JTF.ORG Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Chai on July 17, 2011, 06:16:31 PM
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I cant defend it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbLuOM8F7Ps&feature=player_embedded
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You should see what Rav Yakov Emden has to say about it. I imagine this rabbi may be borrowing some from him, but I haven't watched the video yet.
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I do not agree with what he has said.
He does not really explain what the Sefirot are. They are not as many people misunderstand 10 seperate aspects of Hashem. They are similar to names of Hashem, of which we know many of these names. It is a way in which these names work in this world which is what Kabbalah attempts to explain.
Obviously it is because of people like this that the whole field of Kabbalah was not taught to average Jews. It is the distortion of the wisdom of the Kabbalah which leads to people misunderstanding the concepts.
There is only ONE Hashem. But we know we relate to him through many names. This is one reason the heretics tried to explain that there were multiple authors. Because in some places he is called 'Elokim' and in others he is called 'Hashem YKVK' they think he is two different gods... Heaven Forbid that this heresy should persist!
These two names certainly represent the two top sefirot Chesed & Gevurah. The YKVK name relates to the trait of Kindness while the trait of Elokim relates to Din and Gevurah or Judgement and Severity. The Torah, the Tanakh, and the Talmud all discuss these aspects of the Holy Names.
I believe that Kabbalah is a part of the Jewish faith, and it is divinely inspired.
One more thought:
Hashem acts in various ways in the Torah which we relate to through certain descriptions. Such as there are times when Hashem is angry, times when he is pleased by an aroma, etc. But Hashem is not a human, does not have emotions, cannot be angry or vengeful.... Yet we relate to him through these descriptions. Does this imply that Hashem has multiple personalities? Or Heaven forbid are there really multiple independent forces? Or is it ONE Hashem who acts with different character traits?
For instance look at my current signature from last Shabbats parasha:
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the kohen has turned My anger away from the children of Israel by his zealously avenging Me among them, so that I did not destroy the children of Israel because of My zeal.
How can a man turn away Hashems 'vengence' through a physical action? Obviously this is a form of anthropomorphism.
http://www.aish.com/sp/k/Kabbala_12_Chesed_and_Gevurah_The_Two_Sided_Approach.html
Other than the accusation of defying the concept of Hashems unity does he have any other claims?
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Here is my answer concerning your concerns about some of the topics...
Reincarnation... It is in Talmud... It is said that the soul of Pinchas was the same soul as the Navi Eliyahu. That doesnt come from the Zohar, it comes from the Talmud. There are other examples of gilgul which come from the Talmud also...
On the topic of the zodiac... The Torah does say that there is power in the stars, this is what the word Mazel means. Mazel does not mean luck, it means flow from the forces of the stars. As such we have the concept that there is a force which is imbued by the stars, but that Jews should not consult them, because a Jew is above the forces of nature. This is borne out in Genesis when Hashem takes Abraham out and asks him to count the stars...
http://wap.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5767/matos.html
After spending a fair bit of time learning the Arizal’s work on gilgulim, (reincarnations), “Sha’ar HaGilgulim”, one thing I came to appreciate more than anything else is how each individual soul is on its on personal journey. Aside from the remarkable information it provides about life in this world, it was fascinating to see how certain key figures kept returning as part of a process of personal rectification.
One example is Aharon HaKohen. We all know that at Mt. Sinai, while Moshe Rabbeinu was on top of the mountain receiving Torah, Aharon HaKohen, as a stall tactic to keep the Erev Rav at bay, was forced into being involved with the building of the golden calf. According to the Midrash, he had seen how they had killed Chur, his nephew, and in order to avoid being killed as well, he faked compliance.
The Talmud explains why. It was not that he had been a coward in any way. Rather, because he was the Kohen Gadol, and Mt. Sinai had the status of the Temple, the killing of the Kohen Gadol in the Temple is a sin that can only be atoned for through death. To save the generation, he saved his own life, even though he knew that his involvement could still be held against him, and indeed it was: he lost two sons because of it, and would have lost all four had Moshe Rabbeinu not prayed on his behalf. However, says the Arizal:
Nachor (the brother of Avraham) reincarnated into Chur, the son of Miriam, while Haran reincarnated into Aharon HaKohen. Chur (Chet-Vav-Raish) took the three letters of Nachor (Nun-Chet-Vav-Raish), while the “Nun” from Nachor remained for the root of Achav king of Israel, as we will explain. However, Aharon (Aleph-Heh-Raish-Nun) has the three letters of Haran (Heh- Raish-Nun), and an additional “Aleph” ... Now, Haran himself had come to rectify the sin of Adam HaRishon who had performed idol-worship. However, not only did he not rectify it, but he even didn’t believe in G-d until after Avraham came out of the fiery furnace, as Chazal say. Therefore, Haran burned in Ur Kasdim. After that, he reincarnated into Aharon to rectify the sin but in the end, he did just the opposite by making the calf. Really, he should have sacrificed himself when the Erev Rav came to him and said, “Arise and make a G-d for us” (Shemot 32:1). However, he erred, thinking that it was enough that they had already killed Chur, who was also from the root of Hevel. This is the sod of, “And he built an altar before him” (Shemot 32:5), which Chazal interpret to mean: he built an altar from the slaughtered before him, that is, Chur. Thus, he didn’t stop them and instead sacrificed himself, and sinned as a result. This was not rectified until Uriah HaKohen... (Sha’ar HaGilgulim, Ch. 33)
http://ohr.edu/ask/ask044.htm
Why does everyone keep on saying "Mazel Tov"???
Abe from Los Angeles asked:
What does it mean when we say "Mazal Tov" to someone at a Simcha (joyous occasion)?
Dear Abe,
The word Mazal does not literally mean "luck." "Mazal" is literally associated with the 12 signs of the Zodiac, which are called the "Mazalot," but we use the word in a way which means more than just the Zodiac. Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzatto explains that there is a multi-leveled conceptual system through which G-d interacts with the physical Creation. In other words, "energy" which originates with Hashem travels through this system and eventually reaches us. At some point along the way, this energy is said to pass through the Mazalot, the stars and the planets, which then transfer it to the rest of Creation. This explains how people trained in astrology may know what will happen to an individual in the future. They are "reading," through the configuration of the Mazalot, the energy that is yet to be delivered. However, we are actually forbidden to engage in the prediction of the future via astrology even though it may work. The source of this prohibition is, "You shall be tamim (pure, perfect, simple) with the L-rd your G-d."
The Talmud cites three life-issues which are directly affected by the Mazalot: life, children and livelihood. Elsewhere the Talmud seems to contradict this and states that "There is no Mazal regarding the Jewish People." The classical sources explain this to mean that the influence of Mazalot can be overcome by the Jewish People through prayer and other great merits.
Regarding prayer, the Shulchan Aruch states, "A person must pray with sincere supplication like a poor person begging at the door..." The Chafetz Chaim explains this to mean
"that he must pray with supplication like one who is asking for mercy and remember that the fulfillment of his request is not in the hands of anything created, not an angel, nor a Mazal, nor a Star, etc., it is all up to the will of Hashem, may His Name be Blessed."
A Halachic application of Mazal is the custom of a mourner to say Kaddish on the Yahrzeit of a parent, because that day is one of "harmful Mazal" for the mourner, and the reciting of Kaddish affords him protection.
