“Even Though I am a Stranger Here” p: 168

AyinBase with R' Paltiel Thursday 15 Tammuz 5772 

Page 168 – 5 lines from end of 2nd paragraph of the page (line starts, 'mekoro...') For text, see link top right of the blog. Or for text right click here.

The Rebbe is explaining that the nature of light/ohr (fire is used as an example) is to rise upwards. It does not mix with the other elements. In some sense, though one of the 4 elements it stands alone. It is closer to its source, than to the place where it has an effect. This is in contrast to the other 3 foundational elements.

Just as earth and physical items descend downwards, towards the primary aspect of this element. In the sun, light is a primary reality. Light goes out from there to illuminate. The illumination it provides says, 'you should know, darkness is not the only truth, there is light, and even though here I am a stranger, there is a place where I am for real'.

Thus, this nature to rise upwards and not to mix with others is exclusive to ohr/light.

This is seen in the discussion of the two elements – 'lights and vessels'. The 'vessel' wants to descend and the light tends to rise upwards.

Up and down; - it seems that it takes effort to go up. And going down is the absence of effort. What elicits the effort and what is the nature of the absence of effort? The motivating of the effort is an inner sense of life. There is pnimiut and chitzoniut (inner and external aspects). Chitzonius is existence and presentation in an environment. Speech is external to thought.

What activates an internal process? (In fact the worldly secular view is that all action is in response to an external stimulus or threat!) The inner motivation is due to a sense that, 'I stand for something, and this truth that I stand for is greater than the one I experience now, and I rise towards it! My real presence is not my limited existence, but what I stand for.'

If something goes down, it stands for nothing and goes down till something stops its descent.

Truth has no definition. It is not an entity or a presence. It is present because it is true, not because it is a presence.

All going up, is rising to the truth of a topic, rather than relating to its existence...

so the vessel is the means by which you can 'grasp' the ohr/light. Light cannot be grasped and is continually obviating its presence.

Thus lights and vessels, are like chesed/kindness and gevurah/severity. The vessel is the element of chesed, because it is in a state of expression downwards and recognition by all. And the light is the element of rising upwards, which is gevurah/severity. Severity is demanding and exclusive. chesed/kindness is inclusive. That's why it is counter intuitive – kindness in the nature of a vessel and severity in the nature of light...