Metaphysics of Kabbalah: Tzimtzum
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- Опубліковано 29 чер 2024
- Exploring Kabbalah’s concept of Tzimtzum, the Divine Self-contraction, emptying space within for creation, for ‘otherness.’ We’ll look at the Makom Hachalal, the creative vacuum, the residual of Reshimu, tracing traces of luminescent letters inside the void and at the curtains of consciousness created by the Masach, the second tzimtzum.
Watch the full vid here: • Kabbalah's Great Chain...
Part of a series on Jewish Pantheological thought. Looking at the way thinkers within the Jewish tradition thought about the relationship between God and World, in creative, daring and inspiring ways.
This is a clip from the second instalment looking at the thinking of the Kabbalists on this issue, trying to get a glimpse of just how they go about thinking and unpacking nothing less than what they believe to be the mysteries of the universe, God and the human condition.
0:00 What is Tzimtzum?
0:46 Tzimtzum, literally
2:07 Tzimtzum non-literal
2:40 Residual Reshimu, Tracing traces
3:34 Curtains of Consciousness
4:10 Worlds, Concealing and Revealing
5:54 Opening the Valve
6:58 Penetrating vs Surrounding
7:31 Recap and Thank you
Video credit:
Artistic depiction of tzimtzum: • The Kabbalah concept o...
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Watch the full video here: ua-cam.com/video/y1CvfTp-L_w/v-deo.html
Please point towards the creator of that first animation. Couldn't find a name from the video link you posted. I have a new album to release and would love to collaborate for one of the songs. Thanks 🙏🏽
Thank you Sahil. Artistic depiction of tzimtzum: ua-cam.com/video/RomqL3mDCO0/v-deo.html
@@SeekersofUnity can't find the artist's name anywhere.
@@Inspector_Maal They must be quite secretive.
@@SeekersofUnity love your work btw. Keep em coming! 🍃🍃
Tzimtzum is such a cool concept and one of my favorite from Kabbalah. It has become an essential part of my own creation myth.
Here's a stanza about Tzimtzum from my poem Dance of the Cosmos:
Before time and space I stood
But I longed to be understood
So it was my light withdrew
To manifest anew
That’s really beautiful. Thank you Justin.
Mine too
ua-cam.com/video/ccDp1A98UCo/v-deo.html
I have only even entertained "spiritual" ideation, since a profound NDE. In doing so, Ive been listening to people of all faiths and beliefs, and have been trying to find things that ring true to what I encountered. They're EXTREMELY rare!
Most people giving talks in the space are either full of shit and/or clueless, and just mindlessly parroting tropes.
This however, rings true.
A Rabbi friend used this word, when I described part of my experience. I remember it being used as a name for one of Marilyn Manson's guitar players, in the 90s.
....and so today I heard the term again, and decided to watch this video. I was not disappointed.
What did you experience?
I've been doing a lot of research and writings on the psychology of Jewish mysticism and theology in general and your videos are super helpful! thanks :)
I’m really glad to hear that Nynke. Thank you for the kind feedback :)
PRO TIP playback at .75x. There's a lot here, so good ❤️
Thank you Alicia 🙏🏼
Makes perfect sense. Seeing the mind of God and all its intensity can overwhelm us mere mortals. A healthy psyche allows little glimpses to enter while filtering out the immensity of the colossal divine mind.
That was a lot to take in in eight minutes!! But thanks for the concentrated and concise info Zevi, I know I keep seeing links, that may not be there, but this idea of the mind holding back it's own perception sounds a lot like something I read in Hegel's Philosophy of mind, and it does in fact make sense that we can't handle all the information that is thrown at us every second, and that if the metaphorical dam burst it would result in a transformative experience, mystical or madness!!
Keep it Zevi, you may just pave the way to universal conscientious Unity!! And a new cosmic religion!
Or just just bring us all together, either way is good with me.
Thank you Jason :) Yes. There’s definitely a lot of Hegel comparison to be made here. I hope to get a chance to make some content towards that.
Hahha, thank you brother. We’ll be happy with either, as long as it leads to unity ;)
Hence the role and experience of psychedelic drugs?
Love the poetics... that the manifest world issues from the fragrance of Consciousness
Wonderfully put together. Thank you for sharing. Looking forward to seeing more.
