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83-681: Shefa may refer to: Shefa (Jewish theology) (שפע "Flow" in Hebrew), divine influence in Medieval Jewish philosophy Al-Shefa , one of the most famous books of Avicenna Shefa Province , Vanuatu SHEFA-2 , a submarine communications cable linking the United Kingdom and the Faroe Islands Doron Shefa (born 1961), Israeli basketball player Shefa School ,

166-594: A Jewish day school in New York City Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Shefa . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shefa&oldid=1089751769 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Disambiguation pages with surname-holder lists Hidden categories: Short description

249-624: A Scriptural verse that relates to the mystical meaning of the 18th of Elul. Kabbalistic texts The primary texts of Kabbalah were allegedly once part of an ongoing oral tradition . The written texts are obscure and difficult for readers who are unfamiliar with Jewish spirituality which assumes extensive knowledge of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), Midrash (Jewish hermeneutic tradition) and halakha (Jewish religious law). For kabbalists, ten utterances in Genesis with which God created

332-412: A book of special interest to students of Kabbalah because it serves as a kind of epitome that surveys the essential concepts of the subsequent literature of Kabbalah. It is about 12,000 words (about the size of a magazine). Despite its name "Illumination", it is notoriously cryptic and difficult to understand (but not impossible). Much of it is written in parables, one after the other. The Bahir opens with

415-766: A central concern of subsequent Kabbalah (see Tzimtzum ), and the "withdrawal" of God is interpreted only as a concealment from the perspective of the Creation, and only to apply to His light, not His Essence, as that would imply heretical limitations to the Divine. In Lurianic Kabbalah, the Tzimtzum concealed the Ohr Ein Sof , which resolved the dichotomy between the Infinite Light and the possibility of creating finite Worlds. Without this radical leap of concealment of

498-706: A connection with its ultimate source, we associate it with the Nartik . In Kabbalah, the level of the Ma'ohr is represented by the higher Hebrew name of God , the Tetragrammaton , and the Ohr is the revelation of that level. Similarly, the lower name of God, Elohim , represents the Nartik , and the light that stems thereof is the Ohr HaNartik , and as such, it lacks a higher level of nullification, enabling it to create

581-500: A dream that he was to exhume his father's grave and remove certain writings leaving the others buried. Shmuel Vital went on then to redact and publish the works as the Eight Gates which are then, at times subdivided into other works: Sephardi and Mizrahi Kabbalists endeavor to study all eight gates. Etz Hayim is published standard in a single volume three part arrangement, the initial two parts published by Haim Vital, with

664-489: A firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. The descent of masculine waters can be a free expression of the Sephirah of Hesed (Kindness), which has

747-449: A higher essential source of explanation that describes Divinity. Jewish mysticism views such alternative, spiritual interpretations of Torah as stemming from more revealed Divine realms in the Chain of Worlds . More generally, Ohr also refers to the revelation and expression of any particular spiritual level which descends from that level and enclothes itself in a vessel ( Kli ). This Ohr

830-650: A much earlier time about the Tanakh, Talmud, Siddur, Yetzirah, and other Rabbinic texts. Sefer Raziel HaMalakh (רזיאל המלאך) (Book of Raziel the Angel) is a collection of esoteric writings, probably compiled and edited by the same hand, but originally not the work of one author. Leopold Zunz ("G. V." 2d ed., p. 176) distinguishes three main parts: (1) the Book Ha-Malbush; (2) the Great Raziel; (3)

913-622: A number of editions, up to 2,500 words long (about the size of a pamphlet). It organizes the cosmos into "32 Paths of Wisdom", comprising "10 Sefirot" (numbers, not the Sefirot of later Kabbalah) and "22 letters" of the Hebrew alphabet. It uses this structure to organize cosmic phenomena ranging from the seasons of the calendar to the emotions of the intellect, and is essentially an index of cosmic correspondences. Bahir (בהיר) ("Illumination"), also known as Midrash of Rabbi Nehunya ben HaKana -

