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Zohar – Basic Kabbalistic TeachingsIt is very difficult, if not impossible, to reduce a work as
complex and multifaceted as the Zohar to a few basic teachings. In a
general sense, however, it is possible to gain some insight into the Zohar’s world-view by focusing on a
few of its central recurring themes. Let us look at one. G-D, TORAH AND THE
JEWISH PEOPLE “There
are three levels[1] bound together – the Holy One, blessed be He, the
Torah and [the people of] The
explanation[2] of
this statement is that all three components of the intimate bond between Each
of the three interlinked components has a revealed and a hidden aspect. The
revealed aspect of The
revealed aspect of Torah is the rational intellectual aspect of every subject
in Torah, encompassing not only the life of a person from his conception to his
burial, but also all matters pertaining to the entire creation. The hidden
aspect of Torah lies in its Divine intellect, which differs essentially from
human intellect, and therefore cannot be fathomed. The
revealed aspect of the Holy One, blessed be He, is expressed in His creating
worlds and all created beings and giving them life, bringing them into being at
every moment, as in the saying, “In His goodness He constantly renews the work
of Creation” (from the Liturgy, morning prayers). The intention is that
everything in the created worlds is renewed ex nihilo
as if it had just been created for the first time by “He who spoke and the
world came into being.” Technically,
the worlds are structured according to a specific divine paradigm – the
recurring pattern of sefirot (Divine emanations) that serves as the
blueprint of creation of all the worlds. The Zohar focuses on this
paradigm, explaining its structure and the interactions that take place between
the sefirot individually, and as partzufim (sing. partzuf – visage[4]). It examines the
various planes of reality, called worlds, and defines their qualities and
characteristics. G-d
gave us the wisdom, understanding and knowledge to discern Him from Nature, its
beauty and wondrous processes, by deeply contemplating His creations as in the
verses, “How great are your works,” (Psalms 92:6); “How manifold are
your works” (Psalms 104:24). This is the secret of prayer – an
outpouring of the soul and cleaving to the Master of the Worlds. In addition,
there are also certain kabbalistic meditations (kavvanot)
and methods (using Divine Names and permutations, for example) available to the
initiate for ascending through the various stages of prayer and expanding one’s
G-d-consciousness. The
hidden aspect of the Holy One, blessed be He, is His Essence, transcending the
life force with which He imbues the worlds. He is to be found within the Torah,
and by its constant study, a person cleaves to G-d above and illuminates
his soul below. Nevertheless,
circumstances can affect the degree of awareness of this bond between Indeed,
the purpose of the soul’s descent to earth is to reveal the harmony that is
inherent in creation, beginning with the person himself, as the microcosm of
the creation. The harmony is achieved by establishing the proper balance
between the soul and the body. Inner personal peace and harmony can be attained
only through ensuring the supremacy of the soul over the body, since the body
can be persuaded to submit to the soul (in the case of the true mystic—even
eagerly) but not vice versa. Nevertheless, Jewish mysticism does not generally
advocate asceticism and other-worldliness – “the world was created to be a
settled place,”[6] and
“G-d desires a dwelling place in the lower worlds”[7]
explicitly. Jewish
mysticism, in general, and the Zohar, in particular, helps to realize
this purpose of the soul by teaching us how to recognize the spirituality of
matter. Kabbala explains that in every physical
thing, even the inanimate, there is a “soul,” which is the creative force that
has brought it into being ex nihilo, and which
constantly keeps it from reverting back to its former state of non-existence.
It is this spark of G-dliness that is the true
essence and reality of all things. And when physical matter is used for a
sublime purpose or deed in accordance with the Will of the Creator, this spark
is revealed. In fact, kabbalists are renowned for
their strict adherence to the minutiae of the law, often going far beyond the
basic requirement of the law[8]
in their fulfillment. A basic tenet of Kabbala, and of the Zohar, in
particular, therefore, is that G-d can be grasped better through deed
(the fulfillment of mitzvot) than through meditation. Rabbi Moshe-Leib Miller was born in South Africa and received his yeshiva education in Israel and America. He is a prolific author and translator, with some twenty books to his name on a wide variety of topics, including a new, authoritative, annotated translation of the Zohar. [1]. Some authorities have: Three knots bound together. [2]. The following is based on a letter by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn dated 28 Nissan 5696. Printed in HaTamim p. 377; Sefer HaMaamarim 5657, p. 27 ff.; Sefer HaMaamarim 5700 p. 61, 66; Sefer HaMaamarim 5704, chap. 29 ff., and others; a letter dated 10th Nissan 5741 from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, to the Symposium on Jewish Mysticism. [3]. Sometimes the Torah is regarded as loftier than the soul; sometimes the soul is regarded as loftier than the Torah. For the latter view see Tanna d’vei Eliyahu chaps. 14, 31; Bereishit Rabba 1:4. [4]. A partzuf is a compound structure of the sefirot. A partzuf is a metaphorical figure of human likeness, used to represent the expansion of an individual sefira (or group of sefirot) into an independent configuration with ten sefirot of its own. [5]. See Zohar III, 4b, 7b, 93b; vol. I, 60a. [6]. Isaiah 45:18. [7]. Midrash Tanchuma, Nasso chap. 16. [8]. It is therefore absurd to suggest, as some academics have, that Kabbala is in any way antinomian (against the law). |
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