Some understanding of Hashem's “glory,” i.e., His existence and great accomplishments in creating and guiding the worlds. (As our Sages say, “Hashem's humility is expressed in the fact that He makes some of His greatness understandable to the created beings.”)
Now, we have the answer to the two questions asked above: 1) The reason the first verse said that Hashem fills “the heavens and the earth” is because it is referring to “סוֹבֵּב כָל עָלְמִין- how Hashem encompasses all worlds equally,” and the second verse that mentions only the earth is because it is referring to “מְמַלֵא כָל עָלְמִין- how Hashem permeates all worlds” in an internal manner, which is not the same in the heaven and on earth, but is a specific life-force for every individual being.
2) The reason the first verse says that “I (Hashem) fill the heavens and earth” is because it is referring to “סוֹבֵּב כָל עָלְמִין- how Hashem encompasses all worlds,” which is revealing how Hashem Himself is higher than the limitations of all the worlds and is found equally on all levels. The second verse only says that “His glory” fills the earth, since “מְמַלֵא כָל עָלְמִין- Hashem permeates all worlds” is only a limited expression of Hashem's life-force that is compatible as the existing power and life of the various creations.
Now, our Sages have said that “the only true glory is the Torah.”
This is because “the Torah comes from Hashem’s Chochma-Wisdom.”
Perhaps the reason it mentions the "earth" specifically is that "earth" is also an allusion to Malchus-Kingship. "Earth," meaning the ground, is the lowest level which everyone steps on, but at the same time, everything receives life from it, for all vegetation grows from it. Similarly, Malchus is the lowest level of Hashem's modes of expression, but nonetheless, all the created beings only exist and live through Malchus. Thus, the meaning of “all the earth is full of His glory” is that all the levels created from Malchus (the “earth” of the world of Atzilus) are filled and permeated internally with Hashem’s revelation of life-force. See Tanya, Igeres HaKodesh, letter 8.
Note that both verses use the word מלא, meaning to fill. Both say Hashem fills the world. The only difference is in terms of revelation. ממלא כל עלמין is the revealed aspect of His presence, and סובב כל עלמין is Hashem’s Light beyond our comprehension and perception, but both are present in all worlds simultaneously. They are just different ways Hashem constantly “fills” the world.
Torah as the Path of Divine Wisdom
And from Chochma-Wisdom come “32 paths:”
Meaning, that just like the analogy of a path and a road which is made for traveling from one place to another place, so too, from the aspect of the Higher level of Chochma an expression from Hashem is drawn forth, which varies so that it can “fill all worlds” internally, each level according to its unique properties and characteristics.
So drastically does it vary from its origin, that it goes into the actual physical world as the specific laws of the Torah, determining what is Kosher to be eaten or used for a mitzva, and what is invalid to be eaten or used for a mitzva, etc.,
These mitzvos involve physical objects, like Terumos and Maasros, as is known.
When it comes to the Chochma of the Torah, Hashem’s sublime will and wisdom descend and vary until they become understandable laws and concepts. This can be likened to a path upon which one travels a long distance. The Torah shows us how Hashem’s will and wisdom traveled from the abstract spiritual principle to the concrete physical application. Thus, the Torah corresponds to “מְמַלֵא כָל עָלְמִין- how Hashem permeates all worlds,” since it descends to us in a way that we can internalize and experience. This is why the Torah is called “glory” and “honor;” it addresses our level of understanding, enabling us to appreciate something of the glory and honor of Hashem.
The Role of Mitzvos and Torah Study
However, Mitzvos draw down a revelation of Divine Light in the manner of “סוֹבֵב כָל עָלְמִין- how Hashem encompasses all worlds.” It is an encompassing Light.
The idea is as follows: It is known that the Torah study becomes nourishment for the Divine soul. Like it is written, (Tehillim 40:9) “And Your Torah is in my innards.”
It is analogous to food that goes deep inside of a person and gives him life from within. So too, the Torah draws down a revelation of the Light of the Divine Chochma into our actual understanding, as it says, (Yeshaya 51:16) “And I (Hashem) have placed My Words (of the Torah) in your mouth.” Just like one puts food in his mouth and eats it, the Divine soul “eats” Torah when studying it. This is why the verse says the Torah words are placed in our mouth.
This is the aspect of “מְמַלֵא כָל עָלְמִין- how Hashem permeates all worlds.” It becomes invested in the worlds and actually internalized. In contrast, the Mitzvos become “garments” for the Divine soul.
It is analogous to a garment; it covers the body but doesn’t enter into it. Similarly, the revelation drawn down by the Mitzvos is something encompassing, in a manner of “סוֹבֵב כָל עָלְמִין-encompassing all worlds.” It is beyond our grasp.
That is why garments are naturally more expensive than food. In their spiritual source, they are higher.
And this is the meaning of what is written regarding the Mitzvos, (Devarim 28:47) “Since you did not serve Hashem with joy and gladness of heart more than from having רֹב כֹל- an abundance of all good things, that is why you are in exile, serving your enemies.”
The deeper meaning behind “רֹב כֹל- an abundance of all good things” is the level Gan Eden (the spiritual Garden of Eden), which is about perceiving Hashem’s revelation. We do the Mitzvos with more joy than the joy of being in Gan Eden, because the Mitzvos are much higher than Gan Eden, since they come from the encompassing Light of Hashem. This is higher than Gan Eden, which is a level of Hashem's revelation that we can understand and internalize.
The Relationship Between Torah and Mitzvos
It is because of this advantage of Mitzvos that one opinion in the Gemara says that “doing Mitzvos is greater than Torah study.” Nonetheless, the Gemara says, “They voted and decided that Torah study is greater, since it brings the person to fulfill the Mitzvos.”
The reason is that it is impossible to cause the expression of Hashem’s Light that is “סוֹבֵב כָל עָלְמִין- encompasses all worlds” to be drawn down into the Mitzvos that are fulfilled with physical objects, like Tzitzis from wool, charity given from physical money, etc. ... except through the Torah, which is the intermediary that connects them.
The spiritual revelation of the Mitzvos that “encompasses all worlds” is incompatible with the physical objects used for Mitzvos. They are inherently antithetical, as spirituality and physicality are opposites. However, the Torah has the ability to connect them, because, on the one hand, it is a spiritual knowledge about Hashem, but, on the other hand, it is expressed in our physical understanding and application. This is why the Torah study has an advantage over Mitzvos; even the Mitzvos need the Torah in order for their own Divine Light to be revealed.
This is analogous to the power of speech in a person, which serves as a connection between a person’s concealed thoughts and other peoples, revealing one’s thoughts to others. From one's internal perspective, speech is lower than thought, since one needs to limit and condense his thoughts into words in order to express them as speech. Nonetheless, the power of speech has an advantage over thought, since it has the power to reveal one’s ideas to others. So, from other people’s perspective, speech is more important, since it can be understood, whereas thoughts remain hidden and inaccessible.
So too, even though from Above-to-below, Torah study is lower than Mitzvos (since it is a limited revelation of Hashem’s will and wisdom that limited people can understand), whereas Mitzvos are an expression of the unlimited “encompassing” Light of Hashem, nonetheless, from our perspective (from below-to-Above), Torah study is higher, since we can actually grasp it and internalize it. Therefore, from our perspective, Torah study has an advantage over Mitzvos, since we can only appreciate and internalize the experience of Mitzvos through Torah study.