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996-574: A quote attributed to Nehunya ben HaKana, a Talmudic sage of the 1st century, and the rest of the book is an unfolding discussion about the quote. Jewish tradition considers the whole book to be written in the spirit of Nehunya (or even literally written by him). It was first published in Provence France (near Italy) in 1176. Historians suspect Yitzhak HaIvver (Isaac the Blind) wrote the book at this time, albeit he incorporated oral traditions from

1079-582: Is bittul . In devekut or daily spiritual life, it inspires the mystical humility of nullification of the ego. Ein Sof is the Kabbalistic term for the Godhead or "Luminary". Kabbalah describes ten sefirot that reveal the unknowable Godhead to the creations and channel the creative life force to all levels of existence. However, Kabbalists differentiated between the manifestations of God and their origin in

1162-822: Is a mystical commentary on the Torah, written in an artificial mixture of several Aramaic dialects, like the Babylonian Targumic Aramaic of Targum Onkelos and Babylonian Talmudic Aramaic. Gershom Scholem argued that Moses de León (1240-1305) was the sole author of the Zohar. More recently, Yehuda Liebes contended that while De León may have been the primary author, he incorporated or recast selections from contemporary kabbalists (e.g. Joseph Gikatilla , Joseph of Hamadan, Bahya ben Asher ). Most recently, Kabbalah scholars such as Ronit Meroz, Daniel Abrams and Boaz Huss have been demonstrating that

1245-429: Is a primary source of Kabbalistic teaching. The first commentaries on this small book were written in the 10th century, a book by the title is mentioned as early as the 6th century, and its linguistic organization of the Hebrew alphabet could be from as early as the 2nd century. Its historical origins remain obscure, although Kabbalists believe that it was authored by Abraham and edited by Rabbi Akiva . It exists today in

1328-499: Is a successively smaller concentric circle, representing diminished, more constricted Divinity. The same Kav line still connects the outer Ein Sof to the circle's centre, as the light of the Kav is the origin of all Creation after the Tzimtzum. However, its light undergoes innumerable second tzimtzumim, toward the circle's centre. The utilisation here of concentric circles, or spheres is also significant, as with each subsequent lower step,

1411-538: Is associated with the Kabbalistic Divine Name of Ban . The differentiation between the 10 Sephirot, each with its particular characteristic, arises from each of their different spiritual vessels. The light adapts itself to each vessel, to express the particular nature of each vessel. Kabbalists read their mystical teachings into exegetical interpretations of Scripture and Rabbinic literature . This arose from their belief that Kabbalah forms part of

1494-607: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Shefa (Jewish theology) The metaphorical description of spiritual divine creative flow, using the term for physical light perceived with the eye, arises from analogy. These include the intangible physicality of light, the delight it inspires and the illumination it gives, its immediate transmission and constant connection with its source. Light can be veiled ( tzimtzum ) or reflected. White light divides into seven colours, yet this plurality unites from one source. Divine light divides into

1577-400: Is systematically explained in philosophical terms. Two levels of Divine Unity are explained, that paradoxically are both true perspectives. From God's perspective, in comparison to the unchanging Divine Infinity, all of Creation is literally as if it did not exist ( Acosmism ). This is represented by a Higher Bittul-"Bittul Hametsiyas" ("Nullification of Essence") of the light of the sun inside

1660-508: Is the Divine light of transcendence , rooted in the Ohr Ein Sof (primordial "Infinite Light") before the Tzimtzum of Lurianic Kabbalah . It descends through the Seder hishtalshelut (Chain of Worlds), representing Divine transcendence in each level. It could be revealed in a blessing or miracle above the vessels and limitations of that realm. Souls in their essence transcend the body and all

1743-521: Is the light that descends immanently to every level of the Chain of Worlds, itself creating every spiritual and, ultimately, physical vessel of each World. It undergoes the innumerable concealments and contractions of the second Tzimtzumim. Hasidic thought sees the ultimate advantage of this lower light, because the ultimate purpose of Creation lies in this lowest realm. Hasidism therefore rejected Jewish asceticism , seeking to utilise and mystically transform

