Jewish Mysticism And the Kabbala
The word Kabbala originally meant 'reception' and related to the oral Jewish tradition handed down by Rabbis from generation to generation. The mainspring of the Kabbala is a deeprooted belief in a perpetual inter-relationship between God, the infinite power and man, of the physical world. We can achieve closeness to God by subduing our evil inclinations and bring about spiritual regeneration of humankind through prayers, meditation and interpretation of the Divine mysteries hidden in the Torah. Kabbalists emphasise the importance of mystical formulas and the like in the recitation of prayers and psalms. Meditation cleanses the heart of all obstructions and opens to the ultimate reality that lies within. Jewish mystics may meditate on of a verse of the Torah to uncover its hidden meaning. Jews observe silent meditation as a valuable preparation for prayer; it is a time of quiet when the mind is calmed before communing with THE God. The mystical dimension in Jewish experince represents a rich sure of wisdom of special interest to modern man. Mystical wisdom focuses on the inner man, the spiritual dimension of his nature and the deep hungers of his spirit that cannot be satisfied on the material or sociological plane alone. This teaching is especially pronounced in the book of 150 devotional and inspirational psalms. Jewish mysticism in its various forms represents an attempt to interpret the religious values of Judaism in terms of mystical values. It concentrates upon the idea of the living God who manifests himself in the acts of Creation, Revelation and Redemption. Literally, Kabbala stands for the Jewish mystical tradition, the system whose classical text is Zohar. The Zohar is the fundamental book of the Jewish Kabbala. The Zohar is in a form of commentary on the Penta- teuch, the first five books of the Old Testament. Study of the Torah leads to precision, precision to zeal, zeal to cleanliness, cleanliness to restraint, restraint to purity, purity to holiness, holiness to meekness, meekness to fear of sin, fear of sin to saintliness, saintliness to the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit to life eternal. The perfume of flowers blows not against the wind, but the fragrance of the virtuous blows even against the wind; the virtuous man pervades every direction. The acts of charity, loving- kindness and righteousness are the outward manifestations of an interior faith. The spiritual life, which begins with faith and devotion to Ultimate Reality, finds its completion in deeds compassion, loving-kindness, service and witness, which manifest the Heart of Ultimate Reality in the world. Life as a process of growth is spiritual as well as physical from one stage to the next. stages may be de- scribed in many TREE ways, but funda entally they include: Foundation stage when the knowledge of truth on the gift of salvation is first acquired; a growth stage where the person practises that truth and develops virtue, self-control, insight and self-confidence: and finally the stage of maturity where the person realises the fullness of perfection. The true purpose of religion is to elevate our souls so as to bring us close to God as well as to sanctify the world. In order to achieve this goal we must maintain a high level of spirituality. It is a quest for the perfection of the world through deeds of kindness and compassion so that the world will eventually become a place where harmony, compassion, love and justice will reign. We can all have richer spiritual lives so that we will feel more connected to God and to one another.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Ezekiel Isaac Malekar views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Ezekiel Isaac Malekar and Speaking Tree,Times of India
Jewish Mysticism And the Kabbala
The word Kabbala originally meant 'reception' and related to the oral Jewish tradition handed down by Rabbis from generation to generation. The mainspring of the Kabbala is a deeprooted belief in a perpetual inter-relationship between God, the infinite power and man, of the physical world. We can achieve closeness to God by subduing our evil inclinations and bring about spiritual regeneration of humankind through prayers, meditation and interpretation of the Divine mysteries hidden in the Torah. Kabbalists emphasise the importance of mystical formulas and the like in the recitation of prayers and psalms. Meditation cleanses the heart of all obstructions and opens to the ultimate reality that lies within. Jewish mystics may meditate on of a verse of the Torah to uncover its hidden meaning. Jews observe silent meditation as a valuable preparation for prayer; it is a time of quiet when the mind is calmed before communing with THE God. The mystical dimension in Jewish experince represents a rich sure of wisdom of special interest to modern man. Mystical wisdom focuses on the inner man, the spiritual dimension of his nature and the deep hungers of his spirit that cannot be satisfied on the material or sociological plane alone. This teaching is especially pronounced in the book of 150 devotional and inspirational psalms. Jewish mysticism in its various forms represents an attempt to interpret the religious values of Judaism in terms of mystical values. It concentrates upon the idea of the living God who manifests himself in the acts of Creation, Revelation and Redemption. Literally, Kabbala stands for the Jewish mystical tradition, the system whose classical text is Zohar. The Zohar is the fundamental book of the Jewish Kabbala. The Zohar is in a form of commentary on the Penta- teuch, the first five books of the Old Testament. Study of the Torah leads to precision, precision to zeal, zeal to cleanliness, cleanliness to restraint, restraint to purity, purity to holiness, holiness to meekness, meekness to fear of sin, fear of sin to saintliness, saintliness to the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit to life eternal. The perfume of flowers blows not against the wind, but the fragrance of the virtuous blows even against the wind; the virtuous man pervades every direction. The acts of charity, loving- kindness and righteousness are the outward manifestations of an interior faith. The spiritual life, which begins with faith and devotion to Ultimate Reality, finds its completion in deeds compassion, loving-kindness, service and witness, which manifest the Heart of Ultimate Reality in the world. Life as a process of growth is spiritual as well as physical from one stage to the next. stages may be de- scribed in many TREE ways, but funda entally they include: Foundation stage when the knowledge of truth on the gift of salvation is first acquired; a growth stage where the person practises that truth and develops virtue, self-control, insight and self-confidence: and finally the stage of maturity where the person realises the fullness of perfection. The true purpose of religion is to elevate our souls so as to bring us close to God as well as to sanctify the world. In order to achieve this goal we must maintain a high level of spirituality. It is a quest for the perfection of the world through deeds of kindness and compassion so that the world will eventually become a place where harmony, compassion, love and justice will reign. We can all have richer spiritual lives so that we will feel more connected to God and to one another.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Ezekiel Isaac Malekar views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Ezekiel Isaac Malekar and Speaking Tree,Times of India