The Breaking of the Vessels

Rav Pinchos explained that at the time of creation, Hashem's light flowed from the spiritual realm down to the physical world through a series of vessels. The vessels could not contain the Divine light, and they broke. This is called sheviras hakeilim, the breaking of the vessels. He gave an analogy: a man who is deeply troubled and depressed suddenly receives wonderful news that ends his troubles. Instead of jumping for joy, he breaks down and cries. The bright light of the good news was too much for him. In the same way, the vessels broke because they could not contain the brilliance of the Divine light.