Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto ("RaMChaL"):
138 Openings of Wisdom


Opening 103

Revelation of the Forehead of Favor completely removes stern Judgment; when it is concealed, the Judgment is sweetened.

The purpose of all aspects of Arich Anpin is to strengthen Kindness and sweeten the Judgment. There is also a revelation of Arich Anpin's power with particular force that removes Judgment altogether. This is when the Forehead of Favor is revealed.

Further to our discussion of the Seven Repairs of the Head, we will now discuss the difference between them.

The purpose of all aspects of Arich Anpin. We have already discussed how Arich Anpin brings about a sweetening of Zeir Anpin's stern judgments (see Opening 94). .is to strengthen Kindness and sweeten the Judgment. It is the right side in Arich Anpin - the male aspect - that gives sway to Kindness so that Judgment does not operate, while the left side - the female aspect -sweetens Judgment with Kindness.

There is also a revelation of Arich Anpin's power with particular force that removes Judgment altogether. This depends on whether the Forehead is revealed or not. (In Hebrew, forehead is מצחא, mitzcha, related to the root צחה, "shine brightly", cf. Opening 32). When this Forehead is concealed, Judgment is only sweetened, whereas when it is revealed it removes Judgment altogether.

This is when the Forehead of Favor is revealed. This is the mystery of the Repair of the Will of Wills (תיקון דרעוא דרעוין, tikun d'ra'va d'ra'vin). This is what gives Arich Anpin this particular power. (For Yesod of Atik is clothed in the Forehead of Atik). None of the other Repairs, which stem from Chessed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach and Hod of Atik, achieve this because none of them has the power except Yesod, which rectifies the Forehead in such a way that the powers of Kindness can be revealed with great force.

BACK TO THE TOP OF THIS PAGE

NEXT OPENING

138 OPENINGS OF WISDOM INDEX PAGE

AZAMRA HOMEPAGE

Translated by Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Greenbaum
© AZAMRA INSTITUTE 5764 - 2004 All rights reserved