Shins Of Messianic Consciousness

The Divine 4-headed shin of Hashem and of the matriarchs represents chochmah of binah of atzilut, with its base representing the malchut of echad. Concealed within the natural functions of the universe, it is imperceptible to the limited and unrectified human mind. This shin represents the changeless dark essence - the dark light corresponding to the love of the Land of Israel, and represents rectification of the sin of the spies. The 4 heads of the shin represent the future to come (lamed ayin tav yud dalet - lamed beit aleph) and the level of imma ila'ah (of atzilut) in unity with the malchut of echad (of Ein Sof). The lower partzuf of imma ila'ah is tevunah, the power to apprehend the future world. Comprehension of this apprehension is also called the coming world (olam haba). Thus, the 4-headed shin alludes to both the coming world (the lower brilliance) and to the future world (the higher brilliance).

Found on the original tablets from Sinai, the 4-headed shin is embossed on the left side of the tefillin worn on the head (the reish of raz, where raz symbolizes the mystery of Mashiach Ben David). This shin comes into existence by framing and penetrating the innards of the 3-headed shin of this world (olam hazeh). By penetrating the innards of the 3-headed shin, a fourth vav, representing the archetypal righteous convert (ger tzedek) or baal teshuvah transforms upon arising from the dark base point of the malchut of echad into a zayin (the zayin of raz, where the zayin represents revelation of a once-hidden holy spark through the ger tzedek and/or baal teshuvah). This zayin (true favor) unifies the Divine, the spiritual and the physical, and serves as a conduit for the provision of sustenance to Israel and to the whole world, atzilut to assiyah, flowing from the malchut of echad. The true favor found in zayin is the sum (58) of seven components hidden in the form of the 3-headed shin of this world (3 yuds above 3 vavs on the yud of the base). The 3-headed shin of Elokim and of the patriarchs, similar to the one used in the Torah scroll, represents binah of chochmah of the lower worlds of beriyah, yetzirah and assiyah, with its base (turned upside down and inside out like a nun hafucha) established in the malchut of atzilut. It is found on the right side of the tefillin worn on the head and refers to the human mind and to its ability to receive intangible insight through the connecting dalet of darga (the ta'am elyon) and to perceive reality.

Additionally regarding the 4-headed shin, the transformative vav, the letter of truth, represents of the penetration of unblemished truth into the false grace of this world, transforming the lie (shin kof reish) into the vowel shurek (shin vav reish kof), thereby redeeming and revealing the once-hidden spark of truth upon which the lie once stood. This transformation is the rectification of the sefirah yesod, which in the form of a tet (having the power to bear opposites and to unite heaven and earth) "frames" malchut, and in the form of a vav contains the seed of truth. The rectification of the dark essence of malchut by framing (a function of tet) and penetrating into the heart of vav (a function of zayin) through tevunah (the lower partzuf of imma ila'ah), transforms the inner essence of vav (da'at) into the zayin of shabbat consciousness, and raises the 3-headed shin "above the wood" of the lower worlds into the world of atzilut, by turning it inside out and upside down upon the pivoting action of tradition through shalshelet (ta'am tachton). Attainment of shabbat consciousness and the elevation of the mundane to the holiness of atzilut marks rectification of the tree of knowledge, enabling unification of truth with favor through knowledge - ushering into every malchut the messianic consciousness of echad. Through the prism action of malchut, messianic consciousness is reflected, iterated and spread throughout all levels of existence, surging through all with the brightness and brilliance of the Ein Sof. Thus is the dark primordial pit of the tehiru and the whole world infused with the brilliance of the Infinite One.