Friday: Hasidic Jews.

• P. 123-124

• MONDAY: HASKELAH ENLIGHTENMENT

– SPINOZA– MENDELSSOHN

Kabbalah

Mysticism

• Hekhalot: “Palaces• Merkabah: “Chariot”• Kabbalah: “Received” “tradition”

• Hasid: “Pious” Baal Shem Tov.

2 Kings 2:9-12

• As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. Elisha saw it and cried out, "My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" And he saw Elijah no more.

Hebrew Bible. Ezekiel 1:1-17 • Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on

the fifth day of the fourth month, …, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. … As I looked, behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire. Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. …

Cont.

• In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches darting back and forth among the living beings. … Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside the living beings, for each of the four of them. The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like sparkling beryl, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if one wheel were within another.

Merkavah “Chariot” Mysticism

• Early Rabbinic speculations on God’s Throne / Chariot described in Bible.

• Early centuries C.E.

• Attempt to enter throne room.

3 Enoch 5-6 century C.E.• “Enoch walked with God and he was not, for

God took him.” Rabbi Ishmael said:When I ascended to the height to behold the vision of the chariot, I entered 6 palaces, one inside the other, and when I reached the door of the 7th palace I paused in prayer before the Holy One, blessed be he; Then I entered the 7th palace and he led me to the camp of the Shekinah and presented me before the throne of Glory so that I might behold the chariot.

Fear and Fascination

• Rabbis restricted teaching of mysticism• Best not to ask what is

before• above• below creation

…b

Bavli: Chagigah 14b• "Our masters taught: Four men entered

the Pardes ('Orchard' of mystical teachings), Ben Azzai.. died, Ben Zoma.. became demented, Aher became a heretic. Rabbi Akiva departed unhurt." -

Kabbalah

• Sephardic Medieval tradition• Many books written

• Torah has many levels of meaning.

• Mystic wants uncover the deepest.

Lady torah

Torah “disrobes” before the mystic.

Superficial meaningsMidrashic meaningsMystical meanings: the ultimate truth.

Rituals

• Link between human and divine realms.• Ritual transforms reality:• Sabbath: divine forces reunited

• Sabbath as bride of Israel

God: Ein Sof

• Without End.

• God can only be described by what he is NOT!

• How then, can one approach God?

Ascent and DecentPeople must elevate themselves spiritually.

God has created the world in a series of 10 projections or “Emanations” of himselfSefirah / Sefirot.

Mystic’s quest: self perfection to understand the Sephirot

Feminization of God

• Different aspects of God are masc. and feminine.

• Goal is unification with God.

Zohar “Book of Splendor”

• 13th Century• Most important Kabbalah text• Aramaic

• Commentary on Biblical readings.

Baal Shem Tov

• With the light created by God during the six days of Creation, Adam could see from one end of the world to the other. God hid the light away for the righteous in the hereafter. Where did he hide it? In the Torah. So when I open Zohar, I see the whole world.

ZoharSefirot

Sometimes likened to a person

Unity of Tiferet & Shekinah influenced by human sin / righteousness

“Garment of Torah”

• Physical torah not the real torah.

• Handout:

Kabbalah

• Magic• Reincarnation• Miracles

• Golem: artificial man.

Mysticism and Messiah

• Isaac Luria 1534-1572• taught that a saintly teacher could redeem

a generation

• Revolutionary Messiah replaced by Heroic messiah

Lurianic Kabalah

• Tzimzum: Ein Sof (GOD) contracts to open a space for

creationremnant of divine light remainslight preserved in jars.

Lurianic K.

• Breaking the vessels Light cannot be contained.

Shards of vessels are root of evilLight scattered and surrounded by

matter

Lurianic K.

• TIKKUN: Repair.

Rebuilding the primordial ADAM.separating divine sparks from shards. Obedience to torah etc: elevating worlds to original purity

Luria:

Gradual redemption.

Acts of righteousness prepare the way for Messiah

Jews have special obligation to help bring Messiah

Breslauer, p. 100

• Torah a secret code– Open to any interpretation outside of Oral Torah

• Prayer has magical power– New prayers will replace the old

• Disorder is fundamental to nature– Descent into disorder necessary to restore

cosmos• Leader is essential to salvation.

– Small step to Messiah

1648 “Messiah will come…”

• Eastern European Kabbalists determined that Messiah will come in 1648

1648-1649 Ukraine / Poland

• Slaughter

• Cossack rebellion • 300,000 Jews left dead?

New prediction: 1666

Sabbatai Zvi 1626-1672

• 1648 Claimed to be Messiah.• Overturned traditional Halakhah

• Turks imprisoned him, forced conversion to Islam

• Many followers saw his “descent into sin” part of mystical repair of the universe.

Messianism & Mysticism Fall from favour