Sefer Etz Chaim and Tanya

Both texts accept tzimtzum as mechanism for creating limited, differentiated existence (Etz Chaim: קצבה ומדה; Tanya: צמצומים). However, they emphasize different aspects of divine relation post-tzimtzum. Etz Chaim emphasizes the maintaining function of the thin line (קו דק) carrying divine light precisely measured to each sefira while the transcendent Ein Sof remains separate (סובב ורחוק). Tanya explicitly contrasts two modes: memale kol almin (immanent filling achieved through tzimtzum cascade) versus sovev kol almin (transcendent surrounding), presenting them as distinct divine operations. Etz Chaim's framework treats sovev as background condition (הא"ס סובב ומקיף), while Tanya's framework treats them as two active, complementary modalities that emerge from tzimtzum.