Concepts in Chassidus - Part 1

00:04 He moved His great light, His infinite light, aside. This is all the language of the writings of the Arizal. What does he write? He moved the great light aside, and a void, an empty space, remained in the shape of a circle. Yes, that is how it is written in the writings of the Arizal. This void is an empty space, and it is circular. Within this void, all the worlds were to enter. And when he says that a void came into being, he immediately says: This does not mean a void in the literal sense, an utterly empty space. It is not necessarily that kind of void; rather, a reshimu remained. Do you understand what that means? He says an impression remained—an impression of the infinite light. And afterward, within this void, the entire structure of the progression of the worlds was built: Adam Kadmon, Kesser, Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah. The entire chain of worlds came into this space, into this structure, into this void. Is everything clear so far? These are the words of the writings of the Arizal. Of course... Well, there is another point after that. And after that, too... The Arizal also says, and the Gra [?] as well, that in order to bring the entire progression into being, He returned. After He made the void, the empty space where the worlds would enter, He returned and drew down a short line. A line is a certain quality, a limited illumination from His infinite light, and it extends into the void. That is how the entire reality of the lights and vessels together came into being. Now, of course, in the writings of the Arizal these things are written by way of analogy. Every word written in the writings of the Arizal needs to be understood. It sounds as though it is speaking to us about physical things, and Chassidus deals with removing the physical connotations from them. I do not intend to do that now, but just to convey the idea, yes. So let us form a picture of how

02:50 it appears, how it comes out in a diagram. Yes. Of course, G-d forbid, we must not take these things literally. This is only a way of showing it in a diagram, how it appears according to the Arizal. So according to the writings of the Arizal, it comes out like this. Yes, it comes out... I do not know what to do with this whole story. All right. It is as though we are saying that there was the Infinite. There was no reality other than Hashem, the Infinite; everything was infinite. At a certain point, a void came into being. Yes, He moved His light aside. From above, He moved the light aside, and a void or empty space remained. In other words, it is as though suddenly, in the middle of the infinite light—with infinite light on every side—there came to be a place where the infinite light was not present. G-d forbid, that does not mean the Infinite was completely absent. We know that the Infinite is indeed present, but concealed. This is where the entire discussion of tzimtzum not being literal comes in. One of the foundations of Chassidus, which the Rebbe addresses in Shaar Hayichud Vehaemunah, is to explain that the Infinite actually remains in the void; it is only that we do not perceive it. But let us say, for the sake of the picture, that this here is the void, the empty space. In Chassidus, then, we call all the light surrounding this void the infinite light. In Chassidus we sometimes call it the infinite light, and sometimes it is also called the great circle. If you have ever come across the term “the great circle” in the maamarim, it generally refers to the same thing. The great circle means the entire level outside the void. All the light outside the void is called the infinite light, or it is also called the great circle. In the middle is the void. Now, this void is the place where the worlds are to enter. What does that mean? I

05:01 will try to explain it a little more in terms of emunah. It is very simple. The infinite light, as its name suggests, is infinite. It is the revelation of Hakadosh Boruch Hu as He is without limitations. Hakadosh Boruch Hu is revealed without limitations. And when Hakadosh Boruch Hu is revealed without limitations—we know that we cannot say Hakadosh Boruch Hu must be any particular way. We cannot say anything about Hakadosh Boruch Hu that He “must” be. Must He be without limit? Must He be limited? Just as a person must not say that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is limited, G-d forbid, a person must also not say that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is not limited, because saying “not limited” also confines Him to a description. We cannot say that Hakadosh Boruch Hu must be anything. He does not have to be anything. But Hakadosh Boruch Hu willed it. We always emphasize: it was His will. Hakadosh Boruch Hu willed that there be a revelation and illumination of the infinite light, revealed without limit. That was the supernal will: that there be infinite light without limitations. When Hakadosh Boruch Hu willed that there be worlds, then, as it were, there was a change in that will. Now Hakadosh Boruch Hu did not want to be revealed without limit. He wanted to make room for a world, and to make room for a world He had to do something. Though even there we cannot say “had to”; it is all a matter of will. But to fulfill His will that there be a world, He willed that there be a void, as though here the infinite light is not revealed. If the infinite light were revealed everywhere, we would naturally sense that nothing exists besides Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Suddenly, a void came into being—a place where we would feel as though something exists besides Hakadosh Boruch Hu.

