אֲבָל לְגַבֵּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַדְרֵגַת הַחָכְמָה שֶׁהִיא תְּחִלַּת מַחְשָׁבָה וְרֵאשִׁיתָהּ הִיא סוֹף מַעֲשֶׂה אֶצְלוֹ, דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁנֶּחְשֶׁבֶת כְּאִילּוּ הִיא בְּחִינַת וּמַדְרֵגַת עֲשִׂיָּיה לְגַבֵּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא,

However, with regard to the Holy One, blessed be He, the level of wisdom, which in man is the origin of thought and its beginning, is to Him equivalent to the final stage of action. Meaning that wisdom is considered as though it were the same quality and level as action with regard to the Holy One, blessed be He, From our perspective, the gulf between wisdom and action is vast. It spans the entire spectrum of our being. By contrast, the distance between wisdom and action for God is negligible, just one note on the musical scale and the lowest end of the scale at that. Essentially, for God both exist at the same, undifferentiated level. Consider the sound spectrum audible to the human ear. Between the lowest bass and the highest pitch are several thousand frequencies. This range encapsulates our entire audio reality, including all the tones that we can possibly distinguish. However, within an audio range spanning several million or several billion frequencies, the difference between our highest and lowest audible range becomes negligible and they are all considered like one unit. As the author of the Tanya explains below, the spectrum of our human existence includes five basic levels (the intellect, the attributes, thought, speech, and action), with wisdom being at the highest end of the spectrum and practical action at the lowest. This spectrum includes the entirety of our awareness and imaginative capacity. In our desire to attribute our human spectrum to God, we have no choice but to equate the entire spectrum of our consciousness, from wisdom to action, to the lowest extreme, the level of action, in relation to Him. For Him, it is all one thing, all one level.

כְּדִכְתִיב: ״כּוּלָּם בְּחָכְמָה עָשִׂיתָ״ (תהלים קד, כד).

as it is written, "With wisdom You have made them all" (Ps. 104:24). The author of the Tanya employs a literal reading of this verse: God's faculty of wisdom is tantamount to action. His creative power operates through wisdom in the same way that a human being might wield a physical object, such as a spade or a hammer, in order to build. Wisdom is not a characteristic of God but rather a tool that He implements in order to create.

וְהַיְינוּ לוֹמַר, שֶׁכְּעֵרֶךְ הַחַיּוּת שֶׁבַּעֲשִׂיָּה גּוּפָנִית וְגַשְׁמִיִּית לְעֵרֶךְ חַיּוּת הַחָכְמָה, שֶׁהִיא רֵאשִׁית וּמְקוֹר הַחַיּוּת בָּאָדָם וְכָל הַבְּרוּאִים גַּשְׁמִיִּים.

That is to say, wisdom in relation to God has the same quality and significance that the life force in physical and material action has in comparison to the life force of wisdom, which is the origin and source of the life force in man and all physical creatures. The "life force in physical and material action" refers not to the vitality of physical action itself, nor to the influence that physical action has on others, but rather to that part of the soul's essence that manifests within the action. In this sense, the life force that manifests within the action is exceedingly constricted, a mere hint of the soul's innermost vitality, or "life force of wisdom" – the life force of the soul that is expressed through wisdom. Wisdom and action are removed from each other, not just by one degree, but by five foundational levels (intellect, attributes, thought, speech, and action), and in each is but an iota of the life force of the level above it.

שֶׁהוּא כְּאַיִן לְגַבֵּי חַיּוּת שֶׁבְּאוֹתִיּוֹת הַדִּבּוּר,

Specifically, the life force that is concretized within action is as nothing compared to the life force within the letters of speech, The power of the soul's internal life force – the essence of a person that experiences and resonates with life – that is clothed within physical action is negligible and practically as nothing relative to the power of this soul force in speech.

