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Ohr Chadash אור חדשׁ Writings on Jewish Themes Martin Zwick משה צביק “Ohr Chadash,” which means “a new light,” are the first words of the prayer, “A new light will illuminate Zion.” Below are links to and abstracts from papers on Jewish religious and philosophical themes. (Click on the word “Abstract” below to go to it.) My book, Elements and Relations: Aspects of a Scientific Metaphysics (2023) , primarily about systems theory and philosophy, includes Jewish content; see the Index. More on Elements and Relations is here. Rosenzweig's The Star
of Redemption Words and Diagrams
about Rosenzweig's Star (2020) Naharaim 2020; 14(1): 5-33, an expanded version of the 2019
paper. [Abstract] Diachronics of Redemption: A
Systems-Theoretic View of Rosenzweig's Star (2019) Presentation at "Back to Redemption," International
Rosenzweig Society Conference, Feb. 17-22, 2019, Jerusalem, Israel. [Abstract] Rosenzweig’s Star and Systems Theory (2018) Presentation to the Northwest Philosophy Conference, Bellevue
College, Washington, Oct 19-20, 2018. [Abstract] Mussar Mussar and Esotericism
in Revolutionary Russia (2024) Presentation at the Western Jewish Studies Association meeting,
Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, May 5-6 2024. [Abstract] Jewish Mussar and Confucian Self-Cultivation (2019) Presentation at the Western Jewish Studies Association meeting,
Palm Desert, California, May 5-6 2019. [Abstract] Mussar (a short historical perspective) and Spinoza (2016) Presentation at the Western Judaic Studies Association
meeting, Salem, Oregon, April 20, 2016. [Abstract] Mussar and the Renewal of Judaism (2011) An unpublished paper. Mussar has since become more widely known,
and the Mussar Institute is having a significant impact on Jewish life. [Abstract] Kabbalistic Tree Polymorphism and
Polysemy in Images of the Sefirot (2021) Presented at Western Jewish Studies Association 25th annual
meeting (virtual, University of Nevada, Las Vegas), March 21, 2021. [Abstract] Symbolic Structures as Systems: On the Near
Isomorphism of Two Religious Symbols (2010) In Markus Locker, ed., Systems Theory and Theology: The Living
Interplay between Science and Religion (Eugene: Pickwick Publications),
62-96. This article is a longer version -- including systems-theoretic
observations -- of the 2009 Religion East and West article on the same
subject. [Abstract] The
Diagram of the Supreme Pole & the Kabbalistic
Tree: On the Similarity of Two Symbolic Structures (2009) Religion East & West, the
Journal of the Institute for Word Religions, Issue #9, October 2009, 67-87. [Abstract] Other Topics Tikkun
Viewed from the Perspective of Systems Philosophy [Abstract] Western Judaic Studies Association conference, March 16-17,
2025, San Diego CA A Conversation on Theodicy (2008) The Global Spiral (Metanexus),
January 9, 2008. [Abstract] Thoughts
on Some Shabbat Prayers (2002) These thoughts
were inspired by interactions with P’nai Or Rabbi Aryeh Hirshfield. The home
page devoted to the memory of Reb Aryeh, which is a blessing, is here. [Introduction] ABSTRACTS ____________________________________________________________ Words and Diagrams about Rosenzweig's Star (2020) This article explores aspects of Rosenzweig’s Star of Redemption
from the perspective of systems theory. Mosès, Pollock, and others have noted
the systematic character of The Star.
While “systematic” does not mean “systems theoretic,” the philosophical
theology of The Star encompasses ideas that are salient in systems
theory. The Magen David star to which the title refers, and which deeply
structures Rosenzweig’s thought, fits the classic definition of “system” – a
set of elements (God, World, Human) and relations between the elements
(Creation, Revelation, Redemption). The Yes and No of the elements and their
reversals illustrate the bridging of element and relation with the third
category of “attribute,” a notion also central to the definition of “system.”
