The Sh’ma Thought In Kabbalah And Chassidus

Kabbalah:

Zohar Nefesh Hachaim Shaar 3 chapter 11 Gate I, Chapter 11

The ten utterances are also designated “utterances” only in relation to created beings since this is a term that relates to revelation, as shall presently be explained.

For just as the emotive attributes of the human soul, when they surface in order to be revealed in [a corresponding] action, appear enclothed in the letters of thought, [so do the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He]—for example, the soul’s attribute of kindness and mercy cannot be revealed (i.e., find expression) in actual deed unless one first thinks about and contemplates doing an actual act of charity and kindness, for one cannot act without thought.

It sometimes happens that before an emotive attribute finds expression in action, it must first become enclothed not only in thought but also in speech. This is now explained.

If a person, such as a king, commands others to perform [an act of kindness], then the attribute of kindness and with it the letters of thought are garbed in the letters of speech.

(This is also the case when one speaks words of kindness and compassion to his friend)—

Thus, it is through letters of thought or letters of speech that the soul’s faculties and attributes are revealed—so, figuratively speaking, when the emotive attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He, reach the level at which their activity is to be revealed in the lower [worlds], this revelation and the flow of this action are called an “utterance” and a combination of letters, for there can be no action proceeding from His holy, emotive attributes without [the intermediacy of] combinations which are called “letters.”

Action can result (or be revealed) from G-d’s emotive attributes only when a number of particular powers combine to produce this revelation.

For instance, for the creation of light from the attribute of kindness, there issued from it a flow of action and a power with which to produce and create the light.

The attribute of kindness is capable of producing varying results and various manifestations of creation, as shall soon be explained. In order for it to create light rather than something else, the attribute of chesed must produce a specific revelation and power whose makeup is such that specifically light will be created from it.

The flow of this power and this life-force is called by the name of the “utterance” and the [combination of the] letters [that constitute the Biblical phrase], “Let there be light.”

Although they are not actual letters of thoughtlike our letters of thought, G‑d forbid, The Alter Rebbe had previously drawn an analogy: just as a person’s soul is revealed through letters of thought, so, too, do the Divine attributes become manifest through letters of thought. He therefore forestalls any misunderstanding by pointing out in the above clause that whereas the soul actually contains letters, with all their inherent limitations, this is not so Above.

Nevertheless, they are similar to our letters of thought in that they are a phenomenon which indicates the bringing into existence of the light from nothing; i.e., they are the particular power that creates light.

Hence, light was created from this flow of power, and not other things, which were also created from the attribute of kindness, such as water and the like, Thus, the combination of letters is such that this Divine power specifically creates light. It is therefore deemed to be the “utterance” which proclaimed, “Let there be light.” This selfsame attribute of kindness creates other things, such as water, because in them were clothed powers from other combinations, which indicate the bringing into existence of water and the like.

Accordingly, all life-forces and powers which issue from [G‑d’s] holy, emotive attributes to the lower [worlds], to create them Ex Nihilo and to give them life and sustain them, are called “holy letters.”

These are the flow of the life-force from His will and His wisdom and His emotive attributes to bring worlds into being and give them life.

These worlds that are created by the lettersare of two kinds:

“hidden worlds unrevealed,” which come into existence and live and are sustained by concealed powers and life-forces, like, for example, the letters of thought in the human soul, Just as the letters of each man’s thought are concealed from others, these Divine powers are similarly concealed from created beings. From them were created the “hidden worlds.” And “worlds revealed,” [which] were created and live from the revelation of the hidden powers and life-forces called “letters of thought.”

When these [“letters of thought”] are in a state of revelation in order to give life to the revealed worlds, they are called “utterances” and “the word of G‑d” and the “breath of His mouth,”like, for example, the letters of a man’s speech, which reveal to his listeners what was concealed and hidden in his heart.

Likewise, the Divine “letters of speech” are a revelation of the force that grants existence and infuses life into those created beings that are of the category of “worlds revealed.”

In truth, however, the supernal letters of speech are far higher than the level and essence of the wisdom and intellect of created beings.

In this, they differ from the letters of man’s thought and speech, which are “inanimate” and belong to a level far lower than intellect.

The Alter Rebbe now demonstrates that the supernal letters of speech transcend man’s intellect and wisdom:

For man, possessor of wisdom and intellect, was created by the utterance and the letters of [the phrase], “Let us make man in our image…,” Since wisdom and intellect are derived from these letters, it is obvious that the letters themselves are far superior to them. Or [man, possessor of wisdom and intellect, was created] even3 by the Divine breath alone, as it is written, “And He breathed into his nostrils a soul of life.”

It was from this “breath” that was breathed into man that he became a rational being.

Hence, since Divine speech and breath create man, who possesses wisdom and intellect, it follows that the Divine speech and breath are the source of wisdom and intellect in the soul of Adam, which contains all the souls of the tzaddikim, who are superior to the ministering angels and whose intellect too is superior to that of the angels. All this came forth from the Divine speech and breath.

The reason [for the transcendence of the supernal letters over the soul] is that the letters of [G‑d’s] speech are effluences of power and life-force from His emotive attributes, which are united with His Essence and Being in a perfect unity that is infinitely higher than the level of wisdom in created beings.

They are termed “letters,” not in relation to created beings, but only relative to [G‑d’s] emotive attributes themselves.

The name “letters,” which signifies that they are lower than wisdom and intellect, is not applied to them in relation to created beings, for as explained earlier, they are far superior to created wisdom and intellect. Rather, this term is applied to them relative to G‑d’s emotive attributes, inasmuch as they are only “letters”—revelations of these attributes.

Now they—the supernal letters—are twenty-two kinds of effluences of life-force and power, differing from one another, by which all the higher and lower worlds and all the creatures in them were created.

For so it arose in [G‑d’s] will and wisdom that He create the world with exactly twenty-two different kinds of effluence, neither fewer nor more, and these are the twenty-two letters which are fixed in the mouth and tongue, as we have learned in Sefer Yetzirah.

(Their written shape—i.e., the shape of the letters of these utterances as written in the Torah—indicates the form of the flow, as will be explained later.)

For the letters of speech and thought in the human soul are also outflows from the essence and being of the intellect and the emotive attributes, as is explained elsewhere.

Commentary Of The Rebbe On Chapter Eleven

Having explained toward the end of chapter 11 that the supernal letters are twenty-two different kinds of effluences of life-force and power by which G‑d created the world, the Alter Rebbe goes on to say that “these are the twenty-two letters which are fixed in the mouth and tongue, as we have learned in Sefer Yetzirah.” The Alter Rebbe then goes on to say that the shape of the written letters “indicates the form of the flow.” He concludes: “For the letters of speech and thought in the human soul are also outflows from the essence and being of the intellect and emotive attributes [of the soul].”

