Nefesh HaChayim and Tanya

Both texts accept tzimtzum and concealment of divine light. Text 1 (Nefesh HaChaim) emphasizes that after tzimtzum, divine revelation is NOT uniform across all realms (לא יצדק בו מעלה ומטה) but rather differentiated through a 'line' of light (קו) that illuminates specific sefirotic levels with varying intensity. Text 2 (Tanya) emphasizes the mechanism: through multiple successive tzimtzumim descending level-by-level, divine vitality becomes progressively attenuated until it can clothe even inanimate matter. Text 1 stresses the non-uniform distribution of illumination post-tzimtzum, while Text 2 emphasizes the gradual attenuation process enabling concealment. These are compatible but differently oriented interpretations of how tzimtzum operates.