The three heads of Atika

37. Three heads were imprinted, one inside another, THAT IS, CONCEALED CHOCHMAH INSIDE THE SKULL and one over another, NAMELY THE UNKNOWN HEAD ABOVE THE SKULL. HE EXPLAINS, One head is concealed Chochmah, which is undisclosed and unopened. This concealed Chochmah is a beginning to every other beginning of other Chochmot. THIS IS THE FIRST HEAD FROM BELOW UPWARDS. THE SECOND HEAD is a supernal head, the most obscured Atika Kadisha, WHICH IS THE SKULL OF ARICH ANPIN. THE THIRD HEAD THAT IS LOFTY ABOVE EVERYTHING IS the head for every head, a head that is not a head, THAT IS, ITS BEING A HEAD INDICATES IT IS A BEGINNING OF EXPANSION AND COMPREHENSION, YET THIS HEAD IS ENTIRELY INCOMPREHENSIBLE because no one knows nor is it known what is in this head, because it is attached neither to Chochmah nor to Tevunah. It is thus considered, "Therefore now flee to your place" (Bemidbar 24:11), "and the living creatures ran and returned" (Yechezkel 1:14), BECAUSE NO COMPREHENSION CAN APPLY THERE.

38. For this reason Atika Kadisha, WHICH IS THE SKULL OF ARICH ANPIN is called naught, since naught derives from it, FROM THE UNKNOWN HEAD. THAT IS, SINCE THIS HEAD, THE SKULL, IS CLOSE TO THE UNKNOWN HEAD, WHICH IS UTTERLY INCOMPREHENSIBLE, IT TOO IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE, AND IS THEREFORE CALLED NAUGHT, WHICH INDICATES ITS COMPLETE INCOMPREHENSIBILITY. FOR THAT REASON all hairs and tiny hairs OVER THE SKULL DO NOT COME OUT OF THE SKULL BECAUSE NO JUDGMENTS ARE ATTACHED TO IT, BUT they come out of the concealed brain, WHICH IS THE BEGINNING OF THE EXPANSION OF CHOCHMAH. FOR SUPERNAL CHOCHMAH SPREADS FROM IT; THIS CHOCHMAH IS EVENTUALLY REVEALED IN MALCHUT WHERE THERE IS PLACE FOR JUDGMENTS. AND THE HAIRS ARE THE ROOT OF JUDGMENTS, AS IN, "FOR HE CRUSHES ME WITH A TEMPEST (OR: 'A HAIR')" (IYOV 9:17). HENCE THE HAIR OF THE HEAD AND BEARD COME OUT OF THE CONCEALED BRAIN, THOUGH IN THIS CASE THERE ARE NO JUDGMENTS IN THE HAIRS, BUT ROOTS ONLY. THEREFORE they are all smooth, THAT IS, SOFT WITHOUT JUDGMENT. AND THEY ARE ALL EQUAL in weight, BECAUSE EVERYTHING HERE IS OF THE SAME LIGHT OF MERCY and the back of the neck is invisible, WHICH INDICATES JUDGMENTS AND HIND PARTS, ACCORDING TO THE VERSE, "AND THEY HAVE TURNED THEIR BACK TO ME, AND NOT THEIR FACE" (YIRMEYAH 32:33).

39. All this stems from the fact that this Atika is of the same LIGHT, NAMELY THE REIGN OF CHASSADIM, WHICH IS WHY THERE IS NO ROOM FOR JUDGMENT TO APPEAR. It is all in joy and never changes FROM THE ILLUMINATION of Mercy. THAT IS, THOUGH WE DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THREE COLUMNS, RIGHT, LEFT AND CENTRAL IN IT, IT NEVER STRAYS FROM THE ASPECT OF THE RIGHT COLUMN, AND IS EVER OF MERCY AND CHASSADIM IN NATURE. It abides in the thirteen attributes of Mercy, because the hidden Chochmah in it divides three times into fours, WHICH IS TWELVE, and it (Atika ITSELF) includes them and rules over everything. TOGETHER WITH IT, THERE ARE THIRTEEN ATTRIBUTES.