Let’s return to Ramchal’s explanation of Adam Kadmon. We introduced it here, with remarks about its “inside” and “outside”. Then we went on to this, with insights into its inner radiance. Let’s now tie this inner radiance in with Adam Kadmon’s outer makeup as Ramchal explains it in Pitchei Chochma v’Da’at.
As Ramchal explains it [1], the Sephirot connected with Adam Kadmon “have an inner aspect — and an outer one which conceals it”. It’s just that, “some of the inner aspect pierce through the outer ones and come into view (to the prophets and great souls) in order to perform some visible function” [2]. “This represents the esoteric idea of the piercing through of (Adam Kadmon’s inner radiance through it’s) ‘ear’, ’nose’, and ‘mouth’”, as he’ll go on to explain.
Put simply, some of Adam Kadmon’s inner radiance pierced through the apertures of its “face” — its “eyes”, “ears”, “nose”, “mouth”, and even its “forehead”. And it did that in order to bring about whatever was needed to build all the intended phenomena , i.e., the worlds of Atzilut, Briah, Yetzirah, and Assiyah as well as mortal man, as well as bring about whatever was necessary to actualize what was intended for these phenomena (Petach 35).
But what’s the “solution” to all that as Ramchal understands it; i.e., what’s being indicated by this visual phenomenon? For that we’ll need to turn to his Klallim Rishonim.
Notes:
[1] Pitchei Chochma v’Da’at 29.
[2] Parenthetically, why would there even need to be outer aspects? Because as Ramchal explains, “if there weren’t outer aspects, the inner aspects would function openly” and at full strength, which would be too overpowering; so “only a part of the inner aspect functions that way”, i.e., at full strength, thanks to that safeguard mechanism.
(c) 2012 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org
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