The Alter Rebbe continues refining the distinction between:
- Pure Elokus (Godliness)
- Created existence (yesh)
- The intermediate levels that stand between them.
He now explains that not everything outside the ten sefirot is automatically considered a fully separate “yesh.”
- Souls Are Different from Angels’ Bodies and Heichalot
In the previous section, the Alter Rebbe said that:
- The heichalot of Atzilut
- The bodies of the angels of Atzilut
already possess a degree of independent existence and are therefore called yesh.
Now he adds that this is not true of all spiritual beings.
- The Souls of Angels and Souls of Human Beings
The souls of angels that emerge from:
“זיווג הנשיקין“ (“the union of kisses”)
and human souls that originate in Atzilut before descending into the lower worlds,
are not considered independent beings.
Rather, they remain:
A highly contracted form of Godliness.
They still resemble Elokus more than they resemble created existence.
- They Resemble the Kelim of Atzilut
The Alter Rebbe compares these souls to:
The kelim of Atzilut.
The kelim contain limitation and definition, yet they remain united with the Divine light.
Similarly, these souls are limited through tremendous contractions, yet they are not fully detached from Elokus.
- The Tzaddikim of Earlier Generations
The Alter Rebbe makes a remarkable suggestion.
Even after certain lofty souls descended to this world,
they may not have become fully separate entities.
This would explain why some great tzaddikim possessed an extraordinary spiritual sensitivity.
He cites the idea that such souls could depart before a sin occurred.
Because their connection to Elokus remained exceptionally direct.
- The Higher “Worlds” Mentioned in Kabbalah
The Alter Rebbe then discusses the thousands upon thousands of worlds described in the higher realms of Arich Anpin and Ze’er Anpin.
He suggests that these are not “worlds” in the ordinary sense.
They are not comparable to:
- Heichalot
- Angels
- Other created entities
Rather, they resemble the souls discussed above.
They are called “worlds” only relative to levels even higher than themselves.
- Yet These Souls Are Not Fully Divine
The Alter Rebbe immediately qualifies this.
Although such souls resemble Elokus,
they still cannot:
Create something from nothing.
That power belongs to God alone.
- Why Not?
Because they have already emerged from the sefirotic kelim.
Only within the kelim of Atzilut is the Infinite Light united completely with its vessel.
Once a level has emerged as a recipient, even an extraordinarily lofty recipient, it no longer possesses the power of true creation.
- The Unique Power of the Ein Sof
The Alter Rebbe explains the root of the matter.
The Ein Sof alone possesses:
Existence from Its own essence.
Everything else derives from something before it.
Hashem alone:
- Has no cause.
- Has no source preceding Him.
- Exists from Himself.
Therefore only He can produce:
Yesh me’ayin.
Creation from absolute non-existence.
- Why the Kelim Are Necessary
If only the Infinite were revealed, finite beings could not emerge.
Therefore the Infinite Light clothes itself within:
The kelim of the ten sefirot of Atzilut.
Through those vessels:
- Limit emerges.
- Measure emerges.
- Defined creation becomes possible.
Yet because the Ein Sof is perfectly united with those kelim:
“איהו וגרמוהי חד“
“He and His vessels are one.”
- The Purpose of the Kelim
The kelim are not obstacles to creation.
They are the means through which Infinite Godliness can produce:
- Finite worlds
- Finite creatures
- Measured existence
especially through their further descent into:
- Beriah
- Yetzirah
- Asiyah
where created existence fully emerges.
Key Takeaway
The Alter Rebbe distinguishes between several levels that are often grouped together. The souls of angels and the highest human souls remain closely identified with Godliness and are not fully separate “yesh.” Yet even these lofty souls cannot create existence from nothing. Only the Ein Sof, united with the kelim of Atzilut, possesses the unique Divine power of yesh me’ayin. The kelim serve as the channel through which Infinite Godliness creates finite, bounded worlds while remaining fully united with their Divine source.