Desires and memories, before he consciously thinks about something. The knowledge or desire that he has on a subconscious level is totally united with him; it has no separate existence apart from him. Even though the knowledge or desire is for something outside of the person, the way it exists in the subconscious, it has no identity apart from the person, since it exists completely "inside" of him.
So, too, we are all really Hashem’s thoughts that exist “inside” of Him since He is always everywhere, and things can only exist inside of Him. Therefore, there is really nothing separate from Him.
Even though we look at reality as though it is Hashem’s words that have become totally separate from Him (like a person’s words that are separate from the person), but from Hashem’s perspective we are still His “thoughts” that exist inside of Him and have no separate identity.
See Tanya chapters 20-21 at length on this concept.
וְלָּכֵן , קַמֵּיהּ – כּו לָּּא כְּלָּא חָּש ִּ יב מַמָּּש .
Therefore, before Hashem (from His perspective), everything in the world has literally no independent value.
וְגַ ם הָּעו לָּמו ת בְּטֵלִּים זֶׁ ה בָּּזֶׁ ה .
Not only relative to Hashem are the worlds an incomparably lower level of existence, but even the worlds themselves exist on many levels, with each level being insignificant compared to a higher level. Another way to translate this: “each spiritual world is included in a higher state in the spiritual world above it.”
וּמַ ה ש ֶׁ לְּמַעְלָּ ה – בְּחִּינַת "דִּּ בּוּ ר ," Each spiritual world can be described in two ways depending on the perspective: From the perspective of the spiritual world above it, the world below it is considered like “speech” that is a lesser revelation from the person and is more separate from him than his thoughts,
נִּקְ רָּ א לְמַטָּּ ה נֶׁגֶׁ ד עו לָּ ם הַתַּחְ תּו ן – בְּחִּינַ ת "מַחְ ש ָּבָּ ה" וּבָּטֵ ל אֶׁצְלו .
But from the perspective of the world below it, it is considered like “thoughts,” which are a higher and more internal expression of the person, and therefore the level below it is insignificant and included in the world above it.
For example, there are three spiritual worlds of souls and angels (that feel that they have some independent existence) that are between this physical world and the world of Divinity called Atzilus. They are called (from above to below):
- Atzilus (World of revealed Divine Oneness)
- Beria (Creation)
- Yetzira (Formation)
- Asiya (Action/Completion of the creative process)
- Our Physical World
Let’s look at the world of Yetzira (Formation):
From the perspective of the world above it, the world of Beria, the world beneath it, Yetzira, is like speech, whereas Beria would be like thought. This is because the world of Beria is a higher level of revelation of Hashem that is more united with Him than Yetzira. Therefore, whatever exists in the world of Yetzira, also exists on a higher level in the world of Beria, just like whatever is expressed in speech, also exists at a higher level in one’s thoughts.
However, from the perspective of the world below Yetzira, the world of Asiya (Action), the world of Yetzira is like “thought” compared to Asiya, which would be like “speech,” since whatever exists in Asiya, also exists on a higher level in the world of Yetzira.
כְּמו ש ֶׁהַדִּּ בּוּר ש ֶׁל הָּרַב נַעֲש ֶׁה בְּחִּינַת מַחְש ָּבָּה אֵצֶׁל הַתַּלְמִּ יד כוּ ' ,כַּנּו דָּע
Just like the speech of the teacher becomes the thoughts of the student, as is known.
Meaning, that from the lowest level of the teacher's knowledge - what he can give over to the student by way of speech - becomes the highest level of the knowledge of the student, which the student must use his most powerful intellectual abilities to comprehend. This is similar to a great sage: When he is in front of his students, his knowledge is on a relatively high level, but when he is in front of an even greater sage, he feels insignificant, since he realizes that the greater sage knows whatever he knows, and much more. We see that any given level of knowledge is like thought compared to a lower level of knowledge, but like speech compared to a higher level of knowledge.
So too, all the spiritual worlds - Each “world” is a level of awareness of Hashem, which is insignificant and exists on a higher state in a higher “world” i.e. a higher level of awareness of Hashem.
Based on the above, the Alter Rebbe will explain a deeper meaning in what it says in the Zohar, that, “No ‘thought’ can grasp Hashem at all:”
וְזֶׁהוּ "לֵית מַחְ ש ָּבָּ ה תְּ פִּיסָּ א בֵּיהּ כְּלָּ ל "
This is the meaning of what is stated in the Zohar (Tikunei Zohar 17a), “No ‘מַחְש ָּבָּה-thought’ can grasp Him (Hashem) at all.”
The simple meaning of this statement is that a person's mind cannot grasp, nor understand Hashem at all. Since Hashem is infinitely higher than the limitations of all of the worlds, a person's mind cannot grasp Him.
