מקומו של עולםPlace of the World

mekomo shel olamIn Gamatria ↗

He is the world's place; the world is not His place.

The sages call God "the Place" because "He is the place of the world, and the world is not His place" (Bereshit Rabbah 68). Yet the image falls short. A vessel resting on a place, or a body joined to a soul, still exists on its own. The worlds do not: He brings them into being every moment, and otherwise they would be nothing. No creature can grasp how this happens, so the sages chose "place" as a hint. Their words are like coals (Avot 2:10): blow on them and they glow, but stand back so as not to be burned.

Hover the image to look closer.Tap the image to look closer.