So, what do we mean when we say "Mazel Tov"? We are saying a brief prayer at this time which is strongly influenced by the Mazalot, that Hashem will ensure that the "energy" that is sent will be only for good.
Sources:
* Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzatto - Derech Hashem, 3:7:3.
* Devarim 18:13.
* Talmud - Mo'ed Katan, 28a, Shabbat, 156a.
* Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagen - Bi'ur Halacha, 132:1.
* Rav Yisroel Meir Kagen - Mishna Brura, 98:3
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What about the fact that the rabbi claims there is a trinity according to kaballa?
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What about the fact that the rabbi claims there is a trinity according to kaballa?
I have never heard of such a thing... Where did you hear this? Does this video discuss it? I only listened to the 1st 2 minutes and then figured this was typical trashing of Chassidus, as this person has done before. I understand you have encountered Chabad who believe their Rebbe is Moshiach and thus you are questioning this... I would ask other Rabbis because most find some truth in Kabbalah.
Maybe you are thinking of the Sefirot, which as I explained is not seperate entities but different aspects of the relationship between Hashem and the world.
Maybe this page discusses this:
http://www.aish.com/sp/k/Kabbala_5_-_Prayer_Study_and_the_Ten_Sefirot.html
In previous articles we discussed the idea of Ten Sefirot - the ten attributes/manifestations of God - as being a cohesive union. We focused on the underlying unity of the One God and how the understanding of the Ten Sefirot differs from polytheism.
What is a practical application of this distinction?
An answer might be found in the Sifri, a primary form of the Oral Law:
Who is a God as great as our God who answers us whenever we call/pray out to Him ... To Him, but not to His attributes (Sefer Sifri Vaeschanan).
Thus, we have an important restriction to the use of Sefirot. Although we may know about those Sefirot, and we may study how they function, still we may not pray to them.
Why?
The answer lies in the distinction between prayer and study.
http://www.aish.com/sp/k/Kabbala_5_-_Prayer_Study_and_the_Ten_Sefirot.html
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This page has a no-nonsense explanation of the topic:
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/jewfaq/kabbalah.htm
Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism
Level: Advanced
Mysticism in Judaism
When non-Jews ask about Judaism, they commonly ask questions like: Do you believe in heaven and hell? In angels or the devil? What happens to the soul after death? What is the nature of God and the universe? The answers to questions like these define most religions; in fact, some people say that the purpose of religion is to answer these kinds of questions. Yet from a Torah viewpoint, most of these cosmological issues are wide open to personal opinion. The areas of Jewish thought that most extensively discuss these issues, Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism, were traditionally not even taught to people until the age of 40, when they had completed their education in Written Torah and Oral Torah (in other words, in Bible and practical Law).
Mysticism and mystical experiences have been a part of Judaism since the earliest days. The Bible contains many stories of mystical experiences, from visitations by angels to prophetic dreams and visions. The Talmud considers the existence of the soul and when it becomes attached to the body. Jewish tradition tells that the souls of all Jews were in existence at the time of the Giving of the Torah and were present at the time and agreed to the Covenant. There are many stories of places similar to the Gentiles' heaven and hell. The Talmud contains vague hints of a mystical school of thought that was taught only to the most advanced students and was not committed to writing. There are several references in ancient sources to ma'aseh bereishit (the work of creation) and ma'aseh merkavah (the work of the chariot [of Ezekiel's vision]), the two primary subjects of mystical thought at the time.
In the middle ages, many of these mystical teachings were committed to writing in books like the Zohar. Many of these writings were asserted to be secret ancient writings or compilations of secret ancient writings, and some probably are. It is important to remember, however, that such secret writings that are not the results of public debate in authorative rabbinical courts must never be understood (actually misunderstood) as contradicting the laws that were openly discussed and properly enacted. All too many Jews as a practial matter have rejected the law and have prefered to practice their misunderstandings of Kabbalistic books or their rabbis' misunderstandings of them. This is simply inexcusable: The proper subject for such writings is why we do what we do when we observe the Torah, not what we need to do to observe the Torah.
Like most subjects of Jewish belief, the area of mysticism is wide open to personal interpretation. Some traditional Jews take mysticism very seriously. Mysticism is an integral part of Chasidic Judaism, for example, and passages from kabbalistic sources are routinely included in traditional prayer books. Other traditional Jews take mysticism with a grain of salt. One prominent Orthodox Jew, when introducing a speaker on the subject of Jewish mysticism, said basically, "it's nonsense, but it's Jewish nonsense, and the study of anything Jewish, even nonsense, is worthwhile". While we do not say that Kabbalah is nonsense, many things said in its name are clearly nonsense.
The mystical school of thought came to be known as Kabbalah, from the Hebrew root Qof-Bet-Lamed, meaning to receive, to accept. The word is usually translated as "tradition". In Hebrew, the word does not have any of the dark, sinister, evil connotations that it has developed in English. For example, the English word "cabal" (a secret group of conspirators) is derived from the Hebrew word Kabbalah, but neither the Hebrew word nor the mystical doctrines have any evil implications to Jews.
Kabbalah: The Misunderstood Doctrine
Kabbalah is one of the most grossly misunderstood parts of Judaism. Some non-Jews (and even some Jews) describe Kabbalah as "the dark side of Judaism". Many of these misunderstandings arose largely from distortions of the teachings of Kabbalah by non-Jewish mystics and occultists. Kabbalah was popular among Christian intellectuals during the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods, who reinterpreted its doctrines to fit into their Christian dogma. For example, one such source (the Kabbalah Denudata, commonly available in new age bookstores) states that the Ten Sefirot have something to do with the Christian Trinity because they are sometimes divided up into groups of three, despite that the Sefirot are divided up into many groups of varying numbers, that these groupings overlap, that the grouping he refers to is not comprised of a father, son, and spirit, but of a male, a female, and neutral, and so forth. Others have wrenched kabbalistic symbolism out of context for use in tarot card readings and other forms of divination and magic that were never a part of the original Jewish teachings.
We do not mean to suggest that magic is not a part of Kabbalah. The most hidden, secretive part of Kabbalah, commonly known as "practical Kabbalah", involves use of hidden knowledge to affect the world in ways that could be described as magic. The Talmud and other sources ascribe supernatural activities to many great rabbis. Some rabbis pronounced a name of God and ascended into heaven to consult with the God and the angels on issues of great public concern. One scholar is said to have created an artificial man by reciting various names of God. Much later stories tell of a rabbi who created a man out of clay and brought it to life by putting in its mouth a piece of paper with a name of God on it. Some of these stories are no doubt untrue, at least as understood literally; but some are true. However, this area of Kabbalah is known by very few, and practiced by even fewer. One great rabbi has said that these practices should be totally avoided, except when the Temple stands; that seems very sound advice to us.
Ein Sof and the Ten Sefirot
To give you an idea of the nature of Kabbalah, we will briefly tell about one of the better known, fundamental concepts of kabbalistic thought: the concept of God as Ein Sof and the Ten Sefirot. This explanation is, at best, a gross oversimplification.
The true essence of God is so transcendent that it cannot be described, except with reference to what it is not. This true essence of God is known in Kabbalah as "Ein Sof", which literally means without end, which encompasses the idea of His lack of boundaries in both time and space. In this truest form, the Ein Sof is so transcendent that it cannot have any direct interaction with the universe. The Ein Sof is said to interact with the created universe through ten emanations from this essence, known as the Ten Sefirot.