The Rebbe asks a number of questions: First of all, what is the Alter Rebbe’s intent in saying all of the above; how does all this relate to our text? Furthermore, what is novel about the concept that the twenty-two letters “are fixed in the mouth and tongue”? Why, moreover, must proof be adduced from Sefer Yetzirah when this is something which is readily apparent to all? And why does the Alter Rebbe not state all this in chapter 2, where he explains that the Divine life-force which creates all creatures is composed of the supernal letters, and so forth?

In addition, the Alter Rebbe’s statement that “their written shape indicates the form of the flow” emphatically belongs at the end of ch. 12 where he discusses the differences between the letters at length.

The crux of the matter, explains the Rebbe, is as follows:

The general content of this chapter and the one preceding it is that the (a) ten utterances, the supernal letters, are also united with G‑d; (b) the manner of their union is wondrous. Nonetheless, they are called “light” and “utterance,” inasmuch as “the Torah speaks as in the language of man”; i.e., there is at least the degree of similarity that obtains between an analogy and its analogue. The sefirot may thus be likened to light, and their effluences—the ten utterances—may be likened to mortal utterances and letters.

Accordingly, the following questions arise:

(a) Man’s speech and letters are formed by the larynx, palate, tongue, etc., as well as by his breath. Thus, the letters of man’s speech do not derive from his intellect and emotive attributes. How, then, are these letters analogous to the ten utterances, which flow from the intellect and emotive attributes of G‑d and remain connected with Him?

(b) In point of fact, it is true even Above that speech and letters derive from the supernal “five organs of verbal articulation” (as discussed in ch. 2). How does this accord with the statement that the letters emanate from the Divine intellect and emotive attributes?

(c) The terminology in the analogue is that the power for the creation of light emanates (and not that light is “created”) from the attribute of chesedthrough the utterance, “Let there be light.” The same is true with regard to the power by which water is created: it, too, emanates from the attribute of chesed. All this clearly implies that the powers and the letters are already found within this attribute. However, this is not the case with regard to the mortal breath that forms letters. The breath itself has assumed no form at all: it is only formed into the shape of letters in the course of its passage through the organs of verbal articulation. Thus, the letters formed in the mouth are unlike the powers and letters, which are already found within the emotive attributes.

All these questions are answered by the Alter Rebbe when he states that the effluence of the powers and life-forces which emanate from the sefirot to bring about creation is both Above and below “the twenty-two letters.” These letters are merely “fixed” (i.e., implanted) “in the mouth and tongue.” Essentially, however, they are already to be found in the intellect and emotive attributes from where they are drawn down into speech. And since this concept is novel, the Alter Rebbe cites support from Sefer Yetzirah—that the twenty-two letters are indeed merely “fixed in the mouth and tongue” and not created by them.

According to the above teaching—that the letters derive from the essential core of the intellect and the emotions—we understand that the union of the letters with their essence is far greater than what it would be if they were to derive from the organs of articulation. Indeed, they are united with the essence in a manner similar to the manner in which the intellect itself (from which the letters derive) is in turn united with its essence. Moreover, this is so not only regarding the letters of thought and speech but also in regard to the letters of action: they, too, are united with their source in a similar manner. For the shape of the written letters (which denote action) indicates the form of their flow; i.e., their shape reflects the manner in which they flow from the quintessential substance of intellect and emotions.

In light of the above, concludes the Rebbe, another most difficult problem will be resolved.

The Alter Rebbe said earlier that man is created as a rational being by the Divine utterance and letters because the supernal letters are far superior to man’s intellect. Now, this reason is puzzling. The distance between letters and intellect is not measured in degrees of higher and lower, for speech and intellect are qualitatively different entities. Why, then, does the Alter Rebbe state that the supernal letters are “far higher” than the wisdom of created beings?

According to the above explanation, however, this is eminently understandable: Since the letters of speech in fact derive from wisdom—moreover, from the very essence of wisdom—they are able to give rise to wisdom and intelligence within man.

Chassidic:

Tanya In Shaar Hayichud Vemuna 6,7

Now, the Name Elokim is the Name which indicates the attribute of gevurah and tzimtzum;

Each of G‑d’s Names denotes a particular Divine attribute. The Name pronounced Keil, for example, indicates the attribute of chesed, as in the verse,1“The kindness of Keil endures throughout the day.” Likewise, the Name that indicates the attribute of gevurah or tzimtzum is Elokim; i.e., when the light of the Ein Sof garbs itself in the attribute of gevurah to bring about its own tzimtzum and concealment, it is known by the Name Elokim.

hence, it is also numerically equal to hateva(“nature”), which equals 86, “Nature” signifies the ordered way of the world. Because of its repetitiveness, people become accustomed to it, and it arouses no sense of wonder. No thought is given to the Divine power and life-force which is concealed in those things, which have an established order and are repeated constantly. For it (the Divine Name Elokim) conceals the supernal light that brings the world into existence and gives it life, the supernal light constantly creates the world ex nihilo—a feat more wondrous than the Splitting of the Red Sea. The Divine Name Elokim, however, conceals this light so that it will not be visible to created beings, and it appears as though the world exists—without having to be constantly renewed, as if permanently programmed—and is conducted according to the laws of nature, independently of any supernatural influence.

Thus, even those things which are observed to undergo some degree of renewal are also perceived as “the way of nature,” inasmuch as they follow these seemingly immutable laws.

Chasidut explains that the word טֶבַע(“nature”) has a number of meanings, including “entrenched” and “submerged.” This means that the laws of nature are so “entrenched” in creation that it is difficult to detect the ongoing process of its renewal. Additionally, just as a submerged object is completely concealed by water, so, too, is the Divine life-force utterly “submerged” and concealed within created beings.

And this Name Elokim, not as it exists in its supernal source but as it acts through the attribute of gevurah so that the world appears to be conducted in a natural manner is a shield and a sheath for the Name Havayah,

The Divine Name Havayah—as mentioned earlier in explanation of the verse, “For a sun and a shield is Havayah Elokim”—is like the illuminating sun while the Name Elokim conceals its light, as does the sun’s shield, thereby enabling created beings to benefit from it. It concealing the light and life-force that flows from the Name Havayah and brings creation into existence from naught, this being the purpose of Havayah, the Name itself meaning “to bring into existence.” This light and life-force is concealed by Elokim, so that it should not be revealed to the creatures, which would thereby become absolutely nullified.

Since it is only through the concealment effected by the Name Elokim that created beings are able to exist:

The quality of this gevurah and tzimtzum is also an aspect of chesed, through which the world is built.

