וְהִנֵּה אַחֲרֵי הַדְּבָרִים וְהָאֱמֶת הָאֵלֶּה,

And so, following these introductory words and truths, The "words" refer to the hasidic teachings that the author of the Tanya brought regarding the Creation, and "truths" refer to the concepts in Kabbala, known as the "esoteric wisdom of truth," upon which those teachings are based.

כָּל מַשְׂכִּיל עַל דָּבָר יָבִין לַאֲשׁוּרוֹ אֵיךְ שֶׁכָּל נִבְרָא וְיֵשׁ הוּא בֶּאֱמֶת נֶחְשָׁב לְאַיִן וְאֶפֶס מַמָּשׁ לְגַבֵּי כֹּחַ הַפּוֹעֵל וְרוּחַ פִּיו שֶׁבַּנִּפְעָל הַמְהַוֶּה אוֹתוֹ תָּמִיד וּמוֹצִיאוֹ מֵאַיִן מַמָּשׁ לְיֵשׁ.

anyone who ponders the matter will thoroughly understand that each creation and entity is, in fact, literally considered absolute nothingness in relation to the creative force and breath of His utterance within the creation that perpetually brings it into existence and brings it forth from utter nothingness into being. As explained in the first chapter, every created entity, including inanimate matter, has a soul. This soul is none other than the divine utterance that "speaks" each entity into existence from nothingness and sustains its ongoing function. By delving into these concepts, a person can gain some insight into the relationship between that which appears to be a table, stone, or sun and the inner essence operating within it.

וּמַה שֶּׁכָּל נִבְרָא וְנִפְעָל נִרְאֶה לָנוּ לְיֵשׁ וּמַמָּשׁוּת – זֶהוּ מֵחֲמַת שֶׁאֵין אָנוּ מַשִּׂיגִים וְרוֹאִים בְּעֵינֵי בָּשָׂר אֶת כֹּחַ ה׳ וְרוּחַ פִּיו שֶׁבַּנִּבְרָא. אֲבָל אִילּוּ נִיתְּנָה רְשׁוּת לָעַיִן לִרְאוֹת וּלְהַשִּׂיג אֶת הַחַיּוּת וְרוּחָנִיּוּת שֶׁבְּכָל נִבְרָא הַשּׁוֹפֵעַ בּוֹ מִמּוֹצָא פִּי ה׳ וְרוּחַ פִּיו, לֹא הָיָה גַּשְׁמִיּוּת הַנִּבְרָא וְחוּמְרוֹ וּמַמָּשׁוֹ נִרְאֶה כְּלָל לְעֵינֵינוּ,

That each creation appears to us as a substantial reality is because we do not perceive and see with our corporeal eyes the creative force of God and the breath of His utterance within the creation. However, if ability would be granted to the eye to see and perceive the life force and spirit coursing through each creation, which emanates from God's mouth and the breath of His utterance, the entity's physical form and its material substance would not be visible to our eyes whatsoever, Although anyone pondering these matters may thoroughly comprehend how all of reality is in essence purely divine utterance, that all created entities are merely reflections and manifestations of that utterance, he still sees a table as a table. He still perceives these manifestations as solid reality. The fact that he perceives them as such does not testify to the accuracy of that perception; it is merely an indication of the limitations of his sensory faculties. Our sensory perception is capable of detecting only one particular dimension of a vast reality. Even within the physical realm, our senses perceive only a small portion of the material world. Our eyes, for example, can detect only a relatively narrow bandwidth of light within the electromagnetic spectrum. We are completely blind to most electromagnetic radiation. If we were capable of perceiving that energy, we would uncover a vastly different universe, an entire hierarchy of various phenomena. However, we lack such capabilities. We are blind to the elementary structure of substances, to the intricate systems of electromagnetic waves and the myriad forces that comprise matter. We see only the outer skin of the phenomena around us, the external form, which is all that is visible to our senses. This applies even more so to the spiritual dimension. If our eyes had the capacity to actually view the divine utterances, we would see nothing but the perfect essence of the creative force. Physical matter would be nullified, revealing itself to be a mere shadow concealing the spiritual force within.

