Concepts in Chassidus - Part 5

00:00 Speaker 1 This week we began discussing the levels in seder hishtalshelus above Atzilus, and we explained the concept of Adam Kadmon, or A"K. We’ve already spoken about A"K. Of course, we still can’t fully grasp it, but at least we have a general picture of what it is. A"K is the first level after the tzimtzum. From there, we’ll continue to the levels that follow. So first, let’s briefly review what we said about A"K, and then we’ll be able to understand what comes next. After the tzimtzum, Hakadosh Boruch Hu contracted the Ein Sof light, the boundless light. That light has no connection at all to a world. So after the tzimtzum, what was the first stage, the first revelation, you might say? In other words, what was the first relationship, the first connection with the world? The first stage of Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s connection with the world is the level called Adam Kadmon, A"K, in Kabbalah. What is this level? As we said, the concept of A"K was revealed by the Arizal. It isn’t mentioned in earlier Kabbalistic teachings. It is one of the secrets revealed through the Arizal. There are sources for it in the Zohar, yes, but the explanation of exactly what it is, what its role is, and where this level stands is one of the things the Arizal introduced. So, as we explained, the whole idea of Adam Kadmon is that it is the overall map of the world. So to speak, Hakadosh Boruch Hu drew out and arranged everything in thought, right? In the thought of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, so to speak, it arose in His will what the overall map of the world would be—what, exactly, He wanted. Right? After the tzimtzum, the concept of limitation was revealed. There is a space, an empty space, and a complete seder hishtalshelus now needs to enter it. What exactly do I want from this seder hishtalshelus?

02:39 Speaker 1 So in A"K, the entire form, the entire picture, the entire map of the whole seder hishtalshelus throughout the world arose in the thought of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. From the highest of all levels to the lowest of all levels—from the very first and highest sefirah, however we call it, down to a worm in the sea, down to a little leaf that fell from a tree, and so on. Not a single detail is missing. Everything is included in the overall thought of A"K. But in A"K it exists as will. What is will? We explained that too. Will means that everything is equal. That is the whole point of will. With a person, at the level of will, you can’t say that one thing is more important and another less important. The intellect contains distinctions: important things, more important things, less important things. But in will, everything is equal; it is all one point. My will extends to everything. I want it or I don’t want it. You can’t say, “I want it less” or “I want it more,” because this is will. Will is black or white, yes or no. The whole world is equal within will. And especially in this will, which is the overall will: those particular matters are not yet what concerns Him. What concerns Him is that the entire picture of seder hishtalshelus will fulfill the purpose of creating the world, right? That Hakadosh Boruch Hu should have a dwelling place. So what is felt in A"K is not the details of seder hishtalshelus, but the overall point: that the entire seder hishtalshelus expresses one point of will. That is why A"K is described as “one thought.” One thought. Although this thought includes everything, it is one thought, one point. What is felt here is not the details of Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, or Chochmah, Binah, Chessed, and Gevurah—all those details. What is felt here is one point: the fulfillment of the will of Hakadosh Boruch Hu through creation.

04:42 Speaker 1 One thought, one point. Or sometimes the expression is “in a single glance.” Yes. To the very end. [unclear], as we say on Rosh Chodesh. It is one point that includes all of hishtalshelus. So we’ve already discussed that; this is just a brief review—or not so brief—of the point we discussed regarding A"K. Yes. So this is the overall will for the entire seder hishtalshelus. What happens after A"K, after the overall will? Since it is will, as we said, everything is equal; everything stands on the same level. But that is not the goal. Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted seder hishtalshelus not to be such that everything is equal, that Atzilus and Asiyah are equal, that light and vessels are equal. No. Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted a seder hishtalshelus with higher and lower, upper and lower, a higher level and a lower level—a chain. And so, after A"K, a whole process of hishtalshelus begins. What we’ll discuss today are the levels between A"K and Atzilus, which are called in Chassidus the worlds of Ein Sof. That is what we’ll try to explain today: the worlds of Ein Sof. Now, when we say “the worlds of Ein Sof,” we don’t mean the Ein Sof before the tzimtzum. We are already speaking about levels after the tzimtzum, and even after A"K. Sometimes A"K is also counted among the worlds of Ein Sof, because it too is part of this whole. But the term is “the worlds of Ein Sof.” What are they? First, let me say a few more words, and then we’ll continue. The worlds of Ein Sof are the levels known in Chassidus as Akudim and Nekudim. Berudim—no, Berudim is already Atzilus. I’ll speak about Berudim too, but Berudim is actually no longer one of the worlds of Ein Sof; it is already Atzilus. We’ll get to that shortly, and then