In the diachronics of “the All,” the relations actualize what is only
potential in the elements in their primordial state and thus remedy the incompleteness
of these elements, fusing them into an integrated whole. Incompleteness is a
major theme of systems theory, which also explicitly examines the relations
between wholes and parts and offers a formal framework for expressing such
fusions. In this article, the systems character of Parts I & II of
The Star is explored through extensive
use of diagrams; a systems exploration of Part III is left for future work. Remarkably,
given its highly architectonic character, diagrams are absent in Rosenzweig’s
book, except for the triangle of elements, the triangle of relations, and the
hexadic star, which are presented on the opening page of each part of the
book. While structures can be explicated entirely in words, diagrams are a
visual medium of communication that supplements words and supports a
nonverbal understanding that structures both thought and experience. ________________________________ Diachronics of Redemption: A Systems-Theoretic View
of Rosenzweig's Star (2019) This paper explores Rosenzweig’s idea of Redemption by an interpretative
examination of the conceptual structures of The Star of Redemption. These structures, in which Redemption
is integrated with the other two relations, Creation and Revelation, and with
the three elements of God, World, and Human, are examined from the
perspective of contemporary systems theory. Moses, Pollock, and others have
noted the systematic character of The Star. While “systematic” does
not necessarily mean “systems-theoretic,” the philosophical theology of The
Star and its core hexad of elements and relations exemplify many ideas
salient in the systems theory literature. The hexadic star itself fits the
classic definition of “system,” and the Yes and No of Rosenzweig’s elements
and their reversals illustrate the bridging, in this definition, of element
and relation with the third category of “attribute.” Rosenzweig’s thought
resonates with the opposing ontological and epistemological conceptions of
“system,” the constitutiveness of function as well as structure, and the
diachronics of system formation which are fundamental to systems thought. In
its notions of All, Nothing, One, and Many, The Star also offers a systems metaphysics of number. In this paper, the systems character of The Star is illustrated by extensive use of diagrams. Remarkably,
given its highly architectonic character, diagrams are absent in Rosenzweig’s
book, except for the triangle of elements, the triangle of relations, and the
hexadic star that open its three parts. While conceptual structure can be
explicated entirely in words, diagrams supplement words with a visual medium
of communication that is deeply concordant with The Star’s message and
that supports a nonverbal dimension of understanding encompassing both
intellect and experience. ________________________________ Rosenzweig’s Star and Systems Theory (2018) Moses, Pollock, and others have noted the highly systematic
character of Rosenzweig’s The Star of
Redemption. This paper shows that the philosophical theology of The
Star embodies ideas central to systems theory. The Star is based on
a discussion of three elements – God, World, and Man – and three relations
that they enter into – Creation, Revelation, and Redemption. For Rosenzweig,
these elements and relations constitute the “All.” This hexad
illustrates the definition of “system,” and in The Star, other systems
ideas, including the ontological vs epistemological perspectives, structure and
function, synchronics and diachronics, and the metaphysics of number are also
salient. _____________________________________________________________ Mussar and Esotericism in Revolutionary Russia (2024) This
paper is an introductory comparative look at teachings of two spiritual figures
in pre-revolutionary and revolutionary Russia: Rav Yoseph Yozel (Horowitz)
and George Gurdjieff. Yozel founded the Novarodok school of Mussar; Gurdjieff
founded the spiritual tradition known as “the Work” or “Fourth Way.” There
are of course great differences between the Jewish tradition of Mussar, whose
literature dates back to the Mishnah but which as a social movement was
launched by Rabbi Israel Salantar in the late 19th century, and the Work,
with its affinities to Eastern Christianity, Buddhism, and Sufism but with no
apparent connection to Judaism. Still, some similarities are to be expected
between spiritual disciplines. This paper touches on some similarities of
spiritual exercises in the Mussar school of Novarodok (and secondarily in
later Mussar teachings) and in the early Gurdjieff Work, similarities that
are interesting given the sharp differences in their Jewish and non-Jewish
contexts. ________________________________ Jewish Mussar and Confucian Self-Cultivation (2019) This paper briefly explores similarities between two traditions
of ethical practice: Jewish Mussar and Confucian self-cultivation. There are
of course also significant differences. Judaism is God-centric while
Confucianism is human-centric, but Mussar’s psychological orientation makes
it a relatively humanistic aspect of Judaism. Also, Confucianism has a notion
of Heaven and sees human moral behavior as reflecting heavenly virtues; Ching
describes Confucianism as “lay spirituality.” Both traditions take as an ideal type someone who is both a
moral person and a scholar. In their views on human nature neither posited a blank
slate. In Judaism, there is a “good yetser” and a “bad yetser,” the latter
really a lower nature that should help the higher. We are born with the bad
yetser, while the good yetser emerges in puberty, but Judaism also asserts
that the human being is created in the image of God and that the highest
level of soul is pure. A comparable duality exists in Confucian thought:
Mencius regarded human nature as good, while Xunzi asserted that it was bad.
