Continuation of Chapter 20

ולמשל כמו בנפש האדם כשמדבר דבור אחד, שדבור זה לבדו כלא ממש אפילו לגבי כללות נפשו המדברת

To illustrate from the soul of a human being: When a man utters a word, this single word is as absolutely nothing even when compared only to his articulate soul (i.e., power of speech) as a whole,

שהוא בחינת לבוש האמצעי שלה, שהוא כח הדבור שלה

which is the soul’s middle “garment” i.e., organ of expression, namely its faculty of speech.

The soul has three “garments” — thought, speech, and action, of which speech is the middle one, with action being lower than it, and thought, higher; one word has no value even in comparison with this faculty,

שיכול לדבר דבורים לאין קץ ותכלית

since this faculty can produce an infinite number of words — and next to infinity, one word has no value whatever.

In actual practice, there is a limit to the number of words one can speak. However, this is only because the physical organs involved in speech have a limited functional ability. The soul’s capacity for speech is limitless.

וכל שכן לגבי בחינת לבוש הפנימי שלה שהוא המחשבה, שממנה נמשכו הדבורים והיא חיותם

Surely, then, this word has no value when compared to the soul’s innermost “garment” i.e., that “garment” which is closest to the soul itself, namely, its faculty of thought, which is the source of speech and its life-force.

Since thought is higher and closer to the soul than is speech, this one word surely has no value in comparison with it.