“Levels of Light” p: 174

AyinBase / Ayin Beis with R' Paltiel Friday 27 Elul 5772  

Page 174 – 8 lines from end of the second paragraph – (line starts, 'ofen...') For text, see picture below.

The Rebbe is pointing out 2 principles regarding the ohr. It has an essential element and comes from the essence. Even after the tzimzum it has this element. Something of essence does not change, yet we are saying there are different levels of the ohr

light and vessels are opposites, yet there is the phenomenon of the light being invested in the vessel. The light and the vessel sense each other. They accommodate each other.

The light functions at the level of the vessel.

From the point of view of the soul, everything is perceived correctly, and things are in the place where they are meant to be. The soul perceives the whole world as its domain.

Yet the soul gets engaged with the hand to move things and the body feels, 'I have to move this box' and it doesn't seem strange – this is hislabshut/investment. This is the light functioning at the level of the vessel. The vessel becomes purified. It senses the light. This is also amazing – that a piece of flesh should sense life.

This invovlement with the vessels, is where levels in the light are identifiable.

This is the principle of higher and lower that can be identified in the 10 sphirot.

In a more refined vessel, the light shines with greater clarity and expression.

For example in chochmah/wisdom, where the vessel is extremely fine, thus the light shines with great clarity and revelation.

Light travels from the sun to the earth. Unless the light strikes an object it is pitch dark. There is no vessel and thus the light is not revealed.

A vessel is a defined an limited entity.

The light of the soul comes to us primarily as oneg/pleasure and ratzon/will. This is how it expresses its knowledge of G-dliness. This is a soul quality. And we don't have a vessel for it. Then it comes into chochmah, and we realize there is a prinicple of life/truth.

It comes as a fleeting spark of insight. Why do we see this flash? Because it illuminates our vessel – our kli ha-chochmah.

The vessel of wisdom is very refined. It enables you to see without grasping the light. So there is revelation in abundance. You see, 'this is the truth', not in any graspable manner.

On the one hand the spark is no longer the 'reality itself', it is a 'sighting of the light', but it brings the light with great intensity and purity. To know what you saw you have to evaluate and formulate that experience.

Light is a fundamental reality and vessel is not. A vessel, cannot 'grasp' light. That's why worldly knowledge cannot acknowledge the soul. It wants to know 'how does it work' and this is something that cannot be explained.

In chochmah we are given the ability to accept life without knowing what it is.