Concepts in Chassidus - Part 4

00:08 We’re moving now to another point from Scripture and Midrash. But I’d like your permission to go back a little, and I’ll explain why. Today we’ll discuss something we haven’t spoken about yet: the levels in the light before the tzimtzum. The reason I’m bringing it up today is simply that we’ve now reached the Rebbe’s maamar. In the first maamar, the Rebbe discusses the levels in the light before the tzimtzum. There he brings from the Rebbe Rashab that there are three levels: the essence of the light; the expansion of the light for itself, which the Rebbe says is the source of the keser; and the expansion of the light for itself that relates to the worlds below. That is the wording of the maamar. These are the three levels in the light before the tzimtzum. The Rebbe says that the third level, as we’ll see, is called Shechinah. This third level—the expansion of the light for itself that relates to the worlds—is called Shechinah. The Rebbe asks: this is light before the tzimtzum, and there still had to be a tzimtzum—not just a tzimtzum, but a tzimtzum involving the withdrawal of the light. So how can it be called Shechinah? Nevertheless, the Rebbe says, it is called Shechinah. That passage is in the Rebbe’s first maamar, in its first section. So we need to understand what these three levels of the light before the tzimtzum are. That is the first point. We’ve already mentioned these levels briefly. Second, we need to understand the question and the answer. What is the question? Since it is light before the tzimtzum, how can it be called Shechinah?

02:23 And he describes it as follows: nevertheless, it is called Shechinah. That seems to point to the answer, though he says it only briefly at this stage. So we need to understand it. We didn’t discuss this whole subject at the beginning, because we went straight into the topic of the tzimtzum and the levels that followed it. So today we’ll talk about it a little. First, a general introduction. The Rebbe says this comes from the Rebbe Rashab. In other words, it is a chiddush of the Rebbe Rashab. In the writings of the Rebbeim before the Rebbe Rashab, we don’t find a discussion of levels in the light before the tzimtzum. One could say that the Rebbe Rashab introduced this whole idea. He developed it; perhaps there are some hints to it in the earlier Rebbeim as well. But the one who developed the subject in detail, at length and in the texts, was the Rebbe Rashab. As the Rebbe notes there, it comes from [unclear]. There are also several sources in which the Rebbe Rashab explains this at length. What do we mean by saying it was his chiddush? Weren’t these levels known before? What exactly is the explanation? I’ll speak about that a little. First we’ll discuss what the levels are, and afterward, if there’s time, we’ll discuss what it means to say that the Rebbe Rashab revealed this idea. So let’s begin with the levels. What does it say? At the root of these levels, the Rebbe says there is the essence of the light. Then there is the expansion of the light for itself, and then the expansion of the light for itself that relates to the worlds. Am I getting that right? The part that relates to the worlds is specifically the lower level. So what are these three levels?

04:24 All three levels are within the Ein Sof. When we speak about before the tzimtzum, we know the well-known teaching of our Sages that underlies this whole subject: “Before the world was created, there was only He and His name.” This teaching appears in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, and Chassidus explains what “before the world was created” means. It means before the tzimtzum, not merely before creation. So what was there before the tzimtzum? “He and His name.” Our Sages identify two levels: He and His name. What are “He” and “His name”? “He” is the essence—the essence of the Creator, what Chassidus calls Atzmus. When we say “He,” we mean Hakadosh Boruch Hu Himself, so to speak: the essence of the Creator, beyond any category of revelation. Then there is “His name.” What is His name? A name is not the essence; it is an emanation, a revelation. It is like a person’s name: the name is not the person himself, but a way he becomes known to others. So before the tzimtzum there is not only the essence of the Creator; there is also His name, meaning the light. In the wording of our Sages it is called “His name,” and in the language of Chassidus it is called “light”—the level known as the light of the Ein Sof. Now look at

06:40 the writings of the Arizal, which we’ve mentioned several times. The Arizal says that before the world was created, the infinite light filled all of existence, and there was no empty space. The Arizal does not discuss levels before the tzimtzum. He speaks of one thing: the light of the Ein Sof. Of course, he isn’t speaking about Atzmus. He is speaking about the light, and saying that the light of the Ein Sof filled all of existence. Before the tzimtzum, the light of Hakadosh Boruch Hu—His revelation—was infinite and filled all of existence. It was the simple, boundless revelation of light. Why would we bring Atzmus into this? Atzmus is entirely beyond this. The whole concept of tzimtzum does not apply to the essence; that isn’t what we’re discussing. We’re speaking about the light, and saying that the light of the Ein Sof filled all of existence. That means there was a revelation of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, a state of revealed light. Think of sunlight. What do we mean by “light”? The sun’s presence is felt everywhere. And if the sun shines with great intensity, people can’t go outside; it becomes hard for them to bear. If the sun is too intense, it is unbearable. [unclear] That, too, is what we mean when we speak about before the tzimtzum: Hakadosh Boruch Hu was in a state of revelation. Then the Rebbe Rashab came and said that even within the light before the tzimtzum there are three levels. It is not just one undifferentiated light. We might have thought that when we speak of a simple light filling all of existence, we mean a single light without any distinctions. But the Rebbe Rashab explains that even within the light before the tzimtzum there are three

