Tanya, the Holy Epistle

The Alter Rebbe therefore now goes on to discuss ways in which malchut serves to reveal this light. (Souls, for example, though Divine, descend nevertheless within the limitations of created beings.) By virtue of its revelatory aspect, malchut is called Alma de’itgalya (“the Manifest World"), for through the sefirah of malchut, the Ein Sof-light is revealed within the worlds.

This is especially so since through [malchut] the creation of souls takes place, enabling them to be yesh and separate entities in the World of Beriah-and notwithstanding their becoming a yesh, they still retain their aspect of G‑dliness.

וּמַה גַּם, כִּי בְּרִיאַת הַנְּשָׁמוֹת - מִמֶּנָּה, לִהְיוֹת יֵשׁ וְדָבָר נִפְרָד בִּפְנֵי עַצְמָהּ בְּעוֹלַם הַבְּרִיאָה,

While yet in Atzilut, souls have no sense of being a yesh since they are entirely nullified to G‑dliness. Upon entering the World of Beriah, however, they perceive themselves as being distinct and substantive creatures. Notwithstanding this, they remain G‑dly entities and draw down G‑dliness within the worlds.

This [derivation of souls from malchut] is termed leidah (“birth"), a process that requires the intervention of a higher power emanating from the Ein Sof, like the Splitting of the Red Sea, which (as stated in the Zohar41) “depended on atik."

וְנִקְרָא בְּשֵׁם "לֵידָה", כִּקְרִיעַת יַם־סוּף דִּ"בְעַתִּיקָא תַּלְיָא".

Atik (עַתִּיק, related to נֶעֶתַּק, implying removal and separation from the created worlds) is the inner (i.e., higher) level of keter, whose outer (i.e., lower) level is termed arich. Atik is the final degree of the Ein Sof; arich is the source and root of emanated beings.

The Kabbalah teaches that the birth of souls is comparable to the splitting of the Red Sea and like it requires the power of the Ein Sof as found in atik. The Alter Rebbe now explains that this infinite power is needed not only for the birth of souls but for their gestation as well.

Also, the whole growth of the souls, throughout the seven months from the union of Shemini Atzeret until the birth on the Seventh Day of Pesach,

וְגַם, כָּל גִּידּוּל הַנְּשָׁמוֹת כָּל ז' חֳדָשִׁים, מִזִּיוּוּג שֶׁל שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת עַד שְׁבִיעִי שֶׁל פֶּסַח,

It is taught in the Kabbalah42 that the union that “conceives" souls takes place on Shemini Atzeret while the “birth" of souls takes place on the Seventh Day of Pesach, at the time of the crossing of the Red Sea.

resembles the growth of za and nukva-the sefirot of za and malchut of Atzilut that were formerly concealed-in the womb of imma ilaah (“the supernal mother"), i.e., in the innermost degree of binah of Atzilut.

הוּא כְּמוֹ גִּידּוּל זְעֵיר אַנְפִּין וְנוּקְבָא בְּבֶטֶן "אִימָּא עִילָּאָה",

This takes place by means of the supernal orot of imma ilaah, and of yet higher, as far as the Ein Sof, which vests itself in it (i.e., in binah) in order to bring about the growth of za and nukva throughout the nine or seven months of pregnancy.

שֶׁהוּא עַל־יְדֵי אוֹרוֹת עֶלְיוֹנִים מֵ"אִימָּא עִילָּאָה", וּמִלְמַעְלָה לְמַעְלָה עַד אֵין־סוֹף, הַמִּתְלַבֵּשׁ בָּהּ כָּל ט' אוֹ ז' יַרְחֵי לֵידָה.

Just as za and nukva of Atzilut is “delivered" from binah of Atzilut, known as imma ilaah (“the supernal mother"), so do souls gestate in malchut, which is known as imma tataah (“the nether mother"), since malchut incorporates within itself the supernal orot of the Ein Sof.

The same is true of the creation of the souls and angels in the World of Beriah: they, too, result from the supernal orot of the Ein Sof that are drawn down into malchut of Atzilut.

וְכָכָה הוּא בִּבְרִיאַת נְשָׁמוֹת וּמַלְאָכִים לְעוֹלַם הַבְּרִיאָה.

The Alter Rebbe now goes on to state that these supernal orot of the Ein Sof that descend into malchut of Atzilut not only make possible the birth and gestation but are also responsible for the actual “conception."

Also, the very essence and root of the “seminal drop" which [malchut] receives and through which she is impregnated by z’eyr anpin derives from the mochin of abba and imma (lit., the “father" and “mother"), i.e., chochmah and binah, respectively.

וְגַם, כָּל עִיקַּר וְשֹׁרֶשׁ הַטִּיפָּה שֶׁמְּקַבֶּלֶת וּמִתְעַבֶּרֶת מִ"זְּעֵיר אַנְפִּין", הוּא מִמּוֹחִין דְּ"אַבָּא וְאִימָּא",

And with every conjunction of chochmah and binah which is intended to bring about a birth, there issues forth to abba and imma [the seminal drop] from arich anpin and atik yomin, and from even higher, up to the Ein Sof.

וּבְכָל זִיוּוּג נִמְשֶׁכֶת לְ"אַבָּא וְאִימָּא" מֵ"אֲרִיךְ אַנְפִּין" וְ"עַתִּיק יוֹמִין", וּמִלְמַעְלָה לְמַעְלָה עַד אֵין סוֹף

FOOTNOTES

41. II, 52b.

42. See Likkutei Torah, Tzav 16b, and sources listed there.