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1826-405: Is the relationship between the sun and the light that it gives off. However, technically speaking, the light that comes from the sun is not the perfect example for the Ohr , since it has already passed through a " Nartik " ("Sheath/Shield"), a level that reduces the intensity of the revelation of the sun. In truth, the Ohr that exists in the parable of the sun is the light of the sun that exists in

1909-402: Is the unknowable, undifferentiated, infinite Divine essence. The ten sephirot enable the Creation to know God and become God's attributes that reveal Divinity. They are also the channels through which all of Creation is continuously sustained from nothing, as in the Kabbalistic scheme, Creation is continuous, and God is the only true existence. A Chain of Progression of descending Worlds, including

1992-477: Is typically in a state of " Bittul " ("nullification") vis-a-vis the level from which it stems. Therefore, even when it descends to lower realms, it possesses a characteristic of " Ratzo " ("Run"), the desire to ascend and return to its source. Correspondingly, the Kli persuades the Ohr to descend through impressing upon it the need for Shuv ("Return"), the acknowledgment of the necessity of descent in order to fulfill

2075-544: The Bahir and Zohar , are conjectured by some modern scholars to possibly be medieval works pseudepigraphically ascribed to the ancient past. Traditional orthodoxy, however, does not agree to this. In the medieval era Jewish mysticism developed under the influence of the word-number esoteric text Sefer Yetzirah . Jewish sources attribute the book to the patriarch Abraham , though the text itself offers no claim as to authorship. This book, and especially its embryonic concept of

2158-460: The Chalal on its terms. This representation is then augmented by a second, similar diagram, where the successive, unfolding Five Worlds, each with ten successive sefirot, are shown within the original circle as a series of concentric circles. The descending chain of Worlds proceeds in the diagram towards the circle's centre, representing our lowest physical realm. Each successive World and Sephirah

2241-476: The Halachic sense a vessel is an object that can serve a useful purpose, even if it may not resemble a physical receptacle. This term is used frequently in discussion of the laws of Shabbat . In Jewish mysticism, typically, these narratives are given metaphysical interpretations, which relate " kli " to its Kabbalistic meaning. In Hasidic philosophy , the plural fourfold levels of meaning are viewed as uniting in

2324-566: The Hekhalot and what to expect there, or on drawing down angelic spirits to interact and help the adept. There are several larger documents of the hekhalot, such as Hekhalot Rabbati , in which six of the seven palaces of God are described, Hekhalot Zutarti , Shi'ur Qomah and sixth-century 3 Enoch , as well as hundreds of small documents, many little more than fragments. Sefer Yetzirah (סֵפֶר יְצִירָה) ("Book [of] Formation/Creation"), also known as Hilkhot Yetzira ("Laws of Formation"),

2407-410: The Ohr Ein Sof , even with the progressive, gradual concealments of the Chain of Worlds, the problem would not properly be overcome. Only a second, new light, immeasurably diminished and of a different quality than the Ohr Ein Sof , could become the creative source of all reality. This new light, a "thin" illumination from the Ohr Ein Sof , called the " Kav " ("Ray"), shone into the "Vacated Space", and

2490-583: The Oral Torah inherent in the revelation at Mount Sinai . Accordingly, in Jewish tradition, each verse and concept can be interpreted in the fourfold Jewish method of Pardes , with the metaphysical interpretations of Kabbalah and Hasidic philosophy forming a secret level of meaning. In this way, Kabbalah interprets a second meaning in Talmudic legislation and use of the term for "vessel" (" kli "). In

2573-535: The Tetragrammaton and Elohim, gives the Kabbalistic reason why Elohim is universally used in the Genesis creation narrative . Going back to the Scriptural commentary of Nachmanides , the seven days of creation are understood to symbolically refer to the seven emotional revelations of the sefirot, each one called a "day". These Hebrew sayings themselves, are explained in Kabbalah to be the creative channels of

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2656-464: The or in sof is itself infinite, it could not itself directly be the source for the creation of the Four Worlds and seder hishtalshelut or "Chain of Progression." Any direct creations of the Infinite Light would be of infinite number and would not be actual creations at all, as they would remain nullified ( bittul ) to the Infinite Light and would have no independent self-awareness. Only through

