Kabbaah: Jewish Eoteric Knowledge And Practices

Open a celebrity mag and sooner or later you are bound to come across the word 'Kabbalah' but what does this unusual word actually mean? The word 'Kabbalah' in its simplest sense refers to Jewish esoteric knowledge and practices. The literature which served as the basis of the Kabbalah developed from ancient times and is comprised from a complex set of ideas which require a lifetime's study, however, here is a short guide to this ancient tradition.

According to Kabbalistic tradition, knowledge was transmitted orally by teachers and by the 10th century BC, it was practiced by over a million people in ancient Israel. In time, various invasions forced the Jewish spiritual leadership to hide this knowledge as they feared it might be misused.

Over this period several different schools of thought developed but as a rough guide certain ideas tended to hold true, such as the nature of God.

Kabbalists believe God is neither matter nor spirit, but is the creator of both. God has two aspects, the first is called Ein Sof and is unknowable but the second can be understood in relation to Divine emanations called Ohr. These are evident in creation and God's interaction with humans.

The emanations are; Sefirot, Partzumfim and the Four Worlds of creation which are comprised of various realms. Medieval Kabbalists believed that all things are linked to God through the Ohr, making all levels in Creation part of one chain of being. Through this, any lower creation reflects its particular characteristics in Supernal Divinity.

This led one school of thought to argue our reality is constructed according to the merits of each individual. Once each person has completed their part in improving the world the Messianic Era will begin. Later writers claimed that God is all that exists and everything else is completely undifferentiated from God's point of

There are ten sephirot in each of the of the Four Worlds and four worlds within each of the larger four worlds, each containing ten sephirot, which themselves contain ten sephirot and so on into infinity. The Sephirot also represent the different aspects of Morality, for example, loving-kindness is a moral justification found in Chessed, and Gevurah is the justification of justice and both are mediated by mercy which is Rachamim.

Nevertheless, these bedrock's of morality can become immoral if they develop into extremes. If loving-kindness becomes extreme it can lead to sexual depravity and lack of justice to the wicked. When justice becomes extreme, it can lead to torture and unfair punishments. Righteous humans develop the qualities of the Sefirot by good actions. If there were no Righteous humans, God's blessings would be hidden, and creation would cease to exist.

Whilst human actions are the basis of the universe, they must involve the intention of compassion. Compassion is often impossible without trusting in God's support. The Kabbalah also argues that the human soul has three elements, the nefesh, ru'ach, and neshamah. The nefesh is found in all humans, and enters the body at birth. The next two parts of the soul can be developed by the actions and beliefs of the individual and can only be fully realized in folks who are spiritually