1. A Brief Introduction to
Kabbalah |
 Kabbalah originally developed entirely within
the realm of Jewish thought and kabbalists often use classical Jewish
sources to explain and demonstrate its esoteric teachings. These
teachings are thus held by followers in Judaism to define the inner
meaning of both the Hebrew Bible and traditional Rabbinic literature,
their formerly concealed transmitted dimension, as well as to explain
the significance of Jewish religious observances.
Traditional
practitioners believe its earliest origins pre-date world
religions, forming the primordial blueprint for Creation's
philosophies, religions, sciences, arts and political systems. Historically, Kabbalah emerged,
after earlier forms of Jewish mysticism, in 12th- to 13th-century
Southern France and Spain, becoming reinterpreted in the Jewish mystical
renaissance of 16th-century Ottoman Palestine. It was popularised in the
form of Hasidic Judaism from the 18th century onwards. 20th-century
interest in Kabbalah has inspired cross-denominational Jewish renewal
and contributed to wider non-Jewish contemporary spirituality, as well
as engaging its flourishing emergence and historical re-emphasis through
newly established academic investigation.
Kabbalah
is considered by its adherants as a necessary part of the study
of Torah and as an inherent duty of observant Jews to follow. Kabbalah teaches doctrines which are
accepted by some Jews as the true meaning of Judaism while other Jews
have rejected these doctrines as heretical and antithetical to Judaism.
After Biblical
Hebrew prophecy, the first documented schools of mysticism in
Judaism are found in the 1st and 2nd centuries as described in
the earliest book on Jewish mysticism called the Sefer Yetzirah.
Their method for mystical experiences is known as "Merkabah"
mysticism (i.e., contemplation of the Ezekial's divine
"chariot") which lasted until the 10th century, where it was
incorporated into the medieval emergence of the Kabbalah in
Europe during the 12th and 13th centuries. Its teachings as
embodied in the Zohar (a foundational text for kabbalistic
thought) and became the foundation of later Jewish mysticism.
Modern academic study of Jewish mysticism refers to the term
"Kabbalah" as being the particular doctrines which emerged fully
expressed in the Middle Ages, as distinct from the earlier
Merkabah mystical concepts and methods. The
"ecstatic tradition" of Jewish meditation strives to achieve a mystical
union with God.
According to the
traditional understanding, Kabbalah dates to the days of Adam and Even.
It came down from a remote past as a revelation to elect righteous
people and was preserved only by a privileged few. Talmudic Judaism
records its view of the proper method for teaching Kabbalah wisdom.
Ezekiel and Isaiah had prophetic visions of an angelic chariot and
divine throne which later Kabbalah writings incorporated into to the
Four Worlds. According to Kabbalists, the Kabbalah's origin began with
secrets which God revealed to Adam. According to a rabbinic midrash, God
created the universe through the Ten Sefirot. When read by later
generations of Kabbalists, the Torah's description of the creation in
the Book of Genesis reveals mysteries about the godhead itself, the true
nature of Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Knowledge of
Good and Evil and the Tree of Life, as well as the interaction of these
supernal entities with the Serpent which leads to disaster when they eat
the forbidden fruit, as recorded in Genesis 3. The Bible provides ample
room for mystical interpretations: the prophet Ezekiel's visions,
Isaiah's vision of the Temple in Isaiah (Chapter 6), Jacob's vision of
the ladder to heaven and Moses' encounters with the Burning bush and God
on Mount Sinai are evidence of mystical events in the Tanakh that form
the origin of Jewish mystical beliefs.
Talmudic doctrine
forbade the public teaching of esoteric doctrines and warned of
their dangers. In the Mishnah (Hagigah 2:1), rabbis were warned
to teach the mystical creation doctrines only to one student at
a time. To
highlight the danger, one Jewish legend called "The Four Who Entered
Paradise" describes the outcome of four prominent rabbis of the Mishnaic
period (1st century A.D.) who had visions of paradise: one rabbi looked
and died, another rabbi looked and went insane, another rabbi destroyed
his plants, and the last rabbi found peace and was fit to handle the
study of mystical doctrines.
