Chapter 1 - Part 4 Depth, Width and Length

(As we have said before, everything works in tens: 3 intellectual levels and 7 emotional levels. However, for now we are focusing on only the intellectual levels and therefore, we will now speak of the 3 levels of intellect within the 3 intellectual faculties, even though there are also 7 emotional levels within the 3 intellectual faculties. And the same goes for the emotional faculties: within each of the 7 emotional faculties is the 3 levels of intellect within emotion and the 7 levels of emotion within emotion, and of course all those levels in turn are split into their own tens, etc.)

Each of the 3 intellectual faculties has within it 3 levels: depth, width and length (which by the way are only different names for Hokhma, Binah and Daas, as we will see.

The level of depth is in truth a non-existence, a connection between 2 levels, but in itself not really there. This concept can be better understood through some allegories that Reb Hillel uses to illustrate this point. What is a corner? A corner is a hypothetical point of connection between 2 walls or sides. But in truth, it doesn’t take up any space. Every particle of physical space belongs to either one side or the other. There is no physical space that actually belongs to the corner. The corner is completely hypothetical and in actuality not existent! The same holds true for mid-night. Every iota of time belongs to either the preceding day or the next one. Like the corner in space, so is mid-night in time, i.e. it’s not really there. So this is the concept of the non-existent connection.

To use an allegory truer to the analog (the levels of intellect), let us take the example of the teacher and the student. The teacher is attempting to teach certain subject matter and the student is trying to learn this certain subject matter. In order for this to happen, a connection must take place. How does it happen? Through self-nullification or "non-existence". In order for the teacher to teach, he must forget himself and all his great knowledge. He must forget physics, calculus and even simple multiplication; at this point he is trying to teach 1+1, and therefore, that simplest of equations must be the only thing on his mind. He must become a "non-existence" in order to make a connection with the student. The student, too must have a certain "non-existence" or self-nullification. At the moment he wishes to learn, he too must "forget himself". He cannot be thinking about lollipops, games or toys, but rather must focus only on that which the teacher is trying to teach him. So this, then, is the non-existence on an intellectual level, for just like the corner it is not actually an existence of intellectual matter. The self nullification is not part of the information being taught as it is in the teacher’s mind and it is not part of the information as it enters the student’s mind - yet the self nullification must be present in order for a connection to be formed between teacher and student and for the transfer of intellectual matter to take place. So this is the level of depth - the self-nullification of one level to another, the connection between upper level and lower level which allows a transfer of light to take place (whether intellectual light, spiritual light or the light of the Ein Sof (Infinite) or G-dly essence). This is why depth is sometimes called an "empty hollow that goes lower & lower". For it is only through the emptiness, the non-existence, and the self-nullification that the levels of the spirituality and physicality are able to receive the light of the Ein Sof. Depth is a function of Kesser/Daas