Falling in Love: Part Twenty: Marc Gafni

The Spiral of Shattering and Repair

Redemption is greater than a simple return to our point of origin: it is a spiraling return which takes us higher. The Kabbalist captures this notion in the images of Tzimtzum, Shvirah and Tikkun – contraction, shattering, and repair. The first stage — tzimtzum, contraction — is the Kabbalistic understanding of the idea of creation. In this primary experience of God’s emanation, vessels are created and suffused with divine light.

In the second stage, the vessels shatter, shvirah: they cannot hold the light. If the first stage is the creation of the world and everything in it, then the second stage parallels the exile from Eden, the Flood, and the breaking of the tablets of the law by Moses. All of these events are understood by the mystical tradition to be operating on two levels. They are, on the one hand, historical events.

At their most important level however they are the spiritual laws of the universe. They represent processes in the spiritual-existential life of every individual. Our experience of falling out of love is an echo of the first Fall from Eden.

The third stage of repair — tikkun — is our attempt, both personally and historically, to return to Eden.

marc gafni
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