Specifically, let's look at a passage explained by Baal HaSulam, one of the most important commentators on the Zohar. He wrote a famous preface that is like a map to help us navigate this complex terrain.
He tackles the phrase "His life," and what it really means in relation to the Divine. It's a big question, right? Whose life are we talking about?
According to Baal HaSulam, "His life" isn’t about the essence of God, which is beyond our comprehension. Instead, it's about the light that's "enclothed" in the vessels, and that light is how we, as souls, can perceive something of the Divine. Think of it like this: the "vessels" are containers, and within them is this radiant light. He refers to these vessels as being "white" and existing within the realm of Atzilut (Emanation), the highest of the four spiritual worlds.
Now, this isn’t about understanding God directly. As Baal HaSulam emphasizes, it is not, God forbid, about grasping the Divinity in and of itself. That, he says, is the mystical meaning of "He" – something separate from "His life," something utterly beyond our reach. We aren’t talking about the Source itself, but the manifestation of the Source that we can experience.
He uses the analogy of the sun. We don't directly experience the sun's core, its raw power. Instead, we experience its light, its radiance. That light tells us the sun exists, but it's not the sun itself. This is similar to how we experience the Divine light. The light is the manifestation, the part we can grasp, hinting at the greater, incomprehensible essence of God.
So, when the three lower worlds—Beria (Creation), Yetzira (Formation), and Asiya (Action)—ascend to Atzilut, along with the souls of people, the light they receive there is considered the light of Ḥokhma (Wisdom). This light is also called the "light of vitality." In other words, it's life-giving, sustaining. From this perspective – from our limited, human perspective – we call that light "His life."
It's a subtle but crucial point. We can't know God in totality. But we can experience the Divine through this life-giving light.
Isn't it profound to consider that what we perceive as "life" is, in a way, a filtered glimpse of something infinitely grander? It makes you wonder what other layers of reality are waiting to be discovered, just beyond our current understanding. Maybe the journey of understanding is less about arriving at a complete answer, and more about appreciating the beauty of the light that guides us along the way.