There is another story. Once, a Chassid was sitting at a Farbrengen—a public gathering—and was being squeezed by the crowd. From all the pushing back and forth, he let out a sigh and groan as if saying, “This is way too much pushing for me.” The Rebbe, hearing his expression of exasperation, said, "When a Chassid makes a sigh because he is close to another Chassid, this means he is a Nifrad—a separate being (not one) with the rest of the Chassidim."
These two stories demonstrate the same principle from different viewpoints. The first story highlights a core idea in Chassidus. If you see yourself as very important and let your ego take over, you will definitely hinder others; they will react, and ultimately, it will hurt you. If you practice humility and “being humble before everyone” (Pirkei Avot), you create space for others to breathe. You will not only avoid feeling challenged by others, but you will also benefit from their presence.
"Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor" (Ecclesiastes 4:9). Recognizing the importance of others around you highlights a spiritual and practical truth about cooperation and mutual support in all areas of life, including spiritual growth and worldly affairs. When two people work together—whether in study, prayer, or any good deed—they create a higher level of energy and success than each could achieve alone.
The second story is quite similar. The Chassid had such an inflated sense of himself and his boundaries that any push or challenge to his body felt very frustrating and personal. It was very clear from his reaction that he couldn't accept challenges to “his” space and was unable to “share” his space. He couldn't accept that there was room for someone else with “him.”
There is an expression in the Talmud that God says regarding an arrogant person, "I and that individual cannot dwell together." A person who believes they are the main reason for their success and takes all the credit for themselves, excluding everyone else from their achievements, God says, “I respect this person's mentality and perspective," because it’s all about him. This attitude is why God says he is chased away from that person.
There is a principle in Kabbalah. The highest quality to attract Godliness is the virtue of Bittul, self-nullification. In Chassidus, the Hebrew term "bittul" (ביטול) is often translated as "self-nullification," "self-transcendence," or "self-effacement." It describes the spiritual idea of nullifying or reducing the ego and personal will to become fully connected and unified with God.
"Bittul" in Chassidus means going beyond and setting aside one's limited sense of self, desires, and ego to reveal and align with the divine essence within. It involves humility and the recognition that one's true existence depends entirely on God, leading to a state where the individual "disappears," so that only God's will and presence shine through.
This idea is fundamental in Chassidic thought as a way to attain spiritual growth and connection with God. It is often seen as the highest form of spiritual surrender and unity with the divine, and thus the method to attract blessings from God.
Now we observe these exact principles in quantum mechanics. The precise and correct balance of the two states is crucial to building and sustaining the world we live in.
Quantum Mechanics shows us that certain energy particles cannot coexist in the same space. In contrast, other particles or forms of energy are structured differently, allowing two to occupy the same space.
Once, Chassidim were inspiring each other at a Farbrengen—Chassidic gathering. When they were all spiritually uplifted, they walked home singing quite loudly, which was a big no-no in those days and in that Russian environment. The Russian officers, hearing the commotion, asked, “Who goes there?” and the Chassidim answered, “Bittul goes here” (no one of importance, only an expression of Godly energy goes here). Surprisingly, the Russian officers let them go on their way.
The Pauli exclusion principle is a rule in physics and chemistry stating that two electrons cannot occupy the same state or position with the same spin at the same time. Only two electrons can share an orbital, and they must have opposite spins (one spin up, one spin down) to follow this rule. This principle explains many properties of atoms, such as why electrons fill different orbitals and why the periodic table has its structure. The Pauli exclusion principle means each electron has a unique "address" within an atom, so no two electrons can be identical in their quantum state. This principle applies to fermions (such as electrons, protons, and neutrons) and does not apply to bosons, which are a different type of particle.
Fermions build matter: all matter—atoms, molecules, and thus everything solid—is made of fermions. Their property of never sharing the same quantum state (thanks to the Pauli exclusion principle) is what gives atoms their structure and makes the world solid. Without fermions, the universe would lack all the diversity of matter forms—including life itself.
Bosons, on the other hand, can share the same quantum state. Bosons include particles like photons (light particles), gluons, and helium-4 atoms. This means any number of bosons can occupy the same space and state at the same time. Many photons (bosons) can form a beam of light, all in the same state, but no two electrons (fermions) in an atom can share the same energy and position.
Bosons carry forces and enable cooperation. They are responsible for all interactions and forces, such as light, magnetism, and the weak and strong nuclear forces, and can occupy the same state at once. This property also leads to phenomena like lasers and superfluidity. Bosons can all exist in the same quantum state, allowing for unique states of matter like Bose-Einstein condensates, and sometimes providing a thermodynamic performance advantage in particular quantum engine or battery setups.
In certain situations, bosons exhibit “enhanced performance”—for example, in quantum engines or information processing—because they can all occupy the same energy state, while fermions are more restricted by the exclusion principle.
However, without fermions, the physical universe with structure (atoms, molecules) would be impossible—bosons alone cannot make matter as we know it. God designed a physical world that deceives us into thinking that what we see is the only real thing, and many times, the fact that we have no room for others is a limitation.
So, while bosons can exhibit enhanced performance due to their unique characteristics and can share space, fermions are necessary to build the solid world that God intentionally wanted to create.
In the Holy of Holies, the holiest piece of furniture can be measured and yet takes up no space. This is the goal: to know we are somebody that God relies on to fulfill the creation, and yet to live with the awareness that “there is nothing else but HIM.” And “it is HE who gives me the strength to be successful.”