The concealment of light within the beam intensifies this second phase. It is here that G‑d hides His all knowingness which creates the possibility of self consciousness and free will. The yud and hei describe G‑d’s revelation of Himself to Himself. In these first two phases all has happened only in thought. Although this is the definition of secret (i.e., something known but not shared with another) it is still called revelation relative to what preceded it. An idea, previously dissolved by the Infinite, surrounding light, gets attention, boundary, and definition. All possibilities that will ever emerge into existence throughout the entire course of history, appeared within this original thought as it first arose in the mind of G‑d. Yet, at this phase, revelation is only partial. It is G‑d’s unveiling of Himself to Himself.
This long, straight letter extending from above to below marks the transition from hiddenness to revelation, from thought to speech. The numerical value of vav is six, which recalls the six days of creation which describe the evolutionary progression of form, complexity, and consciousness. As G‑d calls the universe into being with His commands of “Let there be…” the supernal vision of hei dons its first garment of expression, speech. In this stage the perfected vision must submit itself to the laws of process and causality which rule both the psychic and physical planes.
At this third stage of concealment G‑d hides His omnipotence and commits to obey the natural laws which He Himself devised to govern the world. He is not intrinsically bound by them and could override the whole system at will. Yet in a primal act of self constraint, He agrees to the same limitations that He imposes upon His creatures, and to exert His influence according to their laws.[8]
This only affects the way HaShem’s will unfolds but there is no will that can’t be satisfied. A metaphor will clarify. As man’s knowledge of the universe expands, so does his ability to manipulate nature to serve his needs. For example, when scientists learned all they could about the law of gravity, they designed an airplane that seemingly defied that very fact. The Architect knows His system inside and out—with all the subtleties, loopholes and idiosyncrasies that Nobel Prize winning physicists are just beginning to discover. He constantly) manipulates the system to serve His original intention of perfecting creation and bestowing good. Though His will is above nature and may even contradict it, yet when He imposes that will upon creation He stays within the letter of the law though it holds no real/intrinsic power over Him. Even the Red Sea was split by “a strong east wind (that blew) all that night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.”[9]
