Paraphrasing Exercise

Another exercise, specifically paraphrasing exercise given to us by our Comm2 instructor to prepare us for our ever so near research paper.

Original Text:

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

Paraphrased Version:

Time is also described as the continuous movement or cycle of the opposites such as the yin and yang or the charges’ positive and negative, as proposed in Chassidism’s “ratvo v’shov”. And this very concept of movement between the opposites is the foundation of all the phenomena in the universe. This specific movement also precedes the concept of time as what most people know, thus, it can be inferred that time’s continuity depends on this movement’s manifestations (Freeman, 2011).

Original Text:

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.

Paraphrased Version:

The concept of creation needs the Chassidism’s ratzo v’shov since the latter’s concept of continuous movement of opposing energies or forces supplements the creation’s. With ratzo v’shov’s concept, a notion was formed that creation involves the dependence and independence of the ‘Creator’, dependence and independence being the divergent forces. Furthermore, ratzo v’shov, aside from being a supplementary concept for creation, is also thought as the mediator of the ‘Creator’ and of the ‘Created’ such as the human beings. Other than that, time is also the mediator of the “cosmic soul and space”, the development of the creations and not the creations themselves as suggested by Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (Freeman, 2011).

Source:

Freeman, T. (2011). What is Time. Retrieved from http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/74335/jewish/What-is-Time.htm