Tzimtzum in the context of "Panentheism"

In Kabbalah, Adam Kadmon (אָדָם קַדְמוֹן, ʾāḏām qaḏmōn, “Primordial Man”) also called Adam Elyon (אָדָם עֶלִיוֹן, ʾāḏām ʿelyōn, “Most High Man”), or Adam Ila’ah (אָדָם עִילָּאָה, ʾāḏām ʿīllāʾā, “Most High Adam” in Aramaic), sometimes abbreviated as A’K (א”ק, ʾA.Q.), is the first of Four Worlds that came into being after the contraction of God's infinite light. Adam Kadmon is not the same as the physical Adam Ha-Rishon (אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן).

In Lurianic Kabbalah, the description of Adam Kadmon is anthropomorphic. Nonetheless, Adam Kadmon is divine light without vessels, i.e., pure potential. In the human psyche, Adam Kadmon corresponds to the yechidah, the collective essence of the soul.

Ein Sof, or Eyn Sof (/eɪn sɒf/, Hebrew: אֵין סוֹף‎ ʾēn sōf; meaning "infinite", lit. '(There is) no end'), in Kabbalah, is understood as God before any self-manifestation in the production of any spiritual realm, probably derived from Solomon ibn Gabirol's (c. 1021 – c. 1070) term, "the Endless One" (שֶׁאֵין לוֹ תִּקְלָה, šeʾēn lo tiqlā). Ein Sof may be translated as "unending", "(there is) no end", or infinity. It was first used by Azriel of Gerona (c. 1160 – c. 1238), who shared the Neoplatonic belief that God can have no desire, thought, word, or action, emphasized by the negation of any attribute.

This is the origin of the Ohr Ein Sof or "Infinite Light" of paradoxical divine self-knowledge, nullified within the Ein Sof before creation. In Lurianic Kabbalah, the first act of creation, the tzimtzum or self-withdrawal of the divine to create a space, takes place from there.

In Kabbalistic and Hasidic philosophy, seder hishtalshelut (Hebrew: סדר השתלשלות, romanized: sēḏer hištalšeluṯ, lit. 'Order of Creation', Yiddish: סדר השתלשלות, romanized: seyder hishtalshéyles) refers to the chain-like descent of the Four Worlds between God and Creation. Each spiritual world denotes a complete realm of existence, resulting from its general proximity or distance to divine revelation. Each realm is also a form of consciousness reflected in this world through the psychology of the soul.Kabbalah is concerned with defining the esoteric nature, particularly the partzufim or divine manifestations or personas, as well as the functional role of each level between the infinite and the finite. Each spiritual realm embodies a creative stage God uses to go from his self to the creation of the physical world, the material Universe being the end of the chain and the only physical realm. Hasidic thought applies the Kabbalistic scheme to its concern of perceiving divine omnipresence in this material world. In this, Hasidism varies in its use of Kabbalah, Mainstream-Hasidism avoiding Kabbalistic focus, while Chabad thought explains seder hishtalshelut concerning man's psychology. In contrast to the functional aim of Kabbalah, this contemplates seder hishtalshelut as a vehicle for relating to the divine unity with creation."Seder Hishtalshelut" is sometimes used restrictively to refer to the emergent Created Order, the Four Worlds. More broadly, all preceding levels are included, as their function underlies existence. This page lists and links to all the main spiritual levels described in Lurianic Kabbalah, the scheme of Isaac Luria (1534–1572), the basis of modern Jewish mysticism. Its listing incorporated, expanded and explained earlier Medieval/Classical Kabbalah. After Luria, esoteric Kabbalists broadened their explanation within the Lurianic listing. The supra-rational doctrines of Luria described the Chokmah levels of divinity (tzimtzum and the shattering) that preceded the "rationally" perceived Bina levels of Medieval Kabbalah and Moses ben Jacob Cordovero. In turn, the Habad Hasidic exploration described Keter (will) levels of Divine intention that preceded Creation.

The Four Worlds (Hebrew: עולמות ʿOlāmot, singular: ʿOlām עולם), sometimes counted with a primordial world, Adam Kadmon, and called the Five Worlds, are the comprehensive categories of spiritual realms in Kabbalah in a descending chain of existence.

The concept of "Worlds" denotes the emanation of creative lifeforce from the Ein Sof or Godhead through progressive, innumerable tzimtzumim or concealments. Kabbalists identified the names of these worlds from Isaiah 43:7, "All who are linked to My name, Whom I have created, Formed, and made for My glory (Biblical Hebrew: כֹּ֚ל הַנִּקְרָ֣א בִשְׁמִ֔י וְלִכְבוֹדִ֖י בְּרָאתִ֑יו יְצַרְתִּ֖יו אַף־עֲשִׂיתִֽיו׃, romanized: Kol hanniqrā b̲išmi wəlik̲b̲od̲i bərāt̲iw yəṣartiw ʾap̲-ʿăśit̲iw.)". The names are thus Beri'ah "Creation," Yetzirah "Formation," Assiah "Action," and Atziluth "Emanation." Below Assiah, the lowest spiritual world, is the Assiah gashmi "Physical Assiah," the physical universe, which enclothes the last two sefirot, Yesod and Malkuth. Collectively, the Four Worlds are referred to as אבי״ע Aviyaʿ after their initial letters. In addition to the functional role each world has in the process of creation, they also embody dimensions of consciousness within human experience.

Lurianic Kabbalah is a school of Kabbalah named after Isaac Luria (1534–1572), the Jewish rabbi who developed it. Lurianic Kabbalah gave a seminal new account of Kabbalistic thought that its followers synthesised with, and read into, the earlier Kabbalah of the Zohar that had disseminated in Medieval circles.

Lurianic Kabbalah describes new doctrines of the origins of Creation, and the concepts of Olam HaTohu (Hebrew: עולם התהו "The World of Tohu-Chaos") and Olam HaTikun (Hebrew: עולם התיקון "The World of Tikun-Rectification"), which represent two archetypal spiritual states of being and consciousness. These concepts derive from Isaac Luria's interpretation of and mythical speculations on references in the Zohar. The main popularizer of Luria's ideas was Rabbi Hayyim ben Joseph Vital of Calabria, who claimed to be the official interpreter of the Lurianic system, though some disputed this claim. Together, the compiled teachings written by Luria's school after his death are metaphorically called "Kitvei HaARI" (Writings of the ARI), though they differed on some core interpretations in the early generations.