2739-419: The "enlightened" is stated in 2 Esdras xiv. 45–46, where Pseudo-Ezra is told to publish the twenty-four books of the canon openly that the worthy and the unworthy may alike read, but to keep the seventy other books hidden in order to "deliver them only to such as be wise" (compare Dan . xii. 10); for in them are the spring of understanding, the fountain of wisdom, and the stream of knowledge. Instructive for

2822-415: The 16th Century, taught the cosmic power of each person to affect and rectify the Divine scheme of Creation. In Lurianic Kabbalah, the ultimate Tikkun is dependent on each individual fulfilling their own unique tasks in Creation, through the mitzvot. This affect would occur whether the person was aware of the deeper meanings or not. The great delight the illumination of the ascending feminine waters causes in

2905-489: The Book of Secrets, or the Book of Noah. These three parts are still distinguishable—2b–7a, 7b–33b, 34a and b. After these follow two shorter parts entitled "Creation" and "Shi'ur Ḳomah," and after 41a come formulas for amulets and incantations. Sefer haḤesheq ( Hebrew : ספר החשק "Book of Delight"), a kabbalistic treatise dealing with the Divine names and their efficacy in mystical practices. Passed down by Abraham Abulafia ,

2988-823: The Dead Sea Scrolls, such as the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice . Some parts of the Talmud and the Midrash also focus on the esoteric and mystical, particularly Hagigah 12b-14b. Many esoteric texts, among them Hekalot Rabbati , Sefer HaBahir , Torat Hakana , Sefer P'liyah , Midrash Otiyot d'Rabbi Akiva , the Bahir , and the Zohar claim to be from the Talmudic era, though some of these works, most notably

3071-472: The Divine chariot ( Merkavah ). These angels "ran and returned". In this explanation, they desired to ascend to God, but returned down to their station, to fulfil their purpose. In daily spiritual life too, man seeks dveikus (cleaving) with God, and then returns with this inspiration to fulfil his or her tasks in the World. Here the human soul is the "ohr", the body the "kli", and this realm presently an exile for

3154-402: The Divine creative light is hidden. In the spiritual Worlds of Creation, it is revealed, but they still lack true "Bittul" (nullification), as the souls and angels in those realms have some self-awareness, albeit totally nullified to God. This Lower Bittul-"Bittul Hayesh" ("Nullification of Ego") is represented by a light of a candle on a sunny day. In the Chain of Four Worlds , the first realm,

3237-432: The Divine essence. This difference overcame the criticism that they were introducing plurality into the pure Monotheism of Judaism. Kabbalistic texts take great care to emphasize this difference and warn against anthropomorphizing the subtle descriptions of Kabbalah in human terms. To avoid such heresies, the historical transmission of Kabbalah was traditionally restricted to direct teaching in close circles. In addition to

3320-717: The Divine light (beginning with the Ohr Ein Sof - the primordial "Infinite Light", and subsequently the ten sefirot emanations) and the Divine Ein Sof or divine source appears only relative to Creation. From God's perspective, Scripture states "For I, the Eternal, I have not changed". From the perspective of God's self-knowledge, the emanations remain completely united and nullified to their source. This answers early Rabbinic criticism of dualism in Kabbalah. The term in Kabbalah and Hasidic philosophy for this nullification

3403-577: The Four Worlds, links the Ein Sof with our physical realm. Each of the Sephirot is said to consist of a "light" vested in a "vessel" (a kli Hebrew : כלי ; plural: keilim Hebrew : כלים ). Generally speaking, the light is simple and undifferentiated, as it stems originally from the Ohr Ein Sof ("The Light of the Ein Sof"), God's infinite light. It represents Divine revelation in the world. It

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3486-624: The Heavenly realms ( Four Worlds ), leads to the reciprocal Divine response of descending blessing and light in the Masculine waters. This gives the inherent metaphysical Kabbalistic structure of the traditional Jewish belief of "Reward and Punishment", incorporated in Maimonides ' Jewish Principles of Faith . The Kabbalistic explanation puts these external categories in an inner scheme of Divine loving-kindness. An example given in Kabbalah of

