It is my belief that the Zohar's and Kabbalistic view of Elohim is essentially pantheistic and therefore New Age in conception, understanding and application. In its nature, doctrine and purpose, it reflects a gnostic, reincarnationist view of the world, and disposes the need for a Messiah to redeem us from our sins (since we do that by our own works). It subverts Torah by forcing it into a preconceived world view that contradicts the overall revelation of Scripture.

The litmus test for any teaching must be its view of Elohim/God. So I want to start this discussion with a summary of Zoharic/Kabbalistic views on this subject. The following is a good overview of the kabbalistic doctrine of the Godhead:

_________

Mainstream Orthodox Judaism teaches that God is neither matter nor spirit. They teach that God is the creator of both, but is himself neither. This often raises the question: if God is so different from his creation, how can there be any interaction between the Creator and the created? This question prompted early Kabbalists (Jewish mystics) to envision two aspects of God, (a) God himself, who in the end is unknowable, and (b) the revealed aspect of God, His "light," which created the universe, preserves the universe, and interacts with mankind in a personal way. Kabbalists believe that these two aspects are not contradictory but complement one another, similar to a creation inside a person's mind.

This view has been developed further in Hasidic and anti-nomian circles, however. Kabbalah teaches that in order to create the physical universe, God "withdrew" His light, and created the universe within the space from which "He" contracted ("Zimzum"). It is taught in the Zohar that God, at the beginning of creation, shattered the כלים ("kaylim" or "vessels") of the ספירות ("sephiroth") scattering their fragments throughout the universe. (Controversial physicist-theologian Gerald Schroeder makes a correlation between this view and Big Bang theory in Genesis & The Big Bang.) The sephiroth — represented by the so-called עץ חיים ("Etz Hayim" or "Tree of Life") — are different vessels embodying various emanations of God's being. God shattered the vessels to hide His unity, allowing creation to seem separate.

With this in mind, the Kabbalist Isaac Luria, explained that all creation contained ניצוץ ("nitzutz" or "holy sparks") — the remnants and shards of the sephiroth/kaylim which God had shattered — and offered a theological purpose known as תיקון עולם ("Tikkun Olam" or "rectifying the world") which states that humanity's duty is to recognize the holy sparks inherent in all creation and to elevate them by performing מצוות ("mitzvot"), otherwise regarded as the fulfilment of Biblical obligations. Ultimately, this will reveal God's unity once again, but this time through our efforts. This work to perfect the world is the ultimate good that God bestows on mankind. This view gave rise to the concept of panentheism in Judaism: The notion that God is inherent in all things, and is corroborated by the Jewish principle בצלם אלוהים ("b'tzelem Elohim" or "in the image of God"), inferring that all humanity is created with God inherent. The concept derives from Genesis 9:6 (serving as a Biblical proof-text for the position), "For in the image of God He made man." Thus, suggested Luria, by doing mitzvoth directed towards our fellow human being, we recognize the nitzutz within them, and thus sanctify and elevate their inherent Godliness.

This notion is exemplified rather well by a Jewish nursery school song

Hashem is here, Hashem is there, Hashem is truly everywhere. Up, up, down, down, right, left, and all around. Here, there, and everywhere, is where He can be found.

Over time, this view evolved into the belief that all of creation and all of existence was in fact God itself, and that we as humanity are unaware of our own inherent Godliness and are grappling to come to terms with it. The standing view in neo-Hasidism, currently, is that there is nothing in existence other than God. I.e., all being is God. As it is stated in the ancient Kabbalistic incantation, אין עוד מילבדו ("Ain od milvado") — "There is nothing but God." Thus, it has become understood that God used God's self to form the universe. Rather than a contraction and the creation of something "other" in the void which God created, it is as though God punched a doughnut-hole in God's self and used the remaining "munchkin" to form all of creation.

This paradigm shift is well documented by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, a Lubavitch Hasidic rabbi and founder of Jewish Renewal and its neo-Hasidic progeny, in his book Wrapped In A Holy Flame:[citation needed]

I'd like to say we are in the shift to the place where everything is God, pantheism. The understanding that has come from mysticism and from people on the cusp of periods moving from past to present, people talking about primary experience, is that the body and the soul cannot be separated. It shouldn't be that they should be fighting one another, that you have too get rid of one in order to get the other. We want Wholeness, a holistic understanding, now. I believe that people are moving from theism to pantheism. There are some who don't like the word pantheism, the idea that God is everything. They prefer the word panentheism, which means that God is in everything. I, however, don't think that the distinction is real. What was the objection that people had to pantheism, God is everything? "Are you going to tell me that the excrement of a dog is also God?" And the answer to this would be —"Yes." What is wrong with that? It is only from the human perspective that we see a difference between that and challah. On the sub molecular level, on the atomic level, they all look the same. And if you look from a galactic perspective, what difference is there between one and the other? So if "God is everything," why are you and I here? Because we are the appearance of God in this particular form. And God likes to appear in countless forms and experience countless lives. If you would have mentioned this point of view when theism was dominant, you might have been killed. The theists would complain, "What you are saying is that there are no differences anymore? Does that mean that everything is right, everything is kosher? Where are the differences?" And those are good questions. We are not so far advanced yet that we can explain all these things, but deep down, the deepest level of the pattern is that God is everything. So it's not that God created the world but that God became the world.

