Memalei Kol Almin and Soveiv Kol Almin (Chapter 2)
Chapter 2
Now, this “knowledge” and awareness of Hashem is the awareness of how Hashem is “Memalei Kol Almin-permeates all worlds.”
However, regarding the level of how Hashem is “Soveiv Kol Almin-encompasses all worlds,” it is written, “I, Hashem, have not changed.” (Malachi 3:6),
And, as we say in the daily prayers, “You, Hashem, are the same before the world was created, and You are the same after the world was created,” since He is not in the category of beings whose existence is limited to the worlds, at all.
We can only have direct knowledge and awareness of Hashem as He manifests Himself in creating and guiding the world. This level of Hashem’s Providence is called, “Memalei Kol Almin-the light that permeates all worlds.” This refers to the way that Hashem “limits” His Light in order to create and enliven limited worlds and creature.
However, Hashem's real truth is that He is completely beyond the limitations of worlds and is totally beyond and involvement in creating and guiding the worlds. As it says, (Likutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 8a) “It is not the main function of Hashem’s Infinite Light to create and give life to worlds.”
On this level, Hashem “encompasses” all worlds, since Hashem is ultimately the True Existence of everything and everything exists only “inside” of Him, as it were. But, He is not limited to the parameters of the worlds at all. Regarding this level, it says that “Hashem did not change” by creating the worlds. On this level, the existence of the worlds effects no change in Hashem.
This begs a question: Hashem was the only existence before He created the world, but now, when other beings exist, how can we say that Hashem's Oneness and singularity did not change?
The answer is that on the level where Hashem “encompasses” all worlds, the worlds have no independent significance whatsoever. They all exist within Him, and He completely transcends their existence. This is analogous to a single thought within one’s mind. The aforementioned thought as no independent significance or existence. This individual would still be completely alone, despite the fact that he has thoughts buried in the recesses of his psyche. (As people say colloquially, “He is alone with his thoughts.” This implies that even though one has thoughts, one is still alone, and his thoughts to not take on an independent existance).
It is only the level of “Your Kingship” that is the creative source of “the Kingdom of all worlds.”
In fact, only a limited ray of the attribute of “His Kingship” is the source of creation of the “Kingdom of all worlds,” as we say, “Blessed be the Name of His Glorious Kingship forever and ever,” meaning that it is only the “Name” of His Glorious Kingship that is directly involved with the creation of worlds, as opposed to the attribute of “Kingship” itself.
The attribute of Hashem’s Kingship is how Hashem “lowers Himself,” as it were, to be a king over the created beings, by creating them and giving them life, and interacting with them according to their actions. This is likened to a king, who takes responsibility for the needs of every citizen of his nation. This attribute of Hashem’s Kingship exists on two general levels:
One level is Hashem’s essential kingship, as it exists within Himself. That is, prior to the creation of the worlds and created beings, Hashem has this essential attribute of kingship. However, His kingship is not yet expressed practically. The practical expression of Hashem’s attribute of kingship is the second level, which occurs once Hashem creates and directs the worlds.
We see these two ideas in a physical kingship as well. A king has an innate leadership quality and an exalted status, even when he is alone in the inner chamber of his palace. This is the first level noted above. The second level corresponds to the way that the king expressed his sovereignty over his nation by establishing laws and directives to govern their affairs. In this sense, He is actually involved in the daily matters of his citizens.
This second level of Hashem's Kingship is called “The Name of His Glorious Kingship,” since it is not the essence of his Kingship, but just a reflection of it. This is similar to how the name of a person is far removed from the essence of the person, and it is not at all indicative of the essential qualities of the individual. It is merely a way for other people to refer to the person. Similarly, the level of Hashem’s Kingship that is actually manifest in the creation of all worlds is far removed from the essence of Hashem's Kingship, and this “Name” is merely a ray or reflection of His true attribute of Kingship.
Regarding this, our Sages said, (Pirkei De’Rebbe Eliezer §3) “Before the world was created, there was only Hashem and His Name.” Meaning that even His “Name,” (His attribute of Kingship itself), is “alone” with Him.
