(ח) וְלָכֵן אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה, שֶׁגַּסּוּת הָרוּחַ שְׁקוּלָה כַּעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה מַמָּשׁ, כִּי עִיקַּר וְשֹׁרֶשׁ עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, הוּא מַה שֶּׁנֶּחְשָׁב לְדָבָר בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ, נִפְרָד מִקְּדוּשָּׁתוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם, וְלֹא כְּפִירָה בַּה׳ לְגַמְרֵי, כִּדְאִיתָא בַּגְּמָרָא – דְּקָרוּ לֵיהּ ״אֱלָהָא דֶאֱלָהַיָּא״, אֶלָּא, שֶׁגַּם הֵם מַחֲשִׁיבִים עַצְמָם לְיֵשׁ וְדָבָר בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ, וּבָזֶה, מַפְרִידִים אֶת עַצְמָם מִקְּדוּשָּׁתוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם בָּרוּךְ הוּא – מֵאַחַר שֶׁאֵין בְּטֵלִים לוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ, כִּי, אֵין קְדוּשָּׁה עֶלְיוֹנָה שׁוֹרָה אֶלָּא עַל מַה שֶּׁבָּטֵל לוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ כַּנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל, וְלָכֵן נִקְרָאִים ״טוּרֵי דִפְרוּדָא״ בַּזֹּהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ, וַהֲרֵי זוֹ כְּפִירָה בְּאַחְדּוּתוֹ הָאֲמִיתִּית, דְּ״כוּלָּא קַמֵּיהּ כְּלָא חֲשִׁיב״ וּבָטֵל בֶּאֱמֶת לוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ וְלִרְצוֹנוֹ, הַמְחַיֶּה אֶת כּוּלָּם וּמְהַוֶּה אוֹתָם מֵאַיִן לְיֵשׁ תָּמִיד:
(8) That is why the rabbis, of blessed memory, said that arrogance truly compares with idolatry,9 Sotah 4b. for the essence and root of idolatry is that it is regarded as a thing in itself, sundered from the holiness of the Omnipresent; it does not imply an outright denial of G–d, as is stated in the Gemara that they [the heathens] call Him “the G–d of gods,”10 Menachot 110a. thus only presuming themselves also to be entities and independent beings. But thereby they separate themselves from the Omnipresent, blessed is He, since they do not surrender themselves to Him, blessed be He. For the supernal holiness rests only on what is surrendered to Him, blessed be He, as is explained above.11 Ch. 6. Therefore they are called in the holy Zohar12 I:158a. “peaks of separation.” But this constitutes a denial of His true unity, where everything is as nothing compared with Him and truly nullified before Him, blessed be He, and before His will, which animates them all and constantly gives them existence out of nothing.