Thank you 🙏🏼
Where did that first bit of animation come from? It is lovely.
Thank you for reminding me to add this to the description: Video credit:
Artistic depiction of tzimtzum: ua-cam.com/video/RomqL3mDCO0/v-deo.html
The essence of all religions is the same truth. 💜
Thank you so much. This was an amazing experience to watch and learn about.
Thank you for this wonderful series, Zevi.
You’re most welcome Simon 🙏🏼
This channel is gold... i will reach the center
many thanks, cannot wait to listen to your latest video. blessings and all the best!
Thank you Miron ☺️🙏🏼🥰
@@SeekersofUnity getting closer to explaining Atziluth, Beriah, Yetzirah and Assiah, exciting moments! good luck with your next videos, will be following
Thank you Miron for sharing in our excitement. We’ll continue to learn and share together, G-d willing.
Thank you. That was a concise but clear review and therefore summation of הצמצומים
Thank you Jonathan.
Thank you! This is great work.
Thank you Chad.
Thank you so much for your wonderful videos.
You’re most welcome. Thank you Jorge.
One word, beautiful! Thnx again!
Thank you Art 🙏🏼
Really good. Yes loved the way you explained it and it’s just common sense too and not to expect instant gratification from Kabbalah as it’s a steady process over many years.
It really resonated with me what you said I’ve had many veil lifts and on a few occasions “something” or my eagerness lifted a bit too much and a bit fast and I suddenly felt quite fearful, overwhelmed and semi questioned my sanity for a few min. But then it “retracted” a bit to give me a while to adjust to the revelation.
Very very good explanation and exactly what I wanted to hear before starting my meditation and prayer today
Thank You
Great video editing BTW
You’re most welcome. Thank you for joining us and thank you for sharing your resonant experience with us. You’ve enriched us with your participation.
thank you so much! you make excellent content
Thank you Vera 🙏🏼
Consider doing an interview with David Chaim Smith. His mystical works on kabbalah and alchemy are fascinating.
Thanks for the suggestion. We’ll check him out.
Im not sure how I got here but this channel is astounding. Im so keen to be able to find a version of god I can convince myself of- as an Englishman I had a somewhat Christian raising but was athiest for the longest time. Encountering Jordan Peterson's lectures on the bible completely blew me away however, and the vast depth of the script was revealed to me. Now I cant stop watching religious videos. Im particularly interested in the Jungian God and the metaphysics of Kabbalah currently. In any case your channel is astoundingly good quality and is criminally underviewed! Great work!
Glad you found us Jonathan. Sounds like we’re after the same thing 😉 Welcome.
Eccellent, clear, passionate, correct.
Thank you.
Excellent !
Thank you.
Thank youuuu so much
You’re most welcome 🙏🏼
Marvelous
Can you make a video about the concept of God as Maqom and it's cosmological implications? The rabbinical literature seems to be full of content on this. Thanks.
Mmm. That’s a fun idea. Thank you.
Are you open to suggestions for guests in your show? Dr. Bernard Kastrup, I find his philosophical ideas resonate with yours.
Sure. Thank you Finn 🙏🏼
Wow :O
Just feel compelled to thank you, Zebi. I feel like I have a spiritual and philosophical home because of you.
Can you speak to the concept of the Tsadik?
You’re most welcome Aaron. Thank you for creating the home with us. Without you it would be that much more vacant. With you it’s that much warmer and homier.
Yes we certainly can, we’ve touched upon the concept in the Hasidism videos but it deserve a more comprehensive treatment.
With love,
Zevi
So how does the concept of a residue relate to the Neo-platonic concept of emanation and an emanative hierarchy?