This is an allusion to the verse that states: “For I declared that the world be built through [the attribute of] chesed.” For inasmuch as the world could not possibly have been created without the tzimtzum and concealment afforded by the Divine Name Elokim, it follows that the ultimate intent of this tzimtzum is actually chesed.

And this is the quality of gevurah which is included in chesed.

For example this is a form of gevurah through which an act of chesed is accomplished. As such, it is included within chesed.

From the mutual inclusion of the attributes, their opposite natures notwithstanding, it is evident that “He and His causations”—i.e., His attributes—“are One,” for since they are in complete unity with Him, they therefore unite with each other and are comprised of each other.

As Eliyahu said, in the passage beginning Patach Eliyahu, in the introduction to Tikkunei Zohar, “And You are He Who binds them (i.e., the sefirot and the attributes)together and unites them…and apart from You, there is no unity among those [attributes] above….”

The Alter Rebbe will say a little later that since the Divine Name Elokim, signifying the attribute of tzimtzum and concealment, is one with the Name Havayah, it follows that the concealment brought about by the Name Elokim is not a true concealment, for “an entity cannot conceal its own self.” Created beings are therefore absolutely nullified in relation to their source.

This, then, is the meaning of the Scriptural phrase, “and take it unto your heart that Havayah is Elokim.”

Concerning this verse, the question was asked in the first chapter: “Would it occur to you that there is a god ‘soaking’ in the waters beneath the earth so that it is necessary to caution so strongly [and negate this thought by stating that one should] ‘take it unto your heart’?”

According to the explanation given here, this question is answered: The statement that “in the heavens above and upon the earth below, there is no other” is not intended to negate the existence of another god. Rather, the verse is telling us that there is nothing else besides G‑d: He alone enjoys true existence; everything else is totally nullified in relation to Him. And for this concept to be understood well, one must indeed “take it unto his heart.”

That is, these two Names are actually one; for example although Havayah represents chesed and revelation and Elokim represents tzimtzumand concealment, they are nevertheless truly one, for even the Name Elokim, which conceals and contracts the light of the Divine life-force that is responsible for creation, is a quality of chesed, just like the Name Havayah.

For the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He, unite with Him in a complete unity, and “He and His Name are One,” for His attributes are His Names; i.e., the attributes correspond to His specific Names.

Since this is so, i.e., once you understand that Elokim is one with Havayah, you will consequently know that “in the heavens above and on the earth below, ein od”—there exists nothing else besides G-d.

This Hebrew phrase means that even the material earth, which appears to everyone’s eyes to be actually existing, is naught and utter nothingness in relation to the Holy One, blessed be He.

For the Name Elokim obscures and contracts the light and life-force only for the nether creatures, so that they perceive themselves aspossessing independent existence, but not for the Holy One, blessed be He, since He and His Name Elokim are One. Hence, the Name Elokim cannot possibly act as a concealment for Him.

Therefore, even the earth and that which is below it are naught and utter nothingness in relation to the Holy One, blessed be He, and are not called by any name at all, not even by the name od (“else”), which would indicate a subordinate status, as in the statement of our Sages, of blessed memory: Yehudah ve’od likra—“Does a verse in the Torah require secondary (od)substantiation from [the customs of] the Land of Judah?!”

We thus see that the term od signifies secondary status. This too is the case with the body, which is subordinate to the soul and life-force within it, for which reason it is referred to as od.

(And this is the meaning of the verse, “I will praise Havayah with my life, i.e., with my soul;I will sing to Elokai (“my L-rd”) be’odi, i.e., with my body.”

We thus see that the body is termed od, inasmuch as it is subservient to the soul. The reason the term Elokai is used in connection with the body’s song is this:

For the life, i.e., the soul, is derived from the Name Havayah, and the od, which is the body, its subordinate, from the Name Elokim.)

We thus see that the body is nullified in relation to the soul to the extent of od, i.e., it is subordinate to it; it is not, however, nullified out of existence in relation to the soul. The reason for this:

For the soul does not bring the body into existence ex nihilo: it only provides it with life. The body is therefore called od, i.e., secondaryto the soul, inasmuch as it is the soul thatprovides the body with life.

But as to the Holy One, blessed be He, Who brings everything into existence ex nihilo, everything is absolutely nullified in relation to Him, just as the light of the sun is absolutely nullified in the sun.

This is why it was necessary for the Torah to warn, “Know this day and take it unto your heart” [that “in the heavens above and upon the earth below there is none other”] so that it should not enter your mind that the heavens and all their hosts, and the earth and all it contains, are separate entities in themselves, i.e., distinct and apart from their Creator and the Provider of their life, and that the Holy One, blessed be He, fills the whole world in the same way as the soul is invested in the body, and that He causes the flow of the “vegetative force” into the earth, this being the life-force revealed within the earth, and the power of motion into the celestial spheres, and moves them and directs them according to His will, just as the soul moves the body and directs it according to its will.

Though the body is a totally separate and different entity from the soul, the soul is nevertheless able to direct it according to its will because it provides it with life. One might mistakenly believe that G‑d animates and conducts the world in a similar manner and conceive of the world as being separate from Him, just as the body is separate from the soul. Anticipating this, the verse therefore points out that the relation between the soul and the body is entirely unlike the relation between G‑d and His creation and vivification of created beings.

In truth, however, the analogy of soul and body bears no similarity whatsoever to the object of comparison—G‑dliness and the world— since the soul and the body are actually separate from each other at their sources.

The source of the body and its essence comes into being not from the soul but from the seed of one’s father and mother, and even afterward—after its creation—its growth is not from the soul alone but through the mother’s eating and drinking throughout the nine months [of gestation], and subsequently through his own eating and drinking.

The body is thus a truly separate entity from the soul, inasmuch as the soul only provides it with life.

This is not so, however, in the case of heaven and earth, for their very being and essence was brought into existence from naught and absolute nothingness,

Before creation, there was no space at all (as it were) for the existence of created beings by virtue of the Divine Ayin, which is ultimately responsible for creation. Solely through the “word of G‑d” and the “breath of His mouth.” And now, too, the word of G‑d still stands forever in all created things and flows into them continuously at every instant, constantly creating them anew from nothing, just as, for example, the coming into existence of the light from the sun within the very globe of the sun.

It has already been explained that the light of the sun as it is found within the sun-globe does not possess true existence, for it is completely nullified within the sun. Only after it leaves the sun-globe can it be said to possess independent existence. Created beings likewise are always wholly nullified in relation to their source since they are constantly found within it, i.e., within the Divine life-force that creates them.