Another progenitor of neo-Hasidism, Rabbi Arthur Green, further describes the evolution of pantheistic thought in the Hasidic world, as well, in his book Seek My Face: A Jewish Mystical Theology. It is important to note that as in all Jewish Mysticism the refrain "those who know don't tell, and those who tell don't know" is one of the foundations.

Kabbalistic definition of God

The following is a good overview of the essential teachings of Kabbalism as compared to the Gospel from a Messianic Jewish perspective:

Exposing the Modern Kabbalah Movement

What is Kabbalah?



Kabbalah is difficult to categorize because it is a subjective non-falsifiable belief system. In other words, it rests in non-verifiable philosophy not in historic fact. Nevertheless, kaballah is a mystical and esoteric system of observing and interpreting the universe and mankind that also seeks to reveal the true relationship between God, man, and the universe. It teaches that there is a divine being which is neither male nor female that has 10 primary aspects called sephirot which are represented in the Tree of Life (see diagram to the left). Kabbalah teaches that the supreme being created the universe through a series of those 10 aspects that descended through various levels until creation was fully realized.
There are slightly different definitions of the word "Kabbalah". One source says it comes from the three Hebrew kbl which means "reception". Another source says "Kabbalah is a word meaning "tradition."1
Kabbalah is also know as cabala, cabalah, kabala, caballah, qabala, qabalah, etc. You do not have to be Jewish to study Kabbalah and its proponents state that it can adapt itself to any religious system.
Furthermore, the Kabbalist is supposed to gain understanding about God and himself by learning to understand these 10 aspects, their relationship to each other, and then apply the principles thus learned in his own life to help him return back to God -- Kabbalah teaches the soul's pre-existence.
Kaballah is the way of viewing reality based upon subjective, experiential interpretations of the world, life, death, creation, meaning, purpose, etc. It is an inner-contemplative movement and is considered to be a way of life.
Kabbalah relies heavily on mystical interpretations of the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) as well as the rest of the Old Testament. Its premises is that there are secret and hidden meanings in the biblical text that can be discovered by examining the shape of Hebrew letters, the gematria of words (mathematical values), and how these word values relate to each other. The problem is that this method often draws conclusions that are in contradiction to the plain teaching of the text that it examines. Thus, Kabbalah can have a variety of disjointed beliefs. This is why David A. Cooper, a Kabbalist, says, "Kabbalah does not lend itself to a straightforward definition or even a clear-cut history...it teaches us about the mysteries of life, how the creation works, where we are going, and how we get there."2

Where does Kabbalah come from?

Mr. Cooper in his book, God is a verb asks, "What is it that cabalists receive? And From whom do they receive it?"1 Mr. Cooper's questions are extremely important especially since Kabbalistic theology is unbiblical. It teaches reincarnation, a type of karma, inner divinity, and no need for a Redeemer. Indeed, we must ask where does the Kabbalist in the Kabbalist of history get their information? They get it from the Zohar and the The Zoar and the Sepher Yetzirah which are essentially mystical commentaries and interpretations of the biblical text as written and recorded by various Kabbalists throughout history.
Nevertheless, are we to conclude that the philosophy taught through Kabbalah is godly? If it contradicts both Old and New Testament teaching, then how can it be from God? We conclude that it is not from God but is in reality yet another deception that proceeds out of the Garden of Eden where Satan said "you will be like God," (Gen. 3:5). The Edenic lie echoes through the hearts of mankind and has taken root in the philosophy of Kabbalah.

