Section 1: General
Kabbalah is an aspect of Jewish mysticism. It consists of a large body of speculation
on the nature of divinity, the creation, the origin and fate of the soul, and the role of
human beings. It consists also of meditative, devotional, mystical and magical practices
which were taught only to a select few and for this reason Kabbalah is regarded as an
esoteric offshoot of Judaism. Some aspects of Kabbalah have been studied and used by
non-Jews for several hundred years - see What is Hermetic Kabbalah".
Q1.2 : What does the word "Kabbalah" mean, and how should I spell it"?
The word "Kabbalah" is derived from the root "to receive, to
accept", and in many cases is used synonymously with "tradition".
No-one with the slightest interest in Kabbalah can fail to notice that there are many
alternative spellings of the word, the two most common being Kabbalah and Qabalah. Cabala,
Qaballah, Qabala, Kaballah (and so on) are also seen. The reason for this is that some
letters in the Hebrew alphabet have more than one representation in the English alphabet,
and the same Hebrew letter can be written either as K or Q (or sometimes even C). Some
authors choose one spelling, and some choose the other. Some (the author for example) will
even mix Q and K in the same document, spelling Kabbalah and Qlippoth (as opposed to
Qabalah and Klippoth!). A random selection of modern Hebrew phrase books and dictionaries
use the K variant to represent the letter Kuf, so anyone who claims that the
"correct" spelling is "Qabalah" is on uncertain ground.
There has been a tendency for non-Jewish books on Kabbalah published this century to
use the spelling "Qabalah". Jewish publications are relatively uniform in
preferring the spelling "Kabbalah".
The author takes the view (based on experience) that the spelling "Kabbalah"
is recognised by a wider selection of people than the "Qabalah" variant, and for
this purely pragmatic reason it is used throughout the FAQ.
Q1.3 : What is the "Tradition"?"
According to Jewish tradition, the Torah (Torah - "Law" - the first
five books of the Old Testament) was created prior to the world and she advised God on
such weighty matters as the creation of human kind. When Moses received the written law
from God, tradition has it that he also received the oral law, which was not written down,
but passed from generation to generation. At times the oral law has been referred to as
"Kabbalah" - the oral tradition.
The Torah was (and is) believed to be divine, and in the same way as the Torah
was accompanied by an oral tradition, so there grew up a secret oral tradition which
claimed to possess an initiated understanding of the Torah, its hidden meanings,
and the divine power concealed within it. This is a principle root of the Kabbalistic
tradition, a belief in the divinity of the Torah, and a belief that by studying
this text one can unlock the secrets of the creation.
Another aspect of Jewish religion which influenced Kabbalah was the Biblical phenomenon
of prophecy. The prophet was an individual chosen by God as a mouthpiece, and there was
the implication that God, far from being a transcendental abstraction, was a being whom
one could approach (albeit with enormous difficulty, risk, fear and trembling). Some
Kabbalists believed that they were the inheritors of practical techniques handed down from
the time of the Biblical prophets, and it is not impossible or improbable that this was in
fact the case.
These two threads, one derived from the study of the Torah, the other derived from
practical attempts to approach God, form the roots from which the Kabbalistic tradition
developed.
Q1.4 : How old is Kabbalah?"
No-one knows. The earliest documents which are generally acknowledged as being
Kabbalistic come from the 1st. Century C.E., but there is a suspicion that the Biblical
phenomenon of prophecy may have been grounded in a much older oral tradition which was a
precursor to the earliest recognisable forms of Kabbalah. Some believe the tradition goes
back as far as Melchizedek. There are moderately plausible arguments that Pythagoras
received his learning from Hebrew sources. There is a substantial literature of Jewish
mysticism dating from the period 100AD - 1000AD which is not strictly Kabbalistic in the
modern sense, but which was available as source material to medieval Kabbalists.
On the basis of a detailed examination of texts, and a study of the development of a
specialist vocabulary and a distinct body of ideas, Scholem has concluded that the origins
of Kabbalah can be traced to 12th century Provence. The origin of the word
"Kabbalah" as a label for a tradition which is definitely recognisable as
Kabbalah is attributed to Isaac the Blind (c. 1160-1236 C.E.), who is also credited with
being the originator of the idea of sephirothic emanation.
Prior to this (and after) a wide variety of terms were used for those who studied the
tradition: "masters of mystery", "men of belief", "masters of knowledge", "those who know",
"those who know grace", "children of faith", "children of the king's palace", "those who
know wisdom", "those who reap the field", "those who have entered and left".
Q1.5 Do I need to be Jewish to study Kabbalah"?
Some aspects of traditional Kabbalah are so deeply intertwined with Jewish religious
beliefs and practice that they are meaningless outside of this content. Other aspects of
Kabbalah (what I refer to below as Hermetic Kabbalah") have
been studied and practiced outside of Judaism for so long that they have a distinct
identity in their own right, and no, you do not have to be Jewish to study them, any more
than you need to be English to study the Law of Gravitation.
However, if you choose to study Kabbalah by name you should recognise that Kabbalah was
and is a part of Judaism, and an important part of the history of Jewish people, and
respect the beliefs which not only gave rise to Kabbalah, but which are still an essential
part of Jewish faith..
Q1.6 : Is there an Obstacle to a Woman studying Kabbalah"?
Within Judaism the answer is a resounding "Yes!": there are many obstacles.
Perle Epstein relates some of her feelings on the subject in her book on Kabbalah (see the
Reading List "below).
The obstacles are largely grounded in traditional attitudes: it is less easy for a
woman to find a Rabbi prepared to teach Kabbalah than it would be for a man. Persistence
may reward (see below).
Outside of Judaism the answer is a resounding "No!": there are no obstacles.
For the past one hundred years women have been active both in studying and in teaching
Kabbalah.
Q1.7 : I've heard that one shouldn't study Kabbalah unless one is
over forty years old? Is this true"?
The great Kabbalist R. Isaac Luria (1534-1572), began the study of Kabbalah at the age
of seventeen and died at the age of thirty-eight! His equally famous contemporary R. Moses
Cordovero (1522-1570) began at the age of twenty. Many other famous Kabbalists also began
the study early.
This prohibition has come from Ashkenazic (East European) Jews and has never applied to
Sepharidic (Middle Eastern) Jews. The historical basis for the "rule" comes from
opponents of Kabbalah within Judaism who (successfully) attempted to restrict its study.
At the root of this was the heresy of false messiah Shabbatai Tzevi (17th. C) which
resulted in large numbers of Jews leaving the orthodox fold. This heresy had deep
Kabbalistic underpinnings, and in the attempt to stamp out Shabbateanism, Kabbalah itself
became suspect, and specific prohibitions against the study of Kabbalah were enacted (e.g.
the excommunication of the Frankists in Poland in 1756).
A further factor was the degeneration (in the eyes of their rationalist opponents) of
18th. century Hasidism, which had roots both in Kabbalah and Shabbateanism, into
"wonder working" and superstition. The rationalist faction in Judaism triumphed,
and the study of Kabbalah became largely discredited, to the extent that many Jewish
publications written earlier in this century discuss Kabbalah (if at all) in a very
negative way.
Greg Burton has supplied this (mildly amusing) post from America OnLine, from a Rabbi
Ariel Bar-Zadok:
" One thing I assure you, I am not a "new ager", nor am I sympathetic to
anything that is not pure, authoritative Kabbalah. Remember, Kabbalah means "to
receive". I am an Orthodox Sephardic Rabbi, ordained in Jerusalem. I teach only from
the true texts, many of which most Rabbis for whatever reasons have never read. I document
all my sources so as to verify to you that these teachings are authentic. (I must also
admit that I have studied other religious and meditative systems, in this way I feel
comfortable and confident to discuss them). My classes are open to all, Jew and Benei Noah
alike, men and women, (in accordance to Tana D'vei Eliyahu, Eliyahu Raba, Chapter 9). By
the way, according to the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabi Ovadiah Yosef (Yehaveh Da'at 4,47)
quoting Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, one only has to be 20 years old to study Kabbala, and not
40. THIS IS THE HALAKHA!!"
This still leaves R.Isaac Luria looking embarrassed, but R. Moses Cordevero scrapes in
under the bar ;-)
Q1.8 : Do I need to learn Hebrew to study Kabbalah"?
