Gilgul
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Gilgul (also Gilgul neshamot or Gilgulei HaNeshamot;
Tikkun (Messianic rectification), and the historical dynamic of ascending Lights and descending Vessels
from generation to generation.
The esoteric explanations of gilgul were articulated in Jewish mysticism by Isaac Luria in the 16th century, as part of the metaphysical purpose of Creation.
History in Jewish thought
Reincarnation is an esoteric belief within many streams of modern Judaism, but is not an essential tenet of traditional
transmigration of souls, and hence the belief is universal in Hasidic Judaism
, which regards the Kabbalah as sacred and authoritative.
Among well-known rabbis who rejected the idea of reincarnation are
Hai Gaon argued with Saadia Gaon
in favour of gilgulim.
Rabbis who believed in the idea of reincarnation include, from Medieval times: the mystical leaders
Lithuanian Jewish Orthodox leader and Kabbalist the Vilna Gaon; and - amongst others - from the 19th/20th-century: Yosef Hayyim
author of Ben Ish Hai.
With the 16th-century rational systemisation of
Cordoveran Kabbalah by Alkabetz, and the subsequent new paradigm of Lurianic Kabbalah by Luria, Kabbalah replaced rationalism as the mainstream traditional Jewish theology, both in scholarly circles and in the popular imagination. Isaac Luria taught new explanations of the process of gilgul and identification of the reincarnations of historic Jewish figures, which were compiled by Hayyim ben Joseph Vital in his Shaar HaGilgulim
.
See also
In Judaism:
For comparison with other religions:
References
- ISBN 9780812218626.
External links
- Jewish view of reincarnation
- Ask the Rabbi - aish.com Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
- "Gilgul Neshamot - Reincarnation of Souls", essay on gilgul by Rav Avraham Brandwein
- Sefer Nishmath Hayyim by Menasseh Ben Israel Archived 2010-02-21 at the Wayback Machine