שֶׁהוּא כְּאַיִן לְגַבֵּי הַחַיּוּת שֶׁבְּאוֹתִיּוֹת הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה, שֶׁהוּא כְּאַיִן לְגַבֵּי חַיּוּת וּמַעֲלַת הַמִּדּוֹת שֶׁמֵּהֶן נִמְשְׁכָה מַחְשָׁבָה זוֹ, שֶׁהוּא כְּאַיִן לְגַבֵּי חַיּוּת וּמַעֲלַת וּמַדְרֵגַת הַחָכְמָה בִּינָה וְדַעַת, מְקוֹר הַמִּדּוֹת.

which, in turn, is as nothing compared to the life force within the letters of thought, which is as nothing compared to the life force and quality of the attributes from which this thought was drawn, which, in turn, is as nothing in relation to the life force, quality, and level of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, the source of the emotive attributes. A careful examination of the author's word choice in describing this progression of constriction and manifestation reveals three distinctive types of gradations between one phase and another: "life force," "quality," and "level." The difference between our first two rungs of being – physical action and speech, and speech and thought – is in degree of life force. Between the letters of thought and the attributes that fuel them, there is a difference in life force and quality. Between the attributes and wisdom, there is a third type of difference: There is a different degree of life force, quality, and level. Between every level and the next is a difference in chayut, "life force," because life force, the inner vitality of all life, exists in everything. There is an added fabric of gradation between thought (a garment of the soul) and the attributes (characteristics of the soul itself) called ma'ala, quality. The quality of something conveys the measure of transparency and clarity with which something expresses its inner life-giving light. Between the attributes and the cognitive sefirot, Hokhma, Bina, and Da'at, there is another degree of difference called darga, level. An entity that possesses a lofty nature exists on an elevated plane, while an entity whose essential nature is on a lower level is elementary and less developed. That the quantitative and qualitative difference between every level is immense illustrates just how huge the difference in palpable life force is between the upper and lower extremities of our reality, between the life force, quality, and level of wisdom and the mere life force of action.

כֵּן מַמָּשׁ עֵרֶךְ מַדְרֵגַת וּמַעֲלַת הַחָכְמָה, שֶׁהִיא רֵאשִׁית וּמְקוֹר הַחַיּוּת שֶׁבְּכָל הָעוֹלָמוֹת לְגַבֵּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בִּכְבוֹדוֹ וּבְעַצְמוֹ הַמְרוֹמָם וְהַמִּתְנַשֵּׂא רִיבּוֹא רִבְבוֹת מַדְרֵגוֹת רוֹמְמוֹת יוֹתֵר מֵרוֹמְמוּת מַדְרֵגַת הַחָכְמָה עַל בְּחִינַת חַיּוּת שֶׁבָּעֲשִׂיָּיה, שֶׁהִיא רוֹמְמוּת חָמֵשׁ מַדְרֵגוֹת לְבַד שֶׁהֵן מַדְרֵגוֹת בְּחִינוֹת עֲשִׂיָּיה וְדִבּוּר וּמַחְשָׁבָה וּמִדּוֹת וְשֵׂכֶל. אֲבָל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא רָם וּמִתְנַשֵּׂא מִמַּדְרֵגַת הַחָכְמָה רִבְבוֹת מַדְרֵגוֹת כָּאֵלּוּ עַד אֵין קֵץ.

This, the significance of the level of action, is precisely the significance of the level and quality of wisdom with regard to the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself in all His glory, even though it, wisdom, is the beginning and origin of the life force within all the worlds. He is exalted and lofty myriads upon myriads of exalted levels above wisdom, even more than the level of wisdom is exalted above the life force within action, for wisdom is exalted by a degree of only five levels. These five levels are action, speech, thought, attributes, and intellect. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is more exalted and lofty than the level of wisdom by myriads of such levels to no end. The entire expanse between the level of wisdom and that of action is practically nothing relative to the degree to which God is exalted above and beyond wisdom: not by one degree, not by five degrees, but rather by myriads upon myriads of degrees of separation. In the face of His infinite being, the five degrees of separation between our highest, most ethereal selves and the lowest, most physical level of action, which encompass our entire reality, become so compressed that the variance in gradation becomes contiguous, each level becoming almost identical to the next. For God, the tremendous distance between our wisdom and our physical action is like one mere step.