A Jewish Kabbalist would maintain that it is impossible to study Kabbalah without
knowing Hebrew. Most Hermetic Kabbalists learn some Hebrew, but there are many practical
exercises and ritual techniques which can be employed with only a minimal knowledge of
Hebrew.
There is no question that a knowledge of Hebrew can make a very large difference.
Non-Jewish texts on Kabbalah abound in simple mistakes which are due largely to uninformed
copying. Thousands of important Kabbalistic texts have not been translated out of Hebrew
or Aramaic, and the number of important source texts in translation is small. The
difficulties in trying to read the archaic and technically complex literature of Kabbalah
should not be discounted, but it is well worthwhile to acquire even a superficial
knowledge of Hebrew. Four useful books are:
Levy, Harold, "Hebrew for All", Valentine, Mitchell 1976
Harrison R.K. "Teach yourself Biblical Hebrew", NTC Publishing Group 1993
Kelley, P.H., "Biblical Hebrew, an introductory grammar", Eerdmans 1992
Brown, F, "The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon",
Hendrickson 1979
Many Kabbalists view the Torah as the word of God and Hebrew as the language of
creation. In this view the alphabet and language are divine and have immense magical
power. Many of the source texts of Kabbalah are commentaries on the Bible, and derive
their insights using a variety of devices, such as puns, anagrams, gematria (letter
manipulations) and cross references to the same word in different contexts. The reader is
presumed to be adept at playing this game, which becomes completely inaccessible in
translation.
Q.1.9 What is Hermetic Kabbalah"?
Many people who study Kabbalah are not Jewish. This has been happening for 500 years or
so. It is difficult to know what to call this variant of Kabbalah. "Non-Jewish"
is inaccurate, as I have personally known several Jews who opted for Hermetic Kabbalah in
preference to the traditional variety! At one time it was called "Christian"
Kabbalah, but this is also very misleading.
The origin of this variant can be placed in Renaissance Italy in the last decade of the
15th. century. It was an amazing decade. In 1492 Christopher Columbus set sail for
America. In that same year the King of Spain expelled all Jews from Spain on pain of
death, bringing to an end centuries of Jewish culture in Spain, and causing a huge
migration of dispossessed Jews through Europe, many of whom were welcomed by the Turkish
sultan, who is reputed to have observed that the King of Spain had enriched Turkey by
beggaring his own country.
At around the same time, at the court of the great banking family of the Medicis in
Florence, Marcelio Ficino had established the Platonic Academy under the patronage of the
Medicis and was translating the works of Plato. A bundle of manuscripts, lost for
centuries and dating back to the 1st. and 2nd. centuries A.D. was discovered; this was the
Corpus Hermeticum, a series of documents relating to Hermes Trimegistus, identical
with the Egyptian god Thoth, god of wisdom. Cosimo de Medici told Ficino to stop
translating Plato and to concentrate on the Corpus instead.
At the time it was believed that the Corpus really was the religion of the
ancient Egyptians, and that Hermes was a kind of Egyptian Moses. The fact that they were
written much later, and heavily influenced by Neoplatonism, had the effect of convincing
readers at that time that Greek philosophy was founded on much older, Egyptian religious
philosophy - this had a huge influence on liberal religious and philosophical thinking at
the time. Into this environment came the Kabbalah, brought in part by fleeing Spanish
Jews, and it was seized upon as another lost tradition, the inner, initiated key to the
Bible.
Two figures stand out. One was Giovanni Pico, Count of Mirandola, who commissioned
several translations of Kabbalistic works, and did much to publicise Kabbalah among the
intellectuals of the day. The other was Johannes Reuchlin, who learned to read Hebrew and
became deeply immersed in Kabbalistic literature. It must be said that Jews were
suspicious of this activity, finding that Christian scholars were using the Kabbalah as a
bludgeon to persuade them to convert to Christianity.
