Second Constriction (Kabbalah)

The second constriction occurred in one of the formative stages of the partzufim of Adam Kadmon , in order to enable the creation of man and this world. The fourth level, or phase of creation, which constitutes the will to receive, or the attribute of judgment, also known as the level of Malkhut, rose and mingled with the second level, which constitutes the will to give, or the attribute of mercy, also known as the level of Bina, and thus the partition that is upon the level Malkhut rose to the second level as well. As a consequence of the partition’s new position, the light of the levels beneath the second level, the third and fourth levels, was darkened. It is this intermingling of the will to give with the will to receive that creates the capacity for free choice between these options for human beings.