Now, the Alter Rebbe will give a deeper explanation of which “מַחְש ָּבָּה-thought” it is referring to as being unable to understand Hashem:
דְּ הַיְינוּ , אַ ף עו לָּמו ת עֶׁלְיו נִּים מְא ד , ש ֶׁהֵ ם בְּחִּינַת מַחְ ש ָּבָּ ה , הֵ ם בְּטֵלִּי ם אֶׁצְ לו וְל א "תְּ פִּיסָּ א בֵּיהּ " כְּלָּ ל , כִּּי הוּא לְמַעְלָּה מִּ מַּחְ ש ָּבָּה .
Meaning that even the highest worlds, which are considered like “מ חְּש ָּבָּהַׁ-thought” compared to all the lower worlds, are insignificant and comparatively non-existent before Him, and have no "grasp of Him at all," because He is higher than any category of thought.
We explained earlier that the higher worlds are compared to thoughts relative to the lower levels. When the Zohar says that no "thought" can grasp Hashem, it also means that the highest possible spiritual world, which is considered "thought" compared to all other levels, still cannot grasp Hashem at all, since Hashem is totally beyond the realm of what can possibly be understood.
The Alter Rebbe explains in Shaar HaYichud VehaEmuna chapter nine: Just like it would be ridiculous to say that an idea is so deep that a person can't touch it with his hands because physical touch has no connection to a spiritual idea; so too it is silly to say that Hashem is so deep that we can't understand Him, since He is totally beyond the category of understanding, as He is the Creator of the whole category of logic and understanding in the first place. Rather, we say that "no thought can grasp Him at all,” meaning that He is beyond the category of the limitations of being grasped and understood.
Similarly, the Alter Rebbe will explain another passage from the Zohar, based on the above:
וְזֶׁהוּ "סְתִּ ימָּ א דְּ כָּ ל סְתִּ ימִּ ין "
This is also the meaning of what is stated in the Zohar, (Vol. 2, 89a) “He (Hashem) is hidden from all hidden, concealed from all concealed,”
אַף מֵעו לָּמו ת הַנִּּקְ רָּ אִּי ם "סְתִּ ימָּא " וּ "טְמִּ ירָּ א ," הוּא סָּתִּ ים וְטָּמִּ יר וְ "לֵית מַחְש ָּבָּה תְּ פִּיסָּא בֵּיהּ ."
Meaning that even from the worlds which are called “hidden” and “concealed,” He is hidden and concealed, and “no ‘thought’ can grasp Him at all.”
To summarize the contemplation on Hashem’s Unity that should bring us to love Him:
- Just like before the world was created, Hashem was the only existence, so, too, now, He is the only True Existence.
- This is because the world is being created constantly from Hashem’s words.
- However, it is only from our perspective that we see His creative power as though it were creating something outside of Hashem, like a person’s speech that becomes separate from the person.
- But, from Hashem's perspective, the creative power invested in us is really like His thoughts, which He is thinking to Himself. Just like a person's thoughts are still totally unified with the person, so, too, Hashem's creative power (which is the underlying reality of our existence) is still totally unified with Him and has no separate existence or identity apart from Him.
- Then why do we not feel that we exist as His thoughts inside of Himself? Because Hashem created a filter on His creative power to block out our awareness of that reality. Just like Hashem made a filter around the sun to block out the intensity of its heat, so that we wouldn’t burn up, so, too, He created a filter on His creative power so that we shouldn’t feel how we are part of His Oneness, so that we should have free choice to serve Him. If the truth of Hashem’s Oneness would be openly felt, then it would be impossible to sin. Therefore, He created a filter to block out that awareness, so that our service of Him will result from our free choice.
- To help us understand how we are included in Hashem's true existence, we should understand that our physical world is an expression of a higher spiritual world. Just like whatever is expressed in speech exists in the person's thought on a higher level, a higher state of being, so, too, whatever we see and experience in this world is just a limited expression of how we exist in the higher spiritual world, where Hashem's Presence is more revealed. And that higher spiritual world itself is also but a limited expression of how it exists in an even higher spiritual world, where Hashem is more revealed. This process continues hundreds and thousands of times over, where each world is only a limited expression of how reality exists in a higher spiritual world.
- After going through hundreds and thousands (millions and billions etc.) of such levels, we then say that all of that is just a mere expression of Hashem, but Hashem Himself cannot be grasped by any spiritual level, even a level that is billions and trillions of times more real than our physical world. This is because Hashem is the infinite Creator of the whole idea of spiritual levels, and all of these are merely His thoughts within Himself.