כִּי הוּא בָּטֵל בִּמְצִיאוּת מַמָּשׁ לְגַבֵּי הַחַיּוּת וְהָרוּחָנִיּוּת שֶׁבּוֹ, מֵאַחַר שֶׁמִּבַּלְעֲדֵי הָרוּחָנִיּוּת הָיָה אַיִן וְאֶפֶס מַמָּשׁ כְּמוֹ קוֹדֶם שֵׁשֶׁת יְמֵי בְּרֵאשִׁית מַמָּשׁ.

because it is literally subsumed into the life force and spirit contained within it, since without that spirit it would literally be absolute nothingness, as it was before the six days of Creation. The material universe does not exist autonomously. It is nothing more than a construct that stems from the spiritual world, a unique apparition of nothingness that is transformed into reality every instant. In the previous chapter, the author of the Tanya compared existence to the splitting of the Red Sea. Just as the water stood as a pillar by virtue of the strong wind that forced it into a vertical column, so too the world exists only by virtue of the divine utterance being spoken and forcing it to remain in existence. To return to our understanding of the contemporary conception of reality just discussed, this conception entails two stages: First, it requires the intellectual understanding that various forces operate within matter. The next stage, which is harder to comprehend, demands the realization that all matter that we perceive as real is nothing more than forms of energy. The difficulty of this conception lies in the fact that we perceive matter as a primary construct, since it is readily detectable by our inborn sensory faculties. To see life differently, to stop trusting our sensory input, to understand that the true reality cannot be directly perceived, demands much practice.

וְהָרוּחָנִיּוּת הַשּׁוֹפֵעַ עָלָיו מִמּוֹצָא פִּי ה׳ וְרוּחַ פִּיו הוּא לְבַדּוֹ הַמּוֹצִיאוֹ תָּמִיד מֵאֶפֶס וְאַיִן לְיֵשׁ וּמְהַוֶּה אוֹתוֹ.

The spirit that flows upon it from that which emanates from God's mouth and the breath of His utterance is the sole force that perpetually brings it forth from absolute nothingness into existence and sustains it. The world's existence as an entity is created and sustained by the infinite divine nothingness expressed as God's word.

אִם כֵּן, אֶפֶס בִּלְעָדוֹ בֶּאֱמֶת.

Consequently, there is truly nothing besides Him. The physical world is a manifestation of God's utterance as perceived and processed by our sensory faculties. If a person could liberate himself from the limitations of material perception, he would discover a totally different world – a transparent universe in which matter is nonexistent in the face of the sole reality of God's creative utterance. "There is nothing besides Him" does not just mean that there are no deities besides God. Rather, there is literally no other reality besides Him. All of existence is nothing other than divine light.

וְהַמָּשָׁל לָזֶה

An analogy that illustrates this concept The following analogy illustrates this relationship between the creative force that generates existence and the universe that constitutes that existence.

הוּא אוֹר הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ הַמֵּאִיר לָאָרֶץ וְלַדָּרִים שֶׁהוּא זִיו וְאוֹר הַמִּתְפַּשֵּׁט מִגּוּף הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְנִרְאֶה לְעֵין כֹּל מֵאִיר עַל הָאָרֶץ וּבַחֲלַל הָעוֹלָם. וְהִנֵּה זֶה פָּשׁוּט שֶׁאוֹר וְזִיו הַזֶּה יֶשְׁנוֹ גַּם כֵּן בְּגוּף וְחוֹמֶר כַּדּוּר הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ עַצְמוֹ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, שֶׁאִם מִתְפַּשֵּׁט וּמֵאִיר לְמֵרָחוֹק כָּל כָּךְ, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן שֶׁיּוּכַל לְהָאִיר בִּמְקוֹמוֹ מַמָּשׁ.

is the light of the sun, which illuminates the earth and its inhabitants in the form of a ray of light radiating from the body of the sun, visible to all, shining upon the earth and the world's expanse. It is obvious that this ray of light is also present in the actual body and material of the sun in the sky, for if it can radiate and shine to such a vast distance, all the more so is it capable of illuminating in its actual place from which it originates. The author of the Tanya hones his point by presenting a paradox: The light of the sun radiates everywhere, except on the sun itself.

רַק שֶׁשָּׁם בִּמְקוֹמוֹ מַמָּשׁ נֶחְשָׁב הַזִּיו הַזֶּה לְאַיִן וְאֶפֶס מַמָּשׁ, כִּי בָּטֵל מַמָּשׁ בִּמְצִיאוּת לְגַבֵּי גּוּף כַּדּוּר הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ שֶׁהוּא מְקוֹר הָאוֹר וְהַזִּיו הַזֶּה, שֶׁהַזִּיו וְהָאוֹר הַזֶּה אֵינוֹ רַק הֶאָרָה מְאִירָה מִגּוּף וְעֶצֶם כַּדּוּר הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ.

However, there, in its actual place from which it originates, this ray of light is literally considered absolute nothingness, because it is literally subsumed in the body of the sun, which is the origin of this ray of light. This ray of light is nothing more than illumination shining from the actual body of the sun. The reason the rays of the sun do not illuminate the sun itself is not because they do not exist there. Rather, their presence is simply not detectable because of the overwhelming presence of the sun. The light rays are merely a "side effect" of the source itself and therefore do not possess a differentiated status in the presence of their source.

