The Science of Kabbalah

Wonderful post poh. You lift my spirits.

If only all this were predominantly the basis for our beliefs rather than orthodoxy, conservatism, and even, sometimes, fanaticism. There is so much wisdom in what you write. But the truth of the world is that those who are regarded as mystics and/or prophets because of their gifts of vision are usually always punished for it by the world. But the truth is that they pursue what they see and know because it is what they are here to do, and they are very aware of this fact.

The stories of the Torah and the people in them possess something quite special. They were chosen for what they do for all of us, even today. But that is something that the conventions of society simply cannot accept without some primal "proofs" which, of course is an absurd notion. How is the "unprovable" "proven" ? It seems to me that forms of sacrifice "in lieu of proof" take up where visions end, for these are the ways of nature, and we cannot escape being a part of Her.

That's why, I believe, that the horned altar for burnt sacrifices was in the courtyard "outside" of the tent of the tabernacle in the desert in the days of the ancient Hebrews. That signifies to me that while it is contiguous to the realities of what went on inside of the tent, it was nonetheless not a part of what is/was truly "holy" with respect to what went on inside of the tent. Which of course involved the periodic interactions of selected humans with G-d.

flow....;)
 
quote from flow "That's why, I believe, that the horned altar for burnt sacrifices was in the courtyard "outside" of the tent of the tabernacle in the desert in the days of the ancient Hebrews. That signifies to me that while it is contiguous to the realities of what went on inside of the tent, it was nonetheless not a part of what is/was truly "holy" with respect to what went on inside of the tent. Which of course involved the periodic interactions of selected humans with G-d."

flow - I wish you had been part of the dialogue in the interfaith parsha on the "tabernacle in the wilderness" .... your perspective would have been an added joy to the dialogue ....

I know this thread is on "the science of Kabbalah" but symbols are so critical to understanding the ancient texts and oral traditions .... the placement of the "horned altar" either "inside" or "outside" the "tent" depends on how one looks at the meaning of the "tent" .... since I look at the "tent" in the same way as one would define the "shroud" or the "veil" (which I believe to actually be the covering of the brain called the arachnoid .... yes, also the spider's net) .... the placement of the "horned altar" would be inside the tent (in my thoughts) because the "horned altar" would be symbolic of the "caudate nucleus" which protects and covers the inner sanctum of the brain .... the location of the third eye or the pineal gland .... the "caudace nucleus" is shaped like the horns of a ram (which is why, in my opinion) the row of ram's leads up to the entrance to the pyramid .... everything is shrouded in symbols and meanings .... the "altar" is the inner sanctum in the center of the brain which houses the pineal gland .... the pineal gland (aka the epiphysis .... thus epiphany!!!) .... as for a portable tabernacle, we carry it with us everywhere we go .... but we do wander through the wilderness until we are able to reach the next stage in our spiritual development as human beings .... at least that is how I see it all .... maybe this is where "science" comes in .... we have a much greater understanding of the workings of the human brain (or do we???? lol) ....

the Kabbalah (and other paths of the mystics) tells us how to get there .... how to go behind the veil to the inner sanctum where the great marriage of heaven and earth takes place .... the place called "Peniel, meaning "I have seen God face to face and I came out alive." (Genesis 32:30) ....

the "horned altar" is only a description of the place that houses the "pineal gland" ....

that is why we each must return home and find our true sovereignthy, our freedom .... and yes, they exist both in the material world as well as in the spiritual world, but it is only in the spiritual world that we find this place .... so I go back to one of my favorite sayings .... when we change our minds, we will change our world, and balance and peace will return .... weither it is the path of the Kaballah, the Gnostics, the Sufi's, the Hawaiian Kahuna (the ancient ones) .... the Druids (the knowing ones) .... they all take us to the same place .... problem is that many of the above today know little of what this is all about .... magic, rituals all empty vessels .... yes, even the Freemasons, the Knights Templar .... all possess ancient knowledge, but much has been corrupted for personal power these days .... sorry, I got carried away here ....

