Imma (אימא) — the Mother, the partzuf of Binah

Core definition

Imma — "the mother" — is the partzuf of Binah (understanding), paired with Abba ("the father"), the partzuf of Chochmah. Where Abba is the flash of intellect, a seeing from close in the essence of the thing, Imma is comprehension in breadth and detail — grasping the idea, analyzing it, developing it into many particulars [60801/maamar_024 :: Page summary (עמוד קעז-area)]. Imma is the supernal mother (imma ila'ah): Noach's ark itself is identified with "the level of Imma ila'ah" — the protective, containing mother-vessel [15692/maamar_003 :: Summary — page ח].

The standard Kabbalistic teaching is quoted in the corpus: "Abba supernal nests in Atzilus, Imma in Beriah" (Tikkunei Zohar) — only Imma of Atzilus descends to nest in Beriah, in a manner of distance from the essence [31674/maamar_026 :: closing sections]. Imma's mochin are the source of the gevuros for the entire left line — Binah-Gevurah-Hod [60801/maamar_024 :: Page summary (עמוד קצ)].

How the Rebbeim develop it

Binah as joy. Joy (simcha) expands outward and cannot be concealed; delight (oneg) is hidden, restful, and stays within bounds. Hence joy shines in Binah — comprehension, the revelation of the idea in detail — while delight shines in Chochmah, above revelation. This is reflected in the calendar: Shabbos, whose mochin are of Abba, is called oneg; Yom Tov, whose mochin are of Imma, is "mo'adim lesimcha" — appointed times for joy [31674/maamar_026 :: Page summary (עמוד קעד)].

The yesod of Imma as window. Noach is commanded "a tzohar shall you make for the ark": tzohar is read as a window — the yesod of Imma, described as "a wide window" — through which Binah's light is drawn down to Ze'ir Anpin and Nukva. The inward structure: the yesod of Abba clothes itself in the yesod of Imma, and the yesod of Imma clothes itself in Ze'ir Anpin; the five chasadim and five gevuros are clothed in the yesod of Imma and are revealed in Ze'ir Anpin only after Imma's yesod terminates at his chest [15692/maamar_003 :: Summary — page ח].

Imma as the crown-giver. The wedding blessing's "the atarah with which his mother crowned him on his wedding day" is read cosmically: the Tiferes of Imma becomes a Kesser to Ze'ir Anpin. This is why the middle line reaches further than the two side lines: Abba and Imma reach only the Kesser's externality, but the middle line — Tiferes — reaches the inwardness of the Kesser, and so the Tiferes of Imma can become the atarah, the crown, giving Ze'ir Anpin the power to bear [31674/maamar_026 :: Page summary (עמוד קעז–קעט)]. To draw mochin into Ze'ir Anpin and Nukva "to bear new souls," there must first be the union of Abba and Imma in their inwardness — and "the inner union of Abba and Imma is what is drawn into Abba and Imma from the aspect of Atik and Arich, and higher and higher, to Ein Sof" [31674/maamar_026 :: Page summary (עמוד קעח)].

The birth of souls. The souls called "brothers and friends" are born from Abba and Imma — therefore called "brothers" to Ze'ir Anpin; those called "children" are born from the union of Ze'ir Anpin and Nukva, and they are the aspect of Atzilus itself; the "servants" are of Beriah, made yesh through Malchus [31674/maamar_026 :: Page summary (עמוד קעז)].

Imma in avodah. In the Pesach kavanos, after the evening prayer the mochin withdraw from Ze'ir Anpin; then "the gadlus of Abba" is drawn through the cup of Kiddush, "while the other three cups are from Imma" — the four cups of the Seder are the mochin of Imma, "drawn revealed to the heart" as the left line, the source of the gevuros [60801/maamar_024 :: Page summary (עמוד קעז), Page summary (עמוד קצ)].

Key distinctions

Abba vs. Imma. Abba/Chochmah is "the power of mah" — true bitul, in which grasp and non-grasp are equal; Imma/Binah is hearing from afar — comprehension, longing, the development of the idea into felt particulars [60801/maamar_024 :: Page summary (עמוד קעז)]. Delight is of Abba; joy is of Imma [31674/maamar_026 :: Page summary (עמוד קעד)]. On Pesach, matzah — the tasteless "bread of faith" — is the katnus of Abba, while the four cups are the mochin of Imma [60801/maamar_024 :: Page summary (עמוד קצ)].

Imma vs. Malchus. Imma is the mother who conceives and develops the light into comprehension; Malchus is the daughter-bride who receives it into actuality. Imma "nests in Beriah" from afar; Malchus of Atzilus is the source of Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah, into which Asiyah's refined sparks ascend [31674/maamar_026 :: closing sections; 58835/maamar_049 :: Chunk summary (עמוד סב)].

Three unions. The corpus distinguishes the unions that produce souls: from Abba and Imma — "brothers"; from Ze'ir Anpin and Nukva — "children"; through Malchus — "servants" of Beriah [31674/maamar_026 :: Page summary (עמוד קעז)].

Related concepts

Sources