All, because the source from which it comes is the level of “thoughts” of Hashem, which are the “hidden worlds that are not revealed.” A person is given the name like ‘Avraham’ or ‘Yitzchok’ only after the Divine soul becomes invested in a body.
This is the idea of what is written, (Yechezkal 33:24) “Son of Man (Yechezkal), those who dwell on these desolate lands, on the land of Yisrael, say: Avraham (our forefather) was only one person, yet he inherited the entire land, and we who are many, to us was given the land to inherit it.” This means that Avraham, our father, ‘was’ previously ‘one.’ Before his Divine soul came into his body, he existed in total “Oneness” with Hashem, referring to the level of Hashem’s “thoughts,” which are totally unified with Hashem, like a person’s thoughts are unified with his own soul.”
These “thoughts” are called “hidden worlds,” which are totally united with Hashem’s Infinite Light, which is a level higher that how the worlds become revealed as seemingly separate from Hashem, called “the world of separateness.”
Therefore, just like Avraham, our forefather, in whom was contained the souls of the entire Jewish People, was originally on the level of total unity with Hashem, existing in Hashem’s ‘thoughts,’ so too, Adam, the first person, included in himself 600,000 root-souls for the entire Jewish People in one level (his own lofty soul), since the source of the Divine souls is from a level above and beyond the division and ‘separateness’ of the other created beings, as explained above.
Just like thought can contain a lot of information and can condense it into one point that would take a long time to explain verbally, the same is true regarding Hashem’s thought, where all souls exist in undifferentiated unity. This is reflected in the fact that all the Jewish Souls existed simultaneously in Adam and in Avraham, since they were each on the level of Hashem’s ‘thoughts.’
This all brings out that the source of the Divine soul is on the level of Hashem’s ‘thoughts,’ which are totally unified with Him, similar to a person’s thoughts, which are unified with his soul. We still need to understand the benefit of the soul coming down into this world. What possible advantage can the soul attain by being here rather than being part of Hashem’s thought?
Summary of Chapter 1:
Q1. What is the meaning of “ו מִׁסְפ ָר אֶת רוֹ בַע יִׁש ְרָאֵל-or who can count the רוֹ בַע of Yisrael?”
A1. The word רוֹ בַע could either mean one-fourth, or a total of four. Thus, the verse could either mean, “Who can count one-fourth of Yisrael?” Or, it could mean, “Who can count Yisrael, who is made up of four parts?”
Q2. According to the second translation of רוֹ בַע as a total of four, what are the “four parts” of Yisrael?
A2. Three out of the four aspects of Yisrael are the three general ways in which we connect to Hashem. They are: The 1-thought (ב ְרָּאתִיו), 2-speech (יְצ רְ ת ִיו), and 3-action (אַף עֲש ִיתִיו) of the Torah and Mitzvos. The fourth aspect of our connection to Hashem is hinted to by the word “אַף-also” (of (אַף עֲש ִׁיתִׁיו, implying another aspect of our connection to Hashem that is higher than thought, speech, and action. To understand this “fourth aspect of our connection,” we need to answer the following question:
Q3. What is the purpose for which our Divine soul came down into a body?
A3. It came down in order to connect to Hashem on an even deeper level than it was connected to Him while still Above.
Q4. What type of existence did the soul have in its source, and what type of connection to Hashem did it have in its source?
A4. In its source, the soul existed on the level of Hashem’s “thoughts,” which are higher than His “speech.” Speech is Hashem’s revelation, which He uses to create our world and the spiritual worlds of souls and angels that feel separate from Him. Just like speech reveals one’s inner thoughts to someone else, so too, this creative power gives rise to beings that consider themselves to be “other” and separate from Hashem. Hashem reveals His creative power to these “other” beings. However, in the world of Atzilus, Hashem’s true Oneness is fully revealed, and the souls therefore feel completely united with Him, just as a person’s thoughts are united with the thinker and reveal one’s own ideas to themselves. In such a case, there is no “other” involved. Our Divine souls originally existed on this lofty level.
Q5. If our souls started out on such a high level of connection to Hashem, similar to His “thoughts, which” that are totally united with Him, what possible greater, deeper connection can be attained in this physical world? This is what the maamer will continue to explain:
