Kabbalah Essay Essay, Research Paper

KABBALAH OUTLINE

Introduction:

Kabbalah is described as Jewish mysticism dating back to the beginning of time according to holy beliefs. Opposed to traditional Judaism, Kabbalistic beliefs are based on a different interpretation of the book of Genesis. Kabbalistic concepts consist mainly of a Sephirot Tree which organizes the ten basic principals of life and an organized Universe making this branch of Judaism very different than other mainstream religions. Kabbalists have faith that divine status can be reached through means of traditional magick to find the meaning in numbers and letters of the holy scriptures making Kabbalah very unique in it’s beliefs.

I. Creation

A. Taught by God to a group of angels

B. Hebrew Sources in Israel

C. first centuries B.C.E.

II. Scriptures

A. Book of Zohar (Book of Splendor)

B. Sefer Yezirah

C. Genesis, Old Testament

III. Beliefs

A. World Can be grasped through numbers and letters

B. Job to discover hidden meaning in numbers and letters of holy scriptures through traditional magick methods

C. Sephirot Tree of Life

1. ten numbers are working principals of life organized and pictured in the S.T.L.

10 – Malkuth Kingdom – Divine (Exile/Physical)

9 – Yesod – Foundation (Union of Male and Female)

8 – Hod – Glory (Dependence/Vulnerability)

7 – Netzach – Firmness (Leadership/Conference)

6 – Tiphareth – Beauty (Balance/Harmony)

5 – Geburah – Strength/Severity (Discipline/Boundaries)

4 – Chesed – Mercy/Love (Compassion/Healing)

3 – Binah – Intelligence/Understanding (Differentiation/Repentance)

2 – Chochmah – Wisdom (Pure Thought/Connectedness)

1 – Kether – Being/Existence (Will/Selflessness)

2. 11th Sephirot – Between Chochmah and Binah – Daath – Knowledge (sex) found in the first chapters of Genesis

3. climb tree by means of magick

D. God

1. fills Universe

2. all things, good and evil/immanent and transcendent

3. boundless

IV. Rituals/Ceremony

A. Coming of Age

1. Bar Mitzvah

a. ceremony of admitting a boy (13) to the adult Jewish community

2. Bat Mitzvah

a. ceremony of admitting a girl (12 or 13) to the adult Jewish community

B. Hanukah

1. eight days

2. signified with the Menorah

3. commemorating the rededication of The Temple in Jerusalem

C. Prayer

1. pray in Hebrew

2. Shabbat is celebrated as the day of rest (sundown on Friday night to sun down on Saturday)

3. bow before entering a Jewish worship service

Conclusion:

Kabbalah is described as Jewish mysticism dating back to the beginning of time according to holy beliefs. Opposed to traditional Judaism, Kabbalistic beliefs are based on a different interpretation of the book of Genesis. Kabbalistic concepts consist mainly of a Sephirot Tree which organizes the ten basic principals of life and an organized Universe making this branch of Judaism very different than other mainstream religions. Kabbalists have faith that divine status can be reached through means of traditional magick to find the meaning in numbers and letters of the holy scriptures making Kabbalah very unique in it’s beliefs.

KABBALAH

Kabbalah is described as Jewish mysticism dating back to the beginning of time according to holy beliefs. Opposed to traditional Judaism, Kabbalistic beliefs are based on a different interpretation of the book of Genesis. Kabbalistic concepts consist mainly of a Sephirot Tree which organizes the ten basic principals of life and an organized Universe making this branch of Judaism very different than other mainstream religions. Kabbalists have faith that divine status can be reached through means of traditional magick to find the meaning in numbers and letters of the holy scriptures making Kabbalah very unique in it’s beliefs.

Kabbalistic practices are believed to originate straight from God. Kabbalists believe that the secrets of the holy scriptures were taught by God to a group of angels in Heaven. The angels then came down upon earth in human form and taught the religion to the people of Israel. Writing of the Kabbalah dates back to the first reordered centuries of the earth (B.C.E.) known to creationists.

The scriptures of Kabbalah include the Book of Zohar or Book of Splendor. The Zohar is a five-volume mystical commentary on the Torah. Torah is the Hebrew word for law or teaching and it more commonly referred to as the Books of Moses, the first five books of the Bible, Genesis; Exodus; Leviticus; Numbers; and Deuteronomy. It is traditionally said to be authored by Rabbi Shim’on bar Yohai, about 2000 years ago. Historically, it was probably put into written form in the fourteenth or fifteenth century by the Spanish rabbi Moses de Leon. Another scripture of Kabbalah is Sefer Yetzirah which means “Book of Formation”. Sefer Yetzirah is a brief work on the Creation. It is traditionally ascribed to Abraham, but its actual authorship is unknown. It dates to about 2500 years ago. Both of these books are also considered holy scriptures of Judaism but the interpretation of the scriptures is what sets Kabbalah apart from traditional Judaism.