3569-548: The Jewish mystical tradition. In the Sephirot , for example, Hasidic thought focuses on the inner motivational soul within each Sephirah, and its parallel in the spiritual psychology of man. A descending light is a Divine emanation "from above". It is metaphorically called "masculine waters" and "an arousal from Above" in Kabbalah, based on the verses in Genesis 1:6-8 about the Upper and Lower Waters: 6 And God said, Let there be

3652-540: The Messianic Age. In higher spiritual Worlds ( Seder hishtalshelus ), the souls and angels sense this, and seek to channel Divine flow down the chain of Worlds. Therefore, Shuv , even though it is an exile for the light to descend into the vessel, is the ultimate purpose of Creation. The terms " Ratzo " and " Shuv " come from the Biblical description of the angels in the vision of Ezekiel (1:4-26), when he beheld

3735-463: The Sefirot, became the object of systematic study of several mystical brotherhoods which eventually came to be called baale ha-kabbalah (בעלי הקבלה "possessors or masters of the Kabbalah"). Hekhalot literature (Hekhalot, "Palaces") are not a single text. Rather, they are a genre of writings with shared characteristics. These texts primarily focus either on how to achieve a heavenly ascent through

3818-484: The Sephirot in activating Creation. Only after Genesis recounts its first narrative of Creation, with the beginning of its second account, does it use the higher, essential, Divine name of the Tetragrammaton. Here it combines both names, as both are involved in Creation. Later on, when God speaks to Moses, the name of God used is only the transcendent Tetragrammaton. In the second account of Creation of Genesis 2:4,

3901-573: The Tzaddik receives from their illumination and blessing on the yartzheit. In the Kabbalistic scheme, this "arousal from below" elicited the "arousal of God from above" to descend "masculine waters" by the descent of the souls on this date, later on, of the Baal Shem Tov and Schneur Zalman of Liadi. Kabbalah finds an allusion to the deeper aspects of this structure, including the essence of the different spiritual teachings of these three figures, in

3984-413: The World of Atzilus , is not yet considered a Creation, but rather an emanation of supernal Divinity. It is characterised by the higher Nullification of Essence. The three lower realms of Beriah , Yetzirah and Asiyah are considered created realms as they only possess different levels of the lower Nullification of Ego. This explanation of the spiritual meanings of the different Hebrew names of God of

4067-642: The Worlds. If the light of the Tetragrammaton were to create the Worlds, they would not exist as creations with independent self-awareness. The immense revelation of the Divine would nullify them in their source, as the light of the sun inside the sun itself. In the second section of the Tanya by Schneur Zalman of Liadi , the Hasidic Panentheism of the Baal Shem Tov , the founder of Hasidism,

4150-478: The Worlds. Similarly, as the Zohar states that God is totally united with his Torah , the Torah is inherently transcendent in all Worlds, and each World studies it according to their mystical level of perception. The other light, called Mimalei Kol Olmin ("Filling All Worlds") is the Divine light of immanence , rooted in the Kav (first "Ray" of light) after the Tzimtzum in Lurianic Kabbalah. This

4233-509: The ability to create ex nihilo can only come from the Ein Sof, which is referred to by the Tetragrammaton. Nonetheless, the light to create existence must be constricted through the name Elohim. This process is referred to in this second account of Creation. Sovev means "surrounding" and Mimalei means "filling". The geometric associations of these adjectives are metaphorical. Kabbalah describes two types of light that emanate in Creation. One, called "Sovev Kol Olmin" ("Surrounding All Worlds"),

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4316-420: The ascent of "feminine waters", is the spiritual illumination created by each person through meritorious ethical or ritual mitzvot (Jewish observances). While Kabbalah offered radical theosophical cosmic explanations of Judaism , it remained inherently conservative. The metaphysical doctrines of Kabbalah support and deepen normative Jewish observance. Kabbalah, especially the new teachings of Isaac Luria in

