Tzimtzum: making room for the world

Before creation, the Arizal teaches, Hashem's infinite light filled all of existence and there was no 'space' for a world. Hashem withdrew and concealed His light, leaving an apparently empty space, and into it drew a single thin line of light from which all the worlds unfold. Chassidus applies this to everyday life: true giving often means holding oneself back to make room for someone else to grow.