Radical Rupture: Chabad's Theological Continuity When Divine Withdrawal Precedes Sin

Radical Rupture: Chabad's Theological Continuity When Divine Withdrawal Precedes Sin

Lubavitcher Rebbe's understanding of tzimtzum represents perhaps the most radical theological departure in modern Chabad scholarship. This article examines Eli Rubin's claim that the seventh Rebbe fundamentally inverted traditional Chabad theodicy, positioning divine contraction as the precursor rather than consequence of sin. Through comparative analysis with earlier Chabad rebbes and engagement with contemporary scholars including Moshe Idel, Elliot Wolfson, Shaul Magid, Michael Fishbane, and Daniel Matt, we explore whether Rubin's reading reveals genuine innovation or hermeneutical overreach. The analysis culminates in examining potential connections to Jonathan Eybeschütz's mystical formulation "ve-avo hayom el ha-ayin" (and I shall come today to the Nothing), investigating whether the Rebbe's alleged radicalism represents a return to earlier kabbalistic trajectories or an unprecedented theological rupture.

Divine Error and Human Rectification

Divine Error and Human Rectification

This article examines the radical theological implications of tzimtzum (divine contraction) as interpreted by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (Ramash) in light of earlier heretical kabbalistic traditions, particularly the controversial work "Va-avo ha-Yom el ha-Ayin" attributed to Jonathan Eybeschutz. Drawing on the analytical frameworks developed by Elliot Wolfson, Shaul Magid, and Moshe Idel, this study argues that Ramash's conception of tzimtzum as containing "an aspect counter to divine will" represents a continuation of antinomian mystical traditions that challenge conventional theodicy by positing divine incompleteness requiring human rectification. The article demonstrates how this theological innovation positions humanity not as recipients of divine salvation but as agents of divine redemption, fundamentally inverting traditional hierarchies of sacred and profane.

Chesed and Gevurah and the Tzimtzum

Chesed and Gevurah and the Tzimtzum

This essay explores one of the most profound questions in Jewish mysticism: how deeply does the dialectical interaction between Chesed (loving-kindness) and Gevurah (judgment) penetrate into the very source of divine creativity—the Ein Sof and the process of tzimtzum? Through examining classical Kabbalistic sources, Chabad thought as articulated by contemporary scholar Eli Rubin and the systematic teachings of Rabbi Shalom Dovber Schneersohn (the Rebbe Rashab), alongside heretical works including Veavo Hayom el HaAyin and Jonathan Eybeschutz's radical theology, this study reveals fundamentally different approaches to understanding whether primordial creative urge itself contains essential tension or whether it emerges only with subsequent divine emanation. The analysis demonstrates that while classical Kabbalah preserves absolute unity of Ein Sof by locating dialectical tension in sefirotic emanation, Chabad thought intellectualizes this dialectic within divine cognition itself, and heretical traditions dare to locate fundamental tension within divine essence. These differences illuminate not merely theological positions but distinct approaches to understanding divine creativity, unity, and the emergence of multiplicity, with profound implications for contemporary therapeutic spirituality and post-Holocaust theology.

Revelation in Concealement

Revelation in Concealement

Post-Holocaust anti-theology transforms medical practice by recognizing the therapeutic encounter as itself a form of spiritual practice that operates through embodied presence rather than intellectual understanding. Medical practitioners must learn to remain present to suffering that exceeds explanation while maintaining commitment to healing that does not depend on understanding ultimate causes. The physician-patient relationship becomes a space of "dialectical presence" where healer and patient encounter mystery together, abandoning the illusion of medical omniscience in favor of shared vulnerability. This approach recognizes that authentic healing often requires accepting the limits of medical intervention while maintaining full engagement with suffering—a medical practice that can hold both scientific rigor and spiritual humility without requiring their intellectual reconciliation.

