In this world of exile, a lot of parents tend to project their desires onto their children. They seek honor through them, wanting to see them “succeed”: to study, work, and ultimately submit to capitalism and materialism.
The world is in a bad state because people respect their parents and families too much.
In Kabbalah, the hierarchy of worlds is explained through metaphors that compare key spiritual principles to the four archetypal members of the family structure.
The Father, Mother, Son, and Daughter are “Partsufim.” A “Partsuf” is a combination of one or more sephirot, representing a “face” of God.
THE FATHER: Abba. Corresponds to the sefirah of Chokhmah (Wisdom), to the world of Atsilut (Emanation), and to the letter Yud in God’s name YHVH.
THE MOTHER: Ima. Corresponds to the sefirah of Binah (Understanding), to the world of Beriah (Creation), and to the first letter Heh of YHVH.
THE SON: Zeir Anpin. Corresponds to the six sephirot tied to Midot (Character Traits), to the world of Yetzirah (Formation), and to the Vav of YHVH.
THE DAUGHTER: Shechinah (Divine Presence). Corresponds to the sefirah of Malchut (Kingship), to the world of Assiyah (Action), and to the second Heh of YHVH.
“You cannot serve God and Papa”: We have only one father, one true Father.
Abba, the Father, corresponds to the Yud of YHVH.
The Yud is compared to a drop, a seed. Yud is connected to the word “idea.” It is an idea, an inspiration that needs to germinate and unfold.
To truly do the will of the Father is to follow through with your ideas and intuitions. It is to live out your childhood dreams.
“You cannot serve God and Maman”: the work of blackness, the first step in the alchemical process, is compared to matricide. One must break the matrix, the illusion of the material world, in order to be reborn.
The “Jewish mother,” from the darker side, lives in externality. She seeks control over her son, pushing him to become a lawyer, doctor, or businessman…
The luminous Jewish mother, on the other hand, possesses Binah. She can distinguish between “Or” in French (gold) and “Or” in Hebrew (light, אור).