The Sefirot are not deities, as some think by taking this too literally. They are God's separate created mechanisms for dealing with the world, and they are in contact with the universe in a way that the Ein Sof is not. The Sefirot connect with everything in the universe, including humanity. We would say that the point of the Sefirot is to give an explanation of how God really is ultimately in control of the world, sees all, and rewards and punishes as He sees fit; but he does this by way of these mechanisms, not directly. And do not make the mistake of worshiping them or praying to them or by way of them, as all too many have, as that is idolatry punishable by death, exclusion from the Jewish people, and exclusion from the World to Come.
Suggested Reading
Readings in this area should be undertaken with extreme caution. There is entirely too much literature out there under the name "Kabbalah" that has little or nothing to do with the true Jewish teachings on this subject. Any book on the subject of practical Kabbalah should be disregarded immediately; no legitimate source would ever make such teachings available to a faceless mass audience.
Unless you are an expert in both the whole of the Hebrew Bible and the whole of the Law as summarized in the Rambam's Mishneh Torah (both in the original Hebrew, not in English translation), you should not even bother about learning Kabbalah.
If you are really serious about Kabbalah, once you have properly qualified yourself by learning Bible and the Law, you must get yourself a teacher that you can work with one-on-one, in person. But be very careful about choosing a teacher, as some will teach you to worship idols in the name of our Holy Torah, as we have witnessed with our own eyes and heard with our own ears! It is distasteful for us to mention this, but we would be irresponsible if we did not warn you.
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What about the fact that the rabbi claims there is a trinity according to kaballa?
Actually, it's a rishon who said that, and other rishonim/aharonim blast him for it. What he actually said is not that kaballah has a trinity, but that christianity does split G-d into 3, whereas the kaballa "splits G-d" into 12. Of course, all the mekubalim say that this particular rishon especially where he stated this view, misunderstands the whole concept of the spheroth. On the other hand, he raises an important objection IMO that needs to counterbalance any delving into kabalah. I forget right now off the top of my head which rishon this was.
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I dont understand.
Was there evidence of kabbala before the Zorah? I really liked Chaim's answerer.
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I dont understand.
Was there evidence of kabbala before the Zorah? I really liked Chaim's answerer.
How do you define "evidence?"
The primary written text of kabbalah is zohar, and that's the earliest. But it was written in the 12 or 1300's. It claims antiquity, but this is not really believable. BUT some ideas contained within it do have a past, and some portions of it may have been part of an esoteric tradition that developed over time. But it does seem most of that development was from the time of "isaac the blind" and the mystics in Spain, not talmudic times, but who can really prove it, all we can go by is what evidence we have, there is no written text of kabbala prior to Moshe De Leon's writing of zohar.
I'm sorry to say I did not hear ask JTF this week.
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I dont understand.
Was there evidence of kabbala before the Zorah? I really liked Chaim's answerer.
Also, I'm not sure how what you asked relates to what I said before. There were definitely rishonim who were against the mystical approach. And it's pretty clear that Saadiah Gaon (precedes the time of zohar by a few hundred years), had he known of them (in other words, had the 'kabbalists' existed in his time), would also be against them because he says flat out that reincarnation is a non-Jewish belief and is mistaken. And yet a big portion of kabalah is based on reincarnation.
Now cue Muman to cite me 5 articles about Rabbis from the 1500's and onward teaching about reincarnation and a chabad.org article from 2003 where the rabbi gives over some deep idea about it. But I know that it's popular, I know that many rabbis believe in it, nonetheless, Saadiah Gaon came before all of them and he said reincarnation is nonsense. Facts are facts.
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Also, I'm not sure how what you asked relates to what I said before. There were definitely rishonim who were against the mystical approach. And it's pretty clear that Saadiah Gaon (precedes the time of zohar by a few hundred years), had he known of them (in other words, had the 'kabbalists' existed in his time), would also be against them because he says flat out that reincarnation is a non-Jewish belief and is mistaken. And yet a big portion of kabalah is based on reincarnation.
Now cue Muman to cite me 5 articles about Rabbis from the 1500's and onward teaching about reincarnation and a chabad.org article from 2003 where the rabbi gives over some deep idea about it. But I know that it's popular, I know that many rabbis believe in it, nonetheless, Saadiah Gaon came before all of them and he said reincarnation is nonsense. Facts are facts.
Reincarnation comes from ideas in the Talmud. I have quoted them before and you can find them if you are interested in them.
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Much of the Kabbalah is also learned from the Ari, Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534-1572)... His teachings influenced the Chassidic masters of Baal Shem Tov (Rabbi Yisroel Ben Eliezer 1698-1760) who in turn influenced Rabbi Nachman of Breslo (1772-1810) and Rabbi Levi Yitzak Schneerson of Lubavitch (1878-1944)
http://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=ari
The Holy ARI of Safed
Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534-1572), renowned as the greatest kabbalist of modern times, is commonly known as the ARI, an acronym standing for Elohi Rabbi Yitzhak - the G-dly Rabbi Isaac. No other master or sage ever had this extra letter, standing for - Elohi - G-dly - prefaced to his name. This is a sign of what his contemporaries thought of him. Later generations, fearsome that this appellation might be misunderstood, said that this alef stood for Askenazi, indicating that his family had originated in Germany, as indeed it had. But the original meaning is the correct one, and to this day Rabbi Isaac Luria is universally referred to as the "Holy Ari."
The Ari was born in Jerusalem in 1534. By the time he was eight, he was recognized as a wonder child, a prodigy who already outshone the greatest minds of Jerusalem. At this tender age, he had already mastered the intricacies of the Talmud and committed dozens of volumes to memory.
The Ari's father died while he was still a child. Under the pressure of poverty, his mother went to Egypt, where they lived with her brother, Mordecai Frances, a wealthy tax agent. The Ari's brilliance continued to shine. The young prodigy was placed under the tutelage of Rabbi Betzalel Ashkenazi (1520-1592), best known for his important Talmudic commentary, the Shita Mekubetzet (Embracing System). There is also evidence that the young lad also studied under the great Radbaz, Rabbi David ben Zimri (1480-1573) who was then the chief rabbi of Cairo. By the time he was fifteen, his expertise in Talmud had overwhelmed all the sages in Egypt. According to a reliable account, the Ari himself also wrote a large Talmudic commentary around this time. Had he remained nothing more than a Talmudic scholar, he would have joined the ranks of the greatest of all times.
At this time he married his uncle's daughter. At age seventeen, he discovered the Zohar, obtaining his own manuscript copy. After, he spent fifteen years meditating, at first with his master, Rabbi Betzalel Ashkenazi, and then alone, reaching the highest levels of holiness. Eventually, he spent two years meditating in a hut near the Nile, utterly isolated, not speaking to any human being. The only time he would return home would be on the eve of the Sabbath, just before dark. But even at home, he would not speak. When it was absolutely necessary for him to say something, he would say it in the least possible number of words, and only in the Holy Tongue.
It is accepted that the Ari became worthy of ruach hakodesh. At times, Elijah revealed himself to him and taught him the mysteries of the Torah. Every night his soul ascended to heaven. Angels would escort him, asking which academy he chose to visit. Sometimes it would be that of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. He also visited the academies of Rabbi Akiba and Rabbi Eliezer the Great, and on occasion the academies of the ancient Prophets.