רַק מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵין בַּנִּבְרָאִים כֹּחַ לְהַשִּׂיג רַק הַהִשְׁתַּלְשְׁלוּת מִמַּדְרֵגַת חָכְמָה, שֶׁהִיא רֵאשִׁיתָם, לְמַדְרֵגַת עֲשִׂיָּה הַשְּׁפָלָה, לְכָךְ אָנוּ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁלְּגַבֵּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא נֶחְשֶׁבֶת מַדְרֵגַת הַחָכְמָה כְּמַדְרֵגַת עֲשִׂיָּה מַמָּשׁ, דְּהַיְינוּ לוֹמַר שֶׁהוּא רָם וְנִשָּׂא וְנַעֲלֶה עִילּוּי רַב מְאֹד מְאֹד מִמַּדְרֵגַת הַחָכְמָה,

It is only because created beings are only able to comprehend the progression from the level of wisdom, which is their beginning, until the base level of action that we therefore say that with regard to the Holy One, blessed be He, the level of wisdom is actually considered like the level of action. That is to say, He is exalted, lofty, and elevated exceedingly higher than the level of wisdom, When we consider the spectrum of our human existence, between supernal and mundane reality, the greatest distance and variance we can possibly fathom is the sum-total expanse between wisdom and action. This encapsulates the two extremes of our life experience – between materiality on one end and awareness of the spiritual on the other. This range of awareness is the only reality we know because we are incapable of imagining that which is beyond the spectrum of our own being. When we attempt to think beyond ourselves, we ultimately borrow from within the spectrum of our imaginative capacity. Even if that which we are trying to conceptualize transcends the limits of our own beings, we are incapable of conceptualizing anything beyond that which we know. Consider an example from another domain. In the spectrum of colors, only a small range is visible to the human eye, from a certain purple hue to a particular shade of red. All the colors beyond this range, and even the subtle shades and tones of those within our visual range, are invisible to the human eye. Although we are able to refer to different wavelengths beyond this range, an actual sensory input of color from those wavelengths eludes us. We are even incapable of imagining the nature of ultraviolet light and the levels and gradations beyond it. Every image we have is necessarily borrowed from the color scheme that we can see. Any wavelength of light beyond our visual spectrum is registered as invisible, unfathomable, and inexpressible darkness. Similarly, when we want to relate to something of infinite proportions, compared to which the entire universe is reduced to a single speck, we employ our entire spectrum of awareness from wisdom to action. We then say that from God's perspective, wisdom, which is the most abstract, immaterial construct that we can fathom, is tantamount to action, the lowest perceptible reality.

וְלֹא שַׁיָּיךְ כְּלָל לְיַיחֵס אֶצְלוֹ שׁוּם עִנְיָן הַמִּתְיַיחֵס לְחָכְמָה,

and consequently, it is totally inapplicable to attribute to Him anything pertaining to wisdom, To describe God as wise and even to attribute to Him wisdom of any kind is simply a misnomer. His wisdom does not in any way resemble ours and therefore does not transmit even a trace of true divine nature.

אֲפִילּוּ בְּדֶרֶךְ מַעֲלָה וְעִילּוּי רַב, כְּגוֹן לוֹמַר עָלָיו שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְשׁוּם נִבְרָא, עֶלְיוֹנִים וְתַחְתּוֹנִים, לְהַשִּׂיג חָכְמָתוֹ אוֹ מַהוּתוֹ.

even in an exceedingly exalted and lofty fashion, such as stating about Him that it is impossible for any created being, whether higher or lower, to comprehend His wisdom or His essence. Even when we refer to God's wisdom as transcending our wisdom and being disconnected from our wisdom, or even of we relate to it as a negation of our wisdom, this still does not at all express the extent to which He is exalted.