Non Falsifiability

Kabbalists claim to receive their mystical interpretations of reality from beyond themselves. The more you read Kabbalistic writings, the more you will that it is mystical and unbiblical. You will also discover that the philosophy cannot be verified. In other words, there is no historical fact that verifies Kabbalah. It and borrows heavily from the accounts written in the first five books of the Bible, but it also radically reinterprets so many events and so many concepts in the Bible that it is quite foreign from what the word of God actually says.
Please consider some of the following phrases used in the the books that teach Kabbalah and notice their ambiguity and New Age "feel".

connections with other realities
contemplative exercises
mystical awareness
higher awareness
the worlds of awareness integrate along a continuum
higher and lower realms of consciousness
unification of the finite with the infinite
energy of darkness
cosmic fluctuation
inherent light of consciousness
practicing Kavannah (awareness of the implications of everything we do)
the path to awareness
mystical Academy
These kinds of phrases are unverifiable and subjective and have no inherent meaning apart from assigned philosophical interpretations given to them by Kabbalah literature. Furthermore, the phrases are highly reminiscent of New Age teaching that also exalts humanity to the level of divinity, teaches esoteric knowledge, secrets of the universe, and also tries to unravel the mystical relationship between God, the universe, and ourselves -- all based on subjective interpretations of the Bible.
Both Kabbalah and at the New Age do not rest in historical facts and historical events that can be verified so as to support their interpretations. How do you connect with other realities? In fact, what does that mean? What is "higher awareness"? How does the finite become unified with the infinite? The answers that Kabbalah seeks to give to these kinds of questions are as equally subjective as the phrases that initiate the questions.
Because there is no way to verify the truth of the 10 aspects of God, that Kabbalah was given to the angels for the creation of the world, etc., the Kabbalist is left to either believe or disbelieve based upon his preferences. Instead of believing what the Bible actually says, the Kabbalist is left with following the baby and mystical interpretations of a few ancient Jews.
Unlike the Gospels, Kabbalistic literature is full of philosophical mumbo-jumbo and unverifiable and subjective ideas and words that are strung together in such a way as to appear to be semi coherent. The problem is, Kabbalah contradicts the Bible. Therefore, it is not true.

_________________
References

Leet, Leonora., The Secret Doctrine of the Kabbalah. Rochester Vermont: Inner Traditions, 1999, p. 2

Cooper, David A., God is a Verb. New York, New York: Riverhead Brooks, 1997, p. 11.

ibid, p. 11 (From is capitalized in the original)

http://www.carm.org/kabbalah/whatis.htm

The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life was originally a Babylonian idea and represents a higher article system of 10 aspects (seferit) of God's nature that are linked in 32 paths. It was later adapted by Jewish mystics and became part of the Kabbalistic interpretation of God's essence. It is a graphic representation of the descent of God into the material world.
There are ten circles that are related to each other in particular ways and demonstrate the interrelationship of different aspects of God's nature. The Tree of Life is supposed to be a representative he to help Kabbalists attain union with the divine by helping them understand the relationship and sequence of the various aspects of God's divine nature as it manifests itself in our world and in ourselves.
Each triad contains a masculine and feminine element with a combining element found in the center.
The first triad: The top sephiroth (creative forces) describe the indescribable via representation. They have no direct link with reality.
Crown - (Keter) The highest aspect of the Tree that can be understood. The Lower aspects (sephirot) grow out of the topmost aspect of God. It is also known as the Simple Point. The Crown, Keter is union with God and is the mind of God that cannot be known by people.

Wisdom - (Hokhmah, Chockmah) The contemplative and primordial masculine aspect of God. It is the point from which the knowable creation was begun. It is, therefore, creative force, the expressive action of God.

Understanding - (Binah) The analytical aspect of God's nature, thoughts, etc. It is the highest feminine aspect of God. It is said that Understanding gave birth to the seven lower aspects. It is also known as Mother. It is the formation of Wisdom.

The second triad: The next three sephiroth "are reflections of the first, on a lower level."1
Notice the gap between the first triad and the second. This is the Abyss, "our side".
Mercy - (Hesed, Chesed) The benevolent side of God, the masculine side. It is also called Gedulah meaning Greatness. "As the first sephira below the Abyss, Chesed also represents the level of the "Inner Plane Adepts": individuals who no longer need toincarnate on earth, and who could cross the abyss and move on to the next stage of their evolution."1 They help people on the physical plane.

Judgment, Severity - (Din) The divine wrath, judgment, and punishment of God, feminine side. With Beauty, it shows balance. "It represents the the concept that is expressed by the Hindu term 'Karma.'"2

Beauty, Balance - (Tiferet) The representation of the balance of justice and mercy. It is both masculine and feminine. The higher self and the inner child.

The final group of four: The expression of the upper triads in a concrete manner.
Eternity, Passion - (Nezah) God's grace that works through the world. It is the passion and energy of God's creative force that is manifested in our world: gardening, sexual relations, painting, etc.

Splendor, Thought - (Hod) The lower channel or means by which God's judgment enters the world. It is the area of thought and truth. An imbalance of this aspect can lead to deception.

Foundation, Feeling - (Yesod) The channel by which beauty and good forces pass into the world. It is a combination of splendor and eternity. its realization is manifested in intuition, instinct, and non-intellectualism. "All created things must pass through the Yesod before being actualized on the physical plane."3

Kingdom, Body - (Shekhinah, Malkuth) God's dwelling and presents in the world. It is the funnel through which the upper aspects are delivered to the world and realized in the four elements: earth, water, air, and fire. Therefore, some believe it has a feminine aspect.

