1. Time is also described in Chassidism as the flux of ratzo v'shov -- a continual positive/negative oscillation of creative energy that drives all phenomena of the cosmos. Just as hearts beat, lungs inhale and exhale, energy pulsates in waves, particles vacillate between negative and positive states, so too the very substance of the cosmos continually oscillates between a state of being and not-being. This oscillation, as well, "precedes" Time as we know it. The essential continuum of Time in our world is the eventual manifestation of this higher form.
Paraphrase:
Time is labeled in Chassidism as the “flux of ratzo v’shov”. Ratzo v’shov is a flow of two opposite changes caused by “creative energy” which controls all the events in the universe. Examples would be the beating of hearts, inhaling and exhaling of lungs, changing of particles into positive and negative states, vibration in waves, changing of particles between opposite being, as well as everything in the world flows between in a “state of being and not-being”. Time continually exist as these changes exist (Freeman, 2011).
2. Why does creation necessitate ratzo v'shov? The standard explanation in Chassidism goes as follows: For anything to exist, two opposite processes are necessary. On the one hand, the object must be sustained by the will of its Creator. On the other, it must feel itself as a detached and distinct entity of its own. Ratzo v'shov is the artifact of this dynamic of conflict. In this way, it is the glue, or intermediary, between the creative force and the created being. In the words of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (the "Tzemach Tzedek", 1789-1866), Time is the intermediary between the cosmic soul and space. Time is the process of being, as opposed to the content of being.
Paraphrase:
Chassidism explains a that creation needs ratzo v’shov through the following: Two inverse processes are needed for anything to exist. the object must be distinguishable from others and maintained by its “Creator”. “Ratzo v’shov unites “creative force and created being”. According to Rabbi Menachem Mendel , time acts as a mediator of immeasurable “soul and space”(Freeman, 2011).
Freeman, T. (2011). What is Time. Retrieved from http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/74335/jewish/What-is-Time.htm
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