Baal HaSulam, Shamati #3, “The Matter of Spiritual Attainment”:

Hence, with respect to spiritual attainment, reality in general is divided into three discernments:

1. Atzmuto [His Self]
2. Ein Sof [infinity]
3. The Souls

1) We do not speak of Atzmuto at all since the root and the place of the creatures begin in the thought of creation, where they are incorporated in the manner, “The end of an act is in the preliminary thought.”

The essence of the Creator is the most unknown, the most elusive substance from us. We don’t speak about it because we cannot attain it.

To the extent that we change, we can speak about the Creator and about His impact on us, as a result of our changes. Therefore, we determine that the result of an action is inherent in its original plan: “By Your actions we know You.” We always call the Creator according to the action that He performs on us, and this relates to His essence.

But we do not comprehend His essence just as we don’t comprehend the force of gravity, for example. We all experience it, we can measure it, we are inside it, and we work with it, but we don’t understand the essence of the force of gravity. Why does a certain body draw other bodies toward it? What is the essence of this phenomenon?

In the same way, there is a Creator whom we can somehow feel but not comprehend. It is said that the essence of the Creator is absolutely hidden from us.
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From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah,” 12/8/19

Related Material:
Why Can’t We Sense The Essence Of The Creator?
What Is Atzmuto?
How Many Names Does The Creator Have?

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