גלגלתא

In Kabbalah, the גלגלתא ("skull") of a פרצוף is its כתר, which, in psychological terms, represents the will to actualize the content of the פרצוף. However, when mentioned in Chassidus without context, גלגלתא refers specifically to the "Skull" of אריך אנפין, the כתר of אריך אנפין—that is, the "כתר of כתר."

Just as the skull sits above the brain, in the realm of the ספירות (within כתר), גלגלתא—the כתר of אריך אנפין—sits above מוחא סתימאה, the "hidden brain," which represents the חכמה of אריך אנפין.

אריך אנפין is also referred to as גלגלתא, or the "skull." It houses the Seven Tikkunim of Galgalta, which correspond to the מידות (emotional attributes) of אריך אנפין.

The Source of Galgalta

The חסד of עתיק יומין is invested into the כתר of אריך אנפין—i.e., גלגלתא. עתיק יומין represents תענוג, while אריך אנפין represents רצון.

Thus, the flow of pleasure from עתיק יומין becomes the interface or source for the emanation of רצון in אריך אנפין. This interface is expressed through כתר, the highest ספירה of the פרצוף, and the first step in transforming the power of pleasure into the power of will.

The Difference Between Skull and Crown

Although גלגלתא and כתר are sometimes used interchangeably in Kabbalah, there is a fundamental difference.

The skull is an analogy for an encompassing light that still relates (שייך) to a pnimiyus'dike light—like a person’s skull that encompasses the brain but remains connected to it. The skull is part of the body just as the brain is.

However, when כתר is mentioned in its most essential sense, it refers to an or makif that transcends any possibility of internalization. It is above even the makif-light represented by the analogy of the skull.