Model #1: The Great Creator
Human beings are conduits for divine, creative energy.
Order from chaos = Tohu va'Vohu into Creation
Sefirot - channels of concentrated creative energy that go from abstract God Energy (Ein Software) to material, dwelled-in world (Shechinah)
(1) When God began to create heaven and earth— (2) the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water— (3) God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. (4) God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. (5) God called the light Day and called the darkness Night. And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.
(ו) עֲשָׂרָה דְבָרִים נִבְרְאוּ בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן, פִּי הָאָרֶץ, וּפִי הַבְּאֵר, וּפִי הָאָתוֹן, וְהַקֶּשֶׁת, וְהַמָּן, וְהַמַּטֶּה, וְהַשָּׁמִיר, וְהַכְּתָב, וְהַמִּכְתָּב, וְהַלּוּחוֹת.
(6) Ten things were created on Erev Shabbat at twilight [right before the first Shabbat officially started], and they are: [1] the mouth of the earth (that swallowed Korach's followers), [2] the mouth of the well (that Moses struck), [3] the mouth of the donkey (that guided Bilaam), [4] the rainbow (that Noah saw), [5] the manna (that the Israelites ate in the desert), [6] the staff of Moses (which he made the signs against the Egyptian magicians), [7] the shamir worm (which helped Solomon build the Temple), [8] the letters (written in front of God at Sinai), [9] the writing (carved on the tablets), [10] and the tablets themselves.
רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים, אַנְתְּ הוּא עִלַּת הָעִלּוֹת, סִבַּת הַסִּבּוֹת, דְּאַשְׁקֵי לְאִילָנָא בְּהַהוּא נְבִיעוּ, וְהַהוּא נְבִיעוּ אִיהוּ כְּנִשְׁמָתָא לְגוּפָא, דְאִיהוּ חַיִּים לְגוּפָא, וּבָךְ לֵית דִּמְיוֹן וְלֵית דִּיוֹקְנָא מִכָּל מַה דִּלְּגָו וּלְבָר, וּבְרָאתָ שְׁמַיָּא וְאַרְעָא, וְאַפִּיקַת מִנְּהוֹן שִׁמְשָׁא וְסִיהֲרָא וְכֹכְבַיָּא וּמַזָּלֵי, וּבְאַרְעָא אִלָנִין וְדִשְׁאִין וְגִנְּתָא דְעִדֶן וְעִשְׂבִּין וְחֵיוָון וְעוֹפִין וְנוּנִין וּבְנֵי נָשָׁא, לְאִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעָא בְהוֹן עִלָּאִין, וְאֵיךְ יִתְנַהֲגוּן בְּהוֹן עִלָּאִין וְתַתָּאִין, וְאֵיךְ אִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעָאן מֵעִלָּאֵי וְתַתָּאֵי, וְלֵית דְּיָדַע בָּךְ כְּלָל.
Eternal Hidden Master of the worlds, You are the Supreme Cause of all causes and the Origin of all effects! You water the tree with that flow. And that flow is the very life-force of the "tree" - like a soul to a body. But no "human" likeness or "bodily" image exists in Your Infinite Essence with which we might liken You to anything within or without. You alone created the starry galaxies and the earth. From the galaxies above, You brought forth sun and moon, planets and starry constellations. On the earth below, You brought forth trees and plants, the Garden of Eden and grass, living creatures, birds and fish, animals and humanity. Through them, You make known that which is Above, how all that is above and below is regulated, and how the higher worlds may be known from the lower. But knowledge of Your Essence is completely impossible.
Model #2: Continuing the Work of the Contracted Divine
God contracted God's light as the primary mystical act of creation. The pressure of this contraction (tzimtzum) led to the breaking of the Divine Vessel (Shevirat haKelim). Our role, in covenant, is to pick up and place back together the shattered and scattered shards of light. That is the true source concept of "Tikkun Olam".
Like Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing ceramic vessels with gold- dusted lacquer:
"Not only is there no attempt to hide the damage, but the repair is literally illuminated... The vicissitudes of existence over time, to which all humans are susceptible, could not be clearer than in the breaks, the knocks, and the shattering to which ceramic-ware too is subject." (Christy Bartlett, Flickwerk: The Aesthetics of Mended Japanese Ceramics)
Also see Brene Brown's teachings:
“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.”
Consider light. Light usually enables sight, yet too much light can blind. Similarly, God is called Infinite Light (Or Ain Sof), with no end and no beginning. God is the ultimate Reality. God's life and vitality is so powerful, it overwhelms all other existing items that face God directly. To allow for creation God acted with tzimtzum—God pulled in God's light. God then emanated from Godself a light that was less bright than God's essence. Even this light was too much for existence, so out of this light God's caused another further limited light to emerge, and then another and another. At the last stage of limited light a physical universe emerged out of the spiritual lights. Olam is a universe, and the words he’elam and ne’elam, “unknown” and “hidden,” share the same Hebrew root. A universe is a “hiding of the Infinite,” a diminution of Divine light. The process of limiting the light and turning the spiritual into a progressively more physical creation is called seder hishtalshlut, the “order of development.”
At the beginning of time, God’s presence filled the universe. When God decided to bring this world into being, to make room for creation, He first drew in His breath, contracting Himself. From that contraction darkness was created. And when God said, “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3), the light that came into being filled the darkness, and ten holy vessels came forth, each filled with primordial light.
