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There’s No Other Reality But G-d

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There’s No Other Reality

G-d spoke and the world came to be. If G-d would cease to continuously recreate the miracle of creation, the world would cease to be.
Related Text: Lessons in Tanya (English & Hebrew): Chapter 20
Tanya in English (1973 Edition): Chapter 20
Audio: Listen to Audio | Download this MP3
Topics: Tanya - Lekutei Amarim: Chapter 20
Tanya - Lekutei Amarim: Chapter 20
Rabbi Ben-Tzion Krasnianski is director of Chabad Lubavitch of the Upper East Side in Manhattan
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Helen California February 7, 2023

inspiring! What do you think about the non-jewish people who do believe in God. are we not connected to God at all? or Does God have multiple channels to connect with different people in different ways? I hope this question doesn't offend anybody. thank you very much! Reply

Leonard Onyebuchi Ophoke Kampala September 23, 2022

This is metaphysical, interesting and inspiring. I have learned alot. Reply

Tom Anderson December 6, 2020

This was absolutely fascinating. Reply

Carolyn Briscoe Mount Hope, Ontario August 12, 2018

"for in him we live and move and have our being"
Great teaching, thank you. You explained this so clear and simple. Reply

Susan Hirshorn Montreal and Boca Raton October 10, 2017

The mind of G-d I learned somewhere on Chabad.org (cannot remember where) that the Jewish soul was created from "the mind of G-d" not, as other earthly creatures, from "G-d's speech".
How does this relate to the Jews' existence? Are our souls not inherently a "part" of G-d and therefore share His existence? Reply

Talya September 28, 2017

I understand the concept that we cannot exist as our own entity, that we are not the one sustaining ourselves, rather that it is G-d. However, I don't understand how we are not an existence at all. In the video you mentioned that we can understand how we are not an independent entity, yet it seems like we are a dependent entity, which is what I agree with and understand. The question of 'are we a dependent entity' still exists. I understand we cannot live without G-d's life force, but can we be considered an actual existence, even though we are dependent on G-d? In your example, the flying ball is considered a dependent existence- it is its own thing but it's only a flying ball because of the energy which is making it fly. So isn't it the same with us? That we are existing (we are an existence), even though it is only because G-d's giving us life? Reply

Chabad.org Staff March 9, 2014

Re Zohar We do have some classes on the subject available on the site, do a search for 'Zohar' and check out our sister site chabad.org/kabbalah Reply

David Ephraim Pitterman Las Vegas, NV/United States March 7, 2014

Zohar It would be nice to have video Zohar classes. I even do not want to wait until I'm forty years old. These are the rules of conduct for me. I even need to take it literally, instead of with a grain of salt. Reply

Ben Tzion Krasnianski Manhattan, NY April 24, 2012

response to Geoffrey Dear Geoffrey,

Although you're right that G-d could do anything and it would seem to do more honor to G-d to say that he created something that could stand on its own two feet so to speak, yet G-d chose instead to create something that's so fragile that it can't even last a moment without G-d constantly recreating it.. The difference is that G-d's involvement now with us is personal, we are his language and he's constantly speaking and bringing us into existence.

All the best,
Ben Tzion Krasnianski Reply

Geoffrey Sydney , Aus April 16, 2012

- Am not sure I could a agree that G-d needs to keep speaking in the present so that things can continue to be created. I think that G-d just needed to speak once and once only he is G-d it does not make sense that he would need to continu keep speaking through history to transform energy into matter / atoms and engergy etc. Reply

Jurika tel aviv, il August 3, 2010

Slow down now.. I think being refered to as "nothing" is only shocking because of a romantisized idea of the Almighty, planted by those that wanted to "convince" other to accept His grace. G-d is chosen in free will by the spiritually mature and in reality needs no marketing scheme to have us do so... Sorry for your dissappointment Reply