06:40 So, in short, if we put it in simple words, the definition of the void is the concealment of the infinite light. Yes, it is as though at this level His light is concealed. The infinite light is concealed here. He does not allow Himself to be revealed. He is present, but in a way that is not felt. Here we must emphasize that all of this concerns the light—the infinite light, His revelation. We are not yet speaking about His essence. As for the essence of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, there is no change: no void, no “before” it—He is present in the same way everywhere. Everything we are discussing concerns only revelation: whether He reveals Himself or conceals Himself. Yes, that is what we are discussing here. We need to understand that in order to know what is happening here. So the level we call the infinite light before the tzimtzum, where we see that there is no room for worlds, is called the infinite light and is also called the great circle. And the level within the circle, where the void is and where the worlds enter, is called the void. It has other names in Chassidus, too. It is also called the empty space. Many times in Chassidus this void is called the empty space. And there is another name that is very important to know: reshimu, an impression. What is a reshimu? This void is also called a reshimu. Here it is very important to understand what the word reshimu means. Usually, when we say reshimu... The word means an impression. When you write something and then erase it, what remains of the erased writing is called an impression. In other words, only an impression of the thing is here; the thing itself is not here. There are other analogies for a reshimu, and I

08:55 I don’t want to confuse you today, especially not the first time. Let’s just explain it simply, in the simplest way, so we can understand what a reshimu is and why this space is called a reshimu. Listen carefully to this point. How did an empty space suddenly come into being? After all, Hakadosh Boruch Hu was revealed in an infinite, boundless way. There was nothing besides Him; there was only Him. How did there suddenly come to be a space, a place where He is not present? How did that happen? How did a space where He is not revealed suddenly come into being? So here we give the simple explanation brought in many places in Chassidus. It is the well-known teaching: “Just as He has the power of the infinite, so He has the power of the finite.” As we said earlier, you cannot say that Hakadosh Boruch Hu has to be in... He does not have to be in any particular form. He can be boundless; He can be however He wants. So just as He has the power of the infinite—before the tzimtzum, the light of Ein Sof filled all of existence; there was only the light of Ein Sof, and that is the boundless—Hakadosh Boruch Hu also has the power of the finite. In other words, just as He can extend and reveal Himself so that He is felt, He can also not reveal Himself, in such a way that He is not felt. And that, too, is a power of Ein Sof. Just as the power to reveal Himself is a power of Ein Sof, because He can reveal Himself without end, so too He has the power to conceal Himself. That, too, is a Divine power. The Divine power that conceals and the power that reveals are both powers of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. As we say in the familiar niggun: “Indeed, You are a G-d

10:41 who hides Himself.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu conceals Himself. The power of concealment is just as Divine a power as the power of revelation. What is the difference? The difference is in our eyes. Right? For Hakadosh Boruch Hu there is no difference between the power of concealment and the power of revelation; both are Him. But for us there is a difference, a very simple difference. Through the power of revelation we see Him; through the power of concealment we do not see Him. So from our perspective, we experience both revelation and concealment. When Hakadosh Boruch Hu is revealed, we know He exists, and for us that is the most wonderful thing. When Hakadosh Boruch Hu chooses to be concealed, we do not feel Him. That is why we call Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s power of limitation, His power of concealment, a reshimu. Why do we call it a reshimu? Because from our perspective, it is as though He is not revealed here. It is a power of concealment, a power of limitation. So for us, the power of limitation is called a reshimu, as in the analogy we gave. When a person writes something and then erases it, something erased remains. For us, there is a difference between something that is written—there is something intelligible there, something we can understand—and when a person erases it, only... some trace remains. So for us, too, we call the power of limitation a reshimu, as though it is only an impression, not the thing itself. But in truth, from the perspective of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, the power of concealment is just as much a power of Ein Sof as the power of revelation. That is what I want to emphasize: when we speak of the reshimu, we also mean this. In other words, what makes it possible for there to be an empty space, a state of concealment that allows room for the worlds to be built, is Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s power of limitation. The power of limitation of Hakadosh

