8. G‑d’s Dream

By now, we’ve uncovered some pretty staggering ideas:That G‑d is imagining the world.That your soul is the image of G‑d inside His imagination.That every person is a unique perspective through which G‑d experiences reality.

But if all of this is true, it raises a very real question:If I’m part of G‑d, and everything is within Him—why don’t I feel that way?And more than that: If we’re all just expressions of G‑d, how do we have free choice?

Let’s return to our metaphor. But this time, let’s deepen it.

The Difference Between Imagination and a Dream

Earlier, we spoke about imagining a beach. That was deliberate, conscious visualization—you were in control.

But now think about a dream. Not daydreaming. Actual dreaming, during sleep.

When you’re asleep, your body is lying in bed. But in your dream, another “you” is running around living a completely different reality—facing dangers, making choices, feeling joy, even fear. The “dream you” acts independently, sometimes even doing things the real you would never choose.

Like what?Maybe jumping off a cliff.Maybe confronting someone.Maybe breaking your own moral code.

The “dream you” doesn’t know it’s being dreamed. It feels like it has free will. And in a way—it does.But it’s all happening within you.

Welcome to G‑d’s Dream

Chassidus teaches that our entire universe is more like a dream than imagination.Yes, it’s in G‑d. Yes, it’s a product of His consciousness.But He has deliberately allowed the image of Himself within the dream—you—to act freely.

In mystical terms, this is called Tzimtzum—G‑d’s self-concealment.He “contracts” His revealed presence and allows space for us to feel independent, to choose freely—even to rebel.

That’s why we don’t constantly feel like we’re part of G‑d. That’s why life feels separate.That’s why the dream feels so real.

But here's the twist: we are never actually separate.Even when we go against G‑d’s will, we are still happening within Him.Even when we sin, struggle, fall apart, or feel lost—we are still characters inside His Dream.

And like a dreamer watching his own dream, G‑d feels what we feel.He lets us walk freely—not because He doesn’t care, but because He cares that much.