Medieval Judaism and Kabbalah

1
Medieval Judaism and Kabbalah
2
Jewish Diaspora
3
Passover

• Jewish spirituality is centered on practices far
  more than beliefs.

4
Early Kabbalah

• Kabbalah literally means tradition. It also
  means reception. So Kabbalah is often
  understood as the tradition that has been
  received.

5
The Kabbalah Tree

• The central symbol of the Kabbalah is the 10
  sefirot. It is a cosmological symbol that
  expresses 10 manifestations of the One.

6
Torah Scroll

• If God revealed the Torah then it must contain
  the whole truth, and yet if it is in human
  (finite) words then how can it express the
  infinite?

7

• The only way to get around this dilemma was to
  see that the Torah was written in a highly
  symbolic language that could not be fully
  understood by the non-mystics.

8
Spanish Synagogue

• Kabbalah states that how we live affects the
  universe. Everything is connected and nothing is
  separate.

9
The Zohar

• The most important book of Jewish mysticism is
  the Zohar (the Book of Enlightenment) written in
  the late 13th century by Rabbi Moses de Leon.

10
Shekhinah

• Shekhinah is feminine and it is our opening to
  the divine presence. If the Godhead (Ein Sof) is
  transcendent, then Shekhinah is immanent.

11

• According to Isaac Luria (15th century), the
  human task is to liberate the sparks of God and
  return them to the divine. This process of repair
  or mending is accomplished through living a life
  of holiness.

12
Conclusion

• The Jewish mystic uses techniques of prayer,
  meditation, and visualization to become aware of
  the divine presence, the Shekhinah, in order to
  come into relationship with Ein Sof, the divine
  mystery.