Tzimtzum

Tzimtzum (Hebrew צמצום ṣimṣūm "contraction" or "constriction") is a term used in the Lurianic Kabbalah teaching of Isaac Luria, explaining his concept that God began the process of creation by "contracting" his infinite light in order to allow for a "conceptual space" in which a finite and seemingly independent world could exist. This contraction, forming an "empty space" (חלל הפנוי) in which creation could begin, is known as the Tzimtzum.