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Before the Beginning, There Was Nothing But Light, Infinite Light - Ohr Ain Sof

“When the King first desired a world, He engraved its forms in the pure Supernal Light.” (Zohar 1:15a)

The hollow engraved in the Supernal Light was the vacated space, in which all creation subsequently occurred.

This Constriction (tzimtzum) or hollowing of the Divine Essence did not occur in physical spakce, but rather, in conceptual space. It is "hollow" insofar as it contains the possibility for information, but not actual information. As such, it is the "Tohu and Bohu" (chaos and void) mentioned in the account of Creation, where the Scripture states, "the earth was chaos and void" (Bereishit 1:2). Chaos is a state where information can exist, but where it does not exist.

The hollow was made through 32 paths, since letters and digits are the basic bits of information. While random letters and numbers do not actually convey information, as long as they exist, it is also possible for information to exist. The Vacated Space is therefore the state where it is possible for information to exist, but where this possibility has not yet been realized.

These letters were subsequently combined into words, forming the Ten Utterances/Sayings of Creation. Each of these sayings brought information into the Vacated Space, through which creation could take place there.

The order was therefore first "engraving," and then "creation." The Sefer Yetzirah therefore states that the Creator "engraved...and created His universe." (Sefer Yetzirah; Bahir 2; Ramban on Bereishit 1:2)

Physical creation, as reported in the Torah, is not the beginning of the story, but the end of a process that began much earlier and which was totally spiritual at first. It is the essence of what true Kabbalah discusses at length. Kabbalah describes Creation as existing inside a Challal (hollow), a ball like structure in the "center" of the Infinite Light of Ain Sof, surrounded by Ohr Ain Sof on all sides.  The creation of the Challal was the first stage in making physical creation possible since it held back the powerful Ohr Ain Sof, which is far too spiritual to allow anything physical to exist. The next stage allowed a stream of Ohr Ain Sof, Kav Ain Sof, to enter the Challal in Divinely measured amounts, creating levels of existence on its way in. By moving towards the center of the Challal the Kav Ain Sof, in effect, was moving away from its Source, the Ohr Ain Sof beyond the Challal, allowing Creation to become increasingly more physical. Ohr Ain Sof resulted first in the Challal, then in the Kav Ain Sof, and eventually in the countless sefirot and partzufim, all just to make a world in which man could exist, exercise free will, and earn his portion in the Olam Haba (World to Come). (Rabbi Pinchas Winston, The Physics of Kabbalah, p. 3, note #10 quoting from Otzrot Chaim, p.5; and p. 17 of The Physics of Kabbalah)

In the beginning, a simple divine light filled the entirety of existence.  When there arose in His simple will the desire to create the worlds, He contracted His light, withdrawing it to the sides and leaving a void and an empty space in its center, to allow for the existence of the worlds. (However, this was not an absolute void, for there remained a residue of the divine light within the void.) He then drew a single line of His infinite light into the void to illuminate the worlds. In the teachings of Kabbalah, the act of creation is described as an act of tzimtzum—an act of contraction, concealment and withdrawal. In the beginning, the “light” of G‑d (i.e., the manifest expression of His omnipresence and omnipotence) filled the entirety of existence. A world such as ours—finite, self-defined and independent, with the capacity to turn away from and even deny its Creator—could not exist, for it would have been utterly nullified within the divine light. In order to allow for the existence of the world, G‑d “contracted” His light, creating a “void” and “empty space” within which His infinite being and power is not manifest. Into this void G‑d then allowed a single “line” (kav) of light to penetrate, through which flows a divine energy that is meted out to every level of reality in accordance with its capacity to receive it. (Chabad, Tzimtzum) 

There is a time at sunset when it is neither day or night. This twilight period of the sixth day therefore pertained neither to the six days of creation, nor to the ensuing Shabbat. Chazal teach that the following ten things were created during this twilight period preceding the Shabbat (Avot 5:4)

1. The "mouth of the earth" which swallowed Korach and his followers. (Bamidbar 16:32)
2. The "mouth" of Miriam's well. This followed the Benei Yisrael throughout their wanderings in the desert.
3. The mouth of Balaam's donkey, which was destined to speak to him at the appointed time. (Ibid. 22:28)
4. The rainbow which was seen by Noach. (Bereishit 9:13)
5. The grave of Moshe. (Devarim 34:6)
6. The Shamir. This is a worm the size of a barleycorn, which has the power to split the largest mountains. King Shlomo made use of it to cut the stones of the Holy Temple.
7. The writing [of the Ten Commandments] on the two Tablets. This writing was miraculous, since it could be read from all four sides.
8. The Tablets themselves. These were two blocks made from the substance of the sun. Their length and breadth was six handbreadths (approx. 20 inches), while their thickness was three handbreadths (approx. ten inches).
9. The staff of Moshe
10. The ram that Avraham sacrificed in place of Yitzchak.

Before creating Adam, Hashem said, "Let us make man!" (Bereishit 1:26) Just as a human head of state confers with his cabinet before passing a law, so does Hashem take action only after having taken counsel with his Ministering Angels. When Hashem said, "Let us make man!" He was addressing the Angels to solicit their opinion in the matter.

The angels split up into different factions. Some of them were in favor of the creation of man while others were opposed.

Kindness affirmed, "Let him be created for he will practice kindness."  Truth protested, "He should not be created at all, for he will be full of falsehood."