כִּי עִנְיַן הַהַשָּׂגָה מִתְיַיחֵס וְנוֹפֵל עַל דְּבַר חָכְמָה וְשֵׂכֶל, לוֹמַר שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לְהַשִּׂיגוֹ אוֹ אִי אֶפְשָׁר לְהַשִּׂיגוֹ מִפְּנֵי עוֹמֶק הַמּוּשָּׂג.

For the notion of comprehension is relevant and applies to a matter of wisdom and intellect, about which it can be said that it is either possible or impossible to comprehend it because of the concept's profundity. When we refer to something as comprehensible or incomprehensible, even if it is beyond the limits of our apprehension, all conjectures remain within the parameters of human awareness. As long as a concept operates in any way within the parameters of rationality, it remains inherently fathomable and theoretically definable. It is thereby possible to attribute some sort of value to the construct – for example, one could say that a given person is incapable of understanding it or that it transcends all conception.

אֲבָל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁהוּא לְמַעְלָה מִן הַשֵּׂכֶל וְהַחָכְמָה לֹא שַׁיָּיךְ כְּלָל לוֹמַר בּוֹ שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְהַשִּׂיגוֹ מִפְּנֵי עוֹמֶק הַמּוּשָּׂג, כִּי אֵינוֹ בִּבְחִינַת הַשָּׂגָה כְּלָל.

However, with regard to the Holy One, blessed be He, who transcends intellect and wisdom, it is totally inapplicable to state that it is impossible to comprehend Him due to the profundity of the concept because He has no relevance to the realm of comprehension whatsoever. To assert that it is impossible to conceive of God because His nature is too complicated, deep, or exalted may not be wrong, but such a statement is altogether meaningless. The problem with such a statement is not even that it is trivial; it is simply immaterial, unrelated, and not germane to the subject at hand.

וְהָאוֹמֵר עָלָיו שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְהַשִּׂיגוֹ הוּא כְּאוֹמֵר עַל אֵיזוֹ חָכְמָה רָמָה וַעֲמוּקָּה, שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְמַשְּׁשָׁהּ בְּיָדַיִם מִפְּנֵי עוֹמֶק הַמּוּשָּׂג, שֶׁכָּל הַשּׁוֹמֵעַ יִצְחַק לוֹ לְפִי שֶׁחוּשׁ הַמִּישּׁוּשׁ אֵינוֹ מִתְיַיחֵס וְנוֹפֵל אֶלָּא עַל עֲשִׂיָּיה גַּשְׁמִית הַנִּתְפֶּסֶת בְּיָדַיִם.

And someone who says with regard to Him that it is impossible to comprehend Him is like someone who says, in praise of some advanced and deep wisdom, that it is impossible to touch it with his hands because the concept is so profound. Anyone who hears such praise will mock him, since the sense of touch is relevant and applies only to physical objects that can be grasped with the hands. This is an illustration of using a totally inappropriate gauge to measure a particular phenomenon. Employing an incompatible mode of evaluation holds no weight whatsoever. We can describe a physical item as so subtle and refined as to be untouchable by the human hand. However, the assertion that a spiritual concept is so praiseworthy and virtuous as to be physically untouchable is not actually praise at all. This assertion is meaningless, because the sense of touch cannot interact with, let alone evaluate, spiritual reality.

וְכָכָה מַמָּשׁ נֶחְשֶׁבֶת לְגַבֵּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַדְרֵגַת הַשֵּׂכֶל וְהַהַשָּׂגָה כַּעֲשִׂיָּיה גַּשְׁמִית מַמָּשׁ,

In precisely the same way, the level of intellect and comprehension in relation to the Holy One, blessed be He, is considered the same as actual physical action, The statement that the intellect does not grasp God, while not incorrect, is meaningless, because God is even more exalted above the level of wisdom than wisdom is above physical action.

וַאֲפִילּוּ הַשָּׂגַת שְׂכָלִים שֶׁבָּעוֹלָמוֹת עֶלְיוֹנִים,

including even the comprehension of the intellects in the higher worlds When we say that God is exalted above any intellect and ungraspable through it, we do not only refer to the handicap of the human intellect. Even the intellects of the supernal worlds, whose level of wisdom is higher and unfathomably more expanded than ours, are nonetheless intrinsically limited and incapable of grasping the infinite essence of the Divine.