Hence, in reality they—created beings—are completely nullified out of existence in relation to the “word of G‑d” and the “breath of His mouth,” which are unified with His Essence and Being, as this union will be explained later,

Thus, created beings are completely nullified to the “word of G‑d” and the “breath of His mouth,” as well as to G‑d Himself, just as the light of the sun is nullified in the sun.

Why, then, are created beings unaware of this, considering themselves instead as possessing independent and true existence? The Alter Rebbe answers this by saying:

Yet, these are His restraining powers, to hide and conceal through the attribute of gevurahand tzimtzum, the life-force that flows into them, so that heaven and earth and all their hosts should appear as if they were independently existing entities.

The effect of tzimtzum is to conceal from created beings the source of existence continuously found within them. This is why they are able to think of themselves as possessing independent existence.

However, the tzimtzum and concealment is only for the lower [worlds], but in relation to the Holy One, blessed be He, “Everything before Him is considered as actually naught,” like the light of the sun within the sun.

The attribute of gevurah does not, heaven forfend, conceal for Him, for it is not an independent entity; rather, Havayah is Elokim.

The concealment resulting from the Divine Name Elokim and the attribute of gevurah are one with the Divine Name Havayah, the attribute of chesedand revelation. Thus, from the Divine perspective, there is no concealment, for “an entity cannot conceal its own self.”

With the above in mind, we may now understand the statement in the holy Zohar that the verse Shema Yisrael is yichuda ilaah (“higher-level Unity”) and that the verse Baruch shem kvod malchuto leolam vaed is yichuda tataah (“lower-level Unity”).

The connection between the last mentioned verse and Divine Unity is now explained:

For vaed is equivalent to echad through the substitution of letters. The alef of echadinterchanges with the vav of vaed since both letters belong to the same group of letters, viz., alef, hey, vav, yud (which, the Rebbe notes, are known as otiyot hahemshech, the “connective letters”). The chet of echad interchanges with the ayin of vaedsince they share the same source (motza) in the organs of speech and thus both belong to the category of “guttural letters,” viz., alef, hey, chet, ayin. Finally, the large daled of echadtransposes into the small daled of vaed.

The cause and reason for this tzimtzum and concealment with which the Holy One, blessed be He, obscured and hid the life force of the world, making it appear as an independently existing entity [is as follows]:

I.e., the Alter Rebbe is asking why it is indeed necessary for the world to appear as an independently existing entity. What would be lacking if the world would be perceived in its true state—as an entity wholly nullified in relation to its source? The reason for this is as follows:

It is known to all that the purpose of the creation of the world is the revelation of [G‑d’s] sovereignty,

for “there is no king without a nation.”

The word עָם (“nation”) is related etymologically to the word עוֹמְמוֹת (“dimmed, extinguished”), as in the expression גְחָלִיםעוֹמְמוֹת (Rashi on Judges 5:14), describing coals in which the fire is not to be seen. In terms of the relationship of a king and his subjects, the word עָם thus signifies those whose relationship with the king is not readily apparent, for they—the subjects who comprise a nation—are separate entities, distinct and distant from the level of the king; only upon them does the king reign as a result of theirnullifying themselves to him.

For even if he had very many children, the term “kingship” would not apply to them, inasmuch as the king’s children are part of the king himself, nor is it possible for a king to reign even over nobles alone.

Although they—unlike a king’s children—are not part of him, nevertheless, since their position puts them in constant and close contact with him, thereby lending them some of the aspects of kingship, the king cannot reign over nobles alone.

Only “in a numerous nation is the glory of the king.”

Only upon strangers can sovereignty apply. The same is true Above: The ultimate intent of the revelation of Divine Kingship finds expression in His reigning over lowly created beings, who perceive themselves as existing independently of Him—so that they, too, should humble and nullify themselves before Him.

The Name that indicates the attribute of G‑d’s malchut (“kingship”) is the Name of Adnut(“Lordship”), for His kingship lies in the fact that He is L-rd of the whole universe.

Thus, it is this attribute (viz., malchut) and this Name (viz., the Name of Adnut, signifying lordship) which bring the world into existence and sustain it so that it should be as it is now—a completely independent and separate entity, and not absolutely nullified, for with the withdrawal of this attribute and this Name from the world, G‑d forbid, the world would revert to its source in the ‘‘word of G‑d” and the “breath of His mouth,” where it would be completely nullified, and the name “world” could not be applied to it at all.

Inherent in the name “world” is being and limitation. However, in the state in which the world finds itself within its source, it would have no “being” and would not be limited.

The term “world” can be applied solely to [that which possesses] the dimensions of space and time, “space” referring to east, west, north, and south, upward and downward, and “time” referring to past, present, and future.

Only with regard to entities that are subject to the limitations of space and time can the term “world” be applied.

All these dimensions of space and time have no relation to the holy supernal m attributes of the World of Atzilut because those attributes are infinite.

As explained earlier, the attribute of chesed is infinite; so, too, are the other attributes in the World of Atzilut. Hence, by definition, they are not at all subject to the limitations of space and time.

Only concerning the attribute of [G‑d’s] malchut is it possible to say that He is King “Above without end and below without limit” and likewise in all four directions.

This means to say that G‑d is King of all creatures, from the very highest to the very lowest. Thus, when speaking of malchut, it is in order to use terminology that has some relationship to space, such as “higher” and “lower.” This indicates that malchut itself has some relationship to the aspects of time and space.

The same is true concerning the dimension of time, i.e., that the attribute of malchut is in some small measure related to time, as it is written:

“G‑d reigns, G‑d has reigned, G‑d will reign.”

I.e., G‑d’s reign is related to present, past, and future—the dimension of time.

Thus, the life-force of space, and likewise of time, and their coming into being from nothingness, and their existence as long as they shall exist, are from [G‑d’s] attribute of malchut and from the Name of Adnut.

Now, since [G‑d’s] attribute of malchut is united with His Essence and Being in an absolute union, as will be explained, space and time which are created from malchut are therefore also completely nullified in relation to [G‑d’s] Essence and Being, just as sunlight whilst it is still within the orb of the sun is nullified in the sun.

This means to say: As long as malchutstill exists in a state of complete union with G‑d’s Essence and Being, space and time—the source of worlds—as found within the attribute of malchutare utterly nullified relative to G‑d.

This state is called “higher-level Unity.” It exists only before the descent of malchut through various tzimtzumimin order to vest itself in the lower worlds, thereby creating them and providing them with life. It is then that the worlds enjoy the state of “higher-level Unity” because from the perspective of the pristine source of malchut and Adnut, which brings about their existence, their actual creation is as yet inconceivable, inasmuch as malchut and Adnut are still in a state of inclusion within their source. Consequently, space and time “exist” there in the same manner as the light of the sun “exists” within the sun in a state of complete nullity.

