What is the meaning of the concept ‘The Breaking of the Vessels’?
It states in the Midrash that before the world was created the Creator would create worlds and destroy them. The Arizal writes that this does not refer to physical worlds, but to spiritual ones. This is the world of Tohu (chaos), which is in the chain of descent above the spiritual world of Atzilus – the world of Emanation (and is also called the Nekudim).
In the world of Tohu (chaos) each of the ten Divine Energies appeared in its entire force and intensity and did not make way for other energies. For example, the energy of Chessed (lovingkindness) revealed itself and did not make way for the energy of Gevurah (severity), and vice versa. As a result of this spiritual collision (another way of putting it is ‘great lights in small vessels’) the vessels broke and fell down to lower worlds, and this is what formed the impure husks or shells, and the powers of concealment.
The purpose of the soul is to come ‘down’ to the world and elevate all the sparks of holiness that fell from on high. Of course, this shattering was not, G d forbid, coincidental—it was part of a Divine plan to allow the Supernal Light to shine through in a rectified manner. Although it sounds metaphorical, this process is a spiritual one which has different manifestations in a person’s soul.