Moishe Houws Text Study: Mindfulness & Human Connection 5.16.18

Tzimtzum

By Nissan Dovid Dubov

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/361884/jewish/Tzimtzum.htm

Kabbalah examines the very origins of creation. In the Kabbalah, G‑d is referred to as the Ein Sof; meaning the Being that has “no end.” In the act of creation, G‑d made something very finite out of the infinite. How did this come about? .... According to the Arizal (Rabbi Isaac Luria), there was a quantum leap from infinite to finite, calling this leap of states Tzimtzum (contraction).

In order to visualize how this happens, the Etz Chaim of Rabbi Chaim Vital presents the following structure. The power and ability of the Ein Sof is called the Or Ein Sof (the Light of the Ein Sof). Because physical light is perceived as being ethereal and intangible, and because light gives life and warmth, it is often used in Kabbalah as a metaphor for Divine Power.

In the initial stage of revelation, the prevalent manifestation was that of the infinite Light. Contained within the Or Ein Sof in a most sublime way was the potential for finitude, however initially it was undistinguished from the powerful manifestation of the Or Ein Sof. In order for creation to take place it was necessary somehow to conceal this infinite Light, thus creating a vacuum for the Finite Light to be revealed. One may draw an analogy to a ray of light from the sun. While it is within the sun, the ray has no independent identity because it is totally nullified by the greater light of the sun itself. Only when the ray has left the sun can it be recognized and perceived as having an independent identity.

To explain further, a parallel may be drawn from the world of teaching. Imagine Albert Einstein entering a primary school and being invited to teach a class of elementary mathematics.

For the genius to communicate with the child’s mind, it is necessary that he put to the side all the theories and complexities of advanced mathematics and to focus on basic addition. In time, the child he is teaching may progress to study mathematics in high school, college, and then university. The student may even become a professor of mathematics himself, and may even surpass Einstein in brilliance. However, in the first stages the end product was concealed. The same is true with regards to Tzimtzum–G‑d purposefully drew back the infinite to create a space in which finitude could be realized.

R. Kalonymus Kalmish Shapira: The Technique of Quieting

AKA the Piaseczner Rebbe, who wrote about education, spiritual practice, and the parsha, among other topics, and was murdered in the Shoah.

via R. James Jacobson-Maisels

Khalil Gibran, The Prophet

an influential book of prose poetry published in 1923

Love one another, but make not a bond of love:

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Quotes from Brene Brown, PhD, LMSW

Contemporary researcher and author on shame and vulnerability

"A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong. When those needs are not met, we don't function as we were meant to. We break. We fall apart. We numb. We ache. We hurt others. We get sick."

“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”

“The willingness to show up changes us, It makes us a little braver each time.”

“Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.”

“I define vulnerability as uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure. With that definition in mind, let’s think about love. Waking up every day and loving someone who may or may not love us back, whose safety we can’t ensure, who may stay in our lives or may leave without a moment’s notice, who may be loyal to the day they die or betray us tomorrow—that’s vulnerability.”

“Numb the dark and you numb the light.”

“Connection is why we're here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives. The power that connection holds in our lives was confirmed when the main concern about connection emerged as the fear of disconnection; the fear that something we have done or failed to do, something about who we are or where we come from, has made us unlovable and unworthy of connection.”

“Wholeheartedness. There are many tenets of Wholeheartedness, but at its very core is vulnerability and worthiness; facing uncertainty, exposure, and emotional risks, and knowing that I am enough.”

“To love ourselves and support each other in the process of becoming real is perhaps the greatest single act of daring greatly.”

“Spirituality emerged as a fundamental guidepost in Wholeheartedness. Not religiosity but the deeply held belief that we are inextricably connected to one another by a force greater than ourselves--a force grounded in love and compassion. For some of us that's God, for others it's nature, art, or even human soulfulness. I believe that owning our worthiness is the act of acknowledging that we are sacred. Perhaps embracing vulnerability and overcoming numbing is ultimately about the care and feeding of our spirits.”

“Those who feel lovable, who love, and who experience belonging simply believe they are worthy of love and belonging. I often say that Wholeheartedness is like the North Star: We never really arrive, but we certainly know if we're headed in the right direction.”

“I believe that owning our worthiness is the act of acknowledging that we are sacred. Perhaps embracing vulnerability and overcoming numbing is ultimately about the care and feeding of our spirits.”