Daily Tanya Tuesday 29th Tishreiy Igeres Hakodesh 25: The Unity of Divine Speech and the Gradation of Worlds

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Overview

This passage delves into the mystical concept of how Divine vitality—emanating from God’s speech (“דבר ה'” or “רוח פיו”)—manifests across the four spiritual worlds: Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah. While God’s essence remains absolutely unified and unchanged, the light and life-force undergo progressive concealment through tzimtzumim (contractions) and masachim (screens), allowing creation to exist in its various levels.

Key Concepts and Structure

  1. Divine Unity
  • “ה’ אחד ושמו אחד”: God and His “Name” (i.e., His speech or expression) are absolutely unified.
  • The term “שמו” refers to the Divine speech, described in the Zohar as “רוח פיו”—the breath of His mouth.
  • Despite the multiplicity in creation, the source remains singular and indivisible.

  1. The Four Worlds and Their Distinctions
  • Divine vitality is divided into four levels corresponding to the four spiritual worlds:
    • Atzilus (Emanation) – closest to Divine unity.
    • Beriah (Creation) – the beginning of distinct existence.
    • Yetzirah (Formation) – further differentiation.
    • Asiyah (Action) – the physical and material world.
  • The differences arise due to tzimtzumim and masachim—spiritual contractions and veils that diminish and conceal the light.

  1. The Process of Contraction
  • Each world receives less revealed light than the one above it.
  • The light in Beriah is less intense than in Atzilus, and so on.
  • These contractions allow for the existence of finite beings and worlds.

  1. No Change in the Divine Essence
  • Despite the gradation, God’s essence and His speech remain unchanged.
  • The changes are only in the perceived light due to the veils and contractions.

  1. Penetration of Divine Light
  • The light from Atzilus pierces through the veils and becomes clothed in the lower worlds.
  • This allows Ein Sof (Infinite Light) to be present even in the lowest world—Asiyah, including our physical reality.
  • This transmission occurs through the Malchus (Divine Kingship) aspect of each world.

Takeaway

This teaching emphasizes the paradox of Divine unity and multiplicity: while God is absolutely one and unchanged, His light is revealed in creation through a structured, layered process. The four worlds represent stages of concealment, enabling finite existence while still being animated by the Infinite Light. This framework is foundational in Kabbalistic cosmology and helps explain how the Divine interacts with the created universe without undergoing change.

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.