The Unity of God and His Attributes: Complex Concepts Made Simple
The unity of God stands as one of the most important ideas in spiritual teachings. Ever wondered how to explain something beyond our everyday understanding? This is exactly what Kabbalists tackle when they try to describe the Divine world. Let’s explore how we can grasp the unity of the Creator and His attributes using simple pictures we all recognize.
The Unity of God Explained Through Simple Language
First of all, the Torah speaks in human language. Because of this, wise teachers received permission to explain the sefirot (divine channels) through everyday comparisons. They specifically called them “lights” so we could partly understand how God unites with His qualities.
Think about the sun and its rays. When light stays inside the sun, it completely blends with it. You don’t find two different things there — just the sun itself. The light inside the sun doesn’t exist on its own; instead, it fully joins with its source.
An Analogy That Helps Us Understand the Unity of God
Similarly (though on a much higher level), God’s attributes — like His will, wisdom, kindness, and strictness — blend perfectly with Him in the world of Atzilut. These qualities flow from Him, just as light comes from the sun, yet they remain completely united with Him.
Moreover, this unity reaches such perfection that these attributes don’t even have their own names when talking about God Himself. They only get names when we discuss how they affect created worlds and beings.
How Divine Unity Shows Up in Creation
So, how does this work in practice? Let’s look at the six days of creation:
On the first day, God revealed His kindness (Chesed) and created light by saying “Let there be light.” Light naturally spreads and reveals — which matches how kindness works. However, since this kindness also contains some strictness, the light became physical and limited.
Then, on the second day, God showed His strictness (Gevurah) and created the firmament that divided upper and lower waters. This division demonstrates limitation and restraint — key aspects of strictness. Yet even here, kindness plays a role, since this division eventually leads to dry land where humans can serve God.
The Purpose Behind God’s Unified Attributes
Additionally, the prophet Elijah explained that all these attributes demonstrate how God governs the world through justice and mercy. While created beings need these different qualities, God Himself doesn’t have separate traits of justice or mercy — at His level, everything exists in complete unity.
Why Understanding the Unity of God Matters Today
Understanding this unity helps us grasp God’s absolute oneness. In our everyday world, we often see opposing qualities — kindness versus strictness, mercy versus justice — and typically view them as contradictions. But at the Divine level, they all merge perfectly, just like light within the sun.
Consequently, this understanding gives us deeper insight into creation itself and helps us recognize that behind seemingly opposite forces lies one unified purpose.
Finally, by grasping this concept, we can better appreciate how the complexity of our world springs from a single, unified source.
This article is based on the tenth 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.
