"The Holy Sparks that fell from himself when God built and destroyed the worlds, man shall raise and purify back to their Source: All things of this world desire with all their might to draw near man in order that the Sparks of Holiness that are in them should be raised by him back to their source. And who with the good strength of his spirit is able to raise the Holy Spark from stone to plant, from plant to animal, from animal to speaking being, he leads it to freedom, and no setting free of captives is greater than this. It is as when a king's son is rescued from captivity and brought to his father." (Ba'al Shem Tov, pp. 187-188)
This shattering of the vessels in Hebrew is "Shevirat ha Kelim." Simply, the theory of the "Big Bang" origins of the universe. Shevirat ha Kelim states the Universe was shattered at the moment of creation. From this cataclysm, "Holy Sparks" flew off in all directions. Some returning to their Source (Ein Sof), others falling into the world of "things" and "beings (Reshimu)." The Holy Sparks (Nitzotzot) were covered by Evil Shells (Kelipot) were the primordial "debris" (Big Bang theory calls it) out of which the worlds, and all that is in them, were created.
By sending some of Its light back into the void, Ein Sof created ten "vessels" to channel this light. These vessels were the original ten Sefirot. However, only the first three Sefirot -- Keter, Hokhmah and Binah, were strong enough to contain the divine energy, or the "pure light" (those closest to its source in Ein Sof); those at the bottom shattered and mixed with the Reshimu (anti-matter), scattering "Holy Sparks" of the light all around. The lower Sefirah were weaker and broke apart under the weight of the others causing the entire Ten Vessels to shatter.
These "Holy Sparks" wish to return to their source, the Ein Sof from which they broke apart. Tikkun is the process by which mankind can return these sparks back to their source. According to Kabbalistic theory, God is the totality of all things, and it is the nature of abundance to want to give. The desire to give immediately created a vessel to receive. However, this vessel initially could ONLY receive, and in an instant it was filled to capacity and shattered. The universe was then reconstituted into vessels that could both give and receive. Consequencely, our present universe now contains areas of abundance as well as lack, and only through giving can the original balance be restored. This is why charity, giving, and acts of loving kindness are so important. In fact, if it weren't for the shattering of the vessels, we would not be able to experience the joy that comes from giving to others.
Vessel - a spiritual entity… not our body!
This same shattering of the vessels also occurs on a personal level. For the first few years of our lives, we take in many perceptions, but the connections between things are few. It takes time to construct a proper perceptual map. However, after perhaps two or three years, a dramatic shift suddenly occurs, and our whole universe becomes reoriented around the development of a personal sense of "I." At the moment that this "I" emerges, the previous, egoless universe is shattered and a new universe emerges in which thoughts and experiences can now be connected with one another.
The Alter Rebbe explains, just as all the creatures of this world possessing a body and a soul - meaning the Nefesh of every living being, the Ruach of all human flesh, and the Neshamah of all that has the breath of life in its nostrils among all living creatures. G-d animates them all, and creates them constantly out of nothingness by the light and vitality that He bestows upon them. The material body, and even the very stones and earth which are absolutely inanimate, has within it light and vitality from G-d, so that it should not revert to naught and nothingness, as it was [before it was] created.
Kelipat nogah is the thick curtain which veils the divine creative power equally from all creatures of this world. This "curtained" light varies, however, from one creature to another in degree of contraction.
The veil of kelipat nogah, which obscures G-dliness in this physical world as a whole, envelops both body and soul and is concealed equally in both. The difference between them lies, rather, in the intensity of G-dly life-force that each contains. In the body the life-force is contracted, so that the body is a physical being; in the soul the life-force is freely bestowed, and the soul is therefore a spiritual, life-giving being.
The descent of the life-force from level to level, by means of numerous powerful tzimtzumim (contractions), through the various levels constituting the chain-like succession of worlds, finally clothing itself in kelipat nogah, in order to give life to the totality of this material world.
"The life-force... clothes itself in kelipat nogah". As defined in the first chapter of Tanya, kelipat nogah is a mixture of good and evil. Therefore, whatever receives its G-dly life-force through the veil of kelipat nogah can be utilized either for a holy purpose, or for an unholy purpose.
It is worthy to note that the Zohar rarely uses either the term Sefirah or the names of the Sefirot current in the Kabbalistic literature. Where the names do occur, it is usually in passages which on other grounds may be suspected of belonging properly not to the Zohar but to one or other of the allied works. Nevertheless, there is an exact correspondence between the Zoharic grades and the Kabbalistic Sefirot, and they could be interchanged with one another without causing any confusion.
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Where Do We Go From Here? ... My Other Angel Links ... |
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Alicia's Web site is my personal interpretation as redacted, cited, compiled, and edited by myself. They are not to be misconstrued as representative of any particular religious organizations, denomination, doctrine, or dogma ... other than my own. I have cited various sources: Adin Steinsaltz book - The Thirteen Petalled Rose, The Zohar - translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon, The Bahir translation and commentary by Aryeh Kaplan, B.S. Ashlag (1906-1991)also known as The Rabash, The Ari- Rabbi Isaac Luria; and Rabbi Zalman Schacter-Shalomi; The Master Plan - The Baal Shem Tov's Unique Conception of Divine Providence. |
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