitation in which the Or Ein Sof was merely concealed,[6] rather than removed, while the essence of G-d remained completely unchanged. Others maintained that the Or Ein Sof was actually removed, not merely concealed.[7] Another opinion maintained that the tzimtzum was the actual withdrawal of G-d's essence as well as the removal of the Or Ein Sof.[8] A fourth view held that the tzimtzum consisted of a concealment (but not a withdrawal) of both G-d's essence and the Or Ein Sof.[9]

The effect of the tzimtzum (irrespective of which explanation is offered) is nevertheless clear: it established a radical distinction between Creator and created (from the viewpoint of the created, although not from the viewpoint of the Creator[10]), between cause and effect, so that creation comes about by way of a "quantum leap" rather than by way of a developmental, evolutionary order.[11]

Shevirat Hakeilim – Breaking of the Vessels

Shevirat hakeilim – "the breaking of the vessels" of the world of Tohu is the key concept in explaining the basic problem of diverseness and multiplicity in creation as well as the origin of evil[12] and is a central component in the Arizal's system of Kabbala, where it receives a full exposition.[13] The concept of shevirat hakeilim is linked together with the mystical account of the eight kings who "reigned in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites"[14] and the Midrashic account of the building and destruction of the primordial worlds,[15] as will be explained below. Although the idea of shevirat hakeilim is also found in several sections of Zohar (in Sifra d'Tzni'uta,[16] Idra Rabba[17]and Idra Zuta[18]), the concept and its ramifications are very difficult to understand there without the elucidation of the entire subject in the writings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria.

The Arizal explains that when it arose in the Divine Will to create the finite world, the first step was to "withdraw" or conceal of the infinite Or Ein Sof in the process known as tzimtzum harishon (as explained in the previous section). The first "world" (plane of existence) that came into being after the tzimtzum is called Adam Kadmon. But even though Adam Kadmon is a post-tzimtzum world, it is still a "meta-world," so-to-speak, undefined, unified, and transcending time, comprising a single transcendent primordial thought.

The existence of the finite world as we know it, and as G-d wanted it, is still not possible in Adam Kadmon due to its extremely lofty state. In order for a finite world to exist, the light in Adam Kadmon had to go through several more stages of quantitative contraction and descent. In one of these stages of descent, one of the several types of light emitted from Adam Kadmon is manifested as ten individual qualities or attributes that act as separate, independent points of light, or quanta of energy.[19] Each of these points is an extremely powerful concentration of light (the level of keter of each of the ensuing sefirot) as it descends from Adam Kadmon. These sefirot compose the world of Tohu (chaos or disorder).

The existence of vessels [for the lights that issued forth from Adam Kadmon] begins only in the world of Akudim[20] [in which there is but one general vessel for all the ten lights] and below… Subsequently, the world of Nekudim [another name for Tohu] was emanated, in which ten vessels were formed for the ten lights. All of them were the aspect of keter of the ten sefirot, so that there were ten lights of keter of the ten sefirot. Each of [these ten keter-lights] had an individual vessel. The remaining nine parts of the lights [i.e., chochma, bina, chesed, etc.] in each of the sefirot were incorporated within the keter-light of each of the sefirot. For this reason they are referred to as ten nekudot [individual points of light], rather than as ten complete sefirot… Now these ten sefirot were emanated in such a way that they were situated one above the other.[21]

The fact that the sefirot of Tohu were situated one above the other in a single line indicates that they act as independent entities, unlike the array of the sefirot in the world of Tikkun, in which the sefirot are arranged in harmonious triads. Thus each sefira of Tohu existed as an autonomous fiefdom, so to speak, independent of, and even in opposition to, the others. Moreover, each sefira in Tohu is the manifestation of an absolute and quintessential aspect of the light of Adam Kadmon (the level of keter of each type of light, as explained above).

Furthermore, the vessels themselves were in a state of immaturity and were therefore unable to contain the intense light flooding them.

