Medieval Judaism and Kabbalah

Jewish Diaspora

Passover

• Jewish spirituality is centered on practices far more than beliefs.

Early Kabbalah

• Kabbalah literally means “tradition.” It also means “reception.” So Kabbalah is often understood as “the tradition that has been received.”

The Kabbalah Tree

• The central symbol of the Kabbalah is the 10 sefirot. It is a cosmological symbol that expresses 10 manifestations of the One.

Torah Scroll

• If God revealed the Torah then it must contain the whole truth, and yet if it is in human (finite) words then how can it express the infinite?

• The only way to get around this dilemma was to see that the Torah was written in a highly symbolic language that could not be fully understood by the non-mystics.

Spanish Synagogue

• Kabbalah states that how we live affects the universe. Everything is connected and nothing is separate.

The Zohar

• The most important book of Jewish mysticism is the Zohar (the Book of Enlightenment) written in the late 13th century by Rabbi Moses de Leon.

Shekhinah

• Shekhinah is feminine and it is our opening to the divine presence. If the Godhead (Ein Sof) is transcendent, then Shekhinah is immanent.

• According to Isaac Luria (15th century), the human task is to liberate the sparks of God and return them to the divine. This process of repair or mending is accomplished through living a life of holiness.

Conclusion

• The Jewish mystic uses techniques of prayer, meditation, and visualization to become aware of the divine presence, the Shekhinah, in order to come into relationship with Ein Sof, the divine mystery.