Nefesh HaChayim and Tanya

Both texts affirm divine omnipresence and transcendence (Nefesh HaChaim: 'He is the place of all places'; Tanya: 'memale kol almin'—filling all worlds). However, they emphasize different theological implications. Nefesh HaChaim stresses radical non-existence of creation from God's perspective ('as if they do not exist at all'), emphasizing transcendence and the illusory status of creation. Tanya emphasizes the mechanism of immanence through tzimtzum—how divine vitality progressively descends via multiple contractions to inhabit even inanimate matter, focusing on memaleh (filling) rather than sovereignty. Nefesh HaChaim downplays the reality of created worlds; Tanya explains how divine life actually penetrates them.