In this way God sent forth those ten vessels, like a fleet of ships, each carrying its cargo of light. Had they all arrived intact, the world would have been perfect. But the vessels were too fragile to contain such a powerful, divine light. They broke open, split asunder, and all the holy sparks were scattered like sand, like seeds, like stars. Those sparks fell everywhere, but more fell on the Holy Land than anywhere else.
That is why we were created — to gather the sparks, no matter where they are hidden. God created the world so that the descendents of Jacob could raise up the holy sparks. That is why there have been so many exiles — to release the holy sparks from the servitude of captivity. In this way the Jewish people will sift all the holy sparks from the four corners of the earth.
And when enough holy sparks have been gathered, the broken vessels will be restored, and tikkun olam, the repair of the world, awaited so long, will finally be complete. Therefore it should be the aim of everyone to raise these sparks from wherever they are imprisoned and to elevate them to holiness by the power of their soul.
Howard Schwartz, Tree of Souls, p. 122
[ג] והנה בענין דרכי הנהגתו יתברך את העולמות, עשר ספירות הן. ואלה שמותן: כתר, חכמה, בינה, חסד, גבורה, תפארת, נצח, הוד, יסוד, מלכות.
There are ten Sefirot (channels) by which G-d, the Holy Blessed One, creates and conducts the worlds [from the abstract/ esoteric to the created/dwelled-in world]. They are:
1. Keter - Crown,
2. Chochmah - Wisdom,
3. Binah - Understanding,
4. Chessed - Kindness,
5. Gevurah - Strength,
6. Tiferet - Beauty,
7. Netzach - Eternality,
8. Hod - Majesty,
9. Yesod - Stability,
10. Malchut - Royalty.
Model #3: The Creative Cycle. (Different "Translations")
Inspiration/ Motivation -> Creation/ Commitment -> Evaluation/ Perspective-Taking
Regeneration - Restoration
Transmit - Receive
Create - Receive
6 Days - Shabbat
(א) וַיְכֻלּ֛וּ הַשָּׁמַ֥יִם וְהָאָ֖רֶץ וְכָל־צְבָאָֽם׃ (ב) וַיְכַ֤ל אֱלֹהִים֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֑ה וַיִּשְׁבֹּת֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָֽׂה׃ (ג) וַיְבָ֤רֶךְ אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־י֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י וַיְקַדֵּ֖שׁ אֹת֑וֹ כִּ֣י ב֤וֹ שָׁבַת֙ מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃
(1) The heavens and the earth were finished, and all their flourishes. (2) On the seventh day God finished the work that God did, and God ceased on the seventh day from all the work that God had done. (3) And God blessed the seventh day and declared it KADOSH (holy/ separate), because on it God ceased from all the work of creation that God had done.
(16) The Israelite people shall keep the sabbath, observing the sabbath throughout the ages as a covenant for all time: (17) it shall be a sign for all time between Me and the people of Israel. For in six days God created heaven and earth, and on the seventh day God ceased from work and was re-souled (exhaled/ re-souled).
There is no need to be overly concerned with mitzvot (commandments) in order to know the value of Shabbat. Whoever feels in their heart a true connection with the life of the [Jewish] Nation in all generations, cannot in any way imagine a reality for the people of Israel without Shabbat. One could say, without any exaggeration, that more than Israel has kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept Israel, and if it hadn't returned to them their souls and renewed the lives of their spirit each week, all the sufferings of the "days of creation" would drag us farther and farther downward, until they would eventually descend to the bottom floor of materialism, and ethical and intellectual baseness.
(טז) הַמַּכֶּה בְּפַטִּישׁ הַכָּאָה אַחַת חַיָּב. וְכָל הָעוֹשֶׂה דָּבָר שֶׁהוּא גְּמַר מְלָאכָה הֲרֵי זֶה תּוֹלֶדֶת מַכֶּה בְּפַטִּישׁ וְחַיָּב. כֵּיצַד. הַמְנַפֵּחַ בִּכְלֵי זְכוּכִית וְהַצָּר בַּכְּלִי צוּרָה אֲפִלּוּ מִקְצָת הַצּוּרָה וְהַמְגָרֵד כָּל שֶׁהוּא וְהָעוֹשֶׂה נֶקֶב כָּל שֶׁהוּא בֵּין בְּעֵץ בֵּין בְּמַתֶּכֶת בֵּין בְּבִנְיָן בֵּין בְּכֵלִים הֲרֵי זֶה תּוֹלֶדֶת מַכֶּה בְּפַטִּישׁ וְחַיָּב.
A person who gives the [final] blow with a hammer is liable for breaking Shabbat. Similarly, a person who performs any activity that represents the completion of a task is liable for performing a derivative of dealing the final hammer blow. What is implied? A person who blows a glass vessel, one makes a design, or even a portion of a design, on a utensil, one who planes [the edges of a utensil], one who makes a hole of even the smallest size in a piece of wood, a building, a piece of metal, or a utensil is liable for performing a derivative of dealing the final hammer blow.
Taking it Forward into Discussion:
Potential Questions as a Starting Point:
1) When do you experience (or want to experience) creative flow?
2) Where do you create or experience creative flow?
3) What type of creativity do you feel is within you?
4) What tools do you use or imagine would be helpful in the "melacha" of accessing and committing to your creative flow?
5) Is there a creative project you are working on, or would like to work on?
Try to articulate 1 take-away from this session!
Rabbi Laurie's takeaway: We are God's partners in creation - we have a covenantal obligation to engage in creative work - and we need to remove the blockages and barriers to being in the Divine Flow where our creativity runs like a river.