Section: States of the First Three Sefirot of Nekudim (Openings 51–53)
This brief chapter closes the unit on the first three Sefirot.
This chapter is short but structurally important: it formalizes a mutual-implication principle that will govern the World of Repair unit (Op. 59-69) and beyond. It also articulates the gradation principle applied to the repair itself.
Part 1 — Why repair must be gradual. Breaking displayed unmitigated Judgment; mitigation displays its power by repairing the unmitigated-judgment damage. Gradation principle: little by little — a place for men to acquire merit.
Part 2 — What is repaired and how. Both damaged regions: (a) back-parts of Abba/Imma (Op. 51); (b) breaking of the lower seven (Op. 36-50). Repaired together: as one is repaired, so is the other. Mutual implication: upper-three's radiation and lower-seven's receiving are two sides of one fact.
Source — Hebrew (קל"ח פתחי חכמה):
סדר מהלך התיקון:
Source — English (Greenbaum):
> The order of the repair Plain English: Theme: order of the repair.
Concepts: tikkun_repair.
Source — Hebrew (קל"ח פתחי חכמה):
כל מה שנתקלקל בזמן השבירה הוא מה שצריך ללכת לתקן מעט מעט. והיינו בין ירידת אחורי או"א, בין שבירת שאר הספירות, כל מה שנחסר באותו הזמן - הרי התחיל מילואו בזמן התיקון. וסוף מילוי הכל - הוא התיקון השלם שיהיה לעתיד לבוא:
Source — English (Greenbaum):
> All that was damaged at the time of the breakage had to be progressively repaired little by little. This includes both the descent of the hind parts of Abba and Imma and the breaking of the other Sefirot, because everything that was lacking during that time started to be replenished during the time of the repair. And everything will eventually be fully complete in the perfect repair that will come about in time to come. Plain English: Four claims: (1) all that was damaged progressively repaired little by little; (2) includes both descent of hind parts of Abba/Imma and breaking of other Sefirot; (3) all that was lacking started to be replenished during repair; (4) everything fully complete in the perfect repair to come.
Concepts: tikkun_repair, back_parts_achorayim, simultaneous_repair_upper_lower, human_service_completes_repair.
Source — Hebrew (קל"ח פתחי חכמה):
אחר שנתבארו הפרטים העיקרים של השבירה, עתה צריך ללאר איך נמשך אחריהם ענין התיקון:
Source — English (Greenbaum):
> Having explained the main details of the breaking of the vessels, we must now explain how the course of the repair was influenced accordingly. Plain English: Op. 36-52 = breaking. Now: course of the repair.
Source — Hebrew (קל"ח פתחי חכמה):
חלקי המאמר הזה ב'. ח"א, כל מה שנתקלקל, והוא הקדמה על ענין תיקון השבירה. ח"ב, והיינו בין ירידת, והוא סדר מהלך ענין התיקון הזה:
Source — English (Greenbaum):
> This proposition is made up of two parts: Part 1: All that was damaged... This introduces the subject of the repair of the breaking of the vessels. Part 2: This includes… This explains the course of the repair. Plain English: Two parts: (1) introduce repair-subject; (2) course of the repair.
Source — Hebrew (קל"ח פתחי חכמה):
חלק א: כל מה שנתקלקל. כי הלא הכוונה היתה להראות מה נולד מן הדין בלתי מיתוק, כדי להראות אחר כך איך המיתוק מתקן הכל. והנה כל מה שנתקלקל בשבירה הוא כל מה שהיה יכול להיולד מן הדין בלתי מיתוק. אם כן, זה כל מה שהיה צריך להראות בו המיתוק, שהוא התיקון:
Source — English (Greenbaum):
> Part 1: All that was damaged at the time of the breakage... For the whole intention was to show what happens when strict Judgment is unmitigated, in order to show afterwards how its sweetening rectifies everything. Since the total damage caused by the breakage constitutes everything that can happen when strict judgment is not mitigated, the power of mitigation – the repair – had accordingly to be displayed through the repair of all this damage. Plain English: Whole intention: show what happens when strict Judgment is unmitigated; afterwards: how sweetening rectifies everything. Total damage = everything that can happen unmitigated. Power of mitigation (the repair) had to be displayed through the repair of all this damage.
Concepts: breaking_of_the_vessels, imma_sweetening_power, mitigation_displays_perfection, zeir_anpin_strict_judgment.
Source — Hebrew (קל"ח פתחי חכמה):
הוא מה שצריך ללכת לתקן מעט מעט, והוא סוד ההדרגה, שלא רצה הרצון העליון שתתגלה השלמות בבת אחת, אלא אדרבא, מעט מעט. וזה עצמו נותן מקום לזכות בו בני האדם:
Source — English (Greenbaum):
> ...had to be progressively repaired little by little. Here again we have the principle of gradation. For the Supreme Will did not want complete perfection to be revealed all at once, but rather, little by little. This is what provides a place for men to acquire merit. Plain English: Principle of gradation. Supreme Will did not want complete perfection at once — little by little. This provides a place for men to acquire merit.
