The Ascending Stages of Malchut

The Ascending Stages of Malchut
By Rabbi Amichai Cohen

Malchut, the final of the Ten Sefirot, is unique in nature. Unlike the other Sefirot, which are primarily conduits of divine flow, Malchut is the culmination and purpose of them all. It is traditionally seen as the receiving Sefira—silent, reflective, and lacking light of its own. Yet, paradoxically, Malchut holds the potential to ascend and even surpass the higher Sefirot. As Chassidut teaches, “That which is highest descends lowest, and that which is lowest stems from the highest source.”

The Arizal, in Etz Chaim (Gate 6, Chapter 6), reveals that Malchut evolves through a profound four-stage process:

Stage One: The Point
At its initial stage, Malchut is merely a point beneath the other Sefirot—especially under Yesod. It has no independent expression and exists only as a potential, utterly concealed and without form.

Stage Two: The Constructed Form
Malchut becomes a Partzuf (a spiritual persona or structure), situated beneath Tiferet. Here, it begins to receive light from the higher Sefirot, though only from their more external aspects. Malchut remains a receiver, still not yet fully activated.

Stage Three: Ascent to the Intellect
Malchut rises to the level of the intellectual Sefirot—Chochmah, Binah, and Da’at. At this point, Malchut attains parity with the highest lights, no longer merely receiving but beginning to influence and bestow upon the lower realms.

Stage Four: Sharing the Crown
Ultimately, Malchut ascends to Keter—the Crown itself. Here, Malchut receives directly from the source of divine will and becomes a channel to all other Sefirot, including the intellectual ones. It now shares in the very essence of divine leadership.

The Arizal connects these stages with the mystical journey of the moon—its initial diminishment and ultimate renewal. This is mirrored in the Talmudic passage (Chulin 60b), where the moon questions its role:

“God made the two great luminaries… the greater light and the lesser light.”
The moon said: “Can two kings wear one crown?”
God replied: “Go and make yourself smaller.”
The moon protested: “Must I diminish myself for speaking truth?”
God consoled the moon: “The righteous will be named after you—Jacob the Small, David the Small…”

This cryptic dialogue hints at a deep spiritual process: the apparent diminishment of Malchut is not a demotion, but a preparation for elevation. The moon—and Malchut—returns to fullness, not by reclaiming dominance, but by becoming a vessel worthy of divine illumination.

Chassidut, particularly in the teachings of the Rebbe Rashab (Samech Vav, p. 285), explains that in the spiritual order, Zeir Anpin (the six emotional Sefirot) serves as the Mashpia (bestower), while Malchut is the Mekabel (receiver). Yet the divine expression within the world of Atzilut and the infinite light (Or Ein Sof) flows through all the Sefirot. The realm of Malchut encompasses the descent into time and space—the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah. Through Malchut, the infinite is made manifest in the finite.

In this way, the journey of Malchut reflects our own spiritual path—beginning in silence and concealment, rising through integration, and culminating in the revelation of divine royalty.