Kabbalah is known as The Hidden Wisdom. A system of Hebrew mysticism,
the Kabbalah promises the answers to some of the great mysteries and questions
that men have: why am I here? Where am I going? Why is there so much suffering
in the world? These questions have concerned man for thousands of years. The
Kabbalah, said to the Oral Tradition handed down to Moses along with the Written
Tradition of the Bible, is a method of study that leads its student to discover
the answers for themselves.
The Kabbalah, sometimes spelled Qabala or Cabala, offers both an explanation
of the structure of the universe and a guide to the particulars of our lives.
Those who study the Kabbalah learn about both the individual and the collective
process of rectification and how to take an active part in it. Throughout the
ages, the greatest Jewish thinkers have encouraged the study of the Kabbalah:
There is no joy like that of rejoicing in the knowledge of the Torah's secret
wisdom, for this is the main reason that the soul comes into This World. (Shaarei
Arucha)
The Kabbalah is not something that exists on its own outside the study of the
Torah the holy books of Judaism. It is the soul of the Torah, just as
the exoteric books are its body. As such, it is impossible to study Kabbalah
without also studying the Torah. The Kabbalah itself is divided into two parts:
the Kabbalah Iyunit and the Kabbalah Maasit. The first deals with the relation
of the world to the Divine, with the mechanics of creation and with the inability
of the human mind to fully grasp the nature of G-d. It offers specific meditative
techniques through which its students can rectify imperfections in their souls
through the study of the sefirot (the divine forces) and the planes of reality,
and how the two intersect.
The second, Kabbalah Maasit, concerns the practical aspects of the mystical
secrets. It involves ritual techniques that are believed to accomplish actual
physical change in the world. The techniques include incantation and inscription
of sacred names, and are aimed at actually altering physical states and events.
This practice of Kabbalah is meant to be practiced only by the most responsible
of men and only for the benefit of all mankind, or to further G-ds plan
of creation.
The Transmission of Kabbalah
According to tradition on which the Kabbalah itself is based
Moses received the Kabbalah directly at the same time that he received the Torah.
It is thus regarded as the inner soul of the Torah. It is telling that Moses
received the Kabbalah. One might reason that Moses was the most
open to receiving the prophetic message, and that his transmission
of that message to Joshua was not in telling him the secrets, but rather in
teaching him the techniques by which he himself received them. In turn, Joshua
transmitted the message to the Elders, who transmitted it to the Prophets. The
secrets of the Kabbalah are the keys to entering a meditative state where one
is receptive to the wonders and the mystic secrets of the world, the very structures
and building blocks on which and of which the world is constructed.
The study of the Kabbalah is more than an acquisition of knowledge. It is meant
to be an undertaking in transformation. In that, it has a great deal in common
with the mystic traditions of many other of the worlds religions. If you
would learn Kabbalah, you should be prepared to devote your life to it, because
it is the only way in which you will truly be open to all that it has to teach.
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