“Shine from the Stone” p: 51

AyinBase with R' Paltiel p: 51 8/17/11 Wednesday 17 MenachemAv 5771 

Page 51 – below middle of the page (line starts: ayin mahmash...)

we are explaining that ohr fromessence, even ohr atzmi – which is a revelation of essence – is still incomparable to the essence. The light is nothing. It tells you there is an essence, but is nothing in comparison.

In real truth essence is not in the quality of being a luminary at all.

AyinBase, Rebbe Rashab, p51

Sunlight from the sun is not a good mashal/metaphor for ohr ein sof. A better mashal is the shine from a precious stone. What is the distinction? Sunlight illuminates and what is missing in the metaphor? It is light through and through – sun is like the essence of light and it gives off light. For ohr ein sof, it is not a perfectly suitable metaphor. The sine from a precious stone is a better metaphor. Here the shine from the stone, is 'not what it is about'. The stone is something else. 

Essence is not light. Light and luminary are part of the same principle/system.

The sun stand for essence, but only in regard to light. The sun does not recognize the possibility of darkness.

Thus hishtalshalus in general is only the matter of lights and revelations from the essence – not the aspect of essence per se.

The shine of the stone is different. There it the beauty and the gleam. There is a purity in this brilliance. It is clear statement that it is not coming from a light source, but from a stone. This is the aspect of ohr pnimi ve atzmi (inner, essential light). Through the brilliance you know the stone. This level of light is not really ohr/light – it is an element of the essence itself.

As a result of matan torah (giving of Torah on mount Sinai) was not just correct human conduct – we got Him, Himself! This is an example of essence being present in the revelation.

The gleam from the stone tells you not of the brilliance and the beauty, but of the stone. It is not really an ohr/light.

The souls of Israel are like the essence of the Father. This is not like light. This is like the essence.