And this is the [meaning of the] alternation of the [letters of the] Name of Adnut with the [letters of the] Name Havayah.

When the letters of one Divine Name are alternated with the letters of another, the Name whose initial letter appears first is the dominant one, the second Name being intertwined and encompassed by it. If, for example, the first letter is the initial of the Divine Name that designates chesed and the second letter is the initial of the Divine Name that designates gevurah, the revelation of chesed will predominate.

One speaks of “the alternation of the [letters of the] Name of Adnut with the [letters of the] Name Havayah” when referring to malchut and Adnut while they are still united with G‑d’s Essence and Being, which are too lofty to serve as a source for created beings.

The eventual source of the existence of created beings is malchut and Adnut. Nevertheless, since the Divine Name Havayah is dominant—i.e., since Adnutis submerged within Havayah—all “existence” is completely nullified in relation to G‑d’s Essence and Being, just as sunlight is devoid of all identity within the sun.

The Name Havayah indicates that He transcends time, that “He was, is, and will be—all at the same instant,”

Past, present and future meld into one within the Name Havayah, indicating that Havayah transcends time, as is stated (in Raaya Mehemna on Parashat Pinchas), and likewise, [the Name Havayah] transcends space, for [Havayah] continuously brings into existence the whole dimension of space, from the uppermost level [of space] to the lowermost level [of space] and in the four directions.

Clearly, the Divine Name Havayahtranscends time and space.

Malchut and Adnut, however, do bear some relation to time and space. Nevertheless, since the letters of the Name of Adnut are interspaced within the letters of the Name Havayah, the dimensions of time and space are completely nullified in relation to G‑d. This is the state called yichuda ilaah, or “higher-level Unity.”

Now, although G‑d transcends space and time, He is nevertheless also found below, within space and time—even as space and time, i.e., the dimensions that constitute the world, exist (in their own eyes) as independententities, that is, He unites with His attribute of malchut, from which space and time are derived and come into existence.

This refers to malchut after its descent through the various tzimtzumim. However, even this level of malchut is united with G‑d. Thus, G‑d Who transcends time and space is also found within time and space.

The reason created beings are unable to perceive Him is that malchutconceals His Presence; they thus regard themselves as possessing independent existence subject to the limitations and divisions of time and space.

And this is yichuda tataah, or “lower-level Unity,” In this state, created beings are not totally nullified in relation to their source, the attribute of malchut, inasmuch as it allows them to be aware of their own existence.

(The [meaning] the intertwining of [the letters of the Name] Havayah within [the letters of the Name of] Adnut). In this instance, the Divine Name Havayah is intertwined and vested within the Name of Adnut; i.e., Havayah is concealed and submerged while Adnut is revealed and predominant, allowing for thecreation of time and space.

I.e., His Essence and Being, which is called by the Name Ein Sof, “the Infinite One,” completely fills the whole earth temporally and spatially.

For in the heavens above and on the earth [below] and in the four directions, everything is equally permeated with the Ein Sof-light, for [G‑d] is to be found on the earth below exactly as in the heavens above, for everything—including both heaven and earth—is within the dimension of space, which is utterly nullified in the Ein Sof-light, which clothes itself in it through [G‑d’s] attribute of malchut that is united with Him.

In relation to the Ein Sof-light, which totally transcends time and space, there exists no difference between heaven and earth; G‑d is found equally in heaven and upon the earth. This being so, why are time and space not totally nullified?

[They are not nullified] because [G‑d’s] attribute of malchut is the attribute of tzimtzum and concealment, [whose function is] to hide the Ein Sof-light so that it will not be perceived by created beings, so that the existence of time and space should not be completely nullified, and there will be no dimensions of time and space whatsoever, even for the lower worlds.

I.e., it is only because of the concealment effected by malchut that time and space exist for created beings.

Now, from the foregoing exposition, one will be able to understand the verse, “I, Havayah, have not changed.”

This means:

Not only has there been no change in G‑d’s conduct, or even His will, with regard to rewarding the righteous and so on, but this verse means explicitly that there is no change, heaven forfend, in G‑d: there exists nothing that can alter Him.

The only consideration that might possibly cause one to wonder about there being a change in G‑d’s unity is His bringing created beings into existence. Before their creation, nothing whatsoever existed other than Him. After their creation, however, one might erroneously conclude that there now exists something in addition to Him—the various worlds and their denizens. And were this to be so, this would constitute a change in G‑d’s absolute unity, heaven forbid. The verse therefore anticipates this by saying, “I, Havayah, have not changed.”

There is no change in Him at all; just as He was alone before the creation of the world, so is He alone after it was created.

Superficially, this is difficult to understand. How can we possibly say that G‑d is alone after the world was created when there now exists an additional entity—the world?

However, according to the explanation given here regarding Divine Unity, this matter is clearly understood. Since the world is truly nullified in its entirety in relation to Him and is wholly united with Him, G‑d is thus just as truly alone after the world was created as He was alone prior to its creation.

Accordingly, it is written, “You were [the same] before the world was created; You are [the same after the world was created],”

If the meaning of this passage were only that G‑d is eternal, without beginning or end, it could have been stated simply: “You were before the world was created…”; why the circumlocution of “You are He Who was before the world was created…”? This emphasis provided by the repeated phrase, “You are He who…” means: “You are exactly the same ‘He’ before and after creation, without any change in His Being, nor even in His knowledge.

One might have supposed that with the creation of the world, G‑d’s knowledge underwent a change, inasmuch as He could not have possibly known the world beforehand; once the world was created, G‑d would thus know something that previously He did not. The Alter Rebbe therefore tells us that G‑d’s knowledge has not changed at all:

for by knowing Himself, He knows all created things since all derive from Him and are nullified in relation to Him.

Creation thus added nothing to G‑d’s knowledge. This knowledge of self existed before creation, and it is with this prior knowledge that He knows of all of creation.

As Maimonides, of blessed memory, stated, that He is the Knower, He is the Known, and He is Knowledge itself: all are one.

This is radically different from mortal knowledge, which comprises three distinct elements: (a) the person’s soul—the knower; (b) the subject that is known; and (c) the power of knowledge—the faculty of daat, which enables the knower to know the known. In the Divine realm, however, these three elements are all one: all are G‑d. (See ch. 2 of Part I for further elaboration of this theme.)

This—Maimonides goes on to say—is beyond the capacity of the mouth to express, beyond the capacity of the ear to hear, and beyond the capacity of the heart or mind of man to apprehend clearly.

For the Holy One, blessed be He, His Essence and Being, and His Knowledge are all absolutely one, from every side and angle and in every form of unity.

