What parts of Kabalah are off limits until age 40?

[Moshe92]

I almost bought a book on Kaballah at Border's bookstore once, it had alot of pages but looked very interesting to read.

DO NOT!!!! I REPEAT!!!DO NOTBUY KABBALAH BOOKS AT BORDERS!!!!

One time I was foolish enough to do so.... What I ended up with was a hodgepodge of Enlightened ideas about Kabbalah mixed in with pagan worship from the nations.... It was HORRIBLE
 

You're right. Most of those books are more like the Britney Spears "kaballah."

[~Hanna~]

Ok, sorry.

 

I said I almost did, but I did not.

you made me cry.

I almost bought a book on Kaballah at Border's bookstore once, it had alot of pages but looked very interesting to read.

DO NOT!!!! I REPEAT!!!DO NOTBUY KABBALAH BOOKS AT BORDERS!!!!

One time I was foolish enough to do so.... What I ended up with was a hodgepodge of Enlightened ideas about Kabbalah mixed in with pagan worship from the nations.... It was HORRIBLE
 

[~Hanna~]

 

[Ulli]

When the "Kabbalah" was first introduced to Ashkenazic Jewish society, in the late middle ages, some leading rabbis suspected something was foul.  They couldn't come out against it because it had already gained some credibility in Sephardic circles and it would cause a rift.  So, in an effort to protect the population from heretical ideas contained in the Kabbalah, they came up with the "under 40" rule - knowing full well that this would prevent most Jews from ever studying it (many died before that age anyway) and, once they did study it, the basic tenets of the Jewish faith would already be ensconced in their minds, making them resistant to the foreign concepts contained in books such as the Zohar.

Soon I'll post what I found out about the book "Sefer haRazim" - later reincarnated as "Raziel haMalakh".  In a nutshell, this book is full of idolatry, prayers to Greek, Egyptian and Roman gods and descriptions of sacrifices that should be made to them.  But it was written in Hebrew.  The Rambam came out against the book and forced it underground.  Shortly thereafter, the book "Raziel haMalakh" came out.  It was not as blatantly heathen as haRazim, but it still contained a prayer to the sun and makes frequent mention of Aphrodite.  Raziel haMalakh is mentioned three times in the Zohar (in a favorable context) and it is still used today as a charm against fire and to protect the newborn.

When my son was born in Israel, my (then) wife place a copy of Raziel next to him.  I took it out and defaced it.  She found out and confronted me in front of a prominent rabbi.  The rabbi demanded why I would do such a thing.  I showed him the things that are written in it and he, being a well-educated American (a disciple of the late Moshe Feinstein), recognized it for what it was.  He purged the abomination from his own home and admitted I had won this battle.

Jews are so smart. I like the idea with the 40 year rule. So it is not banned and open for discussion, but only by people who are able to put the ideas in it in the right category.

 

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

you made me cry.

I don't think he meant it like that.  He was just trying to help you so that you don't get misled by distorted ideas.   He was urging you to be cautious about this; he was not saying you did anything wrong.  I think you may have misinterpreted what he meant.

[muman613]

Hanna,

I was not saying you did anything wrong, certainly not something you should cry about. But I learned that what they sell in bookstores like Borders in their 'Jewish' section is often not authentic Judaism but a pop-culture Judaism which melds many different philosophies into the 'Jewish' perspective. I find these books very deceptive and this is why I recommend against buying books from these kinds of bookstores.


This is the book I bought and regretted : http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Art-Lovingkindness-Preparing-Spiritual/dp/1594731519

We are all born in the image of God, but living out the likeness of God is a choice. This inspiring, practical guidebook provides you with the tools you need to realize the divinity within yourself, recognize the divinity within others, and act on the obligation to manifest God's infinite compassion in your own life.

Guided by Rabbi Rami Shapiro, you will explore Judaism's Thirteen Attributes of Lovingkindness as the framework for cultivating a life of goodness. Shapiro translates these attributes into practices--drawn from the teachings of a variety of faith traditions--that allow you to actualize God's glory through personal deeds of lovingkindness. You will enrich your own capacity for lovingkindness as you:
Harvest kindness through compassionate honesty
Make room in your heart for reality
Recognize the manifestations of God
Embrace the paradoxical truth of not-knowing
Be present in the moment
Do right by others

With candor, wit, and honesty, Shapiro shows you that by choosing to act out of love rather than fear, with kindness rather than anger, you can transform how you perceive the world and ultimately lead a more complete spiritual life.

[~Hanna~]

ok.....I thought you were angry at me....I saw that angry face....

I understand....it is like Kaballah is becoming apostate now.....

Hanna,

I was not saying you did anything wrong, certainly not something you should cry about. But I learned that what they sell in bookstores like Borders in their 'Jewish' section is often not authentic Judaism but a pop-culture Judaism which melds many different philosophies into the 'Jewish' perspective. I find these books very deceptive and this is why I recommend against buying books from these kinds of bookstores.


This is the book I bought and regretted : http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Art-Lovingkindness-Preparing-Spiritual/dp/1594731519

We are all born in the image of G-d, but living out the likeness of G-d is a choice. This inspiring, practical guidebook provides you with the tools you need to realize the divinity within yourself, recognize the divinity within others, and act on the obligation to manifest G-d's infinite compassion in your own life.

Guided by Rabbi Rami Shapiro, you will explore Judaism's Thirteen Attributes of Lovingkindness as the framework for cultivating a life of goodness. Shapiro translates these attributes into practices--drawn from the teachings of a variety of faith traditions--that allow you to actualize G-d's glory through personal deeds of lovingkindness. You will enrich your own capacity for lovingkindness as you:
Harvest kindness through compassionate honesty
Make room in your heart for reality
Recognize the manifestations of G-d
Embrace the paradoxical truth of not-knowing
Be present in the moment
Do right by others

With candor, wit, and honesty, Shapiro shows you that by choosing to act out of love rather than fear, with kindness rather than anger, you can transform how you perceive the world and ultimately lead a more complete spiritual life.

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

Kaballah is and always has been controversial, but now that it is more "mainstream" and popularized, the opportunity has been created for charlatans to step in and hijack it and distort it and teach it improperly when they have no idea what they are really talking about, and they teach it also to people who have no business learning it.   And charlatans of the highest order have certainly stepped in.  That is why you hear stories about Madonna "learning"   "kaballah"  - a disgrace.

[~Hanna~]

yes.

There are many denominations of church's that are becoming apostate....some are adding in teachings and practices of the New Age movement and calling it "Christianity" it is insane.

Kaballah is and always has been controversial, but now that it is more "mainstream" and popularized, the opportunity has been created for charlatans to step in and hijack it and distort it and teach it improperly when they have no idea what they are really talking about, and they teach it also to people who have no business learning it.   And charlatans of the highest order have certainly stepped in.  That is why you hear stories about Madonna "learning"   "kaballah"  - a disgrace.

[Lubab]

While there were restriction on who may learn Kabbalah...those restrictions applies up and until the time of the Ari"zal. He proclaimed that it is a "mitvah" (righteous deed) to reveal the widsom of the kabbalah. So it's no longer off limits to anyone. Just be sure you're learning it from a good teacher.