The mystical doctrines
of Hekhalot (heavenly "chambers") and Merkabah texts lasted from the 1st
century B.C, through to the 10th century A.D. before giving way to the
emergence of the Kabbalah. Initiates were said to "descend the chariot"
- a possibly reference to meditating on the heavenly journey through the
spiritual realms. Their goal was to arrive before the transcendent awe
of God rather than entering into the divinity. From the 8th through the
11th centuries, Sefer Yetzirah and Hekhalot texts made their way into
European Jewish circles. The Kabbalah's medieval beginnings originated
from mystical circles in 12th century France and 13th century Spain.
Also in the 13th century a classic Rabbinic figure named Nachmanides
helped Kabbalah gain mainstream acceptance through his Torah commentary.
There were also certain elder sages of mystical Judaism who are known to
have been experts in Kabbalah. One of them was Isaac the Blind
(1160-1235) who is widely argued to have written the first work of
classic Kabbalah, the Sefer Bahir, which laid the groundwork for the
creation of the Sefer Zohar, written by Moses de Leon and his mystical
circle at the end of the 13th century. One of the best known experts in
Kabbalah was Nahmanides (1194-1270), a student of Isaac the Blind, and
whose Torah commentary is considered to be based on the Kabbalah.
Another expert was Bahya ben Asher (died 1340) who also combined Torah
commentary and Kabbalah.
The Zohar was the
first popular work of Kabbalah and the most influential. From the 13th
century onward, Kabbalah began to be widely disseminated and branched
out as extensive literature. In the 19th century, the historian Heinrich
Graetz argued the emergence of Jewish esotericism at this time coincided
with the rising influence of the philosophy of Maimonides. Scholars have
argued that the impact of Maimonides can be seen in the change from
orality to writing in the 13th century when Kabbalists began writing
down many of their oral traditions in part as a response to the attempt
of Maimonides to explain older esoteric subjects philosophically.
However, many Orthodox Jews reject this idea of Kabbalah undergoing
significant historical change. After the Zohar was published for public
consumption in the 13th century, the term "Kabbalah" began to refer more
specifically to teachings related to the Zohar. At an even later time,
the term "Kabbalah" began to generally be applied to Zoharic teachings
as elaborated upon by Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534-1572 A.D.). Historians
generally date the start of Kabbalah as a major influence in Jewish
thought and practice with the publication of the Zohar and climaxing
with the spread of the Luria's teachings. Luria's disciples, Rabbi Hayim
Vital and Rabbi Israel Sarug, both published Luria's teachings which
gained widespread popularity. Luria's teachings came to rival the
influence of the Zohar itself. Along with Moses de Leon, Rabbi Luria
stands as the most influential mystic in Jewish history. In the 20th century,
Yehuda Ashlag (1885-1954) of Palestine, was a leading esoteric kabbalist
in the traditional mode, who translated the Zohar into Hebrew with a new
approach in Lurianic kabbalah.
Rabbi Israel ben
Eliezer Baal Shem Tov (1698–1760) was the founder of Hasidism whose
teachings were based on Lurianic kabbalah. The ecstatic fervour of early
Hasidism developed from historical influences of Jewish mysticism, but
sought a communal revival by centering Judaism around the central
principle of "devekut" (i.e., mystically cleaving to God). For the first
time, this new approach transformed kabbalistic theories for the elite
into a popular social and mystical movement complete with its own
doctrines, texts, teachings and customs. Rabbi Baal Shem Tov developed
schools of Hasidic Judaism, each with different approaches and thought.
Hasidism instituted a new concept of leadership in Jewish mysticism,
where the elite scholars of mystical texts now took on a social role as
embodiments and intercessors of divinity for the masses. With the 19th
century consolidation of the movement, leadership became dynastic.
