This Kabbalah, That Kabbalah

Dear Friend, 

This is the second article in a series throughout this year where we will be presenting the role of mysticism in various faiths. Mysticism and the mystic are understood in different ways depending on the religion, but in general mysticism can be said to mean “The experience of mystical union or direct communion with ultimate reality.”

In the 20^th century Kabbalah has exploded into American pop culture, with celebrities such as Madonna and Britney Spears flocking to join. Despite having the same fundamental concepts, this Kabbalah, the Kabbalah of red string bracelets and online courses, differs greatly from the traditional Jewish mysticism of the same name.

The Kabbalah of Hollywood celebrities is met with skepticism in the Jewish community because it is taught to the general public who know little of the basics of Jewish thought. In the Jewish community, Kabbalah is formally studied and practiced by a select few. It is believed that one must have mastered the Torah (written teaching) and the Talmud (oral traditions) of the Jewish faith before studying Kabbalah. Once the basics of Jewish thought are mastered, Kabbalah provides the tools for reaching a deeper level of perception of God’s purpose in this world. According to Jewish scholars, studying Kabbalah before understanding the Torah and Talmud is comparative to studying integrated calculus without understanding addition or subtraction.

The most famous writing of Kabbalah is the book of Zohar, which was revealed to the world in the late 13^th Century. The Zohar, which is a catalogue of books, is a series of teaching parables and metaphors which parallel the select writings of the Torah. The Zohar has become accepted as both a traditional, authoritative work of Judaism and the “official handbook” for Kabbalah (Dan 2006). The Zohar presents the fundamental concepts and goals of Jewish mysticism, and while today there are many variations in modern society, much of what is understood and practiced is embedded in this piece of literature.

The fundamental concepts of Kabbalah center on discovering the true essence of God, the Ein Sof, which translates to “without end”. The Ein Sof is so transcendent that it cannot interact directly with the universe and therefore it relates to all elements of the world through the Ten Seifirot, which are ten emanations from God. Kabbalah tries to understand the complex interactions of the Ten Seifirot and guide the student towards the direct contact with the Ein Sof.

Judaism teaches that there are no intermediaries between God and the Jews. If used properly Kabbalah helps to navigate this uninhibited path of communication. Traditional Jewish principles state that everything someone does brings him or her closer or farther from God. For a Jew who has extensive knowledge of the teachings of the Torah and Talmud, Kabbalah can assist him or her in actively focusing his or her daily thoughts and actions towards God and in the end develop a closer relationship to God. 

References

Coleman, Gary, Ed. D. Executive Director; Cleveland Hillel Foundation.        
    Personal Interview. 21 April 2010.
Dan, Joseph. Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, Inc; 2006.
Judaism 101. http://www.jewfaq.org/kabbalah.htm. 21 April 2010.
Kabbalah. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/kabbalah.html. 21 April 2010.