…Only the malchut aspect of the seven sefirot was emanated… and therefore they were called nekudot, for nekuda and malchut[22] are synonymous.[23] In addition, not only were they [in a state of immaturity], even in this state they were not clothed one within the other, nor were they bound together as a unit. Nor were they divided into arrays, [namely,] of kindness in the right array, severity in the left array and the mitigation between them in the middle array [as in Tikkun].[24]

Due to the intensity and exclusivity of the lights and the inability of their vessels to contain them, the vessels of the lower sefirot of Tohu shattered and the lights they contained remained above. The fragments of these vessels then fell to lower levels, becoming absorbed into the various worlds below the world of Tohu.

Since the lights of these ten nekudot were so intense and powerful… the [vessels] did not have the power to contain them and the vessels "died," meaning to say, they descended below to the level that is now called [the world of] Beria. This descent was their demise. But this was only as regards the seven lower nekudot, whereas the three uppermost vessels had the ability to contain the lights designated for them and did not die… The vessels of the seven lower [nekudot] descended to the world of Beria… but their lights remained above, exposed, without vessels.[25]

Scripture hints at this process in describing the succeeding kings of Edom: “These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites.[26] Bela son of Be'or became king… He died and was succeeded as king by Yoav… Yoav died, and he was succeeded as king by Chusham… Chusham died, and was succeeded by… etc.” (Gen. 36:31-39). The Arizal explained that this refers to the sefirot of Tohu, each of which rules exclusively, and then shatters and "dies."

Thus Tohu was a primordial form of existence that "was created in order to be destroyed, and destroyed in order to be rebuilt"[27] in a superior form. The order of creation that followed the disintegration of the world of Tohu is called the world of Tikkun (rectification or restoration). Regarding Tikkun the Torah states, "And G-d looked over everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good" (Gen. 1:31). In the words of the Midrash,[28] as explained by the Arizal, "these please Me" refers to the sefirot of Tikkun, whereas the sefirot of Tohu "do not please Me."

The sefirot of Tikkun were emanated in such a way that they work together interdependently and harmoniously, as partzufim (literally, visages – sing. partzuf) – compound structures of the sefirot. [A partzuf is a metaphorical figure of human likeness, used to represent the expansion of an individual sefira (or group of sefirot) into a configuration with ten sefirot of its own. Partzufim include Atik Yomin, Arich Anpin, Abba, Imma, Zeir Anpin (ben), Nukva (bat)]. As mentioned, the partzufim work as symbiotic harmonious systems instead of the discrete, independent, overpowering nekudot of Tohu.

Although the sefirot of Tohu shattered and "died," nevertheless, a residue of the lights that were contained in the vessels remained clinging to the fragments of the vessels. These are referred to by the Arizal as the 288 nitzotzin ("sparks") – the initial number of fragments from the vessels that broke. The entire process is alluded to in Scripture in the first couple verses of Gen.: "In the beginning of G-d's creating the heavens and the earth, when the earth was tohu and void, and darkness was on the surface of the depths, and the sovereignty of G-d hovered (merachefet) above the surface of the waters…" The Arizal explains that the word merachefet is actually a compound of two words: met and rapach – signifying that 288 (the numerical value of rapach) fragments had died (met) – an allusion to the shattering of the vessels of Tohu into 288 initial sparks.[29]

Although the fragments of the vessels initially fell into the world of Beria, when their rectification (tikkun) began, the most refined aspects of the vessels were able to ascend and became absorbed in the world of Atzilut. What could not be elevated into Atzilut remained in Beria and became an integral part of it. What could not be absorbed into Beria then descended into Yetzira and Asiya. The aspects of the vessels that could not be absorbed in even the lowest realm of holiness became the vitality of the realms of impurity, known as the "kelipot" (husks or shells).[30]