I would like to get back to the Kabbalah and perhaps start a dialogue on another reference from The Zohar or something .... he hawai'i au, pohaikawahine
 
I've been subscribing to a series on the Kabbala by Rabbi Shimon Leiberman out of Jerusalem .... he poses a question related to the "Oneness of God vs. the Ten Sefirot" and said this question was posed to the Rivash (14th Century) "Do you Kabbalist not also believe in many Gods, as you postulate the Ten Sefirot?" The answer (paraphrased by Rabbi Leiberman) was "God's unity vis-a-vis the Ten Sefirot may be likened to a ray of sun passing through a prism. On one side, we have a single ray of light, while, on the other side, we perceive a radiation of seven colors. The person sitting on the other side perceives this as if it were many lamps radiating many hues, while in reality it is one lamp. The multi-hued rainbow is a 'distortion' created by the prism that the light passed through."

I love that the answer refers to the multi-hued rainbow because in Hawaii-nei (ancient hawaiian ways for lack of a better term) the path of the night rainbow takes us to the source (or the white light) .... the rainbow bridge is the metaphor for the connection between heaven and earth .... which is why I have always loved the stories about the "pot of gold" at the end of the rainbow .... we are all seekers of the "source" or the "pot of gold" or the "holy grail", the "fountain of youth" , the "lost ark of the covenant" ..... to approach the Kabbalah one must (in my opinion) be a seeker of "truth" and not a mystical experience (although you might have one) .... "truth" lies in the essence of the Torah and (again in my opinion) the Kabbalah takes us deep within the sacred meanings of the Torah ....

Rabbi Lieberman gives the literal translation of the ten sefirot, but also states that "it is advised that not much be read into these terms, since most of them are highly metaphorical and their content bears little resemblance to their literal terms"

In one of my posts I mentioned the thesis by Vita Daphna Arbel "Beholders of Divine Secrets" who references the Hekhalot and Merkavah literature .... she said there are two principal themes .... the first involves descriptions of visionary heavenly ascents through the seven divine palaces (Hebrew: Hekhalot) .... and the second features meditations and interpretation of the chariot visions (Hebrew: Merkavah) .... "some scholars do not view this literature as compatable with the product of legalistic rabbinical Judaism and feel they refelct the presence of Islamic influence .... other scholars view the texts as authentic Jewish writings from a much earlier date M. Gaster, considered the Hekhalot and Merkavah literature as a remnant of an ancient school of thought dating from the Second Temple period."

What is important in all of the above, again in my opinion, is that we are dealing with highly methaphorical symbols and terms .... but methaphorical symbols taken at a literal level are the cause of much of our world conflict and it is not easy to speak of them without evoking strong emotional feelings .... like the concept of a "horned altar" .... or even "the wedding chamber where the virgins await the men who have struggled in life" .... all of these are methaphors and we much each develop the eyes to see with our souls ....

I have spoken of "deep" meditation as a way to get to the light, but there are many ways of expressing this path .... I also think that the process of "rocking" can take into this deep trance like state of prayer .... chanting particular tones can get us there .... so Kabbalah can tell us about the process but in itself cannot get us "there" .... that is where all the rules and laws come into play .... how to live a righteous and balanced life so that we can open ourselves to this process without the weight of anger, hate, etc.

In Hawaii we have a term "he hawai'i au" which means literally "I am Hawaii" but it is the literal meaning (I am not an island) ..... it means I give life to my culture by the way I live my life, I give breath to its meaning .... so this is how I also see the Kaballah, a way of giving breath to the Torah .... he hawai'i au, poh
 
I thought I would add a few more comments about Kabbalah and will quote from "In the Shadow of the Ladder" (Introductions to Kabbalah by Rabbi Yehudah Lev Ashlag, Translation from the Hebrew by Mark and Yedidah Cohen)

In some additional explanatory chapters Mark and Yedidah Cohen state about Kabbalah "It is a teaching about what human beings are, where we come from,where we are going and how to get there. .... We are all on the way to enlightenment and in this we have no choice."


