In my flesh I shall see God
Rabbi Ohad Ezrahi
March 29, 2018 DOI: 10.4324/9780429480416-22 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the mind–body split is a learned distinction, not an inherent one, because all spiritual awareness—even out-of-body experience—is mediated through the body. Drawing on Kabbalah and its Hassidic interpretation, the author contends that the body is a divine manifestation and that materialistic social pressures narrow consciousness by filtering the body's intake of information. |
Abstract
Severing the connection between body and spirit is a strange thing indeed. For any spiritual awareness the author experience is mediated through the body—our brain with its electric and neural pathways is of the body, our feelings are of the body; even people who undergo out-of-body experiences are aware of it through their body. In the Kabbalah the author are taught to view our own body as a divine manifestation, of godlike presence, the thing in-itself realises itself and embodies itself in the world. The mind–body split is therefore a learned one. Our body receives volumes of information, which the author narrow down through materialistic social pressure, resulting in the narrowing of consciousness. The Hassidic interpretation of Kabbalah relates to reality as an embodiment of the divine, and at the same time recognises that the divine is infinitely expanding, way beyond mere reality.