אור פנימי, meaning Inner Light, is the contracted and measured light that "fills all worlds" (ממלא כל עלמין), animating and sustaining them from within.[1][2] This light descends through the entire chain of worlds (סדר השתלשלות) to create the nature of each individual creature, maintaining each one according to its specific capacity.[3]
Unlike the transcendent אור מקיף (Ohr Makif, or Encompassing Light), which is unlimited and transcends all worlds, אור פנימי is specifically measured and constricted (צמצום) to be contained in finite creatures.[4] The אור פנימי acts as the "soul" of creation, while the body and its limitations act as a "vessel" (כלי) that contains and defines this light.[5]
This entry is severely incomplete.
The אור פנימי is generally identified with the קו (Kav, or Line) of Divine light that was drawn into the primordial void (חלל) following the initial צמצום.[6] This line of light contains the entire blueprint for creation, bringing forth the different levels of existence in an ordered, sequential manner.[7]
In Divine service (עבודה), prayer (תפילה) is a primary means of drawing down the אור פנימי into the worlds of בריאה, יצירה, and עשיה (Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah).[8] This influx of inner light refines the worlds and elevates them, transforming darkness into light and revealing the Divine essence within creation.[9]
References
- ↑ Lessons in Tanya, Part III, Chapter 3
- ↑ The Gate of Unity , Chapter 9
- ↑ Lessons in Tanya, Part I, Chapter 48
- ↑ Lessons in Tanya, Part I, Chapter 48
- ↑ The Gate of Unity , Chapter 27
- ↑ The Gate of Unity , Chapters 9, 14
- ↑ The Gate of Unity , Chapter 14
- ↑ Lessons in Tanya, Part V, Chapter 4
- ↑ Lessons in Tanya, Part I, Chapters 36-37