You grasp for words, knowing they’ll always fall short.

And that, in a nutshell, is a tiny piece of the challenge we face when we talk about the Divine.

Because here's the thing: we use words, concepts, and even emotions to understand God. We talk about God's love, God's justice, God's wisdom. But what happens when we start to think those words actually define God? That’s where things get tricky.

Baal HaSulam, in his Preface to the Zohar, pulls no punches on this topic. He warns us, in no uncertain terms: "Woe is he who ascribes to Him any attribute."

Think about that for a moment. “Woe.” Strong word. It's not just a gentle suggestion, is it? He's saying it's dangerous territory to start slapping labels on the Infinite. And he's not just talking about physical attributes, like saying God has a beard (though, of course, that's included!). He's talking about even the most spiritual attributes, those through which God “appears to the souls.”

Why is this such a big deal? Because, according to Baal HaSulam, those attributes are just how God appears to us. They're like filters, or lenses, through which we perceive the Divine. They’re not actually God Himself.

It's like looking at the ocean. We see its vastness, its power, its beauty. But the ocean is so much more than just those qualities. Our perception, our limited human understanding, can only grasp a tiny fraction of its reality.

And if that's true for the ocean, imagine how much more true it is for God!

Baal HaSulam goes on to emphasize how much more careful we must be regarding corporeal, physical attributes. As it says in Job (4:19), we’re creatures “whose origin is dust, and who are fleeting and transitory." Think about it: we're beings made of earth, here for a blink of an eye. How can we possibly use our limited, temporary understanding to define something eternal and boundless?

So, what are we supposed to do? Are we just supposed to stop talking about God altogether?

Not necessarily. The key, perhaps, is to remember that our words are just pointers. They're invitations to a deeper experience, not definitions. They're ways of relating to the Divine, not ways of containing it.

Think of it like this: we can talk about the taste of chocolate all day long, but until you actually put a piece of chocolate in your mouth, you won't truly understand. And even then, your experience will be unique to you.

So, let's keep talking, keep exploring, keep wrestling with these big questions. But let's also remember the wisdom of Baal HaSulam: be careful not to mistake the map for the territory. The attributes for the Source. Let's always hold space for the mystery, the wonder, and the sheer, breathtaking incomprehensibility of the Divine.