Splendor of the King

Their crowns [are adorned] with a crown for the sake of the color of unity, and this is the secret of the letter Shin of the Tefillin phylacteries. There are nine and four [aspects] of Mercy Rachamim, for initially, with the help of Heaven, they were made into Wisdom, Understanding, and Greatness Chabad an acronym for Chokhmah, Binah, and Da'at as "Heads" alone. [The vessel known as] SKB likely an abbreviation for a specific vessel or numerical configuration draws power from it [to be used] in the Tefillin every day. The explanation is that the [names and forces of] Sachi and Chaph technical designations for divine names are spread out within them to give their life-force to the "Color" so that the worlds may live. Kindness Chesed [is meant] to give them the power of the Crown so that they may couple. The life-force thickens from [the union of] the Male and Female Zon Zeir Anpin and Nukva and they are crowned with two crowns, as mentioned in the Zohar volume 1, page 162 regarding the Tefillin. This is the secret of taking the life-force from SKB as it is crowned by Understanding Binah. Thus far his words.

(Sign 45) After the Death Acharei Mot Zohar Volume 3, page 6: "We have learned: At the time that the King..." quoting from the Tree of Life (Etz Chaim), page 30

Behold, the union Zivug divine conjunction depends on the thirty Sephirot divine emanations alone... and this is the great distinction between one union and another. For through the union of the Male and Female, life-force is spread to the worlds. From Kindness Chesed [comes] the reason why the union of the Male and Female is constant, while others are [only] for [specific purposes]. We shall see further what the power of the union of Chazab an acronym for Chokhmah, Zivug, Binah — Wisdom, Union, Understanding is, and what existence is renewed from it. Granted, the union of Tachat lower emanations is given at certain times as a form of unity... but what does the union of Chazab give or add? You should learn this to establish the verse on its foundation: that it awakens the lower levels to strengthen the "Crowns" with their sustenance and life-force, as it is written, "He will let them live and be gracious to them."

It would have been appropriate for the union of Wisdom and Understanding Chokhmah and Binah to only occur at the time of the union of the lower Male and Female Tiferet and Malchut in order to crown them with those crowns. For so it appears from the words of the Zohar: that these crowns are for the sake of the union of Tiferet and Malchut. Therefore, they wondered in the portion of Acharei Mot: "We learned: At the time when the Supernal King the male principle sits among the gathering of the companions, he sits in crowns..." This implies clearly that the crowns are for the sake of the lower union. This was the question: should the union of Wisdom and Understanding only exist during the time of the lower union, or is it constant? We have already shown the form of this in the "Book of the Points" Kuvantah.

The explanation to resolve this is that there are three types of unions of Wisdom and Understanding. First: a constant union to give life to the worlds, but not to create souls. This is to give the initial light to the worlds to keep them alive, as it is written, "And You give life to them all." As it says in the portion of Balak: "All those below do not exist and cannot stand except by the supernal light that shines." Therefore, they spread to the worlds to give food and life to the upper beings. Through the unity of Kindness Chesed, even during the time of exile, they do not cease spreading, as written in the Sifra Detzniuta Book of Concealment. This union lasts for a "moment," for it is the life-force of the kings. They have no death, for they are from the side of Kindness. The second [type of] union is to choose souls for the lower beings; this is a union for specific periods and designated times. The union of Chazab is for both the upper and lower beings. For from the union of Wisdom and Understanding, the "Crowns" flow to the "Children" the lower emanations, and through them, the Male and Female couple. This is because there is no soul for the lower beings [without it].

This also provides an answer to what is written in the Tikunei Zohar: that when the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to build the "Children," He mentioned the supernal Mother Imma Understanding/Binah. The reason is to bestow the crowns of the children upon them, so they may be established as souls. This is the secret of "giving crowns to the children of His kingdom" in order to unify them. This is the "ascending and descending offering." For the letter Yud does not connect to the Kaf until the Vav is connected to the Het. The number 18 the word 'Chai', meaning Life indicates a union for the sake of the children. This union of Wisdom and Understanding will never be missing from the world. However, during the time of exile, it is not a complete union, for it is only to sustain the children. It is not so much a union as to bring the crowns to the children so they can couple; this never stops, for it is needed for all the supernal beings and to give them life.

Kindness Chesed to every side... and afterwards, [the text] refers to all the Sephirot as being "close in name" to the light of the Infinite Ein Sof. What then is the difference between one and the other? The reason is that each emanation Sephirah is elevated above the one below it. This is understood through the secret of the "Filling" and the "Line" Kav the ray of light from the Infinite that descends from the highest level.

In the Etz Chaim Tree of Life, he was precise to write about the knowledge of His life-force and His essence... as we have said regarding His perfection. There was no boundary to His supernal perfection. The nature of His perfection is not known even to the supernal beings, as stated in the explanation of the "Unknown Head" Radla original: "Reisha d'lo Yada v'lo Ityada", which is "the head that is not known and cannot be known." For even the emanation of Wisdom Chokhmah cannot grasp the emanation of the Crown Keter in its full perfection. And so it is with the Crown in Atik The Ancient One and in Arich Anpin The Long Face. Because they are not perceived in their prior inclusive state as a simple spread of light, he wrote that the perfection known to Him, the Blessed One, and no other, is withheld. The emanation that is closer to the "Line" is one degree higher and is elevated over the one below it.

This resolves the opinions of the Kabbalists. For some say the Sephirot were one above the other; so they were before the Rectification Tikkun. But after the Rectification, they are in the form of "Lines" Kavin. Those who say they are one above the other are referring to the aspect of the "Vessels." Those who say they are in the form of "Circles" Iggulim are speaking of the light of Kindness Chesed in the Foundation Yesod, for there they are in the aspect of spirit. These are the words of the living God, for the Zohar speaks of the "Straightness" Yosher linear structure. There are many passages that speak of the "Circles," such as in the portion of Pekudei, where it says the emanations are circles. The matter is that since the Infinite Ein Sof is in the form of circles, and they received from the Infinite that surrounds them, the light shines within them as if surrounding each one of them.

Everything was necessitated to be within the Infinite as a "Line" Kav... for if the light had been drawn to them from all sides equally, the emanations would have been in the aspect of the Essence itself, without boundary, and they would not be able to receive. Not only that, but even the Line, which is very thin and does not expand, was necessary so that the light drawn to the emanations would be in "measure" and "limit." For this reason, the emanations were called "Measures" Middot and Sephirot countings, to indicate that they have a measure and a close number. This is not the case with the Infinite Ein Sof, as written in the portion of Phinehas Zohar volume 3, page 257: "But for Him, there is no measure, and He has no known name like the emanations, for every emanation has a known name, a fill, a boundary, and a limit."

Here, the "Internal Point" which is most cleaved to the Infinite is called the Crown Keter. Afterwards, the Line expanded further and was drawn out a little, and the light returned to encircle itself in the form of a second circle inside the first. This is called the "Circle of Wisdom." It expanded further... and in the aspect of "Male," it is the circle of "Understanding." This is the secret of "Straightness" within the ten Sephirot of the "Circles." Therefore, the Torah [derives] from Understanding Binah the 613 commandments Mitzvot, corresponding to the 613 limbs of a Man Adam, which is the secret of "Straightness" Yosher, and they are all divine portions.