4399-609: The books named Sifrei Qabbalah composed by the ancient sages, the Kabbalists, blessed be their memory, concerning the wondrous topics; and other [traditions) bestowed on me by God, blessed be He, which came to me from ThY in the form of the Daughter of the Voice, [Bat Qol],these being the higher Qabbalot. Zohar (זהר) ("Splendor") – the most important text of Kabbalah, at times achieving even canonical status as part of Oral Torah. It

4482-612: The descending chain of Worlds are called the Second Tzimtzum. Luria taught that the First Tzimtzum was the Creation in the Zohar . As Lurianic Kabbalah became universally accepted, the term "tzimtzum" now refers to this. In this radical concept of Luria, at the beginning of Creation, the Divine "withdrew" (a complete tzimtzum) from a halal ("Vacated space") to allow Creation to take place. The interpretation of this forms

4565-575: The dynamics of "masculine" and "feminine" waters, is found in the yartzheit (date of passing) and birthdays of three central figures in the Jewish mystical tradition. Judah Loew ben Bezalel (the Maharal) died on the 18th day (18 means "Chai"-"life" in Gematria ) of the Hebrew month of Elul in the year 1609 (17 September). The 18th of Elul, 12 days before Rosh Hashanah , is a central mystical date in

4648-410: The essential nature to give Divine blessing in an unlimited way, without considering whether the vessels of the Creation are worthy. Hesed is counterbalanced by Gevurah (Judgement), that measures and withholds the blessing according to the worth and capacity of the vessel. More commonly, the descent of direct light is in response to the ascent from below of reflected light. This "arousal from below",

4731-416: The founder of Habad intellectual expression of Hasidism, Schneur Zalman of Liadi , was born on the 18th day of Elul in 1745 (September 4). Kabbalah teaches that the yarthzeit of a Tzaddik (righteous person) causes the spiritual revelation and ascent of their life's spiritual service, the ascent of the "feminine waters" the Tzaddik illuminated. Anyone who attaches themselves to the teachings and influence of

4814-468: The highest Sephirah ( Keter -"Crown"-the supernal Will of the plan in that World) of the next, lower World. Within each World too, the spiritual chain descends down the 10 Sephirot, with the illumination of one giving birth to the next, lower Sephirah. The " Ohr " ("Light") stems from the " Ma'ohr " ("Luminary"), the source of the light. Traditionally, the Mashal (parable) given to explain this relationship,

4897-451: The information distinguishes between the various methods of kabbalistic transmission to later generations. Abulafia opposes the method he received to the Talmudic and theosophical Sefirotic methods. In order to understand my intention regarding [the meaning of] Qolot [voices] I shall hand down to you the known Qabbalot, some of them having been received from mouth to mouth from the sages of [our] generation, and others that I have received from

4980-414: The light encompasses" ( sovev - "surrounds") that level of "immanent" ( mimalei" -"filled") creation. Each of the Sephirot comprises both an encompassing light vested in its immanent vessel. Each World similarly incorporates its own relative level of Divine transcendence , illuminating its own level of Divine immanence . The ten sefirot describe the emanations or attributes of God in Kabbalah. The Ein Sof

5063-482: The limitations of the central metaphor of "light" are the physical inability of the luminary to withhold its radiance, the fulfilment of purpose the light gives the luminary, and the categorical differentiation between the source and its light. For God, the Creation metaphorically "arose in the Divine Will" and was not impelled. The emanation of Creation fills no lack in the perfection of God. The distinction between

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5146-546: The magnum opus of Moshe Cordovero (1522–1570), published in the 16th century. It is the main source of Cordoverian Kabbalah, a comprehensive interpretation of the Zohar and a friendly rival of the Lurianic interpretation. Etz Hayim (in Hebrew: עץ חיים) ("Tree [of] Life") is a text of the teachings of Isaac Luria collected by his disciple Chaim Vital . It is the primary interpretation and synthesis of Lurianic Kabbalah . It