Unique Kabbalistic beliefs include that the immortal world is in everyone’s grasp. Kabbalists believe that immortality can be grasped through the understanding of the letters and numbers included in the holy scriptures. It is mortal responsibility to discover the hidden meaning in the numbers and letters through methods of traditional magick. Kabbalists believe that the truth lies in the Sephirot Tree of Life. It organizes and pictures the ten numbers that are the working principals of life The Sephirot Tree of Life can be climbed through magick.

Sephirot Tree of Life

10 – Malkuth Kingdom – Divine (Exile/Physical)

9 – Yesod – Foundation (Union of Male and Female)

8 – Hod – Glory (Dependence/Vulnerability)

7 – Netzach – Firmness (Leadership/Conference)

6 – Tiphareth – Beauty (Balance/Harmony)

5 – Geburah – Strength/Severity (Discipline/Boundaries)

4 – Chesed – Mercy/Love (Compassion/Healing)

3 – Binah – Intelligence/Understanding (Differentiation/Repentance)

2 – Chochmah – Wisdom (Pure Thought/Connectedness)

1 – Kether – Being/Existence (Will/Selflessness)

When the tenth branch is reached, the divine state is entered into immortality. More recently, an eleventh branch has been added to the Tree. It falls between Chochmah and Binah, Daath. It signifies knowledge in relation to sex. It is said to be discovered in the first chapter in the book of Genesis. Kabbalah truth is that God is both good and evil. He is both immanent and transcendent. Kabbalists believe that God is boundless and fills every aspect in both the spiritual Universe and the physical Universe. God is everything.

Coming of age is an event that is celebrated by the Kabbalistic population. Kabbalists celebrate through Bar Mitzvahs for boys and Bat Mitzvahs for girls. These ceremonies signify the admittance of the child of age thirteen to the adult Jewish community. The child spends years studying the Hebrew language and Jewish holy scriptures to prepare for this event. Friends and family whether or not they are Jewish are invited to this celebration which normally takes place the Saturday after the child’s thirteenth birthday. One of the most important holidays to Judaism is Hanukah. Hanukah is an eight day celebration that is signified with the lighting of a candle on a menorah every night at sundown. Hanukah commemorates the rededication of The Temple in Jerusalem. The holy temple was taken away from the Hebrew slaves by the Egyptians. The Jews only had one nights worth of oil for their lamp while hiding out from the Egyptians in this safe haven. The miracle that took place was that the oil lasted for eight days and eight nights. Every night of Hanukah, gifts are exchanged with the largest gift presented on the final night of the celebration. These gifts represent all the gifts that God has given his people. Prayer is an important part of Kabbalah. Kabbalists pray in Hebrew because that is believes to be the original language of God. Upon entering a Jewish worship service, Jews bow which shows their humbleness to God. Shabbat is celebrated as the day of rest for the Jewish community. It begins sundown of every Friday night to sun down on Saturday. It is believed to be the day that the messiah while arrive from the Heavens and Jews want to be in the presence of their God when he arrives. It is a say of quiet, solitude, and reflection.

Kabbalah is described as Jewish mysticism dating back to the beginning of time according to holy beliefs. Opposed to traditional Judaism, Kabbalistic beliefs are based on a different interpretation of the book of Genesis. Kabbalistic concepts consist mainly of a Sephirot Tree which organizes the ten basic principals of life and an organized Universe making this branch of Judaism very different than other mainstream religions. Kabbalists have faith that divine status can be reached through means of traditional magick to find the meaning in numbers and letters of the holy scriptures making Kabbalah very unique in it’s beliefs.

Works Cited

Melton, J. Gordon. (1999). The Encyclopedia of American Religions; 6th Edition. Detroit: Gale Research.

Matt, Daniel C. (1995). The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism. New York: Quality Paperback Book Club.

Zetter, Kim. (1999). Simple Kabbalah. Berkeley: Conari Press.

Kabbalah; http://www.kabbalah.com

Home Page of Bnei Baruch; http://kabbalah-web.org/