Xunzi had a notion similar to the Mussar idea that both good and bad natures
should serve Heaven. Both Mussar and Confucianism offer a spiritual psychology
in which emotion is as central as intellect, and in which it is a moral
obligation to train one’s heart to have emotions of generosity. The followers
of both traditions kept moral diaries. Another interesting parallel is that
Confucianism also recognized the importance of the dual aims referred to in
Mussar as tikkun ha-yetser and kibbush ha-yetser. Both traditions valued
humility, not only as a sign of moral development, but as a spiritual
exercise that facilitates such development. _________________________________ Mussar (a short historical perspective) and Spinoza (2016) This talk will be in two parts. First, I’ll give a bird’s eye
view of Mussar in Jewish thought to provide some context for the Shlain film (“The Making of a Mensch,” Tiffany Shlain & The Moxie
Institute Films) and for Bob Liebman’s analysis of the contemporary revival
of Mussar; but this will only approximate an adequate account, since
everything is more complex than I have time to describe. Second, I’ll introduce
the idea that Spinoza is relevant to the ethical and spiritual project of
Mussar. _________________________________ Mussar and the Renewal of Judaism (2011) In its neglect of Mussar, Judaism has been missing a big opportunity.
No other component of Jewish thought and practice -- neither Halachic
observance, nor mysticism or Ḥasidut, nor commitment to Israel, nor
Jewish culture, nor action for social justice – can serve as well as Mussar
as a vital center of a renewed Judaism and a unifying factor that can appeal
to every kind of Jew. _____________________________________________________________ Polymorphism and Polysemy in Images of the Sefirot (2021) The
resurgence of interest in Kabbalistic diagrams (Segol, Busi, Chajes) raises the question of how diagrams function in religious
symbolism. This question can be approached via methods used in the graphical
modeling of data. Specifically, graph theory lets one define a repertoire of
candidate structures that can be applied not only to quantitative data, but
also to symbols consisting of qualitative components. A
graph is a set of nodes and links between nodes. What nodes and links are is unspecified
in this definition. The Kabbalistic Ilan is – partially – a graph. The
Sefirot are its nodes; the paths connecting the Sefirot are its links. The
idea of a graph is actually not adequate to the Ilan, because in a graph
nodes can be anywhere in space, while in the Ilan arrangement in space is
significant and not arbitrary. However, graph theory can be supplemented with
spatial considerations. What (an augmented) graph theory offers that is of
special interest is a way to conceptualize the structural polymorphism of a
symbol, i.e., the various decompositions possible for the symbol viewed as a
graph. Structural
polymorphism correlates with conceptual polysemy. A structural decomposition conveys
a particular interpretation of the symbol, and to viewers of the symbol the
variety of possible decompositions presents simultaneously a multiplicity of
meanings. This polymorphism and thus polysemy is what gives many symbols
their richness and evocative power. This paper will apply the graph
theory-based methodology of decomposition to the Kabbalistic images of the
Sefirot. ________________________________ Symbolic Structures as Systems: On the Near Isomorphism of
Two Religious Symbols (2010) Many symbolic structures used in religious and
philosophical traditions are composed of “elements” and relations between
elements. Similarities between such structures can be described using the
systems theoretic idea of “isomorphism.” This paper demonstrates the
existence of a near isomorphism between two symbolic structures: the Diagram
of the Supreme Pole of Song Neo-Confucianism and the Kabbalistic Tree of
medieval Jewish mysticism. [The abstract
is afterwards the same as the abstract for the Religion East and West
version.] _________________________________ This paper discusses similarities of both form and meaning between
two symbolic structures: the Diagram of the Supreme Pole of Song Neo-Confucianism
and the Kabbalistic Tree of medieval Jewish mysticism. These
similarities are remarkable in the light of the many differences that exist
between Chinese and Judaic thought, which also manifest in the two symbols.
