On Divine Inspiration – Chapter 19

Now, what the excitement of the Divine soul is when its comprehension is invested within the comprehension of the natural soul may be understood from the following example: We find that the souls in the Garden of Eden[1] delight from the radiance of G_d’s “Indwelling Presence”[2] there.

(This is so, even though the souls there are invested in the garment of Nogah. Nonetheless, this is after it has become purified. This is called, “Pure Garments” and is from the Nogah of the Chashmal of Beriyah or Yetzirah etc.)[3]

The soul’s ten powers; desire and pleasure, intellect and emotions etc. are included there too. Certainly, the illumination of comprehension and delight in the Divine radiance itself that the Divine soul perceives in the Garden of Eden, comes about because of the revelation of the Divine light within the Divine soul, as it is in and of itself, unfettered by any concealment or diminishment at all. This being the case, this certainly is an actual aspect of G_dliness – only, that it radiates through the medium of “comprehension” of the Divine.

This comprehension of the Divine is totally devoid of any awareness of self-being and is rather an aspect of Divine non-awareness of self-being. Albeit, it is still considered to be comprehension – similar to the comprehension of G_dliness that the soul experiences here, in the physical world, while it is still invested within the physical comprehension of the natural soul. Its pleasure too is Divine pleasuredevoid of any awareness of self-being, but rather, only spiritual, G_dly pleasure, literally. This being the case, the excitement of this Divine comprehension is considered to be Divine excitement, in an actual aspect of G_dliness. The same holds true of the excitement of pleasure. It is excitement of Divine pleasure.

(A well known example of this is the difference between physical pleasure, such as the pleasure in wealth or food, and the pleasure in honor, which is more ethereal. This is why people are willing to give up all manner of physical pleasure for it. Likewise, the pleasure in honor may be considered physical compared to the Divine pleasure in the Comprehension of G_dliness of the soul while it is in the body. Furthermore, this pleasure too, may be regarded as being physical compared to the pleasure of the soul as it is in the Garden of Eden. This analogy holds true of the comprehension of the Divine as well etc.)

In like manner, there are ten powers of the soul as it delights in the Divine radiance of the Garden of Eden: G_dly desire, G_dly intellect, G_dly emotions etc. – all in an aspect of G_dly non-awareness of being. Since these soul powers exist from the Divine non-being of the Divine soul, like a spark from the flame, and it itself is literally a part of G_d, therefore, it can delight from the radiance of G_d’s Indwelling Presence – the Shechinah. This is in accordance to what is written elsewhere, “I am unified in him etc.[4] – in the aspect of the Yechidah of the Divine soul etc.

Through this example we can also understand the matter of the descent of the Divine Neshamah of Briyah or the Ruach of Yetzirah etc. into the garment of the natural soul within the physical body, in that, even in this low state, it is still not cut off from its potential and the source from which it was hewn, which is called the “Tzelem”[5] or the “Mazla”,[6] as in the matter of the verse, “Only in the image of G_d does a man walk etc.”[7] as known.

In a person who possesses a Ruach of Yetzirah: in this aspect of Ruach as it is invested in the body there radiates a glimmer of its root in the Ruach of Yetzirah as it exists in the the Garden of Eden of Yetzirah etc. The same principle holds true of the Neshamah of Briyah or the Nefesh of Asiyah.

In summary, according to this we understand that even when the Divine soul is invested within the natural soul, there is a glimmer of similarity to how it experiences the radiance of the Indwelling Presence of G_d in the Garden of Eden. This is in a manner of the Divine excitement of its desire, intellect and emotions, in that it too is an aspect of G_dliness, literally. This is because the Divine soul is called “a part of G_d” even once it has had such a great descent.

The explanation of the matter is that its Divine light is not as concealed and hidden as it is in the soul of Nogah. This is because, in essence, Nogah is the aspect of a separate garment. It is like an illumination of light as it radiates through a filter or the like. Though it too radiates light, nonetheless, it is not the original light itself. Rather, it is a secondary, acquired light, because it only receives from the essential light by means of the filter.

Similarly, this is how it is above in the spiritual realm in regard to the aspect of the garment of the Chashmal of Nogah, as known. On the other hand, in its spiritual root, the Divine soul receives from the essential Divine light without concealment and without the filter of a garment. (The only reason every soul in the Garden of Eden has a garment from Nogah is so that it will not be obliterated out of existence by the overpowering radiance of HaShem’s presence etc.)

     Likewise, even when it is invested in the natural soul which acts as its garment, this causes no concealment or hiddenness in the Divine soul at all. This being the case, there is no change in the manner of the excitement of its powers. They all remain as G_dly excitement, literally, to which the excitement of the powers of the natural soul are not comparable at all, as will be explained. This is because the Divine soul is essentially different from the natural soul. It is only grasped by it, solely in a manner of being grasped and enveloped, as known.