Chapter 3
The idea behind this is as follows:
It is written: “Do not say a lot of haughty things, letting arrogance come out of your mouth, for Hashem is a G-d who knows [people’s] minds, and He counts everyone’s deeds.” (Shmuel I, 2:3).
הִּ נֵּה כְּתִּיב (ש ְ מוּאֵל א' ב, ג)" : אַל תַּרְ בּוּ הָּה בְג הָּה בְּג ּורְּבַדְת, יֵצֵא עָּתָּק מִּפִּּיכ ם , כִּּי אֵל דֵּעו ת הֲוָּיָּ"ה , (ולא) וְלו נִּתְכְּנוּ עֲלִּלו ת ."
This verse is from Chana’s song of thanks to Hashem for the birth of her son, who became the prophet Shmuel. It describes that we should be humble before Hashem, since He knows our mind, i.e., our thoughts, and actions.
The simple meaning of the word “דֵּעו ת-minds” in this verse refers to people’s minds (see Rashi); and the phrase “אֵ -ל דֵּעו ת הֲוָּיָּ"ה” means that Hashem is the G-d who knows all people’s minds.
However, Chassidus explains, on a deeper level, the word “דֵּעו ת” can mean “perspectives,” and the phrase “אֵ -ל דֵּעו ת הֲוָּיָּ"ה” can mean “Hashem is the G-d that has multiple perspectives” to use to interpret and define a situation or set of information.
This means, that there are two (general) perspectives that Hashem uses to look at the world:
- One is called “Yichuda Ila’a-perceiving His Oneness from Above to Below,” הָּאָּלִּע־אָּדּוחִּי
- And the second is called “Yichuda Tita’a-Perceiving His Oneness from Below to Above.” וְיִּחוּדָּא־תַּתָּּאָּה
The meaning of “Yichuda Ila’a-Perceiving His Oneness from Above” is looking from Above to Below. From that perspective, whatever is spiritually lower is considered more insignificant and worthless; and whatever is spiritually higher is considered more important and valuable.
ש כָּּל מַה ש ּ הָּּטַמְּל־מַטָּּה הוּא יו תֵר כְּלָּא וּכְאַיִּן ; וְכָּל מַה ש ּ הוּא לְמַעְלָּה יו תֵר , יו תֵר נ חְש ָּב לְיֵש .
As it is written: “[Hashem says about those who love the Torah:] I will give an inheritance to those that love Me, they are important to me.” (Mishlei 8:21)
וּכְמו ש כָּּתוּב (מִּש ְ לֵי ח, כא) :"לְהַנְחִּיל או הֲבַי יֵש ".
The simple meaning of the verse, as explained by Rashi, is that Hashem has an abundance of substantial reward to give as an inheritance to those who love the Torah.
Chassidus explains the verse as follows: Those who love the Torah and Hashem are substantial, they are important, and therefore Hashem gives them a great inheritance.
We see from here that, from Hashem’s perspective, whoever is “closer” to Hashem is more important.
In this discussion, the meaning of “closer to Hashem” and “higher and lower,” is as follows: Hashem’s Light shines most strongly in Atzilus, less strongly in Beriah, less in Yetzira, less in Asiya, and even less in our physical world. The closer a level or creature is to Atzilus is called “higher” relative to something “further” from Atzilus, or “closer to Hashem,” in the sense that if feels closer to Hashem.
(Obviously, Hashem Himself is not any closer or farther from anything, since He is everywhere equally. The idea of “higher and lower” and “closer and farther” are only relative to Hashem’s Light that shines from Atzilus down to our world.)
The meaning of “Yichuda Tita’a-Perceiving His Oneness from Below” is looking from Below to Above. וְיִּחוּדָּא־תַּתָּּאָּה – מִּמַּטָּּה־לְמַעְלָּה, This corresponds to the idea of how we perceive reality, that we are “something substantially real” that is created from “Nothing we can grasp or define,” and therefore does not seem as real to us.
One of the ideas of how Hashem creates us, is that the Creator and the creation are of completely different categories of existence. Therefore, it is impossible for a creation to directly perceive the Creator, since His True Existence is not a type of existence that our senses or mind have the capacity to grasp.
Therefore, from the perspective of the creations, including us human beings, the Divine Power of Hashem that creates us is called “אַיִּן-nothingness,” meaning, nothing that we can grasp, it is ethereal and intangible.
Similarly, the spiritual worlds of Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzira, and Asiya, are called “אַיִּן-nothingness” in the sense that they are intangible to us, there are “nothing we can directly grasp,” even though we understand (somewhat) that they must exist.
In that sense, we look at ourselves as “יֵש -something substantial,” i.e., tangible, relative to the spiritual realities that we refer to as “אַיִּן-nothingness.”
In other words: From the Above to Below perspective, whatever is closer to His Light, closer to Atzilus, is more substantially real since it is closer to the True Existence. Whatever is farther from the Light is less substantial, less real. From the Below to Above perspective, whatever is in our physical world is substantial, it is tangibly real, and the loftier spiritual dimensions of existence are intangible, and not as real to us. In that vein, the more abstract the spiritual level is, the less “real” is seems to us down below.
In that perspective, whatever is spiritually lower is considered more substantial (i.e., real), רֵת וי בָּ שְח נ הָּּטַמ־הָּּטַמְּל ש הַמ לָּּכ ש לְיֵש , And what is visible to our physical eyes is only something that seems to have its own, concrete, tangible existence. וְ נִּרְ א ה לְעֵינֵי בָּש ָּר דָּּבָּר בִּּפְנֵי עַצְמו ; שָּּגְרּומּו
Spiritual existence, is only perceived in the context of its connection with its spiritual source, like an idea that only exists in the context of a mind. However, physical existence is just the opposite. It is specifically perceived as thought it was self-sufficient entity, as though it had no spiritual source at, as though it always was around. Our eyes only perceive physical entities that are so far removed from Hashem’s Light, that we do not see in them any direct connection to their Source.
And, by contrast, whatever is spiritually higher is something that we cannot see, or perceive, or grasp, and with each level of abstraction, it becomes less graspable and understandable to our human brain.
וּמַה סח, ב ש ּ הוּא לְמַעְלָּה מַעְלָּה, שָּּגְרּומ א לְו ה אְרִּנ וניֵא ש ןָּיְנִּע אּוה וּמוּש ָּּג .
The maamar explained two perspectives on reality, one from Above to Below, and one from Below to Above. Hashem Himself can see things from both perspectives simultaneously, since He created both perspectives. In fact, He is not any more “Above” or “Below” relative to anything, since He is equally everywhere, and the only idea “Above” and “Below” is relative to His Light (as mentioned previously).
