Part 18: (p. 40 bottom) TZIMTZUM K’PSHUTO, LO K’PSHUTO Entire reality is only words of Hashem. Hashem makes the chomer (raw material) and the tzura constantly, but we can’t see G-dliness. Hashem wants us to think that we exist, and to buttel ourselves to Him, i.e. make from the YESH, AYIN. When Hashem wanted to create the world (a metzius), there was no place for it because the ohr (another metzius) already filled up the whole space. The Arizal “invented” the concept or Tzimtzum Harishon . A) Hashem wanted a world so He thought, and B) immediately there was a world, ruchnius and gashmius, makom and zman, but as a non metzius, totally elokus.Then, C) Tzimtzum removes the light, but leaves the makom and zman. What happened to the light and to the ma’or? The Vilna Gaon says: Tzimtzum k’peshuto b’ma’or and b’ohr. I.e. The Aibishter and His light left. The Alter Rebbe says: No tzimtzum at all by the Aibishter and tzimtzum lo k’peshuto b’maor, i.e. the Aibishter is still here and revealed and the ohr also never left but is merely hidden.
