Questions tagged [mysticism-kabbalah]
Kabbalah is the mystical teachings in Judaism that are mainly based on the Zohar (traditionally attributed to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai) and then later elaborated upon by others such as Rabbis Isaac Luria and Israel Baal Shem.
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Who is the author of this book - Sefer Maayan Moshe
This book was mentioned in a Spanish YouTube channel. I was trying to reach out the author of the video, but I had zero response. I am wondering if someone knows about this book, if so, where can I ...
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What is the Jewish view on using psychedelic drugs to gain mystical insights?
What is Judaism's view on using psychedelics (like peyote, ayahuasca, magic mushrooms or cannabis) to receive mystical visions or gain insights?
I am well aware of a growing trend nowadays among many ...
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Hashem wrapped Himself in Light
Midrash Tanchuma Vayachel 6:
שָׁאַל רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יְהוֹצָדָק אֶת רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר
נַחְמָן. אָמַר לוֹ: אַתָּה בַּעַל הַגָּדָה, אֱמֹר לִי הֵיאַךְ בָּרָא
הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת ...
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955 Gates of Heaven - תתקנ"ה רקיעים
I have come across the concept of "955 Gates of Heaven". I know it is currently doing the rounds with regards to a controversy, and thus I heard it in a news article, but have had trouble ...
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Derivation of 42-Letter Name of G-d
I understand that from the first 42 letters of Breishis, it is possible to derive the 42-letter name of G-d that is indicated within the Ana Bekoach prayer. Where could find out more about the ...
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Cyclical Time in Kabbalah
Looking for examples of mekubalim who believed that time was cyclical. Zohar/Arizal quotations are fine but, ideally, I'm looking for books by other mekubalim. English preferred but Hebrew is also OK
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Not inquiring about pre-creation - why?
ואמר רב אחא בר יעקב עוד רקיע אחד יש למעלה מראשי החיות דכתיב (יחזקאל א,
כב) ודמות על ראשי החיה רקיע כעין הקרח הנורא עד כאן יש לך רשות לדבר
מכאן ואילך אין לך רשות לדבר שכן כתוב בספר בן סירא (בן סירא ג, ...
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Does the Shekhinah remove Israel’s sin on the Day Of Atonement?
I have read and heard that the Shekhinah appeared before the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. Did The Shekhinah remove sin?
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What Is the translation to this Alshich On Tehilim
אשרי האיש אשר כו' ראיתי אחרי רואי הערות אשר יפול לב אדם עליהם לבל אשא את שמותם הלא בספרתי כי לא דבר רק הוא ממוצאי דעת ואומר כי הנה שתים הנה סוגי האושר יש יאושר בסור
This is what he says at the ...
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Why does the word "tzaddik" and the "righteousness hierarchy" mean different things or have different terms depending on author and context?
The word "tzaddik", typically translated as "righteous", comes up quite a lot in different Jewish texts. Someone who is righteous would be called a "tzaddik", as a noun. ...
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Is it permissible to teach Kabbalah to the public?
Is it permissible to teach Kabbalah to the general public (as opposed to only a select few sages - asking if one can do so in public would be a different question)? If so, what are the limits, rules ...
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Is the malachim aleph beis from a non-Jew for the occult or something legitimate from a Jewish source?
Searching online I'm seeing Wikipedia says this was published by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa in the 16th century and was created for the purpose of the occult using a combination of Greek and Hebrew.
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Lifting up the holy sparks - The Ari on Mitzrayim
Lifting up the holy sparks is also known as nitzotzos dikedushah (see footnote 10, see also this answer). I recently saw this article quoting the Ari HaKodesh in saying that the work the Jewish People ...
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Can a golem become human?
If a righteous sage creates a golem, like Rava did in Tractate Sanhedrin, can it become human, and since it is created by a Jew, can it become Jewish?
Secondly, I don't know if they could or could not,...
