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What is Jewish Mysticism?

Let's Talk Religion・2 minutes read

Jewish mysticism, encompassing various expressions like Merkabah and Cabala, dates back to biblical prophets and includes mystical journeys, visions, and divine encounters. Cabala, as an esoteric dimension of Judaism, focuses on hidden meanings, ethical behavior, and healing the Divine world through human actions like performing mitzvot.

Insights

Jewish mysticism, encompassing Kabbalah, traces its roots to biblical prophets and early mystical practices like Merkabah mysticism, focusing on divine journeys and visions, often induced by music and dancing.
Cabala, emerging in the 12th to 13th centuries, signifies an esoteric dimension of Judaism, evolving from diverse schools of thought influenced by cross-cultural interactions in Spain, responding to debates on reason and philosophy sparked by Moses Maimonides.
Lurianic Cabala, introduced by Luria in the 16th century, introduces the concept of Tzimtzum or contraction, explaining the creation of the world, the problem of evil, and the healing process through human actions, reshaping theosophical Cabala significantly with practical insights into Commandments and mystical meanings.

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Summary

00:00

Jewish Mysticism: Kabbalah and Divine Encounters

Jewish mysticism, a significant aspect of Judaism, includes Kabbalah but encompasses various expressions and types throughout history.
Jewish mysticism involves esoteric knowledge and intense religious experiences like heavenly ascent, visions, and mystical union.
Mysticism in Judaism dates back to biblical prophets, with experiences often induced by music and dancing.
Early Jewish mysticism, post-biblical prophetic era, includes Merkabah mysticism focusing on visions of God's throne chariot.
Merkabah mysticism predates Kabbalah, emphasizing divine journeys and visions of God's throne room.
Merkabah mysticism involves mystical journeys through the cosmos and transformation into angelic beings.
Mystical experiences in Judaism are also seen in early Jewish philosophy, like Philo of Alexandria, who discussed mystical encounters with God.
Mystical movements in Judaism, like Merkabah mysticism, involve visions of divine realms and encounters with angelic beings.
Practices in Merkabah mysticism include fasting, incantations, and rituals to induce trance-like states for divine encounters.
Merkabah mysticism, with its mystical texts and traditions, influenced mystical practices in Central Europe and resembled magical practices found in other traditions.

16:06

Jewish Mysticism: From Pietists to Abulafia

Pietists in the Early Middle Ages were a center of Jewish medieval occultism, particularly with the development of theosophical speculation around Divine emanations in Spain and France in the 12th and 13th centuries.
Merkava mysticism was assimilated into the emerging School of Cabala, with texts like the Book of Radiance or the Safer Zohar marking a new period in Jewish mysticism.
Merav himim El Adon continues to survive in the weekly Jewish liturgy, showcasing mystical esotericism in everyday Jewish prayer life.
Scholarly book recommendations are available for those interested in learning more about Merkava mysticism, but they come with a high cost.
The Safer Ys, or Book of Creation, explores how God created the world through the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet and mysterious concepts like the SPO bellima.
The Safer Habah, or Book of Illumination, likely composed in the 9th century, presents key concepts of what would become Cabala, focusing on the relationship between the infinite God and creation through emanations.
Cabala emerged in Southwestern Europe in the 12th to 13th centuries, with diverse schools of thought developing, influenced by cross-pollination between Jews, Muslims, and Christians in Spain.
Moses Maimonides' rationalistic writings sparked debates on the place of reason and philosophy in Jewish life, leading to the birth of Cabala as a response to extreme rationalism.
Cabala, meaning tradition, is viewed as an esoteric dimension of Judaism, with different levels of scripture interpretation and hidden mystical meanings.
Abraham Abulafia developed prophetic Cabala, focusing on meditative practices, mystical powers of Hebrew letters, and achieving union with God through intellectual separation from the body.

32:05

Development of Jewish mysticism and cabala.

Abolafia was active in Spain and Italy during developments in Jewish mysticism.
A movement in Spain and Southern France led by scholars like Isaac the Blind and Provance developed a different kind of cabala.
This movement culminated in the creation of The Zohar, a monumental piece of literature considered scripture by many Jews.
The authorship of The Zohar is debated, with traditional accounts attributing it to Shimon Bay in the 2nd century.
Most scholars believe The Zohar was composed in the 13th century by Spanish Rabbi Moshe De Leon.
The Zohar represents theosophical cabala, focusing on mapping the Divine world and its connection to human practices.
Theosophical cabala aims to establish a relationship between the Divine and human worlds through the observance of Jewish Commandments.
The ten Sefirot represent attributes of God in theosophical cabala, with the Shekhinah being God's presence in the world.
Theosophical cabala emphasizes the imitation of God's attributes through ethical behavior and observance of Jewish practices.
Figures like Mosha Cordo and Yak Lua in Safed in the 16th century further developed cabalistic teachings, emphasizing ethical behavior and imitation of God.

47:36

Lurianic Cabala: Divine Contraction and Tikun

Lurianic Cabala, taught as Luria's ideas, introduced the concept of Tzimtzum or contraction, explaining how the Divine world is affected by our actions.
Luria's innovation of contraction solved the issue of how an infinite principle could create something limited, allowing the creation of the world through the pouring of light into vessels.
The shattering of these vessels by the intense light of the Divine led to the shards descending into our world, causing all evil, offering a unique explanation for the problem of evil.
Luria's participatory Cabalistic theosophy suggests that human actions, like performing mitzvot, can help heal the Divine world by aiding the shards' ascent back, known as Tikun, healing both the Divine and the world.
Lurianic Cabala, with its practical side, explains the deeper mystical meanings behind Commandments and how their performance directly participates in the healing process.
Lurianic Cabala has become the standard way of understanding the system for most theosophical Cabalists, although diversity exists within Cabala, with different interpretations and forms like ecstatic or prophetic Cabala.
The circle in Safed, including figures like Cordo and Luria, synthesized theosophical Cabala with ecstatic teachings, changing the face of Cabala significantly.
Hassidism, emerging in the 18th century, introduced Jewish mysticism ideas to the general masses, emphasizing simplicity, authenticity, and service to others, spreading rapidly across Eastern Europe.
Hassidism faced opposition from the urban establishment but continued to flourish, evolving into a well-established movement with major dynasties and centers of pilgrimage across various regions.
Hassidism, despite suffering losses during the Holocaust, rebuilt itself and thrived in new lands like the United States and Israel, continuing as a vibrant living force, adding to the rich tapestry of the Jewish world.

01:03:38

Evolution of Jewish Mysticism: Union with God

Hassidism emerged as a new form of Jewish mysticism, democratizing the tradition beyond the intellectual elite to a wider audience.
Gershom Scholem, a prominent scholar, argued against the idea of direct Union with God in Jewish mysticism, a prevailing notion for a long time.
Scholars like Moshe Idel have contested Scholem's view, asserting that the mystical Union is indeed prevalent in Jewish mysticism, gaining popularity.
Mystical Union concepts are found in various Jewish mystical writings, with examples like Philo of Alexandria and later cabalists like Abulafia and Rabbi Isaac of Acre emphasizing the idea of Union with God through different metaphors and expressions.

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