Divine Wisdom: Understanding Infinity in a Finite World
Understanding infinity begins with a simple glance at the night sky. Have you ever looked up at the stars and wondered—how can the vast universe exist within our limited comprehension? This question has intrigued sages for centuries, and one of them—Rabbi Shneur Zalman—offered an astonishing answer to the paradox of infinity.
Understanding Infinity Through Divine Light
The Almighty, as Rabbi Shneur Zalman says, is infinite by His very essence. His light has no boundaries, limits, or end. How, then, can finite worlds and limited beings exist? After all, the infinite by definition cannot create the finite—it contradicts logic! Understanding infinity requires us to reconsider this fundamental paradox.
Imagine holding a flashlight of infinite brightness. If you simply turned it on, everything around would dissolve in this light. For individual objects to appear, the light must be dimmed, reduced, concealed.
The Contraction of Light—Key to Creation
Rabbi explains: creating our world required special “contractions” or “tzimtzumim”—a concealment of divine light. Without these contractions, the entire world simply could not exist in the form we know it.
Even in spiritual realms—in Gan Eden (Paradise) and the world to come—the Creator’s light manifests in a limited way. Otherwise, the souls of the righteous and angels, being limited beings, could not perceive it without dissolving into its infinity.
Two Types of Light in Understanding Infinity
For clarification in understanding infinity, the Rabbi uses two concepts:
- “Pervading Light” (memalei kol almin)—the minimal light that penetrates the worlds and gives them life
- “Encompassing Light” (sovev kol almin)—the infinite light that remains hidden and “surrounds” the worlds
This resembles the difference between sunlight entering a room through curtains and the full power of the sun that remains outside. What we perceive is just the tiniest part necessary for our existence.
Practical Example: Our Earth
Earth is a perfect example. Divine knowledge penetrates the entire thickness of the globe to its very depths. But only a small portion of life force is revealed in it—just enough for inanimate nature and plants.
The rest, the infinite part of divine light, remains hidden. It “surrounds” the earth, not manifesting explicitly, but supporting its very existence.
Human Thinking and Understanding Infinity
Rabbi Shneur Zalman draws an interesting parallel between divine knowledge and human thinking when exploring the challenge of understanding infinity. When we imagine an object, we can mentally “encompass” it completely—both its outer shell and internal structure. But this encompassing happens only in our imagination.
With the Creator, everything is different. His knowledge of an object is not just a mental representation but a real force that creates and maintains the existence of this object.
Unity of Knowledge and Knower
The Rabbi quotes Rambam (Maimonides): “He is the Knowledge, He is the Knower, and He is the Known.” This means that in Divine knowledge, there is no separation between the knowing subject, the process of knowing, and the known object—all is one.
Such understanding of knowledge is completely different from human understanding. We come to know things that exist outside ourselves. The Creator, however, knows creations that exist because of that very knowledge.
Practical Applications of Understanding Infinity
Understanding infinity and how the Creator contracted His infinite light for our existence gives birth to deep gratitude. Infinite light limited itself so that we could exist. This is the greatest act of love and care.
When we realize this, our path becomes clearer. Through understanding infinity in this way, we can see how overcoming our own limitations out of love for the Almighty becomes our response to His love for us.
This article is based on the forty-eighth chapter of the book “Likutei Amarim—Tanya” by Rabbi Shneur 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.