"Every one of us from now on should take upon himself or herself with all our soul and strength, the work of enhanching the innermost aspect of Torah to give it its true place as being much more important than the Torah's outward aspect. In this way, each of us will strengthen our own inner most aspect, which is the aspect of Israel within us." (Note from thoughts of Poh .... since we are speaking of the Kaballah, it is connected intimately with the Torah and cannot be seperated .... this does not mean that other traditions do not have their own source of the same path of wisdom that takes one within to walk the night path in order to emerge at the mountaintop .... the ancient ways of the people of Hawaii nei tell us of the same path, just in a different story form) ....

I mentioned in a previous post the Ma'aseh Merkavah (the Wisdom of the Chariot) .... in "In The Shadow of the Ladder" it is stated "You need to know that there are two parts to Kabbalah. The first part is called the sitrei Torah (secrets of the Torah). This part is forbidden to be revealed except by way of hints by a Master Kabbalist to one how has acquired an advanced level of understanding. This category includes the Ma'aseh Merkavah (the Wisdom of the Chariot) and the Ma'aseh B'reshit (the Wisdom of Creation)..The sages of the Zohar designate this part of Kabbalah as relating to the first three sephirot, which are Keter, Chochmah and Binah. It is also referred to as the head of the spiritual entity.......the second level in Kabbalah is known as the ta'amei Torah (reasons of Torah). Not only is it permitted to reveal this level, it is an extremely meritorious act to do so. It is known in the Zohar as the seven lower sephirot, or the body of the spiritual entity." (In Hawaii nei we use three for the spiritual realm and four for the material realm using seven instead of 10 .... but the key is to bridge all seven which is considered the spiritual marriage of sky father and earth mother or the meeting of heaven and earth .... we refer to this as the marriage of Wakea and Papa)...

I also read in "Ecstatic Kabbalah" by Rabbi David A. Cooper"when spiritual teachers talk about 'enlightenment', they are usually referring to a quality of insight that casts the light of revealed truth onto our experiences. Some teachers suggest that enlightenment endows one with supernatural powers. Most teachings, however, are not concerned with paranormal displays, but are focused upon an extraordinary refinement of our everyday traits and characteristics. Flying, walking through walls, and manifesting gold out of lead are interesting metaphors for the enlightened being, but what is truly astonishing is the ability to have a soft heart toward all who have caused us harm, to care deeply for all who suffer, or to turn away from revenge, hostility, or violence under all conditions..... following a spiritual path is far more a way to live one's life than it is a means to achieve a goal.. Rather than seeking enlightenment, an authentic spiritual aspirant is one who realizes the continuing process of enlightening many times every day. There is nothing higher than a moment of kindness." (this makes me smile because my grandson who is 10 years old and working toward his black belt in Karate has to do 300 random acts of kindness .... he told me the other day 'Grandma, I have opened so many doors') ....


"The Blessed Holy One too is known and unknown.
For He is Neshamah or neshamah, Pneuma or pneuma,
completely hidden away;
but through these gates, openings for neshamah,
the Blessed Holy One becomes known.

Come and see:
There is an opening within opening,
level beyond level.
Through these the Glory of God becomes known.

'The opening of the tent' is the opening of Righteousness,
as the Psalmist says:
'Open for me the gates of righteousness ...." (Psalms 118:19).
This is the first opening to enter.
Through this opening, all other high openings come into view.
One who attains the clarity of this opening
discovers all the other openings,
for all of them abide here.

Now that Israel is in exile, this opening is unknown;
all the openings have abandoned Her.
It is impossible to know, impossible to grasp.
But when Israel comes forth from exile,
all the soaring spheres will touch down upon this opening,
one by one.
Then human beings will perceive wondrous, precious wisdom
never known by them before..."(from The Zohar, translation by Daniel Chanan Matt)

It seems to me that Kabbalah tells us how to open those doors or gates .... but we have to live a righteous life to find the keys .... they are not simply given to us .... then we can answer Rabbi Akiva's question:

"Who is able to contemplate the seven palaces
and behold the heaven of heavens
and see the chambers of chambers
and say: "I saw the chamber of YH?"

he hawai'i au, poh
 
Scientoligy this my goodness religion in general was designed to keep you on your knees nowdays it seems that there is a different belief system every week hell kabalah is the new flava of the month like prozac was the flava in the 90's & yuppi flue in the 80's, anyhow...
 
