571. He Is One and His Name, One

We should discern between He and His name: “He” refers to the Creator. “His name” pertains to the created beings, for “His name” pertains specifically to the other one. With respect to Himself, there is no question of “His name.” But when another speaks in the name of Reuben, by the word “Reuben,” is he referring to Reuben himself, meaning that his name points to him.

It therefore follows that when we say that He is called “desire to bestow,” His name is called when He is revealed to the other one. This means that the other one attains the good by Him filling him with abundance, and he has no lack so he can say that there is another guidance in this place, but rather that everything is good and does good.

According to the above, we should interpret the words of Pirkei de Rabbi Eliezer, “Before the world was created there was He is one and His name, One.” “One” refers to one intention: to do good to His creations. The created being is the place of lack. If that place is filled with abundance, we see that His name is called “The Good Who Does Good,” meaning that His desire to do good is revealed in this place.

It follows that the desire, when to do good is only in Him, His goodness is still not revealed to the created beings. And when the creatures, too, attain His goodness and have no place of lack, it is considered that they attain His name, which is “to do good.”

But while there is still room for a lack, they feel about this place that His desire to do good is still not revealed. It follows that he still cannot say that He wants to do good, as it is with the Creator (since the lower ones are unfit to receive His goodness).

Hence, there is a difference between Him, whose desire is to do good, and the created beings, who have still not been rewarded with seeing His goodness to the extent that it is in the Creator, meaning the full measure with which He wants to delight them. Therefore, He and His name are not one.

This is the meaning of “Before the world was created,” meaning before the concealment and hiding were made, which is the Tzimtzum [restriction], when the upper light filled the whole of reality and did not leave any aspect of pleasure unrevealed in that place called Malchut de Ein Sof [Malchut of infinity].

But after the Tzimtzum, when the light returned and did not shine in the quality of Malchut, leaving a place where the above-mentioned benefit was not revealed, meaning to the extent that she was revealed in the world of Ein Sof, it was impossible to say “One,” who is to do good, since in this place there is a difference between “He,” whose desire is to do good, and “His name,” the place where the benefit should be, while the benefit is still not disclosed as the Emanator would like.

At the end of correction, it will be “He is one and His name, One,” since then the creatures will be worthy of receiving all the abundance that He had contemplated in their favor. Naturally, it will be one, meaning one quality—only to do good. But before the correction, there is still room where it is not one, but rather in this place there is a lack.