Act V — The VesselSection 40 of 74
Knesses Yisrael: The Great Receiver
Kabbalah identifies Knesses Yisrael, the collective soul of Israel, with Malchus and Shechinah in many contexts.
The phrase itself means the gathering of Israel.
A gathering.
This is Malchutic.
Malchus gathers.
She does not erase the tribes.
Reuven remains Reuven.
Yehudah remains Yehudah.
Levi remains Levi.
Each tribe has a distinct path.
Yet Knesses Yisrael receives them into a collective.
Unity without sameness.
This is another expression of the feminine architecture.
The receiver can contain difference.
A kingdom is not a single citizen multiplied.
It is a field in which many citizens can belong.
This is why Malchus has such enormous relevance to Geulah. Redemption must gather the dispersed without destroying particularity.
וְנָשָׂא נֵס לַגּוֹיִם וְאָסַף נִדְחֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
“He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the dispersed of Israel” (Isaiah 11:12).
The King gathers.
Malchus becomes Knesses.