What does it mean to think deeply about Atzmus [the Creator’s intimacy with Himself]?
It means thinking about the fact that the Creator is not limited by any side.
He is not limited by being infinite or finite, distant or close, hidden or revealed.
What metaphor does the Alter Rebbe give for this intimacy?
On a lower level, the Alter Rebbe gives us a metaphor for this intimacy: awe and love united like inseparable friends.
They remain different while becoming deeply united.
The same idea can help us think about the future of the physical world.
When all nations are united like inseparable friends, while still keeping their own personalities and differences, the physical world itself can point to this level of Atzmus.
That kind of unity is meaningful for the Creator because it expresses His desire for intimacy within the physical world.
But at a higher level, even this metaphor is too limited. Atzmus Himself is beyond every description. No words can explain what that Oneness is really like.
That means belief in a Creator should always leave room for wonder. No matter how deeply you understand Him, there is always infinitely more beyond what your mind can describe.
Why can a mitzvah matter so deeply?
This is why a mitzvah [one of His instructions, six were given to Adam, a seventh to Noah, and 613 to the Jewish people through Moses, according to Jewish tradition passed down through the generations] can matter so deeply.
A mitzvah is one of the Creator’s instructions for how a human being can unite with Him.
Your body comes from dust. Your soul is an expression of His light, and it allows you to feel awe and love toward Him.
The Creator desires the lowest world, the world of physical dust, to become part of His unity through intimacy with Him, and the soul helps make that possible.
Through a physical mitzvah, the body and soul unite with each other while also becoming connected with the Creator.
A simple thought to have during a mitzvah is:
“Through this physical action, I am becoming united with the Creator Himself, beyond every description.”
For that intention to feel meaningful, you also have to trust that He is good.
Awe lets you feel that the Creator is here. Trust in His goodness allows love to grow. Then the mitzvah is not only an instruction you follow. It becomes an act of intimacy with the Creator you trust and love.
The mitzvah gives that intimacy a boundary and a form.
The body remains physical. The soul remains spiritual. You remain a human personality.
But through following His instruction, these different sides can work together and become deeply united with Him.
Because the Creator is not limited by being infinite or finite, He can choose that an ordinary physical action becomes a real point of intimacy with Him.
The boundaries of the mitzvah allow that ordinary action to express a Oneness deeper than words can describe.
What do emotional skills have to do with spirituality?
This also changes how Torah and mitzvos [His instructions] can feel.
Spirituality is meant to become a life of intimacy with the Creator, not an attempt to escape physical life.
Practically, that means always working on your personality through emotional skills so you can build deeper relationships, accept more responsibility, and become a better expression of what the Creator wants from you.
What can pull you into low self-esteem loops?
Without that understanding, physical things can start to feel more real than the relationship.
Money, comfort, attention, success, food, relationships, or how other people see you can become what decides whether you feel valuable, excited, worried, happy, or sad.
That can pull you into low self-esteem loops.
For part of the day, you may feel awe and love and remember that your life has a deeper purpose.
Then rejection, comparison, or a mistake can pull you back into asking:
What does this say about me?
Life starts becoming about protecting or rebuilding an image of yourself.
Why do you have to keep thinking deeply about Atzmus?
This is why you have to keep thinking deeply about Atzmus and what intimacy with the Creator means.
It reminds you that your purpose is not to keep proving your value.
It is to live in relationship with the Creator.
Instead of staying trapped in:
“What does this say about me?”
you can return to:
What does the relationship ask from me now?
Maybe that means repairing a mistake, accepting responsibility, setting a healthy boundary, showing compassion, studying Torah, or doing a mitzvah.
That shifts your attention from protecting your image back to your purpose.
How can Torah stay fresh?
This can also help Torah stay fresh.
Not because the action changed.
Because you remember who you are relating to through it.
The goal is not to feel awe and love only during one spiritual part of the day.
You want those feelings to keep shaping the rest of your life.
Spending time thinking about Atzmus, the Creator’s desire for intimacy, and the Oneness expressed through mitzvos can help keep your life centered on relationship instead of self-image.
And even the deepest unity of awe and love is still only a metaphor.
Atzmus Himself is beyond what words can describe.
Based on this edited talk of the Rebbe: Tziyon BiMishpat 5736.
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Related guides:
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How to transform guilt and worry about the past int love?
For more: Nextself.ai/blog
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“To feel awe and love consistently, you have to keep thinking about Atzmus and what intimacy with the Creator means.”
Explore the NextSelf Blog. Start with this post explaining the world of souls. And my Youtube. Content is published to this facebook first and a few days later, to the blog.
The blog lists all the difference patterns to study, understanding patterns is how one can develop 'Daas' [felt knowing].
Update: As awe, trust, and love deepen, they can allow greater openness and intimacy with the Creator. That intimacy can include sadness when you notice how much more of His goodness can be revealed.