How Divine Presence Works in the World: A Simple Explanation of Tanya’s Teaching
The Divine Presence exists in everything around us, yet remains hidden from our perception. Have you ever wondered why we perceive the world as something independent, although in reality everything is created by Divine power? Why does a stone seem to us just a stone, and not a manifestation of spiritual energy? Let’s figure this out together!
The Sun and Its Rays: How Divine Presence Creates Through Metaphor
Remember how on a hot day we hide in the shade? The sun’s rays are so bright that they can burn without protection. In Jewish mysticism, this very metaphor explains how our world works.
The Divine name Havayah is like the sun – it radiates the light of creation, continuously creating everything that exists. And the name Elokim acts as a protective screen or shield that prevents this light from completely “absorbing” us.
Without this shield-filter, we would simply dissolve in the divine radiance. This is exactly what will happen in Messianic times when, according to ancient wisdom, “The Holy One will take the sun out of its sheath” – the righteous will enjoy this light, while sinners will not be able to bear it.
Divine Presence in Continuous Creation Every Moment
It’s important to understand: the world wasn’t just created a long time ago and left to exist on its own. Creation happens every second, every moment!
The name Havayah literally means “bringing into existence.” The letter yud in this name indicates the continuity of action. It’s like breathing – we can’t inhale once for a lifetime; we need to breathe constantly. Similarly, all creation continuously receives life force from the Creator.
Two Opposite Qualities of the Creator
The Almighty is described by two main qualities: Hagadol (The Great) and Hagibor (The Mighty).
Hagadol (or Chesed) is boundless kindness and expansion, the ability to create from nothing and give life to an infinite number of worlds and beings. This quality is called Gedulah (greatness) because it reflects the boundlessness of the Creator, whose “greatness is unfathomable.”
Hagibor (or Gevurah) is the power of contraction and limitation, which conceals the divine light, allowing creations to feel themselves as independent beings.
Why Don’t We See Divine Presence in a Simple Stone?
Imagine you’re looking at an ordinary stone. It seems to you a solid, material object separate from you. But in reality, the stone is a manifestation of Divine Presence and spiritual energy that recreates it anew every second!
Why don’t we feel this? Because both forces operate in the stone (as in any creation):
- The power of Chesed continuously creates it from nothing
- The power of Gevurah hides this process, making the stone appear “independent”
This is similar to sunlight spreading from the sun. When the rays are in the sun itself, they are completely unified with it and have no independent existence. But when they spread in space, it seems as if they exist separately.
Beyond Human Understanding
It’s important to realize that no created mind is capable of truly understanding either the process of creation from nothing or the process of concealing divine energy. This is beyond our understanding because:
- We ourselves are creations and cannot fully understand our Creator
- The Creator and His attributes are a “simple unity,” they cannot be separated
- Paradoxically, the power of revelation and the power of concealment come from the same source
Letters as Vessels for Divine Light
In Kabbalah, the concealment process is called “kelim” (vessels), and the life force is called “or” (light). Just as a vessel hides what is inside it, so do the divine “letters” (spiritual forms) limit and focus the boundless light.
All 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet come from five special letters (mem, nun, tzadi, pei, kaf), which represent five levels of limitation. These five “restraining forces” divide the divine breath into separate sounds, similar to how our speech organs form words.
Practical Application of Divine Presence Knowledge
Understanding the dual nature of reality can change our view of the world:
- Seeing the Divine Presence in the ordinary: every object, every phenomenon is filled with spiritual energy
- Recognizing the continuity of creation: everything exists only because the Almighty continuously creates it
- Humility before the incomprehensible: some things are beyond human understanding, and that’s normal
When we look at the world through this lens, even the most ordinary objects take on new, profound meaning. A stone is no longer just a stone – it’s a window into the infinite mystery of creation and the Divine Presence that sustains all existence.
This article is based on the fourth chapter of the book “Tanya – Part 2 – The Gate of Unity and Faith” (Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah) by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, one of the greatest Hasidic thinkers.
Afterword: The text of this article has not been approved by any sage, Torah scholar, or rabbi and is merely a simplified adaptation of the sacred text for general understanding. For comprehension of true wisdom and a deeper understanding of the original text, you should refer to the sources.
This and all other article texts of the Mega-Charity.Org resource express only the personal opinions of the authors who compiled them. They are intended only for general and superficial understanding of the real sources of wisdom. References to which are provided.
