Chapter I
הנוטע אוזן הלא ישמע אם יוצר עין הלא יביט
"He who implants the ear surely hears; He who forms the eye surely sees."1
In this Psalm, Dovid HaMelech speaks to those who torment Jews and claim that G‑d does not see, that the G‑d of Yaakov does not understand the affairs of terrestrial beings. He says to them: "You senseless people can also understand; even fools can be wise, and perceive that the blessed Creator of the eye and ear can Himself surely see and hear."
The commentators2 explain this verse in the following manner: An inventor of a machine surely knows its function. G‑d, having created the eyes and ears of all creatures, surely Himself possesses the ability to see and hear.
Of all the soul powers, Dovid HaMelech chose vision and hearing for his examples, implying that these powers offer a greater measure of proof than others. We must understand what qualities are possessed by sight and sound, that they offer a greater comprehension of G‑dliness than do the other soul powers.
To understand this, we must first comprehend that which was previously explained3 that the nations say:4 "G‑d is high above all nations; in the heavens is His glory." According to their mistaken belief, G‑d is found only in the heavens; knowledge of earth, its inhabitants and their actions, whether good or evil, is beneath Him, and so He relegated their supervision to the stars and constellations, i.e., natural forces.
Their mistake stems from their erroneous assumption that the world was created through the progressive chain of ilah and olul. In truth, the world was created ex nihilo, out of total nothingness, as expressed in the well-known statement:5 "He made that which was not, to be."
In creation ex nihilo, the ayin or source of creation clothes itself within the yesh, the created being. Yet the ayin conceals itself from the yesh. The reason for this concealment is because creation ex nihilo allows absolutely no comparison between creator and created; the ayin is spiritual and the yesh is physical. Because of their incomparability, creation of the yesh involves the creation of something totally new.
[The concepts of yesh coming from ayin and ilah emanating from olul] also applies to levels which are wholly spiritual, with the progressive chain of descent hishtalshelus beginning in the Sefiros with the Sefirah of Chochmah, it being the first link in the chain of hishtalshelus. However, Chochmah itself comes from a source incomparable to Chochmah, in the same way that yesh comes from ayin. This is alluded to in the verse:6 "And Chochmah is 'found' from ayin." In this instance, ayin refers to the level of Keser, for Chochmah is created from the Sefirah of Keser in the same way that yesh is created from ayin; Chochmah is here deemed yesh in comparison to Keser, which is ayin.
The previously mentioned verse states that Chochmah is "found," for the creation of Chochmah is similar to a found object, the loser unaware of where the object was lost and the finder unaware of the identity of the loser. Because of the great gulf between the two, Keser is "unaware," as it were, that Chochmah came from it, and Chochmah fails to perceive how it was created from the Sefirah of Keser; Chochmah cannot possibly comprehend its source of Keser. Truly, the Sefirah of Chochmah is a wholly spiritual entity, and is termed yesh only regarding its position relative to the Sefirah of Keser. Within the realm of hishtalshelus, Chochmah is termed ayin, for Chochmah is a spiritual entity.
That the spiritual entity of Chochmah is "found" from ayin tells us that even so spiritual an entity as Chochmah is also created by G‑d, in the same way that yesh comes from ayin. Spiritual levels too cannot possibly compare to their source. In fact, they are as infinitely distant from Him as are physical creations.
Accordingly we will understand the statement of our Sages:7 "In the very same place you find His greatness, you also find His humility." Heavenly levels are thought of by the nations as being lofty enough for G‑d's glory to extend over them, inasmuch as they are spiritual and thus, according to them, comparable to Him. In truth, spiritual levels also express G‑d's humility [in that He stoops to create and vivify them], for spiritual levels are as distant from Him as are the physical levels, and He created them in the same manner as He created the physical world. In His eyes, physical and spiritual levels are equal.
In summary: The spiritual ayin vests itself in the physical yesh in a concealed manner, vivifying it yet remaining incomparably greater than it. So too regarding the supernal Sefiros: the spiritual Sefirah of Chochmah is considered yesh in comparison to the Sefirah of Keser. It is "found," for creation of the spiritual too is in a manner of incomparability.
