Anarchism + Mysticism = Utopia? w/ Hayyim Rothman

Hayyim Rothman is a scholar of modern Jewish thought, focusing on political theology and Jewish Anarchist theology in specific. Hayyim was a Fulbright postdoctoral scholar at Bar Ilan University and taught at Boston College, where he earned his doctorate in philosophy focusing on the political thought of Baruch Spinoza. Hayyim is an ordained rabbi with advanced degrees in Jewish thought and education, from Yeshiva University and Florida International University.
Hayyim is the author of No Masters but God, Portraits of Anarcho-Judaism, a study of Jewish religious anarchism, in which he brings to light the forgotten legacy of religious Jewish anarchism, and the adventures and ideas of its key figures.
Set in the decades surrounding both world wars, No masters but God identifies a loosely connected group of rabbis and traditionalist thinkers who explicitly appealed to anarchist ideas in articulating the meaning of the Torah, traditional practice, Jewish life and the mission of modern Jewry. Full of archival discoveries and first translations from Yiddish and Hebrew, it explores anarcho-Judaism in its variety through the works of Yaakov Meir Zalkind, Yitshak Nahman Steinberg, Yehuda Leyb Don-Yahiya, Avraham Yehudah Hen, Natan Hofshi, Shmuel Alexandrov, Yehudah Ashlag and Shmuel Tamaret.
With this ground-breaking account, Hayyim Rothman traces a complicated story about the modern entanglement of religion and anarchism, pacifism and Zionism, prophetic anti-authoritarianism and mystical antinomianism.
In this conversation with Hayyim we discuss the legacy of Spinoza's rationalism, mysticism and anarchism in German Idealism and later Marxists thinkers, followed by focusing on two of thinkers in Hayyim’s research, Shmuel Alexandrov and Yehudah Ashlag, looking at their mystical anarchism, unitive metaphysics, nationalism and universalist politics, their optimism and response to Nazism, their apolitical messianism and critical utopianism.
Hayyim’s book: manchesteruniversitypress.co....
Amazon: www.amazon.com/masters-but-Go...
Hayyim’s dissertation: www.academia.edu/43363397/Rea...
00:00 Excerpt
00:54 Who is Hayyim Rothman?
01:36 Hayyim’s Book
02:36 Historical Overview of Anarchism
08:06 Mystical Rationalism?
09:42 Spinoza's Rationalism
13:33 Spinoza not a Kabbalist
15:55 German Idealism on Spinoza
18:19 Spinoza as Anarchist
26:23 What is Anarchism?
28:11 Spinoza or the Medieval Mystics?
31:55 What is Mystical Anarchism?
33:42 Mystical Anarchism, Separate or Together?
35:42 Shmuel Alexandrov and Yehuda Ashlag
36:28 Shmuel Alexandrov
44:48 How don’t we collapse one into the other?
52:42 Alexandrov’s Metaphysics
59:20 Alexandrov’s Nationalism
1:01:34 Jewish Nationalism
1:03:01 First mystic or first anarchist?
1:05:29 Orthodoxy vs Anarchism
1:11:16 Nationalism and Anarchism
1:13:41 Either or?
1:16:10 Anarchism and the State
1:18:28 Optimism
1:19:53 On what grounds?
1:22:41 Response to Nazism
1:28:41 Yehuda Ashlag, the Baal HaSulam
1:40:36 Practically tho?
1:49:26 Messianism
1:53:56 A Variety of Messianisms
2:00:11 Critical Utopianism
2:02:55 Apocalypticism
2:04:03 Is Utopia possible?
2:05:40 Benjamin and Landauer?
2:07:52 What can we do?
2:10:47 Plug for Hayyim’s Work
2:12:12 Last Words
2:13:44 For the Jews
2:14:49 Post Convo Extras: Chabad Anarchists
2:15:16 Emma Goldman
2:16:08 Spinoza
2:16:34 End
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[@purpleman1974]

It´s been so surprising to find this precisely now: My spiritual path is not about finding the Godhead. We are the Godhead already in our core. My spiritual path is to find a way to reconcile transcendence and immanence, our mystical side and our human side. Considering how rapidly we are falling into the madness of an unprecedented, totalitarian, technological transhumanism, and while I see everything that´s human (spirituality, colourful individuality, freedom, creativity, social relationships, art, etc.) being destroyed for the sake of inoculated fear, I feel anarchism boiling in my veins as never before. The problem is that most anarchists movements totally lack spiritual depth and know nothing about the mystical experience. And most mystical branches are so oblivious of the situation in the world that they are cooperating with tyranny without even knowing it. So this is gold to me. Gold. Thank you.

