חזה ט. ועד כאן דברנו בפרצופי אדם קדמון. אמנם בפרצופי עולם האצילות נתוסף סיום חדש בעשר ספירות דתוך, שהמלכות דתוך, הנקראת 'טבור', עלתה לבינה דעשר ספירות דתוך, וסיימה שם עשר ספירות דמדרגת התוך, שהסיום הזה נקרא 'חזה'.
Chest 9. Up to this point, we have discussed thepartzufimofAdam Kadmon. However, in thepartzufimof the world ofAtzilut, a new end point is added to the tensefirotof the interior: theMalkhutof the interior, which is called “navel,” rises toBinaof the tensefirotof the interior, where it forms an endpoint for the tensefirotof thelevelof the interior.19Here, the author of the Sulam introduces the concept of the second constriction, which applies only from the level of the world of Nekudim and the partzuf of Atzilut which derives from it, and downward. In this process, the sefira of Malkhut that was positioned at the navel, the bottom of the interior aspect of the partzuf, is repositioned to the chest of the partzuf, the place of the sefira of Bina. This changes the format of the partzuf such that the interior area now ends at the point of the chest (just as Malkhut of the navel marked the end of the interior before the repositioning). Additionally, the area below the chest now becomes part of the lower area of the partzuf that was below the navel. The chest thus acts as a new separation, a new endpoint, wherein only two sefirot of the interior, Keter and Ḥokhma, and half of the sefira of Bina, remain above the chest, in the interior. The remaining sefirot of the interior “fall” below the separation, into the area of the end of the partzuf, with the six extremities. This second constriction is integral to the purpose of Creation, as the author of the Sulam will explain.This endpoint is called “chest.”
2
והופרס שם פרסא, כלומר שסיום החדש שנעשה מחמת עלית המלכות לבינה, במקום החזה, נקרא 'פרסא', בסוד הרקיע המבדיל בין מים עליונים, שהם כתר וחכמה שנשארו במדרגת תוך, ובין בינה ותפארת ומלכות, שיצאו ממדרגת עשר ספירות דתוך ונעשו למדרגת עשר ספירות דסוף. שמשום זה נחלקו עשר ספירות דתוך לשתי מדרגות: שמפה עד החזה נחשב לבחינת עשר ספירות דתוך, ולאצילות, ולבחינת שלש ראשונות של הגוף. ומחזה ולמטה עד הטבור נחשב לבחינת עשר ספירות דסוף, ולבריאה, ולבחינת ו"ק בלי ראש, כמו עשר ספירות דסוף. וענין עלית המלכות לבינה וסיום החדש שנעשה באמצע כל מדרגה עיין לקמן אותיות ט"ו ט"ז.
A diaphragm is thus inserted there. In other words, the new end point that was formed on account of the ascension ofMalkhuttoBina, in the place called the chest, is called “diaphragm” based on the mystical meaning of the firmament that separates between the upper waters, which areKeterandḤokhma, which remained within thelevelof the interior, andBina,Tiferet, andMalkhut, which were ejected from thelevelof the tensefirotof the interior and became thelevelof the tensefirotof the end.20The author of the Sulam explains here that the Torah alludes to this separating diaphragm in Genesis 1:7. The repositioning of Malkhut from the navel at the bottom of the interior to the level of Bina at the chest, effectively “partnering” Malkhut with Bina, causes the levels of Bina, Tiferet and Malkhut to be separated from Keter and Ḥokhma. Keter and Ḥokhma are the “waters” that lie above the firmament, and Bina, Tiferet and Malkhut are the “waters” below. Because of this diaphragm, the tensefirotof the interior were divided into twolevels: The area from themouthto the chest is considered the tensefirotof the interior,Atzilut, and the first threesefirotof thebody; from the chest and downward, to the navel is considered the tensefirotof the end, the level of Beria, and the six extremities without ahead, like the tensefirotof the end. With regard to the ascent ofMalkhuttoBina, and the new endpoint that occurs in the middle of everylevel, see sections 15 and 16 below.