Chapter II
This is the true process of creation: Whether the created entity is spiritual or physical, Creator and created are always incomparable. Dovid HaMelech expressed this concept with the words: "He who implants the ear surely hears; He who forms the eye surely sees."
It is written:8 "From my flesh I can glimpse G‑d." Iyov says that a person can understand G‑dliness from his own body and soul; the soul powers and the bodily organs can help a person comprehend how G‑d vivifies the world. This corresponds to the well-known saying:9 "Just as the soul fills [and animates] the body, so too does G‑d fill [and give life] to the world."
The soul's life-giving force is very different from G‑d's giving life to the world, in that the soul doesn't create the body, it only gives it life. The G‑dly creative force, however, not only animates the world but also creates it every moment anew.
We say [in our daily prayers]:10 "He who in His goodness renews each day, continuously, the work of creation." The [Alter] Rebbe11 comments: "It is continuously similar to the original days of creation." Just as in the original days of creation G‑d created the world with all its beings from complete nothingness, so too does He continuously create.
Though all the above indicates that the soul's vivification of the body is dissimilar to G‑d's creation of the world, the former can still serve as a simile to help understand the latter, at least to a limited degree. It is for this reason that the verse specifically states: "From my flesh I can glimpse G‑d," and not, "I can see G‑d." Seeing denotes clear and lucid vision, while glimpsing indicates imprecise, blurred vision. Thus the word "glimpse" is used to underscore the fact that from the soul's giving of life to the body we can gain an inexact impression of how G‑d gives life to the world.
Aside from the [previously mentioned] difference that the soul only animates the body while G‑d both creates and sustains the world, there is yet another difference. The life force with which G‑d sustains the world and its beings is different from the life force with which the soul animates the body. These differences notwithstanding, the example of the soul vivifying the body gives us at least a limited degree of understanding of how G‑d gives life to the world and its inhabitants.
There is great merit in understanding G‑dliness through an example, for then the matter becomes abundantly clear. If the example is clearly understood, the object of the example becomes understood as well.
The example of the soul powers is more powerful than others, for not only is this example understood, but certain aspects of it are also felt, i.e., a person can sense that the matter which he understands is truly so. Sensing the truth of a concept is one of the highest degrees of comprehension.
It is for this reason that Dovid HaMelech explained G‑dliness and Divine Providence by using the example of sight and hearing, saying: "He who implants the ear surely hears; He who forms the eye surely sees."
In summary: Though the soul only enlivens and does not create the body, while G‑d creates and animates the world, the soul's enlivening of the body can still help us glimpse G‑dliness. Therefore Dovid explains G‑dliness and Divine Providence by using the example of sight and hearing.
Chapter III
Soul powers are divided into two major categories, the general and the particular. The first of the particular powers is Chochmah, and the general soul powers are "will" and "delight."
Each of the particular soul powers has an organ in the body wherein it resides, and which is a proper receptacle for it, the bodily organ having been created or composed of stuff that makes it compatible with its particular power. The general powers, however, do not take up residence in a specific part of the body.
Vision, for example, is a particular soul power that resides within the eye. G‑d designed the material composition of the eye in such a manner that it is able to serve as a receptacle for the power of sight. The same is true with regard to the power of hearing, or any other particular soul power. Each one resides within that particular vessel or organ which was created to be a fit vehicle for it.
Brain matter is a receptacle for the three soul powers of chochmah, binah and daas, or concept, comprehension and knowledge, while the heart is a fitting vessel for the emotions of love, hate, etc., as well as a vessel for longing and desire. So too with the rest of the particular powers they each have appropriate vessels.
Soul powers are spiritual entities, created by G‑d, that affect the physical. Intellect, which is spiritual, was created in such a way that a person can comprehend physical matters, and the same holds true with the rest of the powers. Not only are the powers enclothed within physical organs, they also relate to physical matters.
Actually, soul powers such as thought, speech, sight, hearing and emotions do not strictly relate to actual physical matters, but rather to the spiritual within the physical. Physical matters are delineated by their material three-dimensional properties, and can be physically felt. Therefore, all the powers enumerated above, inasmuch as they are lacking true physical properties are, strictly speaking, not physical but spiritual. Yet since they are not truly spiritual [since all of them relate to physical matters], they are deemed "spiritual within the physical."
