Editing The Name of Havaya (section)

==== The Meaning of Its Letters ====
The literal meaning of the name Havaya is the language of continuous creation, where "hayah" (was) serves as a language of continuous action—as in the verse "thus did Job all the days<ref>Job 1:5</ref><ref>Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah - Chapter 4</ref>." The four letters of the name Havaya are four stages of creation from nothing to something, from the infinite to limited reality. The shape of the letter Yud is like a point, and therefore it indicates contraction. The shape of the letter Hey is a form of expansion in three dimensions—length, width, and depth<ref>The right leg of the letter Hei corresponds to the expansion in length. The roof of the letter corresponds to the expansion in width. The left leg - which is disconnected from the roof, and its shape is like a point - corresponds to the expansion in depth (the shape of the point indicates a line extending into the parchment, when viewed from above). For an example and explanation about the nature of length, width, and depth in the intellectual faculties of the soul, see the beginning of Shaar HaYichud by the Mitteler Rebbe.</ref>. The shape of the letter Vav is a descending line and alludes to the drawing down of light from above to below.

The four stages of creation are: contraction, expansion, extension, and expansion.

'''Yud - Contraction''' Every creation of something from nothing must begin with the contraction of the infinite nothingness that precedes the reality being created. From the infinite that precedes reality, only a point remains, and it is the beginning of revelation in the created world. Since this point of beginning is a revelation of what the world and the emerging reality cannot contain—the infinite that preceded it—also from the world's perspective, this beginning is only a point, and this revelation is beyond the comprehension and grasp of created beings.

'''Upper Hey - Expansion''' After the appearance of light in the world and its initial revelation as a point, there is an additional stage and further descent in the value and essence of the light. At this stage, the light is contracted so that created beings can grasp and contain it, and consequently, the light begins to materialize and become part of the existence belonging to that world (as opposed to the point stage, which is a stage of nothingness). This stage is called "the beginning of existence" of that world. The expansion of light in the world is mainly expressed in the beginning of the adaptation of light to the reality of created beings.

'''Vav - Extension''' At this stage, the light is drawn down and becomes part of the reality of created beings. The divine light is what gives life and creates every detail and matter in the created reality, and this stage is the stage in which this vitality is divided into every detail according to its needs and its special essence. At this stage, there are six general types of extension, corresponding to the numerical value of the letter Vav.

'''Lower Hey - Expansion''' This stage comes after the stage in which each particular created being receives its special extension, and at this stage, the light creates the reality of the created being itself. This stage is the stage in which created beings become entities with their own reality and existence, as if they are not created from the light but only illuminated by it. The expansion of light in the world is mainly expressed in the adaptation of light and its descent to the point of creating the reality of independent created beings.