08:36 levels. Those three levels are the ones mentioned here: the essence of the light; the expansion of the light for itself; and the expansion of the light for itself that relates to the worlds. What do these three levels mean? To make this as [unclear] as possible, the Rebbe Rashab explains it with an analogy from the soul’s faculties. He says that we can understand the three levels of the light by looking at the soul’s faculties. What do we see there? There are three levels. Let’s start from the bottom and work upward. First there are the revealed faculties: the soul’s faculties as they are openly present in a person. For example, when a person feels a desire to study, he arouses his faculty of intellect to understand a particular subject, perhaps a subject in Nigleh. His intellectual faculty is already present in that desire, even though we are not yet speaking about actually studying. That isn’t the point here. We are speaking about the desire: he is already in a frame of mind where he wants to use his mind to understand the Gemara. That state of desire is called a revealed faculty. It is ready to act. Or let’s take another example, perhaps an easier one to understand: kindness. A person feels a desire to do an act of kindness. He still doesn’t know what he will do, what kind of kindness it will be, whom he will help, or how he will go about it. But he already has the desire: “I want to do something kind now. I want to do something good for people.” So he looks for someone he might be able to give something to.

10:34 Money, some food, or some other physical kindness—to give something, to help someone, to do some mitzvah. But the chessed is present in him only as a desire. That is called a power in a revealed state. Then there is a higher level called a hidden power. What is a hidden power? It is like when we say that someone is a person of chessed, a kind person. We also say that he possesses chessed. It may be that right now, at this particular moment, he has no desire to do an act of kindness. He may want to occupy himself with something else. Nevertheless, we call him a person of chessed. What does that mean? It means that the quality of chessed has emerged from his soul and exists within him as an inclination. His chessed has already emerged from the soul, so it is ready to be aroused. In practice, though, there are times when he has no desire to do an act of kindness. A person of chessed does not spend twenty-four hours a day actively wanting to do kindness. No; right now he may not be in a mode of chessed. He may even, for a time, be in a mode of gevurah. Yet we call him a person of chessed. Why? Because his chessed has already emerged from the soul. It is in a state of extension. So something has extended outward from the soul; there is a movement of chessed. But the main point is that there is not yet any actual arousal of chessed. This is the level called “hidden.” Why is it called hidden? Because it is not revealed; there is no revealed arousal. On the other hand, it is already a matter of chessed. There is

12:29 some extension of the power of chessed. Then there is a third level. Actually, before I go to the third level, what is new about this second level? Let’s put it this way: the power of chessed as it exists for the person himself is revealed within him. The soul itself has the power of chessed, but there is no revelation of it; he may not even know about it. The fact that the power of chessed exists in the essence of my soul does not mean I know I have it. As in the well-known story in the Yerushalmi, even a cruel person may [unclear]. But when the power of chessed is revealed in the soul, and you call someone a person who possesses chessed, it means that his power of chessed has already begun to extend outward. It has emerged from the soul. There is still no connection to chessed directed toward another person, though, because he has not yet been aroused to perform an act of kindness. This is called revelation for himself. For himself, chessed is present, but it has no connection yet to doing something for someone outside himself. Then comes a third level, a higher level: the power of chessed in the essence of the soul, as a power included within the soul. Yes, as a power included within the soul. This means chessed as it is included in the soul itself. A person might be cruel. By nature he might have no inclination toward chessed at all. He is a person of gevurah. All his responses are expressions of gevurah; he rejects things and finds only faults, and never sees any element

