The World of Izhbitz/Radzyn: Desire - The Dissatisfaction of the Soul

S5:E5

On a new episode of Inward, Rabbi Joey describes the psychological mood that emerges from the doubtful nature of being and the questioning that is born there. For Izhbitz/Radzyn the fact that questions will ultimately always remain unanswerable is symptomatic of the nature of the soul. No matter how far along the rungs of spiritual development the subject moves, there will always be a gap that persists between the finite creation and Infinite Creator. This space - which remains relative to each individual according to their own particular situatedness - assures that the ultimate spiritual gesture remains faith as opposed to knowledge. This leads to the Izhbitz/Radzyn alignment with the negative theological impulse inherent in Jewish mysticism and philosophy which sees the possibility of truly grasping the essence of the Infinite as an impossibility. Instead of leading to hopelessness and despair, the ultimate truth that there will always be a distance between the finite and the infinite leads to the space of apophatic faith that seeks to say what cannot be said in spite of its unsayability.

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Audio is by David Kwan.