Editing The World of Beriah (section)

== The Beginning of Separation ==
The World of Beriah is the first world in the order of hishtalshelut (downward chain of worlds) where separate created beings are formed. This is the meaning of the verse, "And a river flows out of Eden," meaning the sefirah of Binah, which is called a river, flows out from the sefirah of Chochmah, which is called Eden, "to water the garden," meaning Malchut of Atzilut, "and from there it separates into four heads," meaning that beginning from the World of Beriah, there is division and separation, and there are separate created beings.

However, the existence that is renewed in the World of Beriah is considered an existence only in relation to the World of Atzilut above it, but in truth it is not yet an actual existence since in the World of Beriah there is only the material of the created beings but they do not yet have form, and since material without form cannot exist, this world is defined only as "potentially existent" (with the form being received by the created beings in the World of Yetzirah).

The beginning of the division into separate created beings is into four camps, both among angels and souls, and each of these four camps is divided into three sections. Thus, the angels are drawn from the twelve oxen which are the aspect of the merkavah (Divine chariot). And the souls are drawn from the twelve tribes. All these aspects draw from the twelve diagonal borders of Zeir Anpin of the World of Atzilut.