14:12 of chessed. But chessed exists within the essence of his soul; the quality of chessed is included in the soul. We explained this elsewhere before. We also discussed it in a class this year, when we distinguished between “the power of chessed included in the soul” and “the soul as the bearer of powers.” Do you remember? We discussed it in connection with the maamarim of 5661. There is a maamar cited there in the notes to 5661 that says: There is the power of chessed included in the soul, and there is the soul as the bearer of powers. The soul as the bearer of powers is not yet the power of chessed at all. It is a capacity. It is not a revelation, nor is it the power of chessed. We are speaking of the essence of the soul having the capacity to bring forth a power of chessed. That is something entirely different, and it is not what we are discussing here. It belongs to the subject of the luminary. The soul as the bearer of powers is an essential capacity. It is not light; it pertains to the essence itself. It is like saying of Hakadosh Boruch Hu Himself that He has the capacity to illuminate and the capacity not to illuminate. That is not among the levels before us here. The capacity to illuminate or not to illuminate is a capacity; it is not light at all. In the language of Chassidus, this is called [unclear], and it is not the point of the three things discussed in this maamar. The three levels we discussed are: chessed when it is aroused; above that, chessed as it exists in a person of chessed, where it has begun to extend outward but has not been aroused; and chessed within the soul itself, as a power included in the soul. These levels, Rabbi Chasin[?] says here, also exist in the Ein Sof light. There is a corresponding structure within the Ein Sof light. First there is the essence of the light. What does “the essence

16:00 of the light” mean? It is already light. It is a level of light, but the light exists in an essential state. In other words, the light is as it is in itself, in the essence, without any outward extension. There is not yet any inclination or extension toward anything outside it. It is only the essential matter of revelation. Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted not only the essence, but also revelation. He wanted the Essence to be revealed. So this is the very existence of revelation, without any outward extension yet. It has no relationship to anything else. There is only the essential concept of light, of revelation—just as we said of the soul, where the whole matter is the soul’s own completeness. Apart from the completeness of the soul, there is nothing else here, no extension toward anything outside it. Similarly, here there is the concept of the very essence of light. “Essence” here does not mean the Essence itself; it is an essential state of light. The light, the matter of revelation, expresses the completeness of the Essence for its own sake. Since the Essence can also exist without it, this revelation comes to be. But where does the light come to be? Within the Essence itself. There is still no outward extension of revelation and no relationship to anything else—not a positive relationship, nor even a negative one. It has no relationship at all. That is the meaning of “essence” here, and the analogy is the power of chessed included in the soul. Then comes the second thing. The second level is called “extension.” What does “extension” mean here? It is extension for itself. Here the light no longer exists

17:40 in an essential state, as it does within the luminary. Here the light already exists as revelation. Extension is already a form of revelation. But this extension is not in relation to the worlds; it is an extension within itself. As we said earlier, a person of chessed has chessed within him. He has an inclination toward chessed. It does not yet relate to another person, because there is still no readiness for any particular act. But in relation to his soul, something has already happened: the soul is now in a mode of expression, a mode of chessed. He is a person of chessed. The chessed has emerged from the essence into revelation, but that revelation is not directed toward another person. It is revelation within his own soul. Similarly Above, this is called essential light. The extension of this essential light exists as revealed light, but not as revelation toward the worlds. It is not a revelation suited to eventually enter the worlds, but a revelation according to the Essence. Just as the Essence is without limit, its extension is also without limit. This is called essential light, light for itself. In other words, this extension is the way it reveals itself, and so it is an unlimited extension. That is why the Rebbe Rashab says that this level—the aspect of light before the tzimtzum—is the source of the sovev light. Since the extension here is an extension of the Essence, it is not according to the worlds but according to the Essence. So what will eventually result from it, after the tzimtzum? A light that is not according to the worlds. The sovev light exists after the tzimtzum. The sovev light is what we spoke about earlier.

19:32 There are circles, and there is the straight line. After the tzimtzum, there is an aspect of inner light and an aspect of encompassing light. The light of sovev is the encompassing light that exists after the tzimtzum. What is the source of this encompassing light after the tzimtzum? What did we explain in the previous classes? What does “encompassing” mean? It means a light that is revealed in the worlds, but is revealed equally in all of them—a light present equally in Chochmah and Malchus, or in Atzilus and Asiyah. The same is true of the light of sovev, of sovev kol almin. Sovev kol almin is a light that, after the tzimtzum, is revealed equally in the higher worlds and the lower worlds. Where does this light come from? What is the source of a light that is revealed in the worlds not according to their nature and capacity, but according to its own nature and will? Its source is that light, the aspect of expansion for Himself. Before the tzimtzum, Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted to reveal Himself not according to the worlds; there is an aspect of revelation according to His essence, revealing His boundlessness as He is boundless, right? From that, after the tzimtzum takes place, the light of sovev is brought forth. That is what the Rebbe Rashab means when he says that this is the source of the light of sovev. Then there is a third level. The third level is called an essential light that relates to the worlds. What does that mean? As we said earlier with the example of a kind person, I have a desire to do kindness. I am already at the stage of wanting it. Once I want to do kindness, that means another person’s existence already has a place here. Wanting to do kindness means that, in my world, there is already someone else, right? And I want to do kindness for that person. So I am already taking into account the existence of someone else for whom I am going to perform the