The shattering of the sefirot of Tohu is not a coincidence, nor does it signify a flaw in the creative process. On the contrary, it serves a very specific and important purpose, which is to bring about a state of separation or partition of the light into distinct qualities and attributes, and thereby introduce diversity and multiplicity into creation, as explained above. In addition, the shattering of the vessels of Tohu allows for the possibility of evil, and gives man the opportunity to choose between good (for which he gains reward) and evil (for which he is punished). Thus G-d's attributes of chesed (kindness) and gevura (severity) – the attributes from which reward and punishment derive – are revealed in the world,[31] which is one of the primary purposes of creation.[32]

Birur and Tikkun – Extrication and Rectification

As mentioned above, a residue of the lights of Tohu remained attached to the shattered vessels of Tohu, which became absorbed into the four worlds of Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira and Asiya. What could not be absorbed into the realms of holiness became the vitality of the realms of impurity, known as "the impure kelipot" (husks or shells).

It is man's duty to elevate the "sparks of holiness" from their fallen state. This process of extracting the sparks is called birur, which is part of a larger cosmic plan called Tikkun – rectification or restoration of the broken vessels, and, consequently, the restoration of the proper cosmic order. When the sparks of holiness are extracted from the kelipot and are rebuilt into the vessels of Tikkun, the lights that formerly illuminated the sefirot of Tohu can once again be drawn down. But this time the repaired vessels will be able to contain the light.

Although in theory all the sparks from Tohu must be extracted from the kelipot and absorbed into holiness, practically speaking this cannot be done in the normal course of things. The kelipot are divided into two categories[33] – kelipat noga and three completely impure kelipot. Kelipat noga is an intermediate level between holiness and impurity, and the sparks that fell into it can be extracted through the proper observance of the mitzvot. The performance of most mitzovt requires the use of objects the vitality of which stems from kelipat noga, such as wool from a sheep that is used to fulfill the mitzva of tzitzit; hide from a cow that is used for parchment on which Torah scrolls, tefillin and mezuzot are written, and for making the boxes and straps of tefillin; a citron and palm branch etc. for the mitzva of lulav and etrog. When a person performs a mitzva, the vitality of the object, and indeed the vitality of his own body, which also derives from kelipat noga, is elevated into holiness. To which degree of holiness the sparks will ascend depends on the person's kavanot (sing. kavana – intention or mystical meditation during prayer or while fulfilling a mitzva).[34]

The sparks that fell into the three impure kelipot, however, ascend to holiness only if a person who became involved with these kelipot (through sin) repents to such an extent that his deliberate transgressions become transformed into merits.[35] The consummation of this purification will be effected only in the future by G-d Himself: "I will cause the spirit of impurity to pass from the earth" (Zachariah 13:22), and all the fallen sparks will be restored to holiness.

Partzufim

As mentioned earlier, the partzufim are compound structures of the sefirot. A partzuf is a metaphorical figure of human likeness, used to represent the expansion of an individual sefira (or group of sefirot) into an independent configuration with ten sefirot of its own, so that each sefira contains within itself aspects of all the ten sefirot,[36] and each aspect is further subdivided into ten again. As such, the partzufim represent the rectification of two "flaws" built into the world of Tohu – the immature state of the vessels and their lack of inter-relationship (not being "clothed" – hitlabshut – one within the other). Indeed, the two primary features of the partzufim are their fully expanded vessels and their inter-relationship with one another, such that they are even described by names that characterize the way they function as complex structures and the way they interact with other partzufim, e.g., abba (father) as the partzuf of chochma; imma (mother) as the partzuf of bina, the two of which interact with each other to "give birth" to a "son" (z'eir anpin) and a "daughter" (malchut).

