Sparks Retained
Gate of Reincarnations: Chapter Seven, Section 3
Translation by Yitzchok bar Chaim;
explanation by Shabtai Teicher
In this section the Rav will explain in greater detail what
the second level of soul is, and he will describe an advantage of the first
level over the second.
The second level consists of the sparks of the soul that remained
with Adam after the sin, and which he bequeathed to Cain and Abel when they
were born. They are considered to be new to some extent, but not completely.
When they are rectified they will be more elevated than all the other souls
that fell from Adam since they had the ability to remain in Adam, and they did
not fall into the kelipot.  | | " It was during the actual lifetime of Adam that he bequeathed them to his sons..." | | |
When his sons Cain and Abel inherited them, it was not considered an actual
gilgul as if they came from a first body that died. It was during
the actual lifetime of Adam that he bequeathed them to his sons when they were
born. Therefore, all the sparks that are included in Cain and Abel are
considered as if they are still part of Adam himself, as if they did not fall
from him.
When these sparks came as part of Adam, they did not come to
rectify themselves. Even though they were a part of him, they did not belong to
him. Thus, they are considered as if they never came.
Not all the sparks that were included in Adam fell
from him, as we learned previously. Some of these soul-sparks remained within
him, and he needed them for his own existence. However, others that remained
within him were not needed for his own tikun, and they were transmitted
to his sons, Cain and Abel. It is these that constitute the
second level discussed here. Since they were not needed by Adam himself,
and they also did not fall with the other old souls, they are to be considered
as "somewhat new", an intermediate category between the new souls
(first level) and the old souls (third level).
Also, when they later came included within Cain and Abel during the
lifetime of Adam, it is also not to be considered a true
incarnation. They did not come for themselves (again) because they had yet to
be divided into individual sparks in their own bodies. Rather, they were only
included in the bodies of Cain and Abel, which was not to be considered a
true incarnation.
They were included in Cain and Abel, apparently,
because the latter were still the roots of the entire human race that was to
follow. However, they were not participants in the gilgul. They were just
being stored there awaiting distribution.
Hence, only when one of these sparks is afterwards apportioned to
a body is it considered a first incarnation in the world. It is a new
incarnation to some extent, but not entirely, because they did already come in Adam, Cain,and Abel. | | " If one of these almost-new souls sins, he will have to die and reincarnate..." | | |
If such a person sins and causes a blemish and dies and
reincarnates, then it will be called an old gilgul.
If one of these almost new souls sins, like other old souls,
when he completes Nefesh from Asiya, he will have to die and
reincarnate in order to get Ruach, etc..
During the first time in the world it is called a somewhat new
soul, as we have explained. It can achieve the Nefesh of Asiya, the
Ruach of Yetzira, the Neshama of Beriya, and the Nefesh of Atzilut.
In this respect they are like new souls. If they have not
yet become blemished, then they can grow all the way to Nefesh of Atzilut.
However, it cannot achieve more than this, which is a difference
between these second level souls and the first level souls, which can attain
all the way to the Neshama of the Neshama of Atzilut.
The first level souls can complete until Chaya of Atzilut,
but the second level souls can complete only until Nefesh of Atzilut.
Still, that is very much relative to old souls.
The reason for this difference is that when Adam sinned, he lost
the "Supernal Radiance" (Zehira Ila'ah), as mentioned in the Zohar,
Kedoshim 83a), which is the levels of RNCh"Y of the world of Atzilut.
The "Supernal Radiance" is the soul of Adam from
the level of Atzilut. When he sinned the higher levels of the "Supernal
Radiance" disappeared by ascending above. The only level that was left to
him was the Nefesh of Atzilut.
They are called the "Supernal Radiance" and rather than
fall into the kelipot, which are only
in the three worlds of BY"A,
they were taken up to their places. Thus, from all the levels of Atzilut called "Supernal
Radiance", only the Nefesh of Atzilut remained. | | " Whenever there is sin, then the higher lights ascend and depart in order not to be taken up in the sin and sullied..." | | |
This description is exactly the same as the description of
one of the details of the Shattering of the Vessels. In that place also, when
the vessels broke, the higher lights ascended back to where they had come from.
At the same time the sparks, equivalent here to the lower lights, descended
together with the broken vessels into the realm of the kelipot.
The Rav explains, furthermore, that whenever there is sin,
then the higher lights ascend and depart in order not to be sullied.
Thus, when these sparks that were included in Cain and Abel come
into the world now for the first time, they can only achieve through their
deeds up to the level of the Nefesh
of Atzilut and no more.
However, completely new souls can grow from the Nefesh of Asiya to the heights of Atzilut
called "Supernal Radiance". This is an advantage of the first level
over the second level. To link to the previous article in this reincarnation series,
New Souls, click here
To link to the next article in this reincarnation series,
Challenge to 2nd Level, click here
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