The power of sight is limited to physical objects, which come in various forms, sizes and colors. Hearing, too, is limited, in that one can hear only sound, but sound is "spiritual." Though hearing is also restricted to the different types of sounds, to call it limited is to use a borrowed term, or a "shem hamush'al," which does not do justice to hearing's inherent spiritual property.
There are two terms which describe an object, "shem hato'ar" and "shem hamush'al." Shem hato'ar denotes an object accurately, while "shem hamush'al" is a term borrowed from something else, and which offers an inaccurate description at best. Since speech is inherently spiritual, descriptions of [the limitation of] speech are inaccurate, since they utilize terms which apply more properly to physical characteristics and their limitations.
Though vision and speech are dissimilar [vision being limited to the physical and speech being spiritual], they share the quality of attachment to the object seen or heard.
In summary: Soul powers are divided into two categories. Will and delight are general and encompassing, and lack a specific place of residence within the body, while the soul powers of intellect, thought, speech, emotion, vision, hearing and movement reside in organs specifically tailored to the individual power. Sight observes the physical and sound involves the spiritual. Yet they both share an attachment to the object perceived.
Chapter IV
Sight and sound are both powers that enable a person to attach himself to something outside himself. The soul power of daas, too, enables a person to attach himself to something external. This connection is limited, however, for it takes place only within the imagination. This connection of daas takes two forms. Either an individual imagines something in accord with his understanding, or he imagines something which he has previously seen or heard. Yet in both instances, the feeling of attachment to the object seen with the mind's eye is but thoughtful imagery.
This is not so regarding attachment through sight and sound. In these instances a person does not merely imagine, but is truly bound up with the thing he sees or hears. A person may see a house with all its rooms and furnishings, for example. These have no intrinsic connection with the viewer; the objects are inanimate while the viewer is a human being. Nonetheless, by gazing at them, objects which in and of themselves are distant from a person become bound to him. Likewise, hearing has the ability to connect two disparate individuals. When a person hears the voice and words of another, he becomes attached to that which he hears.
Since seeing and hearing cause attachment, they also cause arousal. When one views something, he is moved by the sight, as our Sages say:12 "The eye sees and the heart desires." Sight, then, has the power to awaken a strong desire. Hearing similarly affects a person. Hearing another speak words of wisdom makes the listener wiser. Since all knowledge is interrelated, the matter just heard has an impact on all of the listener's previous knowledge.
This then is the meaning of the words: "He who implants the ear surely hears; He who forms the eye surely sees." The powers of sight and sound serve to help us better understand G‑d's creation of the world, and His Divine Providence.
Although vision and hearing are spiritual powers, they are able to enclothe themselves within the body. They also enable a person to become attached to matters outside himself.
The same is true regarding Divine sight and hearing; through them, all beings are bound up with G‑dliness, and through this bond all of creation receives life. In this regard, Divine sight and hearing differs from the human equivalents. As much as a person may gaze upon an object, his gaze will not imbue that object with life. G‑d's gaze, however, is a source of life.
In summary: The third intellectual soul power of daas, while capable of achieving attachment, can do so only after much exertion. Even then, it is but imaginative. Sight and hearing, on the other hand, bind a person to the object perceived, and affect him accordingly. In defining Divine Providence, the life source of all creation, Dovid therefore used the examples of sight and sound.
Herein lies the meaning of the verse: "Understand you senseless among the people. You fools, when will you become wise?" As explained in the Zohar,13 the verse alludes to those who fail to study Torah. Only students of the Torah are fully aware of the differences between the soul powers as they exist within the body and the same powers as they pertain to G‑dliness. They perceive that though G‑dliness can be glimpsed by considering the soul's incorporation, it is but a poor simile. The true lofty indwelling of G‑dliness is comprehended only by those who study Torah, for Torah is His Divine wisdom. Those who are [as yet] incapable of studying on their own should listen closely to those who teach them, reviewing the lessons many times until they too are able to study Torah on their own.