At the end of this period he received a command to go to the Holy land, from Elijah the Prophet. He arrived in Safed during the summer of 1570, and began by concealing his gifts completely. He was only there a short time when the Ramak (Rabbi Moshe Cordovero 1522-1570), head of the Safed kabbalists, died on June 26, 1570 (23 Tammuz, 5330). By identifying the heavenly pillar of fire that followed the great kabbalist’s funeral procession, the Ari established himself as the new leader.
The Ari passed away on July 15, 1572 (5 Av, 5332), barely two years after he had arrived in Safed. During his brief stay there, he had assembled a group of approximately a dozen disciples, with Chaim Vital at their head, and they continued to review his teachings. For the most part, it was Rabbi Chaim who put them into writing. The main works are the Etz Chaim (Tree of Life) and Pri Etz Chaim (Fruit of the Tree of Life), as well as the Eight Gates, which deal with everything from Bible commentary to divine inspiration and reincarnation.
The Ari also authored the liturgical poems "Azamer Bishvachin," "Asader Lisudata," and "Benei Heichala," sung at the three Shabbat meals respectively and included in nearly every Chassidic and Sephardic prayerbook.
The teachings of the Ari have been afforded status as a primary authority, on the same level as the Zohar itself. Every custom of the Ari was scrutinized, and many were accepted, even against previous practice. The great Polish codifier, Rabbi Abraham Combiner (1635-1683), author of the Magen Avraham (Shield of Abraham), takes the Ari's personal customs as legally binding precedents. In deciding disputes that had remained unresolved for centuries, he often cites the Ari's custom as the final authority. The fact that the Ari had acted in a certain manner was enough to convince this tough-minded legalist that this was the correct opinion.
There are a select number of individuals who live on a plane so high above the rest of humanity that it seems as if they are a completely different, higher species of being. They teach, but we grasp but little, and from the few crumbs that we glean, we can build mountains. Such a person was Rabbi Yitzhak Luria, the holy ARI, the Lion of Safed.
I realize that nothing is proved true of false concerning this. I am just posting it so that people can understand how things have come to be. I dont find anything heretical in what is said in Zohar {although I have not read it completely}. I have explained and posted links and excerpts from sources which attempt to explain why there is a 'machloket' on this issue.
But there can be no argument that there has always been a mystical teaching in Judaism.. The Sefer Ma'ase Beresheit is legendary...
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For a 'timeline' of Kabbalistic teachings see this page:
http://www.kabbalaonline.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/380727/jewish/After-the-Second-Temple.htm
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Yea , by evidence I meant some kind of text or Idea. How does Saadiah Gaon refute reincarnation? I myself have never been a huge supporter of reincarnation ( its seems cruel and unusual and very "foreign religion" like). If a person does not complete his mission, then he needs to go to purgatory. No one is perfect, and therefore by that logic, no one can ever break the reincarnation cycle. If Aron ha Cohen was not able to break the cycle what makes me think I can?
I really "dislike" this reincarnation idea but I am trying to lean as much as possible because I want to know the truth. If I discover I am wrong I will deal with it.
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Yea , by evidence I meant some kind of text or Idea. How does Saadiah Gaon refute reincarnation? I myself have never been a huge supporter of reincarnation ( its seems cruel and unusual and very "foreign religion" like). If a person does not complete his mission, then he needs to go to purgatory. No one is perfect, and therefore by that logic, no one can ever break the reincarnation cycle. If Aron ha Cohen was not able to break the cycle what makes me think I can?
I really "dislike" this reincarnation idea but I am trying to lean as much as possible because I want to know the truth. If I discover I am wrong I will deal with it.
It is not a core belief, as laid out by Rambam, the 13 principles. But the concept of Techias HaMatim {Resurrection of the Dead} is one of these 13, and so is belief in the coming of Moshiach.
I find my belief as being that some people, for instance the very righteous, or the very wicked may be given the opportunity to complete their mission in a gilgul. I don't believe the average man or woman would have to do so. But I also believe in the concept of recycling of souls and the idea of sparks of souls {holy sparks}. Sometimes our soul is a composite of previous souls, thus allowing each soul to complete aspects of their mission.
There are many esoteric explanations of how this works...
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Reincarnation comes from ideas in the Talmud. I have quoted them before and you can find them if you are interested in them.
NOT TRUE. Rav Saadiah Gaon was a master of the entire Talmud Bavli, he taught it to the students of the gaonim BAAL PEH. And he said reincarnation is a non-Jewish belief, it has no source in Talmud, its source is from zohar.
LOL, the gaonim are the ones who completed the Talmud's canonization, even adding small additions here and there to the vast corpus. And you're going to tell me one of the rosh yeshivot of pumbeditha somehow missed the references in the work he helped compose and whose entire job and entire yeshiva was tasked with transmitting this body of knowledge to students and who is one of the people personally responsible for why we even have preserved any of it (it was not set down in writing right away!), and somehow he just didn't notice? And how many generations after him also didn't notice? And then who invented the references later? And on and on and on..... It's one thing to disagree on interpretation, it's quite another to tell me something is there that isn't there and all the gaonim didn't see it there.
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NOT TRUE. Rav Saadiah Gaon was a master of the entire Talmud Bavli, he taught it to the students of the gaonim BAAL PEH. And he said reincarnation is a non-Jewish belief, it has no source in Talmud, its source is from zohar.
Well that would depend on how you understand the concept of 'Pinchas is Eliyahu' as I discussed in the Torah section...
That idea comes from the Talmud, and not the Zohar.
http://www.vbm-torah.org/archive/salt-bemidbar/41-6pinchas.htm
The Yalkut Shimoni in Parashat Balak (771) likewise mentions explicitly that Pinchas is Eliyahu. It records God telling Pinchas, "You brought peace between Me and My children – in the future, as well, you are the one who will bring peace between Me and My children." The Midrash proceeds by citing the verse from the end of Sefer Malakhi that indicates that Eliyahu will come to lead Benei Yisrael towards teshuva in anticipation of the final day of judgment.
This identification of Eliyahu as Pinchas may have a basis in the Talmud, as well. The Gemara in Masekhet Bava Metzia (114a-b) tells the story of Rabba Bar Avuha, who once met Eliyahu in a graveyard. The rabbi asked him, "Are you not a kohen?!" He wondered why Eliyahu was permitted in the cemetery if he was a kohen, given the prohibition against kohanim contracting tum'a. Eliyahu replied that the graves wthose of gentiles, and according to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the remains of gentiles render tum'a only upon direct contact; their graves, however, do not generate tum'a. In any event, it emerges from this Gemara that Eliyahu was a kohen, which would obviously accommodate the theory that he was Pinchas. Indeed, Rashi, in his commentary to this Gemara, writes that the Gemara works under this very assumption.
Rabbi Mandelbaum draws further Talmudic evidence from a brief passage in Masekhet Ta'anit. The mishnayot towards the beginning of the second chapter of that Masekhet describe the prayer service conducted during public fast days. One prayer, which has been incorporated into our Selichot service, as well, goes through the Bible and cites examples of where G-d answered the prayers of our ancestors. In this appeal to G-d, we ask that He answer us the way He answered them. The Gemara notes a chronological inconsistency in this prayer, that we mention G-d's favorable response to the prophet Yona before we speak of His having answered the prayers of David and Shelomo. Why would we discuss Yona before we mention David and Shelomo, whom lived many years earlier? Leaving aside the Gemara's response to this question, the Gemara, oddly enough, does not ask why this prayer mentions G-d's answer to Eliyahu's prayer before it talks of David and Shelomo, despite the fact that Eliyahu, too, lived a good deal later than David and Shelomo! Rabbi Mandelbaum suggests that perhaps the Gemara assumed that Eliyahu was Pinchas, who indeed lived before David and Shelomo.
