“Angels and Men” p: 47

AyinBase with R' Paltiel p: 47 6/26/11 Sunday 24 Sivan 5771 

Page 47 – at end of first line from the top of the page (line starts: mehut...)

angels don't have the essential quality. Angels cannot do what man does. When man was brought into the world it changed everything and gave the world a real/significant presence that it never had before. The man doesn't have to do anything to have this effect. Angels cannot contribute this quality. Man brings a real presence.

Both animals and humans have sight. An animal sees and reacts. A man sees and responds. He identifies the essential presence and then acts if necessary. Man sees the presence. The animal sees a reflection/ha-arah. An animal doesn't relate to 'reality' – it relates to the effect. The sechel/mind of the angels is like a reflection.

The 'nothingness' of space represents the G-dly domain that provides for everything. We cannot identify the essence of space/nothingness and so too cannot grasp how it is a positive presence. Sechel is a ha-arah and can grasp only that which has a function. And so it says of space, 'it does not resist what is put there', but this is just a functional feature of space.

This is like asking, 'what was G-d doing before he made the world?' and this question seems valid, but that is only because, 'we have absolutely no idea what we are talking about'.

At a certain point sechel/mind, falls short. But man has an essential quality.

The pure truth that comes via torah is a G-dly quality that cannot be grasped by sechel.

Everything has a true presence and cannot be usurped by another true presence. Thus if 2 snowflakes collide the world will be destroyed. The G-dly element, even at this low level, is impossible to understand. We see the flake as frozen vapour – a natural process, that is not opposed. But that a snowflake is a G-dly element – we don't see that – but that is the reality, and so too of every variation of nature, and thus it cannot be interfered with. sechel/mind cannot grasp this truth.