His Knowledge is not superadded to His Essence and Being as it is in a mortal soul, whose knowledge is added to its essence and is compounded with it.

For when a man studies a subject and knows it, his rational soul was already within him before he studied and knew it, and afterward, this knowledge was added to his soul.

Man’s knowledge is thus a supplement to his intrinsic being; through it, he becomes aware of something he did not know before.

And so, day after day, “Days speak, i.e., instruct a person, and a multitude of years teach wisdom.” This is not a simple i.e., perfect unity but a composite.

The Alter Rebbe means the following: Although man’s knowledge, too, is united with him (lit., “with his soul”), for it is the person himself who knows, nevertheless, this is not a perfect unity, for “simple” implies that any alternative would be inconceivable. Since a man’s knowledge is acquired, not having been part of his essential being, its acquisition yields an imperfect and composite form of unity, a unity comprised of two separate entities that have coalesced.

The Holy One, blessed be He, however, is a perfect unity, without any composition or element of plurality at all inasmuch as it is impossible to speak of any aspect of Him as not having existed previously.

Hence, since His unity is perfect and uncompounded, one cannot say that His Knowledge is something apart from Him, for that would imply, heaven forbid, a composite—that his knowledge is superadded to His Essence, effecting a change within Him. Rather: one must conclude that His Essence and Being and Knowledge are all absolutely one, without any composition.

Therefore, just as it is impossible for any creature in the world to comprehend the Essence of the Creator and His Being, so it is impossible to comprehend the essence of His knowledge, which is One with G‑d Himself;

[it is possible] only to believe, with a faith that transcends intellect and comprehension, that the Holy One, blessed be He, is One and Unique.

Inasmuch as faith transcends intellect, it is able to apprehend truths that lie beyond the province of mortal intellect.

He and His knowledge are all absolutely one, and knowing Himself, He perceives and knows all the higher and lower beings, i.e., the beings in the higher and lower worlds, including even a small worm in the sea and a minute mosquito that may be found in the center of the earth; there is nothing concealed from Him.

This knowledge does not add multiplicity and composition to Him at all, since it is merely a knowledge of Himself; and His Being and His knowledge are all one.

Thus, by knowing Himself, He knows all created beings that derive their existence from Him and that are utterly nullified to Him and unified with Him.

Inasmuch as this form of knowledge is very difficult to envisage, the Prophet [Isaiah] therefore said, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

It is likewise written, “Can you, by [intellectual] searching, find G‑d?…” ; and so, too, “Have You eyes of flesh, and do You see as man sees?”

For man sees and knows everything with a knowledge that is external to himself, andhence, something is added to him by his knowledge, whereas the Holy One, blessed be He, [knows all] by knowing Himself.

These are the [paraphrased] words [of Maimonides].

(See there in Hilchot Yesodei Hatorah. The Sages of the Kabbalah have agreed with him, as is explained in Pardes of Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, of blessed memory.)

There are a number of Torah sages who sharply disagree with Maimonides’ view. They claim that no descriptive term may be applied to G‑d—not even that of knowledge, and not even of a form of knowledge so rarefied that it is completely beyond the realm of human experience. To say that G‑d is the “Knower” and the “Knowledge” and so on, so the argument runs, is to give the Infinite G‑d a description which would serve to limit Him.

According to the Kabbalah, however, Maimonides is indeed correct. However (as stated in the Alter Rebbe’s Note in Part 1, ch. 2, and later on in his Note in ch. 9), this is only after the Ein Sof-light has undergone numerous tzimtzumim, until it is able to garb itself in the vessels of the sefirot of chochmah, binah, and daat of the World of Atzilut. At that stage, in Atzilut, we can truly say that G‑d is the “Knower” and “Known,” etc., inasmuch as the attributes of Atzilut are completely united with the Ein Sof-light.

In the light of what has been said above—that G‑d’s knowledge is wholly one with G‑d Himself, for otherwise it would imply multiplicity in One Who is perfect unity—it is possible to understand the error of certain scholars in their own eyes (May G‑d forgive them!)—for even those who have erred unwittingly are in need of atonement, who erred and misinterpreted in their study of the writings of the Arizal and understood the doctrine of tzimtzum (which is mentioned therein) literally—

In the writings of the Arizal, it is stated that in the “beginning,” before creation, the [infinite] Ein Sof-light filled all “space,” and there was no “room” for the creation of finite worlds. For inasmuch as worlds are by definition finite, whereas the Divine light is infinite, there is no room within the infinite for finitude. How, then, did finite worlds come into being?

The Arizal explains this through the doctrine of tzimtzum: The Ein Sof-light “departed”—i.e., it ceased to be revealed, so that infinity was no longer in a state of revelation, and all that remained revealed was the power of finitude. This power does allow for the creation of finite worlds.

The “scholars in their own eyes misunderstood this mere concealment to mean a literal departure—that the Holy One, blessed be He, removed Himself and His Essence (G‑d forbid) from this world, i.e., that He literally removed Hispresence, rather than merely concealing it, and only guides from above, with individual Providence, all the created beings which are in the heavens above and on the earth below.

They thus envisage G‑d as a king who sits in his palace; although his gaze extends beyond its confines, the king himself is not to be found there. In the same way—so they would say—G‑d gazes from Above on all created beings which are found (heaven forfend!) outside His “palace.”

Now, apart from the fact that it is altogether impossible to apply the doctrine of tzimtzumliterally—for that would be an instance of corporeal phenomena—to the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is set apart from them by infinite myriads of separations.

One who is subject to the characteristics of a physical body can be said to undergo actual tzimtzum and to depart: previously he was here, and now he is not. It goes without saying that this cannot be ascribed to G‑d, Who is infinitely removed from the phenomena of corporeality. Apart from all the above:

in this thing itself, they also do not speak wisely, since they are “believers, the sons of believers,” that the Holy One, blessed be He, knows all the created beings in this lower world and exercises [His] Providence over them, Thus, they themselves admit that G‑d’s knowledge and Providence extend to this physical world.

and perforce, His knowledge of them does not add plurality and innovation to Him, for He knows all by knowing Himself.

Were G‑d’s knowledge of created beings not to come from knowing Himself ,then it would be correct to say that this knowledge adds plurality and innovation to Him; previously, He did not know them, and now he does. However, since plurality and innovation cannot possibly apply to G‑d, He must perforce know them through His knowledge of Himself.

Thus, as it were, His Essence and Being and His Knowledge of created beings are all one.

Since G‑d’s knowledge and Providence extend to this world, and since His knowledge is one with Him, it follows that G‑d Himself is to be found within this physical world. Unlike the king who sits in his palace and gazes beyond its walls, the King Himself is to be found wherever His Providence and knowledge are found.