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Practices based on the Zohar
Which jewish practices (or stringencies) are based solely on the Zohar and later texts based on the Zohar such as the writings of Rabbi Yitzhak Luria (Arizal)?
Some of my own findings:
Not walking 4 ...
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Bones and Essence
I believe the root of עֶצֶם/bone, and of עַצמוּת/essence, is the same.
Is there any discussion about metaphorical connections between bones and essence?
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Is there a reason in Kabbalah that G-d permitted polygamy?
Is there an explanation in the Kabbalah as to why the Torah allows Polygamy?
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Do religious non-Jews have divine sparks only they can raise?
In a conversation with a Chabad rabbi, he brought up that all items, including items Jews may not associate with, have divine sparks in them. As an example, he said that a cheeseburger has divine ...
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Is there a Zohar Yomi?
I know about the Daf Yomi and Rambam Yomi learning schedules. Is there an active organization of a Zohar Yomi learning schedule though? Does someone know?
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What is the "purpose of concealment"?
I am interested in different understandings of the concept of תכלית העלם "purpose of concealment". For instance, you see R' Avraham Abulafia using this expression: והורכב על זה מאותיות ...
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When are "mental associations" significant/relevant/important, and when are they not, from the perspective of Judaism?
I have taken an initial pass at the Sefir Yetzirah and some other Kabbalah texts, and have had several personal experiences myself where I was able to make "associations" between patterns ...
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How did the Sefir Yetzirah arrive at its conclusions, etc.?
I am new to Judaism (having studied a little bit of many world religions), and am very curious about the esoteric teachings, and the origin/structure/creation of the world from different perspectives.
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What is meant by "nullifying" in terms of the Ein Sof?
I have been reading a little about Ein Sof and the Tzimtzum and other related topics such as Ohr. In these pages we find statements such as these:
From the perspective of God's self-knowledge, the ...
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A Meta reason for the two spellings of Binyomin
The word בנימן is spelt בנימין when he is born, this spelling is used around ten times. Otherwise, it is spelt with one י, why is this? I am not looking for a pshat answer. I am looking for a Drosh or ...
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Is it effective and is it kosher to perform the practice that leads to seed being spilled, but not actually spilling any? [closed]
That was a difficult title to figure out how to write! Well, here is the question. Spilling seed is a sin, but what about doing the same activity but stopping before spilling seed? The deeper reason I ...
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Are the sefirot created?
The sefirot are said to be attributes / emanations by which the Ein Sof reveals Himself to his creation. G-d is said to be the eternal one. But are His sefirot also eternal or are they created?
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How to use the Tikkun HaKlali?
Not too long ago I bumped onto a video on YouTube by user Shaarei Binah entitled “Tikkun HaKlali General Rectification of the Soul with Kavvanot”.
I was looking at the video itself, in the description ...
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Did Nachmanides believe the Shechinah is God, and uncreated?
I heard couple claims that Nachmanides had the belief that the Shechinah is not a caused and distinct emanation but rather God himself or even a person (hypostasis) according to some Christians, the ...
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Crying on Rosh Hashanah
When the Jews gathered at the water gate in Jerusalem on Rosh Hashanah to hear Ezra and the Levites read them the Torah, they cried. Hearing the Torah read and explained made them realize how far they ...
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What's the spiritual difference between the Temple vessels and the utensils?
For ease of reference, I'll refer to the main ten kli hamikdash as the vessels and the 93 klei sharet as the utensils. Per the Zohar, the ten vessels represent the ten sefirot:
The Menorah - chesed
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Description of Sefirot from Zohar - source please
I heard a Rav say in a shiur that "the Zohar says that 'Hashem brought forth 10 sefirot and personalize/identified with them'".
I would like to know where in the Zohar this is stated, if ...
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What's the connection between the yod's on the letter tzadik, the faces of Adam and chava, and the kruvim
I have heard but I cannot find any sources linking these concepts. The Shulchan Aruch HaRav mentions that the yod's on the letter tzadik are written upside down in ktav arizal; basically not facing ...
