And it leads us to a fascinating concept in Jewish mystical thought: the idea that everything – absolutely everything – was once contained within the very essence of the Divine. Before creation, there was only Eyn Sof, blessed be He – the Infinite, the Boundless. The Eyn Sof, by definition, includes everything. So, logically, whatever exists now must have been present, in some form, within that original, all-encompassing Light.
But then, something seemingly impossible happened: a withdrawal, a contraction. This is the concept of Tzimtzum (צמצום), a core idea in Lurianic Kabbalah – the teaching of Rabbi Isaac Luria, known as the ARI (אֲרִי). The Eyn Sof, in a sense, created a space for creation by withdrawing inward. This withdrawal left behind a Reshimu (רְשִׁימוּ) – a residue, an imprint.
Now, this is where it gets really interesting.
The Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah, a Kabbalistic text, makes a powerful claim: everything destined to exist was originally included in the Light that departed. What does that mean? It means that the Reshimu wasn’t just some vague outline of the universe to come. It wasn't enough for the Reshimu to be merely the root of general categories, which afterwards divide into their particulars. No, according to this text, every single detail of the lower worlds and beings must be rooted in the Reshimu.
Why is this so important? Because if something wasn't rooted there, it simply couldn't come into being afterward. Think of it like a seed. A seed contains the potential for the entire tree – the leaves, the branches, the roots. If that potential isn't in the seed, the tree can never grow.
The Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah argues that no detail that is not included in the All-Powerful could possibly exist. The Reshimu is the revelation of everything that was included in the All-Powerful as the root of the lower realms and creatures. If so, it must be that all the details were also included in the Reshimu. It’s a complete and total inclusion.
This concept challenges us. It means that everything – from the grandest galaxy to the smallest atom, from the most profound love to the most fleeting moment of sadness – was somehow present in that initial contraction, in that divine residue. It's a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all things and the profound depth of the Divine plan.
So, what does this mean for us? Perhaps it suggests that within each of us, too, lies a Reshimu, a spark of that original Light, containing the potential for everything we are meant to become. It's a comforting and awe-inspiring thought, isn't it? That we are, in a way, all part of the original plan, all connected to that Infinite Source.