וַאֲפִילּוּ מַדְרֵגַת חָכְמָה עִילָּאָה הַמְחַיָּה אֶת כּוּלָּם, כְּדִכְתִיב: ״כּוּלָּם בְּחָכְמָה עָשִׂיתָ״ (תהלים קד, כד).

and even the level of supernal wisdom, which sustains everything, as the verse states, "With wisdom You have made them all" (Ps. 104:24). Even the level of supernal wisdom, which is in a certain sense the wisdom of God Himself, does not apprehend His essence. Any level of wisdom, as long as it is characterized as such, is incapable of apprehending the essence of the Divine. The Divine is absolutely different, possessing a distinct nature, eluding the purview of even the most enlightened intellect.

וּמַה שֶּׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא נִקְרָא חָכָם בַּכָּתוּב וְגַם חֲכָמֵינוּ ז״ל כִּינּוּ לוֹ מַדְרֵגַת וּמַעֲלַת הַחָכְמָה,

When the Holy One, blessed be He, is referred to as wise in Tanakh , and also when our Sages referred to Him with appellations related to the level and quality of wisdom, Since these characterizations also apply to what is deemed "God's wisdom," the question arises: How is it possible to assert, on the one hand, that God is exalted above and beyond all wisdom to the extent that it is a totally meaningless concept relative to Him, and, on other hand, to refer to God with the appellation of Ḥakham, Wise One, and say of Him that He bears some correlation to wisdom?

הַיְינוּ מִשּׁוּם שֶׁהוּא מְקוֹר הַחָכְמָה, שֶׁמִּמֶּנּוּ יִתְבָּרַךְ נִמְשַׁךְ וְנֶאֱצַל מַהוּת מַדְרֵגַת חָכְמָה עִילָּאָה שֶׁבְּעוֹלַם הָאֲצִילוּת.

it is because He is the source of wisdom, since from God flows and emanates the essence of the level of supernal wisdom, which is in the world of Atzilut. God is called wise not because He can be defined as wise, or because He is grasped through wisdom but rather because He is the primary source, the foundation, of all viable wisdom. He is deemed wise not because it conveys something about His essence or nature but rather because He is the Creator and Architect of wisdom.

וְכֵן ״רַחוּם״ וְ״חָסִיד״ עַל שֵׁם שֶׁהוּא מְקוֹר הָרַחֲמִים וְהַחֲסָדִים וְכֵן שְׁאָר הַמִּדּוֹת, שֶׁכּוּלָּן נִמְשְׁכוּ וְנֶאֶצְלוּ מִמֶּנּוּ יִתְבָּרַךְ.

Similarly, He is referred to as compassionate and beneficent since He is the source of compassion and kindness. The same applies to the other attributes, all of which flow and emanate from God. Our descriptions of God must be viewed not as describing His essence but rather His actions. When we describe God in our prayers as "He who makes the wind blow and the rain fall," our intention is not that He embodies the physical process that causes rainfall – the effect of air masses with different temperatures, moisture content, and pressure – but rather that He is the primary cause of the formation of rain. This is the way that His divine attributes must also be understood. When referring to God as wise, we are intimating that He is the initial causation of the very existence of the attribute of wisdom, and also that it is through the medium of wisdom that He interacts with the world. He employs the attributes of kindness, restraint, and compassion in a similar way while being the primary source of their existence on every level.

וְדֶרֶךְ וְעִנְיַן הַהַמְשָׁכָה וְהָאֲצִילוּת, אֵיךְ וּמָה, יָדוּעַ לְמַשְׂכִּילִים.

The manner and nature of the flow and emanation, in detail, is known to scholars of Kabbala. It is only the scholars of esoteric wisdom who truly understand the details of the process of emanation from His nature and essence down to the level of Ḥokhma in the world of Atzilut, and how each level that connects His essence to the world of Atzilut devolves from the preceding one and relates to each other.