I've watched quite a few vids of people who have had near-death experiences, and some of them talk about how uncomfortable it is, even if they don't come back to severe physical pain, to squash their soul selves back into the physical body. Their "size" awareness was so much greater on the other side of the veil that they, at first, feel horribly restricted by being back in physicality. Imagine the extent of God's sense of squash-ed-ness if it worked that way for him/her/it as a result of the contraction! Poor God! Gracie Allen had nothing on God; she just bought shoes 2 sizes too small when she started taking painting lessons, because she was told artists have to suffer for their art. Thinking of God squashing itself to create us makes me a little sad somehow. Another reason for guilt, shame, and feeling inadequate? Sigh...
polytheism is perfectly fine in a monotheistic system because of the idea of personality and things like transcendent all embracing personalities manifesting to individuals. thus you have systems like Hinduism where many Gods are in reality just a manifestation of the only reality... and you have Judaism which draws a distinction between the God of Issac, the God of Jacob and the God of Abraham in that they knew God personally and thus the same God is known to each uniquely. so an infinite God easily bridges the gap between multiplicity and singularity. mystically speaking we should be seeing these descriptive processes happening in us and thus i'm a divine contraction that God shines through and thus what is being revealed would be the most personalistic manifestation of the God of noxot. but if I turn away from God he again becomes my adversary and I his and thus evils are born. therefore take care as to what you worship because the devil appears as an angel of light.
I need more enticing Information please
Kabbalah's Great Chain of Being | Cordovero & Luria
ua-cam.com/video/y1CvfTp-L_w/v-deo.html
Could it be concluded that "God" (Brahman, universal mind [soul/psyche], Pleroma the unconscious, etc.) is making space (by contracting its overwhelming psychic being) for a subjective ("external" ) meta-cognizant consciousness to arise in order to reflect on Itself and realise itself?
Yes Mihaela. I think that’s well put. Thank You.
❤Great job
Thank you Lucas
Brother Zevi...you, as do many, quite often use the phrase "....cannot be under estimated" when I think you mean " cannot be over estimated". ,
I did notice that -- and was going to quote the phrase in praise and agreement -- until I realized it might be backwards How about "must not be underestimated" -- more accurate, but less enthusiastic....
Thank you brother for the helpful feedback 🙏🏼 I cannot overestimate my love for you.
@@SeekersofUnity just want to briefly mention that your lecture got me deeply into tzimtzum. I am continuing to study and contemplate it. Thanks.
Thank you for sharing that. I appreciate it. Glad to hear it sparked something off.
Great video. You are a passionate & gifted teacher. How does the concept of Tzimtzum either fit, or contradict the idea that Hashem 1st created Hebrew letters, & used those as the building blocks of Creation? Can you do a video on that topic? Thanks!!!
Thank you Frank. Good question. Thank you for the suggestion.
What does that actually mean?
Is a gnosis modulating the drip of consciousness in kabalah and what was that first clip looked like a puddle lit with a lens
Yes, one might say so. The first clip was this: Video credit: Artistic depiction of tzimtzum: ua-cam.com/video/RomqL3mDCO0/v-deo.html
📢
How can you be so young and know sooooo much?! And WHY am I just learning of you? You know what they say; “When the student is ready…………Dude literally listen to you for relaxation.
Thank you Victor. That’s very kind of you. Welcome in :)
Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan sources tzimtzum from the Zohar.
Her? Are there female Kabalahist?
Check this out: 10 Historic Jewish Women Mystics You’ve (Probably) Never Heard of
ua-cam.com/video/UIMCVO_njtc/v-deo.html
This is based a from kabbalah and my point of view:
Imagine a car, if you remove the chassis it is still a car? If you remove the engine and the wheels, the steering wheel, and doors, is it still a car? its not!
Apply that to yourself. Are you the self which is the I what represents you, your name, body or mind, the things by which you have identified yourself? You take away all of that, absolutely everything and there is nothing left, NOTHING.
when you are in that state "nothingness" you feel that you are nothing, like a void but
one must realize that beyond nothingness, the void, there is something which is the infinity.
But since the beginning of creation the infinity contracted itself and the residue is the void (like the space, cosmos), then the infinity is fragmented and suitable for each us container (living beings, creations) then each container contains the infinity, if it contains, then it can be found in itself because that infinity is in yourself you are part of that infinity and that small part "you" are the footprint of the biggest one.
Now, you are the void, nothingness and there is a tiny little light, the residue.
nothingness is only the residue that occupied the infinity, now the infinity contracted to such a point and created everything that is.
this is a example of what tzimtzum kabbalistic concept of creation is.
Contracted itself for the creation take place inside the infinite space, the nothingness.
or the nothingness is just a bubble a "emptiness" with his own creation inside the bubble and that bubble inside the infinity which is infinity light.
