It is only when Hashem’s revelation is drawn down through “channels,” i.e., specific and defined modes of expression, that there are differences between aspects, that the “channel” of the “right side” is kindness and the “channel” of the “left side” is severity.
The same ten attributes are presented in the following chart as three “channels.” The right “channel” has kindness and then wisdom and victory. The left “channel” has severity and then understanding and loyalty. The middle “channel” has compassion, and then knowledge, connection, and rulership. Each attribute has a specific place in this arrangement, and there is a chainlike hierarchy where one attribute is an extension of a previous one. Wisdom is expressed in kindness, which is then expressed in victory. Understanding is expressed in severity, which is then expressed in loyalty. Knowledge is expressed in compassion, which is then expressed in connection and rulership.
Circles: The Hidden Level
Which is not the case in the level of “Circles,” on that level there are no differences at all, and all the aspects that are separate below in the more revealed realm, are all connected and bound up with each other in the more hidden realm, called “Circles.” And on that level, there is no apparent division or difference between these attributes.
A person’s soul-powers operate on two levels: on a conscious level, and on a sub-conscious level. On the conscious level, his intellect flows into his emotions, which then flow into his practical mode of conduct. In addition, the different aspects of intellect work together so that his abstract thinking flows into his logic and data-processing, which then flows into his perception of reality. In his emotions, kindness is the opposite of severity, and the desire for victory is the opposite of submission to authority.
However, in the subconscious, these defined rules of how the soul-powers interact do not apply. All of his soul-powers exist in potential at the same time. There, they are all together and do not contradict one another.
So too in Hashem’s revelation, there are these two levels:
- The level called “Channels” is like the conscious level, which is the more revealed level. Hashem’s ten attributes work together in an exact and defined manner, and some attributes act in opposition to other attributes.
- However, the level called “Circles” is like the sub-conscious level, which is more hidden, where all the attributes exist equally at the same time, like a circle, in which there is no top or bottom.
However, for this higher level of “Circles” to be revealed below in this physical world, it is only possible through the idea of “sleeping” and the withdrawal of the intellect back to its source in the “subconscious” level of Divine Revelation in the time of Exile.
Regarding this process, it was said by the Navi, (Yeshaya 50:3) “I will clothe the heavens with darkness.”
The term “heavens” is referring the level called “Circles,” which are “clothed” and invested in “darkness,” meaning the concealment and hiding of Divine Revelation.
At that time of spiritual concealment, there shines and glimmers from Above an expression of the high spiritual world called “Circles.” This high level is expressed as a “dream” that has the power of imagination to combine opposites together as if they were one thing.
This is because, in truth, the source of everything in this physical world is ultimately in that high spiritual world where they are combined as one. That world is called “Circles” that have no top or bottom, as explained above.
Hashem creates everything with His speech and thought. However, prior to being individual and detailed thoughts, Hashem’s thoughts exist on a more abstract level, analogous to the subconscious level that precedes one’s revealed thoughts and feelings. In the subconscious, all the soul powers coexist and are interrelated, as in a circle, where all points are equally distant from the center and each point has direct access to every other point without needing to go through another. This means that everything that Hashem created in this world has a source in the abstract spiritual level called "Circles," where even opposites can be together.
It is possible for opposites to coexist even as they are in this physical world, because in their source in Hashem’s abstract thought, they coexisted without contradiction. So, when we see opposites together in this world, we really see an expression of their spiritual source, where they were together.
It is only below in this world where there are “channels” divided by Hashem’s wisdom and knowledge so that each “channel” has its own specific manner, then creations that come through them will appear opposites, one opposing the other, e.g., fire and water appear as opposites that counteract each other. And then they are distinct and removed from each other.
Therefore, it is impossible for this interconnectedness to be revealed in the level of Chochmah-wisdom, which is the beginning of these distinct “channels.”
Only in the aspect of “sleep,” when the “intellect,” i.e., the revelation of awareness of Hashem withdraws back into its source during the time of Exile, at that time the Light from Above in the world called “Circles” shines and glimmers into this world.
But it comes hidden in “darkness” and concealment, meaning clothed in various types of concealment and not openly revealed.
The expression of the reality of the higher world of “Circles” into our world is mainly in the fact that opposites can exist together at the same time, whether in our physical reality or in our feelings and perceptions. The fact that opposites can co-exist is expressing the reality where everything exists together in Hashem, even opposites.
However, this is not a direct revelation of that higher level in a way that we can understand and internalize. Even though we see opposites co-existing, we don't know that this is because, in their source in Hashem, they co-exist. All we see is the way they are in this world co-existing in a way beyond our comprehension.
So, even though in the time of Exile, there is an expression of the higher reality of the world of "Circles," it is only an indirect expression of the way we see its effect in combining opposites. This is the meaning of saying it comes "clothed in darkness", meaning we see it only indirectly in a way we can't understand.
Because revelation that we can understand directly is only through the Wisdom and Knowledge of Hashem as it comes to us through the “channels.”
The knowledge of Hashem that we can understand is the way it comes down from level to level through the system of “channels” until it comes down to a level that we are capable of understanding.
This is similar to the analogy of the conscious and the subconscious: From our subconscious, we receive the ability to do things that we might think are impossible, like the power for self-sacrifice that every Jew naturally has. However, this power for self-sacrifice is not something we can necessarily understand and define, even though it is very important for us to use.
Only in our conscious intellect do we have the ability to process and internalize deep ideas and integrate them into our life. However, the conscious intellect is inherently limited.
So too, in the levels of Divine Revelation, there is a difference between how we receive from the “conscious” level of “channels” and the “subconscious” level of “Circles”:
- From the level of "Circles," we see opposites coming together, which is why we feel the love of Hashem during prayer and love of our body after prayer, and it gives us the power that even if someone experiences love of material things, he can also experience real love for Hashem. However, we can't understand and internalize the real source of this ability.
- From the level of "channels," we receive the ability to understand that Hashem is creating and guiding the world and our life. However, our understanding is very limited due to the concealments on Divine Revelation in the time of Exile.
