Questions for today:
We left off that the Creator’s ability for limited existence to unite with the infinite is beyond our ability to grasp. However, can G-d nevertheless give us a way to glimpse this?
We left off yesterday saying that the human mind can't understand that the divine characteristics which continue to give energy and substance to the physical world are still one with the infinite Creator.
For example, the kindness employed on the first day of creation and the strictness employed on the second, to create division – both of which operate in perpetuity - are unified within the Creator.
Though it is impossible for our minds to truly grasp this, the Torah speaks in a language that we can understand; it gives us an example to help us grasp this concept.
The sages describe these divine characteristics as light.
When a person walks away from a mirror, what happens to the person? Nothing. The mirror was always merely an expression of the person. Therefore, even when the image in the mirror is gone, the person isn’t impacted whatsoever.
We can expand this example: Does sunlight exist before it comes down from the sun as a ray? Yes! Before it is a ray, it exists as sunlight within the sun; however, its existence is one with the sun.
This isn’t a perfect example because the Creator can’t be ‘defined’ as a luminary. However, it can still help us better understand this topic.
189 28 Tanya Tammuz 01~ M217 m27 Tammuz 4
Tanya book 2, Ch 10, Pt 1
Although we mentioned that the human mind can't grasp how the infinite Creator is one with His characteristics, the Torah speaks on our level and gives us some parables to help us understand.
It may seem like before sunlight shines down, it doesn’t exist because it is not in the form of a ray.
However, this is incorrect. The sun is defined as a luminary so the sunlight exists as part of the sun even before it comes down as a ray.
Of course, this is a remote example since the Creator has no definition, but it can still help us in our understanding.
Study today’s Tanya in full:
https://www.chabadmed.com/dailystudy/tanya.asp?tdate=7/3/2022
See today’s video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PHCn42SCb0&list=PLFZQPK6u-zSC7FvXJfcTF6vOd_JEAABrJ&index=28