Sovev (סובב) — the Encompassing light; Sovev Kol Almin

Core definition

Sovev ("encompassing," "surrounding") denotes the Divine light that relates to the worlds in distance rather than in nearness: it encompasses creation without being internalized in it. In the Zoharic idiom sovev kol almin ("encompassing all worlds") is paired with memaleh kol almin ("filling all worlds"): memaleh is the light enclothed and graded according to each world's measure; sovev is the light that is equally above all worlds, "only in His will and knowledge," unfelt in revelation within the created beings [15911/maamar_004 :: עב׳ 184–187]. Sovev is makif — surrounding — as opposed to pnimi — inner.

How the Rebbeim develop it

The maamarim give sovev a precise cosmological job. "That the Ohr Ein Sof, the Encompasser, brings the created beings into being and gives them life... must necessarily be through the drawing of the aspect of sovev: every action must necessarily be through the drawing and revelation of the actor to act. This is the matter of the makif's illumination: that the Ohr Ein Sof encompasses the created beings only in His will and knowledge — from this they came into being, and this is their vitality. Only, in the created beings the light is not felt in revelation. But this is the aspect of a drawing from the Ohr Ein Sof" [15911/maamar_004 :: עב׳ 185–187]. Sovev's action is "transmission in distance" (hashpa'ah b'richuk) — Malchus's exaltedness, the reshimu, "sovev's equal, general providence" — as opposed to memaleh's "transmission in nearness," graded and enclothed vitality [15911/maamar_004 :: Overview].

The paradox: sovev, being in distance, seems unable to do anything particular — yet creation's coming-into-being from nothing requires incomparability, which is sovev's domain. "In truth, their coming-into-being is from the aspect of the sovev-light — only it is drawn specifically through the memaleh-light. This is the root of their coming-into-being from the Essence: through the power of the encompassing Ein Sof, which brings into being through the aspect of memaleh" [15911/maamar_004 :: עב׳ 193]. Or, in the analogue: "the coming-into-being of the vessels and the coming-into-being of the created beings is specifically from the aspect of the Ohr Ein Sof, the Encompasser. But no light is drawn to effect the action of coming-into-being except through Memaleh Kol Almin" [15911/maamar_004 :: עב׳ 209–210]. "The coming-into-being is from the aspect of memaleh, in the power of the sovev-light drawn through it" [15911/maamar_004 :: עb׳ 211].

The Etz Chaim's rule is cited: "the coming-into-being of the vessels is through the striking of makif-light upon inner light — although the root of their coming-into-being is from the makif-light, it is nevertheless specifically through inner light" [15911/maamar_004 :: עב׳ 188]. The standing parable is hylic intellect: "the hylic intellectual power" is "a hidden power, not yet grasped in the existence of a particular thing of wisdom" — "no particular becoming-wise is drawn from the hylic power alone... but specifically through there being revealed intellectual light"; likewise, sovev's action requires memaleh's mediation [15911/maamar_004 :: עב׳ 206–209]. "Even for the action of the sovev-power, there must be the aspect of transmission in nearness" [15911/maamar_004 :: עב׳ 184].

Chochmah is singled out as the one vessel that can receive sovev as inner light: it is "simple light, the one vessel that can receive sovev as inner light (Rabbi Meir's mirrors: the same sovev shining 'between the poles of the Ark')" [15911/maamar_004 :: Overview]. The intermediaries themselves "have no substance at all: the providence and vitality is from the Divine light drawn through them — from the aspect of transmission in nearness, according to the worlds' measure" [15911/maamar_004 :: עב׳ 183].

Key distinctions

Related concepts

Sources