הַגָּהָה: סוֹד הַצִּמְצוּם בְּאוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְצִמְצוּם אָדָם קַדְמוֹן וְסוֹד הַדִּיקְנָא שֶׁסּוֹד כָּל הַצִּמְצוּמִים לְצַמְצֵם הָאוֹר שֶׁיִּתְלַבֵּשׁ בִּבְחִינַת כֵּלִים דְּי׳ סְפִירוֹת. וְהִנֵּה אַחַר שֶׁנִּתְלַבֵּשׁ אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בִּבְחִינַת כֵּלִים דְּחָכְמָה בִּינָה דַּעַת אָז שַׁיָּיךְ לוֹמַר מַה שֶּׁכָּתַב הרמב״ם הוּא הַיּוֹדֵעַ וְהוּא הַמַּדָּע וְהוּא הַיָּדוּעַ וּבִידִיעַת עַצְמוֹ וכו׳, לְפִי שֶׁבְּחִינַת כֵּלִים דַּאֲצִילוּת נַעֲשִׂים נְשָׁמָה וְחַיּוּת לִבְרִיאָה יְצִירָה עֲשִׂיָּה וּלְכָל אֲשֶׁר בָּהֶם. אֲבָל בְּלִי צִמְצוּם וְהַלְבָּשָׁה הנ״ל לֹא שַׁיָּיךְ כְּלָל לוֹמַר הוּא הַיּוֹדֵעַ וְהוּא הַמַּדָּע וכו׳ כִּי אֵינוֹ בִּבְחִינַת וְגֶדֶר דַּעַת וּמַדָּע כְּלָל חַס וְשָׁלוֹם אֶלָּאלְמַעְלָה מַעְלָה עִילּוּי רַב עַד אֵין קֵץ אֲפִילּוּ מִבְּחִינַת וְגֶדֶר חָכְמָה, עַד שֶׁבְּחִינַת חָכְמָה נֶחְשֶׁבֶת אֶצְלוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ כִּבְחִינַת עֲשִׂיָּה גַּשְׁמִית.

Gloss: With regard to the mystical secret of the constriction of the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He, and the constriction of Adam Kadmon and the secret of the beard, the secret of all these constrictions is to constrict the light so that it can be embodied in the vessels of the ten sefirot . After the light of Ein Sof is embodied in the vessels of the sefirot of Ḥokhma , Bina , and Da'at , that which Rambam wrote can be applied: "He is the knower, He is the known, and He is the knowledge itself, and through self-knowledge He perceives and knows all that exists.... " For the vessels in the world of Atzilut become the soul and life force of the worlds of Beria , Yetzira , and Asiya and embodiment, the statement "He is the knower, He is the known... " is not applicable, since He is not within the realm or classification of knowledge and knowing whatsoever, God forbid. Rather, He is above and beyond, exalted endlessly higher than even the quality and classification of wisdom, to such a degree that the quality of wisdom is considered in relation to Him to be the equivalent of the quality of physical action. and everything that is in them. However, without the aforementioned constriction This parenthetical note deals with several esoteric topics, which, albeit unnecessary for understanding the linear flow of the discussion, offer a more general picture of the central subjects discussed in Sha'ar HaYiḥud VeHa'emuna.

וְהִנֵּה אֵין לָנוּ עֵסֶק בַּנִּסְתָּרוֹת,

Now we do not deal with such esoteric matters, These details of the process of emanation known to scholars of Kabbala, important as they are, are inconsequential to the overall, basic scope of this discussion.