[@SeekersofUnity]

You’re most welcome. Glad we could add a voice of depth and color to the conversation. Much love

[@alfalfas2849]

You couldn't say it better! It's also interesting in this context to examine how modern social movements rooted in rationalism & scientific materialism so often replicate religious social relations, symbology, and institutional structures.

[@purpleman1974]

@@alfalfas2849 Yes, I agree. I think that regardless of being a materialist or a spiritually inclined person, a kind of pyramidal order and symbolism are embedded in our core . Thanks for your words:)

[@alfalfas2849]

@@purpleman1974 Thank you for yours!

[@azanyahyisrael101]

There is some truth to this true indeed but I believe that by properly integrating both the light of God shines through both of us although anarchist is a good term for it I believe it is something much more like a mutually engaged socialism with God and spirituality and our connection with one another as the bridge through which we all transcend and reconcile or reconnect with one another

[@agender7052]

HELL YES as an anarchist from very young, mystical anarchism was actually my first real introduction to in-depth mystical topics, I never expected content like this hitting straight on the bullseye which I occupy where mysticism is concerned! Incredible, cannot wait to dive into this and am going to RIGHT NOW!!

[@SeekersofUnity]

Glad we could serve. Enjoy my friend. Hope it provides some good thoughts to chew on.

[@agender7052]

@@SeekersofUnity only half an hour in and I'm already feeling so at home!

[@SeekersofUnity]

Welcome home :)

[@agender7052]

@@SeekersofUnity adore this conversation, you keep putting out content that feels impossible to top and then doing it again and again!

[@SeekersofUnity]

@@agender7052 Thank you friend. We aim to serve the highest good.

[@BcClarity]

Thank You Dr. Justin Sledge for the referral. This is amazing deep ecumenism.

[@SeekersofUnity]

Thank you for joining us 🙏🏼 Much love and appreciation to our dear friend DJS.

[@BcClarity]

This video gave me so much encouragement re. my place as mystic in the Now. Forgive me for digression: You boys* are the embodiment of the sacred masculine, which seems so lost in the hyper-masculinity of world fascism. I also think your work is so important as Dr S says: Philosophy itself has suffered from it's aversion to the Wisdom traditions of Sophia and The Divine Feminine." The Vatican and other Orthodoxies buried and demolished like Sisyphus rolling a boulder atop her Yoni over and over(pun intended) Sexy Sexy Sexy.

[@MrResearcher122]

Anarchism and mysticism, are things that, like the morning star, have guided me since I read God and the State as a teenager. I haven't watched the video yet, but I'd like just to point out many French and Italian anarchist of the 19th century became Sufis, and were attracted to Islam simply because of the absence of Priests. However, Islam, with its Sheikhs, has somehow smuggled priests back in, as we can see in the alliance between religion and state in many places. Thanks,Zev, for this one.

[@SeekersofUnity]

Hey Jack. We’re glad to be in touch with what’s been alive for you. We’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback once you get the chance to watch through the convo. Much love, Zevi

[@The.Collective.Objective.]

Awesome!! 😍 Much love Zevi & fellow seekers💛💛💛

[@SeekersofUnity]

Thank you Shannon 🙏🏼☺️🌸

[@artsolomon202]

Can't get enough of these conversations, and thank you for making such beautiful content, that works on growth and hopeful and peaceful thinking! 🙏

[@SeekersofUnity]

Thank you Art for your sweet sweet words. It’s a real pleasure to work on curating content, conversations and community for epic people like you who appreciate what goes into it. Much love, Zevi

[@artsolomon202]

@@SeekersofUnity True love lies in a reality that is felt. I feel this! Thank you Zevi.

