יש מאין (Yesh me'Ayin) is the act of bringing into being an entity from nothingness, a "thing" from "no-thing". This ability, known as בריאה (creation), is unique to the Creator. It is distinct from making יש מיש (something from something), or the process of עילה ועלול (cause and effect).[1]
Definition
Two Explanations
Chassidic teaching provides two explanations for why creation is called יש מאין:[2]
- From the perspective of the created being: The created being does not perceive its Divine source. Therefore, from its limited perspective, the source is called "אין" (ayin, or nothingness).
- From the perspective of the Creator: There is truly no source for the created being within the revealed levels of G-dliness. It is an entirely new reality, which is only an הארה (a ray) from the אור אין סוף (Infinite Light), which itself is considered "nothingness" in relation to G-d's Essence.
The Constant Creative Force
Unlike the work of a human craftsman, which can exist independently once created, the creation of יש מאין requires the constant, continuous action of the Creator. If the Divine creative force were to be withdrawn from a created being for even a moment, it would revert to absolute naught and nonexistence, as it was before creation. This continuous creation is considered a far greater miracle than the splitting of the Red Sea, which also required a constant force (the wind) to maintain its state.[3]
This concept is alluded to in the verse, "וְאַתָּה מְחַיֶּה אֶת כֻּלָּם" ("And You give life to them all").[4] Chassidus interprets the word מְחַיֶּה (mechayeh, "give life") as being related to the word מְהַוֶּה (mehaveh, "bring into being"), meaning that G-d's life-force not only vivifies creation but continuously brings it into existence from nothing.[5]
The Analogy of Sunlight
An analogy for this is the light of the sun. Within the body of the sun itself, its radiance is completely nullified and considered nonexistent in relation to its source. Only when the light travels through space, far from its source, does it appear to our eyes as a separate, tangible existence (יש).[6]
Similarly, all created things are always within their Divine source. Their existence is completely nullified in relation to the life-force and spirituality that creates them. However, because our physical eyes cannot perceive this spiritual source, the material world appears to us as a true and independent existence.[7]
The Beginning of Created Existence
The true beginning of a created יש—a reality that is not G-dliness—is in the בריאה (World of Creation). This world is brought into being from the ספירה of מלכות (Kingship) of the preceding world, אצילות (World of Emanation). Two characteristics of מלכות facilitate the creation of a seemingly separate existence:
- The Divine name אלקים, which has the same numerical value as "הטבע" (nature), conceals the Divine source from the created beings.
- The Divine name אדנ-י is the root for the divisions and limitations of time and space.
Levels of יש מאין
The concept of יש מאין applies to any new level of existence that does not emerge through a direct cause-and-effect relationship from the level preceding it. There are several degrees of this phenomenon:[8]
- מחשבה הקדומה (Primordial Thought of Adam Kadmon): As the first thought of creation after the initial צמצום (Tzimtzum, or contraction), this is considered יש מאין in relation to the Infinite Light that preceded it.
- חכמה דאצילות (Wisdom of Atzilus): The emergence of the ten distinct Sefiros in Atzilus from the simple unity of G-dliness above it is a form of יש מאין.
- נבראים (Created Beings): The world of Beriah is the first place wherebeings that are not G-dliness come into existence.
- עולם הזה הגשמי (This Physical World): The creation of a tangible, physical reality that can be felt with the hands and can even deny its source is the greatest innovation of יש מאין.
- צמיחת הצמחים (The Growth of Plants): The growth of a large plant froma tiny seed is given as a physical example. The material of the plant does not come from the seed but is created יש מאין by the spiritual "growing power" in the earth.
Teachings of the Rebbeim
In Kuntres Eitz Hachaim, the Rebbe Rashab explains that creation is described as יש מאין because the Divine source for creation is too transcendent to be perceived by our material senses. Because we cannot grasp it, we refer to it as אין (nothingness).[9]
References
- ↑ Tanya, Shaar Hayichud Vehaemunah, ch. 2.
- ↑ יש מאין – חבדפדיה
- ↑ Tanya, Shaar Hayichud Vehaemunah, ch. 2.
- ↑ Nehemiah 9:6
- ↑ Tanya, Shaar Hayichud Vehaemunah, ch. 2.
- ↑ Tanya, Shaar Hayichud Vehaemunah, ch. 3.
- ↑ Tanya, Shaar Hayichud Vehaemunah
- ↑ יש מאין – חבדפדיה
- ↑ Kuntres Etz HaChayimch. 1.