The Stages of the Creative Process
from God's Infinite Light to Our Physical World
| Introduction Or Ein Sof ("God's Infinite Light") Sod Ha'Tzimtzum ("The Secret of 'Contraction'") Adam Kadmon ("Primordial Man") Akudim, Nekudim, Brudim ("Binding, Points, Connection") Keter D'Atzilut ("The 'Crown' of Emanation")  Olam Ha'Atzilut ("The World of Emanation")ABiYA (The Four Worlds: Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah) |
Olam Ha'Atzilut ("The World of Emanation")
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| Abba | Imma | Abba Ila'ah | Imma Ila'ah | Yisrael Sabba |
| Tevunah | Ze'ir Anpin | Nukvah D'Ze'ir Anpin | Leah | Rachel |
Imma Ila'ah
The "Higher Mother"
Imma Ila'ah is the higher of the two primary partzufim which develop from the sefirah of binah (and which together are referred to as the general partzuf of Imma), as described above.
In addition to "enclothing" Arich Anpin's "left arm" from the "chin" to the "chest" (as described above), the partzuf Imma Ila'ah "nurses" from the thirteenth part of the Dikna of Arich Anpin, the mazal tachton (the lower mazal?source of Divine influx), God's attribute of mercy known as v'nakeh, "and shall be cleansed."
The life-force which flows through the "hairs" of the thirteenth tikkun of the "beard" of Arich Anpin to Abba Ila'ah, is composed of two energies, one deriving from the Gulgalta and the other deriving from the Mocha Stima'ah. These energy sources express together the serene sense of purity inherent in the Resha d'Ayin, "the Head of Nothingness." The state of absolute Divine purity is experienced on Yom Kippur, as it is said: "before God you shall be pure." The word titharu, "you shall be pure," = 620 = keter. In Kabbalah we are taught that this alludes to the revelation of keter in Imma (the secret of the holy day of Yom Kippur) through the channel of the tikkun v'nakeh. Thus Imma Ila'ah is the source of forgiveness and atonement, the Divine power to cleanse and purify.
Imma Ila'ah is identified in Chassidut with the archetypal soul of Sarah, the first Matriarch. Her name Sarah = 505 = zechor l'Avraham, "remember for the sake of Abraham." Her soul-root is thus understood to be the power to fully integrate the soul of Abraham, to always "remember" him and to turn to God in prayer and teshuvah that He remember him and his merits in order to arouse mercy for their children. Here we see an explicit example of how the "womb" of Imma integrates the "seed" of Abba.