In the universe of partzufim, it may be said that the chief dynamic of creation is not evolution (hishtalshelut), but rather interaction (hitlabshut). This means that higher strata of reality are constantly impinging upon lower strata, and affecting them like the soul within a body, thereby infusing every element of creation with an inner force that transcends its own position within the universal hierarchy.[37]

The Nature of the Soul

Classical kabbala identifies four levels of the soul – called nefesh, ruach, neshama and neshama l'neshama. Nefesh is the animating principle of the physical body and the senses; ruach is the force vitalizing the emotions; neshama is the vitality of intellect; and neshama l'neshama is the essence of life of the human soul. The Arizal refers to this fourth level of soul as chaya, signifying its function as the essence of life. However, all these four aspects of the soul he regarded as mere extensions of the essence of the soul, which he called yechida.

…Between the Creator and the created (i.e., the aspect of spirituality[38] in general) there is an intermediate level – regarding which it states, "You are children of G-d your Lord…," for our Sages have declared, "the Patriarchs are the merkava." The intention here is that a tiny spark of G-dliness, drawn from the lowest level of the Creator, clothes itself in a single spark of the created in potentia, which is an extremely ethereal soul. Within this soul-spark, called yechida, are the roots of all the other four levels of spirituality – nefesh, ruach, neshama and chaya.[39]

In other words, the soul is both part of the Creator and at the same time it is created – its luminous essence is "a tiny spark of G-dliness," and the sheath in which it is clothed is a created being, albeit a spiritual being and not physical. As the soul emanates from the Ein Sof – the Infinite One – eventually to be clothed in the physical body, the soul descends via the four worlds mentioned above, leaving a root in each of the worlds[40] – chaya in the world of Atzilut, neshama in the world of Beria, ruach in the world of Yetzira, and nefesh in the spiritual dimension of Asiya.[41] All of this is then enclothed within a physical body.

The soul enclothed within the body is a reflection of the Divine Form, called the tzelem, or tzelem Elokim. This tzelem Elokim may be described as the human mold of man’s physical form, linking his body and soul. This mold derives from the configuration of the sefirot, which form the structure of the worlds through which the soul descends on its journey down into the body.

At the same time that the soul’s outer dimension reflects the configuration of the sefirot, the inner dimension of the soul reflects the Infinite Light that illuminates the sefirot. This reflection is called the demut Elokim (the Image of God).[42] Thus man includes all of creation within him, from the loftiest spirituality to the most mundane physicality.[43]

From the perspective of man’s service of G-d, these levels of soul may be described as five ascending levels of awareness of, and communion with, G-d. Regarding these levels of soul, Zohar[44] states that when a person is born, he is given a nefesh from the world of Asiya, the lowest world, representing the greatest concealment of G-d. If, through his divine service and proper action, he makes himself worthy, he is then given ruach on the plane of Yetzira. With greater effort, he can earn the revelation of neshama, paralleling the world of Beria. If he purifies himself greatly, he may be able to attain the level of chaya paralleling Atzilut, and even yechida – the G-d-consciousness of the level of Adam Kadmon and beyond. (“Beyond,” because the level of soul called yechida in essence transcends all the worlds, since it is never separated from G-d. It is described as being “truly part of G-d above,”[45] the “spark of the Creator clothed within a spark of the created” described earlier.)

This setup puts man in a unique position, for through his spiritual and physical composition (soul and body) he is bound up with all levels of creation. His actions and behavior are therefore capable of affecting all the worlds and all the sefirot. Thus man is a microcosm of creation and his actions have cosmic significance.[46] He is able to affect the balance of the universe, both spiritual and physical, by his kavanot (mystical intentions) and yichudim (unifications of the sefirot). The Arizal revealed an elaborate system of kavanot and yichudim designed to achieve this very purpose.

Rabbi Moshe-Leib Miller, a guest teacher at Ascent when he lived in Israel, was born in South Africa and received his yeshiva education in Israel and America. He is a prolific author and translator, ith some twenty books to his name on a wide variety of topics, including a new, authoritative, annotated translation of the Zohar. He currently lives in Chicago.