Contraction as key to Jewish psychology
About the model
In his book “Life as a Midrash” (2004), Dr. Baruch Jahane, the brilliant student of Prof. Mordechai Rothenberg, writes an introduction to Rothenberg’s philosophy. From this introduction we can get acquainted with the basic ideas of Jewish psychology, according to Rothenberg. Rothenberg creates a socio-psychological model, based on Jewish sources mainly from the Midrash, Chassidism and Kabalah.
First, he investigates Christian theology. Hidden behind the “western psychology”, and as an alternative, Rothenberg suggests a Jewish dialogical paradigm. Rothenberg claims that by society’s treatment of the unusual individuals in it, we can understand the deeper basic principles of that entire society.
One of the basic ideas of Rothenberg’s system is the differentiation between a dialectical approach to conflict, stemming from an attitude of “me or you”, with only one winner, as opposed to a dialogical “me and you” attitude, which allows both sides to coexist, regardless of the tension between them. The ideological approach is based on the idea of contraction, which is one of Rothenberg’s most important contributions to social studies.
According to Rothenberg, the difference between the dialectic and dialogic approaches is rooted in a different understanding of G-od in Christianity and Judaism, especially Chassidic Judaism, which constitutes an archetype of human behaviour. According to HaAri’s (Rabbi Isaac Luria) approach (and Chassidism as a derivative), the infinite G-od self-contracted to make room for the created world. Rothenberg translated faith’s contraction approach to the language of social studies, where contraction allows the existence of different dialogues.
The intergenerational aspect: The Binding psychology. This approach references the intergenerational tension between fathers and sons. Accordingly, it offers an alternative solution to Freud’s Oedipal psychology, according to which this tension can be eased only by eliminating the father. The Binding psychology suggests that the intergenerational continuity can be recreated.
The introspective aspect: The Teshuva (repentance) psychology. In this part Rothenberg compares the periodic doctrine of repentance, which allows re-biography (rewriting of your failed past) by re-composing the melody of life, with a doctrine based on the “Original Sin” approach, which is deterministic and linear in its essence. Rothenberg calls the deterministic doctrine “hermetic”, and the periodic - “hermeneutic”, since it allows different interpretations to our life story so that a man can live with his past in the present and future.
The inter-personal aspect: The One for Each Other psychology. This part relates to the idea of self realization of the self in a communal framework with the help of the community, which Rothenberg calls “alter-centrism”. As opposed to egocentric self realization, which means the self is grown through focus on itself.
The alter-centric approach emphasizes the focus on the other with the Talmudic motto - “All Israel are responsible for each other”, as opposed to the egocentric approach in Western psychology, which Rothenberg claims is based on protestant ethics, manifesting itself in darwinism and survival of the fittest approach. In the “One for Each Other” psychology the self is not erased but contracts and allows for a mutual connection of “me and you”, designed by the interpersonal model that was present between the tribes of Issachar and Zevulun.
The beyond personal aspect: The PARDES (Peshat, Remez, Derash, Sod) Psychology. In this part a dialogue is presented between the rational material world (peshat) and the mystical spirit world (sod). According to Jewish psychology, as opposed to the dominance of rational thinking in Western society, brought forth by the protestant approach, Rothenberg suggest a possibility of bridging the gap between the rational and the mystical sod worlds, mediated by the derash and recomposition.
In order to understand how the idea of contraction can be implemented as a therapeutic approach, we will present the following concepts:
The contraction element, me and you, decrease in order to increase, recomposition, the desire to create, tikkun (correction).
The contraction element
The contraction element is a principle embedded in the HaAri’s contraction and tikkun doctrine. According to his teachings, the Lord contracted his own infinity in order to make room for creation of man and the world. In that, he gave men power, and the responsibility to determine their fate and even influence on the divine order. This creates a two way relationship between the creator and the created, which contract and complete each other’s creations. This model is used as the basis to contraction on a human level. The contraction can manifest itself in the interpersonal plain between a parent and their child or between a couple, and in the introspective plain between different parts inside a person, between different periods of their life, or different personal inclinations. There are several principles in the contraction element on a human level:
Every contraction includes the expansion of another part.
The contraction makes room for others, and thus creates a space for a person and their community to coexist.
The contraction process is dynamic. Sometimes there is contraction, sometimes there is expansion, and there is no one constant force which overcomes the community.
The contraction of the self makes room for others, but it is not the self as self-deprecation, in its common interpretation. In its contraction, the self is not erased and does not disappear, but continues existing even when it is not prominent in its existence.
The contraction of the self necessarily communicates responsibility and partnership to its community, since it does not occupy the entire space, but needs the community to cooperate.
In conclusion, the contraction includes two main processes: Contraction and expansion. The contraction process itself necessarily creates space for the expansion of another part. The contraction does not weaken but rather strengthens, and creates a connection between the “contracting” parts, which is stronger than the individual strength of each side.
Me and you (both) as opposed to me or you (either, or).
