Spinoza and Kabbalah: Convergences, Divergences, and Their Theoretical Implications

This article aims to shed light on the possible influence of the Kabbalah on Spinoza. To do this, I will analyze the role that the Kabbalist theoretical model may have had on the development of Spinozist philosophy, in order to understand both their convergences and their divergences. I will then clarify Spinoza’s relationship to this theory, especially the Lurianic Kabbalah, and emphasize the importance of the notion of Tsimtsum (contraction of the Divine light).

Keywords: Spinoza, Kabbalah, R. Shlomo Gabirol, R. Isaac Luria Ashkenazi, R. Israel Sarug, R. Yosef Shlomo Delmedigo, R. Abraham Ha-Cohen Herrera, Leibniz, Tsimtsum, Shekynah, Immanentism, Pantheism, Hylomorphism, Feminine Alterity.