In the nine parts to Section 2, we will look at a number of the Sefirot and how they manifest in the characters and story of the movies. Some of the individuals relate very specifically to one Sefirah and in other cases (i.e., Morpheus) we find a number of different sefirotic qualities appearing at different times. For each of these we will present a minimal amount of information on the Sefirah, including terms that associated it in Torah literature, followed by a look at how it emanates within the movies.
—
Malkhut is the first of the Sefirot when viewing from the bottom up. As such it is the Sefirah closely associated with the world. Because the other Sefirot are above, it is said all of their emanations ‘pour into’ Malkhut.
Terms that Malkhut is associated with include; Kingdom, Sabbath, Atarah (diadem), lower Crown, Assembly of Israel, Court of God, the oral Torah, Bride, Wife, lower Mother, the lesser “hey” (the last letter in the name YHVH), ADONAI, the Honorable Name, the non-Lucid Mirror, Hidden Miracles, the etrog [on Sukkot], earth, moon, queen, nukveh (the female), Rachel, Tefillin of the Hand, humility and King David.
The Sefirah of Malkhut is connected to many concepts as it relates to the Shekinah, the divine presence in the world. It is the Sefirah directly associated with the Shekina, God’s visible presence on earth. The realm of Malkhut is the first spiritual world closest to the physical earth. Malkhut, with its association to the image of “the bride,” has a special relationship with the Sefirah of Tiferet, the latter being linked to Messiah and the bridegroom.
When Malkhut is said to draw energy from the left (judgmental) side of the Tree of Life, it is associated with the “fear of God.” This gives Malkhut another aspect to its relationship with Tiferet, which is linked to the “love of God,” drawing more from the right (merciful) side.
Malkhut also has a relationship with Chokmah/Wisdom in that they are the first and last of the nine “knowable” Sefirot (those below Keter). An understanding of this relationship between Malkhut and Chokmah, sheds light on certain scriptures.
Malkhut, with its aspect of “fear of God,” and being the closest Sefirah to man, is the first one that we should try “seek.” Chokmah, as mentioned, is Wisdom, the Sefirot from which all things in creation emanate.
Keeping this in mind, note how the following verses are connected:
Proverbs 9:10a – The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:
Matthew 6:33 – But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
However, by interjecting the equivalent Sefirotic terms, the interpretation of the above two verses becomes quite similar:
Proverbs 9:10a – The MALKHUT of the LORD is the beginning of CHOKMAH.
Matthew 6:33 – But seek ye first the MALKHUT of God, and his righteousness; and all the rest of the Sefirot up to CHOKMAH shall be added unto you. (1)
We can now see that these two verses are teaching the same lesson. In both cases, we are told to seek the closest Sefirot of Malkhut (the Kingdom) so that knowledge (Da’at) of the entire Image of God (which is imbedded Chokmah) will be opened up to us.
Wisdom was given to Solomon through the “daughter,” which is Malkhut-Kingship. It is an important Kabbalistic teaching that Malkhut-Kingship is the Sefirah through which all others are revealed. Since Solomon made himself a counterpart of Malkhut-Kingship, he could draw through it. (2)
TRINITY
The character of Trinity represents various aspects of Malkhut, which is known in kabbalah as the ‘first gate’ as it is “closest” to us and the entry to the higher spiritual worlds. It is associated with the quality of humility. This is why the Tenakh tells us that G-d resists the proud but opens himself to the humble, and we are told to “seek first the Kingdom (Malkhut), then all else will be added.”
Neo’s connection to Trinity is the most critical relationship in the story. It is because he “seeks first the Kingdom” (seeking what is beyond his world and connecting with Trinity after she “knocks” for him through his computer) that “all” (the truth of what is beyond the Matrix, etc.), is then “added to him.”
Neo’s first meeting with Trinity is in the setting of a peculiar nightclub – not a place he would have normally gone to, but he took the clue he had received (to ‘follow the white rabbit’) on faith, descending further into a very “dark” place within the Matrix world.
We see several such places in the Matrix, where people “waste their lives away” with mundane pursuits. These are part of the “klippot” which are the “shells” that further cover the truth of reality for those in the Matrix. (The cave scene in Zion and the Merovingian’s Club function in similar manner.)
An even bigger surprise for Neo is shown in their first dialog when he finds Trinity is female:
Neo: “I just thought…you were a guy.”
Trinity: “Most guys do.”
Trinity, being the connection within the Matrix to the ‘real world’ that exists beyond the Matrix, is equivalent to the divine presence (Shekinah) which is synonymous with Ruach haKodesh, Malkhut/Kingdom, etc., all ‘feminine’ concepts having to do with the ‘physical world’ we live in, which mirrors the upper spiritual worlds.
Thus begins a behind the scenes ‘love story’ in the Matrix between the ‘lower female’ (“nukveh”) and the ‘mashiach in potential,’ and how this all ascends through the worlds. Their relationship mirrors that of Jacob and Rachel in the Torah. It is not a coincidence that like Rachel, Trinity meets an early death and does not get to go on with the others.
Each of the levels that Neo encounters/gains is also associated with a Biblical character. The first gate of Malkhut/Kingdom is linked to David, (to whom the ‘future’ kingdom is promised.)
It is interesting to note that though we ‘start at David’ (Kingdom) ‘the Kingdom’ is yet to come. As the second movie trailer/poster stated (quoting a scene with the Oracle):
“Everything That Has A Beginning Has An End.”
This is derived from the Sefer Yetzirah (the “Book of Formation”) which says:
“The end [of a thing] is in its beginning and its beginning is in its end.”
NOTES
(1). The term “all these things,” represents Yesod, the Sefirah immediately above Malkhut, as “all” (“Kol”) the other Sefirot (and the creation that springs from them) “channel” through Yesod in order to get to Malkhut. Thus all/kol carries the meaning of all spiritual emanations in the Image of G-d.
(2) The Bahir: Translation, Introduction and Commentary, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach Maine, 1979, p.130.