12:34 Boruch Hu is called a reshimu in the language of Chassidus. So with that, we can begin to grasp the structure of things. There is the light of Ein Sof—again, that is the large circle. Then there is the empty space that Hakadosh Boruch Hu made: the manifestation of concealment, His power of concealment, His power of limitation, which makes it possible for worlds to exist. The power of limitation is a reshimu from the light of Ein Sof. That is the empty space. The entire world must be built here. The point is that every—well, this process, sorry. This process in which Hakadosh Boruch Hu seemingly withdrew the light of Ein Sof that had previously filled all of existence, and suddenly there came to be concealment and limitation, creating the empty space for the sake of the worlds—this process is called tzimtzum in Chassidus. This is the structure of tzimtzum that the Arizal revealed. Before the Arizal, people did not know about tzimtzum. How did they explain the structure of the worlds? That does not matter right now; they explained it differently, not the way the Arizal does. This is the form described by the Arizal, and it is subsequently brought in the foundational text. It is the clearest, most understandable way to grasp the whole matter of [unclear]. These are things we study, and afterward we understand many things on that basis. What remains for us to explain is the concept of the kav, the line. So we have the light of Ein Sof, a great circle. We have the reshimu, which is the empty space. Now the question is: how do we build the worlds? There needs to be an entire structure of worlds here, arranged in a seder hishtalshelus, with Kesser and an ordered progression. We will study that another time, the entire structure of seder hishtalshelus. Good, very good. We have the power of concealment. A state of concealment becomes manifest, of hiding and obscurity. But you still cannot build a structure out of concealment alone. Concealment is only

14:35 one general point: concealment. Hakadosh Boruch Hu is not revealed here, so we will feel as though there is an existence in its own right. But we want this existence to have some particular structure, to be the kind of existence in which there can be a progression. In other words, it should not be the same from beginning to end. There should be higher levels and lower levels, levels that are closer to the center and levels that are farther away. From the standpoint of concealment itself, there is no near or far; everything is the same. Right? Once Hakadosh Boruch Hu conceals His light, there is concealment. So what difference does it make whether you are here or there? It is all the same. From every side of the sphere, it is the same. What would it even mean to call one place higher and another lower? Besides that, there is another issue, and it is the main issue here. Hakadosh Boruch Hu did not simply want there to be concealment. Everyone understands that the whole point was that Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted to make room for worlds. It was not simply that Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted there to be a world, something that would be the opposite of Him. After all, everyone understands that the ultimate purpose is for Hakadosh Boruch Hu to want the world, in some way, to connect with Him and come to recognize His existence. So there has to be some form of connection between the empty space and its concealment, and the light of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. This is where the concept of the kav comes in. The Arizal says that after Hakadosh Boruch Hu made the concealment, the empty space, the reshimu, a new reality came into being: He drew forth a kav. A kav means a limited ray, a certain restricted light. We will, of course, explain what that means, but first let’s state the basic idea. What does kav mean? A kav means a certain ray of light

16:27 From the infinite light, from the light, from the revelation that enters the worlds. It is as though a certain line of light extends into the vacated space, and this line extends from top to bottom, with every aspect of it precisely determined. How far does it extend? Where does it extend? That is the idea of the light of the kav. It means a limited radiance, a thin line of light entering the vacated space. In other words, within the power of concealment—now that concealment and limitation have come into being—an element of revelation is drawn down again. Hakadosh Boruch Hu is not completely hidden; He does reveal Himself somewhat. But there is a very big difference. Earlier, when we said that He was revealed at the stage of the spark in the light before the tzimtzum, that revelation was a revelation of the infinite: a revelation that says there is nothing besides Him, no independent existence, no world—only Hakadosh Boruch Hu and nothing else. That was from the perspective of the infinite light, the great circle. By contrast, the light that enters the vacated space does not come to burst through that space or nullify it. The purpose of this light is the opposite: to enter the space and work together with it. So this is a form of revelation of G-dliness, a revelation of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Revelation is a quality that really belongs to the infinite light, but here it is not infinity; it is revelation in an inward way. It is a revelation of Hakadosh Boruch Hu that comes through the order of hishtalshelus, becomes manifest in the world, and works together with concealment. Lights within vessels. The light enters the vessels and becomes manifest within the reality of creation, and there, in each world, it brings about a revelation of G-dliness according to the vessels that world can receive. A higher world receives more light, and so on. This entire descent is the hishtalshelus that takes place through