[@PathOfAvraham]

Love this ! Very engaging discussion can't wait to get the book to delve deeper. Hayyim: writes about anarchism Zevi: can you tell us what anarchism is? Hayyim: lol no

[@SeekersofUnity]

Glad you enjoyed this my friend. Thanks for joining us.

[@hayyimrothman8244]

Pls see my reply to Efrayim's comment.

[@dcmurray6466]

Well, that was a long session, but well worth it!! Certainly given me a lot to think about. Thanks to both of you for such an interesting conversation.

[@SeekersofUnity]

Our greatest of pleasure. Thank you so much for joining us for the long haul and for the sweet feedback. Much love, Zevi

[@EsotericMysticPortal93]

This interview is amazing, so interesting in scope as well as relevant on many levels. Thank you 😊

[@SeekersofUnity]

You’re most welcome sister 🙏🏼 thank you for joining us again.

[@fabiantombers4966]

omg this is the angle on mysticism that i was in search of for months now. keep on the amazig work and thank you Hayyim for the great insights. I'm going to read no masters but god!

[@SeekersofUnity]

Glad to provide :) Thanks for being here with us Fabian.

[@williamjmccartan8879]

Great conversation Zevi, mutual respect exploring stories and history, Hayyim "the one with ears" beautiful. Peace

[@SeekersofUnity]

Thank you William :) Love

[@rkmh9342]

Thank you both! The endurance and academic scholarship on display is inspiring. The Pink Peacock in Glasgow is up and running, and I hope to see more Jewish anarchist projects changing the world please

[@SeekersofUnity]

Thank you friend.

[@alfalfas2849]

Wow, Awesome, I've actually been looking forward to this book coming out for a while! This is a super interesting intersection of traditions. As an anarchist, I cannot begin to tell you how much exclusionary militant atheism and/or materialism is prevalent in radical circles. Looking forward to finishing this video :) Edit: Loved it! Thank you both for such an interesting talk. I really liked what Hayyim said about being radically open.

[@SeekersofUnity]

No way. That’s so cool that you know of Hayyim’s work. Glad we could serve that sweet spot of intersection.

[@marioksoresalhillick299]

You probably have had more experience than I have, but I honestly have not experienced much militant anti-theism from fellow anarchists. There is only one person I know who is an anti-theist, but they don't even believe that it is good to shove it down other people's throats. (We are also friends, as much as online ppl can be, which ig is a bit strange).

[@belteshazzarbenyakovleib1071]

Great informal talk on such insightful topics , a welcome break from what is passing as illuminated knowledge in the USA , a real authentic discussion without the narcissistic parade I see going on in the USA right now , much appreciated nothing in my bullshit meter is going off and I am glad to have found your Chanel all the best. I will be a regular viewer on this channel

[@SeekersofUnity]

Thank you for joining us brother 🙏🏼 Glad to have you as part of this extended conversation.

[@RabbiMendel]

Wow greta content, thank you

[@SeekersofUnity]

You’re most welcome. Thank you Rabbi.

[@allnaturalstate]

This is so frustrating for an outsider looking to learn. I literally don't know much about anarchy, not as a political movement nor as an intellectual concept. "Can you give us a going definition of anarchism? Haha No" And I thought mysticism was supposed to be esoteric. On ur end, this is a great interview. I love this part of your channel. Interviews with interesting individuals/communities with their own wealth of knowledge to share.

[@SeekersofUnity]

Hayyim does give a working definition of Anarchism at one point. We share your frustration. Glad you’re enjoying this. Thank you so joining us for these great convo and for supporting and sharing them. It’s what let’s us do more. Much love, Zevi

[@allnaturalstate]

@@SeekersofUnity I realize that I came off perhaps harsh in my comment. I meant it as a humorous take on his withholding of info. From what I understood he has so much to share but defers from conventional categorizations. Of course this was an enjoyable interview with a whole bunch of interesting things to learn. We each have different comfort levels with how we share knowledge.

