The Essence of the Sefirot
מַהוּת הַסְּפִירוֹת
The final matter is this: it shall be clear to you that the Sefirot are not vessels through which the Emanator, blessed be He, acts, as others have thought (סוֹף דָּבָר, תַּעֲלֶה בְיָדְךָ שֶׁאֵין הַסְּפִירוֹת לֹא כֵלִים שֶׁעַל יְדֵיהֶם פּוֹעֵל הַמַּאֲצִיל בָּרוּךְ הוּא, כַּאֲשֶׁר חָשְׁבוּ אֲחֵרִים), and not merely actions of the Emanator which are only powers or willings without real existence (וְלֹא פְּעוּלוֹת הַמַּאֲצִיל לְבַד, אֲשֶׁר תִּהְיֶינָה כֹּחוֹת וּרְצוֹנִיּוֹת, וְלֹא מְצִיאוּת וְעִנְיָן נִמְצָא בַּפֹּעַל), rather, they are the actions of the Emanator, blessed be He (אֶלָּא הֵם פְּעוּלוֹת הַמַּאֲצִיל בָּרוּךְ הוּא), and not vessels (וְלֹא כֵלִים), but in the manner of Emanation (hitnatztzut) (אֲבָל בְּדֶרֶךְ הִתְנוֹצְצוּת), not like human actions (וְלֹא כְּפְעוּלוֹת אָדָם), and therefore they possess real existence (אֲשֶׁר עַל כֵּן נִמְצָא בָּהֶם מְצִיאוּת מַמָּשׁ). For Emanation is nothing but the reaching of the very body of the luminary to the one illuminated by it (כִּי הַהִתְנוֹצְצוּת אֵינֶנּוּ אֶלָּא הַגַּעַת עֶצֶם הַגּוּף הַמֵּאִיר אֶל הַמֻּזְהָר מִמֶּנּוּ), for it is as though it extends and lengthens to reach him (כִּי הוּא כְּמוֹ מִתְפַּשֵּׁט וּמִתְאָרֵךְ לְהַגִּיעַ אֵלָיו), so too, in this manner, the Emanator, blessed be He, willed to act (כֵּן בְּדֶרֶךְ זֶה רָצָה הַמַּאֲצִיל בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִפְעֹל פְּעֻלָּתוֹ).
And not that He was compelled to act thus and not in another way (וְלֹא שֶׁהוּא מֻכְרָח לַעֲשׂוֹת כָּךְ וְלֹא בְּדֶרֶךְ אַחֵר), but that this is the way He willed to act (אֶלָּא שֶׁזֶּהוּ הַדֶּרֶךְ שֶׁרָצָה לִפְעֹל).p1-6 Therefore, this action has real existence (וְעַל כֵּן נִמְצָא לַפְּעֻלָּה הַזֹּאת מַמָּשׁוּת נִמְצָא), and these are the Sefirot - which are not something outside of the Emanator (וְהֵם הַסְּפִירוֹת שֶׁאֵינָם דָּבָר חוּץ מִן הַמַּאֲצִיל).
Therefore, we cannot know their essence (וְעַל כֵּן הִנֵּה לֹא נֵדַע עַצְמוּתָם), and this lack of knowledge does not prevent us from attaining that which we must understand in them (וְחֶסְרוֹן הַיְדִיעָה הַזֶּה לֹא יַעֲכֹב עָלֵינוּ מֵהַשִּׂיג אֶת אֲשֶׁר צְרִיכִים אָנוּ לְהַשִּׂיג בָּהֶם), which is the matter of the illumination and the action (שֶׁהוּא עִנְיַן הָהֵאָרָה וְהַפְּעוּלָה). For this alone is what we are to attain regarding the Emanator, blessed be He - that we know His existence and apprehend His actions (כִּי רַק זֶה הוּא מַה שֶּׁיֵּשׁ לָנוּ לְהַשִּׂיג בַּמַּאֲצִיל בָּרוּךְ הוּא - שֶׁנֵּדַע מְצִיאוּתוֹ וְנַשִּׂיג פְּעוּלוֹתָיו).
And what we do not know of what He is - is no essential deficiency to us at all (וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא נֵדַע מַהוּ - אֵינֶנּוּ חֶסְרוֹן עִקָּרִי לָנוּ כְּלָל). And now that you have understood the general matter of these Sefirot (וְאַחַר שֶׁיָּדַעְתָּ עִנְיַן הַסְּפִירוֹת הָאֵלֶּה בִּכְלָל), I will explain to you their laws in detail (אָבִינְךָ מִשְׁפְּטֵיהֶם בִּפְרָט).
And remember well (וְזָכוֹר תִּזְכּוֹר) that all these matters are nothing but the ordering of the operations of the Emanator, blessed be He, as stated above (שֶׁאֵין כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֶלָּא עֲרִיכַת סִדְרֵי פְּעוּלוֹת שֶׁל הַמַּאֲצִיל בָּרוּךְ הוּא, כְּנַ״ל). And I shall explain to you the Tefillat Eliyahu [Prayer of Elijah], may his memory be for a blessing, which stands at the head of the Tikkunim (וַאֲפָרֵשׁ לְךָ תְּפִלַּת אֵלִיָּהוּ זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה אֲשֶׁר בְּרֹאשׁ הַתִּיקּוּנִים), for through it the secret of these Sefirot will be elucidated for you, with the help of Hashem (כִּי בָהּ תִּתְבָּאֵר לְךָ בְּעֶזְרַת ה׳ סוֹד הַסְּפִירוֹת הָאֵלֶּה).