_____________________
References

1 Hopking, C.J.M., The Practical Kabbalah Guidebook. New York, New York: Sterling Publishing Co. 2001, p. 22.

2 cibid, p. 23.

3 ibid, p. 25.

http://www.carm.org/kabbalah/treeoflife.htm

Gematria



Gematria is the study of the numeric equivalents of Hebrew and Greek letters in order to find hidden meanings in the words. In both Hebrew and Greek (the language in which the Bible is written), there are only alpha characters. There are no numeric characters. Therefore, when a Hebrew would want to write a number, he would use the corresponding Hebrew letter.
Various numbers are supposed to have spiritual meanings. Here are a few examples:

4 is the number of creation (the earth mentioned on the fourth clause of the Lord's Prayer; North, East, South, West; four corners of the earth)

5 is the number of grace

6 is the number of man (man made on the 6th day; the sixth commandment says "Thou shall not murder)

7 is the number of spiritual perfection

8 is the number of new beginnings (eight people on Noah's Ark; baby is circumcised on the 8th day; Jesus rose on the first day (8th) of the week)

9 is the number of judgment

39 is the number of mercy

40 of testing and judgment

666 is the number of the antichrist, the numeric value of his name in Greek equivalent gematria.

There are some amazing numeric patterns found in the Bible.

"There are 21 Old Testament writers whose names appear in the Bible (3 x 7). The numeric value of their names is divisible by seven. Of these 21, seven are named in the New Testament: Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Hosea and Joel. The numeric values of these names is 1554 (222 x 7). David's name is found 1134 times (162 x 7)." (www.wordworx.co.nz/panin.html)

The gematria of the name "Jesus" in Greek results in 888. In John 21:11, after the resurrection the disciples caught 153 fish. The word "fish" in Greek is 'ixthus' which has a numerical equivalent of 1224, or 8 x 153. Also, 153 people received a blessing from Jesus in the four gospels (not counting the 5000 and examples like that).

The Greek word for "law" is nomos which has a gematria of 430. Paul says that the Law came 430 years after Abraham went to Egypt (Gal. 3:17). The Jews were in Egypt 430 yeas and after being freed, they received the Law of Moses (Exodus 12:40).



Hebrew
Letter Hebrew
Name English
Letter Numeric
Value Hebrew
Letter Hebrew
Name English
Letter Numeric
Value
א aleph silent (א) 1 or 1000 ל lamed low 30
ב Bet boy 2 מ),ם)* mem mike 40 (600)
ג gimel god 3 ן),נ)* nun new 50 (700)
ד deled dog 4 ס samech sam 60
ה heh hi 5 ע ayin silent 70
ו vav very, up 6 ף),פ)* pey pet, phone 80 (800)
ז zayin zebrea 7 ץ),צ)* tzadi nets 90 (900)
ח ches bach 8 ק kuf q, kit 100
ט tes test 9 ר reish race 200
י yod you 10 ש shin sam, shem 300
ך),כ)* chof kit 20 (500) ת tof test 400

*final form is form of letter found when it occurs at the end of a word.

Greek Letter Equivalents

Greek Letter Greek
Name English Letter Numeric
Value Greek Letter Greek Name English Letter Numeric
Value
A,a alpha father 1 N,n nu new 50
B,b Beta boy 2 X,x xi box 60
G,g Gamma god 3 O,o omikron off 70
D,d delta dog 4 P,p pi pet 80
E,e epsilon end 5 90 is
R,r rho rat 100
6 is sigma, V final form S,s,V* sigma sam (s,V) 6, 200
Z,z zeta zebra 7
H,h eta hey 8 T,t tau test 300
Q,q theta thick (q) 9 U,u upsilon up 400
I,i iota it 10 F,f phi phone (f) 500
K,k kappa kit 20 C,c chi bach 600
L,l lamda low 30 Y,y psi cups (y) 700
M,m mu mike 40 W,w omega orange (w) 800
900 = sampsi



There are many Gematria relationships found in both the Old and New Testament writings. As you can see from the citations given above, mystical interpretations could can be discovered as well as "inferred" by examining the mathematical equivalents of various numeric words and then attempting to discover what those mathematical relationships might mean. Though it does seem that there are some very legitimate and interesting Gematria relationships found in the Bible, we can also see that Kabbalists could take the phenomena too far in their esoteric and mystical explanations of Scripture.






