By contrast, the souls of the angels that emerged by the zivug neshikin (lit., “the union of kissing”), i.e., by the more ethereal manner of union of the sefirot, whence spiritual entities emanate such as the souls of angels,
אַךְ נִשְׁמוֹת הַמַּלְאָכִים שֶׁיָּצְאוּ מִ”זִּיוּוּג הַנְּשִׁיקִין”,
and also the souls of man that emerged by the union of za and nukva28 of Atzilut—the union of z’eyr anpin and malchut of Atzilut,
וְכֵן נִשְׁמוֹת הָאָדָם שֶׁיָּצְאוּ מִזִּיוּוּג דְּזָ”א וְנוּקְבָא דַּאֲצִילוּת
This form of union is termed zivug gufani (lit., “a ‘physical’ union”), relative to zivug neshikin. From this form of union there derives the birth of souls that become enclothed in actual physical bodies. In the state in which they exist in Atzilut, however, these souls—
before their descent to Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah,
קוֹדֶם שֶׁיָּרְדוּ לִבְרִיאָה־יְצִירָה־עֲשִׂיָּה
are not counted as created substantiality (yesh) and as [instances of] a distinct and independent entity.
אֵינָן בִּכְלַל “יֵשׁ” וְדָבָר נִפְרָד בִּפְנֵי עַצְמָן,
Rather, they resemble the category of G‑dliness in intense contraction, to the point of being on the level of a neshamah.
אֶלָּא הֵן מֵעֵין בְּחִינַת אֱלֹקוּת בְּצִמְצוּם עָצוּם,
They are like the kelim of the ten sefirot of Atzilut, which (though they are Divinity) are by nature finite,
וּכְעֵין הַכֵּלִים דְּי’ סְפִירוֹת דַּאֲצִילוּת, שֶׁהֵן בִּבְחִינַת גְּבוּל
on account of the contraction of the [infinite] Ein Sof-light, viz., the kav that is vested in their nefesh-ruach-neshamah,
עַל־יְדֵי צִמְצוּם אוֹר הָאֵין־סוֹף, הוּא הַ”קַּו” הַמְלוּבָּשׁ בְּנֶפֶשׁ־רוּחַ־נְשָׁמָה שֶׁלָּהֶם,
The restricted diffusion of the kav that descends into the kelim lacks the infinite degree of Ein Sof illumination that constitutes the essence of the kav. It is this contraction that makes it possible for the kelim of the sefirot to exist in a mode of limitation, even though their union with the orot and their nullification to the orot lends them the characteristics of Divinity, as mentioned above. And in a similar state are the souls of Atzilut as still found within Atzilut.
However, with regard to the contraction of the kav that is vested within them, the Alter Rebbe goes on to state that this is not merely a tzimtzum, a contraction involving a diminishment of the G‑dly illumination. Rather—
just like the original tzimtzum that occurred in the [infinite] Ein Sof-light, a tzimtzum of such intensity that it was able to bring about a void—a “space”—for the existence of worlds, and so on.
וּכְמוֹ צִמְצוּם הָרִאשׁוֹן לִהְיוֹת חָלָל וְכוּ’
This original tzimtzum, unlike all subsequent tzimtzumim, involved much more than a mere diminishment of the intensity of Divine illumination: it involved the removal of the light. The tzimtzum of the kav which enables it to be vested within the nefesh-ruach-neshamah of the sefirot is similar to this original tzimtzum.
What has been said above refers to souls of Atzilut as they still find themselves within Atzilut, before they are vested within bodies. While they are in that lofty world, they share the characteristics of Divinity and are not detached entities.
The Alter Rebbe now says that even after their descent into this lowly world, the souls of the early tzaddikim did not undergo a change: they did not become sundered from G‑dliness.
(29And even after the nefesh-ruach-neshamah of Atzilut descended to this world to the first tzaddikim, it is possible that their essence did not change to become entities distinct from Divinity: they remained on the same level as they had been while still in Atzilut.
(וְאַף גַּם לְאַחַר שֶׁיָּרְדוּ הַנֶּפֶשׁ־רוּחַ־נְשָׁמָה דַּאֲצִילוּת לָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה לַצַּדִּיקִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁלֹּא נִשְׁתַּנָּה מַהוּתָן לִהְיוֹת דָּבָר נִפְרָד מֵאֱלֹקוּת,
That is why they withdraw [from their bodies] (i.e., they died) when they sought to sin before they sinned.
וְלָכֵן הָיוּ מִסְתַּלְּקוֹת כְּשֶׁרָצוּ לַחֲטוֹא בְּטֶרֶם יֶחֶטְאוּ.
This follows the teaching in Tikkunei Zohar30 that the soul-level of Atzilut departs from the body before the person sins. In this spirit, too, that source interprets the verse, “Your sins have separated you from your G‑d”31: Sins cause a cleavage between a soul and its G‑dliness (i.e., the soul’s level of Atzilut, which is an aspect of G‑dliness), for sin causes the soul-level that derives from Atzilut to withdraw.
It is reasonable to assume that also32 the thousands and myriads of worlds that are in the gulgalta of arich anpin and z’eyr anpin, as stated in the Kabbalah,33
וְקָרוֹב לוֹמַר, שֶׁגַּם הָאֲלָפִים וְרִבְבוֹת עָלְמִין דְּיָתְבִין בְּ”גוּלְגַּלְתָּא” דַּ”אֲרִיךְ אַנְפִּין” וּ”זְעֵיר אַנְפִּין” –
are not really worlds, like the Heichalot of Atzilut, and a form of yesh,
אֵינָן “עָלְמִין” מַמָּשׁ כְּעֵין הַהֵיכָלוֹת דַּאֲצִילוּת וּבְחִינַת “יֵשׁ”,
but are like the souls of the angels that emerged from the zivug neshikin, which, as mentioned earlier, are not in the category of yesh as are the Heichalot or bodies of the angels,
אֶלָּא כְּעֵין נִשְׁמוֹת הַמַּלְאָכִים שֶׁיָּצְאוּ מִ”זִּיוּוּג הַנְּשִׁיקִין”,
and are called “worlds” relative to the rank of the gulgalta and dikna.)
וְנִקְרְאוּ “עָלְמִין” לְגַבֵּי בְּחִינַת הַ”גּוּלְגַּלְתָּא” וְ”דִיקְנָא”).
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FOOTNOTES
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28. In the Hebrew text, the letters ז“א are an abbreviation for זעיר אנפין, representing the six “male” middot, while נוקבא, the “female” or recipient element, represents the sefirah of malchut.
29. Parentheses are in the original text.
30. Tikkun 70 (124a).
31. Isaiah 59:2.
32. The Rebbe here refers the reader to an explanation of the Tzemach Tzedek in Or Hatorah, Shemot, p. 199, which may be summarized as follows: The “thousands and myriads of worlds” alludes not to actual worlds but to extremely rarefied spiritual degrees (“letters”) that descend into Asiyah and result in the creation of actual worlds. Hence, the ensuing statement of the Alter Rebbe (“the thousands…yesh”) means that “the created beings that came about from the ‘letters’ are indeed separate entities, while the ‘letters’ themselves are Divinity; they are termed ‘worlds’ only in relation to gulgalta; i.e., they are ‘letters’ that have previously been drawn forth to serve as a source and root for the creation of worlds….”
33. Cf. Zohar III, 128b.
34. Cf. Or Hatorah, loc. cit.
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