That is why this world with all it contains is called the world of kelipot and sitra achara—despite the fact that this world, too, receives its vitality from G-d’s holiness.
וְלָכֵן נִקְרָא עוֹלָם הַזֶּה וּמְלוֹאוֹ, עוֹלַם הַקְּלִיפּוֹת וְסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא.
This is also why all affairs of this world are severe and evil, and the wicked prevail in it (as is written in Etz Chaim, Portal 42, end of ch. 4).
וְלָכֵן כָּל מַעֲשֵׂה עוֹלָם הַזֶּה קָשִׁים וְרָעִים, וְהָרְשָׁעִים גּוֹבְרִים בּוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּעֵץ חַיִּים שַׁעַר מ"ב סוֹף פֶּרֶק ד'.
In the following note, referring to his previous statement that this is a world of kelipot, the Alter Rebbe writes that this is so notwithstanding the fact that G-dliness pervades all existence; or, stated in the terminology of the Kabbalah, that G-d’s infinite light (Or Ein Sof) clothes itself in the sefirot of the four Worlds—Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, and thereby, even this physical world is filled with the Or Ein Sof; yet, despite all this, it is still a world of kelipot.
To be sure, this world contains the ten sefirot of (the World of) Asiyah, as is written in Etz Chaim, Portal 43.
ﬠִם הֱיוֹת בְּתוֹכוֹ ﬠֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת דַּﬠֲשִׂיָּה דִקְדוּשָּׁה, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּﬠֵץ חַיִּים שַׁﬠַר מ"ג,
The World of Asiyah comprises both our physical world and the spiritual World of Asiyah. The sefirot of the spiritual Asiyah are, however, contained in the physical Asiyah as well.
Now, within these ten sefirot of Asiyah are [contained] the ten sefirot of the World of Yetzirah, and within them the ten sefirot of the World of Beriah, and in them the ten sefirot of the World of Atzilut, in which abides the Or Ein Sof.
וּבְתוֹךְ ﬠֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת דַּﬠֲשִׂיָּה אֵלּוּ הֵן ﬠֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת דִּיצִירָה, וּבְתוֹכָן ﬠֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת דִּבְרִיאָה, וּבְתוֹכָן ﬠֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת דַּאֲצִילוּת, שֶׁבְּתוֹכָן אוֹר־אֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא;
Thus, the Or Ein Sof pervades this entire lowest world by being clothed in the ten sefirot of the four Worlds—Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah,
וְנִמְצָא אוֹר־אֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא מָלֵא כָּל הָאָרֶץ הַלֵּזוּ הַתַּחְתּוֹנָה, ﬠַל יְדֵי הִתְלַבְּשׁוּתוֹ בְּﬠֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת דְּאַרְבַּע עוֹלָמוֹת: אֲצִילוּת־בְּרִיאָה־יְצִירָה־ﬠֲשִׂיָּה,
as is written in Etz Chaim, Portal 47, ch. 2, and in Sefer Gilgulim, ch. 20.
כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּﬠֵץ חַיִּים שַׁﬠַר מ"ז פֶּרֶק ב' וּבְסֵפֶר גִּלְגּוּלִים פֶּרֶק כ':
Yet, because the creatures of this world are not openly surrendered to G-d, this is a world of kelipot and sitra achara.
Until here, it has been explained that all thoughts, utterances, and actions that are not directed toward holiness are sitra achara and that these are the garments by which the animal soul expresses itself.
But this merely places the garments on a par with the animal soul itself, which, like them, stems from the sitra achara. It was explained earlier, however, that the garments of the divine soul are of a higher spiritual level than the soul itself, and elevate it, and that the animal soul is structured as a mirror image of the divine soul. It follows, then, that the animal soul’s garments are on an even lower level than the animal soul itself and that they degrade it.
The Alter Rebbe goes on to explain that this is indeed the case. After a discussion of the two categories of kelipah (mentioned in the introduction to this chapter), he concludes that there are those garments of the animal soul that drag down the soul from the level of kelipat nogah—the soul’s natural state—to the level of the three completely impure kelipot. These are sinful thoughts and forbidden words and actions.8
However, the kelipot are divided into two categories, one lower than the other.
אֶלָּא שֶׁהַקְּלִיפּוֹת הֵן נֶחְלָקוֹת לִשְׁתֵּי מַדְרֵגוֹת, זוֹ לְמַטָּה מִזּוֹ.
The lower category consists of three completely unclean and evil kelipot, containing no good whatsoever.
הַמַּדְרֵגָה הַתַּחְתּוֹנָה, הִיא שָׁלֹשׁ קְלִיפּוֹת הַטְּמֵאוֹת וְרָעוֹת לְגַמְרֵי, וְאֵין בָּהֶם טוֹב כְּלָל,
In the prophet Ezekiel’s vision of the Divine chariot in which he saw and described the forces that conceal G-dliness they are described as “a stormwind,” “a great cloud,” and “a flaring fire,”9 representing these three wholly unclean kelipot.
וְנִקְרְאוּ בְּמִרְכֶּבֶת יְחֶזְקֵאל "רוּחַ סְעָרָה" וְ"עָנָן גָּדוֹל וְגוֹ'".
From them flow and are derived the souls of all the nations of the world and the sustaining force of their bodies which sustains their existence, apart from the soul, which animates them.
וּמֵהֶן נִשְׁפָּעוֹת וְנִמְשָׁכוֹת נַפְשׁוֹת כָּל אוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, וְקִיּוּם גּוּפָם,
Also derived from these kelipot are the souls of all living creatures that are unclean and forbidden to be eaten and the sustaining force of their bodies.
וְנַפְשׁוֹת כָּל בַּעֲלֵי חַיִּים הַטְּמֵאִים וַאֲסוּרִים בַּאֲכִילָה, וְקִיּוּם גּוּפָם,
The existence and life of all forbidden vegetation, too, such as orlah (the first three years’ fruit of a tree), and a mixture of grain seeds in a vineyard, and so forth, are derived from these kelipot, as is written in Etz Chaim, Portal 49, ch. 6.
וְקִיּוּם וְחַיּוּת כָּל מַאֲכָלוֹת אֲסוּרוֹת מֵהַצּוֹמֵחַ, כְּמוֹ עָרְלָה וְכִלְאֵי הַכֶּרֶם כוּ', וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּעֵץ חַיִּים שַׁעַר מ"ט פֶּרֶק ו',
Similarly, the existence and life of any act, utterance, or thought in violation of any one of the 365 [Biblical] prohibitions, as well as their [Rabbinic] offshoots, are all derived from these three impure kelipot, as is written there, end of ch. 5.
וְכֵן קִיּוּם וְחַיּוּת כָּל הַמַּעֲשֶׂה דִּבּוּר וּמַחֲשָׁבָה שֶׁל כָּל שַׁסַ"ה לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה וְעַנְפֵיהֶן, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב שָׁם סוֹף פֶּרֶק ה':
The animal soul, on the other hand, is of kelipat nogah, which contains an element of good (as mentioned in ch. 1). These sinful garments, belonging to the realm of wholly impure kelipot, are thus lower than the animal soul itself and drag it down to their level, in exact opposition to the divine soul’s garments of the thought, speech, and action of Torah and the mitzvot which are higher than the soul and elevate it.
Since the creatures of this physical world feel themselves to be independent, separate beings and their surrender to G-dliness is not apparent, they automatically belong to the realm of kelipah.