Unlike the Rambam's now-conventional ideas against anthropomorphizing God, there are kabbalistic texts studied today which seem to espouse completely antithetical ideas.
I am familiar with the historical dispute in Jewish theology on this issue (as laid out in Marc Shapiro's The Limits of Orthodox Theology). My question is with how we reconcile anti-Maimonidean accounts as we encounter them today.
For example, a central text to the tikkun leil Shavuot studied by many is the Idra Rabba, a section from the Zohar that discusses God's "parts" in human terms (with skull, ears, nose, beard, etc). I've always been disturbed when reading this on Shavuot night, but continue to wrestle with it as it serves as part of the Arizal's set order for tikkun study.
Can someone more familiar with these Zoharic concepts explain how they comport with Judaism? Are all of these depictions meant to be figurative, despite their graphic content?
