Nukva (נוקבא) — the Female

Core definition

Nukva ("the female") is the female partzuf of Atzilut, corresponding to Malchus: the receptive counterpart of Ze'ir Anpin (the male, comprising the six middos). Together they form the pair zu"n (זו״נ), whose yichud — "the yichud of the Holy One and His Shechinah" — is the object of the "l'shem yichud" recited before Torah and mitzvos [31633/maamar_029 :: ב].

How the Rebbeim develop it

The female is in the aspect of the receiver (mekabel), the male of the bestower (mashpia). The Zohar (Sava of Mishpatim) teaches that ruach and nefesh are dakar v'nukva — male and female — and nefesh, the lower, is "in the aspect of a receiver, which receives from the ruach chayim" [58837/maamar_028 :: עב׳ 356–357]. The same structure holds above: Nukva receives the flow of Ze'ir Anpin, and only through their union does the flow reach the worlds below. The yichud of Tiferes and Malchus — i.e., of Ze'ir Anpin and Nukva — draws down the revelation of Havayah's Name truly; this is why every mitzvah is preceded by the intention "for the sake of the yichud of the Holy One and His Shechinah" [31633/maamar_029 :: ב].

The root of male and female is in the middos themselves: "in the root, male and female are the sefiros Chesed and Gevurah: the souls of males are from the sefirah of Chesed" [19800/maamar_014 :: עב׳ 46]. Male is the bestowing force (Chesed), female the receiving and delimiting force (Gevurah). Female souls therefore derive from Gevurah, the attribute that holds and guards — the maamar illustrates this from the nature of women and the verse "all that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice" [19800/maamar_014 :: summary].

Nukva appears in each world: the vitality of the angels, for example, came into being "through the union of Ze'ir Anpin and Nukva of Beriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah" [15911/maamar_004 :: עב׳ 34], and the vessels of Ze'ir Anpin and Nukva of Atzilut become the nefesh–ruach–neshamah for the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah [15911/maamar_002 :: עב׳ 90]. In historical figures this structure is personified: Yehonasan and Dovid are Ze'ir Anpin and Nukva of Beriah — Dovid, before he reigned, being in the aspect of Malchut of Beriah [15911/maamar_009 :: עב׳ 211–213].

Pri Etz Chaim teaches that Ze'ir Anpin was rectified from the nine yudin (of the three yud'in) and Nukva from the three alfin (each alef = yud–vav–yud = nine letters) — and afterwards she too shines from the nine yudin [15911/maamar_020 :: summary]. Three times alef equals שלג (snow, 333): "and to the snow He says, 'Be, earth'" (כי לשלג יאמר הוי ארץ, Iyov 37:6) — "from the snow the Nukva is rectified" [15911/maamar_020 :: summary]. The female is thus associated with snow's whiteness and with earth: the receiver that makes the flow concrete.

Key distinctions

Related concepts

Ze'ir Anpin, Malchus, the yichud of Tiferes and Malchus (l'shem yichud), Shechinah, Gevurah, dakar v'nukva.

Sources