The nature of divinity prompted kabbalists to
envision two aspects of God: (1) God in essence is absolutely
transcendent, unknowable, limitless divine simplicity, and (2) God in
manifestation - the revealed persona of God through which He creates and
sustains and relates to humanity. Kabbalists believe these two aspects
are not contradictory but complement one another. They are emanations
revealing the concealed mystery from within the Godhead. The structure
of these emanations of God have been characterized in various ways:
Sefirot (Divine attributes) and Partzufim (Divine "faces"), Ohr
(spiritual light and flow), Names of God and the supernal Torah, Olamot
(Spiritual Worlds), a Divine Tree and Archetypal Man, Angelic Chariot
and Palaces, male and female, enclothed layers of reality, inwardly holy
vitality and external Kelipot shells, 613 channels ("limbs" of the King)
and the Divine souls in man. Kabbalists see all aspects as unified
through their absolute dependence on their source in the
Infinte/Endless..
The Zohar elaborates
upon the Sephirot - the ten emanations of God sustaining the universe -
from its concealment from humanity to its revelation. These emanations
are described as one light being poured into ten vessels. These Sephirot
emanations are described metaphorically as manifestating in the form of
the "Tree of Life and Knowledge" and its corresponding form: humanity as
exemplified as Adam Kadmon. This metaphor allows humans to understand
the Sephirot as corresponding to their soul's psychological faculties
and corresponding to the masculine and feminine aspects of God. As
Genesis 1:27 states, "So God created mankind in His own image, in the
image of God He created them; male and female He created them."
Corresponding to the last "sefirah" in Creation is the indwelling
"shekhinah" (Feminine Divine Presence). The downward flow of divine
Light in Creation forms the supernal Four Worlds: (1) Atziluth,
(2)
Beri'ah, (3) Yetzirah and (4) Assiah. The acts of human beings unite or
divide the manifestation of these heavenly masculine and feminine
aspects of the Sephirot. But once these manifestations become
harmonized, God's creation is complete. As the spiritual foundation of
all Creation, the Sephirot corresponds to the Names of God in Judaism
and the particular nature of any being.
According to Kabbalah
cosmology, the Sefirot corresponds to various levels of creation. The
ten Sefirot exists "fractally" within each of the Four Worlds. There are
four worlds existing within each of the larger Four Worlds, each
containing ten Sefirot which themselves and each containing ten Sefirot,
to an infinite number of levels. The Sefirot are considered revelations
of the Creator's will and they should not be understood as ten different
"gods" but as ten different ways the one God reveals his will through
these levels. So it is not God who changes; it is our perception of God
which changes.
Altogether, eleven Sefirot are named. However
Keter and Daat are unconscious and conscious dimensions of one
principle; thereby conserving ten forces. The names of the Sefirot in
descending order are:
1. |
Keter - the
supernal crown representing above-conscious will |
|
2. |
Chochmah -
the highest potential of thought |
|
3. |
Binah - the
understanding of the potential |
|
4. |
Daat - the
intellect of knowledge |
|
5. |
Chesed -
sometimes referred to as Gedolah-greatness and
loving-kindness |
|
6. |
Gevurah -
sometimes referred to as Din-justice or Pachad-fear
(severity/strength) |
|
7. |
Rachamim
also known as Tiphereth (mercy) |
|
8. |
Netzach -
victory/eternity |
|
9. |
Hod -
glory/splendour |
|
10. |
Yesod -
foundation |
|
11. |
Malkuth -
kingdom |
|
Medieval Kabbalists believed all things are
linked to God through these emanations; thereby, making all levels in
creation part of one great, gradually descending chain of being. Through
these levels any lower creation reflects its particular characteristics
in Supernal Divinity. Hasidic thought extends the Divine immanence of
Kabbalah by believing God is the only thing that really exists - defined
philosophically as monistic panentheism. Among problems considered in
the Hebrew Kabbalah is the universal religious issue of the nature and
origin of evil. In the views of some Kabbalists this conceives "evil" as
a "quality of God," asserting that negativity enters into the essence of
the Absolute. In this view it is conceived that the Absolute needs evil
to exist.
The Kabbalah describes the human soul as
having three elements: (1) The nefesh: the lower "animal" part of the
soul which is linked to instincts and bodily cravings. The nefesh is
found in all humans, entering the physical body at birth. It is the
source of one's physical and psychological nature. (2) The ruach: the
middle soul (or the "spirit") which contains the moral virtues and the
ability to distinguish between good and evil. (3) The neshamah: the
higher soul or super-soul which separates man from all other life-forms.