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Examples of Kabbalist interpretations of the Bible        Following are some of the terms and phrases redefined in Kabbalistic literature.  Kabbalah teaches that the Old Testament has for meanings:  Peshat = Contextual literal meaning What it says in context.  The plain meaning. Remez = Allegorical meaning Representation by abstraction, i.e., John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress which is an allegorical work full of symbols. Derash = Moral or homiletic meaning A sermon or message intended to build up the listener morally. Sod = Mystical or anagogic meaning Hidden meanings and ideas, i.e., The Ten Commandments are "spiritual light" reflecting divine consciousness working on our plane of reality.      The problem is that the contextual meaning very often contradicts the allegorical and mystical meanings.    Topic Bible Kabbalah Adam The first created man. Mankind's first representative. Adam was more than a mere man because he was able to dwell beyond our physical realm and his essence is comprised of all the souls who have lived, are living, and will live. Adam knew Eve It means to have sexual relations. "If one applies his wisdom, and understanding, he will obtain much knowledge. And as mentioned above, in relation to the sefirot, this knowledge is what connects the wisdom and understanding to the other 7 sefirot (also known as the children), it leads to the actions. The correct actions. This is what the Torah means when it says... And Adam Knew Eve."  First born Son A title of preeminence and that is transferable.  Of Ephraim and Mannasah, Mannasah is first born in Gen. 41:51-52 and Ephraim is first-born in Jer. 31:9.  Jesus is the first born from the dead, the first to have a glorified body (Col. 1:15). "Exodus 4:22: 'Israel is my first born son.' Here, as previously, the lower divine Face or enthroned form is the one associated with human transformation into the divine son, and is sharply differentiated from an original, and thus older, divine source." God A trinity.  The one supreme deity, personal, and involved in human affairs. God is neither matter or spirit.  "Its central thesis is that God is a source of infinite pure spiritual light, with every human having sparks of divinity within, and our goal being to come closer to the divine source. In addition, humans have a unique purpose to fulfill, for when God created the world, the vessels into which God poured some of His creative energy broke, scattering the divine light and allowing imperfection to form. It is the human task to help God to restore the Universe to its original harmony by rescuing the broken shards through a life of holiness.  Isaiah 5:18 "Woe to those who drag iniquity with the cords of falsehood, and sin as if with cart ropes" "Iniquity is the male. Who is sin? The female. He hauls the one called iniquity with those chords of falsehood, and then send as with a cart will, that female called sin, who is empowered there to fly and kill human beings." Jacob's wrestling with the angel Gen. 32:24-32.  The angel is referred to as an angel in Hos. 12:4 and God in Gen. 32:28, 30; Ho 12:5. "Jacob accomplishes psychologically the same transcendence of his animal nature that is ritually accomplished through animal sacrifice.  it is only after the sacrifice of his lower self, that his name is angelically change...he has "prevailed," achieved a transcending endurance.  Human Sacrifice The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is the means by which God has redeemed his people "...it is rather the use of human sacrifice that represents a degradation from the true purpose of such rights, the transformation of the human into the divine and redemptive sacrifice of that which is animal."  Jesus The Messiah, God in flesh (John 1:1,14) "Jesus, who consistently referred to himself as the "Son of Man" and rejected the title of Messiah, was clearly influenced by the patriarchal strand of earlier Jewish mysticism we have been tracing."  Resurrection The raising and changing on our physical bodies of weakness and despair into physical bodies of life, no sickness, deathlessness; hence, glorified bodies. "resurrection is the heralding of a new era, a transformation into a consciousness previously unknown in which reality undergoes a profound change....resurrection represents the culmination of the rectification of holy sparks that have fallen and have been returned to the original source,"  The Son of Man Has a variety of meanings.  It is used by Jesus in reference to himself (Matt. 24:44).  It is used in Num. 23:19 of a sinner, Psalm 8:4 of the future Messiah, etc. "the essential meaning of Ezekiel's vision, then, is that the son of man, the human son of God, is he who has achieved the mystical capacity to see the divine nature of his own higher self."      As you can see, Kabbalist literature often interprets biblical concepts in strange and mystical manners.  It is a shame that the plain meaning of scripture is so often reinterpreted to unbiblical and anti-biblical meanings by Kabbalist methods. ____________________ References foreveryjew.com, on Adam and Eve Times, The; United Kingdom, Dec 04, 2004  Features, Faith, pg. 80, on God Leet, Leonora., The Secret Doctrine of the Kabbalah. Rochester Vermont: Inner Traditions, 1999, on first born (p. 61), Jacob's wrestling (p. 51), human sacrifice (pp. 31-32), Jesus (p. 40), Son of Man (p. 36) www.sup.org/zohar.  Isaiah 5:18 (p. 28) Cooper, David A., God is a Verb. New York, New York: Riverhead Brooks, 1997, on Resurrection (p. 294)   Return to Kabbalah http://www.carm.org/kabbalah/interpretive_examples.htm

Examples of Kabbalist interpretations of the Bible



Following are some of the terms and phrases redefined in Kabbalistic literature. Kabbalah teaches that the Old Testament has for meanings:

Peshat = Contextual literal meaning

What it says in context. The plain meaning.

