The light of giving (or ḥassadim) is the type of shefa that is revealed as a result of the will or desire of a created being to give. This light originates in the second level of the sefirot, the level of Bina. This is in contrast to the other type of shefa, the light of Ḥokhma, which is the light of the Creator that emanates in and from the first level of the sefirot, the level of Ḥokhma. Although the light of giving is not the main lifeforce of the created beings, it contains an important quality related to the constriction (tzimtzum). Constriction involves the abstention of the vessel of the will to receive (the vessel of Malkhut) from receiving the light of the Creator. However, this constriction of the vessel applies only to the light of Ḥokhma. The receiving vessel for the light of Ḥokhma is the will of the created being to receive. After the constriction this vessel is disqualified as a vessel for the divine light. However, constriction does not apply to the light of giving, whose vessel is the will of the created being to give. One result of this difference in the effects of the constriction is that the light of giving illuminates in places and ways where the light of Ḥokhma does not shine. Additionally, by enclothing the light of Ḥokhma in the light of giving, the light of giving helps the light of Ḥokhma illuminate levels from which it would otherwise be restricted.
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