The Dialectical Divine

The Dialectical Divine

This paper examines the theological origins of evil and human suffering through the lens of the kabbalistic doctrine of tzimtzum (divine contraction), drawing upon Elliot Wolfson's dialectical analysis of Jewish mysticism, Jonathan Eybeschutz's radical theology of divine unconsciousness, and Julian Ungar-Sargon's contemporary applications to therapeutic spirituality. We argue that suffering emerges not from divine absence but from the very structure of divine presence-in-concealment, including what Eybeschutz terms the "thoughtless" aspect of the Ein Sof that gives rise to evil through divine sleep. This framework creates spaces where healing and transformation become possible through the recognition of God's hidden presence within darkness itself, providing theological foundation for therapeutic approaches that integrate rather than eliminate shadow material.

Revelation in Strange Clothes: Heresy as Deferred Prophecy

Revelation in Strange Clothes: Heresy as Deferred Prophecy

This article reframes heresy within Orthodox Judaism not as pathology to be eradicated but as a necessary byproduct of authentic theological creativity—a form of "deferred prophecy" that challenges established boundaries while potentially revealing divine truth. Through analysis of the 18th-century Jonathan Eybeschütz controversy alongside six major Orthodox thinkers (Reb Zadok HaKohen, the Netziv, Soloveitchik, Halivni, Lichtenstein, and Magid), this study demonstrates how shifting boundaries of Orthodox thought reflect evolving understandings of divine revelation. The integration of the author's therapeutic and theological writings reveals how contemporary Orthodox thought has developed "therapeutic orthodoxy"—a methodological approach that operates deliberately at the boundaries between orthodoxy and heresy through practical application of religious concepts to healing practice. This approach, described as "post-modern, post-Orthodox, and post-Hasidic," maintains essential religious commitment while radically expanding the boundaries of acceptable religious discourse through therapeutic integration of kabbalistic and halakhic concepts with medical practice.

The Sacred Shadow

The Sacred Shadow

The transformation of healing from a sacred art to biomedical science has paralleled the secularization of Western society, yet the mechanisms by which medical orthodoxy maintains dominance bear striking resemblance to those employed by religious institutions throughout history.

This paper examines the thesis that medical heresy represents merely a secularized form of religious heresy, with state and professional institutions employing similar punitive mechanisms to those historically used by ecclesiastical authorities.

We conducted a comparative historical analysis of control mechanisms employed by religious institutions (particularly during the Inquisition period) and contemporary medical establishments, utilizing Brian Martin's framework for understanding dissent and heresy in medicine, integrated with original research on healing practices and theological perspectives.

Our analysis reveals systematic parallels between religious and medical orthodoxy enforcement, including: definitional control over truth claims, institutional training and credentialing systems, economic sanctions and career restrictions, legal prosecution mechanisms, social marginalization techniques, and ideological hegemony maintenance. These mechanisms operate to suppress alternative healing modalities in ways that mirror historical suppression of religious dissent.

Medical heresy functions as secularized religious heresy, with state licensing authorities and professional organizations wielding powers analogous to those once exercised by ecclesiastical courts. This analysis has profound implications for understanding healthcare freedom, practitioner autonomy, and patient choice in healing modalities.

From Maze to Cave: Ramchal’s Moral Labyrinth

From Maze to Cave: Ramchal’s Moral Labyrinth

The metaphor of the maze (labyrinth) used by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Ramchal) in the introduction to Mesillat Yesharim is one of the most striking allegories in the entire work. It appears not in the main body of the book, but in the Author’s Introduction (Hakdamah), where the Ramchal reflects on why so many people, even scholars, fail to pursue genuine spiritual and moral growth.

Dreaming Kingship: Meta-Parable and Divine Desire

Dreaming Kingship: Meta-Parable and Divine Desire

This article examines the theological and philosophical implications of the phrase "K'she'ala b'machshavah Ono Emloch" (When it rose in thought: I shall rule) in the writings of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (the Alter Rebbe), founder of Chabad Hasidism. Building on recent scholarship in Hasidic thought and integrating insights from literary theory and phenomenology, this study proposes that the Alter Rebbe's understanding of divine kingship represents a radical ontology of divine desire expressed through what I term "meta-parable."