07:04 Speaker 1 you’ll understand why. So Akudim and Nekudim are the two levels called the worlds of Ein Sof. What exactly are Akudim and Nekudim? And of course, if we mention Akudim and Nekudim, we’ll also have to mention Berudim. These are also terms for the animals Yaakov Avinu had: Akudim, Nekudim, and Berudim. So Berudim is part of that picture too. But, as we’ve already said, Berudim is no longer among the worlds of Ein Sof; it is already Atzilus. What does all this mean? The explanation is as follows. We said that in A"K everything was equal, right? There was no higher or lower; everything was equal, and distinctions between levels were not yet felt. It was all will. There was not yet a defined existence. From A"K, after it arose in His will, a defined existence begins to come into being. In other words, in A"K there is still no defined existence. Will is not a defined existence; will is only will. Nothing yet exists as a distinct entity. Everything is completely nullified. Only Hakadosh Boruch Hu is felt; a distinct existence is not yet felt. There is no such existence yet. Hakadosh Boruch Hu wants there to be a world, right? For there to be the existence of ten sefiros. Ten sefiros are a defined existence. Chochmah is not Binah, Binah is not Daas, Daas is not Chessed, and Chessed is not Gevurah. Each sefirah is a different entity. Each sefirah has its own characteristics, its own identity, and so this is where distinct existence begins to emerge. How does it begin? First comes Akudim: existence in its loftiest, highest form. After that comes Nekudim: existence with a more distinct form. And after that comes what is called Berudim: existence with an even more distinct form. In other words, these three stages—Akudim, Nekudim, and Berudim—concern the ten sefiros, which are the vessels of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, the ten sefiros of Elokus. But the ten sefiros, as ten sefiros, are already a distinct existence.

09:15 Speaker 1 That is chochmah and binah. Those are already matters of distinct existence—the existence of G-dliness, of Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s chochmah and His chesed. So when the sefiros need to move from simplicity to a defined form, especially after Adam Kadmon—there, as we said, everything is simple. In Adam Kadmon there is no distinct existence yet, no defined form at all. Adam Kadmon is a state of simplicity. Here begins the transition from simplicity to form. The order of that transition is akudim, nekudim, berudim. What are they? What do they mean? How did akudim, nekudim, and berudim appear in the physical world? Once we see that, we’ll understand the difference between the successive stages of the sefiros. In the physical world, Rashi says akudim comes from the word for tying—binding, as with young goats. When an animal is taken for slaughter, its legs are bound together, and that is called akudim. Akeidah means binding, so akudim expresses being bound together. In Chassidus—let me write this down; I have a place here—what does it say about akudim? The definition given in Chassidus is: ten sefiros in one vessel. On the one hand, there are ten sefiros. On the other, all ten are in a single vessel. That means all ten sefiros are completely united, and their differences in level are not felt. They are ten sefiros, but they exist in one vessel, as though they were together, equal, united with one another. That’s not... All right, I need to explain. I know you’ll have questions. If that’s so, what’s the difference between this and Adam Kadmon? That’s why I want to explain: the simplicity of the sefiros in Adam Kadmon, where we said everything is equal, is a much greater simplicity than the simplicity here. In the language of Chassidus, you could call Adam Kadmon a state of

