Tanya Chapter 20, Class 5 (158). This is the first of the two levels of Achdus the Alter Rebbe discusses here on the Possuk אני ה’ לא שניתי. The world is like one word: from two letters of the one word בי-ה הוי’ צור עולמים. When compared to the ‘Soul of Words’, and more so, when compared to the ‘Soul of thoughts’, and even more so when compared to the ‘Soul by itself’ (the ten faculties [see next class]) it is so insignificant, it is for all intents and purposes nothing [but it isn’t absolutely nothing, that comes in the next Perek (and higher Achdus]. Words have a body and a soul: sounds and air (amplification) that sustain the body and soul of the world. [Discussion: Creation before thought אפס; after thought אין; after speech יש; and there are two levels in speech A. creates (by separating Himself) B. sustains (called קיום) through constant investment. This is called דיבורו של הקב”ה חשיב מעשה or התלבשות כח הפועל בנפעל].
