Godliness - elokus
Godliness is the revelation of the Holy One, blessed be He, to the worlds and their creations. "Revelation of Godliness" - this is the definition used in Chassidic teachings to express how the Holy One, blessed be He, reveals Himself in the world in a way that created beings can sense and feel.
Godliness relative to the worlds and Godliness beyond the worlds[edit | edit source]
It is written: "You existed before the world was created - You exist since the world was created." The creation of the world caused no change in the Blessed G-d, as He transcends all worldly concepts and existence.
To create the worlds, G-d constricted His infinite great light through multiple contractions, to a limited power from which a world bound by natural law could emerge. A world limited in its ability to comprehend Godliness. This constrained revelation is called 'Godliness relative to the worlds', a level of Godliness that the world can contain. When a person comprehends that G-d is the Creator and Director of the world ('Master of the world' - Leader of the world), they grasp the level of Godliness relative to the world.
When a person comprehends that the world has no true existence - "there is nothing else" - they grasp the level of Godliness beyond the worlds (the aspect of 'wonder' that transcends understanding). Through the Jewish people's service in fulfilling Torah and mitzvot, the level of Godliness beyond the worlds - G-d's infinite power - is revealed in the world. This is also the reason for the supernatural wonders that will occur during the Redemption, as well as the unlimited knowledge of Godliness that will exist then, when "everyone will know Me."
In Kabbalah, the level of Godliness relative to the world belongs to the six emotional attributes from Chesed to Yesod ("six days G-d made heaven and earth" - the six attributes through which the world was created and is directed). The level of Godliness beyond the worlds belongs to the three intellectual attributes: Chochma, Bina and Daat (Torah wisdom that transcends the world). More broadly, the ten Sefirot (including the three intellectual attributes) belong to the order of world evolution and are called the aspect of 'ten'. In contrast, the aspect of Keter - extends to The Essence of Godliness - which transcends world evolution, is called the aspect of 'eleven'.
These two levels also relate to the concept of revealed good (Godliness relative to the world) and concealed good (Godliness beyond the world).
In Jewish Souls[edit | edit source]
Since a Jew recognizes Godliness and senses that which is supernatural - therefore they cannot be disconnected from Godliness.
In Torah and Mitzvot[edit | edit source]
The Godly aspect in Torah and mitzvot is the recognition and feeling that the Torah is not ordinary wisdom and the mitzvot are not ordinary laws, but rather they contain G-d's will and wisdom. This was what the Greeks fought against - "to make them forget Your Torah and transgress the decrees of Your will" and as stated (Genesis Rabba chapter 16) "Write... that you have no portion in the G-d of Israel." The entire war was against Godliness - let them study Torah, let them fulfill the rational and testimonial commandments, just don't mention that it is G-d's Torah and that the mitzvot are the decrees of His blessed will, don't mention the aspect of Godliness in Torah and mitzvot.