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Well that would depend on how you understand the concept of 'Pinchas is Eliyahu'
It has nothing to do with MY understanding of anything.
It has to do with the great master of Talmudic teaching, Rav Saadiah Gaon, and the fact that he with his beliefs and writings is proof positive that reincarnation is not a Talmudic teaching. Period. You or I or the man on the moon cannot say anything to undo this.
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It has nothing to do with MY understanding of anything.
It has to do with the great master of Talmudic teaching, Rav Saadiah Gaon, and the fact that he with his beliefs and writings is proof positive that reincarnation is not a Talmudic teaching. Period. You or I or the man on the moon cannot say anything to undo this.
Are you saying that whatever Sadia Gaon says is 100% emet? Or is he another Chacham with an opinion?
There are many other opinions that the Gaons, as I am sure you will agree..
I will agree to disagree with you, as this is not a core belief, and belief in it has not been called heresy. Almost every Rabbi I have heard has references this concept, and its belief is a part of Chassidic teaching.
Here is what AskMoses says on this topic:
Are there any references to reincarnation in the Bible or Talmud?
by Rabbi Tzvi Shapiro
Reincarnation is part of an "afterlife", and the Bible does not speak clearly of an afterlife. See Why isn't the afterlife mentioned explicitly in the Torah?
While the Talmud does mention the afterlife in general it does not mention reincarnation specifically. As a result the notion of reincarnation in Judaism has been both embraced and rejected.
Esoteric topics are generally left to "Kabbalah" (oral tradition transmitted from teacher to student). The Kabbalah was closely guarded for thousands of years by those few who were privileged to gain entrance. Those verses in the Torah and Talmud that allude to reincarnation were known to Kabbalists throughout the ages, and passed down as a tradition, from teacher to student. It is thus not surprising that reincarnation is referenced briefly in other works by Talmudic scholars such as the Midrash and the Zohar.1 In one of his commentaries on the Talmud Rashi2 even mentions it, and of course later Kabbalists like Rabbi Isaac Luria and Rabbi Chaim Vital (to name a few) write a lot about it.
To those who were not privy to the inner secrets of Kabbalah, including many honorable and acclaimed Jewish scholars and philosophers, the concept of reincarnation seemed foreign and strange.
Therefore, the answer to your question would be yes and no, depending on whom you ask.
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muman613
Reincarnation... It is in Talmud... It is said that the soul of Pinchas was the same soul as the Navi Eliyahu. That doesnt come from the Zohar, it comes from the Talmud. There are other examples of gilgul which come from the Talmud also...
This might be your interpretation of the Talmud but on a simple level, the Talmud is not talking about reincarnation. It brings different views for the identity of Eliyahu/Elijah and one of them holds, that he is Pinchas (which if true, lived an extremely long number of years). We are talking about the actual Pinchas and not a reincarnated Pinchas, because Rabbis raised the question, for example, how is it possible that Eliyahu could come in contact with the dead? This is a problem to be solved if he was the actual Pinchas, but not a problem if he was just a reincarnated Pinchas.
Other views, hold that Eliyahu is totally unconnected and anyone who wants more details can look at the discussion thread elsewhere on this forum at
http://jtf.org/forum/index.php/topic,54782.0.html (http://jtf.org/forum/index.php/topic,54782.0.html)
As far as the concept of reincarnation some major Rabbis accept it and some such as Rabbi Saadia Gaon reject it.
Beware of raising one side of the argument into the official dogma of Judaism.
Another discussion thread related to the topic of Kabbalah is on this forum at http://jtf.org/forum/index.php/topic,55538.0.html (http://jtf.org/forum/index.php/topic,55538.0.html)
Another point that Muman613 raised is the status of the writings of the Ari. He is coming from a Chassidic perspective. Non-Chassidim, do not necessarily raise the writings of the Ari to such a high status.
The followers of the Vilna Gaon for example, do not believe that every single statement mentioned in the writings by the Ari has the status of "Divine Inspiration".
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muman613This might be your interpretation of the Talmud but on a simple level, the Talmud is not talking about reincarnation. It brings different views for the identity of Eliyahu/Elijah and one of them holds, that he is Pinchas (which if true, lived an extremely long number of years). We are talking about the actual Pinchas and not a reincarnated Pinchas, because Rabbis raised the question, for example, how is it possible that Eliyahu could come in contact with the dead? This is a problem to be solved if he was the actual Pinchas, but not a problem if he was just a reincarnated Pinchas.
Other views, hold that Eliyahu is totally unconnected and anyone who wants more details can look at the discussion thread elsewhere on this forum at
http://jtf.org/forum/index.php/topic,54782.0.html (http://jtf.org/forum/index.php/topic,54782.0.html)
As far as the concept of reincarnation some major Rabbis accept it and some such as Rabbi Saadia Gaon reject it.
Beware of raising one side of the argument into the official dogma of Judaism.
Another discussion thread related to the topic of Kabbalah is on this forum at http://jtf.org/forum/index.php/topic,55538.0.html (http://jtf.org/forum/index.php/topic,55538.0.html)
Another point that Muman613 raised is the status of the writings of the Ari. He is coming from a Chassidic perspective. Non-Chassidim, do not necessarily raise the writings of the Ari to such a high status.
The followers of the Vilna Gaon for example, do not believe that every single statement mentioned in the writings by the Ari has the status of "Divine Inspiration".
edu,
I never rose the concept of gilgul to that level. As I just stated in a previous post, this concept is not one of Rambams 13 principles which I hold as essential for all observant Jews to accept.
I am just defending the Chassidic perspective as far as I understand it. Again I am not a Chassidic master, nor even a Talmid Chocham... But I do spend a good time studying, and I have experience and wisdom which lead me to believe in these teachings.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1M0SyVArcQ
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Ok , just saw the vid , I thought Rashbi did not actually write the Zohar?
Why do you have to be on a "Special" level to lean Zohar? Isn't Moshes prophecy the greatest and thus the torah being a more holy book?
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Ok , just saw the vid , I thought Rashbi did not actually write the Zohar?
Why do you have to be on a "Special" level to lean Zohar? Isn't Moshes prophecy the greatest and thus the torah being a more holy book?
Quick answer... Yes... Chumash should always be the highest source. I believe everything else relates to Moshes prophecy.
I believe the reason the kabbalists require special preparation was to ensure that whoever learned it had firm understanding of Tanak and Talmud.
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Are you saying that whatever Sadia Gaon says is 100% emet? Or is he another Chacham with an opinion?
No. I clarified my comment but the site was down so isaved it. I will paste it in later so it will be more clear what I'm saying.
Here is what AskMoses says on this topic:
Of course like clockwork you did what I predicted.
Btw in response, I would say its really easy to dismiss questions and objections by saying "you are uninitiated so you just don't understand the secret kaballah" but trust me that you or he is not convincing anyone with that kind of logic.
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No. I clarified my comment but the site was down so isaved it. I will paste it in later so it will be more clear what I'm saying.
Of course like clockwork you did what I predicted.
Btw in response, I would say its really easy to dismiss questions and objections by saying "you are uninitiated so you just don't understand the secret kaballah" but trust me that you or he is not convincing anyone with that kind of logic.
Yes, and you like clockwork did exactly as I expected... So we are even..
And I don't quite understand what you are saying... It is well known that Kabbalah was never intended for everyone to study. It is an esoteric study which is not essential for basic Jewish observance. So there is nothing magical or nefarious for any Rabbi to point this out.
PS: Did you happen to hear Chaims response on the topic?
http://www.kabbalaonline.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/380748/jewish/Arguments-of-the-Skeptics.htm
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Chaim said there are 70 faces of the Torah that was good enough for me, now I will try to learn in a unbiased way if the works of the Kabbala are from mattan torah.
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Chaim said there are 70 faces of the Torah that was good enough for me, now I will try to learn in a unbiased way if the works of the Kabbala are from mattan torah.
It is always wise to remember that there is a machloket concerning this topic. I will not say with 100% certainty that everything which is called Kabbalah is 100% true. But I listen to many Rabbis on the topic and try to learn from them all. And it is true what Chaim said concerning the 70 faces of Torah...
http://www.torah.org/learning/pirkei-avos/chapter6-624.html
It should also be borne in mind that the Sages tell us there are many valid interpretations to the Torah. The Midrash writes that there are 70 "faces" (facets) to the Torah (Bamidbar Rabbah 13:15). There are many valid ways of understanding each part of the Torah -- some more literal and some more profound -- but all valid according to the legitimate methods of Torah study handed to us. Thus, the Sages who contested R. Eliezer did not consider themselves "wrong". Perhaps their opinion was not the most profound in an absolute sense. But they correctly recognized that it was the only explanation their generation could fathom.
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The Vilna Gaon states that "The main part of the Geulah is dependent on the study of Kabbalah" (Even Shleimah).
A major part of R.Kahane's ideology in his Or Hara'ayon was based on the Vilna Gaon's "Kol HaTor".
Thus a true Kahanist worthy of his salt, is obliged to believe in the Kaballah.
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The Vilna Gaon states that "The main part of the Geulah is dependent on the study of Kabbalah" (Even Shleimah).
A major part of R.Kahane's ideology in his Or Hara'ayon was based on the Vilna Gaon's "Kol HaTor".
Thus a true Kahanist worthy of his salt, is obliged to believe in the Kaballah.
I believe I have heard something about that... But I am interested in what Rabbi Kahanes position on Kabbalah was.
And I have found a link which confirms what you said here:
http://ohr.edu/ask_db/ask_main.php/99/Q2/
Binyomin Altman wrote:
I recently read the following statement of the Vilna Gaon: "The ultimate redemption of the Jewish People (Geula) will come about only through learning Torah; And primarily through learning Kabbalah [Torah's deep secrets]. Since I don't learn Kabbalah, is my Torah study insignificant with respect to bringing about the final redemption?
Dear Binyomin,
Kabbalah certainly has 'redeeming' qualities. But it has dangers as well. On his death-bed, the Arizal (preeminent Kabbalist, 16th century Safed, Israel) told Rabbi Yitzchak Hakohen: "Tell the disciples in my name that from today they are to stop studying Kabbalah." He warned that they might misunderstand it and thus come to harm.
I spoke to Rabbi Shlomo Fisher, shlita, about this statement of the Vilna Gaon. He explained it as follows: Learning Kabbalah requires an exceptionally high spiritual level. The Geula will come when the people at that high level learn Kabbalah.
As far as the 'significance' of your studies in bringing the Geula, the Talmud says that Torah study helps us survive the exile. And were the whole Jewish people to learn Torah, the Geula would come immediately!
http://www.messiahtruth.com/zionism.html
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The Vilna Gaon states that "The main part of the Geulah is dependent on the study of Kabbalah" (Even Shleimah).
A major part of R.Kahane's ideology in his Or Hara'ayon was based on the Vilna Gaon's "Kol HaTor".
Thus a true Kahanist worthy of his salt, is obliged to believe in the Kaballah.
In the "main part of Rabbi Kahane's ideology" when he explains it in his writings and speeches he does not give a mystical approach and he does not cite kaballah, so stop misleading people. Kol hator is not solely a kabalah sefer.
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Quote from utmager
The Vilna Gaon states that "The main part of the Geulah is dependent on the study of Kabbalah" (Even Shleimah).
A major part of R.Kahane's ideology in his Or Hara'ayon was based on the Vilna Gaon's "Kol HaTor".
Thus a true Kahanist worthy of his salt, is obliged to believe in the Kaballah.
In his writings, Rabbi Kahane wrote explicitly "I am not a man of the Zohar". He did however, occasionally make use of Kabbalistic sources, but it was certainly not the main focus of Rabbi Kahane.
Rabbi Kahane's general agreement with Kol Hator does not necessarily mean he agreed on every point of the book.
In addition, even if we assume he did support Kabbalah learning, one has to define more precisely, what is Kaballah? The Vilna Gaon's Kabballah for example, disputes the Kabbalah of the Ari on some major points. So does the call of Kol Hator (which is allied to the Vilna Gaon's Kabbalah) mean a call to learn the Ari's Kabbalah?
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Ok here is the comment I intended to write a few days ago but was really busy. Since then I've been posting only from my phone.
Yea , by evidence I meant some kind of text or Idea. How does Saadiah Gaon refute reincarnation?
To my knowledge, the way he refutes it is he flat out says, it's a pagan belief and as an idea it is foreign to Judaism and its beliefs. I don't think he thought it needed refutation, he dismissed it. It obviously has no source in Talmud or else he could not say that. His major hashkafic work Emunot v'deot goes into detail of the ikkarim of Judaism as Rav Saadiah sees them. I'm not saying it's gospel of course, Rambam has a differing opinion with some of his views, and where he does, he expresses disagreement without any hesitation, but this is done with sources to back up the ideas and/or philosophical proofs. Saadiah Gaon bases himself on the sources... to call a view non-Jewish is quite a statement. It's not saying it's an incorrect view, it's saying that no Jewish scholar possibly agrees to it, and Saadiah knew and learned with all of the gaonim - for a time he was their head, he was head scholar of the yeshiva (hence the title Gaon).
Of course Jewish history evolved and Judaism took a different turn with the influence of kabbalah, where nowadays almost every Jewish rabbi accepts the notion of reincarnation because its in zohar and almost every single Jewish rabbi "accepts" zohar as the predominant hashkafic and mystic text so they won't argue on any of its concepts. But popularity does not make something correct. And I know rabbis, including one I know personally who does not agree to all the ideas in zohar, does not believe there is reincarnation, and does not subscribe to what everyone supposedly "accepts." I think a person probably has to think about it and figure out what he thinks is true, and if that's how it is, to think differently is no sin. I go with my conscience and what seems correct to me and the rabbis whose teachings I respect I take into serious consideration. In the end, Hashem gave us all a brain.
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I am not so familiar with what Sadia Gaon wrote or taught. Did he accept the belief in Resurrection of the Dead? That is one which many rationalists have a problem with. But it too is universally accepted and it is even a part of Rambams 13 principles.
And I never understood how the so-called rationalists could read the Tanakh & the Talmud and not believe that Hashem sometimes performs supernatural feats. The Torah is full of these kinds of events, as is the Talmud and Midrash, etc... I could start to list these events which have no real rational explanation.