Part 2
After we explained at length how to fulfill the command of “you shall love,” and that this love comes from contemplating Hashem’s unity, the Alter Rebbe will now proceed to explain the effect that this love has on a person:
וְעַל זֶׁה נֶׁאֱמַר הַ ַׁי ו וִּ צ (וָּאֶׁתְחַנַּ ן ו, ה) :"וְּאָּה בְּת ַָּׁ "
Regarding this type of love of Hashem, it was stated as a commandment, “and you should love (i.e. desire) that Hashem should be your G-d,”
ְּב ךַּכ לָּּכ ןֵנ וּבְתִּ יֶׁ ש "אֶׁחָּד " מַמָּּש – Meaning that a person should reflect so much on the fact that Hashem is literally the “One” and only true existence, to the extent that he will come to fulfill what it says in the subsequent verse,
הֶׁיְהִּ יֶׁ ש "הֲוָּיָּ''ה ַׁ ךיֶק לֱא – בְּכָּל ַׁ ךְּבָּבְּל, וּבְכָּל ַׁ ךְּ שְּפ נ , וּבְכָּל ַׁ ךֶד אְּמ "(ש ָּ ם), דְּ הַיְינוּ מַחְש ָּבָּה , דִּּ בּוּר וּמַעֲש ֶׁה –
That he will love and desire that “Hashem should be your G-d, and that this should be expressed in all of your heart, in all of your נֶׁפֶׁש -soul, and in all of your might,” meaning that he should want to express his love and connection to Hashem’s True Unity in his thought, speech, and action of the Torah and Mitzvos.
ש ֶׁלּ א יִּהְיֶׁה לו מַחְ ש ָּבָּה , דִּּ בּוּר וּמַעֲש ֶׁה כְּלָּל ,
Meaning, that he shouldn’t want to have any thoughts, speech, or actions for physical or selfish matters at all,
רַ ק בְּטֵלִּים בְּ "אֶׁחָּד ," ש ֶׁהוּא לְמַעְלָּה מִּן הַמַּחְש ָּבָּה , וְ "לֵית מַחְ ש ָּבָּה תְּ פִּיסָּא בֵיהּ ."
Rather, he should only want to express himself in those thoughts, speech, and actions that are dedicated to and expressing the “One” true existence of Hashem, Who is higher than the comprehension of any thoughts, and “No thoughts can grasp Him at all,”
כִּּי הָּאָּדָּם אֵינו יָּכו ל לַחְ ש ו ב רַ ק דָּּבָּר גַּש ְ מִּ י – וְזֶׁהוּ ש ֶׁקֶׁר גָּּמוּר כו ' .
Because a person can only think about and understand physical existence, which is completely false compared to Hashem’s existence.
Therefore, he doesn’t want to have any of those types of thoughts or other expressions that distract him from Hashem’s true existence.
And this is the meaning of loving Hashem “with all your נֶפֶש ַׁ-interactive soul,” meaning, giving over one’s נֶפֶש ַׁ-interactive soul to Hashem. Because the level of the person called “נֶפֶש ַׁ-interactive soul,” is expressed in his thoughts, speech, and actions, and all of these aspects he should want to give over to become literally part of the “One” and the only true existence of Hashem.
However, since it is impossible for a person to not have any thoughts at all, he, therefore, needs to connect his thoughts, speech, and actions to Hashem and become a “vehicle” for the Will of Hashem, as it is expressed in the Torah and Mitzvos.
Since “the Torah comes forth from Hashem’s Wisdom”, which is higher than any creature’s limited thoughts and understanding, and therefore, can connect the person to Hashem Himself, beyond the limits of human understanding.
Since a person is always thinking, therefore, for him to not think of anything other than Hashem, he must fill his mind with the thoughts of the Torah, so that he will always have something to think about that will connect him to Hashem.
Not only is this true of thought, it is also true of speech and action. The only way for a person to not have any speech or actions that are concealing Hashem is by having the words of the Torah in his speech as much as he can, so that all his words will be connected to the Torah and revealing Hashem, and to have Mitzvos that he does as often as possible so that even the remaining actions that he does will be able to be "for the sake of Heaven" and with the goal of revealing Hashem.
And this is also the meaning of what the sages say: “Whoever performs ‘one’ mitzvah according to all of its laws, it is as if he fulfilled all of them.”
By saying that whoever performs 'one' mitzvah properly, without specifying which one, our Sages are hinting to us about the idea that every Mitzvah can be equal to all mitzvos combined, as long as we make it into that ‘one’ mitzva. Meaning that when we intend with a Mitzva to become part of the true Oneness of Hashem, then that mitzva is considered as having being done properly and is as if he did all the mitzvos, since in that aspect (that they enable us to become part of Hashem's Oneness) all the mitzvos are equal.
Even though the knowledge of the Torah becomes invested in physical matters of determining what is forbidden and what is permissible, and similar laws concerning physical matters, and, how much more so regarding the fulfillment of the Mitzvos that are performed with actual physical objects, like giving charity with money, and similar Mitzvos that are performed with physical action, not just with the knowledge of laws regarding physical matters. These Mitzvos become completely invested in the physical world more than the Torah knowledge becomes invested in physicality.
So how is it possible that, through the Torah and Mitzvos - which are invested in physical matters and we can’t directly recognize their Divine source when we see them - a person will be able to rise above all physicality and connect to Hashem Himself the way He is beyond the limitations of the created world and human understanding?
