What Is the Kaballah?
Kabbalah, which is also spelled Qabalah. Cabala, Qaballah, Qabala and Kaballah, is derived from the roots "to receive, to accept" and is translated as "tradition." In the Jewish religion, Kabbalah is the oral tradition that supplements the Torah, which is made up of the five books of the Old Testament, the written set of laws that guide Jews in worship. Kabbalah has been passed on from one generation to another, and it contains further interpretations of the Torah and religious ideals, such as what is the essence of God.
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History
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It is difficult to know when Kaballah originated. It is a form of mysticism, which is based upon ideals of the knowledge of God or reality through religious practices, and it is said to be based upon the oral traditions of Abraham. This oral tradition may date back to as far as the 1st century C.E., but most trace its origins back to the 12th century, when it was written about by scholars such as Isaac the Blind as being the esoteric and mystical ideas linked to Judaism. Isaac the Blind was a scholar and teacher of the Kabbalah tradition. Another key figure was Abraham Abulafia of Saragossa, a Spanish scholar who traveled to parts of the Middle East and Africa and taught yoga techniques, techniques of breathing and rhythmic prayer along with the ideals of Kabbalah.
Knowledge
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There are four different levels of understanding of the Torah and other texts that are connected to people's level of spirituality. The last two levels, known as drash and sod, are connected to Kaballah. Drash, the third level of knowledge, is made up of ideas that are integral parts of the Torah but are not directly stated within them. They are often the deeper meanings that can be found within passages. This can also be connected with the way that the Torah is preached by rabbis and the understanding that can develop from this. Sod, the last level of knowledge, is the secret meanings that are found in the Torah. These are the concepts that are not easily understood, which are not expressed in explicit terms in written texts, such as ideas relating to God, the universe and creation.
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God
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In Kaballah, God is seen as being something that does not exist in time or space and is endless, an idea which is referred to as Ein Sof. Even though Ein Sof does not interact with the universe, it can take forms known as the Ten Seifrot, which have both masculine and feminine qualities. The Seifrot interact with everything in the world, and they are responsible for the good and evil that exists. Heaven, known as gan eden, is a space that human beings enter after death, where they are exposed to God's spiritual light.
Souls
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Kabbalists believe that there are two distinct types of souls that can be found in human beings, the nefesh habehamit and the nefesh ha-elokit. The nefesh habehamit is animal soul which animates the body. It is responsible for the needs and thoughts of the body, and it ensures that it is not a lifeless form. The nefesh ha-elokit is the spiritual soul. This is what humans use to form connections with God. Some Kabbalists also see the soul as being five parts: the nefesh, ruach, neshama, chaya and yechida. The nefesh causes the physical body to work; the ruach, the emotions and the neshama, the mind. The chaya is the part of the soul that is above the body, and the yechida is the portion that is connected to God, which is not connected directly to the human body.
Meditation
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In order to attain a higher level of spirituality, many Kabbalists meditate regularly. This is a practice that mystics have been engaging in for more than 2,000 years. It has been seen as a way to become closer to God. Kabbalists generally meditate in order to bring positive changes in themselves, especially their souls, through direct interaction with God and other spiritual beings.
Written Works
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One of the main works of Kaballah is the Zohar, the Book of Splendor, which is a 23-volume work which guides people in what actions they should engage in to attain high levels of understanding of the world and themselves. The book is made up of a number of allegories and legends that are supposed to provide the basis for spiritual growth. The book outlines the 125 stages of the spiritual path a person should go through in order to get closer to knowing the origin of all things. By the time a Kabbalist has finished, he is expected to have reached the highest level of "spiritual wholeness." Another important work in Kaballah is the Sefer Yetzirah, the Book of Creation, which is the oldest of all of the Kabbalah texts. This book contains a number of thoughts on God's creation of the World and of mankind, and its ideas have been attributed to Abraham.
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