11:40 Speaker 1 yachid—singular—not echad, one. Here, what is felt is oneness. You know, we once studied the maamar [unclear]. Chassidus distinguishes between yachid and echad. Yachid means there is no division whatsoever—singular, unique. As I said, we don’t really have an example of it. Echad, by contrast, means there are things that join together; there is differentiation. Echad is a oneness that includes multiple things. There is already some element of chesed, but everything is together. So echad is on a lower level than yachid. That explains what we said about Adam Kadmon: there, it is complete simplicity. When we now say that akudim is one, it is not the same kind of simplicity as in Adam Kadmon. Nevertheless, it is one vessel. And the Rebbe explains in the maamar that “ten sefiros in one vessel” does not merely mean, in the straightforward sense, that there is only one vessel containing all ten sefiros. The Rebbe explains something deeper: it means that the vessel itself is one. The vessel is in a state of bittul to oneness; it is a vessel of oneness. How can there be ten sefiros together? The ten sefiros include chochmah, chesed, and so on—chesed and gevurah, for example. How can they be together? Because the vessel—the existence there, and a vessel represents distinct existence—is characterized by oneness, by bittul. Because oneness shines there, they come to bittul, and therefore the ten sefiros can be together. The ten sefiros are in a vessel in which oneness is felt, and that is why they can be together. That is akudim: ten sefiros in one vessel. Now, nekudim. What is the definition of nekudim? What were nekudim in the physical sense? They were sheep with spots. They had short wool and many spots—spots, spots, black spots. The idea is that of a point.

13:44 Speaker 1 What defines a point? Here there are already ten sefiros. Ten is no longer one; there are ten sefiros. But each sefirah is in the form of a point. In other words, each sefirah exists in its most concentrated form. A point is like expressing something in condensed form: it contains everything, but without expanding outward. The point contains the full depth of the thing, but it is only a point. This is, of course, an analogy. Say someone is learning Bava Kama, and you ask him, “What is Bava Kama about?” He answers, “Damages—damage caused by one’s property.” So I’ve just described all of Bava Kama in a single phrase. But no—what are damages? What does it discuss? An ox that gored five other oxen, and all sorts of other cases. There is a great deal in Bava Kama about damages, but that one word encompasses it all. That is the definition of a point: all the details are concentrated within it, but they are not apparent. There are no expressed details, only the point. So the ten sefiros begin to emerge: chochmah as a point of chochmah. That point contains the full force of chochmah, but without expansion—chochmah without expansion. Yet chochmah needs to have some binah as well. Chochmah by itself is not really chochmah. For it to be part of an ordered structure, there must be binah within gevurah, chesed within gevurah, and so on. In other words, this teaches us something about the ten sefiros: for them to function together, each sefirah must also have something of another sefirah. It cannot stand entirely alone. But here, in nekudim, the way we look at

15:57 Speaker 1 the sefiros, the way they emerge, is that each sefirah exists as a point. So there are ten sefiros in ten vessels. Yes, ten vessels. But they are in the form of points. In short, there are ten vessels, but the vessels are not expanded vessels; they exist as points. This needs a more technical explanation, but we don’t have time now. Let’s continue so we can finish the subject here. Berudim. What are berudim? In Yaakov’s flock, Rashi explains what the berudim sheep looked like. The animal had these—what do you call them? Spots?

16:51 Speaker 2 Spots.

16:52 Speaker 1 Spots, yes. First of all, the animal had spots. And across the middle of its body there was a white line. That is how Rashi describes berudim: spots, with a white line running between them. What does this signify? Berudim emphasizes that the sefiros have descended to a lower level. They are no longer so intensely concentrated in a single, abstract point. They expand more and unfold more, and then integration begins. That means one sefirah is invested in a vessel, but it is not only chochmah: chochmah also contains binah, and binah also contains something of chochmah. Every sefirah contains all ten sefiros, and they need to be integrated. Chesed is not only chesed. Chesed understands that it also needs gevurah, so it receives from gevurah, and gevurah receives from chesed. Each gives to and influences the other, and that produces integration. How is that expressed here? First, it is no longer a point; it has expanded. Second, the line passing between the different colors alludes to the light of the kav, the line of... of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, the line that brings focus and keeps the sefiros from being so self-centered. In the previous stages, although they are higher levels, one sefirah cannot join with another because each feels only its own distinct existence. This is how the order of hishtalshelus descends from the light of the abstract will: step by step, the sefiros descend and take on more and more form. Here there are vessels. With akudim and nekudim there are already points, meaning there are distinct elements, but each element is still a complete point. After that,

20:33 Speaker 1 it takes on still more substance and form, until, as we mentioned, the sefiros are expressed according to the power of will, rather than without form. I think that... already

20:41 Speaker 3 They’re showing it.

20:42 Speaker 1 Huh?

20:43 Speaker 3 They’re showing it.

20:45 Speaker 1 Come here. Yes. So in Atzilus, what do we say? Here it’s... the integration of the sefiros with one another. Yes, that’s the idea of combination. By the way, if we remember, when we discussed before the tzimtzum, we used an analogy from the soul. Do you remember before the tzimtzum? We discussed three levels before the tzimtzum, using an analogy from the soul: within the soul’s faculties, there are three levels—the faculties as they are included in the soul, the hidden faculties, and the revealed faculties. Yes, and that was an analogy to help us understand the three aspects before the tzimtzum: the essence of the light and the extension of the light. In fact, most maamarim use this analogy for those levels. It fits better there, before the tzimtzum, where everything is already infinite and in a state of bittul. But this analogy of the three levels within the soul is also a good analogy for understanding Akudim, Nekudim, and Berudim. There are faculties included within the soul. In other words, there are ten faculties within the soul. That’s how it is. Before a person begins to reveal any faculties, the soul has ten faculties, but those ten faculties are hidden within it, as we say here about Akudim. None of the faculties in the soul senses there that Chochmah is higher than Binah, or Binah higher than Chochmah. The differences between them aren’t felt. What is felt there is the soul. Everything included in the soul is like the essence itself. When the faculties are included in the soul, they are hidden within it, and what is felt in them is not their individual character but the essence of the soul. That is Akudim: ten sefiros, like the soul’s ten faculties within the soul. These are the latent faculties. After that comes the second level, Nekudim—the hidden faculties. The hidden faculties are when the faculties emerge from the soul but have not yet become invested in vessels. In other words, when we say that someone has the faculty of chessed, he already has that faculty, but it is still

22:50 Speaker 1 not in practice—it is only a faculty. And when a person sees at the level of a faculty, then on the one hand, Chochmah is just Chochmah. The faculty of intellect is called Chochmah; the faculty of—the faculty of chessed is called chessed. It is only chessed. There is nothing else there that is not chessed. These are the hidden vessels. This is already like Nekudim: the emergence of a particular point. And then comes the third level, where the faculties become invested in the organs. At that point there is integration, though Chochmah and Binah are distinct. The integration of sight has an effect: when a person sees, he hears better. All this integration comes through a vessel. These are already the revealed vessels, when the faculties become invested in the organs. So this analogy can also help us understand Akudim, Nekudim, and Berudim: the faculties as they are included in the soul, the hidden faculties, and the revealed faculties. So those are the three aspects as they appear in the order of hishtalshelus, beginning with Akudim. What, essentially, is Akudim? According to this way of looking at it, Akudim is called oneness. And in terms of the analogy of the soul, Akudim is the soul as the bearer of the faculties. I don’t know if you remember—we discussed this last year in the first-year class. Yes, last year, that was last year. Yes, in the first-year class. We spoke about water; we explained that there is the soul as the bearer of the faculties, and the faculties as they are included in the soul. So Akudim is like oneness, and Nekudim is... Well. I think that’s enough.