Tanya Chapter 24, Class 05 (185). What can be worse than Avoda Zara? How can a sinner be lower than that “וכאילו כופר באחדותו יותר ממנה” Four possible theologies: 1) אחדות (there’s only ONE power in creation altogether; and on a deeper level, there’s nothing but Him); 2) כפירה (complete denial of God, atheisms, כחשו בהוי’ ולומר לא הוא, asserting that there’s no God at all. Chassidus explains that this was not created at the time of creation, it was left to man to fall this low and create something lower than Avoda Zara (idol-worship)). 3) אלקא דאלקייא In between the two extreme ideas listed above there’s idea of God having ‘helpers’. This has two levels in itself: A. שיתוף (the higher level acknowledges forces other than God (with their own free will) but act in accordance with Divine will (and intervention); B. עבודה זרה which is עזב הוי’ את הארץ בידי הכוכבים ומזלות; God is removed from ‘the lower’ world and has no say here, only His subordinates do. The four levels in order (from the top down) again are: 1) אחדות and 2) שיתוף and 3) עבודה זרה and 4) כפירה. All this explains how a sinner can be even worse that the sin (the קליפה) he is doing.