It was out of this eclectic mixture of Christianity, Hermeticism, Neoplatonism,
Kabbalah and Renaissance humanism that Hermetic Kabbalah was born. Over the centuries it
has developed in many directions, with strong influences from Freemasonry and
Rosicrucianism, but continued input from Jewish Kabbalah has meant that many variants are
not so different in spirit from the original. Its greatest strength continues to be a
strong element of religious humanism - it does not attempt to define God and does not
define what an individual should believe, but it does assume that some level of direct
experience of God is possible and there are practical methods for achieving this. In a
modern world of compartmentalised knowledge, scientific materialism, and widespread
cultural and historical illiteracy, it provides a bridge between the spirit of enquiry of
the Renaissance (the homo universalis or - in Hebrew - hakham kolel) and the
emergence of a similar spirit of enquiry in our own time.
Q1.10 : Is Hermetic Kabbalah really
Kabbalah"?
On the basis of my own beliefs and practice I would say yes, but others might
contradict me, and ultimately it is a matter of definition.
Jewish writers on the subject tend to downplay aspects of Kabbalah which conflict with
orthodox rabbinical Judaism, so that we do not see the heretic Nathan of Gaza classed as
an important Kabbalist, despite the fact that he was very influential for almost two
hundred years. We hear little about the non-rabbinic "Baal Shem" or
"Masters of the Name" who used Kabbalah for healing and other practical
purposes. There is ample evidence that many magical practices currently associated with
Hermetic Kabbalah were widely used and well understood by some of the most famous rabbinic
Kabbalists.
It is the author's opinion that Hermetic Kabbalah has preserved up to the current day
many practical techniques, and R. Aryeh Kaplan makes the following significant comment:
"It is significant to note that a number of techniques alluded to in these
fragments also appear to have been preserved among the non-Jewish school of magic in
Europe. The relationship between the practical Kabbalah and these magical schools would
constitute an interesting area of study."
A more difficult question is whether Hermetic Kabbalah conforms to the spirit of Jewish
Kabbalah. One of the most visible distinctions is that between theurgy and thaumaturgy,
between the attempt to participate in the workings of the divine realm for the betterment
of the creation, and the attempt to interfere with its workings for personal betterment.
Modern Kabbalah outside of Judaism appears in many guises, and is often associated or
combined with the ceremonial or ritual. It may be mixed with a wide range of theosophical
traditions. This does not in itself set it apart from historical Kabbalah. Ritual has
always been an integral part of Kabbalah, and Kabbalah has absorbed from cultures and
traditions all over Europe and the Middle East. Even the distinction between theurgy and
thaumaturgy may be meaningless, as similar techniques can be used for both - only by
examining intention could one begin to judge which was which.
Given the lack of a dogmatic tradition in Kabbalah it is not clear that the question
about the legitimacy of Hermetic Kabbalah is meaningful. Even within Judaism it is unclear
what the authentic spirit or tradition is - there are large differences in outlook between
someone like Abraham Abulafia and Isaac Luria.
There is no good answer. One person will be reassured that the tradition is alive and
going off in many different directions - that is the sign of a living tradition. Another
person will feel threatened by outsiders and dilettantes who are bringing the tradition
into disrepute. About the only thing which can be said with complete certainty is that
there is a great deal of prejudice. Just about everyone who studies Kabbalah seems to be
certain that someone else hasn't a clue what Kabbalah is about!
Q1.11 : How can I find someone who teaches Kabbalah"?
It is not possible to recommend specific people or organisations as what is right for
one person may not be right for another. In general, (good) teachers of Kabbalah are not
easy to find and never have been. There is a tradition that when the pupil is ready, a
teacher will appear.
The difficulty in finding a teacher can be viewed as a nuisance or a positive part of
learning Kabbalah. A thing is valued more when it is hard to find. Associate with people
who share your interests, go to lectures and public meetings, go to workshops, go to
whatever happens to be available, (even if it is not entirely to your taste), and sooner
or later someone will "turn up".
Many Kabbalists are people with strong personal convictions of a religious nature, and
may see their teaching as a personal obligation (see "What is
the Great Work"?"). Those who do not charge money for their teaching may require a
strong commitment from pupils, and are unlikely to welcome "flavour of the
month" mystical aspirants.
A word of advice: a genuine teacher of Kabbalah will help you to develop your own
personal relationship with God. Beware of a teacher who has preconceived and
well-developed ideas about what is good for you, or who tries to control the development
of your beliefs.
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