[@SeekersofUnity]

That’s sensitive of you Efrayim. Hayyim has a good sense of humor tho. I don’t think he’d take it harshly but thanks for sharing your sensitivity.

[@hayyimrothman8244]

Hey Efrayim. Just to offer some context, this was the first interview I have ever done and I was very nervous. So some things just flew from my head and I had to cover. In a general sense, I would define anarchism as an ideology of radical egalitarianism. The various forms of anarchism are essentially trying to articulate different arenas of human life in which inequality reigns and must be dealt with, or different visions of how to realize the egalitarian ideal.

[@allnaturalstate]

@@hayyimrothman8244 hey thanks for this Hayyim, this is very helpful. And again, my apologies for coming off harsh.

[@DarkMoonDroid]

I have found my Tribe. 💞😍😇😍💙

[@SeekersofUnity]

😎 Our favorite words.

[@lewiakk5844]

After buying all sorts of seforim for the holy day of hei tevet, any video from zevi would be amazing, but as a chatzi anarchist (I know gaaiva) this is a perfect end of the holy yom tov.

[@SeekersofUnity]

Thank you brother. That’s very kind of you to say. May the victories carry on. Gut yom tov.

[@sagethecommunist5275]

Not on topic or anything but are you guys gonna get a discord server? soooo good for community building imo

[@SeekersofUnity]

We’ve never used it before but we shall consider. Thanks for the suggestion 🙏🏼

[@alfalfas2849]

@@SeekersofUnity +1 for getting a discord going! I can tell you from experience in political servers that it can be a very handy tool for both discussion and resources.

[@spiritualanarchist8162]

Anarchism + Mysticism = Me ! 😉 Seriously though, I learned something new. I haven't heard about this Jewish 'fusion'between mysticism & Anarchism yet. Very interesting,but also quite complex. . Going to find some time to look into this.

[@maritapinkstaff3199]

Natan Hofshi - i would love to hear another talk about Natan Hoshi and his optimism, somehow through this time. Our world is very troubling right now, especially with the current conflict with Russia and Ukraine and the effect this will have on the ability for the people of the worlds poorest countries to survive the coming food crisis. With war and starvation ahead for so many, how do we stay optimistic? How do we walk each day not overcome with fear? I think this survivor's perspective could help a lot of us right now. Also, any recommended readings of Hofshi?

[@hayyimrothman8244]

I have a chapter on him in my book, No Masters but God, in English. If you read Hebrew his 1964 בלב ונפש is available online

[@raycosmic9019]

The self-governing do not require a governor. The abstract called Love can be expressed concretely as a hug, etc.

[@SahasraraIm]

The organizing principle in existence as expressing in Creation is based on merit. Merit is a consequence of manifesting the will of God. Whereas our will is aligned with the will of God, merit is generated and consequently as everything depends on everything there is an organization taking place. Whereas manifestation is no longer beneficial there is distruction of that particular form. Generating-Organizing-Destruction.

[@PrincessMadeira]

As a Luciferian Satanist, my faith grew out of my politics. Lucifer as a rebel and advocate for humanity really delights me. I love religious anarchists!

[@marpoqiao]

alhamdulilah rabb il alameen wonder how this conversation wld intersect with anarcho-sufism?

[@SeekersofUnity]

That would be fascinating.

[@marpoqiao]

@@SeekersofUnity super exciting to see the radical left reclaiming the sacred! 😍

[@FromIdeologytoUnity]

What do you think of Christian Anarchism. Also, what about Permaculture?

[@hayyimrothman8244]

I don't know anything about permaculture. But I think Christian anarchism is very important. Many religious Jewish anarchists were inspired by Tolstoy and also by the self-styled "God-Seekers" of the (Orthodox-Christian) Solovyov circle, which included several anarchists.

[@Kenji17171]

What s this never heard of it

[@allahtheunique558]

could you make another video on love=hesed?

[@SeekersofUnity]

We could, but hopefully every video we make is on love/hesed.

