The World of Tohu

The World of Tohu (also called Nekudim) refers to the spiritual worlds from the first Shemitah, which preceded the Shemitah containing our current system of worlds, known as the World of Tikkun.

The Sefiros of the World of Tohu were created with abundant lights but few vessels (the vessels could not contain the intensity of the light but only served as vessels for its constriction and transmission). Because of this, the Sefiros could not unite and integrate with each other, resulting in the breaking of the vessels. The vessels of the World of Tohu shattered and the lights dispersed. (This is why the World of Tikkun was created, whose purpose is "for settlement He created it" - the world was created for its settlement. In the World of Tikkun, there exists a state of lights within vessels, where the lights are clothed within the vessel, allowing the lights to unite with each other).

However, these lights fell and descended to the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah, and primarily to the lowest world, the World of Asiyah. Through man's service of Hashem, these lights are refined and elevated back to a higher place than where they were before falling in the breaking of the vessels. The Alter Rebbe provides an additional explanation that in Tohu there were no partzufim, meaning no integration of middos, and the Sefiros were not divided into specific details - rather, each Sefirah existed independently in a brief and general way.

Regarding the verse "And these are the kings who reigned before there reigned any king over the children of Israel... and he reigned and died," which describes the kings of Edom from the seed of Eisav, it is explained that these kings correspond to the seven primordial kings associated with the World of Tohu. These are the seven lower Sefiros of Tohu in which the breaking occurred, hence it says about them "and he reigned and died," as falling from one's level is called death. The World of Tohu relates to Eisav, while the World of Tikkun relates to Yaakov. Nevertheless, the root of Tohu is higher than the root of Tikkun, which is why it says "before there reigned," because the kings of Edom are, in their root, higher than the kings of Israel.

Another name for the World of Tohu is the World of Nekudim, indicating the revelation of light in an external form only, called revelation at the level of a point. This world is the intermediate world among the worlds of Akudim, Nekudim, and Berudim. Before the World of Tohu, in the World of Akudim, all the Sefiros were bound in one vessel. In the World of Tohu, which is the World of Nekudim, the Sefiros were divided into separate vessels with each Sefirah residing above and below its fellow ("one beneath the other"). In the World of Berudim, which is the World of Atzilus, the Sefiros are divided into separate vessels, but each Sefirah contains all the other Sefiros within it, due to its bitul.

The Concept

At the beginning of Parshas Bereishis, the creation of the world is described: "And the earth was tohu vavohu and darkness was upon the face of the deep." This describes its essential position in the order of worlds - the highest and most primordial. Additionally, it is brought in Torah Ohr that the root of the Nefesh Habehamis is higher than the Nefesh Elokis, as it is written "And these are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before any king reigned over Bnei Yisroel." The kings of Edom symbolize the world of Tohu (because each king ruled and died before the reign of the next king, as there was no integration and each king/middah shone with full intensity without making space for another middah, therefore there needed to be death before the reign of another middah) ruled before a king reigned over Bnei Yisroel who symbolize the world of Tikkun, the world of Atzilus. A question arises, because the Alter Rebbe explains that an angel is from the world of Tohu, and it is known that at its root, the neshamah is above the angel, which is why the angels wait to say Kedushah until Yidden say Kedushah below. The answer appears in Toras Chaim regarding the explanation of how "many waters cannot extinguish the love" even though at their root they are higher than the Jewish neshamah since it is from the world of Tikkun and they are from the world of Tohu. The answer is that the root of the hidden love within a Yid is above Tohu because it is in the Essence of Ohr Ein Sof, and therefore at the root, the love of a Yid is above the entire world of Tohu including the Tohu of the angels.

Sheviras HaKeilim (Breaking of the Vessels)

In Kabbalah as explained by Chassidus, this points to the state of the world 'before' the beginning of the 'avodah'. Generally, the world of Tohu corresponds to its name - to disorder, meaning, all the 'oros' and all the 'keilim' exist, but the problem is they are not organized. The necessary continuation, in order to fix it, follows the 'chronological' and structural order, which is: the breaking of the vessels, and beginning to reassemble the puzzle anew, but this time with more attention, with less oros and many more keilim.

In Kabbalah, the world of Tohu is associated with Eisav, who had tremendous oros but small (undeveloped) keilim, which could not contain the intensity of the oros and ultimately broke, which is why he was hairy. While the world of Tikkun is associated with Yaakov, who preferred much smaller oros, but with broader keilim that would not break again (which is why he was a smooth man, without hair).

In Kabbalah - generally the location of the worlds of Tohu - is above the world of 'Atzilus' from which and below begin the worlds of Tikkun.

Akudim of Tohu

In most places in Chassidus, the deficiency of Tohu is explained (the abundance of light compared to the scarcity of vessels) which led to "Sheviras HaKeilim" (Breaking of the Vessels). However, there are also two explanations about the elevation in this, which is why the Middos of Tohu are called "Akudim":

A. In the elevation of the worlds, when the level of Nekudim of Tohu will rise in closeness to Atzmus (like the level of Akudim), they will return to have complete inclusion due to the revelation of the Essence of Ohr Ein Sof within them.

B. The difference between Tohu and Tikkun is that in the world of Tikkun there are three lines (right, left, and center) and three levels (Chabad, Chagas, Nehi), while in the seven Middos of Tohu, all ten Sefiros are included from head to foot as one - which is similar to the world of Akudim (which has no division at all). The example for this is the emotional response of the Nefesh HaBahamis (whose root of roots is from the world of Tohu) with natural desire without knowledge, which includes everything from beginning to end as one without any division, and similarly the emotional response of the Malachim in the Merkavah (face of lion and face of ox, which are the revealed root of the Nefesh HaBahamis). However, the emotional response of the Nefesh HaElokis begins in the intellect, then extends to the heart, and from the heart to action in the order of human form. Due to the elevated root of the Nefesh HaBahamis, it has the ability to be affected by Elokus more than the Nefesh HaElokis.

Souls from the World of Tohu

The Alter Rebbe brings that there are two souls that descended from the world of Tohu (from the first Shemittah) - Chanoch and Moshe. About Chanoch it is written "And Chanoch walked with Elokim," meaning he had already walked in the previous Shemittah, and about Moshe it is written "From the water I drew him," indicating he came from the first Shemittah which is Chesed = water (as the nature of water is to descend downward and the nature of a man of Chesed is to influence those below him). Their role was to rectify the world because they come from a high place (world of Tohu) where the Bitul is greater, and they saved the world. Chanoch was before the flood when the world was in a low state, and to prevent the world from returning to Tohu and Bohu, Chanoch descended to rectify the world. Similarly, Moshe descended from Tohu to Tikkun to redeem Israel and bring them the Torah.

However, Rabbi Yaakov Kopel mentions that there are other souls that descended from the world of Tohu: "And they are written about with the word 'was' as in 'And Yosef was' and 'Moshe was' and similar to them, hinting that they were already in the previous Shemittah and descended into this Shemittah to rectify the generation in their times according to the will and thought of the Master of Will" (First Opening, Third Way, in the name of Sefer Temunah).

See Also

• Sheviras HaKeilim
• Oros B'Keilim
• 288 Nitzutzin
• 102 Nitzutzin