Even Hashem’s essential attribute of Kingship is only like a “Name” to Hashem. His Essence is infinitely exalted beyond the entire concept of kingship and the entire idea of a relationship with creation. From this we see that the higher level of kinghsip, the essential attribute of His Kingship, is called “His Name,” and the lower level of His Kingship, that which is involved in actual creation, is “the Name of His Name” or “the Glory/Radiance of His Name.”
As it is written, (Tehillim 148:13) “For His Name is exalted, it is only for Himself,” and only “the Glory” and radiance of His Name is “on the earth and the heavens.”
However, Hashem Himself is referred to as “Soveiv Kol Almin,” since the worlds have no significance compared to Him.
Since the life-force that Hashem invests into the worlds is not like the soul, which actually becomes invested in the body, to the point that it becomes affected by what happens to the body, and is affected by changes of place and time, of cold weather or hot weather, etc.
However, regarding Hashem, even though He is found below just as He is found Above, He is not affected by the limitations of any place, G-d forbid, and Above and below are equal to Him.
The meaning of the term “Soveiv Kol Almin” is not that Hashem actually transcends being present in the worlds. Rather, He is also present in all of the worlds, but He is “Soveiv Kol Almin-encompasses all worlds” in the sense that He is not affected by anything that occurs within the worlds.
This explains the phrase from the daily prayers (in Yishtabach): “Praised be your Name forever, our King, the G-d who is the Great King that is Holy on heaven and earth.”
Meaning that since He is holy and separate, and He is “Soveiv Kol Almin,” therefore, He is literally the same on the earth below as on the heavens Above, since He is not limited to the parameters of the worlds, and the worlds do not affect any change in Him, G-d forbid. So, just as before the world was created, there was no change in Him [since the worlds did not even exist yet], so too, now, after the creation of worlds, they do not change Him or His Unity, at all.
On this level, we cannot have “knowledge” and perception, since no mind can grasp or understand how it is possible that there is no change to Hashem, at all, that results from creating and giving life to the worlds. Rather, this is “belief,” to believe that Hashem is not limited to the parameters of the worlds, and that to Hashem “darkness and light are the same.” (Tehillim 139:12)
According to the rules of nature in our world, when someone makes something, he is affected by the process. It is not possible for any created being to be truly involved in something and not be affected or changed by it at all.
Yet, Hashem is involved in creating and giving life to the worlds, but, at the same time He is not changed or affected at all from this process.
This is because He exists outside of all of the laws of nature and logic that He created, and therefore, He does not need to be affected by anything if He doesn’t want to be. This type of existence is not something that we can understand or even imagine.
Since our awareness of this level of Hashem that is not changed at all by creating worlds is not something that we can directly understand, we refer to it as “belief/faith” instead of as “knowledge.”
Summary of Chapter 2:
To understand the difference between the mitzvah of “knowing about Hashem” and the mitzvah of “belief in Hashem,” we need to explain two levels of Hashem's expressions:
One level is called “Memalei Kol Almin-permeating all worlds,” and describes how Hashem “limits” Himself in order to create, give life to, and interact with the created beings. At this level of expression, Hashem's lifeforce and Providence extend to every creature in a palpable manner, so that each can clearly recognize and feel Hashem’s energizing and enlivening Presence in the world. This is similar to how the soul gives life to the body. Just as we know and feel that we have a soul that gives life to our body even though we cannot physically see it, so too, we know and feel that Hashem gives life to the world, including us, even though we do not physically see Him enlivening us.
The second level is called “Soveiv Kol Almin-encompassing all worlds,” and it reflects the true, infinite “nature,” as it were, of Hashem, namely, that He is not limited to any of the confinements of any of the worlds. Even though Hashem is creating the worlds, this process does not effect any change in Him or in His unity at all. This is because all worlds are equally encompassed in Him, and relative to Him, they have no significance, whatsoever. Even though He is present in our world and in all worlds, He is not limited, nor affected, by any of them at all, since He exists outside of the laws of nature. He is not defined by any laws or systems that He created. Since this type of existence is something beyond the possible conception of created beings, our awareness of this level of Hashem is called “belief/faith,” since we cannot relate to it on our world.