רַק בַּחֲלַל הָעוֹלָם, תַּחַת כָּל הַשָּׁמַיִם וְעַל הָאָרֶץ, שֶׁאֵין כָּאן גּוּף כַּדּוּר הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בִּמְצִיאוּת – נִרְאֶה כָּאן הָאוֹר וְהַזִּיו הַזֶּה לְיֵשׁ מַמָּשׁ לְעֵין כֹּל, וְנוֹפֵל עָלָיו כָּאן שֵׁם יֵשׁ בֶּאֱמֶת. מַה שֶּׁאֵין כֵּן כְּשֶׁהוּא בִּמְקוֹרוֹ בְּגוּף הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ אֵין נוֹפֵל עָלָיו שֵׁם יֵשׁ כְּלָל רַק שֵׁם אַיִן וְאֶפֶס, כִּי בֶּאֱמֶת הוּא שָׁם לְאַיִן וְאֶפֶס מַמָּשׁ, שֶׁאֵין מֵאִיר שָׁם רַק מְקוֹרוֹ לְבַדּוֹ שֶׁהוּא גּוּף הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ הַמֵּאִיר וְאֶפֶס בִּלְעָדוֹ.

Yet here, in the world's expanse, under all the heavens and on the earth, where the body of the sun is not present, this ray of light is perceived as an entity unto itself, visible to all, and can truly be referred to here as an entity. At its source, however, in the body of the sun, it cannot be referred to as an entity unto itself. Rather, it is considered absolute nothingness, for in fact there it literally is nothing, since there, only its source, the radiant body of the sun alone, shines light and nothing else. The ray of light, not detectable on the surface of the sun, is not only visible on Earth but also serves as a crucial life-giving energy source. The dynamic between the light of the moon and the sun provides another, perhaps more tangible illustration of this concept. Moonlight is nothing more than the reflection of the light of the sun. Yet when the sun shines at its brightest, the moon becomes imperceptible. The illumination of the moon is subsumed in the brilliance of the sun's radiance. The sun's reflected rays are revealed in the moon only when the source of its light is not apparent. Only then do we perceive that light as autonomous.

וְכַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה מַמָּשׁ, בִּדְמוּתָם כְּצַלְמָם, הֵם כָּל הַבְּרוּאִים לְגַבֵּי שֶׁפַע הָאֱלֹהִי מֵרוּחַ פִּיו הַשּׁוֹפֵעַ עֲלֵיהֶם וּמְהַוֶּה אוֹתָם. וְהוּא מְקוֹרָם וְהֵם עַצְמָם אֵינָם רַק כְּמוֹ אוֹר וְזִיו מִתְפַּשֵּׁט מִן הַשֶּׁפַע וְרוּחַ ה׳ הַשּׁוֹפֵעַ וּמִתְלַבֵּשׁ בְּתוֹכָם וּמוֹצִיאָם מֵאַיִן לְיֵשׁ.

In literally the same way, perfectly corresponding to the analogy, all created entities exist in relation to the divine flow that emanates from the breath of His utterance, which flows upon them and brings them into existence. This flow is their source, while they themselves are merely as rays of light emanating from the flow of God's spirit, which flows into them and is enclothed within them, bringing them forth from nothingness into existence. Only when distanced from its source does the light become perceptible. Only when there is space between them, a disconnection, does light exist as an entity, while convergence at the source nullifies it completely. Then the light becomes nothingness. Similarly, the existence of the universe has significance only when it stands at a distance, disconnected from its source. The universe retains some semblance of an independent entity only because of the gap separating it from God.

וְלָכֵן הֵם בְּטֵלִים בִּמְצִיאוּת לְגַבֵּי מְקוֹרָם, כְּמוֹ אוֹר הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ שֶׁבָּטֵל בִּמְצִיאוּת וְנֶחְשָׁב לְאַיִן וְאֶפֶס מַמָּשׁ וְאֵינוֹ נִקְרָא בְּשֵׁם יֵשׁ כְּלָל כְּשֶׁהוּא בִּמְקוֹרוֹ, רַק תַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם שֶׁאֵין שָׁם מְקוֹרוֹ.

