Chapter IV

Only with regard to ilah and olul can it be said that the essence of the latter is latent in the former. And even regarding ilah and olul , only the essence of the olul is similar in the latent and revealed state. Its manifestation upon emerging as an independent entity is entirely different from its manifestation while latent in the ilah.

We readily observe this difference when we compare the manifestations of intellectual emotion to heartfelt emotion. While the effect of intellectual emotion is spiritual (causing as it does heartfelt emotion), the result of heartfelt emotion is physical actual love or hate, or some other action.

This is especially so concerning thought and speech. Speech that is latent in thought is termed hirhur, or "nonverbal speech." Non-verbalized speech is not the same as actual speech, but they share the same essence, and consequently there is nothing really new in speech.

This is not the case with creation ex nihilo. The relationship between creator and created is in no way similar to the relationship between intellect and emotion, or between thought and speech. The ayin, or source of creation, is essentially different from the actual creation. For the essence of what is created was never latent in its source. This being so, creation cannot be thought of as a revealing of the concealed, but is rather the coming into existence of something entirely new.

Creation ex nihilo is the exclusive domain of the Infinite One, as the Rebbe o.b.m. says:1 "It is He alone who has the power and ability to create something from total and absolute nothingness."

This is the meaning of the verse:2 "All that the L-rd had desired, He has done." Creation emanates from G-d's will and desire, without the need of any intervening logical progression. Creation, then, is not a manifestation of intellect or logic, but rather an expression of His will and desire, following the well-known statement:3 "G-d passionately desired a dwelling place in the nether world."4

In discussing creation ex nihilo, the creative ayin is termed the koach hapo'el, or "the activating force of the Creator," while the created being is termed the nifal, or "that which was brought into existence." Creation comes about through the continuous investiture of koach hapo'el in the nifal. Although the ayin must constantly be within all created beings, it conceals itself from them. This is known as "the concealment of the Creator from the created."

Indeed, this is the marvel of creation ex nihilo. Were the ayin to reveal itself within the created beings, or were the ayin to depart from them, the created beings would cease to exist. Thus, the very existence of all created beings is dependent upon the ayin remaining continually within them, and yet this investiture must be concealed.

In summary: Ilah and olul, though different in their manifestation, are essentially one. Creator and created, however, differ in their very essence. Ayin is the spiritual creative force, and the created beings are the physical result of this creativity. The koach hapo'el must constantly be within all created beings, yet it must be concealed from them.