We have explained elsewhere that the difference between the souls of angels and that of man is that these [man] come from the zivug of 'haneshikin ha'elyonim' [lit. supernal kisses; unification of chochma and bina]...

The point of creation is the soul of man.

The interaction and pairing of sefirot takes place on different levels within their structure. Different types of souls result from different variations. The point of creation is the soul of man. It therefore comes from the loftiest unifications.

Kisses come from face to face. The word for face is 'panim', which also means within. The soul within shines out through the face. This deepest part of a person radiates love to another by means of a kiss. For this itself the soul is created from the uniting of the deepest levels above as if in a loving kiss. This equips it to be ready by nature to unite with its Maker in the deepest manner.

This is the secret of The Song of Songs. It is a love story between God and the soul. It so begins, "Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth" (Song of Songs 1:2). Rashi explains that it is the soul's supplication for Divine inspiration and prophecy - the highest connection to God.

…whereas these [angels] come from the lower zivug [which occurs] in yesod.

This is called as if 'zivuk gufani', lit. physical unification. It is so coined relatively, because it happens in the lowest place of the sefirot of any given partzuf.1

Likewise, souls stem from the internal part of the worlds and angels from the external part of the worlds. (Eitz Chayim, Shaar Hakavannot Shabbat)

There are countless levels of soul roots in between.

Many kinds of souls come from the 'zivug ha'olam elyon', lit. upper world pairing, but due to a blemish are forced to descend. The descent however is not necessarily the same for each; there are many different levels to which a soul can descend as a result of a blemish.

The blemish can come from the soul's mistakes while it was incarnated or from damage caused by the Original Sin.2

There are two groups, the first being those which descend because of a blemish and come into this world on the level to which they have descended. The second are those souls whose roots are on the same level at which they enter this world. Therefore, the status of each is not the same.

The main tikun is at night.

However, the main tikun is still at night when one 'deposits' his soul by saying upon lying down, "In Your hand I entrust my spirit" (Psalms 31:6). At that time, the soul is elevated through a higher level of zivug and then returns as a new creation, in the secret of "They are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:23).

A person can go from level to level this way until he reaches his actual root and achieves completion. Alternatively, this can occur in the secret of nefilat apayim [lit. "supplication while bending", penitential prayers recited after the Amida] upon reciting the verse, "To You G‑d I lift up my soul" (Psalms 25:1). Through this he is able to ascend from level to level according to his deeds until his root.

One who is a scholar and finds himself doing dishes at the moment needs to return to his scholarly pursuits. Likewise, a soul that has fallen to a lower station within the sefirot naturally needs to return to its higher source. This is one way of expressing what its rectification is about.

[Translation and commentary by Perets Auerbach.]