ETS2K,

Kabbalah is a group of systems of Jewish mysticism that started to take shape around the 12th c. There's also hermetic kabbalah, which applies the systems of kabbalah outside of Judaism, and that itself also has at least a couple centuries of antiquity.

If you're confusing the kabbalah centre for kabbalah, that is a faux pas, and the kabbalah centre is what is very linked to this "fad." Actual kabbalah can be pretty difficult to get into. It's a mystical system devised by rabbis, that is, scholars of Jewish law.

I agree with you, however, that the current interest in kabbalah is a fad, for some people, and a lot of it is not authentic searching, but I think that it's also meaningful for other people. And if it's bringing people greater meaning without doing any harm, then I have nothing against it.

--Dauer
 
Thanks Dauer:

I've done a litttle studying of the principles of Kabbalah, and If I'm not mistaken it began to take shape philosophically in Spain where seers such as Moses DeLeon developed it into a full blown system of Jewish mysticism. Of course all of the major religions have a mystical side wherein unseen truths are revealed by those who have abilities to pierce the "veil" from time to time, and bring new knowledge of holy things to believers. Kind of like shamanism in the really ancient and primitive cultures.

By the way poh, your several references to the "ladder" metaphor among Kabbalah seers is reminiscent of "the universal tree" that shamans would ascend to commune with the spirit world in communal rituals. As I mentioned elsewhere, "groves" of such objects were utilized in "high places" by the first Hebrews in their rituals.

Religious organizations closely tied to ruling powers generally demonize mystics since original spiritual knowledge is the ultimate societal "threat" for change, which, of course, is not embraced by ruling establishments. And it doesn't usually matter much which Abrahamic religion we're talking about in this scenario. In this case, the Roman Church banished the Jews from Spain in 1492, the same year that Columbus "discovered" the New World (coincidence ?), and this was followed soon afterwards by the Inquisition in Spain designed by the Church and its political machinery to cleanse the realm of blasphemous and heretical beliefs, lest they be perpetuated and infect the populace in general.

flow....;)
 
I've done a litttle studying of the principles of Kabbalah, and If I'm not mistaken it began to take shape philosophically in Spain where seers such as Moses DeLeon developed it into a full blown system of Jewish mysticism.
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Yeah, Moses DeLeon and his circle were probably key players for the writing of the Zohar, although we can also look at Isaac of Acre as a potential author for the Bahir. We get kabbalah really starting to look like kabbalah around this time. Even so, we don't get to Lurianic Kabbalah until a bit later, mid 16th c., and he brings a lot of really important concepts and emphases to kabbalah. Don't even get tzimtzum until him.

Of course all of the major religions have a mystical side wherein unseen truths are revealed by those who have abilities to pierce the "veil" from time to time, and bring new knowledge of holy things to believers. Kind of like shamanism in the really ancient and primitive cultures.
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Definitely, and the other side of that is what tends to happen: the shamanic journeys and discoveries of past generations become canon for later generations, who cease traveling and accept one face as Truth, until another iconoclastic piercing of the thin membrane that distances us from the imaginal realm, and the gushing forth of God's sweet bounty.

But I think it's important, too, to distinguish between the mystic and the shaman. Both are imo doing important work, but both function very differently.

Religious organizations closely tied to ruling powers generally demonize mystics since original spiritual knowledge is the ultimate societal "threat" for change, which, of course, is not embraced by ruling establishments. And it doesn't usually matter much which Abrahamic religion we're talking about in this scenario.
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I think that's an important issue, but in reading history I don't think that's the only one that pops up. Like if you look at the Tanach for example, you see that all of the old forms of worship are demonized, but what's also happening is the monarchy is trying to centralize worship and gain more control that way. So over time they make their stands against goddess worship, and the worship of the YHWH-of-this-place or the YHWH-of-that-place, against the use of idols for worship, changing from a tent for worship that's portable to a Temple fixed in place.