[@allahtheunique558]

@@SeekersofUnity beautiful 😭😭

[@zevilover3591]

so what does that actually mean?🤔

[@bubblegumgun3292]

"Hey Is this the cult" "No were mystical anarchists " "Yeah this the cult" Thumbs up if you get the reference

[@belteshazzarbenyakovleib1071]

Giving it a listen this is not unfamiliar to me the term mystical anarchism coming from a antinomian background

[@HomelessWookie]

Today I woke up thinking about Bakunin.... Few hours later, this video. Okay, Universe, okay I'll watch.

[@SeekersofUnity]

Hahaha, the universe conspires again. Glad to be a part of it. Thanks for being here with us 🙏🏼 Hope you enjoyed it.

[@TehMuNjA]

just me or he looks like Vincent Gallo?

[@Aaron-xb4rq]

"The messiah is apocalyptic, it's a destructive picture. It's also a creative picture. But those two things are both true. You can't have one without the other....There's force that's involved in realizing utopia, there's destruction." Yet Hayyim "believes in tikkun." Is there tikkun without destruction? If so, then there can be utopia without force and destruction. Ashlag would promote a utopia based not on force because he understood mystically that tikkun does not happen by force. The key which the world has yet to see and realize is that tikkun and utopia are not separate. Tikkun is the immanent, physical manifestation of transcendent, mystical utopia (i.e., Eden/Paradise). This is a universal, integrated messianism, not merely a national (e.g., Jewish) or spiritual (e.g., Christian) messianism. It's true anarchism based on universal anthropology and the healing of the world (i.e., tikkun) actualized through individuals who are wholely integrated beings - messiahs themselves. The world isn't waiting for THE messiah. THE messiah will never come, and A messiah will never heal the world. Only when each of us realizes that we are ALL called to be a messiah will the tikkun of each individual bring about utopia - universal tikkun. Tikkun, and therefore utopia, isn't made manifest from without. This would be totalitarian authoritarianism, and this is specifically where efforts in realizing utotopian visions have failed miserably in the past. Universal tikkun, utopia, is made manifest from within and is therefore inherently anarchic in the truest sense. As Hayyim's book is even called, we have "No Masters But God."

[@TawsifEC]

Reminds me of the Moorish Orthodox Church of America.

[@angeladinapoli5363]

It appears that in this world of ours the time to remove the child from the basement may actually be upon us 🕊

[@joyhunter2362]

As Usual I'm late to the meeting of mind 😜

[@SeekersofUnity]

Glad you’re here :)

[@ezekiel5687]

Im also an anarchist mystic. Well, id say Pagan more so.

[@dionysusyphus]

I never even knew this was a thing but holy sh*t if I haven't been living my life by it, divinely inspired to reveal and articulate it into & through some sort of practical guide yet via a mythos that can connect dots in the minds of all peoples-who find interest in stories(I'd like to think near everyone lol) Z-and metaphorically and literally retrace humanities steps back to the point alchemy and kabbalahism diverge into the forbidden open(minded)ness of the Arcane arts and the "rationalist" atheistic fruits of, what we call, science and how this subjective(that's growing to balance itself with the objective as it progressed)arcane root being damned as heresy and delusion to the new outward/objective dogma of the science "religion of anti-relgion", that thus, grew into it's own heresy and allowed influence of tainting egoism that halts progress of any meaning & transcendent experiences as well as even any unknown variables because the egotistical need for truth and the gate keepers unwilling to open up to new possibilities especially because they can't stomach there now outdated research being made obsolete( as if it was of an alchemist ideal the whole journey would of been as cherished as the its ends. I think underlying Spinoza, Deleuze, and Carl Jung (+ many more as those but a few) to recrorrect and mend this past division so were intuned with the raitional divinity our future may hold. And shout out @ESOTERICA for being a portable to this beautiful discussion and a long lost family I never knew I had!😌🙏

[@SeekersofUnity]

Welcome brother. Hope you enjoy what's on offer :)

[@dionysusyphus]

@@SeekersofUnity thanks man, and I forsure have so far. Keep up 'The (good) Work'!

[@ready1fire1aim1]

Libertarian, free-market Capitalism + mysticism is a much more reasonable answer.

[@Duragizer8775]

"No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." Matthew 6:24, NRSV