Likutei Moharan 24:9/ליקוטי מוהר"ן כ״ד:ט׳

19. {This subject is very deep indeed, who can fathom it? As is clear to the wise, and as the Rebbe Nachman himself hinted to me about the great depths of this awesome mystery, which reaches high above… and as is clear from this lesson to those who study it. There is thus a need to clarify the matter somewhat. As follows:

2The Keter is what controls the mentalities; it is the power which the human intellect has to compose and organize the mind and the seat of knowledge so that it does not hazard to cross over the boundary. This power is the aspect of Keter, as explained. It is like a partition which separates between the mentalities and the Light of the Infinite One. For this power, which is the controls, restrains the mentalities at the time of their running and racing so that they do not hazard ascending to God, higher than their partition. This is because the mentalities race in order to grasp the Light of the Infinite One, and this power of the intellect—the controls/ Keter —stands in their way like a partition and restrains them from racing, as above.

3And by virtue of the racing and restraining—i.e., the racing of the mentalities in order to grasp the Light of the Infinite One, and the power of restraint, the power of the controls/ Keter —because of these two concepts the mentalities collide with and strike the partition, the controls, and through this chambers are created for the Light of the Infinite One. In other words, the aspect of vessels and chambers are created in the spiritual realm through which to grasp the Light of the Infinite One, blessed is He, in the aspect of reaching and not reaching. For were there no restraining factor whatsoever, were there no one to hold the mentalities back from racing and running, the mentalities would become totally nullified. The person would be voided in Supreme Reality. This is because the Light of the Infinite One is impossible to grasp. But, by virtue of the two aspects, the racing and the restraining, the concept of partitions and chambers are created. Through them one grasps the Light of the Infinite One, [but] only in the aspect of reaching and not reaching.

4The explanation of “reaching and not reaching” is known to the initiated: it is attaining and not attaining. One races and strives to grasp, and nevertheless does not attain and grasp. This comes about as a result of the racing and restraining, as explained. And though these chambers are created, they are nevertheless “neither known nor make themselves known. There is no one who can comprehend them… they do not make themselves attainable or known,” as above. For it is impossible to picture the insights of these chambers in the intellect, as they are higher than nefesh, ruach and neshamah —higher than all the Intellects—because they are higher than the sefirot, as explained above in the Rebbe’s own language.

5Study [the lesson] well and understand, for I have added nothing at all. My words are all encompassed in his. I have only reviewed and explained the teachings a bit because of their great and infinite depth.

6And this is why specifically nine chambers are created. The mentalities are three, but because they race and strike the restraining factor they become encompassed in one another, so that each one is [then] made up of three; and three times three is nine. This is the concept of the Nine Chambers mentioned earlier.

7Fortunate is he who is worthy of going and ascending the path of holiness spoken of in this teaching, until he merits these insights.}