Remez = Allegorical meaning

Representation by abstraction, i.e., John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress which is an allegorical work full of symbols.

Derash = Moral or homiletic meaning

A sermon or message intended to build up the listener morally.

Sod = Mystical or anagogic meaning

Hidden meanings and ideas, i.e., The Ten Commandments are "spiritual light" reflecting divine consciousness working on our plane of reality.

The problem is that the contextual meaning very often contradicts the allegorical and mystical meanings.

Topic Bible Kabbalah
Adam The first created man. Mankind's first representative. Adam was more than a mere man because he was able to dwell beyond our physical realm and his essence is comprised of all the souls who have lived, are living, and will live.
Adam
knew
Eve It means to have sexual relations. "If one applies his wisdom, and understanding, he will obtain much knowledge. And as mentioned above, in relation to the sefirot, this knowledge is what connects the wisdom and understanding to the other 7 sefirot (also known as the children), it leads to the actions. The correct actions. This is what the Torah means when it says...
And Adam Knew Eve."
First born Son A title of preeminence and that is transferable. Of Ephraim and Mannasah, Mannasah is first born in Gen. 41:51-52 and Ephraim is first-born in Jer. 31:9. Jesus is the first born from the dead, the first to have a glorified body (Col. 1:15). "Exodus 4:22: 'Israel is my first born son.' Here, as previously, the lower divine Face or enthroned form is the one associated with human transformation into the divine son, and is sharply differentiated from an original, and thus older, divine source."
God A trinity. The one supreme deity, personal, and involved in human affairs. God is neither matter or spirit. "Its central thesis is that God is a source of infinite pure spiritual light, with every human having sparks of divinity within, and our goal being to come closer to the divine source. In addition, humans have a unique purpose to fulfill, for when God created the world, the vessels into which God poured some of His creative energy broke, scattering the divine light and allowing imperfection to form. It is the human task to help God to restore the Universe to its original harmony by rescuing the broken shards through a life of holiness.
Isaiah 5:18 "Woe to those who drag iniquity with the cords of falsehood, and sin as if with cart ropes" "Iniquity is the male. Who is sin? The female. He hauls the one called iniquity with those chords of falsehood, and then send as with a cart will, that female called sin, who is empowered there to fly and kill human beings."
Jacob's wrestling with the angel Gen. 32:24-32. The angel is referred to as an angel in Hos. 12:4 and God in Gen. 32:28, 30; Ho 12:5. "Jacob accomplishes psychologically the same transcendence of his animal nature that is ritually accomplished through animal sacrifice. it is only after the sacrifice of his lower self, that his name is angelically change...he has "prevailed," achieved a transcending endurance.
Human Sacrifice The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is the means by which God has redeemed his people "...it is rather the use of human sacrifice that represents a degradation from the true purpose of such rights, the transformation of the human into the divine and redemptive sacrifice of that which is animal."
Jesus The Messiah, God in flesh (John 1:1,14) "Jesus, who consistently referred to himself as the "Son of Man" and rejected the title of Messiah, was clearly influenced by the patriarchal strand of earlier Jewish mysticism we have been tracing."
Resurrection The raising and changing on our physical bodies of weakness and despair into physical bodies of life, no sickness, deathlessness; hence, glorified bodies. "resurrection is the heralding of a new era, a transformation into a consciousness previously unknown in which reality undergoes a profound change....resurrection represents the culmination of the rectification of holy sparks that have fallen and have been returned to the original source,"
The Son of Man Has a variety of meanings. It is used by Jesus in reference to himself (Matt. 24:44). It is used in Num. 23:19 of a sinner, Psalm 8:4 of the future Messiah, etc. "the essential meaning of Ezekiel's vision, then, is that the son of man, the human son of God, is he who has achieved the mystical capacity to see the divine nature of his own higher self."


As you can see, Kabbalist literature often interprets biblical concepts in strange and mystical manners. It is a shame that the plain meaning of scripture is so often reinterpreted to unbiblical and anti-biblical meanings by Kabbalist methods.

