Birth in Kabbalah and Psychoanalysis

264 Pages·2022·2.585 MB·English

by  Kara-Ivanov Kaniel, Ruth

RuthKara-IvanovKaniel
BirthinKabbalahandPsychoanalysis
Perspectives on Jewish Texts
and Contexts
Edited by
Vivian Liska
EditorialBoard
RobertAlter,StevenA.Aschheim,LeoraBatnitzky,RichardI.Cohen,
MarkH.Gelber,MosheHalbertal,ChristineHayes,MosheIdel,
SamuelMoyn,IlanaPardes,AlvinRosenfeld,DavidRuderman,BerndWitte
Volume 18
Ruth Kara-Ivanov Kaniel
Birth in Kabbalah
and Psychoanalysis
ThisbookisatranslationfromtheHebreworiginal:הלבקבוהזילנאוכיספבהדילה-שונאילבח,Seriesin
CriticismCultureandInterpretation,CarmelPress.Jerusalem:2018.
ISBN978-3-11-068749-1
e-ISBN(PDF)978-3-11-068802-3
e-ISBN(EPUB)978-3-11-068810-8
ISSN2199-6962
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2022933738
BibliographicinformationpublishedbytheDeutscheNationalbibliothek
TheDeutscheNationalbibliothekliststhispublicationintheDeutscheNationalbibliografie;
detailedbibliographicdataareavailableontheinternetathttp://dnb.dnb.de.
©2022WalterdeGruyterGmbH,Berlin/BostonandTheHebrewUniversity
MagnesPress,Jerusalem
Coverimage:“WombSoaringtotheDivine”,paintingbyHayaEster,
mixedtechnique2020.
Typesetting:IntegraSoftwareServicesPvt.Ltd.
Printingandbinding:CPIbooksGmbH,Leck
www.degruyter.com
Allhumanlifeontheplanetisbornofwoman.Theoneunifying,incontrovertibleexperi-
encesharedbyallwomenandmenisthatmonths-longperiodwespentunfoldinginside
awoman’sbody.
Probablythereisnothinginhumannaturemoreresonantwithchargesthanthe
flowofenergybetweentwobiologicallyalikebodies,oneofwhichhaslaininamniotic
blissinsidetheother,oneofwhichhaslaboredtogivebirthtotheother.Thematerials
arehereforthedeepestmutualityandthemostpainfulestrangement.
–AdrianRich,OfWomanBorn
Weseemtodivergeratherfarintheroleweassigntointuition.Yourmysticsrelyonitto
teachthemhowtosolvetheriddleoftheuniverse;webelievethatitcannotrevealtous
anythingbutprimitive,instinctualimpulsesandattitudes–highlyvaluableforanembry-
ologyofthesoulwhencorrectlyinterpreted,butworthlessfororientationinthealien,ex-
ternalworld. –SigmundFreudtoRomainRolland,January19,1930
Comeandsee:Allthoseplantsandallthoseburninglampsallshineandglow,arewa-
teredandblessed,fromthatflowing,gushingriver,inwhichalliscomprised,totalityof
all.ThisiscalledMotheroftheGarden,abovethegarden,forEdenjoinswithHer,not
partingfromHer.Consequently,allspringsissue,flow,andwaterineverydirection,
openinggatewaysinHer.SoCompassionderivesfromHer,CompassionisopenedinHer.
YetsincewecallHerMother,Female,GevurahandJudgmentissuefromHer[.. ..]היהא
היהארשא(Ehyehasherehyeh),“IamthatIam(Exodus3:14),andIdonotfathomit.”Mys-
teryofthematterisasfollows:היהא(ehyeh),Iam–totalityofall,forwhenpathsarecon-
cealed,notdiverging,includedinoneplace,thenitiscalledEhyeh,totalityofall,hidden
andnotrevealed.Onceabeginningemergesandthatriverisimpregnated,tochannelall,
thenitiscalledהיהארשא(asherehyeh),thatIam,meaning:“UntilhereIam;Iamready
toconveyandgivebirthtoall.”“Ehyeh,Iam–meaning:‘NowIamtotalityofall,gener-
alitywithnoparticular.’”Asherehyeh,thatIam–forMotherisimpregnatedandreadyto
receiveallparticularsandrevealthesupernalName[. ..]Afterward,Hegeneratedthat
river–supernalMother–andShebecamepregnant,readytogivebirth;andHesaid,
asherehyeh,thatIam,preparedtogivebirthandarrangeall.
–Zohar3:65a–b(Matt,7,427–430)