18:36 the light of the kav. And in this way, this structure is what the Arizal explained as the overall structure of the order of hishtalshelus. This whole subject is called, in Chassidus, the order of tzimtzum. This is the revelation of the Arizal known as the order of tzimtzum. I don’t have a watch. I don’t know what... I want to see. Huh? Bring me a watch, bring it, bring it, bring it, so I can see. Huh? Yes. The point is that the Arizal revealed the concept of the order of tzimtzum. If we take the three—meaning, if we use this to sum up what we have just discussed—there are three general elements here. One is the infinite light, without limit. The second is the tzimtzum, which produced the vacated space, the place, the reshimu. And the third is the kav. If we try to express this more in terms of avodas Hashem, then we could say it like this. What are these three points? First is the knowledge that nothing exists besides Hakadosh Boruch Hu. That is the idea of the infinite light. The infinite light, this concept, this understanding that we study—the knowledge that the infinite light fills all existence. There is nothing besides Him. This reveals to us the point of Hashem’s true oneness, that there is nothing besides Him. There is nothing at all besides Him. That is the first thing every Jew, in every generation, needs to know. Wherever Hakadosh Boruch Hu is, there is no independent existence, nothing else; there is only Him everywhere, without end. Second, the existence of the reshimu and the vacated space reveals what to us? Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s power of limitation. In other words, it shows us that Hakadosh Boruch Hu

20:47 can be present without being revealed. From the perspective of the infinite light, we see that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is the only reality. There is nothing besides Him. Then come the kav and the reshimu, telling us that there is a world, that the world does have an existence. This is the idea of the lower realms. In other words, when it comes to the concept of a world, Hakadosh Boruch Hu does not have to act in a way that leaves nothing else. Hakadosh Boruch Hu can create a reality in which it feels as though there is a world, as though there is something besides Him. The emphasis here is that Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted there to be a world, a real existence. Then there is the third point: knowing that this existence must ultimately connect with Hakadosh Boruch Hu. The Rebbe once said in a sicha that the concept of reshimu explains the idea of emunah. Why? The concept of reshimu, the knowledge that a reshimu exists—that reshimu means Hakadosh Boruch Hu is present in a concealed way—is the foundation of emunah. What is emunah? A person does not feel or understand, does not understand, but he believes. The power of emunah comes from the reshimu: there is no revelation, no comprehension, no understanding, and nevertheless a Jew is together with Hakadosh Boruch Hu. After all, what did we say earlier that reshimu means? Not that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is not there, but that He is not felt. A person’s recognition of this is emunah: although I do not feel, understand, or grasp it, I believe and acknowledge that it is true. Then comes the kav, which is the Chabad approach. The kav reveals that Hakadosh Boruch Hu does become manifest in the world. In other words, the kav draws the light inward. This is another way to show how the Rebbe explains those three elements: the knowledge that besides Hakadosh Boruch Hu

22:33 there is nothing; the knowledge that Hakadosh Boruch Hu can be concealed, which gives rise to the power of emunah; and the knowledge that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is also revealed, that we can connect our world with Hakadosh Boruch Hu. This is the whole foundation of what a person needs: to reveal G-dliness in the world and connect emunah with the intellect, so that his intellect, too, is part of it. We’ll look at a little more of this in the Rebbe’s words. Yes. What will happen when Moshiach comes? You’re connecting this to Moshiach. Yes, so regarding Moshiach, Chassidus says the following, citing Emek HaMelech. The author of Emek HaMelech was one of the Arizal’s kabbalists. Emek HaMelech writes: What is the whole idea of Moshiach? He says that when Hakadosh Boruch Hu created the world, He created it through tzimtzum, kav, and reshimu. He withdrew the unlimited light, made a vacated space and a reshimu, and then drew down a kav. What will happen when Moshiach comes? The goal is for the infinite light that remained outside the vacated space to be revealed. The great, unlimited infinite light will shine within the vacated space. That will happen. That will be the great revelation of Moshiach. Right now, as we said, only a radiance of the kav is revealed within the worlds. When Moshiach comes, the infinite light will be revealed within the worlds. Yes, the infinite light will be revealed within the worlds, and yet the worlds will not lose their existence. That will be the great wonder when Moshiach comes: on the one hand, the unlimited infinite light will be revealed within the vacated space. In other words, all the infinite light will be openly revealed there. And seemingly, when the infinite light arrives, the entire vacated space should disappear. The whole space came into being because the infinite light was concealed. Suddenly, the infinite light will be revealed. Nevertheless,

24:36 that will be the great wonder in the time of Moshiach: the infinite light will be revealed in the vacated space, yet the space will not be nullified. Not only will the space not be nullified, but the kav will not be nullified either. This is one of the remarkable things the sicha seeks to explain to us: when Moshiach comes, the vacated space will remain, with the world, the lower realms, and all of existence; the kav will remain too. And without nullifying this entire structure, without reducing it to nothing, the infinite light will be revealed within this reality as it is, and there will be a union—in the language of Chassidus, a union of sovev and pnimi. A union of the infinite light from before the tzimtzum with the kav. The union of