READING: between after midnight and sunrise of Sunday.

Lesson on the topic of “The whole earth is full of His glory”

The whole earth is full of His glory – Selected Excerpts from the sources

1. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 4, “What Is the Reason for the Heaviness One Feels when Annulling before the Creator in the Work?”

The essence of one’s work is only to come to feel the existence of the Creator, meaning to feel the existence of the Creator, that “the whole earth is full of His glory,” and this will be one’s entire work. That is, all the energy one puts into the work will be only to achieve this, and nothing else.

One should not be misled into having to acquire anything. Rather, there is only one thing a person needs: faith in the Creator. He should not think of anything, meaning that the only reward that he wants for his work should be to be rewarded with faith in the Creator.

2. RABASH, Article No. 827, “The Godliness Made the Concealment”

“The whole earth is full of His glory.” Also, it is written in The Zohar, “There is no place vacant from You.” What does that mean? After all, there was the Tzimtzum [restriction], where the light does not shine, so there is a vacant place, as it is written that through the Tzimtzum, a vacant place was made.

However, we should interpret that all the restrictions that we speak of pertain only to the lower ones. From the perspective of the Creator, there is no place vacant of Him, but rather “The whole earth is full of His glory.”

What does that come to teach us? Man should know that during the descent, when he thinks that there is no Godliness there that sustains the world, he is wrong. Rather, he should believe that even there, within the concealment, there is Godliness. That is, the Godliness made the concealment so he would have a need to reveal. If one does not believe it, he is escaping the campaign.

3. RABASH, Article No. 23 (1986), “Concerning Fear and Joy”

Although we say each day in the prayer, “The whole earth is full of His glory,” we still have no feeling of it. Rather, we must believe above reason that this is so. The reason is that although there are no changes in the light, because “there is no absence in spirituality,” there are nonetheless changes on the part of the Kelim [vessels], and the Kelim limit the light. It is so because in the Kelim we discern the greatness of the abundance—their impression from the abundance. If one has no Kelim that can be a clothing for the light, then no light is apparent in reality, according to the rule: “There is no light without a Kli [vessel].” That is, we must know one thing: We can speak of what we attain in our sensations.

4. RABASH, Article No. 295, “Anyone Who Sanctifies the Seventh – 1”

When one achieves the degree of wanting only to bestow upon the Creator, the Tzimtzum is lifted from him and he sees the world as full of His glory.

Then he sees that all this was revealed to him so he would enjoy it. Hence, once he has obtained the degree of bestowal, meaning obtained the degree where all he wants is only to bestow contentment upon the Creator, he fills himself with all the pleasures that his eyes see, as in the explanation, “The whole earth is full of His glory.”

5. RABASH, Article No. 17 (1989), “What Is the Prohibition to Greet Before Blessing the Creator, in the Work?”

Although we say each day, “The whole earth is full of His glory,” there is still concealment on it, so we must believe it. Yet, as long as one has not corrected one’s actions to work in order to bestow, we do not feel it. Instead, it depends on man’s work in obtaining the vessels of bestowal. To that extent, the Tzimtzum departs and he begins to feel the existence of the Creator. This is all of our work, to achieve equivalence of form called “Dvekut with the Creator.”

6. RABASH, Article No. 295, “Anyone Who Sanctifies the Seventh – 1”

We must believe that “The whole earth is full of His glory,” as it is written, “I fill the heaven and the earth,” and as it is written in The Zohar and the writings of the ARI that all the pleasure we feel in corporeal pleasures are but a tiny light of the light of the Creator.

Naturally, where the light of the Creator is revealed, there is no end to the pleasure. It follows that when we believe that the whole earth is full of His glory, the pleasure fills the entire world.

In something that fills the whole world, it means that we do not need to look for the pleasure, since there is no place in the world that is not filled with pleasure. Clearly, it is irrelevant to speak of laboring for the pleasure, and it is irrelevant to say when we receive the pleasure that we received a reward, since receiving something for which there is no labor cannot be regarded as reward.

7. RABASH, Article No. 295, “Anyone Who Sanctifies the Seventh – 1”

What we said, that the world is filled with pleasures, as in “The whole earth is full of His glory,” the question is why we do not feel the light of the Creator filling the world. The answer to this is that the Creator made a Tzimtzum [restriction] and concealment not to feel the light of the Creator so there will not be bread of shame […]

But when one comes to a degree where he wants to bestow upon the Creator, meaning give contentment to his Maker, he begins to contemplate what the Creator needs so he can give it to Him, since all his concerns are to please the Creator. At that time, he realizes that the only reason He created the world was to receive pleasures from Him, and that more than this, the Creator does not need. Hence, he follows the Creator’s will and receives the pleasures.

8. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 213, “Acknowledging the Desire”

One who stays home is unlike one who stands before the king. He who believes in the existence of the Creator—that the whole earth is full of His glory—is filled with fear and love, and needs no preparations or observation, only to completely nullify before the king from his very nature.

Just as we see in corporeality, that he who truly loves his friend thinks only of the best of his friend, and avoids anything that is not beneficial to his friend. All this is done without any calculation, and it does not require a great mind, since it is as natural as a mother’s love for her child, who only wants to benefit her child. She needs no preparations or intellect to love her child, since a natural thing does not require an intellect that will assert it, but it is done by the senses themselves. The senses themselves are devoted, since this is how it is in nature, as due to the love for something, they give their soul until they achieve the goal. And as long as they do not achieve, their lives are not a life.

9. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 174, “Concealment”

Concealment in itself is not considered concealment. Concealment is measured by the demand. The greater the demand for something, the more the concealment is evident. And now we can understand the meaning of “The whole earth is full of His glory.” Although we believe it, the concealment still fills the whole earth.

It is written about the future: “For I, … will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and I will be the glory in the midst of her.” Fire means concealment. But still, glory is in the midst of her, meaning that then the glory will be revealed. This is because then the demand will be so great, even though there will be concealment then, too. And the difference is that at this time there is concealment, but no demand. Hence, this is considered “exile.” Then, however, although there will be concealment, there will also be demand, and this is what is important—only the demand.

10. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 67, “Depart from Evil”

One who thinks that he is deceiving his friend is really deceiving the Creator, since besides man’s body there is only the Creator. This is because it is the essence of creation that man is called “creature” only with respect to himself. The Creator wants man to feel that he is a separate reality from Him; but other than this, it is all “The whole earth is full of His glory.”

Hence, when lying to one’s friend, one is lying to the Creator; and when saddening one’s friend, one is saddening the Creator. For this reason, if one is accustomed to say the truth, it will help him with respect to the Creator.

That is, if he promised something to the Creator, he will try to keep his promise, since he is not used to changing his word, and by this he will be rewarded with “The Lord is your shade.” If one keeps and does what he says, the Creator, too, will keep “Blessed is he who says and does” in return.

11. RABASH, Article No. 12 (1987), “What Is Half a Shekel in the Work – 1”

If he believes that he is speaking with the King, as it is written, “The whole earth is full of His glory,” what elation a person feels when he believes that he is speaking with the King for only a moment.

The excitement from standing and speaking with the King for even a moment should give complete satisfaction so he will have vitality and joy throughout the day. Although he does not see the King, we were given the belief that “the whole earth is full of His glory

12. RABASH, Article No. 236, “The Whole Earth Is Full of His Glory“

There are people who feel that the light of the Creator is dressed only in Torah and prayer. There are people who feel the light of the Creator also in combinations of letters of mundane things, and there are those who do not feel even in combinations of letters of Torah and prayer that it is the light of the Creator in the manner of “Who fills the whole of reality.”

However, since there was a Tzimtzum [restriction], which is concealment, they do not feel that everything is the expanding light of the Creator.

That is, the measure that the creatures can attain, meaning the light that spreads into the sensation of the created beings, and besides the Creator wanting the lower ones to attain, it is certainly called “there is no thought or perception of Him whatsoever.”

However, a person must believe in the Tzimtzum, meaning that it is only a concealment for man’s benefit, while in truth, “The whole earth is full of His glory,” and there is no reality in the world besides Godliness, and all the concealment is only in one’s sensations.

13. RABASH, Letter No. 76

It is known that “The whole earth is full of His glory.” This is what every person should believe, as it is written, “I fill the heaven and the earth.” However, the Creator has made the concealment so that we cannot see Him so as to have room for choice, and then there is room for faith—to believe that the Creator “fills all the worlds and encompasses all the worlds.” And after a person engages in Torah and Mitzvot and keeps the commandment of choice, the Creator reveals Himself to him, and then he sees that the Creator is the ruler of the world.

Thus, at that time a person makes the king who will rule over him. That is, a person feels that the Creator is the ruler of the world, and this is regarded as a person making the Creator king over him.

14. RABASH, Article No. 236, “The Whole Earth Is Full of His Glory“

If one pays attention to trying to walk in faith above the intellect, by this he qualifies it and establishes it so as to achieve the revelation of the face, as is presented in The Zohar, that the Shechina [Divinity] said to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, “There is no place to hide from you,” meaning that in all the concealments that he felt, he believed that here was the light of the Creator. This qualified him until he achieved the revelation of the face of His light.

