בראשית ברא אלהים וגו'. דלא היה באפשרי להיות בריאת העולם, שהיה מתפשט עד אין סוף, ונסתכל הקב"ה במעשה הרשעים ונתצמצם האור הרבה, והסתכל במעשה צדיקים ונמשך קו חיים, בסוד מטי ולא מטי, כל זה ידוע ממרן האר"י ואור ישראל מרן הריב"ש טוב: (היכל הברכה ריש פ' בראשית)
In the beginning, G-d created the world… It was impossible to create the world, for it would have expanded infinitely. Therefore, G-d looked at the deeds of the wicked, 12The Midrash states that before the creation, G-d foresaw the deeds of the righteous, and created the world on their account. However, the world that G-d desired to create on their account was overflowing with love for them. As such, it was unable to exist in the Divine Effulgence. G-d therefore looked at the deeds of the wicked, which resulted in a withholding of His light. But it was precisely this withholding that allows the world to exist. There is a constant pendular movement, between the desire to create and the desire to restrain. This is known as “below and not below” – מטי ולא מטי. and greatly contracted His light. 13According to the teachings of the Arizal, the first stage in creation was the tzimzum; the contraction of G-d’s light to make room for the existence of a finite universe. Then he looked at the deeds of the righteous and drew down a line of life, in the mystery of “below and not below.” All of this is known from the writings of our Master, the Arizal, and the Light of Israel, the Baal Shem Tov. Heichal HaBracha, Bereishis
בראשית ברא אלהים וגו'. דלא היה באפשרי להיות בריאת העולם, שהיה מתפשט עד אין סוף, ונסתכל הקב"ה במעשה הרשעים ונתצמצם האור הרבה, והסתכל במעשה צדיקים ונמשך קו חיים, בסוד מטי ולא מטי, כל זה ידוע ממרן האר"י ואור ישראל מרן הריב"ש טוב:
(היכל הברכה ריש פ' בראשית)
In the beginning, G-d created the world…
It was impossible to create the world, for it would have expanded infinitely. Therefore, G-d looked at the deeds of the wicked, 12The Midrash states that before the creation, G-d foresaw the deeds of the righteous, and created the world on their account. However, the world that G-d desired to create on their account was overflowing with love for them. As such, it was unable to exist in the Divine Effulgence. G-d therefore looked at the deeds of the wicked, which resulted in a withholding of His light. But it was precisely this withholding that allows the world to exist. There is a constant pendular movement, between the desire to create and the desire to restrain. This is known as “below and not below” – מטי ולא מטי. and greatly contracted His light. 13According to the teachings of the Arizal, the first stage in creation was the tzimzum; the contraction of G-d’s light to make room for the existence of a finite universe. Then he looked at the deeds of the righteous and drew down a line of life, in the mystery of “below and not below.” All of this is known from the writings of our Master, the Arizal, and the Light of Israel, the Baal Shem Tov.
Heichal HaBracha, Bereishis