True enough, it is only through divine service that this world may be transformed into a place in which G‑d is revealed. Nonetheless, G‑d is present in this lowly corporeal world, which feels itself to exist independently of Him to the same degree as He is present within the higher, spiritual worlds.

And this is what is stated in Tikkunim, Tikkun57: “There is no place devoid of Him, neither in the upper worlds nor in the lower worlds”;

Thus, we find it explicitly stated inTikkunei Zoharthat G‑d Himself is to be found within the lower worlds, the lowest of which is this physical world and in the portion of Zohar called Raaya Mehemna, on Parashat Pinchas, we read: “He grasps all, and none can grasp Him; He encompasses all worlds…and no one goes out from His domain; He fills or permeates all worlds…; He binds and unites a kind to its kind, upper with lower, and there is no closeness in the four elements of which this corporeal world is comprised except through the Holy One, blessed be He, when He is within them.”

It is only through His power that these four inherently contradictory elements are bound together.

Until here are the words [of Raaya Mehemna].

“None can grasp Him” means that there is no one, [even] among all the “supernal intelligences,” i.e., the incorporeal creatures of the higher, spiritual worlds, whose apprehension of Divinity is superhuman, who can grasp by means of his intellect the Essence and Being of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written in Tikkunim, “[He is] hidden from all the [spiritual worlds which are themselves] hidden from physical creatures, and no thought can grasp You at all.”

The point being made here is that G‑d cannot be grasped even by the heavenly thought processes of the “hidden worlds.” There is, however, yet another concept inherent in the word “grasp”—the ability to adhere and thereby effect a change. Thus, the fact that one cannot “grasp” G‑d also means that nothing can effect a change in Him.

When a person makes something, he will inevitably be “grasped” by the object of his creation: he will undergo changes in accordance with the particular demands of the object which he is producing. In the case of G‑d, however, His creation of all existing beings causes no change in Him whatsoever: they do not hold Him (so to speak) in their “grasp.”

From this point of view, the creation of the lower worlds is even more telling, for their creation required a greater degree of tzimtzum and enclothement. Nevertheless, they cause absolutely no change in Him: they too do not “grasp” Him. In the Alter Rebbe’s words:

And even in the lower worlds there are none that “grasp” Him, even though “He permeates all worlds” and animates them with a life-force suited to each individual created being in particular, [for this vestment] is not like [that of] the soul of a man which clothes itself within his body and is grasped within [it] to the extent that it is affected and influenced by changes involving the body and its pain, such as from blows or cold or the heat of fire and the like.

The Holy One, blessed be He, however, is not affected by any of the changes of this world, from summer to winter and from day to night, as it is written, “Even darkness does not obscure for You, and the night illuminates like the day,” for He is not grasped within the worlds at all, even though He fills them.

And this is also the meaning of “He encompasses all worlds.”

This does not mean to say (heaven forfend) that G‑d is not found within the worlds but merely encompasses them. Rather:

This means, by way of analogy: When a person reflects upon an intellectual subject in his mind or upon a physical object in his thoughts, then his intellect and thought encompass that subject, whose image is formed in his thought or in his mind, inasmuch as they are found within his thought and mind, but they—his intellect and thought—do not encompass that subject in actual fact.

They merely encompass his image of the subject, not the actual subject. When one envisions a table, the actual, physical table is of course not found within the brain; it is merely its image that is encompassed there.

The Holy One, blessed be He, however, of Whom it is written, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts…,” His thought and knowledge of all created beings actually encompass each and every creature, for [G‑d’s knowledge] is verily its life-force and that which brings it into existence out of nothingness, in actual reality.

G‑d’s thought, unlike man’s, thus encompasses the actual subject of His thought—in this case, all created beings. It brings about their creation and continued existence, even though it does not descend to their level and become internalized within them but remains in an exalted state.

And “He fills all worlds” is the life-force that becomes enclothed i.e., is internalized within the essence of the created being.

It is powerfully contracted within it according to the intrinsic nature of the created being which is finite and limited in quantity and quality, [“quality”] meaning its significance and importance.

Since the life-force must vest itself within the finite created being and unite with it utterly, it must necessarily be contracted and limited according to the intrinsically finite nature of the created being.

An example is the sun, whose body is finite and limited quantitatively, being approximately one hundred and sixty seven times the size of the globe of the earth, and whose quality and significance, namely, its light, is also limited as to the extent that it can emit light, for it cannot illuminate indefinitely since it is a created being and hence inherently limited. Thus, although the light of the sun illuminates at a prodigious distance, that distance is not without limit.

Likewise, all created beings are finite and limited, for “from the earth to heaven is a journey of five hundred years…, and so, too, from one heaven to another is a distance of five hundred years.”

Hence, since created beings are finite and limited, the life-force which is invested in them is greatly and powerfully contracted, for it must first undergo numerous and powerful contractions until created beings, by nature finite and limited, may be brought into existence from its power and light.

Only after this process of self-limitation will the limitless life-force be able to invest itself within finite created beings and become united with them, as will soon be explained.

For the source of the life-force is the “breath of the mouth” of the Holy One, blessed be He; it becomes enclothed in the ten utterances of the Torah, from which all created beings come into existence.

The “breath of His mouth” could have diffused without end and limit and created worlds infinite in their quantity and quality and given [them] life forever, unlike their present state, in which they are limited in all these respects, and this corporeal world, all of whose beings are limited and finite, would not have been created at all.

It was the contraction of the life-force that made possible the creation of this physical, limited world with its finite creatures.

The reason why the “breath of His mouth”—were it not to have been contracted—would have created worlds without end is now explained by the Alter Rebbe in the parenthesis.

(For just as the Holy One, blessed be He, is called “Infinite,” so are all His attributes and actions [infinite], “for He and His attributes are one,” i.e., the life-force that emanates from His attributes, namely, Kindness and Mercy and His other holy attributes [emanates from them] through their being enclothed in the “breath of His mouth,” which refers to the sefirah of malchut.

For creation results from G‑d’s speech and the “breath of His mouth,” as Scripture states, “For He spoke—and it came into being.”

Moreover, creation came about through chesed, as it is written, “The world is built through chesed,”

But how is it that the world is created both through chesed and malchut (the “word of G‑d”)? This means: the attribute of chesed vests itself within malchut, so that creation takes place through “the word of G‑d and the breath of His mouth,” which becomes a vessel and “garment” for this creative attribute of chesed, “like the snail, whose garment is an integral component of his body.”)

The “word of His mouth” is thus a garment and vessel that unites with the attribute of chesed, from which the world was created. The life-force emanating from the “breath of His mouth” is thus capable of creating worlds which are infinite both quantitatively and qualitatively.

