Primary texts of Kabbalah
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For kabbalists, ten utterances in
Textual antiquity
Jewish forms of
That books containing secret lore were kept hidden away by (or for) the "enlightened" is stated in 2 Esdras xiv. 45–46, where Pseudo-Ezra is told to publish the twenty-four books of the canon openly that the worthy and the unworthy may alike read, but to keep the seventy other books hidden in order to "deliver them only to such as be wise" (compare Dan. xii. 10); for in them are the spring of understanding, the fountain of wisdom, and the stream of knowledge.
Instructive for the study of the development of Jewish mysticism is the Book of
Early elements of Jewish mysticism can be found in the non-Biblical texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls, such as the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice. Some parts of the Talmud and the Midrash also focus on the esoteric and mystical, particularly Hagigah 12b-14b. Many esoteric texts, among them Hekalot Rabbati, Sefer HaBahir, Torat Hakana, Sefer P'liyah, Midrash Otiyot d'Rabbi Akiva, the Bahir, and the Zohar claim to be from the Talmudic era, though some of these works, most notably the Bahir and Zohar, are conjectured by some[clarification needed] modern scholars to possibly be medieval works pseudepigraphically ascribed to the ancient past.
Traditional orthodoxy, however, does not agree to this. In the medieval era Jewish mysticism developed under the influence of the word-number esoteric text Sefer Yetzirah. Jewish sources attribute the book to the patriarch Abraham, though the text itself offers no claim as to authorship. This book, and especially its embryonic concept of the Sefirot, became the object of systematic study of several mystical brotherhoods which eventually came to be called baale ha-kabbalah (בעלי הקבלה "possessors or masters of the Kabbalah").
Primary texts
Hekhalot literature
Hekhalot literature (Hekhalot, "Palaces") are not a single text. Rather, they are a genre of writings with shared characteristics. These texts primarily focus either on how to achieve a heavenly ascent through the Hekhalot and what to expect there, or on drawing down angelic spirits to interact and help the adept. There are several larger documents of the hekhalot, such as Hekhalot Rabbati, in which six of the seven palaces of God are described, Hekhalot Zutarti, Shi'ur Qomah and sixth-century 3 Enoch, as well as hundreds of small documents, many little more than fragments.
Sefer Yetzirah
Sefer Yetzira (סֵפֶר יְצִירָה) ("Book [of] Formation/Creation"), also known as Hilkhot Yetzira ("Laws of Formation"), is a primary source of Kabbalistic teaching. The first commentaries on this small book were written in the 10th century, perhaps the text itself is quoted as early as the 6th century, and perhaps its linguistic organization of the Hebrew alphabet could be from as early as the 2nd century. Its historical origins remain obscure, although many believe that it was authored by Abraham and edited by Rabbi Akiva. It exists today in a number of editions, up to 2,500 words long (about the size of a pamphlet). It organizes the cosmos into "32 Paths of Wisdom", comprising "10 Sefirot" (3 elements – air, water and fire – plus 6 directions and center) and "22 letters" of the Hebrew alphabet (3 mother letters, 7 double letters plus 12 simple letters). It uses this structure to organize cosmic phenomena ranging from the seasons of the calendar to the emotions of the intellect, and is essentially an index of cosmic correspondences.[4]
Bahir
Bahir (בהיר) ("Illumination"), also known as Midrash of Rabbi Nehunya ben Ha-Kana - a book of special interest to students of Kabbalah because it serves as a kind of epitome that surveys the essential concepts of the subsequent literature of Kabbalah. It is about 12,000 words (about the size of a magazine). Despite its name "Illumination", it is notoriously cryptic and difficult to understand (but not impossible). Much of it is written in parables, one after the other. The Bahir opens with a quote attributed to Rabbi Nehunya ben Ha-Kana, a Talmudic sage of the 1st century, and the rest of the book is an unfolding discussion about the quote. Jewish tradition considers the whole book to be written in the spirit of Rabbi Nehunya (or even literally written by him). It was first published in Provence France (near Italy) in 1176. Historians suspect Rabbi Yitzhak Ha-Ivver (Isaac the Blind) wrote the book at this time, albeit he incorporated oral traditions from a much earlier time about the Tanakh, Talmud, Siddur, Yetzira, and other Rabbinic texts.[5]
Sefer Raziel HaMalakh
Leopold Zunz ("G. V." 2d ed., p. 176) distinguishes three main parts: (1) the Book Ha-Malbush; (2) the Great Raziel; (3) the Book of Secrets, or the Book of Noah. These three parts are still distinguishable—2b–7a, 7b–33b, 34a and b. After these follow two shorter parts entitled "Creation" and "Shi'ur Ḳomah," and after 41a come formulas for amulets and incantations.[6]
Sefer ha-ḥesheq
Sefer ha-ḥesheq (Hebrew: ספר החשק "Book of Delight"), a kabbalistic treatise dealing with the Divine names and their efficacy in mystical practices. Passed down by Abraham Abulafia, the information distinguishes between the various methods of kabbalistic transmission to later generations. Abulafia opposes the method he received to the Talmudic and theosophical Sefirotic methods.
