Kabbalah sa Malakias 3:6: Zohar, Pardes Rimmonim, Baal HaSulam's Preface to Zohar & Da'at Tevunot

This is true for a woman who comes from the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, but if she is from the Shechinah she remains unchanged. This is the meaning of, "For I am Hashem, I do not change" (Malachi 3:6). "I" is the Shechinah, who has no fear from the other sides [ i.e. the kelipot]. This is the meaning of, "All nations before Him are as nothing" (Isaiah 40:17).

Rabbi Nechunya also wrote that this Name pertains to Chesed, divided into 72 bridges, each bridge having one of these names. He called them bridges as a metaphor for crossing the waters of Chesed. This Name is derived from the verses: "And He journeyed, and He came, and He stretched out" (Exodus 14:19-21), with the first verse in order, the second in reverse, and the third in order again. How? "And He journeyed" represents the secret of Chesed straightforwardly, "And He came" in reverse represents the secret of Gevurah, and "And He stretched out" straightforwardly represents Tiferet. This is explained in the Zohar. The Zohar states in Parashat Beshalach (51b): "The arrangement of these letters, the first letters are written in order in a straight path. Because all the first letters are found in Chesed to go straightforwardly in a correct arrangement. The second letters are written in reverse order. Because all the second letters are found in Gevurah to reveal judgments and weapons coming from the left side. The third letters are written in order to show the beauty to be adorned in the Holy King. And all are connected and bound together, and He is adorned with His crowns in a straight path, inscribed on both sides like a king adorned with all. Here the Holy Name is inscribed in 72 letters crowned with the Patriarchs in a supreme holy array. If you ask why the third letters are not all written straightforwardly or in reverse, it is to balance both sides, for it is said, 'You have established upright paths' (Isaiah 26:7), the Holy One makes paths for both sides, and it is written, 'And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end' (Exodus 26:28), which is the Holy One. Rabbi Yitzchak said, 'This is Jacob, and all is one.' Therefore, the King, who is complete in all, His mind is complete in all. What is the way of this King? His face shines like the sun always because He is complete. And when He judges, He judges favorably and unfavorably. Therefore, one must be cautious of Him. A fool sees the King’s face shining and smiling and does not guard himself from Him. A wise person sees the King’s face shining and says, 'Indeed, the King is complete, complete in all, His mind is complete. I see that within this brightness, judgment is seated and concealed, even though it is not visible, for if it were not so, He would not be a complete King. Therefore, one must be cautious of Him.' Thus, the Holy One is always complete in this way and in that way, but is not visible except in the brightness of His face. Therefore, the fools are punished by Him, but the wise are cautious, saying, 'Indeed, the King is complete, although His face appears bright, judgment is concealed within Him.'". Rabbi Yehuda said, "From here it is understood that 'I am YHVH, I do not change' (Malachi 3:6), does not switch to another place. In Me, all is included. These two aspects are included in Me, therefore, all appears straightforward." Even though the letters are held to one side and the other, they are written in order.

When the Zohar describes the vessels of Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut that are in Atzilut as growing or diminishing as a result of people’s actions, and we likewise find³⁵Zohar, Bo, section 7 that “Israel... give force and power to the Holy one, blessed be He,” which implicitly refers to the Divinity itself, these statements cannot be understood in accordance with their plain meaning, since no change in the Divinity is possible, God forbid, as it is written: “I, Havaya, have not changed etc.”³⁶Malachi 3:6. Rather, since the initial intent for the Creation was to bestow benefit on His created beings, we can learn from this that He has a will to bestow. And since we find in this world that the satisfaction of one who gives grows when those who receive from him increase, and he desires that there be more recipients, it is from this perspective that it is said that the brains grow in Atzilut when the lower creations merit receiving the shefa of Atzilut, or that they nurture it.³⁷The lower beings "nurture" Atzilut when they receive its divine bestowal. The same applies to the reverse case – when the lower creations are unworthy of receiving His shefa, it is as though the brains diminish to that extent, meaning that there is no one to receive from them.³⁸When the lower beings are worthy of receiving the divine bestowal, they become more expansive vessels for God's shared light. This is described as the brains of Atzilut now "growing," as they can now give more, since the receiver has grown. Thus, the "growth" of the brains of Atzilut is really just a reference to the increased capacity of the lower beings to receive that which is within Atzilut.