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Why does the Kabbalah believe that human sin creates demons?
According to this entry in Wikipedia:
"In Kabbalah, demons are regarded a necessary part of the divine emanation in the material world and a byproduct of human sin (Qliphoth). After they are ...
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Info about Kabbalah text translators E. Collé and H. Collé
I want to read a good English translation of Etz Chaim by Chaim Vital. I found this one online by E. Collé and H. Collé. It appears to be scholarly, but I can't find amy information online about ...
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Book about the mystic meaning of Yom Kippur?
I’m trying to find a book about the mystic meaning for Yom Kippur, I believe the books title is something honey.
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Shalosh Klipos Hatme'os
What are the 3 tamei klipos, my question isn't what they are as a whole (what they represent), rather like a list, what are the three?
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Visions of false gods
How does Judaism and Kabbalah explain occurrences and visions of false gods like Jesus to Christians, Shiva to Hindus, Muhammad to Sufis in dreams, some of these like Jesus even appear to non-Jewish ...
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What is the purpose of all the candles around the dead body of a Rabbi before the levaya?
I saw the pictures of R' Shalom Cohen and the Gaavid and I am wondering.
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Spiritual meaning of different segmentations of the 613 Mitzvos
For the lovers of the spiritual and Gematrias. We can segment the number of Mitzvos in many different ways:
positive (248) vs negative (365),
Mitzvos specifically for men, women, or everyone
Temple-...
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Where does the Ben Ish Hai speak about the spread of Kabbalah in Od Yosef Hai
I recall once hearing that the Ben Ish Hai in Od Yosef Hai proves that Kabbalah is true by showing that there are mysterious things in the world that can only be explained by Kabbalah. He also ...
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English Translation of Milhamoth Hashem by Yiḥyeh Qafiḥ
Milhamoth Hashem is Yiḥyeh Qafiḥ's controversial work, presenting his group's philosophy and questioning the authenticity of the Zohar and it's attribution to the sage R' Shimon bar Yohai.
Is there an ...
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What do the Nephilim represent? [duplicate]
There are some underlying beliefs around Nephilim that migtht make people feel uncomfortable, but I think are applicable and a pattern of human behavior, in particular human sexual behavior, of which ...
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Where can one find the Sava and Yanuka in the Zohar?
I've heard of a section of Zohar that deals with a wunderkind who enlightened educated rabbis, and a section that deals with a wise old man. Where can I find it?
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Is all mankind suppose to reach the level of the Tzadick
In the cycle of reincarnation is every one to reincarnate until they reach the level of Tzadick or simply until they fulfill the Mitzvot?
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What is Judaism's take on Kabbalah? [closed]
I like to research religions and recently I started studying Kabbalah.
They claim that they've unlocked the key to the "upper worlds" and a few more claims such as there's no satan, no free ...
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Non-Jewish G-dly Souls
Can the contrasting views of non-Jewish soul from Maimonides and from Kabbalah be reconciled?
Maimonides is quite explicit that all human beings have the potential for a G-dly soul, which is manifest ...
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How could Haman be a gilgul of Eisav?
The Arizal in Sefer HaGilgulim ch. 35 says that Haman was a gilgul (reincarnation) of Eisav. How is that possible being that Eisav had the din (status) of an Yisroel meshumad (apostate Jew Kidushin ...
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Are there any midrashim that state Shechem and Dinah were in love or that it was consensual?
It is written in Bereshit that Shechem "defiled" Dinah, and all opinions I've learned agree that it was rape, but are there any that dissent? I wonder if "defiled" could also apply ...
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Can intercourse mean marriage even without any actual marriage?
If two people have intercourse, can it sometimes be considered that they are now married on some level, or in any sense? I don't remember the sources, but there is a concept that a man gives a part of ...
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Are the Sefiros round?
I heard from someone many years ago that that the Sefiros are round somehow. I was wondering if there are any authentic sources in kabalah? I realize they are not physical things but nevertheless is ...
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