5229-415: The materials within the Zohar underwent several generations of writing, re-writing and redaction. De León claimed to discover the text of the Zohar while in the land of Israel and attributed it to the 2nd-century Shimon ben Yohai , who is the main character of the text. The text gained enormous popularity throughout the Jewish world. Pardes Rimonim (in Hebrew : פרדס רימונים) ( Garden of Pomegranates ) –

5312-533: The orb of the sun itself. This is called the "Upper Divine Unity". The "Lower Divine Unity" describes the Unity of God from the illusory self independent perspective of the Creations. From this perspective, Creation does exist, but is continuously dependent on receiving its Divine lifeforce that constantly brings it into being from nothing. In our World, this constant, total dependence for the existence of everything on

5395-535: The parallel notions of Makif ("Outer") and Pnimi ("Inner"), taught in Hasidic philosophy . In the words of the Alter Rebbe : ... Ohr Pnimi is that which enters and abides in the vessel, in an aspect of yosher and descent from above to below, ChaBa"D, ChaGa"S, NaHi"Y. And the aspect of Ohr Makif is that which is unable to enter into the vessel at all because of the greatness of its light, and remains above

5478-485: The personal preparations of teshuvah (return to God) for the upcoming "Days of Awe". A central component of the teachings of the Maharal was the concept of Divine paradox, above intellect. This prepared the way for the Hasidic movement , that sought the inner expression in Hasidic philosophy of the Kabbalistic tradition. The founder of Hasidism, Israel Baal Shem Tov was born on the 18th of Elul in 1698 (August 27), and

5561-496: The physical into spirituality, through dveikus cleaving to God. Hasidic thought likewise describes another, higher type of miracle that is immanently invested within the physical laws of this World, without breaking them. Only a higher source rooted in the Divine essence , beyond infinite-finite duality, could unite the infinite encompassing light of Sovev within the limited invested light of Mimalei . These terms are equivalent to

5644-428: The process. In the first, a black circle is broken only by one thin, vertical, straight line that descends from the surrounding white into the centre of the black circle from the top. Here the surrounding white represents the Ein Sof , the black circle represents the Chalal vacated "space", and the thin white line represents the "thin" illumination of the Kav , derived from the Ohr Ein Sof , but able to illuminate into

5727-409: The reality of God. One of the first Jewish philosophers, Philo of Alexandria (20BCE-40), said that Abraham knew the essential Torah, before it was given, because Abraham was himself a philosopher: he observed the world around him and looked inside himself to discover the laws of nature. While this is not strictly speaking a mystical notion, it does introduce the idea of an inner Torah that underlies

5810-418: The restrictions of the sefirot and the descending Chain of Progression could the Worlds unfold. In the descending chain of Worlds from the Infinite to our finite realm, the creative flow of divine light encapsulated in the sefirot undergoes countless restrictions, diminution, and veilings to hide divinity progressively. In Kabbalah, these are called tzimtzum . After Isaac Luria , this innumerable tzimtzumim of

5893-415: The same time insisting upon the heptad (7) as the holy number, rather than upon the decadic (10) system adopted by the later haggadists and observable in the Sefer Yetzirah . The Pythagorean idea of the creative powers of numbers and letters was shared with Sefer Yetzirah and was known in the time of the Mishnah before 200 CE. Early elements of Jewish mysticism can be found in the non-Biblical texts of

5976-455: The seven emotional sefirot, but there is no plurality in the Divine essence. Ohr is contrasted with ma'or "luminary" and kli , the spiritual vessel for the light. As a metaphor, it also has its limitations. Divinity can only be understood from analogous comparisons to the spatial and temporal phenomena we understand. Once these images are grasped, Kabbalah stresses the need to attempt to transcend them by understanding their deficiencies. Among

6059-466: The soul. The dynamics of Ratzo and Shuv are felt by the angels and man, but also apply to any spiritual emanation. The "Seder Histalshelus" describes the continuous descending chain from the Infinite to our finite World. In each World, the 10 Sephirot shine. Each World unfolds from the previous, with the lowest Sephirah ( Malchut -"Kingship"-fulfilment of the plan in reality) of one World, becoming

