The Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah, a Kabbalistic text, dives deep into this very question. It tells us that we must believe, with unwavering faith, that the Supreme Emanator—blessed be He and blessed be His Name—is One, unified in every possible way. Sounds straightforward, doesn't it? But the implications are staggering.
This oneness, the text explains, means that HE ALONE EXISTS. Not just that He's the best, or the most powerful, but that He alone possesses necessary existence. Everything else? Contingent. Dependent. Without Him, nothing.
And that, my friends, leads to another crucial point: He alone controls everything. Now, you might think this is a given. If He's the only one who truly exists, of course He's in control. But the Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah argues that it's a separate article of faith in itself. Why?
Because, imagine what the skeptics might say. Maybe, just maybe, God was alone at first. Maybe He then chose to create beings, creatures with their own wills. Perhaps, they'd argue, once He granted them free will, those independent wills could, theoretically, limit His own. In other words, if He gave us the power to choose, couldn't we choose against Him?
It's a powerful question, isn't it? One that gets to the heart of free will and divine sovereignty. It challenges us to truly grapple with the implications of God's absolute oneness. It's not just a nice idea, it’s a radical statement about the nature of reality itself. It demands we think deeply about our place in the universe and the profound mystery of the Divine.