Hester Panim - Hide and Peek

3C. There are two [types of] concealments. When G!d is hidden in a single concealment, then as well it is very difficult to find G!d. Yet when G!d is hidden in a single concealment it is still possible for an individual to toil and strive until finding G!d, since the person is aware that G!d is hidden. But when G!d is concealed in a concealment within a concealment, in other words the concealment itself is concealed so that the is completely oblivious to the fact that G!d is hidden —then it is entirely impossible to find G!d, since she is not at all aware.

(14) This is analogous to “I will haster astir (surely hide)” (Deuteronomy 31:18)—that is, “I will conceal the concealment,” so that they will be completely oblivious to the fact that G!d is hidden. As a result, the person will certainly not be able to find G!d, since they are completely unaware of the need to look; the person is completely oblivious to the fact that G!d is hidden , because the concealment itself is concealed , as explained above.

(15) Yet, in truth, even in all the concealments - even in a concealment within a concealment—G!d is certainly enclothed there as well. Indeed, there is nothing that is without the life force of G!d, since without G!d's life force it could not exist. Therefore, G!d is certainly enclothed in all words, all deeds and all thoughts. And even if, Heaven forbid, a person is guilty of sin, which is a transgression of G!d’s will, G!d’s life force is certainly still there, albeit in a most hidden and contracted manner.

(16) G!d said to Moses: You are soon to lie with your fathers. This people will thereupon go astray after the alien gods in their midst, in the land that they are about to enter; they will forsake Me and break My covenant that I made with them. (17) Then My anger will flare up against them, and I will abandon them and hide My countenance from them. They shall be ready prey; and many evils and troubles shall befall them. And they shall say on that day, “Surely it is because our G!d is not in our midst that these evils have befallen us.” (18) Yet I will keep My countenance hidden on that day, because of all the evil they have done in turning to other gods.

And I will surely hide my face on that day (Deuteronomy 31:18):

The Holy Blessed One will hide on that day in such a way that a person will not know that G!d is hidden...Afterwards, one knows this truth that Truthfully there is no screen separating between oneself and their G!d at times of Torah and prayer. Also, when there arises "alien thoughts" that these are actually clothing or coverings that G!d has hidden there. In any case, after one knows that G!d is hiding there, there is no hiddenness.

(16) The Torah is the life force in all things. Thus it is that in all things and in all thoughts—even a sinful thought, word or deed, Heaven forbid—the Torah is enclothed there as well, albeit in a most hidden and concealed manner, in the aspect of concealments.

(17) 3D. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said: Once a person repeats a sin, it appears to her permissible (Yoma 86b). That is, by means of the sins, she inverts the words of the Living G!d; she creates new letter-combinations in the Torah, until that which was forbidden becomes permitted, as it is written, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). Thus it is that even within the sins there is enclothed the life force of G!d—i.e., the letters of the Torah—though it is hidden. In other words, due to the sins the Torah’s letter-combinations were inverted, until that which was forbidden became permitted, as explained above: “Once a person repeats a sin, it appears to her permissible.” This is the aspect of a single concealment.

(18) Now, when G!d is hidden from a person in a single concealment—i.e., the above mentioned aspect of “it appears to her permissible”—then, too, it is very difficult to find G!d, since it already appears to her permissible. Even so, it is still possible for an individual to toil and strive until she finds G!d, since at least she is aware that it [only] appears to her permissible. Therefore, even though G!d is hidden from her, and his sins appear permissible, it is nonetheless still possible that she herself will take it to heart—i.e., that she succumbed and reached the point where it appears to her permissible—so that she seeks and strives until she departs from this, since at least she is aware that it [only] appears to her permissible.

(19) But know! there is also the level of a concealment within a concealment, that is, the concealment itself is concealed so that the individual is completely oblivious to the fact that G!d is hidden from her—i.e., she is totally unaware that for her the forbidden has become permissible. On the contrary, all evil things appear to her to be totally upright, Heaven forbid. That is, if after repeating her sin she commits further sins, Heaven forbid, so then even this awareness that it [only] appears to her permissible is hidden from her; rather, she then becomes completely unaware of any hint of a prohibition, because everything is upright in his eyes. This corresponds to a concealment within a concealment; the concealment is itself concealed, as explained above.

(20) In truth, even in a concealment within the concealment, G!d—i.e., the letters of the Torah—is enclothed there, because nothing has life force without G!d, as explained above. It is just that because of an overabundance of sin, the words of the Living G!d have been totally overturned to where the wisdom of Torah becomes foolishness for her, to the point that she is completely unaware even of this itself, so that it appears to her permissible, as explained above. This is the aspect of a concealment within a concealment, as explained above.

4. Know, too, that the Torah enclothed in a concealment within a concealment is specifically elevated Torah—i.e., the hidden Torah. Because it has to be enclothed in such lowly places—i.e., with those who have sinned so extensively that it is hidden from them within a double concealment—G!d therefore arranged not to enclothe the revealed Torah there, so that the evil forces would not be able to nourish from there in abundance and the blemish be very great. G!d therefore hides and enclothes there specifically elevated Torah, the hidden Torah—this being G!d’s Torah itself—so that the evil forces cannot nourish in abundance from there.

(1) 2. Now, one must also know that “[G!d’s] Glory fills the whole world” (Isaiah 6:3), and there is no place empty of G!d (Tikkunei Zohar #57, p.91b). G!d fills all worlds and surrounds all worlds (Zohar III, 225a). Thus, even someone who does business with non-Jews [or today - someone who sends a lot of emails] cannot excuse herself by saying, “It’s impossible to serve G!d because of the spiritual insensitivity and materialism” to which she always succumbs as a result of her being constantly involved with them.

(2) Our Sages have already revealed to us that G!dliness is to be found in all corporeality and in all the languages of the nations. For without G!dliness, they have no life-force or existence whatsoever. As is written, “You keep them all alive” (Nehemiah 9:6). It is just that this life-force and G!dliness are there in a very contracted and limited manner: only enough to ensure its existence, to keep it alive and no more. For the Holy One contracted G!d's G!dliness through numerous and various contractions—from the very beginning of thought until the center point of the corporeal world, which is the abode of the evil forces. And the more G!dliness descends and the more it contracts, the more it becomes clothed there in many additional garments.

(3) This is as our Sages revealed, opening a way for us so that the discerning will know and understand that all corporeal things have G!dliness and divine life-force in them. As our Sages said: Tat in Coptic means two, pat in Afriki means two (Menachot 34b), indicating that every one of the nations’ languages contains His G!dliness, which is what gives it life.

(4) This is as is brought in the Jerusalem Talmud (Taanit 1:1): If anyone should ask you, “Where is your god?” answer him, “In the great city of Rome.” As it is said, “One calls to Me from Seir” (Isaiah 21:11).

(5) We see, then, that this person who asked “Where is your god?” is certainly immersed in the abode of the evil forces. For he has disassociated himself from the community and denied G!d’s existence, saying: “Where is your G!d?” He supposes that there, where he is, there is no G!d. Therefore, answer him, “Even where you are! You are immersed in the abode of the evil forces, yet, there too you can find G!dliness.” This is because G!d gives life to everything, as in, “You keep them all alive.” And from there, you can attach yourself to G!d and return in complete repentance. For “it is not remote from you” (Deuteronomy 30:11), just that there, where you are, the garments have multiplied.

(6) Yet, the more a person goes from level to level, the more she draws closer to G!d and can know G!d with greater understanding. This is because the higher the level, the fewer the garments and the less the contraction. Then, she is closer to G!d and can love G!d with an exceptional love.