Drawing primarily on Likkutei Torah on Shir HaShirim and incorporating comparative analysis with Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin's Tzidkat HaTzadik, and the Degel Machaneh Ephraim, this essay argues that kingship itself constitutes the primordial divine parable (mashal hakadmoni)—a foundational narrative structure through which God experiences selfhood through sovereignty. This framework repositions creation not as divine emanation but as divine imagination, transforming the cosmos into a medium for divine self-discovery through narrative. The study contributes to contemporary scholarship on Hasidic theology, mystical hermeneutics, and the intersection of literary theory with Jewish mysticism.

From Parable to Pedagogy

From Parable to Pedagogy

This paper explores the function and theological depth of meshalim (parables) in Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi's Tanya and their subsequent expansion in his discourses in Likkutei Torah and Torah Ohr. The analysis demonstrates how the Alter Rebbe employs metaphoric language to mediate complex mystical ideas, providing cognitive and emotional accessibility for the reader. The study traces several core meshalim from Tanya and analyzes how they are re-contextualized and theologically deepened in later writings, revealing a multi-layered Hasidic pedagogy that integrates philosophy, Kabbalah, and psychological introspection.

Between Divine Judgment and Divine Absence

Between Divine Judgment and Divine Absence

This paper examines the theological rupture caused by the Holocaust through the dialectical lens of Midas HaDin (divine judgment) and Midas HaRachamim (divine mercy). Drawing on mystical traditions of divine presence and absence, it explores how the Holocaust challenges both traditional religious frameworks of meaning and Enlightenment narratives of human progress. The concept of "NOT-God"—a space where divine absence is palpably felt—is developed as a theological framework for understanding catastrophic suffering without resorting to facile explanations or complete abandonment of tradition. The paper analyzes the role of embodied ritual practices, particularly the Kaddish, as transformative responses to suffering that neither resolve theological questions nor surrender to nihilism. Through comparative analysis with major post-Holocaust theologians including Rubenstein, Berkovits, Fackenheim, Levinas, Greenberg, Raphael, Cohen, Lichtenstein, Schneerson, Sacks, and Soloveitchik, the paper articulates a distinctive theological approach that maintains the tension between rupture and continuity, between divine judgment and divine mercy, and between the failure of traditional theological categories and the ongoing search for meaning in their aftermath.

Language and Meaning in Sacred Texts

Language and Meaning in Sacred Texts

This article examines the complex interplay between language, meaning, and divine revelation in Jewish textual traditions through comparative analysis of diverse interpretative frameworks: the intellectual approach of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, the hermeneutics of religious passion and restraint developed by the Netziv (Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin), the contemporary philosophical perspectives of Elliot Wolfson, and the cross-cultural insights of Slavoj Žižek, Moshe Idel, Allan Nadler, and Simone Weil. By exploring the tensions between transcendence and immanence, nomian structure and religious enthusiasm, and the limits of religious language, this study illuminates how interpretive traditions navigate the paradoxical nature of divine revelation through textual engagement. Special attention is given to how theological meaning emerges not merely in the text itself but in the dialectic between immanence and transcendence, textual law and mystical yearning.

Scholarly Perspectives on Sifra Detzniuta

Scholarly Perspectives on Sifra Detzniuta

A review of the Sifra Detzniuta may initially appear distant from modern clinical concerns. However, its sophisticated understanding of divine presence and absence offers profound insights for contemporary healing relationships. Both the ancient kabbalists and modern healthcare practitioners grapple with similar fundamental questions: How does one become genuinely present to another without overwhelming them? How can absence sometimes manifest as the highest form of presence? What facilitates transformation in the space between two beings? This addendum explores how the Sifra Detzniuta's theological framework—with its paradoxical understanding of divine withdrawal, intermediary realms, and balanced opposites—can enrich our conception of the healer-patient relationship.

