כי אף שאינן כאותיות מחשבה שלנו, חס ושלום
Although they are not actual letters of thought like our letters of thought, G‑d forbid,
The Alter Rebbe had previously drawn an analogy: just as a person’s soul is revealed through letters of thought, so too do the Divine attributes become manifest through letters of thought. He therefore forestalls any misunderstanding by pointing out in the above clause that whereas the soul actually contains letters, with all their inherent limitations, this is not so Above.
מכל מקום הם ענין המורה על התהוות האור מאין ליש
nevertheless, they are similar to our letters of thought in that they are a phenomenon which indicates the bringing into existence of the light from nothing; i.e., they are the particular power that creates light.
שלכן נברא האור מהמשכת כח זה, ולא נבראו ממנו דברים אחרים שנבראו גם כן ממדת החסד, כמו מים וכיוצא בהם
Hence, light was created from this flow of power, and not other things which were also created from the attribute of kindness, such as water and the like,
Thus, the combination of letters is such that this Divine power specifically creates light. It is therefore deemed to be the “Utterance” which proclaimed, “Let there be light.” This selfsame attribute of kindness creates other things, such as water,
מפני שנתלבשו בהם כחות בבחינת צירופים אחרים, המורים על התהוות המים וכיוצא
because in them were clothed powers from other combinations, which indicate the bringing into existence of water and the like.
ונמצא כי כל חיות וכחות הנמשכות ממדותיו הקדושות לתחתונים, לבראם מאין ליש ולהחיותם ולקיימם, נקראו בשם אותיות הקדושות
Accordingly, all life-forces and powers which issue from [G‑d’s] holy emotive attributes to the lower [worlds], to create them ex nihilo and to give them life and sustain them, are called “holy letters.”
שהן בחינת המשכת החיות מרצונו וחכמתו ומדותיו, להתהוות עולמות ולהחיותם
These are the flow of the life-force from His Will and His wisdom and His emotive attributes, to bring worlds into being and give them life.
והם שני מיני עולמות
These worlds that are created by the letters are of two kinds:
עלמין סתימין דלא אתגליין, הם המתהווים וחיים וקיימים מכחות והמשכות נעלמות, כמו אותיות המחשבה שבנשמת האדם על דרך משל
“hidden worlds unrevealed,” which come into existence and live and are sustained by concealed powers and life-forces, like, for example, the letters of thought in the human soul;
Just as the letters of each man’s thought are concealed from others, these Divine powers are similarly concealed from created beings. From them were created the “hidden worlds.”
ועלמין דאתגליין נבראו וחיים מהתגלות שנתגלו כחות והמשכות הנעלמות, הנקראות בשם אותיות המחשבה
and “worlds revealed,” [which] were created and live from the revelation of the hidden powers and life-forces called “letters of thought.”
וכשהן בבחינת התגלות, להחיות עלמין דאתגליין
When these [“letters of thought”] are in a state of revelation, in order to give life to the revealed worlds,
נקראות בשם מאמרות ודבר ה׳ ורוח פיו
they are called “Utterances” and “the word of G‑d” and the “breath of His mouth,”
כמו אותיות הדבור באדם, דרך משל, שהן מגלות לשומעים מה שהיה צפון וסתום בלבו
like, for example, the letters of a man’s speech, which reveal to his listeners what was concealed and hidden in his heart.
Likewise, the Divine “letters of speech” are a revelation of the force that grants existence and infuses life into those created beings that are of the category of “worlds revealed.”