Righteousness maintained, "He should be created, for he will practice righteousness." Peace opposed, "Do not create him, since he will be full of strife!" (Bereishit Rabbah)

The Torah protested, "Master of the Universe! Why do You want to create this man? His lifespan is short; it is full of tribulations. He will certainly sin, and unless You are forbearing, it will be far better for him never to have been created at all!"

Hashem prevailed over the objections of all the angels and of the Torah and voted in favor of the creation of man. His final word was, "I am kind and long-suffering and am ready to create man despite his faults!"

Hashem described man in terms different from all previous creatures. He said, "The human being will be made in Our image after Our likeness. He will possess the intellect necessary to comprehend Creation and serve the Master of the Universe like one of the angels. His mind will distinguish him as a human being.

Man is the most significant product of creation, and it was for his sake that the universe was made. Because he is the most precious and important, man was created at the end of the last day. G-d said, "I want each of you to give him a portion of what you have. This will give Me pleasure, since man will serve Me faithfully. I will then give him My portion, which is the greatest of all, and that is his divine soul."

When a person truly repents, all the angels, stars and planets therefore ask G-d to have mercy on him. They all have a portion in man, and they love him when he is good. Only the shedim (demons) have no portion in man, so they hate and harm him.

1:27 "G-d created man in His form. In the form of G-d He created him, male and female He created them."

Man's creation demonstrates G-d's infinite wisdom (Sefer Mitzvot Gadol, Positive Commandment #2):

• G-d made him two eyes with which to see the world 
• Over them are eyelids that can be closed when he must avoid looking at something improper, such as another man's wife. The yetzer hara tempts him to sin, and the only remedy is to close his eyes. The eyelids also allow a person to sleep and rest so that he will have health and strength to keep the Torah.
• G-d also gave man two ears to hear
• and two nostrils with which he can breathe and enjoy the various fragrances in the world. 
• a mouth with with to eat, drink and speak words of Torah.
• G-d also made man thirty-two teeth with which to chew his food, grinding it so that it should be digested and not cause him harm.
• He made him a tongue to move the food through his mouth, as well as to enunciate his speech. Without a tongue, it is impossible to speak.
• He made him a gullet with which to swallow food
• a windpipe, through which he breathes air into his lungs. 
• The windpipe also contains the larynx, which produces man's voice.
• He made man a heart, which is the king over all the organs, and which is the seat of the animate soul. 
• He made him a stomach, which digests his food and prepares it so that it can be used by the body. 
• He made him a liver and gall bladder to aid his digestion. 
• He made him intestines to reject the unusable portions of his food after they have been fully digested.
• He made him two kidneys, one on the right, the other on the left, to purify his blood. It is also taught that the kidneys "give advice." (Berachot, Chapter 9) The right kidney gives good advice, while the left one gives bad advice.
• He also made him the spleen, which produces black bile. The spleen also causes a person to be happy, and makes him laugh. (Ibid.)
• He made man the bones of the spine, as well as all the bones that are doubled, and arranged them in a perfect structure.
• He then covered them with flesh to protect them. 
• He made him blood vessels to bring blood to all parts of the body.
• G-d made man muscles to hold together his bones and limbs.
• He made him joints in his spine, as well as in his fingers, toes, arms, legs, elbows, knees, ankles, soles and neck. Man can therefore bow and stretch himself, or move on his feet as he desires.
• G-d gave man skin to cover his flesh and bones, protecting his body with a beautiful covering.
• He gave him a skull, which is the king of the limbs. 
• Inside it is the brain, which is the seat of the intellect. He provided a fluid around the brain to protect it and shield it from adverse substances in the blood.
• He placed hair on his head to protect it from cold, since the skull is not covered with flesh. 
• He also gave the male a beard to provide him with a majestic appearance, and to distinguish between man and woman.
• He made man hands with which to work. With these hands he can hold a book and study Torah, and can also earn his livelihood. 
• He made him feet, the pillars of the body, with which he can walk wherever he pleases.
• He also made man a navel, through which he receives nourishment when he is in the womb.  As long as he is in the womb, the embryo is nourished by what his mother eats and drinks. He does not pass anything from his body, since this would poison his mother. When he is born, that which has been closed is opened, and that which has been opened is closed. If not for this, he could not survive for even a moment. While a person is in the womb, a lamp shines over his head, and he sees from one end of the universe to the other. As long as he lives, he will never have better times than these. He is taught all the Torah and bound with an oath, "Be righteous, do not be wicked. Even if all the world tells you that you are righteous, consider yourself wicked." With this thought, one will always be concerned and repent. Bit if a person considers himself perfect, he can become so immersed in sin that it will be virtually impossible for him to change his ways.
• G-d gave man five fingers on each hand. The first is called the godel (thumb); the second is the etzba; the third is the ammah; the fourth is the kemitzah; and the fifth, the little finger, is called zeret (pinky). (Bachya on Tzav; Shevilei Emunah 4) Each of these fingers is created to fulfill a specific function. They are just like all the other parts of the body, which serve a necessary function. No part was created in vain.  The five fingers parallel the five senses: taste, smell, touch, sight and hearing. The fingers are pointed so that if a person hears forbidden speech or vain oaths, he can place his fingers in his ears and not hear them. (Ketuvot, Chapter 1)