It’s a fascinating question, and one that leads us straight into the heart of Baal HaSulam's profound insights in his "Preface to the Zohar." (That's Rabbi Yehuda Leib Ashlag, for those who haven't encountered him before – a hugely important 20th-century Kabbalist.)
He uses a simple analogy: building a house. You don't just start throwing bricks together, do you? There's a process. A plan. And Baal HaSulam, in this Preface, wants us to see how that process reflects something much deeper about the very structure of reality.
He says, if you really reflect on the parable of building a house, you’ll see how the three stages are all interwoven – like cause and effect. What are those stages? Well, first there's the idea. The initial spark. The vision of what the house could be. That's the "first in thought." Then there's the detailed design. The blueprints. The precise measurements. And finally, there's the actual construction – the "last in deed."
But here’s the crucial point: nothing in that final act of building comes into being except through that initial thought. The blueprint, the construction – it all flows from that first idea. As Baal HaSulam puts it, the builder "will execute something at the time of construction only in accordance with the details he prearranged from the planned design.”
It sounds simple, almost obvious. But think about the implications. Baal HaSulam isn’t just talking about physical construction. He’s offering us a glimpse into the way the entire universe unfolds.
The initial thought, in a cosmic sense, is like the initial intention of the Creator. The design is the blueprint of creation. And the construction is, well, everything we see around us.
So, the next time you see a building going up, or even just plan a small project, remember Baal HaSulam's lesson. Remember the power of that initial thought, that spark of creation that sets everything else in motion. It might just change the way you see the world.