He's talking about how we can understand things, particularly spiritual concepts, in different ways. And this third way? It's all about the abstract.
He explains that once we've experienced something – say, a form or an idea – wrapped up in a concrete package, our minds can do something We can peel away the wrapping! We can take that form and imagine it all by itself, completely separate from anything physical.
Think of it like this. Imagine a beautiful sculpture. You see the stone, the shape, the texture. But then, you close your eyes and try to picture just the idea of beauty that the sculpture represents. That’s abstraction.
Baal HaSulam uses the example of virtues and vices. Things like truth, falsehood, anger, strength. We talk about these qualities as if they exist on their own. We might say, "Truth is important," without needing to tie it to a specific truthful thing or person. We can praise truth, or condemn anger, even in this abstract, detached state. It's as if these concepts have their own weight, their own value, completely apart from who or what is embodying them.
Why is this important? Because the Zohar, that foundational text of Jewish mysticism, is often dealing with concepts that are, well, pretty darn abstract. The Sefirot (divine emanations), the nature of God, the structure of the cosmos – these aren't things you can see and touch. They require us to use this ability to abstract, to imagine things beyond the physical realm.
So, the next time you're wrestling with a difficult idea, or trying to grasp a spiritual concept, remember this teaching. Try to peel away the layers. See if you can find the pure form, the essence, shining beneath. It might just unlock a whole new level of understanding.