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What parts of Kabalah are off limits until age 40?

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muman613:
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/361877/jewish/The-Zohar.htm

The Zohar

It was in the Tannaic period that the Zohar, the most famous text of Kabbalah, was committed to writing by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (also known as the Rashbi). Rashbi lived in tumultuous times when the Roman government was executing all the great Torah teachers, including his master Rabbi Akiva.

Rashbi himself had to flee Roman persecution and hid in a cave with his son, Rabbi Elazar, for thirteen years. During this time, he received Divine Inspiration (Ruach Hakodesh) and merited the revelation of Elijah the Prophet and composed the sacred Zohar.

Based on the five books of Moses and written in Hebrew Aramaic, the text of the Zohar explores and expounds in a most cryptic way the mystical tradition. Its pre-eminent place in Jewish mysticism does not derive solely from its antiquity or its authorship. Other works of the Kabbalah such as Sefer Yetzirah and Sefer HaBahir are of earlier origin. The Zohar’s importance must rather be attributed to its comprehensiveness.

It became the source for practically all the later authoritative Kabbalistic teachings of the Arizal and others.

The Zohar was concealed for many centuries, and the study of the Kabbalah was restricted to a select few qualified individuals. It became revealed only in the thirteenth century and was published by one of the leading Kabbalists living in Spain, Rabbi Moshe de Leon. Some believed that the Ramban (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman c.1194-1270 C.E.), himself a renowned Kabbalist, had sent the Zohar from Israel by ship to his son in Catalonia, but the ship had been diverted and the texts ended up in the hands of Rabbi Moshe de Leon. Others explained that these manuscripts had been hidden in a vault for a thousand years and had been discovered by an Arabian king who sent them to Toledo to be deciphered. Still others maintained that Spanish conquistadors had discovered the manuscripts of the Zohar among many others in an academy in Heidelberg. Whichever theory is true, the text was accepted as authentic by all pre-eminent Jewish scholars.

The mystics ascribe special potency to the study of Zohar.

It effects a nullification of evil decrees, eases the travails of exile, hastens the redemption, and draws forth Divine blessings. In some mystical circles, great merit is attributed to the mere recitation of the sacred texts of the Zohar, even though one does not understand them. However, ideally an effort is to be made to understand and comprehend the texts. The text has been translated into Hebrew and English. In truth, today it still remains a closed text without many introductions, explanations, and elucidations of later masters.

In summary, at this stage of history the major texts of Sefer Yetzirah, the Sefer HaBahir, the Pirkei Heichalot Rabati, and the Zohar contained the basic teachings that had been passed down through the prophets and sages from Moses. And yet, although committing the mystical tradition to writing had saved it from extinction, it was still a closed book to all but one who would be familiar with the intricacies of the esoteric tradition. The outline had been written but the keys to the tradition remained oral and contained within a small circle.

This remained the case until the next great explosion of Kabbalah to take place in the town of Safed, located in northern Israel, in the sixteenth century.

muman613:
http://ohr.edu/judaism/survey/survey5.htm#ZOHAR

ZOHAR

    * The Zohar was written by the students of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai, who transcribed his teachings in about 170 C.E. in Israel.
    * It discusses the concepts of Creation ex nihilo, Divine Providence and its mechanisms, the metaphysical meaning of the commandments of the Torah and the the connection between the physical and the spiritual.
    * Written in Aramaic, it follows the order of the Five Books of Moses. The Zohar is the principle source text of the Kabbalah, the Torah's mystical teachings.

muman613:
http://ohr.edu/ask_db/ask_main.php/204/Q5/

Joe McKay from Coatesville, PA wrote:

    Dear Rabbi,

    I am trying to find who is the author of the Zohar. I am studying the Kaballah and the teacher says that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai is the author, but the Zohar was lost, and later found in the 13th century by Moses de Leon. Another school of thought is that it was written by Rabbi Moses de Leon. What is your opinion?

Dear Joe McKay,

Universal Jewish tradition maintains that the Zohar was in fact authored by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his students around 170-200 CE. Rabbi Moses de Leon merely published the already existent work.

muman613:
http://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=zohar-author

...

There is no doubt that explanation and the methods of achieving prophecy were expounded in an oral tradition, just like the rest of Torah. However, because of their esoteric nature, these mystical teachings were not published together with the remainder of the Oral Law. [Although according to Shem HaGedolim, they may have been part of the 600 orders of Mishnaic teachings prior to their redaction by Rabbi Yehudah HaNassi.]

Furthermore, study of the esoteric texts was restricted to those who were considered worthy of its knowledge, as is written: "One may not expound...the Work of Creation to more than one student [at a time]; the Work of the Chariot not even to one student - unless he is wise and can understand these matters by himself" ( Mishna Chagiga 2:1). The Gemara explains, "Rabbi Chiya taught, '[One may not expound the Work of the Chariot to any student] but one may give him the 'chapter headings,' [i.e. the fundamentals, without lengthy explanation]. Rabbi Zeira added, 'And then only to the Head of a Rabbinical Court, or to those who are properly wary'. Some maintain that Rabbi Zeira said, 'And then only to the Head of a Rabbinical Court, and only if he is properly wary.'" The Gemara then goes on to list various other conditions and limitations relating to the transmission of this esoteric wisdom (Chagiga 13a).[1]

The question of the authorship of Zohar has interested scholars in yeshivas and secular academics alike. Those who believe, in accordance with Jewish tradition, that the Zohar is indeed an authentic document of the teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai ( Rashbi), generally agree that part, but not all, of the Zohar was written by Rashbi. The sections of the Zohar that are from Rabbi Shimon himself are described as "the First Mishna," apparently written while hiding in a cave from the Roman authorities who sought to execute him for derogatory statements he had made against them. (Concerning the First Mishna, see Chabura Kadmaa mentioned in Zohar III, p. 219a. See also Zohar II, 123b; vol. III, 296b; Shabbat 33b).

The remainder of the Zohar, like the Talmud, was the product of generations of masters and their disciples. Early sources state that the composition of the Zohar extended over the period of Rashbi, his disciples and their disciples[2] who recorded many of the teachings passed on orally from Rabbi Shimon to his close associates and disciples. Thus its authorship spanned several generations. This view is substantiated by the Zohar itself, as stated in Idra Zuta (Zohar III p. 287b):

[Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said,] "The holy matters that I did not reveal until now, I wish to reveal in the presence of the Shechina, so that no one will say that I left the world without fulfilling my task and that I concealed [these secrets] in my heart until now so that they would come with me to the World to Come. I will present them to you; Rabbi Abba shall write, and Rabbi Elazar my son will review them, and the remaining circle of disciples must whisper them in their hearts."

One layer of the Zohar was thus clearly written by Rabbi Abba, who hailed from Babylonia, at the behest of his master, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.

The original written texts comprising the Zohar were concealed for many centuries, although its present form, following the order of the weekly Torah portions, is of a much later date, most likely from the period of the Geonim, and there are some interpolations from these late editors.[3] (This explains why names of sages who lived several generations after Rashbi also appear in the Zohar). They became revealed only in the thirteenth century and were published by one of the leading kabbalists living in Spain, Rabbi Moshe de Leon. Some believed that the Ramban (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman c. 4955-5030 (1194-1270 C.E.), himself a renowned Kabbalist, had sent them from Israel by ship to his son in Catalonia, but the ship had been diverted and the texts ended up in the hands of Rabbi Moshe de Leon (Shem HaGedolim, Chida Sefarim, Zayin, 8). Others explained that these manuscripts had been hidden in a vault for a thousand years and had been discovered by an Arabian king who sent them to Toledo to be deciphered. Some maintained that Spanish conquistadors had discovered the manuscripts of the Zohar among many others in an academy in Heidelberg (Shem HaGedolim, ibid.) Other explanations have also been offered. How exactly the Zohar came to be in the possession of Rabbi Moshe de Leon is thus not clear.

Rabbi Moshe de Leon began disseminating the text of the Zohar around the early 1300's. The prevailing academic opinion (although there are some notable dissenters) is that Moshe de Leon himself wrote the Zohar. These claims are based on the testimony of Rabbi Yitzchak of Acco, on an analysis of the names of places mentioned in the Zohar, on linguistic arguments, on the use of terminology which first appeared in medieval times, and so on. Although a comprehensive analysis of all of these arguments is beyond the scope of this essay, some of these arguments will be closely examined.

The earliest record of a systematic inquiry into the Zohar's authorship came from the ranks of the Kabbalists themselves. Rabbi Yitzchak of Acco 5010-5100 (1250-1340 C.E.), a disciple of Ramban (after the latter settled in the Holy Land) and an accomplished kabbalist, decided to examine the question for himself, given the importance of the texts and the gravity of the rumors surrounding its authorship.

The entire account was recorded in Rabbi Yitzchak's Divrei HaYamim, but unfortunately no known manuscripts of this text are extant. Nevertheless, the majority of his account was published in Sefer HaYuchasin (Phillipovski edition, London and Edinburgh 1857) by Rabbi Avraham Zacuto (5185- c. 5275 / 1425- c. 1515 C.E.), although the conclusions Rabbi Yitzchak reached were not recorded. A paraphrase of the account follows:

Rabbi Yitzchak traveled to Spain, and he met Rabbi Moshe de Leon in Vallidolid. The latter swore under oath that he was in possession of the manuscript written by Rabbi Shimon. He averred that the manuscript was in his hometown of Avila and that he would gladly show it to Rabbi Yitzchak there. They parted company, and on the way back home Rabbi Moshe took ill in Arevalo and died there. Rabbi Yitzchak was extremely upset by this turn of events but decided nevertheless to proceed to Avila. There he found a certain David di PanCorbo who divulged to him that he had clarified without any doubts that the a work called Zohar had never come to be in Rabbi Moshe's possession nor was there any such work in existence.

...

muman613:
I have done a bit more research on the Zohar and it is a hotly disputed topic, to say the least.

This page will support rhayat1's assertions that there is questionable information in the Zohar.

http://www.chayas.com/tetsaveh.htm

Despite this, because of tradition and the fact that there is authentic Kabbalah which is also contained in the Zohar, I do not reject it outright.

I listen to many Orthodox Rabbis and the majority of them mention concepts from the Zohar often. I have never learned any Zohar which contradicts the Torah.



I also understand the concept of the Sefirot as not any division of Hashem, but a way of understanding the way he reacts with the Olam... The Torah itself uses various names of Hashem, which we learn to mean that our relationship with him defines the name we use to refer to him {i.e. HE/SHE Hashem/Elokim,  Shechina, etc.}

Also it is not honest to argue that anthromorphism in the Zohar proves it is not authentic because we all know that Hashem doesn't have limbs... The Torah itself, in the Parashas we have been reading recently talk about the Right Arm of Hashem, a Mighty Hand of Hashem, etc... We all understand why anthromorphism is used in these cases...

Also, the possibility that the Zohar is not authentic alone doesn't mean that Kabbalah is not authentic because Zohar is just one source of Kabbalah, there are many other good and un-impeachable sources of Kabbalah.

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