Epistemology Versus Ontology in Therapeutic Practice

Epistemology Versus Ontology in Therapeutic Practice

This paper examines how the philosophical tension between epistemology and ontology shapes the discourse on pantheism versus transcendence in Jewish mystical thought. By analyzing the works of contemporary scholars including Elliot Wolfson, Jonathan Garb, Amos Funkenstein, Rachel Elior, Ada Rapoport- Albert, Immanuel Etkes, Moshe Idel, and Eli Rubin, this study positions their interpretations within broader philosophical frameworks established by Kant and Hegel. The paper argues that Jewish mystical approaches to divine immanence and transcendence represent a unique philosophical contribution that navigates between Kantian epistemological limitations and Hegelian dialectical ontology.

Overcoming Doubt

Overcoming Doubt

This article examines the struggle in surrendering to the divine when confronted with doubt, internal resistance, or overwhelming urges in Jewish religious and mystical traditions. Through a review of classical and contemporary Jewish theological sources—including Hasidic teachings—this paper identifies key frameworks for understanding the spiritual struggle a healthcare giver faces in the therapeutic space, confronting the anguish and suffering of his or her patient or client and practical methodologies for maintaining faith during periods of such religious doubt. This claims that Jewish approaches to spiritual surrender are neither passive resignation nor blind obedience, but rather transformative practices that integrate psychological insight with religious devotion.

The Dialectical Divine

The Dialectical Divine

This article explores how the concept of tzimtzum illuminates the struggle between these seemingly contradictory aspects of the divine—the objective, transcendental "Higher Power" versus the subjective, personal "My-Higher Power"—and how this tension manifests in contemporary religious experience and the implications for the 12 step program of recovery from addiction.

Questioning Divine Absence

Questioning Divine Absence

This article examines the theological implications of divine absence and human questioning in Exodus 17:7, focusing on the interpretive frameworks provided by Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, Nahum Sarna, Shani Tzoref, and recent contributions to the theology of divine absence. The biblical episode at Massah and Meribah (Ex 17) represents a critical moment of theological crisis in Israel's wilderness experience, encapsulated in the question, "Is the Lord among us or not?"

Applying Hermeneutics to the Therapeutic Interaction

Applying Hermeneutics to the Therapeutic Interaction

This paper examines the fundamental tension between two paradigms of textual engagement: the incarnational model, where language itself embodies and is saturated with divine presence, and the referential model, where text functions as signifier pointing toward transcendent truths beyond itself. Drawing on Kabbalistic, Hasidic, psychoanalytic, and postmodern frameworks, we explore how these competing understandings shape religious experience and textual interpretation.

The Duality of Divine Presence

The Duality of Divine Presence

This paper examines the complex theological concept of the dark side of the Schechina (Divine Presence) as presented in contemporary Jewish mystical thought and its relationship to post-Holocaust theological discourse. Through close analysis of primary texts that explore the feminine divine in Jewish tradition—from rabbinic literature through medieval Kabbalah to Hasidic texts—and engaging with Christian and Jewish post-Holocaust theological perspectives, this study investigates how modern theological discourse has reimagined the relationship between human suffering and divine pathos.

Shekhinah Consciousness III

Shekhinah Consciousness III: Divine Feminine as Theological and Political Paradigm for Human Suffering

This follow up essay explores the concept of Shekhinah consciousness as a theological and political paradigm that has emerged in contemporary Jewish thought. Drawing on the mystico-political theology of Rabbi Menachem Froman, the neo-Hasidic interpretations of Shaul Magid, and the mystical hermeneutics of Eitan Fishbane, I argue that Shekhinah consciousness represents a radical reorientation of Jewish theology and practice toward receptivity, presence, and relationality.