In order to understand my intention regarding [the meaning of] Qolot [voices] I shall hand down to you the known Qabbalot, some of them having been received from mouth to mouth from the sages of [our] generation, and others that I have received from the books named Sifrei Qabbalah composed by the ancient sages, the Kabbalists, blessed be their memory, concerning the wondrous topics; and other [traditions) bestowed on me by God, blessed be He, which came to me from ThY in the form of the Daughter of the Voice, [Bat Qol],these being the higher Qabbalot.[7]
Zohar
Though the book was widely accepted, a small number of significant rabbis over the subsequent centuries published texts declaring Rabbi Moshe invented it as a forgery with concepts contrary to Judaism. However, many of these Rabbis were not Kabbalists themselves. This was a major point of contention made by a community among the Jews of Yemen, known as Dor Daim, a religious intellectual movement that called for a return to a more Talmudic based Judaism. Other communities in Italy and the Andalusian (Spanish Portuguese) lands also questioned the content and authenticity of the Zohar. While organized into commentaries on sections of the Torah, the Zohar elaborates on the Talmud, Midrash Rabba, Sefer Yetzira, the Bahir, and many other Rabbinic texts. To some degree, the Zohar simply is Kabbalah.
Pardes Rimonim
Pardes Rimonim (in Hebrew: פרדס רימונים) (Garden [of] Pomegranates) – the magnum opus of Rabbi Moshe Cordovero (1522–1570), published in the 16th century. It is the main source of Cordoverian Kabbalah, a comprehensive interpretation of the Zohar and a friendly rival of the Lurianic interpretation.
Etz Hayim and the Eight Gates
Etz Hayim (in Hebrew: עץ חיים) ("Tree [of] Life") is a text of the teachings of
- Shaar HaHakdamot – Gate of Introduction: Otztrot Haim, Eitz Haim, Arbah Meot Shekel Kesef, Mavoa Shaarim, Adam Yashar
- Shaar Mamri RaShB"Y – Gate Words of R.Simeon bar Yochai
- Shaar Mamri RaZ"L – Gate Words of Our Sages
- Shaar HaMitzvot – Gate of Mitzvotcommandments
- Shaar HaPasukim – Gate of Verses: Likutei Torah, Sepher HaLikutim
- Shaar HaKavanot – Gate of Kavanot(intentions): Shaar HaKavvanot, Pri Eitz Haim, Olat Tamid
- Shaar Ruach HaKodesh – Gate of Prophetic Spirit
- Shaar HaGilgulim – Gate of Gilgul reincarnations
Notes
- ^ a b c EHYEH: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow, Jewish Lights Publishing, 2003.
- ^ a b Kabbalah: New Perspectives, Moshe Idel, Yale University Press, 1988.
- ^ Sirach iii. 22; compare Talmud Hagigah, 13a; Midrash Genesis Rabbah, viii.
- ^ The Sefer Yetzirah, the Book of Creation: in Theory and Practice, trans. Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1997.
- ^ The Bahir, trans. Aryeh Kaplan, Aronson, 1995.
- ^ http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=142&letter=R&search=raziel [bare URL]
- ^ Quoted by Idel, 1993, p. 111. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
- ^ Johann Maier: Die Kabbalah. Einführung – Klassische Texte – Erläuterungen. Verlag C.H. Beck, München 1995, ISBN 3-406-39659-3, p. 13f.
