The Substance of Man and the World in the Mystical Union Experience of Rabbi Kook
Keywords:
Rabbi Kook, Chabad, Hasidism, Kabbalah, Jewish philosophy, Lurianic Kabbalah, MysticismAbstract
The aim of this paper is to describe the mental state during the mystical union experience according to Rabbi Kook’s philosophy and compare it to Chabad’s. In Hassidism, when man unites with God he annuls himself. By contrast, according to Rabbi Kook, when man unites with God he empowers being and reality. Some scholars have noted Rabbi Kook’s innovation but none has attempted to explain its Kabbalistic-philosophical base.
The first part of the article presents the development of the tzimtzum (contraction) concept from Lurianic Kabbalah to Chabad and explains how tzimzum shaped the mystical union experience. The second part describes Rabbi Kook’s philosophical principles, such as the multiple unity concept. The article also discusses the modern existential context that brought Rabbi Kook to devise a new mystical union model that empowers the human self and the world.
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