חזה
ט. ועד כאן דברנו בפרצופי אדם קדמון. אמנם בפרצופי עולם האצילות נתוסף סיום חדש בעשר ספירות דתוך, שהמלכות דתוך, הנקראת 'טבור', עלתה לבינה דעשר ספירות דתוך, וסיימה שם עשר ספירות דמדרגת התוך, שהסיום הזה נקרא 'חזה'.
Chest
9. Up to this point, we have discussed the partzufim of Adam Kadmon. However, in the partzufim of the world of Atzilut, a new end point is added to the ten sefirot of the interior: the Malkhut of the interior, which is called “navel,” rises to Bina of the ten sefirot of the interior, where it forms an endpoint for the ten sefirot of the level of the interior.19Here, the author of the Sulam introduces the concept of the second constriction, which applies only from the level of the world of Nekudim and the partzuf of Atzilut which derives from it, and downward. In this process, the sefira of Malkhut that was positioned at the navel, the bottom of the interior aspect of the partzuf, is repositioned to the chest of the partzuf, the place of the sefira of Bina. This changes the format of the partzuf such that the interior area now ends at the point of the chest (just as Malkhut of the navel marked the end of the interior before the repositioning). Additionally, the area below the chest now becomes part of the lower area of the partzuf that was below the navel. The chest thus acts as a new separation, a new endpoint, wherein only two sefirot of the interior, Keter and Ḥokhma, and half of the sefira of Bina, remain above the chest, in the interior. The remaining sefirot of the interior “fall” below the separation, into the area of the end of the partzuf, with the six extremities. This second constriction is integral to the purpose of Creation, as the author of the Sulam will explain. This endpoint is called “chest.”
והופרס שם פרסא, כלומר שסיום החדש שנעשה מחמת עלית המלכות לבינה, במקום החזה, נקרא 'פרסא', בסוד הרקיע המבדיל בין מים עליונים, שהם כתר וחכמה שנשארו במדרגת תוך, ובין בינה ותפארת ומלכות, שיצאו ממדרגת עשר ספירות דתוך ונעשו למדרגת עשר ספירות דסוף. שמשום זה נחלקו עשר ספירות דתוך לשתי מדרגות: שמפה עד החזה נחשב לבחינת עשר ספירות דתוך, ולאצילות, ולבחינת שלש ראשונות של הגוף. ומחזה ולמטה עד הטבור נחשב לבחינת עשר ספירות דסוף, ולבריאה, ולבחינת ו"ק בלי ראש, כמו עשר ספירות דסוף. וענין עלית המלכות לבינה וסיום החדש שנעשה באמצע כל מדרגה עיין לקמן אותיות ט"ו ט"ז.
A diaphragm is thus inserted there. In other words, the new end point that was formed on account of the ascension of Malkhut to Bina, in the place called the chest, is called “diaphragm” based on the mystical meaning of the firmament that separates between the upper waters, which are Keter and Ḥokhma, which remained within the level of the interior, and Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut, which were ejected from the level of the ten sefirot of the interior and became the level of the ten sefirot of the end.20The author of the Sulam explains here that the Torah alludes to this separating diaphragm in Genesis 1:7. The repositioning of Malkhut from the navel at the bottom of the interior to the level of Bina at the chest, effectively “partnering” Malkhut with Bina, causes the levels of Bina, Tiferet and Malkhut to be separated from Keter and Ḥokhma. Keter and Ḥokhma are the “waters” that lie above the firmament, and Bina, Tiferet and Malkhut are the “waters” below. Because of this diaphragm, the ten sefirot of the interior were divided into two levels: The area from the mouth to the chest is considered the ten sefirot of the interior, Atzilut, and the first three sefirot of the body; from the chest and downward, to the navel is considered the ten sefirot of the end, the level of Beria, and the six extremities without a head, like the ten sefirot of the end. With regard to the ascent of Malkhut to Bina, and the new endpoint that occurs in the middle of every level, see sections 15 and 16 below.