Excerpt From The Tanya
The following is an excerpt from the book Lessons In Tanya, which is published online at chabad.org. [Text in bold italics is from the actual text of the Tanya. Indented text is commentary from this quoted edition of the Tanya. For footnotes and references in the text, use the link provided here. Find my Mahx Notes concerning this subject following this excerpt.]וידעת היום והשבות אל לבבך כי ה׳ הוא האלקים בשמים ממעל ועל הארץ מתחת, אין עוד
It is written: (Deuteronomy 4:39) “Know this day and take it unto your heart that G‑d is the [mighty and just] L‑rd in the heavens above and upon the earth below; there is none other.”
The verse, if understood simplistically, seems to declare that there are no other gods dwelling in heaven or earth.[See Mahx Notes following this excerpt from the Tanya for reference to further comments by the Rebbe on understanding the context of this verse.]
וצריך להבין. וכי תעלה על דעתך שיש אלקים נשרה במים מתחת לארץ
This requires explanation. For would it occur to you that there is a god dwelling in the waters beneath the earth,
שצריך להזהיר כל כך: והשבות אל לבבך
so that it is necessary to caution so strongly [and negate this thought by stating that one should] “take it unto your heart,” and come to the realization that this is indeed not so?
הנה כתיב: לעולם ה׳ דברך נצב בשמים
It is written: “Forever, O G‑d, Your word stands firm in the heavens.”
ופירש הבעל שם טוב ז״ל
The Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, has explained this concept at length, and made it widely known that this means:
כי דברך שאמרת: יהי רקיע בתוך המים וגו׳
that “Your word” which you uttered, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters...,”
תיבות ואותיות אלו הן נצבות ועומדות לעולם בתוך רקיע השמים
these very words and letters through which the heavens were created stand firmly forever within the firmament of heaven
ומלובשות בתוך כל הרקיעים לעולם להחיותם
and are forever clothed within all the heavens to give them life,
Note of the Rebbe: “The fact that these words were uttered thousands of years ago presents no problem, — ”
כדכתיב: ודבר אלקינו יקום לעולם
as it is written, “And the word of our L‑rd shall stand firm forever,”
ודבריו חיים וקיימים לעד כו׳
and as it is likewise written, “And His words live and stand firm forever....”
This refers not only to those creations such as the heavenly firmament which enjoy a permanent existence, but also to those creatures which perish as individuals, with only their species continuing to exist. In all instances, the Divine life-force which created a particular creature must constantly be vested within it, incessantly creating and vivifying it anew, just as it ceaselessly recreates the heavenly firmament, as shall soon be explained.
כי אילו היו האותיות מסתלקות כרגע, חס ושלום, וחוזרות למקורן
For if the creative letters were to depart even for an instant, G‑d forbid, and return to their source, that source being the degree of G‑dliness from whence they emanate,
היו כל השמים אין ואפס ממש, והיו כלא היו כלל
all the heavens would become naught and absolute nothingness, and it would be as though they had never existed at all,
וכמו קודם מאמר: יהי רקיע כו׳ ממש
exactly as before the utterance, “Let there be a firmament.”
Before that Divine utterance the firmament did not exist at all. Were the letters that constitute the Divine utterance to depart from the firmament, it would revert to the state of never having existed at all.
The Alter Rebbe now concludes that this is true not only of the firmament, but of all created beings.
וכן בכל הברואים שבכל העולמות עליונים ותחתונים
And so it is with all created things, in all the upper and lower worlds,
ואפילו ארץ הלזו הגשמית, ובחינת דומם ממש
and even this physical earth and the realm of the completely inanimate.
Even immobile beings that show no signs of animation or spirituality, not even the degree of animation observed in the process of growth in the vegetative world, — even this extremely low life-form constantly harbors within it the Divine life-force that brought it into being.
אילו היו מסתלקות ממנה כרגע, חס ושלום, האותיות מעשרה מאמרות שבהן נבראת הארץ בששת ימי בראשית
If the letters of the Ten Utterances by which the earth was created during the Six Days of Creation were to depart from it but for an instant, G‑d forbid,
היתה חוזרת לאין ואפס ממש, כמו לפני ששת ימי בראשית ממש
it would revert to naught and absolute nothingness, exactly as before the Six Days of Creation.
וזה שאמר האריז״ל, שגם בדומם ממש כמו אבנים ועפר ומים יש בחינת נפש וחיות רוחנית
This thought was expressed by the AriZal, when he said that even within that which appears to be utterly inanimate matter, such as stones or earth or water, there is a soul and spiritual life-force.
דהיינו: בחינת התלבשות אותיות הדבור מעשרה מאמרות המחיות ומהוות את הדומם
That is, i.e, although they evince no demonstrable form of animation, [within them] are nevertheless enclothed the letters of speech from the Ten Utterances which give life and existence to inanimate matter,
להיות יש מאין ואפס שלפני ששת ימי בראשית
enabling it to come into being out of the naught and nothingness that preceded the Six Days of Creation.
Mahx Notes
On The Context of Deuteronomy 4:39
Note of the Rebbe: “This verse continues the idea of an earlier verse [4:35], which begins with the phrase אתה הראת (‘You have been shown...’), and which refers to the time at which the Torah was given. At that time ‘G‑d spoke to you...’ (4:12), [with a warning against worshiping any of the components of the created universe]: ‘Lest you become corrupt’ [and worship creatures] of the lowest level, [viz.,] ‘any fish in the water below the earth’ [4:18], or of the highest level, [viz.,] ‘Lest you raise your eyes heavenward...’ [4:19].The Word of G-d About The Word of G-d
Again, we read in Deuteronomy 4:39: “Know this day and take it unto your heart that G‑d is the L‑rd in the heavens above and upon the earth below; there is none other.”From the Tanya's teaching here we learn to understand this statement as it applies to the possibility of our thinking that there is some inherent power in the heights or depths of Creation, power coming from somewhere other than the Word of G-d. There is no such power.
In relation to this we also learn the truth from Hassidic teachings that through its very nature, "The world hides the truth that Hashem created it."
In relation to this theme I have previously written posts, which can be found, for example, here as well as an in-depth study on creation in Genesis 1 here.
It is good to understand well, as we learn here from the Tanya, the way in which G-d identifies Himself with His Word.
