Merkavah (Divine Chariot)

The concept of Merkavah is complete self-nullification (bitul), to the extent that one becomes like a chariot to the rider. Through the Merkavah, the rider is elevated to a place where, without the Merkavah, the rider could not have reached. Generally, there are two aspects of Merkavah: Merkavta Ila'ah (the Upper Chariot), which refers to the Avot (Patriarchs) who are the chariot for the world of Atzilut, and Merkavta Tata'ah (the Lower Chariot), which is the chariot of the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah (BY"A).

Its Essence

The essence of Merkavah is complete self-nullification to the will of the rider, and through the Merkavah, the rider reaches a place that without the Merkavah he could not have reached.

Generally, there are two levels of Merkavah. The first is the Avot, who are in the category of "Chayot Ila'in" (Upper Beasts), who are the Merkavah of Atzilut, also called Merkavta Ila'ah. The second is "Chayot Tata'in" (Lower Beasts), which is the Merkavah of the worlds of BY"A, which are the camps of Michael and Gabriel, the angels of the world of Beriah, and to this concept also belong the Tribes and their division into four flags.

Merkavta Ila'ah (Upper Chariot)

The Avot, about whom it is said "the Avot themselves are the Merkavah," meaning the Avot are a chariot for the Sefirot of the world of Atzilut. The purpose of this Merkavah is to elevate Hashem's attributes to Him in a state of nullification, as it says, "Yours, Hashem, is the greatness and the might," etc., so that through them flows the revelation of G-dliness and the light of the Ein Sof, blessed be He, literally. This happens through self-sacrifice to Hashem with yearning and thirst to be included and nullified in the light of Ein Sof, blessed be He, literally.

Merkavta Tata'ah (Lower Chariot)

The Twelve Tribes are the Merkavta Tata'ah, which is the level of Atzilut within Beriah, meaning they connect Beriah to Atzilut. That is, when Malchut of Atzilut descends to be concealed in Beriah, they elevate it to connect it to Atzilut. This is because the Twelve Tribes are the twelve oxen that were under the Sea that Solomon made, with three facing north and three facing south, which are the flags of the Tribes that comprise four camps in Beriah, and the Sea above them is the level of Malchut of Atzilut.

They are the drawing down and descent of the Upper Merkavah to Beriah. For this reason, the Tribes are called by this name, which implies drawing down, like a comet (shavit).

The Ofanim and the Holy Chayot carry the Merkavah. This Merkavah is called Merkavta Tata'ah, and upon it is the Throne, which is the level of Malchut of Atzilut.

Merkavot of the Worlds of BY"A

Specifically, Merkavta Tata'ah is the Merkavah of the world of Beriah, and there also exist the Merkavah of Yetzirah and the Merkavah of Asiyah.

Beriah

The concept of the Merkavot of the worlds of BY"A is that the Shechinah, Malchut of Atzilut, does not descend below to the worlds of BY"A except through the Merkavah, even to prophets like Isaiah and Ezekiel, except that one saw the Merkavah of Beriah, and the other saw the Merkavah of Yetzirah. And all the descents of Malchut of Atzilut downward, and all its ascents, are all through the Merkavah.

Isaiah perceived the Merkavah of Beriah, and therefore saw "Hashem Tzeva'ot sitting on a high and lofty throne, and Seraphim standing above Him," and the Seraphim of the world of Beriah say "Holy, Holy, Holy," which is the concept of Keter Malchut of Beriah.

Yetzirah

Similarly, Ezekiel saw the Merkavah of Yetzirah with the Ofanim and the Holy Chayot, which is Keter Malchut of Yetzirah. This is the aspect of Beriah within Yetzirah, because in every world there are aspects of BY"A.

Asiyah

Zechariah saw the Merkavah of Asiyah, where Keter Malchut of Asiyah shines. These are the aspects of letters, and therefore he saw horses, because horses represent letters, and letters are the aspect of inanimate objects, since the world of Asiyah in relation to Yetzirah is like the relationship of the inanimate to the vegetative.

From the waste of the Merkavah of Asiyah come all the physical influences of this world. From the eagle face in the Merkavah of Asiyah, through a chain of descent, come the birds of this world. The lion face in the Merkavah is the root of the life-force of the wild animals in this world. From the ox face in the Merkavah of Asiyah, through many chains of descent, comes the root of the soul of domesticated animals, and from there comes the animal soul of humans. And from the aspect of the Man on the Throne comes the G-dly soul within humans.