Myth in the historical concept of Michael Laitman
The article is devoted to some aspects of the historical ideas of Michael Laitman. Laitman is not historian. He is popularizer of Kabbalah. In some of his books and articles he comments on events of the past. In the end, we can talk about original conception of history. One of aspects concept of the thinker is mythological narrative. The author of article adheres to the Eliade's theory of myth. Myth is special world view. Firstly, myth is true event, because it deals with real objects. Secondly, myth is story about creation. There are kab-balistic description of the act of creation world and system Adam Rishon in Laitmah's concept. Thirdly, the invasion of the sacred in the profane is central idea myth. Myth tells the sacred history. So, the Creator (or divine light, higher force, altruism) is sacred force in historical concept of Laitman. Author of the article believes that the historical narrative of Laitman includes two story lines: profane history and sacred history. Fourthly, myth has religious and magical power. Activity kabbalists attract in our world divine light that improve world and man according Laitman. Fifthly, myth is told at certain condition for specific people. The Laitman's historical concept contain two global myths: Descending myth and Rising myth. The first myth tells about universal catastrophe. The second myth is myth of salvation. There are saving of man and revival of the world as main ideas of the Rising myth. Each of the myths is mated with similar ideas and myths. There are myth of the original catastrophe (shvirat ha-kelim) and eschatological myth (global crisis of humanity) in the content Descending myth. There are eternal return and Gnostic meth as components of the Rising myth. These myths can be traced in historical narrative of the thinker. So, development of humanity is divided into two stages: descending and rising. There are transformation of the group "Israel" to the Jews, development of humanity under the influence of egoism, global crisis in the first stages of history. The Rising myth forms national (Jewish) and planetary plan future development of humanity. The second stages of history will be transformation Jews in kabbalists, radical reform of society, kabbalistic education, etc.
Keywords
Лайтман, исторические взгляды, мифология, современный миф, Laitman, historical views, religion historicism, mythological consciousnessAuthors
Name | Organization | |
Cherepanov Aleksandr S. | Tomsk State University; Lesosibirsk's Pedagogical Institute - Branch of Siberian Federal | alexcherr@mail.ru |
References

Myth in the historical concept of Michael Laitman | Tomsk State University Journal of History. 2016. № 39.