But this world of ours is called, “The World of perceiving Separation from Hashem and each other,” אֲבָּל "הַאי עָּלְמָּא – עָּלְמָּא דְ פֵרוּדָּא", as the verse states, “And from there, after leaving Gan Eden, that river, it separated into four parts etc.” (Bereshis, 2:10). יִּפָּּרֵ ד וגְוֹ'".
The verse refers to the following: In Gan Eden there was a single river flowing, but after it left Gan Eden it separated into four separate riverheads.
This represents: In Atzilus everything flows together like one river, everything experiences Hashem’s Oneness and feels part of Him, and therefore there is no perception of “separation” from Hashem. Since they are all part of Hashem, they are also not truly separate from each other, since they are all equally nothing other than Him. However, as soon as existence leaves Atzilus, it “separates,” i.e., it perceives itself to be separate from Hashem, and therefore, also each creature is separate from each other.
That is why our world is called “The World of Separation.”
And for Hashem’s Infinite Light to descend below into our “World of Separation” and become revealed and invested in a manner of unity, similar to how “Hashem Himself and His Life-Giving Light is united” in Atzilus, וּכְדֵי לִּהְיו ת הַמְש ָּכַת או ר אֵין־סו ף דָּח יִּה וּיַחְו ּוהיִּא" תַניִּחְבִּּב אּוה־ךּורָּּבכוּ' ,דּוריֵּפַה םָּל ועְּב הָּּטַמְל םַּג ", for this to happen, Hashem gave the Torah to the Jewish people. נִּתְּנָּה הַתּו רָּה לְיִּש ְ רָּ אֵל,
This was needed so that Hashem’s Infinite Light should be invested in and unified with the “tangible” type of wisdom and kindness, meaning, as they exist down below in our physical world, ש תְּ הֵא הִּתְלַבְּש וּת וְהִּתְאַחֲדוּת או ר שָּּמַמ אּוה־ךּורָּּב ף וס־ןיֵאבְּחָּכְמָּה ,הָּּטַמְּל ש ד ס חְו meaning, in Hashem’s Wisdom of the Torah as it becomes “tangible” to our physical brain (so to speak), and in the tangible kindness of helping other people and other mitzvos that we perform in הָּּיִּ שֲעַּב ןָּמּוּיִּקְו ת וְצִּּמַה הֵ שֲעַמְּב גַש ְ מִּית.
physical action.
