Letters of Light. Kalonymus Kalman Epstein
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(Gen 1:3), signifying that following that chaos, the World of Repair emerged. The words, “Let there be light, and there was light,” refer to that second contraction.
As a consequence, the much more limited Light was such that the vessels were able to contain it [and it came at least within the periphery of what the mind and language can attempt to express], though in a higher respect that Light itself remains on a level of “darkness,” as that which is utterly beyond the reach of mind and language is referred to as “darkness,” as is written, “He made darkness His screen . . .” (Ps 18:12). This is conveyed in the words, ”And God separated the light from the darkness” (Gen 1:4)—the blessed Holy One made a division between the Light which came into being through the second contraction, that Light which is attainable to some degree, and between the Primordial Light, which is called “darkness” in that it remained utterly beyond reach. . . .
Comment: This opening discussion in Maʾor va-shemesh makes the case that the account of creation found at the very beginning of the Torah is both not to be understood literally and unable to be understood literally and, furthermore, that the biblical text itself clearly indicates that such is not its purpose.
Drawing from the legacy of kabbalistic teaching upon which his worldview was rooted, the biblical text was read in quite a metaphorical sense, and virtually every word or element of that text came to be interpreted symbolically. Kalonymus Kalman clearly understood various verses and elements in the account of creation, which opens the Torah, as allusions to the worldview of Lurianic Kabbalah, the teachings of Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534–1572), which revolutionized the earlier body of kabbalistic thought, and in large measure he viewed the biblical creation-text as a kind of code for the much more complex Lurianic explanation of how the world or worlds came into existence. That pattern, based upon Lurianic teaching, centers largely around the basic principles of Contraction (Tzimtzum), the Shattering of the Vessels (Sh’virah) and Repair (Tikkun). Reference to the building-blocks of Lurianic cosmology recurs at various places within the homilies of Maʾor va-shemesh and of kindred Hasidic homily-texts. In this homily on the very opening verse of the Torah (Pentateuch), the preacher fused his very brief synopsis of the Lurianic cosmology with the much earlier motif of the Primordial Light, subject of the following passage, perhaps causing some confusion in the process.
In his discourse on various passages from the Torah, the preacher’s ruling out a literal reading creates an enlarged space for his homiletical interpretation which, by its very nature, goes beyond the simpler, surface meaning of the biblical text.
The Hidden Light13
The Sages said that with that Light (of the six days of creation) man could see from one end of the world to the other, but, seeing that the world is not worthy of utilizing that Light, God removed it and hid it for the righteous (tzaddikim) of a future time. The righteous of our time have taught that the Light is hidden within the Torah, and the righteous who purify themselves and study Torah for its own sake (not for any personal benefit) succeed in finding that Light.
Comment: The theme of the Primordial Light that was later hidden has its source in that the creation-account that opens the Torah speaks of light as created on the First Day of creation (Gen 1:3), while further on in that same account, the sun and the moon and stars are all said to have been created on the Fourth Day (Gen 1:16). This apparent discrepancy gave birth to the aggadic motif that the much greater original Light created on the First Day was later hidden by God when He realized that man (created on the Sixth Day) would gravely disappoint Him. The Primordial Light was looked upon as being spiritual rather than physical or solely physical in nature. Rabbinic statements of that theme express the idea that the Primordial Light was removed and hidden for the righteous in the World-to-Come (ʿolam ha-ba), where, following their death, the righteous would bask in its light.14
The above excerpt from Maʾor va-shemesh represents a transmutation in that it speaks of that Light as being hidden for the righteous (tzaddikim), not necessarily in the World-to-Come, but rather throughout the generations, in the sense that they would be able to draw upon that greater spiritual Light and understanding in their own respective times. That general re-interpretation of the older agada is heard already in Degel maḥaneh ʾEfrayim (B’reiʾshit) and also in Noʿam ʾElimelekh (B’reiʾshit), which consists of homiletical notes of Kalonymus Kalman’s own teacher, Elimelekh of Lyzhansk.
The theme that God hid the Light within the Torah is attributed to the Baal Shem Tov, the central figure of early Hasidism.15 In this way, the Light came to be associated not with its being hidden, but rather with its presence and availability, as it is accessible to those who make the effort to seek it by going beyond the surface-level of the Torah’s text to its richer, experiential nature. The more pessimistic nuance of the hidden Light was transposed in the process to the much more positive possibility of being able to pierce its hiddenness and to discover it within the Torah as well as within all of existence. The Light, in that sense, has become virtually synonymous with the Divine, which, though hidden, is yet paradoxically present within all that is.
The more positive understanding of the theme of the Hidden Light is evident already in the Zohar, which voices the claim that were that Light to be completely hidden, nothing would be able to exist, as existence itself is dependent upon that hidden but-not-totally-hidden Light.16 The view presented in the Zohar represents a shift from emphasis upon the Light’s absence, its having been withdrawn, to that of its continued presence. The position of the Zohar can be explained in light of the fact that while the motif of the Hidden Light is a distinctively midrashic motif, that of the Primordial Light, found in many traditions in ancient and medieval times including Neo-Platonism, viewed that light as underlying all existence and as present within all that exists. In addition, the view attributed to the Besht that the Light is hidden in the Torah might interestingly parallel an Islamic identification of the Primordial Light with Muhammad17 and the much earlier Christian identification of that Light with Jesus.18
The Surface Meaning of the Torah and the Torah’s Innerness19
“God said, ‘Let there be an expanse in the midst of the water, that it may separate water from water.’ God made the expanse, and it separated the water which was below the expanse from the water which was above the expanse. . . . God said, ‘Let the water below the sky be gathered into one area, that the dry land may appear.’” (Gen 1:6–9)
It is important to note that the waters are not included in the list of created objects; there is no verb indicating their being created. . . .
And God created the world with the Torah (as its blueprint). The Torah, however, assumes different manifestations appropriate to the various levels of existence. At the very highest level (ʾAtzilut), it is completely beyond our grasp, and concerning the Torah at that level it is said, “I was with Him as an infant, a source of delight every day, rejoicing before Him at all times“ (Prov 8:30), two thousand years prior to creation.20 On another level (B’riʾah), it exists as the innerness of the Torah, while at our level, appropriate to our world (ʿAsiyah), it assumes the form of the simple surface meaning of the Torah. Accordingly, the plain, simple meaning was given to us while the Torah’s innerness is concealed from us, for if not, we would inflict damage upon the Torah’s innerness, God forbid, just as did the early generations who knew the Torah’s innerness and severely damaged it.
For this reason, only the simple level of the Torah was given to us; however, through our study of that plain surface level of the Torah and our engaging with it in discourse and observing it (being faithful to its commandments), we will come to grasp its innerness.
The very core-principle