Episode 543- 28 Iyar (Regular Year) - Who Are Your Parents, Really?

In this episode of the It Is Taught Tanya Podcast, host Sarit Switzer explores a profound spiritual concept from Chapter 52 of The Tanya: the descent of God's Shekhinah—His divine presence and sovereignty—through the four spiritual worlds, from Atzilus to Asiyah. Drawing on a personal anecdote about her young nephew struggling to grasp familial relationships, Switzer illustrates how children perceive caregivers as solely existing in relation to them, much like how finite beings perceive God only through the lens of His kingship (Malchus) in their respective worlds. She explains that Malchus of Atzilus—the lowest level of the highest world—is the revelation of God’s infinite light and is synonymous with the Shekhinah, also known as Dvar Hashem (the Word of God) or Ruach Piv (Spirit of God’s Mouth). This divine expression descends into the 'Chamber of the Holy of Holies' (Heichal Kodesh Kedoshim) of the world of Bria, which corresponds to the intellectual attributes of Chochmah, Bina, and Daat. From there, it manifests as Malchus of Bria, the source of the Talmud and its intellectual pursuit of halachic reasoning. In contrast, the actual halachic laws themselves originate from the emotive attributes (midot) of God, such as kindness, severity, and mercy. The episode sets the stage for the next day’s discussion on how this divine chain continues into the worlds of Yetsirah and Asiyah. The overall tone is reflective, accessible, and deeply insightful, blending personal narrative with complex Kabbalistic concepts.