Chapter I

בדבר ה׳ שמים נעשו וברוח פיו כל צבאם

"By the word of the L-rd the heavens were made, and by the breath of
His mouth all their hosts."1

This verse is a continuation of the previous one,2 which states: "G-d's kindness fills the world." The Maggid of Mezritch3 explains the verse in the following manner:

G-d's kindness expresses itself in that He gave created beings the ability to discern G-dliness from all earthly matters; G-dliness may be perceived within all matters that people commonly call "nature." Since "by the word of the L-rd the heavens were made," man is able to sustain the world by speaking words of Torah, prayer and good matters. It is therefore incumbent upon us to recite a large amount of Torah letters [i.e., Torah verses and passages].

We will better understand the meaning of the verse: "By the word of the L-rd the heavens were made..." upon understanding why the term "speech" is used regarding the level with which G-d created the world.

The matter is as follows: Supernal Speech involves the Sefirah of Malchus or Kingdom, as it is written:4 "Like the speech of a king who reigns." A human being speaks for the benefit of others, i.e., to reveal [his thoughts] to others. When an individual is by himself, speech is not necessary.

Herein lies the difference between speech and the other soul powers: all other powers serve only the person himself [while speech is directed to others]. For example, the power of intellect with which and through which a person understands things is surely directed at the person himself. One does not need another in order to understand an intellectual matter.5 In fact, a second party may serve to hinder a person's quest for intellectual enlightenment. This is why people devoted to the pursuit of knowledge are likely to be found in quiet, secluded places, for isolation and a peaceful setting are conducive to scholarly pursuits. This is due to the fact that intellect relates directly to the person himself, and he can get along quite well without another.

The soul powers of emotion also serve only the person himself, although for an emotion to be valid it must involve others; a valid act of kindness or the like cannot be directed at oneself. Nonetheless, the feelings generated by acts of emotion serve only the person himself. For example, love and hate are only possible when there is someone to love or hate. However, the other person is necessary only in the context of the action generated by the emotion [it is impossible to perform an act of kindness without a person to whom one is kind]; the emotion itself, however, involves the person himself, for it is he that loves and he that hates.

Thus, the emotional attributes, though revealed through others, serve the person himself, while intellect is even more personal.

In summary: G-dliness may be perceived from all natural phenomena. Intellect is only for a person himself; the company of another may be disruptive. Emotional attributes are also for the person himself, but come into being through an external entity. Speech, however, is specifically for [revealing matters to] another.