Concepts: light_enters_progressively, human_service_completes_repair, mans_choice_gives_control.
Source — Hebrew (קל"ח פתחי חכמה):
חלק ב: והיינו בין ירידת אחורי או"א, בין שבירת שאר הספירות, והיינו כי זה חסרון בשרשי הבריות, וזה חסרון בתיקוני השרשים, והם כללות הקלקולים, ושניהם צריכין ליתקן. ונתקנו שניהם ביחד, שהתיקון הא בבת אחת - כשנתקן זה נתקן זה. דאם הג"ר מתקנים תמיד את הז"ת, הרי הז"ת מתוקנים תמיד, וכן להיפך, אם הז"ת מתוקנים תמיד - אין חסר הארת הג"ר שמתקנות אותם:
Source — English (Greenbaum):
> Part 2: This includes both the descent of the hind parts of Abba and Imma and the breaking of the other Sefirot... For the breaking of the seven lower Sefirot is a deficiency in the roots of the separate creations, while the descent of the hind parts of Abba and Imma is a deficiency in that which repairs those roots. Together they make up the totality of all the damage, and both must be rectified. Both were repaired together, for the repair comes at one and the same time: as one was repaired, so was the other. For if the three first Sefirot continually repair the seven lower ones, it follows as a matter of course that the latter are constantly reaching better states of repair. Conversely, if the seven lower Sefirot are constantly reaching better states of repair, this signifies that there is no deficiency in the radiation of the first three Sefirot, which bring about their repair. Plain English: Part 2. Two damaged regions: (a) breaking of the seven lower = deficiency in roots of separate creations; (b) descent of hind parts of Abba/Imma = deficiency in what repairs those roots. Together = totality of damage; both must be rectified. Both repaired together — repair comes at one and the same time: as one was repaired, so was the other. Mutual implication: if first three continually repair the lower seven → lower seven constantly reaching better states. Conversely: if lower seven constantly reaching better states → no deficiency in radiation of first three.
Concepts: simultaneous_repair_upper_lower, back_parts_achorayim, breaking_of_the_vessels, tikkun_repair, nifradim_separate_creations.
Source — Hebrew (קל"ח פתחי חכמה):
כל מה שנחסר באותו הזמן. הוא הפרטות של התיקונים שהיה להם לימצא, שבקלקולי השבירה חסרו, והם רבים: הרי התחיל מילואו בזמן התיקון. וסוף מילוי הכל - הוא התיקון השלם שיהיה לעתיד לבוא, והוא מה שכתוב כבר למעלה, שהמחשבה העליונה הרי נתנה תיקון לדברים מצד עצמה מה שנתנה, ואחר כך הניחה הסוף לעשותו מעט על ידי בני אדם:
Source — English (Greenbaum):
> ...because everything that was lacking during that time... All the individual repairs that had to be brought about were lacking owing to the damage caused by the breaking of the vessels, and they include many particulars. ...started to be replenished during the time of the repair. As explained earlier, the Supreme Mind brought about a certain degree of repair through the power of God, and afterwards left the rest to be done little by little by man. And everything will eventually be fully complete in the perfect repair that will come about in time to come. Plain English: Individual repairs lacked due to breaking-damage. Started to be replenished during repair. Supreme Mind: certain degree of repair through power of God; rest left to man, little by little. Everything fully complete in the perfect repair to come.
Concepts: tikkun_repair, human_service_completes_repair, hand_of_heaven_vs_hand_of_man, laws_of_perfection.
Op. 53 closes the States of the First Three Sefirot of Nekudim unit (Op. 51-53) with a brief but structurally important order of the repair statement. The chapter rests on two principles: (a) gradation — repair must be progressive, little by little, because the Supreme Will did not want complete perfection revealed all at once; gradual repair gives men a place to acquire merit; (b) simultaneous repair — the two damaged regions (back-parts of Abba and Imma; breaking of the lower seven) are repaired together at one and the same time. The chapter's most important conceptual move is the mutual-implication principle: if the first three continually repair the lower seven, it follows as a matter of course that the lower seven are constantly reaching better states of repair; and conversely, if the lower seven are constantly reaching better states of repair, this signifies that there is no deficiency in the radiation of the first three Sefirot. The two sides of the cosmic repair are not separate processes — they are two aspects of one fact; we can read off either from the other. The power of mitigation (the repair) shows itself precisely by repairing all the damage caused when strict Judgment was unmitigated: without the unmitigated-Judgment first, there would be nothing for mitigation to display itself against. Heaven's hand did the certain degree of initial repair (Op. 47); man's hand completes it little by little (Op. 48); everything fully complete in the perfect repair to come. With this, the unit closes, and Op. 54 will open the next: The 288 Sparks.
simultaneous_repair_upper_lower, mitigation_displays_perfection.Op. 53 closes the States-of-First-Three unit briefly: the order of repair is gradual and simultaneous in both damaged regions; the upper-three's radiation and the lower-seven's receiving are two aspects of one fact.