Jewish mysticism has a fascinating way of describing this feeling, using the concept of chalal (חלל). That Hebrew word literally means "hollow" or "empty," and in the Kabbalah, it’s used to describe a very specific place, a kind of cosmic container.
This idea comes from the text Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah, which delves into the deeper mysteries of creation. It speaks of this chalal as being empty in the sense that its very essence is to hold others. Think of it like an empty room, waiting to be filled with furniture, with life, with stories. It exists to be populated, to be built upon.
The text connects this "hollow" to Malchut (מלכות), the final Sefirah, or divine emanation, on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. Malchut is often associated with the Shekhinah, the divine feminine presence, and its role is to enable worlds to exist and to be dependent upon it, like branches on a tree. So, metaphorically, Malchut has this "container," this space to hold everything.
Now, here's where it gets interesting. As long as only this level of Malchut existed, and the worlds were not yet created, that container was considered "hollow" and "empty." It was potential, waiting to be realized. It needed something to fill it, to give it substance.
But once the worlds came into existence, once creation unfolded and became dependent upon Malchut, then its hollow was filled. The potential was actualized. The emptiness transformed into fullness.
Isn't that a powerful image? It makes you wonder about the "hollow" spaces in our own lives. The times when we feel empty, like we're waiting for something to fill us up. Maybe that's precisely the point. Maybe that emptiness is not a void to be feared, but a container waiting to be filled with purpose, with meaning, with connection. Maybe it's the very space that allows us, and the world around us, to flourish.