Notes
That the Sefirot are not vessels (שֶׁאֵין הַסְּפִירוֹת כֵּלִים): this means that the essential Sefirot are illuminations and radiant outflowings decreed by His will, and they are not operative vessels (ר"ל שֶׁעִקַּר סְפִירוֹת הֵם הָאֵרוֹת וְהִתְנוֹצְצוּיוֹת מִגְּזֵרַת רְצוֹנוֹ וְאֵינָם כֵּלִים פּוֹעֲלִים). However, the vessels too are also called Sefirot (אֲבָל גַּם הַכֵּלִים נִקְרָאִים גַּם הֵן סְפִירוֹת). See Maamar haChokhmah on Chokhmat haEmet (רְאֵה מַאֲמַר הַחָכְמָה עַל חָכְמַת הָאֱמֶת): “But the Kabbalah in our possession is that all these particulars are included under ten categories, and they are called ten Sefirot” (וְאוּלָם הַקַּבָּלָה שֶׁבְּיָדֵנוּ הִיא שֶׁהַפְּרָטִים הָאֵלֶּה כֻּלָּם נִכְלָלִים תַּחַת עֲשָׂרָה סוּגִים וְנִקְרָאִים עֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת), “and they are nothing but His light, blessed be He, that appears to the created beings according to what is suited to them” (וְכוּלָּם אֵינָם אֶלָּא אוֹרוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ שֶׁנִּמְצָא לַנִּמְצָאִים כְּפִי מַה שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לָהֶם), “and these distinctions are not on His side, but from the side of the recipients, in accordance with their conditions, states, and circumstances” (וְנִבְחָנִים בּוֹ הַבְחָנוֹת הָאֵלֶּה לֹא מִצִּדּוֹ עַצְמוֹ אֶלָּא מִצַּד הַנִּמְצָאִים כְּפִי בְּחִינוֹתֵיהֶם, מַצְּבֵיהֶם וּמִקְרֵיהֶם). “And just as He, blessed be He, was revealed in these ten revelations (וְהִנֵּה כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְגַּלָּה יִתְבָּרַךְ שְׁמוֹ בַּעֲשָׂרָה גִּלּוּיִים אֵלֶּה), so too did He create ten luminous and refined created beings, as elevated as could possibly be found among existents” (כֵּן בָּרָא עֲשָׂרָה נִבְרָאִים זַכִּים וְרוּחָנִיִּים בִּתְכֵלֶת מַה שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיִּמָּצֵא בַּנִּמְצָאִים), “and He, blessed be He, hides Himself in them and radiates from within them” (וְהוּא יִתְבָּרַךְ בַּעֲשָׂרָה גִּלּוּיָיו מִסְתַּתֵּר בָּהֶם וְזוֹרֵחַ מִתּוֹכָם), “and they too are called ten Sefirot” (וְגַם הֵם נִקְרָאִים עֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת), “and they are what are called actual Kelim” (וְהֵם הַנִּקְרָאִים כֵּלִים מַמָּשׁ), “for they are like vessels for His light, blessed be He, that is concealed within them” (כִּי הִנֵּה הֵם כְּמוֹ כֵּלִים לְאוֹרוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ הַמִּתְעַלֵּם בְּתוֹכָם). “And His ten revelations, blessed be He, are called ‘Essence’ (Atzmut)” (וְי׳ גִּלּוּיָיו יִתְבָּרַךְ נִקְרָאִים עַצְמוּת), “which are not something other than Him, blessed be He, but rather His unique light” (שֶׁאֵינָם דָּבָר אַחֵר זוּלָתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ אֶלָּא אוֹרוֹ הַמְיֻחָד), “which is revealed to the created beings as is proper for them” (הוּא הַמִּתְגַּלֶּה לַנִּמְצָאִים כְּמוֹ שֶׁרָאוּי לָהֶם). “Nevertheless, by borrowed terminology, some aspects of these revelations are called ‘vessels,’ and others ‘essence’” (וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן בְּדֶרֶךְ הַשְׁאֵלָה נִקְרָא לִבְחִינוֹת מִן הַגִּלּוּיִים הָאֵלֶּה ‘כֵּלִים’ וּלִבְחִינוֹת אֲחֵרוֹת ‘עַצְמוּת’), “for reasons that will be explained further, with the help of Heaven” (מִן הַטַּעַם שֶׁנְּבָאֵר לְפָנִים בְּסִיַּיעְתָּא דִּשְׁמַיָּא). “And these ten lights that we have mentioned, even though they are of utmost purity and spirituality, we do not ascribe to them any designation of Divinity at all” (וְהִנֵּה עֶשֶׂר מְאוֹרוֹת אֵלֶּה שֶׁזָּכַרְנוּ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהֵם בִּתְכֵלֶת הַזַּכּוּת וְהָרוּחָנִיּוּת, לֹא נְתָאֵר לָהֶם תּוֹאַר אֱלוֹקוּת כְּלָל), “for they are nothing but created beings, created from Him, blessed be He” (כִּי אֵינָם אֶלָּא בְּרוּאִים נִבְרָאִים מִמֶּנּוּ יִתְבָּרַךְ), “separated from one another, and subject to attributes and limitations - which do not apply to Him, blessed be He, at all, in any way whatsoever” (וּנִפְרָדִים זֶה מִזֶּה, וְשַׁיָּכִים בָּהֶם מִקְרִים וּגְבוּלִים, מַה שֶׁאֵין שַׁיָּךְ בּוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ כְּלָל וָעִקָּר).