Part I; Likkutei Amarim, Chapter 21
The whole chapterז וְכָל הַצִּמְצוּמִים הֵם בְּחִינַת ״הֶסְתֵּר פָּנִים״, לְהַסְתִּיר וּלְהַעֲלִים הָאוֹר וְהַחַיּוּת הַנִּמְשָׁךְ מִדִּבּוּרוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ, שֶׁלֹּא יִתְגַּלֶּה בִּבְחִינַת גִּילּוּי רַב שֶׁלֹּא יוּכְלוּ הַתַּחְתּוֹנִים לְקַבֵּל, וְלָכֵן גַּם כֵּן נִדְמֶה לָהֶם אוֹר וְחַיּוּת הַדִּבּוּר שֶׁל מָקוֹם בָּרוּךְ־הוּא הַמְלוּבָּשׁ בָּהֶם, כְּאִלּוּ הוּא דָּבָר מוּבְדָּל מִמַּהוּתוֹ וְעַצְמוּתוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ, רַק שֶׁנִּמְשָׁךְ מִמֶּנּוּ יִתְבָּרֵךְ – כְּמוֹ דִּבּוּר שֶׁל אָדָם מִנַּפְשׁוֹ.
7These “contractions” are all in the nature of “veiling of the Countenance,” to obscure and conceal the light and life-force that are derived from His “word,” blessed be He, so that it shall not reveal itself in a greater radiance than the lower worlds are capable of receiving. Hence it seems to them as if the light and life-force of the word of the Omnipresent, blessed is He, which is clothed in them, were something apart from His essence and being, blessed be He, and it only issues from Him, just as the speech of a human being [issues] from his soul.
חאַךְ לְגַבֵּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא, אֵין שׁוּם צִמְצוּם וְהֶסְתֵּר וְהֶעְלֵם מַסְתִּיר וּמַעֲלִים לְפָנָיו, וְ״כַחֲשֵׁכָה כָּאוֹרָה״, כְּדִכְתִיב: ״גַּם חֹשֶׁךְ לֹא יַחְשִׁיךְ מִמֶּךָּ וְגוֹ׳״, מִשּׁוּם שֶׁאֵין הַצִּמְצוּמִים וְהַלְּבוּשִׁים דָּבָר נִפְרָד מִמֶּנּוּ יִתְבָּרֵךְ חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, אֶלָּא כְּהָדֵין קַמְצָא דִּלְבוּשֵׁיהּ מִינֵּיהּ וּבֵיהּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״כִּי ה׳ הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים״, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר.
8Yet, in regard to the Holy One, blessed is He, no concealment or veil hides or obscures anything from Him, to Whom darkness is like light, as is written, “Even the darkness obscures nothing from You….”8 For all the “contractions” and “garments” are not things distinct from Him, Heaven forfend, but “like the snail, whose garment is part of his body”9 and as is written, “The L–rd, He is G–d,”10 as is explained elsewhere.11
טוְלָכֵן קַמֵּיהּ – כּוּלָּא כְּלָא חֲשִׁיב מַמָּשׁ:
9Therefore, in His Presence, all else is of no account whatsoever.
Kehot Publication Society · CC BY-NC · sefaria.org
Kehot Publication Society · CC BY-NC · sefaria.org