https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzimtzum
In the Jewish mystical tradition, God, before creating the world, needed to undergo a process known as tzimtzum, literally of contraction. God understood that for there to be room for a world, God would have to make room, contract God’s being. In discussing this creative moment, Linzer (2016) writes, ‘Ironically, though, if the creating is to build a space for the other, then such an act of personal expression must also be an act of personal contraction.’
One does not need to believe in a divine being to understand the profound implications of this idea; that living a humane life involves an ethical responsibility to others.
Edited by Sue Grand and Jill Salberg. Trans-generational Trauma and the Other (Relational Perspectives Book Series) (p. 14). Taylor and Francis. 2017, Kindle edition.