____________________
References

foreveryjew.com, on Adam and Eve

Times, The; United Kingdom, Dec 04, 2004 Features, Faith, pg. 80, on God

Leet, Leonora., The Secret Doctrine of the Kabbalah. Rochester Vermont: Inner Traditions, 1999, on first born (p. 61), Jacob's wrestling (p. 51), human sacrifice (pp. 31-32), Jesus (p. 40), Son of Man (p. 36)

www.sup.org/zohar. Isaiah 5:18 (p. 28)

Cooper, David A., God is a Verb. New York, New York: Riverhead Brooks, 1997, on Resurrection (p. 294)

The Zohar


The Zohar is one of the most important texts, if not the most important in Kabbalah. The Zohar is not a single book. Instead it is allegedly a 2nd century A.D. collection of Aramaic writings from various Kabbalists that is a commentary on the Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy with some commentary on the song of songs, also known as the song of Solomon. Its interpretations of the Torah are highly mystical and subjective and often in contradiction to what the Torah reveals. it seeks to explain as well as the video the relationship between God and man. But, the book is generally believed to have been authored by a 13th Century Jewish mystic named Moses De Leon (1250-1305) partly because it was never mentioned in the Talmud (a collection of commentaries used to explain the the oral law concerning the first five books of the Old Testament). Additions were added to the Zohar in the 14th century.
The Zohar is also said to have special powers which followers can benefit from by running a finger over the text as if reading Braille.1 Of course, Christians reject such a claim and recognized the Zohar as a non-biblical, mystical piece of literature often in contradiction to the Bible. Please consider this quote.

"The Zohar discusses the universe, as a whole, in far broader terms than merely the physical universe. Indeed, the physical universe, as vast as it may be, is dwarfed in comparison with the mystical universe that embraces angelic and demonic realms. Whereas the physical universe is measured in time and distance, the mystical universe is measured in terms of levels of awareness. These levels should not be viewed as separate boundaries, for awareness is a continuum." 2

Notice the ambiguity and non-falsifiability of a the comments. How do you verify what is said about the mystical universe? You can't. But that doesn't stop the Zohar from saying even more about creation.

"The Zohar says,' to create the world, It (Ein Sof, Infinite Nothingness) emanated a secret spark (awareness) from which emerged and radiated all light. The upper world was constituted of this light. Then a [different dimension of] light, a light without brightness (lower consciousness), was fashioned into the lower world. As it is composed of unilluminated light, the lower world is attracted to the upper world."3

Its scope of teaching seems to include predictions of the coming Messiah. Apparently, the Zohar predicted the return of the Messiah in 1648 which was fulfilled in Shabbetai Zvi from Smyrna in Asia Minor. He gathered many followers, so much so that the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire thought that he must be stopped. He captured Sabbettai and given the ultimatum to convert to Islam or die. He converted to Islam.4 Is this the work of the Messiah, to convert to a false relgious system under threat of death? Of course not.

Please consider representative quotes from the Zohar.

“Zohar I 51b-52a: "the beings on high are all of the same illumination, being of celestial essence, whereas the beings below are of a different essence. They (the lower) are to this illumination (the higher) as the candle is to the flame....The light and the shadows are the only elements which form air and water...On leaving its source, the light divides into 75 channels directed toward the material world...Below these channels there are 375 trenches...These trenches are divided into 17 classes, of which each presents the shape of a chain-net...Such is the vision of this area of space which forms seven different colors. These seven colors constitute the supreme mystery...Seven other lights are divided into seven seas, which together amount to one giant sea. This last is the supreme sea where seven others are concentrated...."5

"This end of heaven is called Who. There is another below, called What. What distinguishes the two? The first, concealed one-called Who-can be questioned. Once a human being questions and searches, contemplating and knowing rung after rung to the very last rung - once one reaches there: What? What do you know? What have you contemplated? Or what have you searched? All this concealed, as before."6

"When Concealed of all Concealed emerged on being revealed, it produced at first a single point, which ascended to become thought. within, it drew all drawings, grave to all and ravings, carving within the conceal the holy lamp a graving of one hidden design, only of holies, a deep structure emerging from fat, called Mi, Who, origin of structure. existent and nonexistent, deep and hidden, called by no name but Who. Seekng to be revealed, to be named, it garbed itself in a splendid, radiant garment and created (elleh), these. Elleh attained the name: these letters joined with those, culimnating in the name Elohim." 7

Christians should quickly recognize the problems in such comments from the Zohar. It isn't Christian and it isn't biblical.

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References

Holocaust was Jew's own fault, Madonna sect claims, By: Sweeney, John, Mail on Sunday, 1/9/2005 p42, 1p.