"when you realize the nothingness then, in nothingness there is everything, energy. The ending is a beginning"
- Jiddu Krishnamurti
Israel should do a bit of Tzimtzum of its own and give the Palestinians and its neighbors some breathing space from occupation - Shalom
If you read Miles Mathis you’ll find the scope of occupation is much wider than that.
Having said that, as a Christian Gnostic, I totally get what he’s saying here and I’ve always suspected Plotinus was Jewish! Ya know, his conflict with us about the nature of the demiurge and all.
Life of Pi - Mychael Danna - Tsimtsum - ua-cam.com/video/HcAW0I_OHmg/v-deo.html
What a chossid!
To make the creator more relatable did the original thinker, see it how a penis enters a vagina or a sperm enters a egg and then the process of creation can begin, This trying to understand God thing and make him personal in the way ive oversimplified above, is a truly human thing to do.. i mean i love the story of it though so thankyou zevi.
Do you think psychedelics are useful for the budding kabbalist?
For the more experientially inclined, they could be .
@@SeekersofUnity thank you sir
DM T and Kabbalah
Same as Rinnegan eyes
how are ya how are ya how are ya!!
Salam,
It would be strange to think that God had no presence - a Void - in the worlds when He created them. 🤔
It seems most of what you described in this video can be summed up in this Verse from the Holy Quran, except the absence of Allah (ﷻ) presence, as He is everywhere:
«اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ»
«Allah! There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him, the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who could possibly intercede with Him without His permission? He ˹fully˺ knows what is ahead of them and what is behind them, but no one can grasp any of His knowledge- except what He wills ˹to reveal˺. His Seat encompasses the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of both does not tire Him. For He is the Most High, the Greatest.»
[2:255]
(Part 1/4)
In Islamic perspective, Allah (ﷻ) never tires, and He has created the worlds “Perfectly” without any touch of tiredness, nor sleep, not even drowsiness - Where the worlds are encompassed within His Power, Mercy and Compassion; Even to the unbelievers who are in denial - He holds them all in His grasp, to every atom and smaller than that, as He is All-aware and in control of them with His Will alone, just as they’re written in The Preserved Tablet.
The Worlds are in complete perfection, without any single voids, error, flaws, nor mistakes, and does not need any fixing at all - For Allah (ﷻ) needs none; How can the Infinite *tires* or *needs* the finite at all, and restricts its Infinite Power that’s Most Capable of everything?
«إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ ۖ يُدَبِّرُ الْأَمْرَ ۖ»
«Indeed, your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then established Himself on the Throne, governing every matter»
[10:3]
«وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ وَمَا مَسَّنَا مِن لُّغُوبٍ»
«Indeed, We created the heavens and the earth and everything in between in six Days, and We were not ˹even˺ touched with fatigue.»
[50:38]
«تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ • الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ • الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا ۖ مَّا تَرَىٰ فِي خَلْقِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ مِن تَفَاوُتٍ ۖ فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَىٰ مِن فُطُورٍ»
«Blessed be He in whose hand is the dominion, and He is Most Capable of everything. Who created death and life to test you as to which of you is best in deeds, and He is the All-Mighty, the Most Forgiving. Who created seven heavens one above another; you will not see any imperfection in the creation of the Most Compassionate. Look again; can you see any flaw?»
[67:1-3]
(Part 2/4)
This also reminds me a lot of the Verse of Light, in the Holy Quran:
«اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ ۖ الْمِصْبَاحُ فِي زُجَاجَةٍ ۖ الزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ يُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍ مُّبَارَكَةٍ زَيْتُونَةٍ لَّا شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَلَا غَرْبِيَّةٍ يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِيءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ ۚ نُّورٌ عَلَىٰ نُورٍ ۗ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ»
«Allah is the Light of the heavens and earth. The likeness of His light is that of a niche in which is a lamp; the lamp is in a glass; the glass is like a shining star - Lit from a blessed Tree, an Olive, neither of the east nor of the west. Its oil would almost glow, even without being touched by fire. Light upon light; Allah guides to His light whom He wills. And Allah sets forth parables for humanity. For Allah has ˹perfect˺ knowledge of all things.»