Let me say that this is a somewhat off-topic comment because you are mainly addressing the topic of Reincarnation. But let us digress for a moment and discuss the difference between rationalists and mystics...
http://www.jewishmag.com/22mag/mystic/mystic.htm
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And now so that my above comment is clearer I also want to add there are several separate questions being addressed in this thread, and it's important not to conflate them. So I will preempt that now.
1. Is reincarnation sourced in the Talmud?
No. And I quote Rav Saadiah Gaon specifically to address this question. Because he would not say what he said if it had a source in Talmud, quite obviously. Little else needs to be added, but suffice to say that Rav Saadiah gaon knew Talmud backwards and forwards and likely even helped author it (scholars agree gaonim had some input on a handful of statements contained in talmud, before it was fully canonized completely). What Saadiah Gaon defined as Judaism was based on Scripture and Talmud. (another clue about zohar's date of birth considering the gaonim didn't know of such a thing. The gaonim, and the saboraim before them, WERE the mesora. They transmitted from the tannaim and amoraim everything).
2. Is reincarnation a Jewish belief?
Well I give one opinion by citing Rav Saadiah Gaon, supported as well by Rambam, and pretty much any Torah scholar pre-Isaac-the-Blind mystic school era. I acknowledge that the vast majority of rabbis today think otherwise due to the widespread influence of zohar, and I encourage any person to study and think about his own view in light of the facts and available information, and encourage whatever conclusion they draw for themselves. It's a hashkafic matter, obviously. On the other hand, its purely philosophical and esoteric nature may make it a question whether it's even a subject worth thinking about. We won't know about death until we die. Meantime, we have work to do.
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I am not so familiar with what Sadia Gaon wrote or taught. Did he accept the belief in Resurrection of the Dead?
:o
MUMAN
Are you serious?
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First of all, Rambam is considered among the foremost rationalist rishonim. There were many great ones in Spain (Sepharad). Why are you turning the world rationalist into an insult? And why are you pretending that Rav Saadiah Gaon was not one of the greatest Jewish scholars of all time? You're trying to make him into some kind of unknown nobody (chas veshalom) who led a cult or something? I have news for you he and the other gaonim were the mesora itself. Without them, Talmud never reaches the rishonim.
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First of all, Rambam is considered among the foremost rationalist rishonim. There were many great ones in Spain (Sepharad). Why are you turning the world rationalist into an insult? And why are you pretending that Rav Saadiah Gaon was not one of the greatest Jewish scholars of all time? You're trying to make him into some kind of unknown nobody who led a cult? I have news for you he and the other gaonim were the mesora itself. Without them, Talmud never reaches the rishonim.
I am sorry but that is not what I am trying to do. I have heard a lot of Rabbis and I am sure that I have heard the Gaons name mentioned. I never said I did not hear of him. I try to learn from all Rabbis because as Chaim said, there are 70 faces of Torah and it is said that all of them are correct.
I am not negating or challenging what you are saying. Sometimes I feel like you think I am competing against you and it is never my intention to do that. I hope that our conversations will yield the truth and enlighten all Jews and gentiles to what is truth.
I apologize for appearing to insult the Gaon.
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I have also said many times that a persons belief in this area is acceptable as long as it does not violate the basic principles of Judaism. And as you said the entire Olam Haba is open to interpretation. We don't really know what it is like except for the small bits which our prophets and great Talmudic Rabbis have described.
A lot of wisdom has been learned from some of the great Chassidic Rabbis and I believe that this wisdom is from Ruach HaKodesh. I am pretty sure you challenge this belief but I should not put words in your mouth.
Let us seek the truth and learn from everyone...
http://torah.org/learning/pirkei-avos/chapter4-1a.html
"Ben (the son of) Zoma said: Who is wise? He who learns from all people, as it is said: 'From all those who taught me I gained understanding' (Psalms 119:99). Who is strong? He who conquers his evil inclination, as it is said: 'Better is one slow to anger than a strong man, and one who rules over his spirit than a conqueror of a city' (Proverbs 16:32). Who is rich? He who is satisfied with his lot, as it is said: 'When you eat the toil of your hands you are fortunate and it is good for you' (Psalms 128:2). 'You are fortunate' -- in this world; 'and it is good for you' -- in the World to Come. Who is honored? He who honors others, as it is said: 'For those who honor Me will I honor, and those who scorn Me will be degraded' (I Samuel 2:30)."
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http://www.koshertorah.com/nullifying-kishufim.html
Nullifying Kishufim
By HaRav Ariel Bar Tzadok. Copyright (C) 2007 by Ariel Bar Tzadok. All rights reserved.
A very interesting story about witchcraft is related in the Gemara (Shabat 81b).
Rav Hisda and Rabah bar Rav Huna are traveling on a boat when they are approached by a woman who wishes to be seated near them. Sensing something wrong, the two Sages refuse. In response, the woman utters something under her breath and suddenly the boats stops, unable to move forward. The Sages aware of the subtle power unleashed here unleash a force of their own. Together they say a word and the ship suddenly moves again, the power of the woman was broken. The Sages were faced by a witch using witchcraft and they responded by neutralizing her powers by using a holy Name emanating from the Torah.
While the Gemara does not reveal to us what this special holy Name is, one of our later Sages, the Ba�al Shem Tov (SBST, Mishpatim 5) did. In a moment I will reveal the Name, yet prior to doing so, it is important that we fist understand some essential aspects about witchcraft and about holy Names.
First and foremost, we must understand that our Sages not only believed that the powers of witchcraft were (and are) real, they were also very much well educated in ways of Torah that can be used to neutralize it. Our Sages were well versed in the ways and means of both natural and supernatural laws; they were well versed and experienced in interacting with inter-dimensional beings and forces that can be unleashed from within the hidden recesses of the human mind.
This knowledge is nothing new. Even in Biblical times, the Torah speaks of Bilaam who had the power to curse the nation of Israel. Now, a curse is far more than just a bad wish one projects onto another. A curse has an actual power to it that can create the negative results solicited. It was for this reason that HaShem Himself intervened and sent His Angel to prevent Bilaam from unleashing this very real and negative power.
Other Biblical examples abound. Therefore, anyone who claims to truly accept and follow Torah must acknowledge the reality and danger of these powers. Although some later Sages were of the opinion that witchcraft was nothing more than a form of trickery, most other Sages were not so simplistic.
Today, most Rabbis follow in the philosophical footsteps of the rationalist school of Eastern Europe and therefore dismiss and distain anything mystical or mysterious. Not only do these Rabbis dismiss witchcraft as having any significance, they have gone so far as to dismiss the value and legitimacy of Torah mysticism, the Kabbalah. Unfortunately this self-imposed ignorance has created a large number of Rabbis who cannot understand or deal with spiritual matters or threats, so much unlike our Sages of old, who were very much experts in this field.
Although a large number of Rabbis today are unaware of the dangers posed by alternate spiritual realities, not all our modern day Sages share this ignorance. Those well trained in the ways of the original Hasidim and in the ways of the old Sephardic schools have maintained the ancient knowledge and use it today with the same efficiency and success as was in ancient times.
A detailed exposition about how witchcraft and other spiritual forces actually operate in a technological and psychological way is far beyond what I can present in this limited essay. Suffice it to say that these powers exist and that they definitely pose a serious threat and danger to us all; and let us not forget that our holy Torah includes within it all we need to know and do about how to combat and neutralize these malevolent forces.
