What are these things? Think of it this way: the Residue is the foundation of our physical being. It's the stuff that makes up our bodies, the earthly, material aspect of existence. The Unlimited, on the other hand, is the root of the soul – that spark of the divine within us, the connection to something far greater. This concept comes to us from the Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah, an important Kabbalistic text.
The text goes on to explain something crucial: the Unlimited is self-governing. It exists independently, needing nothing else to define or control it. The Residue, however, isn't so autonomous. Its movement, its very existence, is guided through the Unlimited.
It's a bit like saying the body can't function without the soul. The body needs the soul to animate it, to give it purpose and direction.
The Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah puts it this way: "...without the Unlimited Himself governing it." In other words, while the Residue contains all the rules and principles that govern the lower realms – that's the world we experience every day – the source of those rules isn't found within the Residue itself. It originates in the Unlimited.
Think of it like this: the Residue is like an axe. It’s a powerful tool, capable of great things. But an axe is useless without someone to wield it. That "someone," in this analogy, is the Unlimited. Everything within the Residue, every action, every reaction, is ultimately under His control, just like an axe in the hand of the hewer. God's control.
So, what does this all mean for us? It suggests that while we are physical beings, rooted in the material world, our true potential, our true purpose, lies in connecting to that Unlimited source. It's about recognizing that there's something bigger at play, something beyond the everyday, and striving to align ourselves with it.