There are two behavior patterns, an interpersonal pattern “me and you” and “me or you”. In the “me and you” pattern, the individual and the community coexist, and the “me” makes room for the “you”. In the “me or you” pattern, the “me” and “you” are hostile to each other, and one will always come at the expense of the other.
As said before, Rothenberg compares two key stories - the stories of Oedipus and the binding of Isaac - and defines the Oedipal story as dialectic, and the binding of Isaac as dialogic. Both stories describe an intergenerational tension between a father and a son (the killing of a father or a son), but the solution suggested in the Oedipal story is the triumph of the son over the father - Oedipus becomes King of Thebes only after murdering his father Laius - as opposed to the solution to the intergenerational tension proposed in the binding model, which is dialogic continuity between Abraham and Isaac, in the essence of “even when a sharp sword is laying on the neck of a man, he should not lose hope in mercy”.
One solution proposes eliminating the father generation, while the other cancels the murder of the son and allows for coexistence between father and son.
Rothenberg attributes the “me or you” behavior pattern to the Oedipal-Prussian father model, from the protestant ethics. He claims that the father model - which does not contract for his son - influenced Freud’s psychoanalytical approach. The Oedipal complex develops a competition between father and son, and the burden of change is laying completely on the shoulders of the son, the weaker side, who must erase his self to become the stronger father. When he grows, he overcomes his father. There is no room for a mutual connection between father and some, but it creates a conflicting dialectic pattern of the weak against the strong, “me or you”.
Decrease in order to increase
The dynamic approach of “decrease in order to increase” sees the world as a cosmic-human situation of changing tides, and a part of a constant process of fluctuations of humanity and existence.
Rothenberg makes a distinction between the dualistic increase and decrease approach, with no connection between the two, and the “decrease in order to increase” approach, where both parts help each other exist, and influence one another. Rothenberg finds out whether the phenomenon is considered a “depressive mania” or a “manic depression”. In the former case, depression is considered a resting and legitimate status, a part of a bigger increasing process, while in the latter case, it expands and takes control of life, and the mania is an escape from this situation.
A person’s job is to believe he has the power to change reality, and use the decrease to gather power for the increase that comes after it. During the decrease, desire should not be killed off completely, so that the fire can be rekindled by the sparks of life and increase can begin. Baal Shem Tov says: “Like with charcoal, if there is one spark left, it can rekindle a fire in them which will be as big as before”.
Recomposition (re-biography)
Recomposition = rewriting + composition: A person goes back and composes their life’s melody, by re-reading events and experiences in their life. The re-biography approach states that a person has the ability to choose, from a wide array of interpretations, the one that will allow him to combine past stories with his general life story. It does not mean erasure of reality, but the option to see the same reality in different ways.
According to Rothenberg, the re-biography principle is based on the Midrash method in Judaism, the Jewish hermeneutics. The Midrash method, which offers interpretations to scripture and Talmudic texts, frequently uses symbolic allegories which can be interpreted either way, and opens a possibility for dialogic coexistence between different, but all legitimate, interpretations, from the position of “both are living words of G-od”. This approach is antithetic to Freud's psychoanalytic approach, where the Oedipal complex is a key story for understanding a person’s biography. Meaning it is a hermetic past which can only be interpreted rigidly, as opposed to the hermeneutic past which allows many retroactive interpretations.
Desire for creation
The model of desire for creation is the basis to a unique approach towards sexuality and creativity. This model states that the human organism includes parts which are supposedly opposite to each other (the physical desire - Yetzer, and the spiritual creativity - Yetzira). According to Rothenberg, these parts are connected in their essence (both have the same linguistic root). Simultaneous existence of opposing elements is possible due to the contraction philosophy, which states that there is a dynamic of contraction and expansion between physical and spiritual desires. This approach, which unites body and soul, is antithetic to the Christian approach, in which a person needs to conquer their desires and defeat their body in order to unlock their spirituality.
The continuity between desire and creation does not only negate the need to oppress physical desires in order to achieve the spiritual creation, but according to Rothenberg it is a combined energy, which sometimes manifests itself in one, and sometimes in the other, so the contraction of the physical desire can be a leverage for creative development.
Tikkun (correction)
In Kaballic Chassidism the idea of contraction is followed by another concept called “tikkun”. After the Lord self contracted in order to create the world, a big cosmic explosion of lights and sparks happened, in Kabballic language it is called “Shevirat HaKelim” (shattered vessels). After this event, the sparks of holiness were scattered on the worlds above and below, and were covered with Klipot (shells). A person’s job is to fix this shattering, with an action called “Ha’Alaat Nitzozot” (raising sparks). Instead of leaving the sparks in a position of detachment and disconnection, a person plays an integral part in recreation of worlds with a “tikkun” - the joining of scattered elements. This action is symbolically represented in rearranging the letters. If we rearrange the letters in the word “nituk” (disconnection) - we get the word “tikun”. At the therapeutic level, the tikkun is the ability to give new meaning and create new patterns from apparently opposing and disconnected structures, to have them stand in order.