זֶה לְשׁוֹן הַצֶּמַח צֶדֶק בְּאֶחָד מִדְּרוּשָׁיו: רַבֵּנוּ ז"ל בְּאִמְרוֹתָיו לְבָנָיו יוֹם ג' פָּרָשַׁת בָּלָק שְׁנַת תּקס"ב אָמַר וְזֶה דְּבָרָיו: לְהָבִין קוּשְׁיַת הַתּוֹכְנִים מֵאַחַר שֶׁהָאָרֶץ הִיא כַּדּוּרִית וַעֲגוּלָה כְּתַפּוּחַ לָמָה אֵינָם נוֹפְלִים אוֹתָם בְּנֵי אָדָם הַדָּרִים כְּנֶגְדֵנוּ מִלְמַטָּה בְּאַמעֶרִיקאָ... וְתֵּרוּצָם אֵינוֹ אֱמֶת... וְרַבֵּנוּ ז"ל אָמַר כִּי הַתֵּרוּץ הוּא, דְּהִנֵּה מְבוּאָר בְּעֵץ חַיִּים שֶׁהַתִּשְׁעָה גַּלְגַלִים מְקַבְּלִים מִבְּחִינַת עִגּוּלִים, וּבְהָעִגּוּל אֵין בּוֹ מַעְלָה וּמַטָּה, וּמֵהַאי טַעְמָא הִנֵּה אוֹתָם בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁהֵם כְּנֶגְדֵנוּ לְמַטָּה, הֲרֵי הָרָקִיעַ שֶׁעֲלֵיהֶם הוּא לְמַעְלָה בְּהַשְׁוָאָה אַחַת עִם הָרָקִיעַ שֶׁעָלֵינוּ, וְהָאָרֶץ דְּשָׁם הִיא מַטָּה לְגַבֵּי הָרָקִיעַ שֶׁעָלֶיהָ.

The following are the words of Tzemach Tzedek in one of his maamarim:1 The [Alter] Rebbe, when speaking with his sons on the Tuesday of Parshas Balak, 5562 (1802), said the following: “The astronomers ask, that since the earth is spherical like an apple, why don’t the people living opposite us — down below, in America — fall off?... Their resolution is incorrect….”

The [Alter] Rebbe stated that the solution is [as follows]: “It is explained in Etz Chayim that the nine heavenly orbs2 receive [their vitality] from the [spiritual rung] described as iggulim, “spheres.” Now, a sphere has neither top nor bottom. Thus the sky above the people who are opposite us, down below, is above them, exactly as the sky here is above us. And the earth there is below, relative to the sky that is above it.”3

Probing Beneath the Surface

This teaching is significant in that it links spiritual and physical realities. The Alter Rebbe did not view the mystical teachings of Kabbalahas abstract concepts applicable to only the spiritual realms. On the contrary, our existence on this earthly plane is a direct reflection of those spiritual dimensions, so that from the higher truths, we can deduce principles about the lower world, and vice-versa.