Tohu and Tikun

Tohu and Tikun

Olam HaTohu (Hebrew: עולם התהו‎ "The World of Tohu-Chaos") and Olam HaTikun (Hebrew: עולם התיקון‎ "The World of Tikun-Rectification") are the two general stages, and states of being in Creation, in the Kabbalistic system of Isaac Luria (1534–1572), the father of modern Kabbalah.

Their implications underlie the origin of free will and the realm of kelipah (evil), from the Shevirat HaKelim/Shevirah (Hebrew: שבירת הכלים‎ "Shattering of the Vessels" of Tohu), the processes of physical and spiritual exile and redemption, the meaning of the 613 mitzvot (Jewish observances), and the Messianic rectification of Existence. In this Tikun/Tikkun (תיקון) also has an active meaning, the esoteric Birur (Hebrew: בירור‎ "Sifting") of the concealed Nitzutzei Kodesh/Nitzutzot (Hebrew: ניצוצות‎ "Sparks" of Holiness) exiled in physical creation. This new paradigm in Kabbalah replaced the previous linear description of descent with a dynamic process of spiritual enclothement, like the descent of a soul into a body. Beyond this, related to the primordial cosmic realms of Tohu-Tikun are two associated psychological states in spiritual life.

The esoteric process of Tohu-Tikun in Lurianic Kabbalah, inspired wider 16th and 17th century popular Jewish imagination, through contemporary national oppression and messianism. The revivalist Hasidic movement, from the 18th century onwards, brought the transcendent Lurianic scheme of rectification into panentheistic sanctification of daily communal life amidst materiality. The terminology of the modern Jewish ideal of Tikkun Olam ("Fixing the World"), popularised by Reform Judaism, is taken from the Lurianic concept, but applied more widely to ethical activism in contemporary society.

Contents

The primordial Worlds of Tohu and Tikun

Jewish diaspora expulsions. The 1492 Expulsion from Spain, motivated the Messianic-National orientation of the elite Rabbinic scholar community of Safed. 16th century Lurianism systemised this in its new mystical system of Tohu-Tikun

Isaac Luria reinterpreted and recast the whole scheme of Kabbalah in the 16th century, essentially making the second of two different versions of the Kabbalah: the Medieval (Zoharic)-Cordoverian and the Lurianic. However, he understood his new doctrine as no more than a new revelation-teaching of the true meaning of the Zohar. Lurianic Kabbalah became the dominant Kabbalistic system, displacing Cordovero's, and afterwards the Zohar was read in its light. Lurianic Kabbalists sought to integrate this with the Cordoverian scheme, seeing both as true, but describing different aspects ("Worlds") of the Divine process.

Medieval Kabbalah depicts a linear descending hierarchy of Divine vitality, the sephirot emerging from the Ein Sof to enact Creation. Lurianic Kabbalah describes enclothing processes of exile and redemption in the Divine flow, where higher levels descend into lower states, as souls to spiritual bodies. This is initiated by the primordial radical Divine self-withdrawal (Tzimtzum) forming an "empty space" (Chalal) in which only an "imprint" (Reshimu) remains of the Ein Sof. Subsequent to this, a thin, diminished new emanation (Kav-"Ray") able to create finitude shines into the vacuum. The new emanation leads to spiritual shattering of Divine light in a definitive "catastrophe" (Shevirat HaKeilim-"The Shattering of the Vessels"), and the exile of its "sparks" into the descending created realms. Cordovero had reconciled previous Kabbalists' opinions of the Sephirot by describing each as Divine Ohr ("light") invested in 10 spiritual Keilim ("vessels"), adapted by Luria to his scheme. In the Infinite Ein Sof prior to Creation, the sephirot Divine attributes were entirely nullified into non-existence in the simple unity of endless Divinity. Following this, in the Lurianic scheme, the sephirot evolved through three stages, termed Akudim ("Ringed"), Nekudim ("Spotted") and Verudim ("Flecked"). The terms are learned from the esoteric meaning of the story of Jacob's breeding of Laban's flocks in Genesis 30:27-43, where the terms Akudim, Nekudim and Teluim (Patched") are used. These states correspond to Yuli ("Potential" Creation), Olam HaTohu (the "World of Chaos") and Olam HaTikun (the "World of Fixing"). These states repeat the process of Divine exile and redemption described in Isaac luria's new scheme.

Unified sephirot before collapse

The new thin ray (Kav) emanated into the empty space left by the Tzimtzum. This was still infinite and bound to the Ein Sof, but different from the essence of the prior Ohr Ein Sof ("Infinite Light"), as it was now latently finite and able to relate to the emerging Creation. This potential was the reason for the concealment of Infinitude, so that Creation would not be nullified in its Source. In the Kav, the sephirot are termed Akudim ("Ringed"). They emerge for the first time in undifferentiated unity, 10 lights encompassed in one vessel. In this supreme abundance of Divinity, there is no distinction between the sephirot on this level, all Creation included in potential. This is referred to in Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth", the initial vital source in potential, from which all would unfold.

Tohu-Chaos and the Shevirah-Shattering of the sephirot vessels

Next emerged the Realm of Adam Kadmon, the first of the emanated Five Worlds, the domain of the supernal Will Keter. In this the sephirot are termed Nekudim ("Spotted"), as they exist in separation and differentiation from each other, 10 distinct points through 10 vessels without harmony. This state is called the World of Tohu-"Chaos", read by Luria in Genesis 1:2 "And the earth was Chaos (Tohu) and Void (Vohu), with darkness over the surface of the deep..." Here, each sephirah is an independent principle, so that intellect does not mediate the absolute emotional expressions; kindness, severity and so forth are opposing principles. This "flaw" emerges because the sephirot are in the mode of Iggulim, the metaphorical paradigm of "Circles" described in earlier Kabbalah. Like successively smaller concentric circles that emanate sequentially, Lurianic explanation sees no harmony in this, making the sephirot a "domain of pluralism" (the esoteric meaning of the Talmudic Sabbath Public Domain) rather than sharing bond. As a result, the Divine light was very high, but the vessels were weak. This caused the cosmic catastrophe, called the "Shattering of the Vessels" (Shevirat HaKeilim).

