Mamer – Alter Rebbe Vayiera – quotes

Pasach

The essence of the soul is a pure force (of life.)
 

The soul’s abilities, like intellect or emotions, are merely expressions (just as it uses the body – it uses these tools.)

Similarly with God, that His “soul,” is infinitely removed from even the lofty level of Divine intellect (as found in Atzilus.)

Before the world of Atzilus, there is Kesser, and the Divine intellect, and emotions in the world of Atzilus are zero (relative to before) which is why, in order to go from Divine, to that world – there had to be a complete removal of the light (in order to place within it later, just a single ray – however from Atzilus to the world below it, this ray goes through a contraction (as opposed to first, removal.))

The example the Arizal gives, is, that the light (like sunlight) retracts back into the source (and then from there, but a minute quantity (which is capable of being received / absorbed is projected.)

Now the light from the world of Atzilus to the world of Beriah is like a teacher (wise Rabbi etc.) giving an example (so the student is receiving, through the example, the kernel of wisdom – similarly, the wisdom of Atzilus is downgraded into the world of Beriah.)

Now the Divine connects to the wisdom in Atzilus – though it is infinitely lower – the example for this is, imagine a rock – so at this moment your mind and the imaginative rock, are one (so though they are far different, yet the Divine completely integrates.)

(This mamer is based on Pasach Eliyahu, were it says “one (chessed) is expansive, one (gevurah) is narrow”) So chessed is expansive, as it takes the highest light and bestows it on the lowest, while gevurah is narrow, for it works on elevating those below.

There are three dispositions – the disposition of love which is unconditional (so too, the person filled with love, as their primary reason for giving is their emotion – hence it matters not if the person they give to is deserving or not (like a child who seeks love (and doesn’t discern)) conversely there is gevurah (strict / harsh…) so kindness is only given to those who are worth / honorable – but finally, the ultimate is rachamim in which (one, unlike the naïve chessed, that has no discernment, and is simply an emotion) there is discernment, but one bestows out of compassion.

Airda

Philosophers of Divinity are perplexed by a question, as God is one, how could he know multiple things? Because that would add to his oneness, but God’s knowledge is unlike human knowledge – which the human exists, before his knowledge, and hence his knowledge means that he exists within time and space, God’s knowledge is that he is simultaneously both Beyond all that he has created, and at the same time, just like somebody can see, say from a plane, a vast amount, he can see all things past, present, future, simultaneously.

Hagah

What does it mean that God has angels and they go around to see what’s going on on Earth and they report back to him? And we know that everything we do creates an angel – and I think the answer is that there are two types of Divine visions – there is the encompassing vision in which all is in – this is sort of like a person looking with a bird’s-eye view, so the information is there but it’s not emotional – and then there is when the Angels report back – that is the reason why God says, “we will descend to see what is happening…” in other words, based on the reports that Sidom was so evil… and therefore God is now descending into the emotional level, and from that level is reward and punishment – this explains how simultaneously, there is both the overall structure of all of reality, which comes from God’s vision of it, and individually based on the deeds of a Nation, or an individual, they are rewarded or punished accordingly.

Now even though, the angels take the messages to God, because God is compassionate, He descends to see if there’s any way that though the situation must be dealt with, there could be extenuating circumstances.