The Holy One, blessed be He, however, contracted the light and life-force that could diffuse from the “breath of His mouth,” and invested it in the combinations of the letters of the ten utterances, and the combinations of their combinations, by substitutions and transpositions of the letters themselves and their numerical values and equivalents.

For each substitution and transposition indicates the descent of the light and life-force degree by degree, so that it will be able to create and give life to creatures whose quality and significance is lower than the quality and significance of the creatures created from the very letters and words of the ten utterances within which is enclothed the Holy One, blessed be He, in His Glory and Essence—which are His attributes since they are one with G‑d Himself.

The numerical value—even when it is not calculated through the substitution and transposition of letters—indicates the progressive diminution of the light and life-force, until there remains from it only the final level, which is that of the sum and number of kinds of powers and grades contained in the light and life-force invested in a particular letter combination of a particular word.

The extent of the remaining life-force is indicated by the sum, which reflects the progressive descent and the constant diminution of the life-force.

(lt is only after all these contractions and others like them, as [G‑d’s] Wisdom has ordained, that the life-force could invest itself even in the lower created beings, such as inanimate stones and dust, in which no life-force at all is revealed, inasmuch as they represent thelowest levels of the nether created beings.

For example, the name אֶבֶן (“stone”) indicates that its source is in the Divine Name ב”ן, which numerically equals fifty-two (נ”ב)—i.e., the numerical value of the Divine Name Havayah when spelled out phonetically in a particular way, with an Alef added to it from another Name for a reason known to its Creator.

Now, the Name ב”ן itself relates to very high worlds, and in its pristine state, it can in no way serve as the source of physical stone, yet through numerous and powerful contractions, degree by degree, i.e., from higher to lower levels, there descended from it a life-force so exceedingly diminished that it could clothe itself in a stone.

And this very greatly condensed life-force is the soul of the inanimate being, which gives it life and brings it into existence ex nihilo at every instant, as has been explained previously—in ch. 1, where it is stated that even inanimate creatures possess a soul that brings them into existence at every instant.

This greatly condensed life-force is the level of “He fills all worlds,” as opposed to the level of “He encompasses all worlds”), wherein the life-force is not contracted in proportion to the spiritual capacity of created beings.

In summary: The Divine life-force is capable of creating worlds that are infinite both in quantity and in quality. Finite beings are created only when this life-force garbs itself in the letters and transpositions of the letters of the ten utterances and in their numerical values.

Each power and grade [of the life-force]—after it has descended and undergone contractions so that there remains only the numerical equivalent of the letters of the ten utterances—would be able to create beings according to its own level, even unlimited in quantity and quality, giving [them] everlasting life, since it is the power of G‑d that diffuses and emanates from the “breath of His mouth” and there is no restraint [to His ability to create unlimited worlds].

Their quality, however, would not be on a level as high as the quality and level of the creatures which could be created from the power and degree of the letters themselves.

I.e., the created beings resulting from the transposition of letters, and surely from the numerical value of the letters, would be inferior to the beings which could be created from the letters themselves.

Commentary Of The Rebbe On Chapter Seven

1. Among the explanations and innovative interpretations of the Alter Rebbe in Shaar Hayichud VehaEmunah, two major points stand out:

The explanation of the “comment of the Baal Shem Tov” on the verse, “Forever, O G‑d, Your word stands firm in the heavens” ; namely, that “‘Your word’ which You uttered, [viz.,] ‘Let there be a firmament…,’ these [very] words and letters stand firmly forever within the firmament of heaven…to give them life…. For if the letters were to depart [even] for an instant, G‑d forbid, and return to their source, all the heavens would become naught and absolute nothingness, and it would be as though they had never existed at all…exactly as before the Six Days of Creation.”

From this, it will be understood “that each creature and being is in reality considered to be naught and nothingness in relation to the activating force and the ‘breath of His mouth’ which is within it, continuously calling it into existence and bringing it from absolute nonbeing into being.”

(b) The tzimtzum is not to be understood “literally—that the Holy One, blessed be He, removed Himself and His Essence, G‑d forbid, from this world and only guides from above, with individual Providence, all the created beings which are in the heavens above and on the earth below.”

It could be argued (see below) that this statement—that tzimtzum is not to be understood in its literal sense—proceeds from the explanation of the Baal Shem Tov’s comment by way of corollary.

2. What is novel about the comment of the Baal Shem Tov is not only that the word of G‑d must constantly create all beings but that the words “Let there be a firmament” must be “forever clothed within all the heavens to give them life.”

The same is true of all other created beings: the words and letters of the ten utterances which create them and provide them with life must be continuously vested within them.

(Thus, indeed, the Alter Rebbe explains at length how within every creature, there is “a soul and spiritual life-force.” For even those beings not specifically mentioned in the ten utterances in the Torah also receive a spiritual life-force which descends from them by stages “by means of substitutions and transpositions of the letters and by gematriot…until [the life-force] can be condensed and enclothed and a particular creature can be brought forth from it.”)

Hence, rather than the Divine utterance constantly creating a creature, which then becomes sundered from it, the Divine utterance is actually vested within the particular creature itself—within its “space,” so to speak—to the point that the life-force (and soul) of every individual created being is the Divine utterance that is clothed within it.

It may thus be understood how “every creature and being is in reality considered to be naught and nothingness in relation to the activating force and the ‘breath of His mouth’ which is within it, continuously calling it into existence and bringing it from absolute nonbeing into being.”

Accordingly, it would seem that the nullification of the created being is not total, for the life-force that permeates and enclothes itself within the created being is attenuated and limited (to suit each individual creature). As such, it “allows for a being’s existence.” Consequently, the nullification resulting from this life-force is also not complete.

However, according to what the Alter Rebbe goes on to explain—that tzimtzum is not to be understood in its literal sense, G‑d forbid—this difficulty is resolved. For even in the “place” (i.e., level) in which the light and life-force contracts and enclothes itself within created beings, “There is no place devoid of Him,” and “His Essence and Being…completely fills the whole earth temporally and spatially.”

Thus, the following two opposites coexist within each created being: Every created being possesses its own “soul and spiritual life-force,” which it receives through the tzimtzum and vesting of the Divine utterance within it; at the same time, every created being is bound up with the very Essence of G‑d, for in the same “place” in which it is found, G‑d’s “Essence and Being” is also to be found.

And the fact that G‑d’s Essence utterly transcends the world enables one to perceive that the existence of the world itself is G‑dliness (as in the classic phrase, “The created being is True Being”)—“There is none else apart from Him.”

From Likkutei Sichot, vol. 25 (Kehot, N.Y., 1987), p. 200.