Intercultural influence might account for the similarities, but there is no
historical evidence for such influence. An alternative explanation would
attribute the similarities to the ubiquity of religious-philosophical ideas
about hierarchy, polarity, and macrocosm-microcosm parallelism, but this does
not adequately account for the similar overall structure of the symbols. The
question of how to understand these similarities remains open. _____________________________________________________________ “Tikkun”
Viewed from the Perspective of Systems Philosophy (2025) Understanding the
idea of tikkun, as it appears in tikkun olam and tikkun ha’yetser, can be enriched
by ideas from systems philosophy. From a systems perspective, “moral evil“ –
the flaws of individual human beings, which create the need for tikkun
ha’yetser – is a special case of “natural evil” – the dangers to life and
especially to humanity from the natural world and from societal moral evil,
which create the need for tikkun olam. Natural evil is in turn a special case of “metaphysical
evil” – flaws in olam (which include those of yetser) that are ubiquitous,
which may be viewed from the religious perspective of Creation or from the
secular perspective of scientific abstraction. Systems theory and philosophy
offer an account of metaphysical evil: The fundamental flaw of everything in
olam is finitude, the consequence of which is incompleteness and/or
inconsistency. From a religious perspective this account is a “secular
theodicy” which implies the need for tikkun in the Kabbalistic sense. _________________________________ A Conversation on Theodicy (2008) This paper is a dialog on theodicy—more precisely, on a
modern version of the classical religious-philosophical conundrum of how it
can be that (a) Evil exists, and yet (b) God is beneficent, and (c) God is
omnipotent. The dialog was inspired by Susan Neiman's Evil in Modern Thought: An Alternative History of
Philosophy, Princeton University Press, 2002. The idea of a
systems-theoretic ‘secular theodicy’ is given in expanded form in three
papers on my Systems Philosophy web page mentioned above: Incompleteness, Negation, Hazard: On the Precariousness of
Systems (1984), Towards an Ontology of Problems (1995), and Understanding Imperfection (2000). _________________________________ Thoughts on Some Shabbat Prayers (2002) What follows are thoughts about several of the Shabbat and daily
prayers which are collected together, with translations, in Shiru Ladonai,
a Siddur prepared by Rabbi Aryeh Hirschfield, alav ha’shalom, of P’nai Or,
the Jewish Renewal congregation of Portland, Oregon. These thoughts
reflect how I understand the prayers, what they mean to me when I am able to
make a personal connection with them. Most of the ideas expressed below
are not original, but draw from a variety of sources. The format is the
following: the Hebrew prayer, or a fragment of it, is followed by an English
translation, usually Reb Aryeh's but occasionally my own, and then by an
interpretation or drash, in italics. For most of us, there are too many prayers. It is like
a long seminar in quantum mechanics that we, middle school students who have
studied some biology but not yet any physics, are invited to attend. For
the spiritually advanced and for those who are steeped in tradition, the
array of prayers of the traditional service may be rich and potent, but for
the rest of us, even the prayers of abbreviated services are too many. A
single prayer said with intention, or from a broken heart, or felt with one's
body is worth more than a thousand prayers uttered without kavana. If
one can say (feel) such a prayer, dayenu. This should be the goal of
the prayer service. Copyright © 2025 by
Martin Zwick |
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