This is the meaning of the measure of the faith that pulls one out of every lowliness and concealment if a person strengthens himself in this and asks the Creator to reveal Himself.

15. RABASH, Article No. 645, “By Your Actions, We Know You”

It is written, “The whole earth is full of His glory,” as it is written in The Zohar, “There is no place vacant of Him.” Yet, we do not feel it for our lack of tools of sensation.

We can see that with a radio receiver, which receives all the signals in the world, the receiver does not create the sounds. Rather, the sound exists in the world, but before we had the receiving device, we did not detect the sounds although they did exist in reality.

Likewise, we can understand that “There is no place vacant of Him,” but we need a receiving device. That receiving device is called Dvekut [adhesion] and “equivalence of form,” which is a desire to bestow. When we have this machine, we will immediately feel that there is no place vacant of Him, but rather “The whole earth is full of His glory.”

16. RABASH, Article No. 557, “Concerning Ohr Hozer [reflected light]”

We should understand why not everyone has the sensation of Godliness, since it is written, “I fill the heaven and the earth,” and “The whole earth is full of His glory,” and yet we do not feel anything.

The answer is that where there is no clothing called Ohr Hozer, the upper light is regarded as nonexistent from the perspective of the emanated being, and because the whole meaning of the Ohr Hozer is that he receives only according to the intention to bestow, as long as one has not emerged from self-reception, he does not have this Ohr Hozer. Thus, although “The whole earth is full of His glory,” it is regarded as nonexistent from the perspective of the lower one.

It follows that the only thing that one must do in order to achieve the goal is to focus all of one’s work on one point: to be able to dedicate all of one’s free time for the sake of the Creator. This is the meaning of “Everything is in the hand of heaven but the fear of heaven.” This means that the Creator gives everything. The upper lights are already prepared for a person, as in “More than the calf wants to suckle, the cow wants to nurse,” and all we need is a Kli [vessel]. After the Tzimtzum [restriction], this Kli is called Masach and Ohr Hozer, and this is what connects the upper with the lower. That is, through it, the lower one connects to the upper one.

17. RABASH, Article No. 7 (1986), “The Life of Sarah”

Only when one exits the place of reception. But prior to exiting reception, one can only believe that this is so.

To be able to feel this, we are given the advice to exit the place of reception, which the place of darkness and death. That is, the light of life cannot appear although it is present, but it is covered from man, and one who comes to that place becomes separated from the source of life.

Hence, that place is called “darkness and death,” and every kind of calamity is present there. This is called the Sitra Achra [other side], meaning it is the opposite of Kedusha [holiness/sanctity]. A place of Kedusha, called a “place of bestowal,” is a place of equivalence of form. This is why in that place appear all the delight and pleasure, as it is a place of blessing and holiness.

18. RABASH, Article No. 21, “Sanctification of the Month”

A person does not say to the Creator, “If You give me a good feeling, to feel that ‘The whole earth is full of His glory,’ I will be willing to believe.”

Rather, when he has no knowledge or sensation of spirituality, he cannot accept the burden of the kingdom of heaven and observe the Torah and Mitzvot [commandments]. Rather, he must accept the kingdom of heaven unconditionally.

19. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 241. “Call Upon Him When He Is Near”

We must understand what “when He is near” means since “The whole earth is full of His glory”! Thus, He is always near, so what does “when He is near” mean? It would seem that there is a time when He is not near.

The thing is that states are always evaluated with respect to the attaining and feeling individual. If one does not feel His nearness, then nothing will come out of it, as everything is measured according to one’s feeling. One person may feel the world as filled with abundance, and the other will not feel the goodness of the world, so he cannot say that there is a good world. Instead, he states as he feels—that the world is filled with suffering.

And the prophet warns about that: “Call you upon Him when He is near.” He comes and says, “Know that the fact that you are calling on the Creator is because He is near.” It means that now you have an opportunity. If you pay attention, you will feel that the Creator is near you; it is a sign of the Creator’s nearness.

20. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 190, “Every Act Leaves an Imprint”

We should also see that even with this freedom that we have been granted, we need great preparation and intention in order to extend the spiritual freedom, called “freedom from the angel of death.” Then we are rewarded with “The whole earth is full of His glory,” called Mochin de AVI. This means that we do not see a time or a place where the Creator cannot be dressed, that we cannot say that “He cannot be dressed” at that time or at that place, but rather, “The whole earth is full of His glory.”