Natana Pesya Kulakofski Worcester, MA USA August 2, 2010

To Michal G-d desired a dwelling-place in this, the lowliest of all worlds. He gets great pleasure from each and every one of our mitzvot. He loves each and every one of us like an only child born to a parent in his old age. So you see, we matter to Him very, very much. He gave us the 613 mitzvot to form a bond, a connection between Him and us. Tzav, which means connection, is the root of the word mitzvah. And because He is G-d, He can listen to all our prayers, thoughts, cries for help, etc., all at once and answer us as well. We finite, human parents get frazzled when more than one of our children talk to us at once. But not G-d. His ability to listen to us all and all at once is unique to Him because He's G-d. Reply

Ben Tzion Krasnianski New York, NY August 2, 2010

G-d loves us In response to Michs from Jerusalem:

What it really means is that things are not what they appear to be. What's something is really nothing, and what's nothing is truly something. Arrogance, ego, I, G-d despises. While humility, modesty, and a healthy sense of egolessness, G-d loves. As the Torah (Deutoronomy 7:7) states: Why did G-d fall in the love with the Jewish people? Because of our quality of self-nullification. Paradoxically, egotism leads to nihilism, while egolessness leads to a life filled with meaning, purpose, love, respect, and genuine value. Reply

Yisroel August 2, 2010

Hello everybody This was a great lecture, and in response to some of the confusion evidenced in some of the responses, I would like to point out the Rabbi's explanation. The Rabbi did not mean that we are nothing, but just compared to G-D we are so insignificant that it's as though we are nothing. We are something, and hence G-D gave us the Torah, to do or not to do. To be as great as Moshe Rebbeinu or not. And we are our own people, because G-D created us, proof can be found in the Torah. ' And G-D created man.' But just G-D is so much greater than us, that we are like nothing compared to him. And we are only because G-D creates us. But we are!!! And G-D chose to love us and be happy with the good we do. All the worlds he created for us, so that we could choose in our own voilition to do good. Yet we have the choice to do bad as well. And in this sense we are like G-D. Hence its not that we are so small, its just that G-D is so big, and not just big, but infinite. Reply

Anonymous Portugal June 8, 2019
in response to Yisroel:

this is whats at stake here, and I agree with Rabbi and Yisroel because we are truly nothing without God, we know everything about soul and our body but very few things about our spirit which I myself consider for human being to be the energy that is continually renewing us, for we can corrupt both soul and body but we cant do the same with the spirit. We can't be without him, could you guys look around you? everything only exist because God is the source, it is weird but your car is probably made of some chemicals elements(C E) gathered together, books are made of trees and trees are made of word, your house is made of bricks on the other hand those bricks of made C E coming from the ground, even our laws mostly have been based on the bible these may be weak examples on your point of view but really sense the cosmos the way you should you will certainly realize that God the Almighty is and we aren't. Reply

Michs Jerusalem, Israel August 2, 2010

G-d loves us I think that the ideas expressed in this video are essentially wrong. I believe that creation is important to G-d and that G-d love us and that He desires to have a relationship with us. It is not true to say that we are nothing. Reply

James David Trabuco Canyon, Ca/USA January 15, 2010

A Thought About Regarding Henry Regarding Henry was a movie about a man who lived an un-Holy life style until one day because of a brain injury he loses all his past experiences and memories permanently. He goes through extensive therapy and in the end a different personality emerges with a moral nature this time around. I know it's just a movie but it shows that we are not as exclusive as we'd sometimes like to think we are. We worry about death and what will happen to us when in reality the so called us that worries is just temporary maybe. Reply

Michal August 13, 2009

Never heard something like that For the very first time in my life I heard something like that!
G-d is the only thing that exists?
It does not matter to him, If I keep His commandments, it only matters for me? (because of the negative consequences)
And when we have a loving relationship, He is loving Himself? That He can do without me. And what I say is really totally unimportant? Then how could I tell others about him? In fact, He can give those others directly all the thoughts in one moment, the others, I am talking to?
And my loving Him means nothing to Him?
(Of course He does not need my love.)
Do I come into existance, when I get to Olam Haba (the World to Come)?
I hope so. If not, suicide would be the best thing to do.
Although to speak means nothing, I found it fascinating, to listen to you, Reply

Psychology of the Soul
A series of video classes that expound upon mystical themes from the classic Chassidic work of Tanya.
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