Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, wrestles with this very question. And in the ancient text Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah, we find a fascinating model to help us understand.
Imagine a cosmic plumbing system. Not the sexiest image, I know, but stick with me! We have a "Channel" or "Pipe," as the text calls it, that carries Divine Light. Now, this "Channel" isn't actually doing anything, per se. It's just the conduit. The real action comes from two key players: the Light, called the "Line," and what’s left over, called the "Residue."
The Light, this infinite, boundless energy, is drawn in—the Line. Think of it as pure, unadulterated goodness, a direct emanation from the Divine. It's everything, all potential, without limit. Within this Line, everything is unity, perfection, and goodness. No evil, no flaw, nothing negative at all. As Deuteronomy 32:5 puts it, "Is corruption His? No: His children’s is the blemish…!" The flaws are ours, not inherent in the source.
But here's the kicker: this Light can’t just be unleashed directly into our world. It needs to be… contained, filtered, and channeled. That's where the Residue comes in.
The Residue is the leftover. The part of the Divine Light that interacts with the world and creates limitations. It is what allows us to experience free will, choice, and, yes, even the consequences of our actions.
Now, this Residue isn’t inherently bad. It’s simply the framework within which we operate. Think of it as the clay that allows the sculptor (that's us!) to shape something beautiful. But this framework, this Residue, also contains the laws of reward and punishment. Why? Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah suggests that it's through the Residue that we can clearly see the damage caused by our flaws, by the "sins" (chet in Hebrew, meaning "missing the mark") that throw things out of balance.
It's a heavy thought. But the story doesn't end there.
The text reminds us that the Divine ultimately governs the Residue. That even within the limitations, the imperfections, and the consequences, there's a guiding hand, a promise that in the end, everything will return to goodness and perfection.
So, what does this cosmic plumbing lesson mean for us? Maybe it's a reminder that even when we're dealing with the "residue" of life—the challenges, the limitations, the consequences of our choices—we are still connected to that infinite Line of Light. And that even in the darkest corners, the Divine is working to bring about ultimate good.