Shame—The Transition Point

The descent of spiritual Partzufim, Sefirot, and worlds from the world of infinity downward is the revelation of the desire to receive that emerges in Malchut of the world of infinity because of the feeling of shame from its oppositeness to the Creator. This oppositeness pushes the created being to seek a way to become like the upper. Therefore, all his actions, even though they make the created being more distant from the Creator by lowering him from above downward, nevertheless contribute to the revelation of the desire to receive and to the attainment of the quality of bestowal by the created being.

Yet, so far, this is not a free choice of the created being but rather just a result of the mutual work of the forces of reception and bestowal and of the yearning of the created being to balance these forces. So far, the created being develops on the inanimate, vegetative, and animate degrees, unconsciously fulfilling the program of nature. The decision made in the world of infinity continues to manifest and obliges the created being to act.

Therefore, after restricting the desire and making the decision to achieve maximum possible equivalence with the Creator, the created being begins to act according to the extent of the revealed deficiency. The first action of reception for the sake of bestowal happens in the Partzuf of Galgalta, when equivalence with the Creator’s desire was achieved for the first time through restriction, Masach, reflected light, rejection of the light, and Zivug de Hakaa (coupling by striking) with it, above the desire to receive. However, so far, this equivalence is only at a minimal, inanimate level, in the light of Nefesh.

The force of the desire (Kli) is not measured quantitatively, in kilograms or meters, but by the extent of its equivalence with the Creator. The closer you are to the Creator and the more you are like Him, the greater you are; and the farther away you are from Him, the smaller you are.

Having received the light for the sake of bestowal in the Partzuf of Galgalta, that is, having reached adhesion with the Creator in the inner light, the created being makes a new discovery: he reveals the surrounding light, the love of the Creator, who wishes to give everything to the created being. He discovers the purpose of creation in more depth and understands what should be done, how to receive all of the Creator’s attitude toward him for the sake of bestowal in order to respond to Him with the same love.

This is not about plates full of food but about the connection between the two of them: soul to soul, heart to heart. This is what causes the entire process of descent from above downward. The created being sees that from his current state it is impossible to reach the final goal and to receive the entire light of the Creator, complete adhesion and equality with Him. The Creator wants the created being not to remain a baby that completely depends on Him, but rather to grow up to the height of the Creator and to become His partner, equal to Him in everything.

The Creator is the first because He created the created being. However, in achieving similarity with the Creator, the created being must be first, it must be his choice in order for this equivalence to be a true one. Therefore, the created being rejects the previous reception in Galgalta, seeing that it is not enough and will not lead to the goal. As a result, new desires, limitations, and intentions are revealed, which require what is called the “letters of the work” to be revealed.

Through receiving the light in Galgalta in order to bestow and through rejecting it, the new Kelim, the new attitude, is born. The created being understands the Creator and himself in a new way, perceives the process of development and its ultimate goal in a new way. The collision of the inner and the surrounding light, revealed in the created being, shows him what his relation and connection with the Creator should be. On this basis, the created being builds the following Partzufim: AB, SAG, MA, and BON.

To each subsequent Partzuf, the created being comes with an increasing depth of desire, feeling more and more incapable of bestowing to the Creator, and it begins the calculation in a new way. Therefore, it is said that “the expansion of the light and its departure make the Kli fit for its task.”¹

The desire to receive develops in four stages of HaVaYaH and stops, reaching full readiness to receive all the light of infinity. However, once the created being receives everything, it feels that it is opposite to the light and begins to burn from shame. This is an unbearable feeling, which forces him to get rid of the fulfillment and consequently, the created being makes a restriction (Tzimtzum Aleph).

Shame is a feeling of oppositeness to the Creator. There was no shame previously—it does not come to the created being directly from the Creator. The Creator gives desire and fulfillment directly to the created being; the Light and the vessel come from the Creator. Yet, shame comes indirectly, as if the Creator has nothing to do with it. The created being feels his oppositeness to the Creator in the fact that he receives from Him.

From this point on, he begins to feel himself as a created being. This is the point we need to reach in returning from below up, and then we will be called human, Adam, meaning similar (Domeh) to the Creator. After all, the feeling of my oppositeness to the Creator is the beginning of a human, and it demands from us to build ourselves in equivalence to the Creator.²
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/2/19, Writings of Baal HaSulam,“Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah