Jiva

MIND, MATTER AND GOD : JIVA, JADA AND ISVARA
M.M.NINAN
Thus in order to create, God will have to create a vacuum within himself. The place that
was vacated was finite in that it was limited in relation to the Absolute All that held
it. This act of contraction, or Tzimtzum, produced a void. However since there is no
space outside of God, even when God contracted to a limit, the space is still filled with
God himself - in a limited way. Which would mean God was immanent even in these
void and hence in the subsequent creation. So we could say God is immanent in the
space though he transcends it. God veiled his presence in that area so as to give
freedom of will to the beings created. This freedom is part of the image of God so that
Man being created in the image of God has the freedom to choose and to create with
intelligence and wisdom just as God created with his words all that we see. Thus the
creation is not really out side God, but for all practical purposes it is. This is the
interpretation of maya in the Jewish theology. It is simply the veiling of the presence of
the immanent God in creation.
Into this Nothingness created by contraction creation can now take place. Although it
is a vacuum, Positive Existence may come into being within it. The Ohr Ein Sof , God's
emanation began to fill the space created by the Tzimtzum.
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