Tzimtzum
E19172
Tzimtzum is a central Kabbalistic doctrine describing how the infinite divine presence is said to have contracted or concealed itself to allow for the existence of a finite, independent creation.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Jewish mystical concept
ⓘ
Kabbalistic doctrine ⓘ theological concept ⓘ |
| addressesProblem |
how an infinite God relates to a finite world
ⓘ
possibility of free will in presence of divine omnipresence ⓘ |
| aimsToExplain | how finite creation can exist alongside an infinite God ⓘ |
| alternativeTransliteration |
Golus
ⓘ
surface form:
Tsimtsum
Tzimtzum self-link ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Kabbalah
ⓘ
surface form:
Lurianic Kabbalah
|
| category |
Jewish mysticism
ⓘ
doctrines about creation ⓘ |
| centralInSchool | Lurianic Kabbalah GENERATED ⓘ |
| debatedIn |
Hasidic thought
ⓘ
Jewish philosophy ⓘ |
| describes |
concealment of divine presence
ⓘ
contraction of divine presence ⓘ |
| developedBy | Isaac Luria ⓘ |
| discussedBy |
Chabad Hasidic masters
ⓘ
Shneur Zalman of Liadi ⓘ Vilna Gaon ⓘ |
| function |
to allow apparent independence of created beings
ⓘ
to make conceptual space for creation ⓘ |
| hasAspect |
cosmological teaching
ⓘ
psychological or spiritual metaphor in later interpretations ⓘ |
| influenced |
Hasidic theology of divine immanence
ⓘ
Jewish liturgical and devotional interpretations of God’s nearness and distance ⓘ Mitnagdic critiques of Hasidism ⓘ conceptions of divine hiddenness in Judaism ⓘ modern Jewish theological discussions of panentheism ⓘ |
| interpretedAs |
epistemic concealment rather than ontological absence
ⓘ
literal withdrawal of divine presence by some Kabbalists ⓘ metaphorical concealment of divine presence by many thinkers ⓘ |
| keyTermIn | Isaac Luria’s cosmology GENERATED ⓘ |
| language | Hebrew ⓘ |
| literalMeaning | contraction ⓘ |
| occursBefore | creation of the worlds in Kabbalistic cosmology ⓘ |
| presupposes | Ein Sof as infinite divine reality ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
Ein Sof
ⓘ
Sefirot ⓘ Shevirat ha-Kelim ⓘ |
| religiousTradition |
Judaism
ⓘ
Kabbalah ⓘ |
| sourceTextTradition | Lurianic writings as transmitted by disciples GENERATED ⓘ |
| stageIn | Lurianic sequence of emanation GENERATED ⓘ |
| studiedIn |
Hasidic study circles
ⓘ
yeshivot with interest in Kabbalah ⓘ |
| viewedByChabadAs | non-literal concealment of God GENERATED ⓘ |
| viewedBySomeAs | paradox of divine transcendence and immanence GENERATED ⓘ |
Referenced by (5)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
Tree of Life (Kabbalah)