The Four Elements

Every creation in the world is composed of four elements: fire, wind, water, and earth.

Each creation has slightly more of one element than another, although there is no creation that doesn't have all four powers (except for wood which is composed of all four elements equally).

Creation Process

In the process of creation through which Hashem created all beings, He first created simple matter without form, which is the Hiyuli matter.

Afterward, the Creator instilled in it four forms: the form of fire, the form of wind, the form of water, and the form of earth. However, even then they were still abstract existences that weren't tangible matter, but rather just the elements of matter from which all creations in the world were composed.

In the elements of matter, there must be a clear distinction between relative elements and absolute elements.

While science deals with elements of matter that are only relative, meaning they are elements in relation to matter actually used by humans, the absolute elements are not in the category of matter but rather are only elements of matter, even though they are called by names of materials known in nature - fire, wind, water, and earth.

Only after their mixing and combining to become actual matter do the elements become components of matter, and each one becomes part of the matter.

From the four physical elements, all physical creations were composed, and from the four spiritual elements, all spiritual creations were composed.

Elements of the Animal Soul

The four elements of the animal soul (Nefesh HaBahamis) in a person are also fire, wind, water, earth.

Fire: This element brings a person to anger and pride, and it is activated by the red bile.

Wind: This element brings a person to frivolity, mockery, boasting, and idle matters, and it is activated by the green bile.

Water: This element arouses a person to scattered thoughts, uplifted spirit, love, and vitality. It leads to pleasures, bad or good desires, jokes, and mockery. This element corresponds to white bile.

Earth: This element brings a person to sadness and laziness, and it is activated by black bile.

Order of the Elements

The four elements can be arranged in several different ways, besides the order appearing at the beginning of the Tanya (AMRE):

ARME

The simplest order for the four elements is - Fire (Aish), Wind (Ruach), Water (Mayim), Earth (Afar). This is the order of their appearance in nature, with fire being the lightest and earth being the heaviest. This order represents the elements from the perspective of vessels (keilim).

MARE

This order - Water, Fire, Wind, Earth - corresponds to their relationship with the Sefiros. This order represents the elements according to their light (ohr) and vitality.

Torah is compared to water which descends from a high place to a low place, corresponding to the right line - the line of Chassadim. Fire corresponds to the movement of Ratzo and desire to separate from the wick. Therefore, fire represents the line of Gevuros - the left line. Wind sometimes rises and sometimes descends, corresponding to the middle line - the inclusion of Chassadim and Gevuros. The element of earth corresponds to the Sefira of Malchus which comes after the completion of the three lines.

RAME

This order is intermediate between the lights and vessels, and it corresponds to the relationship between the simple elements and the Domem-Tzomeach-Chai-Medaber (inanimate-vegetative-animate-speaking).

Man is called "Ruach memallela" (speaking spirit) after the element of wind within him. The desires of the Nefesh HaBahamis (animal soul) are called fire. Water causes all types of pleasure to grow (earth is the example of inanimate matter).

In Modern Science

In modern science, the term 'element' or 'chemical element' refers to matter composed of atoms with the same number of protons. Scientists have observed and studied 118 elements so far, which has sometimes caused confusion or questions about the meaning of the four elements mentioned in Judaism.

The Rebbe addressed this question several times. The Rebbe's main explanation relies on the fact that the meaning of 'elements' in modern science is completely different from its meaning in the 'four elements.' While many think elements are the smallest materials in nature, the correct definition is that they are the foundations from which nature is composed, although these elements may be split into smaller materials. (Like saying that a watchmaker's foundation is the watch, even though the watch itself is composed of many elements).

In truth, this claim applies to modern scientific elements as well, since these elements themselves are actually composed of three different components (neutron, proton, and electron), and the difference in how they are composed creates the differences between all elements.

Based on this, the Rebbe tends to understand that the elements are as they appear simply, and one can find that everything in the universe is composed of these elements even though these elements themselves can be divided into smaller particles.

In several places, the Rebbe explained that the elements here refer to the properties that are therefore called in the Midrash "natural" - cold, heat, moisture, and dryness. However, the Rebbe rejected the interpretation that these elements refer to changes in states of matter.

In another letter, the Rebbe hints at a scientific parallel of the 4 elements in: matter and antimatter, positive and negative.