21:26 kindness. But what? As we said, I have not yet actually done the kindness. I have not yet revealed it. It could emerge in all sorts of ways, but there is already the concept of another person for whom I intend to perform kindness, right? That is what “an essential light that relates to the worlds” means. True, it is still within Himself, because everything we are discussing is the light before the tzimtzum. The tzimtzum has not yet happened. It is all still within Himself, and the light before the tzimtzum is boundless. But we are saying that within this boundlessness a desire has already arisen: He wants there to be a light for the worlds. But if He is boundless, how can He want to be a light for the worlds? The answer is simple. Since He is boundless—since the Master of the Universe is infinite—precisely because He is boundless, “just as He has the power of the infinite, so He has the power of the finite,” as the familiar expression goes. The infinite light can be revealed in all sorts of ways. So it arose in His will that His revelation should not be in an unlimited manner, but as a light that relates to the worlds: a light, an expansion, a revelation suited to the worlds. Shema Yisroel. So this desire, since it is for a light that relates to the worlds, is still something boundless. On the one hand, we call it an essential light, because where is this revelation, this expansion? It is still part of His boundlessness. It is still essential. Therefore, for this light actually to become a light for the worlds afterward, there still has to be a tzimtzum—tzimtzum and the whole process [unclear]. Why? Because there was a light that related

23:15 to the worlds, but its relationship to the worlds did not come from the worlds; it came from His being boundless. That is why it can relate to the worlds: because He is boundless, He can also have a relationship with them. So the relationship to the worlds comes not from the worlds, but from the light. Since that relationship comes from His boundlessness, it is called Shechinah on the one hand. Why is it called Shechinah? Because it relates to the worlds. Within the light before the tzimtzum there is already a light with a relationship to something outside itself. It is already oriented toward being revealed to the worlds. But that relationship does not mean that the worlds themselves have inherent significance. Rather, a desire arises within His boundlessness, within the infinity of Ein Sof. Since that desire is still part of the boundlessness, there still needs to be a tzimtzum, and further tzimtzum. This is what the Rebbe Rashab says in two places. On the one hand, [unclear] relates to this aspect of Shechinah; and he asks: If it is Shechinah, surely there must be a withdrawal? In a sense, there must indeed be a withdrawal, because its relationship to the worlds still comes from boundlessness, and boundlessness must be withdrawn. It cannot relate to them directly. So why is it called Shechinah? Because relative to the [unclear], to the boundless light or to the kav, [unclear]. If you look at it from the perspective of the worlds, nothing has yet happened as far as they are concerned. From their perspective, they have no connection to this at all. The worlds have no connection

24:51 to boundlessness at all—not even to a boundless light that relates to the worlds. Boundlessness and limitation are two [unclear]. So from the perspective of the worlds, they have no connection to it, and there must be a withdrawal. Only through withdrawal can the light emerge. But that is one perspective. If, instead, we look from the perspective of the light, there is a third level within it: this light has an inherent relationship to what will eventually come through the tzimtzum. [unclear] This is the third level, and the Rebbe Rashab is precise in calling it “essential.” On the one hand, it is still a particular aspect of the boundless light; nevertheless, it relates to limitation. How can it relate to the worlds if the tzimtzum is needed? From the perspective of the light, it can. It is part of the light, and that is why a tzimtzum is also needed. But how does it get its name? Relative to [unclear], it can be called Shechinah. That is what it says in the series of maamarim. There is a familiar expression that appears in maamarim in several places: “There is no potential that lacks actuality.” In other words, all the powers are already present in potential. [unclear] Because He is unlimited, as soon as [unclear], all the possibilities are already there. So the completeness of His powers includes not only what is above any relationship, but also the capacity for relationship. Now, these aspects discussed here have other names in other places in the series of maamarim. I want to emphasize that so we can follow this in other maamarim. They have other names elsewhere. For example, this level, the one called “for Himself,” is sometimes called yecholes—sorry, sometimes called