I think when looking at the way history played out, it's not just change they've been worried about, but anything that's threatened their control. Change is just a subcategory.


--Dauer
 
Dauer:

Thanks for your reply.

Two things that you said jumped out at me.

First, "tzimtzum" is my own personal favorite take on how the spirit of YHWH works on the world stage. The spirit sets up the production, but nothing begins to happen until "Elvis leaves the theater".

The second thing was that some scholars believe that the "tabernacle in the desert" was housed inside of the first temple. That would make worlds of sense to me.

Thanks again.

flow....:)
 
flow,

I was never very fond of literal tzimtzum, because I think it was really a fancy way to sidestep actual pantheism (Oy the heresy). I am, however, more taken by the non-literal tzimtzum you sometimes find in hasidism where God doesn't actually contract. He's really just making it possible for us to perceive and live in duality by concealing the full shine of His light from us, in which we could know nothing but the One.

even if the mishkan was in the beit hamikdash, Solomon was still changing the setting in which the people were used to worshipping drastically. He really was quite the troublemaker, for more reasons than one.

Dauer
 
Dauer:

It's just that as a heretical Christian, it just appealed to my sense of theatrics to see "the old one" as Elvis leaving the theater. I am personally and experientially aware of internal contact with the "One of light". It was both comforting, spiritually moving, and scary all at once. The sheer gentleness of power (if that makes sense) combined with personalized gentle care that is experienced is sublime. But I was most upset by the experiences because of my total abrogation of choice in the situations, and how easily I "chose" to do certain things in my life as a result of the experiences.

Tell me about "Beit Hamikdash" I learned that "mishkan" was the arrow of divine knowledge that is received when the chosen ones place themselves in the attutude of the female or "shekinah" so that they might receive hidden knowledge and thoughts from "the One Most High". Have I gotten it straight ? I only studied in the library of a Jewish College for a couple of weeks, but I learned some interesting things that fit in with my experiences, thoughts, and feelings.

Sol and that Ethiopian Queen together must have been quite the thing. A real scandal in his court. It reminds me that Harold Bloom wrote that the likely redactor of Genesis was probably a female member of his court. Maybe a jealous one... 'ya think ?

Liked your joke...alot !

flow....;)
 
aloha e dauer - I always enjoy your perspective .... and flow, I agree with what you said about the "ladder" and the "tree of life" .... the other metaphors used very frequently are the "rope" and the "spiralling snakes" .... if you ever have a chance pick up a copy of "The Cosmic Serpent .... DNA and the Origins of Knowledge" by Jeremy Narby .... he speaks of his work with the shamen which he refers to as "technicians of ecstasy" and "they speak a secret language which they learn directly from the spirits by imitation. They talk of a ladder - or a vine, a rope, a spiral staircase, a twisted rope ladder - that connects heaven and earth and which they use to gain access to the world of spiritis. They consider these spirits to have come from the sky and to have created life on earth." The "tree of life" is also the symbol that connects the heavens and the earth (the branches reach for the heavens and the roots are deeply rooted in the earth) .... the "tree of life" is symbolized in many ancient cultures and as far as I can tell, is actually the human body ....

I usually speak of the spiralling energies because that is the way in which I learned of the energies that move within the body .... but Jacob's Ladder is connected with the same ancient knowledge .... all over the world this symbol is reproduced in the old "string games" and I use to make it as well when I was a child .... the "string games" are used in the telling of ancient legends in parts of the South Pacific as part of an oral tradition .... the term "ecstasy" is what drives the inner meaning of the Song of Songs and speaks to the soul's search for the divine .... that, in my opinion, is part of the secret to the path of the mystic .... although I speak frequently of the brain, it does not take place in the mind .... it is a passion that comes from deep within the body and rises to the upper levels of spirit .... I don't have the same degree of learning about the texts and you (dauer and flow) appear to have, but I have a deeply intuitive knowledge about symbols that comes from knowledge within my own culture .... so, as I said before, I am drawn to the Torah and all her beauty and I know that Kabbalah gives clues about understanding its inner meaning .... he hawai'i au, poh
 
flow,

mishkan is tabernacle in Hebrew and beit hamikdash is the Hebrew for the Temple (not a temple/synagogue which would be beit knesset, beit midrash, or beit tefilah.) I don't think you were studying pshat (plain meaning.) :)