The neshamah is related to the intellect and allows humans to enjoy and
benefit from the afterlife. It allows one to have some awareness of the
existence and presence of God.The (2) ruach and
(3) the neshamah are
not implanted at birth, but can be developed over time. Their
development depends on the actions and beliefs of the individual and are
said to only fully exist in people awakened spiritually. The Zohar also
describes fourth and fifth parts of the human soul - the chayyah and the
yehidah. The chayyah is the part of the soul which allows one to have an
awareness of the divine life force. The yehidah is the highest plane of
the soul where one can achieve the fullest union with God as is
possible. The chayyah and the yehidah do not enter into the body like
the other three which is why they receive less attention than in other
sections of the Zohar.
The Kabbalistic
concept of reincarnation is called gilgul - a Hebrew word meaning
"cycle." Souls are seen to "cycle" through "lives" or "incarnations"
becoming attached to different human bodies over time. Which body they
associate with depends on their particular task in the physical world,
spiritual levels of the bodies of predecessors and so on. Gilgul relates
to a broader historical process in Kabbalah involving Cosmic Tikkun
(Messianic rectification) and the historical dynamic of ascending Lights
and descending Vessels from generation to generation. The esoteric
explanations of gilgul were articulated in Jewish mysticism by Rabbi
Isaac Luria in the 16th century, as part of the metaphysical purpose of
Creation.
The notion of
reincarnation, while held as a mystical belief by some, is not an
essential tenet of traditional Judaism. The books of Kabbalah and Jewish
mysticism both teach gilgul - a universal tenet in Hasidic Judaism which
regards the Kabbalah as sacred and authoritative. Rabbis who believed in
reincarnation include: (1) the mystical leaders Nahmanides (the Ramban)
and Rabbenu Bahya ben Asher; (2) Levi ibn Habib (the Ralbah) from the
16th-century, and from the mystical school of Safed Shelomoh Alkabez,
(3) Isaac Luria (the Ari) and his exponent
(4) Hayyim Vital; and (5) the
founder of Hasidism Yisrael Baal Shem Tov of the 18th-century, later
(6)
Hasidic Masters, and (7) the Lithuanian Jewish Orthodox leader and
Kabbalist the Vilna Gaon. Rabbbi Isaac Luria taught new explanations of
the process of gilgul and identified of the reincarnations of historic
Jewish figures. The idea of gilgul became popular in Jewish folklore and
is found in much Yiddish literature among Ashkenazi Jews.
The main Kabbalistic
text dealing with gilgul is called Sha'ar Ha'Gilgulim or "The Gate of
Reincarnations" which is based on the work of Rabbi Isaac Luria. It
describes the deep, complex laws of reincarnation which includes the
concept of gilgul being parallelled physically through pregnancy. The
Kabbalistic view of gilgul is similar to the Eastern view of
reincarnation in that they are an expression of divine compassion.
Gilgul differs from Eastern views in that gilgul is not automatic and is
neither a punishment of sin nor a reward of virtue. Gilgul is concerned
with the process of the soul's individual Tikkun (rectification). Each
Jewish soul is reincarnated enough times only in order to fulfil each of
the 613 Mitzvot. The souls of righteous non-Jews may be assisted through
gilgulim by fulfilling the Seven Laws of Noah. Gilgul is a divine
agreement for the individual soul to reincarnate to perform good works
toward the goal of becoming perfected. Gilgul is also tied to the
Kabbalah's doctrine of creation where a cosmic catastrophe occurred
called the "shattering of the vessels" of the Sephirot in the "world of
Tohu (chaos)". The vessels of the Sephirot broke and fell down through
the spiritual Worlds until they were embeded in our physical realm as
"sparks of holiness" (Nitzutzot). All Mitzvot involve performing good
works because they elevate each particular Spark of holiness associated
with its related commandment. Once all the Sparks are redeemed to their
spiritual source, the Messianic Era begins. This theology gives cosmic
significance to every human being as each person has particular tasks
which only they can fulfil. Each soul is assisted through gilgul toward
the Cosmic plan of bringing about Utopia on Earth - a lower World where
the purpose of creation is fulfilled.
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