Cooper, David A., God is a Verb. New York, New York: Riverhead Brooks, 1997, p. 34

ibid, p. 35,

Hopking, C.J.M., The Practical Kabbalah Guidebook. New York, New York: Sterling Publishing Co. 2001. p. 14)

http://www.digital-brilliance.com/kab/karr/zie.pdf Reviewers may quote brief passages.

http://www.sup.org/zohar/ p. 6

http://www.sup.org/zohar/ p. 8

http://www.carm.org/kabbalah/zohar.htm

The Origins and History of Kabbalah



Kabbalah claims a divine authorship, though it probably originated in the 12th century A.D. Allegedly, the truth of Kabbalah was first given to the angels before God created the world. Mankind then received it on three separate occasions through three different men. Adam was the first to receive the teaching through the Archangel Raziel as Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. But, because people were more interested in the ways of the world than the things of God, the truth of Kabbalah was eventually lost. It is said that Kabbalah is derived from ancient Hebraic priesthood practices that has the goal of human transformation.1
Abraham (around 1700 B.C.) was the second to receive the truth of Kabbalah. Abraham was supposedly initiated into Kabbalistic mysticism by Melchizedek. Kabbalah was part of the covenant that God made with Abraham. After his descendents became enslaved in Egypt, Kabbalah was once again lost.
The third and final revelation of Kabbalah was given to Moses when he went to Mount Sinai to meet God. The first time Moses went up he received the 10 Commandments. The second time he went up he received the Kabbalah.2 "When Torah was transmitted to Moses, myriads of celestial angels came to scorch him with flames from their Mouths, but the blessed Holy One sheltered him."3
Kabbalists refer to the Mosaic encounters as the outer and inner teaching. The first encounter of Moses with God is when he received the 10 Commandments. This is called the outer teaching. It was upon the second encounter with God that Moses received the Kabbalistic truths. This is referred to as the inner teaching.
Throughout history, Kabbalists have chosen to keep their esoteric interpretations of the Torah hidden from the general populace and religious leaders of the day. Many of the Kabbalists were persecuted and many others knew that their teachings contradicted accepted Jewish and Christian theologies. Therefore, they practiced a self-imposed silence.
Nevertheless, Kabbalah survived and was passed down through the centuries. Originally, only Jewish men who were at least 40 years old could study Kabbalah. But later this restriction was abandoned by many people.
The earliest documented Kabbalistic writing is called the Sepher Yetzirah, or the book of formation. One tradition is that Abraham wrote the book, placed it in a cave, and it was discovered later and published as the Sepher Yetzirah. Another tradition says that the Rabbi Akiva wrote it. He is supposed to be one of the greatest Kabbalists of all time.
Moses De Leon, a 14th century Spanish Kabbalist presented the Zohar, an extremely influential book in Kabbalistic philosophy. De Leon originally claimed that he found the scrolls that have been written much earlier, more than a thousand years earlier. Recent scholarship supports the idea that he is the one who wrote the Zohar.
Present-day Kabbalah is said to have descended through John Dee (1527-1608) who was a mathematician and geographer and Isaac Luria (1534-1572) who he is commonly referred to as the greatest Kabbalist of modern times. Contributers were Chayim Vital (1543-1620), Shabbetai Zvi (1626-1676), Gaon of Vilna ( 1720-1797), Rabbi Ashlag (1886-1955), and others.

Today

Today Kabbalah has become popularized by such writers as Yehuda Berg and spread by the internet and TV. Many traditional Jewish cabalists condemn contemporary Kabbalah movements as fanciful and overly popularized misrepresentations of authentic Kabbalistic philosophy. Whichever the case, today's Kabbalah is definitely more new age than biblical. Even though modern popularized Kabbalah has been condemned by traditional cabalists, readings from the Zohar, which is several hundred years old and is at the heart of Kabbalah, reveals theology reminiscent of the new age: reincarnation, inner divinity, pantheism, etc.
The truth is that Kabbalah has evolved. But it has evolved from one heresy deeper into another. It is not biblical and it is not true.


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References

Leet, Leonora., The Secret Doctrine of the Kabbalah. Rochester Vermont: Inner Traditions, 1999. p. 2

Hopking, C.J.M., The Practical Kabbalah Guidebook. New York, New York: Sterling Publishing Co. 2001. p. 8

The Zohar, http://www.sup.org/zohar/ p. 27

http://www.carm.org/kabbalah/history.htm

The Sepher Yetzirah



The Sepher Yetzirah is also known as the "Book of Formation" and the "Book of Creation." It is the oldest known Kabbalistic writing from which the Zohar is derived. It "describes a total of 32 intelligences or emanations that make up the body and mind of God."1 Kabbalistic traditions says that the origins of the Book of Formation go back to Abraham. Others say it goes back to Rabbi Akiva of the first century. However, modern scholarship dates the book as originating in the fifth century A.D.
The Sepher Yetzirah is not a creation narrative. It is a writing on one aspect of the formation of the universe and mankind and is considered to be a compilation of Hebrew Kabbalistic rabbis. It expounds on the basic structure of Kabbalah, describes creation, through the 32 paths, the ten sephiroth (from the Tree of Life), and the twenty two letters of the Hebrew Alphabet.

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References

Hopking, C.J.M., The Practical Kabbalah Guidebook. New York, New York: Sterling Publishing Co. 2001, p. 26.

http://www.carm.org/kabbalah/sepher.htm