The letters that constitute the Ten Utterances, as the Alter Rebbe has just explained, are effluences of the Divine attributes which are wholly united with G‑d Himself. Therefore, though they are termed mere “letters”, they are able to serve as vehicles for creating the wisdom and intellect of created beings, to which they are thus far superior; they are termed “letters” only in relation to the supernal attributes from which they emanate.

These letters are the specifically twenty-two manners of manifestation through which G‑d chose to create the world. Accordingly, as the Rebbe notes, the forthcoming chapter underscores the fact that all created beings, in all their vastly differentiated multiplicity, are in fact no more than twenty-two distinct forms of Divine manifestation. Moreover, continues the Rebbe, we can understand why the Alter Rebbe explains this concept at such length further on in this chapter. Such an explanation would seem to be at home in tracts such as Sefer Yetzirah, that deal with the respective stages of the creative process, not in a treatise dedicated to an explanation of Divine Unity. The Alter Rebbe explains this here, nevertheless, thereby actually highlighting the concept of Divine Unity — not only insofar as it exists in its Source, but as it exists in practice. For all the multifarious components of creation are in reality no more than twenty-two different forms of Divine manifestation.

רק שהברואים מתחלקים למיניהם בכללות ובפרטות

[Although there are only twenty-two letters, they are able to create a vast multitude of creatures,] for the creatures are divided into categories both general (e.g., whether human or animal) and particular (e.g., the animal world in turn comprises numerous species of beasts, birds, fish, etc.). This multitudinous division comes about:

על ידי שינויי הצירופים וחילופים ותמורות כנ״ל

by changes in the combinations, substitutions and transpositions [of the letters], as was explained above,

When the letters are combined in one way, one kind of creature is created; a different combination gives rise to a different kind of creature. For as explained in ch. 1, certain letters may sometimes be substituted or transposed with others. Those creatures whose names are not mentioned in the Ten Utterances derive their vitality by means of the combinations, substitutions and transpositions of the letters that do appear in the Ten Utterances.

כי כל אות היא המשכת חיות וכח מיוחד פרטי

for every letter is a flow from an individual, particular life-force and power.

Note of the Rebbe Since the letters are separate from each other, what combines them, and how is this accomplished? The Alter Rebbe goes on to answer this by saying:

וכשנצטרפו אותיות הרבה להיות תיבה

And when many letters — i.e., many particular powers and life-forces — are combined to form a word,

אזי מלבד ריבוי מיני כחות וחיות הנמשכים כפי מספר האותיות שבתיבה

then in addition to the numerous kinds of powers and life-forces which issue forth according to the number of letters in the word,

עוד זאת, העולה על כולנה

there is, in addition, transcending all [the particular powers],

המשכת כח עליון וחיות כללי, הכוללת ושקולה כנגד כל מיני הכחות והחיות פרטיות של האותיות, ועולה על גביהן

the flow of a higher power and general life-force which contains and is equivalent to all the various individual powers and life-forces of the letters and transcends them all;

והיא מחברתן ומצרפתן יחד, להשפיע כח וחיות לעולם הנברא בתיבה זו לכלליו ולפרטיו

it unites them and combines them,1 in order to grant power and life-force to the world which was created in both its general and particular aspects, i.e., with its individual created beings, through this word.