But what you alluded to related to the root of both the words for the mishkan, God's dwelling place, and the shekhinah, God's in-dwelling presence (the term shechinah, btw, is first found in the gemara where it's more of a substitue for the word kavod, which is God's "glory" as it's often translated. The mystical stuff comes later.) What you were reading I think has to do with shekhinah/malchut, the relationship of it to the upper sefirot. While it was talking about the Divine feminine, the shechinah, traditionally this hasn't meant something more female in its characteristics except that it is the receiver, as it were, in the relationship. Although certainly at times it does get personified, like during the Kabbalat Shabbat service where we refer to it as the "bride" and "queen", and the Tsfatniks who started that were basing it in part off a passage in the gemara, and you can keep going back and possibly find more of the "feminine".

Like it's very interesting. Chochmah/wisdom has a female ending, and there's a lot of discussion about it in proverbs. One might think that chochmah was more than just a concept from all of the talking. But then look at what the mekubalim(kabbalists) did with the sefirot. They took chochmah and made it a male sefirah. That makes me wonder if maybe they were wondering the same things, decided it needed to be addressed. Eh, who knows?

There are other words with feminine endings too that make me wonder, like Torah. Although I think it's less likely there's much etymological veracity to that one.

Going back to tzimtzum there's a beautiful modern poem I read by a woman (approaching Torah from a more feminist perspective) from the pov of the void left by the tzimtzum, from the pov of the womb, if you will, that was created. Very beautiful stuff. There's a newer feminist perspective that tries to reclaim the shechinah in different ways so that it's not in the same submissive relationship, so that maybe it's in more of a partner relationship, or if it's all God, maybe we can say Shechinah and simply be referring to God.

If you told me a little bit more about what you were reading I might be able to say a bit more.

Sol and that Ethiopian Queen together must have been quite the thing. A real scandal in his court.
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Well, if some scholars are right he was just as much a scandal as she was, just with great PR people. There is the possibility that he was not David's biological son, and in addition to that, wasn't entirely Israelite. But that's a conversation that probably belongs in another thread.

poh,

I saw what you said about the tree of life and the body. You might note how the sefirot are assigned body parts, also remember the 613 mitzvot. I also thought this passage might be relevant to you, if you haven't already come across it:

http://www.barmitzva.org/Kabbalah/Openings/012.htm

Openings 31 through 35 deal more with Adam Kadmon, as well.

Dauer
 
Hi Dauer:

Thank you for your knowledgeable clarifications. My recollections are that I mostly studied general references such as The Jewish Encyclopedia, but I also browsed other volumes such as The Secret of Secrets and others. I can only recollect what stuck in my aging brain, and not the particular sources. Thanks again !

flow....:)
 
dauer - many, many thanks for the reference .... it offers so much insight, I've ordered two books from the site "138 Openings of Wisdom" as well as "Secrets of the Future Temple" and am looking forward to receiving them .... aloha nui, poh
 
Received both books yesterday and started to look at some background on Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (who wrote both books).... it is said he had complete mastery of the entire Biblical, Rabbinic and Kabbalistic literature, was educted in sicence and literature, and was the author of three full length plays..... he arroused a lot of opposition at the time (1700's) and about 60 years ago "a huge cache of letters was found which describes at length in his own words, the persecution that he endured" .... he is considered one of the most brilliant philosophers and Kabbalist of the 18th century .... (I want to see if I can find more information on his letters) ....

pretty good credentials and I look forward to reading the books ....

