What is tzimtzum energy and how to recognise it?
Jun 11, 2024 12:59:50 GMT
Post by Stella on Jun 11, 2024 12:59:50 GMT
The tzimtzum is a concept which originated in the Lurianic Kaballah to explain Isaac Luria's doctrine that God began the practice of Creation by 'contracting' his Ohr Ein Sof (infinite light). This was to create a conceptual space in which finite and seemingly independent realms could exist. Isaac Luria is short for Isaac Ben Solomon Luria Ashkenazi (1534-1572), also known as Ha'ari, Ha'ari Hakadosh or Arizal, was considered a leading rabbi and Jewish mystic in the community of Saled in the Galilee region of Ottoman Syria, now Israel. His teachings are known as Lurianic Kaballah.
Now that I've given you the source let's go through step by step to unpack the tzimtzum so we can understand what tzimtzum energy is.
What is the tzimtzum?
The tzimtzum is essentially a paradox. In eastern cosmology and thinking this is known as duality, but in the Kaballah and Jewish mysticism tzimtzum always refers to a paradox. More specifically the tzimtzum refers to the paradox created by the simultaneous presence or existence of divinity or divine presence and also its absence within the vacuum and resultant Creation. There are various different approaches how to resolve this paradox in the Kaballah and also various definitions of what the tzimtzum actually is.
The tzimtzum is the 'empty space' in which the spiritual world, the physical world and free will can all exist. Here it's important that Jahweh or God is also known as Ha-Makom ('the Place' or 'the Omnipresent') as explained in rabbinic literature as 'He is the Place in the world, but the world is not his Place'. This is essentially the paradox.
Related to the tzimtzum is 'olam' which is Hebrew for world/realm is derived from the root of a word which means 'concealment'. Olam is complimentary to tzimtzum in that the spiritual realms and the ultimate physical universe conceal to different degrees the infinite spiritual life force of creation. You see before God or Jahweh created heaven and Earth and the universe there was only the infinite light. Space was necessary to create everything, and out of this space came darkness and shadow and therefore you have light and dark, physical existence and meta-physical existence, and this paradox of equal but opposing dualities is the tzimtzum. To varying degrees God or Jahweh is concealed or hidden within both the material and spiritual realms of existence.
The inherent paradox
If God was truly omnipresent then the presence of God would overwhelm everything and everything would be God. Space is necessary for anything and everything to exist. The existence of God requires that both God be transcendent and immanent. If the 'Infinite' did not restrict itself, then nothing would exist. Everything would be overwhelmed by God's totality. In this way existence requires God's transcendence. But on the other hand God continuously maintains the existence of the universe and is not absent from the created universe.
Continue reading
Now that I've given you the source let's go through step by step to unpack the tzimtzum so we can understand what tzimtzum energy is.
What is the tzimtzum?
The tzimtzum is essentially a paradox. In eastern cosmology and thinking this is known as duality, but in the Kaballah and Jewish mysticism tzimtzum always refers to a paradox. More specifically the tzimtzum refers to the paradox created by the simultaneous presence or existence of divinity or divine presence and also its absence within the vacuum and resultant Creation. There are various different approaches how to resolve this paradox in the Kaballah and also various definitions of what the tzimtzum actually is.
The tzimtzum is the 'empty space' in which the spiritual world, the physical world and free will can all exist. Here it's important that Jahweh or God is also known as Ha-Makom ('the Place' or 'the Omnipresent') as explained in rabbinic literature as 'He is the Place in the world, but the world is not his Place'. This is essentially the paradox.
Related to the tzimtzum is 'olam' which is Hebrew for world/realm is derived from the root of a word which means 'concealment'. Olam is complimentary to tzimtzum in that the spiritual realms and the ultimate physical universe conceal to different degrees the infinite spiritual life force of creation. You see before God or Jahweh created heaven and Earth and the universe there was only the infinite light. Space was necessary to create everything, and out of this space came darkness and shadow and therefore you have light and dark, physical existence and meta-physical existence, and this paradox of equal but opposing dualities is the tzimtzum. To varying degrees God or Jahweh is concealed or hidden within both the material and spiritual realms of existence.
The inherent paradox
If God was truly omnipresent then the presence of God would overwhelm everything and everything would be God. Space is necessary for anything and everything to exist. The existence of God requires that both God be transcendent and immanent. If the 'Infinite' did not restrict itself, then nothing would exist. Everything would be overwhelmed by God's totality. In this way existence requires God's transcendence. But on the other hand God continuously maintains the existence of the universe and is not absent from the created universe.
Continue reading