Overview of the Kabbalah Belief

Literally, the word “Kabbalah(קבלה)” means “receiving” [the Light]. It is the paradigm of how to receive happiness and contentment in our lives perpetually. It would not be a shocker if you first encountered that word in a celebrity magazine. A lot of famous celebrities are proud to be Kabbalists: Madonna, Britney Spears, Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore, Elizabeth Taylor, Alanis Morissette, Ashton Kutcher, Barbra Streisand, Brittany Murphy, Courtney Love, Hugh Jackman, to name a few. Celebrities are the idol of the masses. They are the models of youth and modern families. That is why; it is an “IN” thing to be labeled a Kabbalist. Aside from its association in show business world, what really is the essence of Kabbalah(קבלה)? Kabbalah in its simplest definition is a Jewish esoteric way of living. The literature which served as the basis of Kabbalah(קבלה) has been developed from ancient times which originally came from a word of mouth passed on from generations to generations. Its literature was composed of set of ideas which requires lifetime’s devotion. However, there are a lot of efforts of simplifying this ancient tradition, in order for a beginner to take a grasp of the ancient wisdom.

According to Kabbalistic history, as early as 10th century BC, the wisdom of Kabbalah(קבלה) was transmitted orally by teachers and was practiced by million people in Ancient Israel. Unfortunately, various invasions forced Kabbalist leaders hide and protected this knowledge for they assessed that it might be misused because people are not yet ready to accept the wisdom of Kabbalah(קבלה). Consequently, Kabbalistic knowledge became preserved for two and a half millennia. During this period, several different schools of thought developed which is conflicts the original idea such as the nature of God. Kabbalists believe God is the creator of everything and God shouldn’t be isolated as neither matter nor spirit. They further believed that God has two aspects, the EinSof and Ohr. EinSof is incomprehensible while Ohr can be understood in relation to Divine emanations. These are evident in creation and God’s interaction with us.

Medieval Kabbalists believed that all things are interconnected with God through the Ohr, thus making all levels in Creation part of one chain being. With this, any lower creation inherits particular characteristics of the Supernal Divinity. This however is argued by one school of thought that we construct our own reality. Once each person has completed their mission of improving the world, Messianic Era will eventually begin. Later, writers claimed that God is all that exists and everything else is equal in God’s eyes.

Understanding Kabbalah(קבלה) requires studying the concept of Sefirot: The Ten Ohr and attributes of God which sustains the universe. , Along with their female and male aspects and the concept of downward flow of Divine Light through the chain of Creation, the Divine manifestation through the 10 Sefirot is a major concept in the Medieval Kabbalah(קבלה). The Sefirot corresponds to the infinite levels of Creation. There are ten Sefirot in each of the Four Worlds and four worlds within each of the larger four worlds, each containing ten Sefirot, which themselves contain ten Sefirot and so on and so forth. The Sefirot also represent the different aspects of Morality like for example, Gevurah is the justification of justice and Chessed is the loving-kindness is a moral justification, while Rachamim neutralizes both by mercy.

Even so, these fundamentals of morality can become immoral if they develop into extremes. Too much of loving-kindness becomes degrading and will lead to sexual depravity and weak towards justice to the wicked. Too much of justice however can lead to torture and unfair punishments. Righteous humans develop the qualities of the Sefirot by good actions. Because of these Righteous humans, God’s blessings are manifested and creation continues to flourish.

Just as human actions are the sole basis of the universe, they must involve the intention of compassion. Compassion is often impossible without relying and trusting God’s wisdom and support. The Kabbalah(קבלה) argues that human soul is composed of three elements: the nefesh, ru’ach, and neshamah. Nefesh is intrinsic to all humans while the latter two are developed by our individual actions and beliefs and only those who are spiritually aware can fully develop these two elements.

Conceivably, the most famous claim of Kabbalah(קבלה) is that all elements in the Hebrew Bible was masked with hidden truths and it teaches us the method to unleash these meanings. One known method to discover these hidden meaning is by converting letters to numbers and thus revealing the important esoteric knowledge.

To sum it up, Kabbalah(קבלה) is reaching out to those who are seeking spiritual awareness and those who seek better understanding of the laws of nature and human behavior. It is a tool for us finding the major purpose of our existence.