We will now explain the chaining down of the worlds of Briyah, Yetzirah and Asiyah (Creation, Formation and Action). However, we must first understand the partition between Atzilut and Briyah. This partition is called the Masach (Screen). It is stated that Malchut of Atzilut breaks through the screen, thus becoming the Keter of Briyah. (This was explained earlier that the influence from the Malchut (Speech) of the upper world becomes the motivating desire (Keter)for the lower world. The allegory was given of a king and his servant or a teacher and his student.)
We will now explain this screen. The meaning of the verse “For with You is the source of life, in Your light we see light”, is that from G-d’s primary light, a secondary light becomes visible. What is seen is only a radiance of a radiance. This is similar to the impression of the letters of a signet into to the wax. The impression that remains in the wax is only an impression of the letters of the signet. Likewise, the light and life force of the world of Briyah is only a “radiance of a radiance” of the Malchut of Malchut of Atzilut, which only shines through a partition and becomes the Keter of Briyah.
This may be understood as follows. As mentioned above, the world of Atzilut corresponds to the general sefirah of Chochmah. However, it is only from the last level of Chochmah that a flash of intuition comes into Binah. Furthermore, it is only through the intermediary medium of letters of description, that the light of the concept can be understood in Binah (Comprehension and grasp). The actual light of the Chochmah itself is altogether beyond the grasp of Binah. When a person has an intuitive flash, he does not perceive the light of Chochmah directly. The “light” which he “sees” is actually only the letters, which contain the light of intuition. Nonetheless, through the secondary “light” of the letters of the Chochmah as they come into Binah, the primary “essential light” of Chochmah is recognized. It is only viewed through the screen and partition of the letters, which is called a Masach.
This may be understood by how a television works. Behind the television screen there is a “ray gun” which emits a ray onto the back of the screen. When the ray hits the phosphorus points on the screen, they light up. What the viewer sees on the television screen is not the original light of the “ray gun”, but the secondary light of the phosphorus. Furthermore, the ray gun itself is just receiving the letters of binary code, which receives from the letters of the television waves, which receive from the letters of the broadcast, which receives from the letters of the video feed, which receives from the letters of the actors on the set, which receives from the letters of the director etc. The entire process chains down many levels and there is a profound “switch over” between one level and the next, so that one level is completely different from the other. Nonetheless, the ultimate purpose of this chaining down of lights and vessels is so that the viewer could sit in his living room and watch the show. This final act was the original desire and intention in the mind of the producer. This too is the aspect of a Masach.
Likewise, the light and life force of the world of Briyah only receives its light through a Masach (Screen), which is made up of the external letters of the higher world of Atzilut. This is to say that the Malchut of Malchut of Atzilut (The most external letters of the upper world of Atzilut), becomes the light and life force of the Keter of Briyah (The desire to bring about the world of Briyah).