[24:35]
However, the Light; one of Allah’s (ﷻ) 99 beautiful names (أسماء الله الحُسنىٰ), emanate from within in the middle, instead from the outside.
• The passage: “Lit from a blessed Tree” (يُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍ مُّبَارَكَةٍ); according to the interpretations (Tafsir), it’s from within the tree, from its oil, so it’s metaphor to represent what’s within.
• The passage: “neither of the east nor of the west” (لَّا شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَلَا غَرْبِيَّةٍ); Means, according to interpretation, it’s in the middle.
• Whereas, the word: “the lamp” (الْمِصْبَاحُ); Could denote to the hearts of believers, or the heart of the world.
• Nonetheless, this is only a parable, and it could also describe the world of the “heavens and earth” ( السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ) and how the world looks like as a whole in all its patterns, since the Verse began with it.
After all, Allah’s (ﷻ) presence is everywhere as He’s very, very close to us, even closer than our own hearts veins; He’s aware of every thought and feeling we have, as He always Hears, Observes and Responds to us - All we need is to listen and believe in Him.
«وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ»
«When My servants ask you about Me - indeed, I am truly near.»
[2:186]
«وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِ نَفْسُهُ ۖ وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ»
«Indeed, ˹it is˺ We ˹Who˺ created humankind and ˹fully˺ know what their souls whisper to them, and We are closer to them than ˹their˺ jugular vein.»
[50:16]
«قَالَ لَا تَخَافَا ۖ إِنَّنِي مَعَكُمَا أَسْمَعُ وَأَرَىٰ»
«Allah reassured ˹them˺, “Have no fear! I am with you, hearing and seeing.»
[20:46]
(Part 3/4)
And it seems it’s “Infinite”, if Light would emanate from the centre, towards the outside everywhere, rather than the Light emanating from the outside, towards where it stops in the middle point, which makes it finite.
Moreover, Allah (ﷻ) restricts His Light from the deniers and unbelievers, just as how there are different levels and wavelengths of Electromagnetic Radiation, and certain of them doesn’t reach the surface of the Earth, because the atmosphere obstructs them; For He has made both Darknesses and Light, and has total control over them. As in another Quran Verse, it says:
«أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى رَبِّكَ كَيْفَ مَدَّ الظِّلَّ وَلَوْ شَاء لَجَعَلَهُ سَاكِنًا ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا الشَّمْسَ عَلَيْهِ دَلِيلا»
«Have you not seen how your Lord extends the shade-He could have simply made it ˹remain˺ still if He so willed-then We make the sun its guide.»
[25:45]
Though, I do not claim that I understand the Verse of Light completely, but it’s certainly thought-provoking. There are many Islamic scholars who have interpreted differently. Perhaps, there are others who may understand better. After all, the Quantum of light (Photons) emanate from within the Atoms; They’re produced when Electrons in higher-than-normal orbits falls back to its normal orbits. And in a practical sense, we mostly gain energy from the chemical compounds of oil.
It’s also interesting to note, that the word “'Alam” (عالم) - similar to the Hebrew word “Olam” - is also the same word that means: (‘world’), originated from the root ('A-L-M), or (ع-ل-م), which as a whole word (علم) means: (‘Knowledge’).
(( There’s a nice Infographic of the Tree where most of the words originate from of the root (ع-ل-م)- similar to Binyan in Hebrew - You can check this link: [ www.qfi (.org)/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/QFI_Arabic-Root-Tree_Final.pdf ] )).
It’s quite fascinating from your point of view, because now I can see another meaning in it as Allah (ﷻ); Lord of all worlds, encompasses All in His *Knowledge*, that’s *Concealed*. and He reveals it to whom He Wills! 😊
Wishing you peace, blessings and guidance to you all.
(Part 4/4)
The Big Bang, the creation, the alpha.
Look under a microscope at an egg being artificially fertilized. It looks like Tzimtzum.
6:36 The “curtains” are like myelin sheaths and galaxies are like nodes of Ranvier.
The universe is God’s “brain.”
All this is nice but it is based on anthropomorphisms which is a figment of mans imagination as was in the case of Rabbi Luria, if the Creator communicated with him The Creator must have communicated with all the other prophets around the world so who is right. I don't believe The Creator ever communicated with humans at all but people around the world claimed their god spoke to them making the bases of new religions.