Acknowledgements
Many people have helped to bring this project to its fruition, some by offering
their most welcomed and wise counsel, others by contributing their profound
insights and assisting me with their support. All of them have already been
namedandthankedintheexpandedHebrewversionoftheoriginalpublication
of this book (Carmel Press, 2018) and are still most heartfeltly appreciated for
their help. Here I would like to specifically thank those who have assisted me
intheprocessofediting,translatingandgenerallymakingpossiblethisEnglish
editionforpublication.
Firstandforemost,toProf.VivianLiska,theeditorofthebookseries“Per-
spectivesonJewishTextsandContexts”(DeGruyter,Berlin);JonathanNadav,
(CEOoftheMagnesPress);TheISFGrantforBookPublications;andtherefer-
ees of the Gorgias Press competition who kindly decided to award me the
“PerasGorgias”fortheyear2019inthecategoryofabookinJewishThought.
Inaddition,Iwouldliketoexpressmywarmgratitudeto:EduardLevin,Dan-
iel Price, Iris Felix, Elizabet Michel, Myrna Milun, Gene Matanky, Levi Morrow,
Sara-TovaBrody,LevanaChajes;aswellastomycolleaguesatthedepartmentof
JewishthoughtatHaifaUniversity;attheShalomHartmanInstituteinJerusalem;
andattheTAICP-theTel-AvivInstituteforContemporaryPsychoanalysis.
Finally, I want to thank from the depths of my heart my teachers, friends
andstudentsforthevitalandmeaningfulconversationswehavehadregarding
thenotionofBirthanditscentralityintheJewishmyth,aswellasintheexis-
tentialflowofourlives.
The book is dedicated to Asi and our children: Hallel, Talya, Evyatar, Roi,
whoteachmeeverydaythemysteriesoflove,re-birthandgrowth.
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110688023-202

Contents
Acknowledgements VII
Introduction 1
1 PsychoanalysisandKabbalah:TheMeetingofWorlds 2
2 AnExampleoftheDiscourseofKabbalahandPsychoanalysis:The
LayersofCreationandtheLayersoftheSoul 6
3 CulturalandEmotionalEntanglement 8
Chapter1
TheExistentialismofBirth 11
1 TheTwoPoles:BirthandDeath 11
2 TheFearofNotBeingBornandtheSinofNotGivingBirth 17
3 TheTraumaofImpregnation 28
4 MythicalandIndividualBirth 35
5 TheBirthDrive 38
6 NeglectoftheMother(andBirth)inPsychoanalyticThought 42
Chapter2
TheTheologyandEthicsofBirth 46
1 MotherhoodandGod 46
2 TwoMothers:BinahandtheShekhinah 52
3 Mother,God,andtheAnalyst:Parenting,Theology,
andPsychoanalysis 57
4 MotherhoodandThreat 60
5 The“Sawing”MotherandtheConcealedMother 62
6 OtherwisethanBeingandtheLawofRodef(“Persecutor,”
“Pursuer”) 64
Chapter3
TheCaesuraofBirth 68
1 Caesura:ConnectionoraRendingAsunder? 68
2 “SittingontheCrisis” 73
3 PsychologicalBirth:BackandForth 77
4 ThePrimevalAndrogynous:TheMythofNesirah 82
5 CaesuraandSawing 86
6 TheThreeStagesofMythicalBirth:Light,Water,
andFirmament 90
X Contents
Chapter4
“TheWombIsaTomb”:TheImageryoftheUterusandFemaleGuilt
andDeath 96
1 CompassionorHarmbytheWomb? 97
2 TheWombasaDangerousPlace 100
3 TheGuiltandBlamingofEve,thePrimalMother 104
4 BirthandFemaleDeath 105
5 TheWombasaGrave 111
6 TheWombastheGardenofEdenandtheInfantasa“Writing
Tablet”:Anamnesisand“DiscerningWhatMayCometoPass” 116
7 TheSymbolizationoftheWombastheMindandtheImage
oftheMidwifeinAncientGreece 122
Chapter5
TheDoubleBeginningoftheZohar 127
1 ComparingtheIntroductiontotheZohar(“WhoCreatedThese?”)
withItsOpeningHomily(“Be-roshHurmanuta
de-Malka”=“AttheHeadofPotencyoftheKing”) 129
2 MaternalOrigins(“WhoCreatedThese?”) 132
3 BirthasDonningGarments 135
4 PaternalOrigins(“AttheHeadofPotencyoftheKing”) 137
5 CombinedParentalFigure 141
Chapter6
LongingfortheSource 146
1 UnityandMultiplicityofSourceandPlace 146
2 TheDreadoftheSource 151
3 Sunlight,Being,andNot-Being 157
“AsNothingbeforetheLightoftheInfinite”-SchneurZalman
ofLiadi 159
4 BirthasaTransitionbetweenaClosedMem(ם)
andanOpenMem(מ) 163
5 Nursing 170
Chapter7
BirthinLurianicKabbalah 180
1 ThreeStagesofMysticalBirth:Ibbur(“Impregnation,”lit.,
“Gestation”),Yenika(“Suckling,”“Nursing”),andMoḥin
(“Consciousness;”lit.“Brains”) 180