Kabbalah

The holy book of Jewish mystics. Correct spellings seem to be those matching /{KQ}abal(l)?a(h)?/. (Replace curly braces with square brackets.) Of course, it's really spelled koof-bet-lamed-hay, but my computer isn't set up to type in Hebrew. Composed of two parts: the Book of Creation (Sefer ha'Briat) and the Zohar.

A Jewish mystical belief system claimed to have been practiced since God spoke to the Patriarchs but which historically gained significant popularity sometime before the 10th century AD. It is based on the belief that God is actually not a transcendant being but was itself created and made Creation through the emanations of a higher, transcendant power called the Ain Soph or Eyn Soph (transliteration varies). These emanations took the form of the Tree of Life (Etz Chayim).

From the Kabbalah FAQ ( http://digital-brilliance.com/kab/faq.htm )

"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 (Hermetic Kabbalah)."

Although some of its founding books have been written in Antiquity, Kabbalah sensu stricto is thought to have appeared in XIth century France and spread over all of Europe (most notably Spain). Increasing persecution of European Jews in the Middle Ages (most notably the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492) led to a strong emphasis on messianism, culminating into the self-contained cosmogony of Isaac Luria - a triumph of Theology. Hassidism has often been related to Kabbalah.

One of the reasons that the Jewish people do not believe Jesus was the son of God. In Qabalah, each letter in the Hebrew alphabet has a different number associated with it (which changes according to context, etc.), so that words can have values ascribed to them. The name of the serpent in the Garden of Eden and Jesus have the same value, and therefore are the same entity.

Literally, "The Personally received teaching".

That is, a teaching not derived from books or doctrine, or even oral traditions, but one directly experienced.

So this then, is the science of exploring the inner world. We all have our (subjective) interpretation of reality.

It, as a coined term, and an "organized" science, dates back to the 1st century or so, though, perhaps much earlier. It possibly has Egyptian influences, and almost certianly Greek touches.

A primary focus of any "study" of Kaballah is

Alternative spellings: Cabala, Qaballah.

Check out William Gray's book "The Ladder of Lights" for a good introduction.

Kabbalah is said to have originated from the oral law which Moses received from God. The principal root of Kabbalistic tradition is a belief in the divinity of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), and that by studying it one can unlock the secrets of creation.

From the Hebrew root Qof Bet Lamed, meaning "to receive, to accept.". The same word exist in Arabic with the same root and the same meaning. Qabbalah is traditionaly taught when a person reaches the mature age of 40, after completing his education in the Torah and Talmud.

source:

http://www.jewfaq.org/kabbalah.htm

Kabbalah is not mysticism. It is a science. It does not have anything to do with red strings, holy water, or lucky charms. Neither it is concerned with tarot cards, religion, or ritual. These concepts may be valid physical phenomena, but they are not authentic Kabbalah.

It is rather, a system of realising a direct attainment with nature (also called 'Creator'). It does this by leading the researcher through a series of realisations. These realisations are observable, internal phenomena. This Creator is nothing more than the force that exists outside of the creature (which is you).

Touch your eyes. What is really outside them? Everything you sense is created in the brain, inside you. There is a force outside your consciousness feeding you data, which is then interpreted based on the qualities within you (like any sensor on a device). Kabbalah allows the researcher to ascertain the qualities of this external force, and to become equivalent to it. In other words, it provides a framework of reference for one to adjust their own internal sensors to correctly perceive reality, free from the constraints of egoism.

Kabbalah has been misinterpreted greatly. Some people see celebrities do it, others see mystics. In my case, I found this very discouraging. But true Kabbalah is a scientific process, which uses a combination of feeling and rationality to facilitate its aims. It is life, the universe, and everything, presented openly in the form of text, graphs and charts.

For an introduction to traditional Kabbalah, visit http://www.perceivingreality.com, or for more information, visit http://www.kabbalah.info. Another good place to start is right here at Introduction to Kabbalah.