there is a reference to the "water flowing from the Holy of Holies" .... "by the entrance (oh by the way I'm quoting from 'Secrets of the Future Temple') to the Inner House is a small path where the sweetest waters flow. Let me tell you where these waters come from and where they are going. These waters come from the innermost place of delight, a place of the most powerful Mercy (Rachamim). For that reason, as these waters come out, their direction of flow is to the south (Chesed). They then flow out of the Temple." this reference really caught my attention because the Song of Songs speaks of "an enclosed garden is my sister, my bride, a hidden well, a sealed spring .... you are a fountain in the garden, a well of living waters that stream from Lebanon" and I was looking for a deeper meaning to this reference .... seems to me that the water that flows from the HOly of Holies would be related to the seven streams that flow from Lebanon ....dauer and/or bb do you think they might be connected in meaning or not???? aloha nui, poh
 
aloha e poh:

So nice to hear from you again. The name of the 18th century Rabbi caught my eye. I'd be interested to know whether or not he was of Italian heritage. It is well known that there were Jews in Italy from early times, mostly in the hill regions of the central spine in the south near Naples. His name "Luzzatto" looks and sounds Italian to me, and if he was, this might shed some light on that obscure history of Jews in Italy. I've known Italians by the name of "Luzetti". Most Italian family names, as you may know, end in a, o, or i. Some of my ancestors came from that region, so it would be of particular interest to me.

I also have some things to share on your "holy of holies" statements concerning the nature of the "sweet waters", but I'll wait until I have more time and Dauer and/or BB have had a chance to bring their knowledge to the discussion. Perhaps Karimarie could bring something to the table also.

10 min later:
I just checked Jewish Enclyclopedia.com and found a whole bunch of references to "Luzzatto", who were an extended family of important Italian scholars and Cabalists in Italy beginning early in the 16th century. But I didn't have time to do any reading. I'll leave that up to your expert self.

'till next time...flow....:)
 
Hi flow - always a pleasure to hear from you .... please feel free to share your thoughts on the holy of holies .... and trust me, I am no expert on these matters .... what I can do well is interpret symbols and meanings because it is what I have done for well over 40 years on chants and legends within my own culture .... but back to Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto .... yes he was born in Padua, Italy and later settled in Amsterdam .... then he went to Israel (Eretz Yisrael) .... I actually learned about his works from a posting from Dauer .... I was first drawn to Kabbalah when I saw the "tree of life" because it looked almost identical to an ancient Hawaiian cross .... and from there I have been deeply drawn toward Judiasm because of the power and beauty of the symbols in the Torah .... like Hawaiian-nei, Judiasm is much more a "way of life" than a religion per se .... I have my own interpretations of readings from material related to Kabbalah and not everyone may agree with them, but I am blessed to have the opportunity to share them and sometimes get feedback ....

I have a particularily strong interest in the symbol of sevens, so of course the seven streams I give focus to .... in The Zohar as I understand the Ocean of Binah becomes seven rivers .... we also use the concept of seven (which also represents the completion of a cycle) but symbolize it in the constellation of the Pleiades and its seven visible stars .... but the inner meaning is related to seven energy centers within the human body .... I also work intimately with the number twelve and its many meanings .... and things like the lightening bolt or strike that represents wisdom .... the lightening strike is the ultimate symbol for the connection of heaven and earth which is also inherent in the Kabbalah tree of life ....

I read something that said "the Zohar ceases to be what it is when it is translated because of the symbolization of the language" .... well there is also symbolization in the "sounds" of a language .... so many of the oral traditions must be preserved because the written knowledge is many times compromised .... and as we well know subject to so many different interpretations when we are unable to return to the source ....

I also read that Moses de Leon (who may have written the Zohar in the 13th Century .... much debate on this topic) was a homilectical rather than a systematic thinker .... he worked with mystical allegorizations in his interpretation of the Torah .... it seems to me, and I could be wrong, that one could say the same thing for Rabbi Moshe Chiam Luzzatto .... his book "138 Openings of Wisdom" reflect this type of insight into the prophecies reflected in the Torah which in the simplist term would probably be G-d's plan for our future when we wake from the deep sleep and return from the exile .... this plan is reflected in many cultural paths of wisdom and knowledge, but is so dramatic and powerful in the Torah .... just a few thoughts to share .... he hawai'i au, poh
 
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