Кохелет 11:5 Каббала: The Beginning

136. All the stages of life; embryonic (Ibur), infancy (Yenikah), childhood (Katnut), adulthood (Gadlut) etc., hint at the Divine conducts.¹⁷⁸See at greater length in Shaar HaYichud of Rabbi DovBer of Lubavitch, translated as The Gate of Unity, Ch. 34-35, and the introductions and notes there. The embryonic stage (Ibur), in which the embryo is concealed and totally dependent on its mother for sustenance, is comparable to a time of severity, in which the world lacks merit and Divine revelation, as stated,¹⁷⁹Deuteronomy 31:18 “I shall surely hide My face on that day.” It then is sustained solely through HaShem’s-יהו"ה grace and the merit of the patriarchs (Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov). This connection between the embryonic stage and HaShem’s-יהו"ה conduct in relation to His world, is hinted at in the scriptural verse,¹⁸⁰Ecclesiastes 11:5 “Just as you know not what the way of the wind is, or how the bones grow in the womb.” The bondage in Egypt,¹⁸¹GR’A to Sifra D’Tzniuta, end of chapter one. as well as our present state of exile, constitutes such a period. The state of the Jewish people during the exodus was comparable to infancy (Yenikah), marking the birth of the nation. However, since they had yet to receive Torah and Mitzvot, they lacked meritorious deeds. In like manner, there is a relationship between all of man’s life stages and the deeds of HaShem-יהו"ה in relation to His world.