Therefore, they are subsumed in their source as a ray of sunlight is subsumed in its source, the sun, and is literally considered absolute nothingness in relation to the sun. It cannot be referred to as an entity unto itself at all when with its source. Only when it is under the heavens, where its source is not present, is it considered an entity of substance. The light of the sun is perceptible as an entity only at a distance from the sun but not because it truly exists there as a completely independent unit, detached from its source. On the contrary, its entire essence is merely an outgrowth of its origin. Therefore, as it approaches its source, it becomes more nullified until it becomes completely subsumed.

כָּךְ כָּל הַבְּרוּאִים אֵין נוֹפֵל עֲלֵיהֶם שֵׁם יֵשׁ כְּלָל אֶלָּא לְעֵינֵי בָשָׂר שֶׁלָּנוּ שֶׁאֵין אָנוּ רוֹאִים וּמַשִּׂיגִים כְּלָל אֶת הַמָּקוֹר שֶׁהוּא רוּחַ ה׳ הַמְהַוֶּה אוֹתָם. וְלָכֵן נִרְאֶה לְעֵינֵינוּ גַּשְׁמִיּוּת הַנִּבְרָאִים וְחוּמְרָם וּמַמָּשָׁם שֶׁהֵם יֵשׁ גָּמוּר, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּרְאֶה אוֹר הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ יֵשׁ גָּמוּר כְּשֶׁאֵינוֹ בִּמְקוֹרוֹ.

So too all creations can be referred to as entities unto themselves only when viewed with our corporeal eyes, as we do not see or perceive whatsoever the source, which is God's spirit that gives them existence. Therefore, our eyes perceive the physicality of creations and their material substance as real entities, just as the light of the sun appears to be a real entity when it is not with its source. The terms yesh, "entities," and ayin, "nothingness," are not synonymous with existence and nonexistence. In this context, yesh refers to an independent mode of being, whereas ayin is that which lies beyond this reality. Our eyes do not deceive us when they perceive matter as the primary element of reality and we attribute realness to the physical world. Rather, our sensory input reflects the narrow bandwidth of the receptive capacity of our senses that severely limits our perception of reality, that which we call yesh. If we would gain higher vision, unbound by the bodily senses, we would see the world on a vastly different dimension of breadth and depth. We would view the universe as divine utterance, every cog of which is fueled by the letters and words of God's speech. Even the assertion by the author of the Tanya that the world is "absolute nothingness" works within the framework of the sensory images that the human mind is able to conceive. Since our senses perceive only the physical, we see life through the prism of the physical. Physical matter is our central point of reference, and this trumps all other phenomena, and anything else is insignificant. Yet our perceptive capacity of the universe is not truly confined to the physical reality; it also encompasses a reality that is not physical. Human beings are situated on the threshold between the physical plane that conceals the divine light and that which lies beyond it, existing on the deepest point of the physical plane from which it is still possible to extricate themselves. Though the material reality appears to dominate, obscuring the Divine, latent within us is the capability of sensing also that which lies beyond the physical reality. We have the ability to transcend the limited perspective of the material realm. If we were to function exclusively on the physical plane, if the veil were thicker, we would not be able to rise above it.

רַק שֶׁבָּזֶה אֵין הַמָּשָׁל דּוֹמֶה לַנִּמְשָׁל לְגַמְרֵי לִכְאוֹרָה, שֶׁבַּמָּשָׁל אֵין הַמָּקוֹר בִּמְצִיאוּת כְּלָל בַּחֲלַל הָעוֹלָם וְעַל הָאָרֶץ, שֶׁנִּרְאֶה שָׁם אוֹרוֹ לְיֵשׁ גָּמוּר,

Yet, in this regard, the analogy of sunlight apparently does not perfectly correspond to that which it is illustrating. For in the analogy, the source, the sun, is not present whatsoever in the world's expanse nor on Earth itself, where its light is perceived as a real entity, There is a critical difference between the analogy of the sun and the comparison to God's presence in the world. In the analogy, the sun is not situated in the same place as its rays, and therefore it is possible to view them as independent entities, separate from their source.

מַה שֶּׁאֵין כֵּן כָּל הַבְּרוּאִים הֵם בִּמְקוֹרָם תָּמִיד רַק שֶׁאֵין הַמָּקוֹר נִרְאֶה לְעֵינֵי בָשָׂר, וְלָמָּה אֵינָן בְּטֵלִים בִּמְצִיאוּת לִמְקוֹרָם? אַךְ לְהָבִין זֶה צָרִיךְ לְהַקְדִּים:

whereas all creations are constantly within their divine source, only the source is not visible to corporeal eyes. If so, why are they not subsumed within the reality of their source? To understand the reason for this, it is necessary to preface with the following discussion. In light of this, the question is, why aren't we subsumed in our divine source? If God is present, how can there be a world? It is somewhat puzzling that the author of the