Shaar Hayichud: Chapter 3 - Part 3

Now, following these words of truth concerning the nature of creation, namely, that the activating force must continually be vested in created beings and create them ex nihilo,

every discerning person will understand clearly that every creature and being, even though it appears to have an existence of its own, is in reality considered to be absolute naught and nothingness

in relation to the activating force which creates it and the “breath of His mouth” which is within it, continuously calling it into existence and bringing it from absolute nonbeing into being.

The reason that all things created and activated appear to us as existing, i.e., self-subsisting and tangible, and we fail to see the Divine activating source, which is the true reality of any created being,

is that we do not comprehend nor see with our physical eyes the power of G‑d and the “breath of His mouth” which is in the created thing.

If, however, the eye were permitted to see and to comprehend the life-force and spirituality which is in every created thing,

flowing into it from “that which proceeds from the mouth of G‑d”1 and “His breath,”

then the physicality, materiality, and tangibility of the creature would not be seen by our eyes at all,

for it (this physicality, etc.) is completely nullified in relation to the life-force and the spirituality which is within it

since without the spirituality within it, it would be naught and absolute nothingness, exactly as before the Six Days of Creation, at which time the creature was utterly nonexistent.

The spirituality that flows into it from “that which proceeds from the mouth of G‑d” and “His breath”—that alone continuously brings it forth from naught and nullity into being, and this spirituality gives it existence.

Hence, there is truly nothing besides Him in any created being apart from the Divinity—the only true reality—that brings it into existence.

An illustration of this is the light of the sun, which illumines the earth and its inhabitants.

[This illumination] is the radiance and the light which spreads forth from the body of the sun and is visible to all as it gives light to the earth and the expanse of the universe.

Now, it is obvious that this light and radiance is also present in the very body and matter of the sun-globe itself in the sky,

for if it can spread forth and shine to such a great distance, then certainly it can shed light in its own place.

However, there in its own place, this radiance is considered naught and complete nothingness,

for it is absolutely nonexistent in relation to the body of the sun-globe, which is the source of this light and radiance,

inasmuch as this radiance and light is merely the illumination which shines from the body of the sun-globe itself.

It is only in the space of the universe, under the heavens and on the earth, where the body of the sun-globe is not present, and all that is seen is but an illumination that emanates from it,

that this light and radiance appears to the eye of all beholders to have actual existence,

and here, the term “existence” (yesh) can truly be applied to it,

whereas when it is in its source, in the body of the sun, the term “existence” cannot be applied to it at all; it can only be called naught and nonexistent.

There it is indeed naught and absolutely nonexistent, for there, only its source, the luminous body of the sun, gives light, and there is nothing besides it.

The exact parallel [to this illustration] is the relationship between all created beings and the Divine flow [of the life-force that emanates] from the “breath of His mouth,” which flows upon them and brings them into existence and is their source.

However, [the created beings] themselves are merely like a diffusing light and effulgence from the flow and spirit of G‑d, which issues forth [from Him] and becomes clothed in them, and brings them from naught into being.

Hence, their existence is nullified in relation to their source, just as the light of the sun is nullified and is considered naught and utter nothingness,

and is not at all referred to as “existing” when it is within its source, viz., the sun; the term “existence” applies to it only beneath the heavens, where its source is not present.

In the same manner, the term “existence” can be applied to all created things only as they appear to our corporeal eyes,

for we do not see nor at all comprehend the source, which is the spirit of G‑d that brings them into existence.

Therefore, since we do not see nor comprehend their source, it appears to our eyes that the physicality, materiality, and tangibility of created things actually exist,

just as the light of the sun appears to exist fully when it is not within its source and is found within the expanse of the universe.

But in the following respect, the illustration is apparently not completely identical with the object of comparison,

for in the illustration, the source—the sun—is not present at all in the expanse of the universe and upon the earth, where its light is seen as actually existing.

By contrast, all created beings are always within their source, the Divine activating force, which is continuously found within them, constantly creating and animating them ex nihilo,

and it is only that the source is not visible to our physical eyes.

Why are they not nullified in their source?

To understand this, some prefatory remarks are necessary.