26:39 the revelation of the essence. It is also called the light that is above will. And the third level is called—well, will. That is another name used in the series. There is another name for this aspect as well. We speak of “He measured within Himself, in potential, all that would later come into actuality.” That is the idea here: He measured within Himself, in potential. [unclear] So this measuring within Himself also belongs to this aspect of the light’s relationship to the worlds. That is the point the Rebbe Rashab makes. He identifies it as the first aspect of Shechinah. Why is it the first aspect of Shechinah? Because that is the distinction [unclear]. The Shechinah the Rebbe spoke about is a Shechinah directed toward the worlds. That means that even [unclear], the existence of the worlds already has a place there. That is why it is called Shechinah. But when the Rebbe Rashab says that there is an aspect of Shechinah before the tzimtzum, why is it called Shechinah? Not because the worlds themselves have inherent significance—before the tzimtzum they do not—but because He is boundless. The worlds emerge from that boundlessness. It is not that the worlds have significance in their own right. [unclear] Rather, from the perspective of the revelation, the possibility of worlds emerges, and this brings about a relationship within the light itself. [unclear] But all of it is still part of that holy light and its holiness. This is the aspect of “Dovid Melech Yisroel.” Now, what the Rebbe

28:59 What does this explain? Why was it the Rebbe Rashab who introduced this idea? It seems so simple. What does it mean that there are three levels? What is the innovation here that was a secret until the Rebbe revealed it? So the Rebbe says it’s very simple. The whole concept of hishtalshelus, the whole idea of a world with an order to it, is a concept of order. And where does that begin? With the tzimtzum. That’s what the tzimtzum is. Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted there to be an order, a world. He created the ordered chain of worlds, the order of hishtalshelus. So everything we’ve explained by drawing on the human soul makes sense once there is an order of hishtalshelus and an order of worlds. Then there are the different relationships and a whole progression. But when we’re speaking about before the tzimtzum, that means before Hakadosh Boruch Hu, so to speak, related to His world—as He is unto Himself, above and unto Himself. The rules of that order don’t apply there at all. So who says that because we find a progression and different levels in the soul, the same thing must exist before the tzimtzum? What’s the connection? Before the tzimtzum is before there was hishtalshelus. Before hishtalshelus, there isn’t yet an order or all these distinctions. So perhaps there was only the Essence itself, directly, without any distinction between levels.

30:38 There would be no separate level there, no distinct level of the Essence of the Creator of worlds. Perhaps, then, before the tzimtzum there is only one level, as stated in the writings of the Arizal. This is what was revealed by the Rebbe Rashab in his series of maamarim: he introduced and revealed something remarkable. Even in the light before the tzimtzum—yes, despite its being before the tzimtzum—there is still a relationship to an order of levels. You could ask: Why is that? What is the explanation? It means that, according to this, the Rebbe Rashab revealed that the concepts of order we understand from a person can take us not only to what comes after the tzimtzum. From the order we see in ourselves, we can also reach an understanding of what is before the tzimtzum. Yes, that’s the innovation the Rebbe Rashab revealed in his series of maamarim: that there is an order even before the tzimtzum. That really is an innovation. Once the Rebbe Rashab revealed that this is so, it could then be explained through the soul and its faculties as well. But if the Rebbe Rashab had not revealed it, nothing in that explanation would compel us to say that the entire order must exist before the tzimtzum. After the tzimtzum, yes: that is how He wanted things to be. But before the tzimtzum, not necessarily. The Rebbe Rashab revealed this. It’s part of what we say about Chassidus: its innovation is to reveal concepts of G-dliness and bring them into the service of Hashem. Each Rebbe revealed deeper levels. Earlier Rebbeim spoke primarily about levels after the tzimtzum; the Rebbe Rashab began speaking at length about the levels before the tzimtzum, which are explained in his maamarim. And where does this lead?

32:21 He spoke about it in the service of Hashem as well. All of this is bound up with the Torah of Moshiach. As we’ve also seen with the Rebbe, the Rebbe spoke of even higher levels. In the Rebbe’s teachings, we see him speaking about still more refined distinctions and higher levels. Later in this maamar, too, in the context of speaking about the Essence and Being of Hashem, we see the Rebbe speaking with even greater subtlety, distinguishing more levels. And the Rebbe also brings all of this into the service of Hashem. All of this is bound up with what will happen when the son of David comes. [unclear] When Moshiach comes, we will be able to see all these levels, all these revelations. Because that is ultimately the point of the general tikkun: not only the levels after the tzimtzum will be revealed, but also the levels before the tzimtzum, all the way to the level of the very Essence. All of it will be revealed right here below, below. Are you satisfied? So let’s do it.