6142-480: The study of the development of Jewish mysticism is the Book of Jubilees written around the time of King John Hyrcanus. It refers to mysterious writings of Jared, Cain, and Noah, and presents Abraham as the renewer, and Levi as the permanent guardian, of these ancient writings. It offers a cosmogony based upon the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet , and connected with Jewish chronology and Messianology, while at

6225-426: The sun itself. The light that we see from the sun has already been limited in its quality and therefore lacks the " Bittul " ("nullification") of the true Ohr to its origin. Rather, this Ohr , being that it has been limited by the Nartik , is called Ohr HaNartik (the light of the sheath), for although it does not actually come from the Nartik , since the Nartik limited it in such a way that it no longer possesses

6308-479: The ten sefirot, Kabbalah also describes a more primordial light that shines directly from the Ein Sof. This light, the origin of all Creation and all lower lights, is called the or ein sof or "Light of the Infinite." Kabbalistic and Hasidic masters ask how there could be a revelation of the Infinite Light before Creation if there were no beings to behold it. The Infinite Light is a form of divine self-knowledge, and through God knowing Himself, He created everything. As

6391-438: The ultimate supernatural will. The purpose of Creation was not for the sake of the higher spiritual Worlds. In relation to the infinite Ein Sof , their great revelations of Divinity are a concealment, and have no comparison. Instead, the ultimate purpose of Creation in Kabbalah is for the sake of the lowest World, our physical realm. The Divine Will was to have a dwelling place in this World, made by man, which will be achieved in

6474-477: The vessel, in an aspect of makif . And it is also the aspect of igul , as it surrounds the head and the feet as one (and this is the aspect of direct makif that never enters the vessel). Hasidism relates the esoteric spiritual structures of Kabbalah to their inner dimensions in the consciousness and perception of man. This is found in the Hasidic idea of dveikus (mystical fervour). It seeks an inner response to

6557-537: The world are linked to the ten sefirot —the divine structure of all being. According to the Zohar and the Sefer ha-Yihud , the Torah is synonymous with God. More specifically, in the Sefer ha-Yihud, the letters in the Torah are the forms of God. The kabbalist looks beyond the literal aspects of the text, to find the hidden mystical meaning. The text not only offers traditions and ways of thinking, but it also reveals

6640-827: The written word. Much later, in the 19th century, the Sfas Emes , a Hasidic rebbe , made the assertion that it was actually Abraham's deeds that became Torah. The Torah is thus seen as an ongoing story played out through the lives of the Nation of Israel . The Torah is an important text because even the most minor traditions of the Kabbalah will acknowledge its aspects of the divine. Jewish forms of esotericism existed over 2,000 years ago. Ben Sira warns against it, saying: "You shall have no business with secret things". Nonetheless, mystical studies were undertaken and resulted in mystical literature. The first to appear within Judaism

6723-640: Was a light that was adapted to the perspective of the subsequent creations on their terms. It could relate to finite creation ( Divine immanence ), rather than the infinite Primordial light (the ultimate Divine transcendence ). Interpretations of this in Kabbalah and Hasidic philosophy , are careful to avoid literal, spatial, geometric understandings of the Vacated Space and the Kav , as such dimensional understandings relate only to our physical world. Nonetheless, circular diagram representations of this, strictly metaphorical, are used in Kabbalah to represent

6806-529: Was first published in Safed in the 16th century. It consists of the primary introduction to the remainder of the Lurianic system. The Shemona She'arim (eight gates): is the full Lurianic system as arranged by Shmuel Vital, the son of Haim Vital. Eitz Hayim is the only work published within Hayim Vital's lifetime, the rest of his writings were buried with him in an unedited form. Supposedly Shmuel Vital had

6889-612: Was the Apocalyptic literature of the second and first pre- Christian centuries and which contained elements that carried over to later Kabbalah. According to Josephus , such writings were in the possession of the Essenes and were jealously guarded by them against disclosure, for which they claimed a certain antiquity (see Philo , De Vita Contemplativa, iii., and Hippolytus , Refutation of all Heresies , ix. 27). That books containing secret lore were kept hidden away by (or for)

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