The light created each sephirah sequentially, first vessel, then the illumination within. Each sephirah's light contained also the subsequent diminishing lights to form the following lower sephirot. As the light of the Ein Sof radiated to form Keter, the vessel of Keter could absorb the life force. In turn, the vessels of Chochmah and Binah could absorb most of their flow, as their proximity to Keter made them strong enough, Keter extending enough relationship to them, as their motivating Will. Their excesses of light were able to encompass each as an Ohr Makif ("Surrounding light"). However, as the light proceeded to Daat, the root of the emotional sephirot, its vessel could not absorb the abundant radiance for the totality of the emotions, and shattered. This caused the total light to proceed downwards, shattering each vessel in turn. The succession was altered in Yesod, the channel of connection to Malchut-purpose. Initially, it received only the light for Malchut, which it projected on. It then also shattered under its own light. However, this enabled Malchut to partially absorb its light before collapsing; the lower, external aspects of Malchut were strengthened, so the collapse in Malchut was only partial.

This doctrine is the Lurianic esoteric meaning of Genesis 36:31 and I Chronicles 1:43:

"These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before there reigned any king over the children of Israel..."

Edom is described in Genesis as the descendents of Esau. In the Kabbalistic scheme, the Patriachs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob embodied respectively Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferet. Chesed and Gevurah are imbalanced, while Tiferet is harmony between the two. Consequently, while Jacob fathered the 12 tribes of Israel, Abraham gave birth to Ishmael, while Isaac gave birth to Esau. Esau and Ishmael are seen as the two spiritual roots for the Nations of the World. They are identified with unrectified Chesed and unrectified Gevurah respectively, Kindness and Severity of the World of Tohu-Chaos. In the Kabbalistic scheme they are rectified in the universal Messianic era, when all peoples will "go up to the mountain of the Lord"[1] to follow the 7 Laws of Noah. The eight kings listed who reigned in Edom before any king of Israel, embodied the eight sephirot of Daat to Malchut in the World of Tohu, the vessels that shattered. Of each it says they lived and died, death connoting the soul-light of the sephirot ascending back to its source, while the body-vessel descends-shatters. Attached to the broken vessels are residues of the light, Nitzot-"Sparks" of holiness, as all Creation only continues to exist from non-existence by the Divine flow of Will. The sparks are the creative force of the Sephirot down the Four Worlds, giving life to the broken vessels, that become the descending beings of each realm. As they descend, they subdivide innumerable times. As the fragments contain only sparks of holiness, this allows them to become self-aware creations, rather than being nullified in Divine light. The unabsorbed residue of the broken vessels in our physical, lowest World Assiah becomes the realm of impurity and evil. To Kabbalah, as Creation is enacted through Divine "speech" as in Genesis 1, so gematria (numerical value of Hebrew letters) has spiritual meaning. In the supernal World of Atziluth-Emanation, the origin of our spiritual Order of Worlds, the sparks of holiness are said to subdivide into 288 general-root sparks, read out from the rest of Genesis 1:2, "...And the Spirit of God hovered over the waters." Merachepet-"hovered" splits into the number "288 died", the divided Divine sparks within the broken fragments.

Tikun-Rectification through Partzufim-reconfigured sephirot

The four realms of our created existence are together called the World of Tikkun ("Fixing"). In Tikkun, the Sephirot evolve into new arrangements, where they can unite together. The different realms Tikkun are characterised as lower lights and stronger vessels.

Subsequent to the interinclusion of the 10 Sephirot within each other, in Lurianic Kabbalah they then develop into "Partsufim" ("Personas"). Wide discussion of the Partsufim is found in the Medieval Kabbalah of the Zohar, before Isaac Luria. In the Zohar, Shimon bar Yochai expounds upon the spiritual roles of the Parsufim, by talking about them as independent spiritual manifestations. "The Holy Ancient of Days", or "The Long Visage", two of the different Parsufim, are not just alternative adjectives for God, but are particular spiritual manifestations, levels and natures. Lurianic Kabbalah focused on the role of the Parsufim as the fully evolved stage of the primordial evolution of the Sephirot, in the beginning of Creation. Instead of each of the 10 Sephirot merely including a full subset of 10 Sephirot as latent potential forces, the first stage of their evolution, in the Parsufim the Sephirot become fully autonomous and interrelated. The name of each Partsuf denotes that the Sephirah from which it derived, has now become an independent scheme of 10 fully functioning Sephirot in the "Upright" (Yosher) form of "Man". This reconfiguration is essential in Lurianic Kabbalah to enable the opposing spiritual forces of the Sephirot to work together in harmony. Each Parsuf now operates independently, and unites with the other Parsufim. So, for example, "The Long Visage" is said to descend, and become enclothed within the lower Parsufim. The Sephirot now harmonise, to enable the Lurianic scheme of Tikkun (Rectification) to begin.

Kabbalistic redemption of the sparks of Tohu

Personal redemption of the sparks in Hasidism

Parallel enclothement of soul sparks in Gilgul-Reincarnation

Tohu and Tikun as psychological-spiritual states

Eschatological Divinity in Jewish mysticism

Influence of Lurianism in contemporary ethical Tikun Olam

Photo gallery

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Isaiah 2:3

External links


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