In Pirkei Avot (5:25), the Sage Ben Bag Bag says with regards to the Torah, �Turn it over again and again for everything is in it.� Torah was never meant to be delegated exclusively to the realm of religion and philosophy. Torah was meant to be studied and exposed as being a guide to science and technology, including all the laws of the physics of the natural, supernatural and the inner workings of the human mind.
There are numerous forces at work in our natural universe of which modern science only knows of a few. Every generation modern science becomes more aware of the subtle forces in which we live. More and more modern science is beginning to sound like ancient mysticism. In the not-to-distant future, I predict the two paths, the ancient and the future will intersect and merge, bringing upon us a new dawn of civilization. After all, this was always the purpose of Torah since the beginning.
Therefore, within Torah there have always existed multiple layers of knowledge just waiting to be discovered and explored. Many of our Sages of old were very well aware of these depths of Torah, yet were bound by oaths of secrecy to conceal this knowledge until such a time when it could be revealed safely, and then only to those select individuals who could handle it. In every generation there have been Sages well versed in this secret knowledge. It is they who were (and are) very much on the forefront of combating evil in their communities, especially when that evil is disseminating through the forces of witchcraft and the occult. As Solomon long ago said, �There is nothing new under the sun.� (Kohelet 1:9).
Rabbi Yisrael ben Eliezer, better known as the Ba�al Shem Tov was one of the last of the European Sages to be a master of this ancient knowledge. In his day, he fought long and hard against significant malevolent forces and worked hard to bring the secrets of the Torah to the masses in a way and format that the majority could understand and embrace. This was his mission and the true underlying purpose of the original Hasidic teachings.
We cannot at this time delve into Hasidic history to discuss how most of the schools have lost their original connection to this sacred knowledge. Suffice it for now to know that while most today are unaware of the ancient teachings, this does not mean that they have become lost. The teachings are still available, however due to the great influence of the rationalist school even most modern Hasidim are unlearned in this sacred field and are thus most unqualified to deal with spiritual issues.
Although lost to the majority, the teachings are still well preserved by the minority, and this group transcends all borders of ethnicity, language and culture. True Sages still reside amongst the Jewish people, and their identities, like their powers remain a well-guarded secret.
With all this being said, and the forces of evil being what they are, we can now discuss one of the teachings of the Ba�al Shem Tov and learn his comments on the above story related in the Gemara about how witchcraft is confronted using a holy Name from the Torah.
The Ba�al Shem Tov comments that the Torah verse itself that condemns one who practices witchcraft to death contains the secret Name that when used properly can neutralize the witchcraft itself. The Torah (Ex. 22:17) states, �M�kha�shefa Lo T�hayeh� (a witch shall not live). One who knows how to recite this verse with the proper intent, devotion and meditations shall break the powers of witchcraft.
Regardless of the doubts of skeptics, witchcraft does pose a serious threat to all today and its powers have been unleashed upon the masses from sources best left unmentioned. Nonetheless, in order to provide spiritual protection for those who seek it, I will now discuss in brief how from this verse can be extracted a powerful holy Name that when used properly and combined with a lifestyle of holiness and health can protect one from even the most malevolent of spiritual forces.
The initial letters (Reshei Tevot) of the three words of this verse are Mem, Lamed and Tav. These three letters combine to form a holy Name, pronounced with the vowels as they appear in the verse itself; shva, holam, shva. When this Name is combined with the Name Havaya (YKVK) written with the vowels of �pituhei hotam,� we have a seven-letter combination that can be meditated upon and projected upon a source of evil, the results being the nullification of that evil.
This then was the secret of the Ba�al Shem Tov. He was master at discovering and using these holy forces of Torah knowledge to combat ignorance and evil. He taught his students well and his teachings survive to this day and are available to all who wish to study them in the original Hebrew. The Ba�al Shem Tov is only one of many who have distributed this sacred knowledge. Other Sages today still invoke Heavenly powers and are active in protecting the masses. Yet, regardless of whom they are or what they do, we too can participate in this holy work, even as the Ba�al Shem Tov taught the masses to do.
The Ba�al Shem Tov taught us about the powers of the human mind. While we cannot create physical reality around us, we can indeed control our perceptions of it within ourselves. The great power to overcome any malevolent influence already resides within us. HaShem has given to each of us this latent power. All we need is the knowledge of Torah to enable us to recognize it.
A holy Name is not magic, neither for that matter is witchcraft. In reality, there is no such thing as magic. All there is are technologies of the mind unknown to most people. These forces are and have been known for millennia to those who wish to manipulate others and to those who wish to protect others from such manipulations. One who learns the disciplines and inner workings of the mind will realize these latent powers. One of good character will use these innate human powers for good, others of lesser character will use these powers for selfish gains; this is evil.
The Ba�al Shem Tov therefore taught the importance of good character and how by trusting in HaShem with childlike simplicity one can tap these inner powers of the mind and thus enable them to protect one from any outside source of unconscious influence. Therefore, the simple initial letters of a verse when combined with HaShem�s holy Name should be enough of a reminder to anyone that HaShem is in charge and that He has the power to nullify any force of evil.
Reciting the Name or the letters is not the way this spiritual technology works. This is why we do not provide a formula, a prayer or an invocation. Nullifying influences upon the mind is performed by a simple mental exercise; verbal recitations have little or no power in this regards. What you think matters most. What you say matters little.
The power of the Torah is so profound; it takes us into the inner most recess of the mind and at the same time enables us to explore the most outer limits of all reality. One who learns these lessons well will have embraced the essence of all the secrets of the Torah regardless of their forms within the teachings of the Kabbalah or Hasidut.
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Shalom, Ariel Bar Tzadok
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For All those that read Hebrew Here's a source that Rabbi Saadia Gaon clearly did believe in the resurrection of the dead according to the simple meaning of the term.
http://www.daat.ac.il/chazal/maamar.asp?id=260 (http://www.daat.ac.il/chazal/maamar.asp?id=260)
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For All those that read Hebrew Here's a source that Rabbi Saadia Gaon clearly did believe in the resurrection of the dead according to the simple meaning of the term.
http://www.daat.ac.il/chazal/maamar.asp?id=260 (http://www.daat.ac.il/chazal/maamar.asp?id=260)
Of course he did!
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I am sorry but that is not what I am trying to do. I have heard a lot of Rabbis and I am sure that I have heard the Gaons name mentioned. I never said I did not hear of him. I try to learn from all Rabbis because as Chaim said, there are 70 faces of Torah and it is said that all of them are correct.
I am not negating or challenging what you are saying. Sometimes I feel like you think I am competing against you and it is never my intention to do that. I hope that our conversations will yield the truth and enlighten all Jews and gentiles to what is truth.
I apologize for appearing to insult the Gaon.
Whether you have "heard of him" is not really at issue.
Beyond that I will merely state that perhaps many rabbis do not teach about the era of the gaonim ( or the saboraim for that matter) but these are the scholars who took over from the amoraim and continued the mesora to the period of rishonim. We are talking about a period of maybe 400-600 years give or take (I forget now precisely when the amoraim ended), of Jewish history if we include saboraic and gaonic periods. And these are responsible for the final crafting of the talmud as we have it today. Its worth looking into. I am sure Rabbi Berel Wein has some good material on this period.