אַךְ הַנִּגְלוֹת לָנוּ, לְהַאֲמִין אֱמוּנָה שְׁלֵימָה דְּאִיהוּ וְגַרְמוֹהִי חַד, דְּהַיְינוּ מִדּוֹתָיו שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּרְצוֹנוֹ וְחָכְמָתוֹ וּבִינָתוֹ וְדַעְתּוֹ עִם מַהוּתוֹ וְעַצְמוּתוֹ הַמְרוֹמָם לְבַדּוֹ רוֹמְמוּת אֵין קֵץ מִבְּחִינַת חָכְמָה וְשֵׂכֶל וְהַשָּׂגָה.

but we must believe with perfect faith the matters that are revealed to us, that He and His attributes are one. In other words, the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His will, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge are unified with His essence and being, which in itself is exalted endless degrees above wisdom, intellect, and comprehension. Besides the details of the enigma of tzimtzum known only to those scholars, the salient point here, "the matters that are revealed to us," indicates a two-pronged belief system. First, the essential being and nature of God utterly transcends all things, and He is exalted and elevated beyond any definition that we can possibly fathom or apprehend. Second, we must also believe that He manifests Himself to a certain extent within the supernal sefirot, and seamlessly engenders a unity between the sefira that serves as His instrument and medium of transition and the corresponding light of divine essence on that level. In a certain sense, the sefira serves not only as an external instrument of the Divine but also as a manifestation of the Divine at that very moment.

וְלָכֵן גַּם יִחוּדוֹ שֶׁמִּתְיַיחֵד עִם מִדּוֹתָיו שֶׁהֶאֱצִיל מֵאִתּוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, גַּם כֵּן אֵינוֹ בִּבְחִינַת הַשָּׂגָה לְהַשִּׂיג אֵיךְ מִתְיַיחֵד בָּהֶן.

Therefore, since He transcends comprehension, also His unity, wherein He is united with His attributes that emanated from Him, is also not within the realm of comprehension; that is, no one is able to comprehend how He is unified with them. Just as we lack the capability to apprehend His nature and essence, we are likewise unable to comprehend how His nature and essence is connected and unified with the ten sefirot. However, we are privy to conceptualizing the function of the sefirot themselves to some degree. While we clearly do not comprehend the attribute of Ḥokhma on its most ethereal level, since each person can grasp wisdom on his own level we can also conceive of a wisdom that is beyond our grasp. There is a certain parallel between the sefirot of the world of Atzilut and our inner world. The structure of the soul is a quasi-replica of the world of Atzilut, and this enables us to relate to the sefirot despite our quantitatively and qualitatively contrasting levels. Although the wisdom of Atzilut is not like our wisdom, and the compassion of Atzilut is not our compassion, we can relate to the wisdom of Atzilut through the prism of our own wisdom. Likewise, we can establish a correlation between our compassion and supernal compassion. We are familiar with the attribute of compassion and understand the difference between compassion and cruelty, as well as the particular way in which they relate to each other. By contrast, when it comes to divine nature itself, our conceptions are totally meaningless. Therefore, it is impossible to associate even the supernal sefirot with His actual nature and essence. When we attest that He unifies with His attributes, we mean not only a surface oneness, but rather unification in essence. The sefira of Ḥesed is not an external instrument, like a hammer held in one's hand, but rather a vessel whose identity is deeply bound with the essence of its animating source, the way the soul animates a limb of its body. A limb does not possess any independent identity or feeling, but rather it is totally "transparent" to the soul. In the same way, the sefirot in a certain sense become vessels for the Divine made manifest within them. And just as we do not comprehend divine essence, so we are only able to apprehend and articulate anything with regard to the unification of the divine essence and the ten sefirot through faith.

וְלָכֵן נִקְרְאוּ מִדּוֹתָיו שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁהֵן הַסְּפִירוֹת, בַּזּוֹהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ: ״רָזָא דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא״ שֶׁהִיא הָאֱמוּנָה שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מִן הַשֵּׂכֶל.

Therefore, the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He, which are the sefirot, are referred to in the holy Zohar as "the secret of faith," which is the faith that transcends intellect. Faith is our antenna pointed toward those realities whose existence we are aware of, but they are above and beyond the realm of intellectual apprehension. Such is the enigma of the bond between the sefirot and the nature and essence of God, who gives them life and operates within and through them – and this is the "secret of faith." It is a concept that we may be able to verbalize but without attaining true apprehension and internalization of its meaning. This chapter essentially deals with one subject: divine exaltedness and its implications. The author of the