- ^ a b Scholem in Encyclopaedia Judaica, 1929
- ^ a b c Scholem in Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism
- ^ a b c Rapoport-Albert, Ada, and Theodore Kwasman. "Late Aramaic: The Literary and Linguistic Context of the Zohar." Aramaic Studies 4, no. 1 (2006): 14 https://www.academia.edu/26915310/Rapoport_Albert_Ada_and_Theodore_Kwasman_Late_Aramaic_The_Literary_and_Linguistic_Context_of_the_Zohar_Aramaic_Studies_4_no_1_2006_5_19
- ^ a b c d Fassberg in Handbook of Jewish Languages
- ^ Unterman, Alan (2018). "Reinterpreting Mysticism and Messianism". My Jewish Learning. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- ^ See introduction to Eitz Haim by Rabbi Haim Vital.
- ^ See also Beit Lehem Yehuda by Rabbi Yehuda Patiya and his introduction to Eitz Haim.
- ^ See introduction to Shaar Kavvanot
- ^ See introduction by Rabb Hayim David Azulai to Otzrot Haim for another instance of previously unpublished books having been removed from Haim Vital's grave. As well the audio tape series by Rabbi Ariel Bar Tzadok on Shaarei Kedusha makes reference to a final exhumation and removal of yet unpublished works by the Jerusalem Kabbalists in the 1970s.
- ^ Even HaShoam P. 211
- ^ Introduction to Shemoneh Shaarim by Shmuel Vital
- ^ Audio series on Otzrot Haim by Rabbi Ariel BarTzadok
- ^ "Shaar Hashamaim". Archived from the original on 2010-02-24. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
See also
References
- Dan, Joseph, The Early Jewish Mysticism, Tel Aviv: MOD Books, 1993.
- __________, The 'Unique Cherub' Circle, Tübingen: J.C.B. Mohr, 1999.
- Dan, Joseph and Kiener, Ron, The Early Kabbalah, Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist Press, 1986.
- Dennis, G., The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism, St. Paul: Llewellyn Worldwide, 2007.
- Fine, L., ed., Essential Papers in Kabbalah, New York: NYU Press, 1995.
- Idel, Moshe. Kabbalah: New Perspectives. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1988.
- _________, Kabbalah: New Perspectives, New Haven: Yale Press, 1988.
- _________, "The Story of Rabbi Joseph della Reina," in Behayahu, M., Studies and Texts on the History of the Jewish Community in Safed.
- . __________, "Defining Kabbalah: The Kabbalah of the Divine Names", in Herrera, R.A., Mystics of the Book, New York, 1993.
- Kaplan, Aryeh Inner Space: Introduction to Kabbalah, Meditation and Prophecy. Moznaim Publishing Corp 1990.
- __________, The Bahir, trans. Aryeh Kaplan, Aronson, 1995. (ISBN 1-56821-383-2)
- __________,The Sefer Yetzirah, the Book of Creation: in Theory and Practice, trans. Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1997. (ISBN 0-87728-855-0)
- ISBN 0-595-40488-X
- Scholem, Gershom, Kabbalah, Jewish Publication Society.
- Wineberg, Yosef. Lessons in Tanya: The Tanya of R. Shneur Zalman of Liadi (5 volume set). Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, 1998. ISBN 0-8266-0546-X
- The Wisdom of The Zohar: An Anthology of Texts, 3 volume set, Ed. Isaiah Tishby, translated from the Hebrew by David Goldstein, The Littman Library.
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
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Online bibliographies and study guides
- Don Karr's Bibliographic Surveys
- A Guide to English Language Resources for the Student of Traditional Rabbinic Kabbalah
Online rabbinic Kabbalah texts
- Who Should Learn the Hidden Torah? Guide for the Perplexed
- English and Aramaic Zohar Online (searchable) – Kabbalah Centre
- Kabbalah Digital Library (Responsa-like searchable) – Bnei Baruch
- Seforim/Hebrew books
Online Hasidic Kabbalah texts
- Lessons in Tanya – Chabad
- The Gate Of Unity Translation & Commentary of The Gate Of Unity