Jewish Mysticism Revisited

What’s behind this current drift towards Jewish mysticism? Is there a belief that the answers to our most pressing problems lie buried in the esoteric texts of the Jewish mystics? Why are there so many books, classes and workshops available on mysticism these days? Are Jews now demanding spirituality as a remedy for the problems of society? Does all this represent a fundamental dissatisfaction with traditional Jewish sources, which avoids addressing personal issues? These are some questions that ask to be addressed.

I did a little survey recently of the kinds of books stocked in bookstores and libraries on the subject of Jewish mysticism. I was able to classify my findings into four main categories: the history of Kabbalah; the theory of Kabbalah; interviews with contemporary Kabbalists; and teachings in Jewish meditation, based mostly on non-Jewish sources. I have to ask myself: What does anyone learn about his or her own spirituality from all of this? I answered myself: Probably nothing. In response to my conclusion, I thought I’d offer at least something of practical value.

Originally, the Zohar, the most influential text on Jewish mysticism, outlined a diagram of Ten Sephirot (spheres of Divine energy) symbolic of the flow of God’s blessings, which emanate from the heavenly realm filtering its way down to us, here on earth. It’s a pretty universal concept. Most students are familiar with this configuration either in the shape of a tree (The Tree of Life) or that of the human form; the system works well in other formats also. Each sphere, which functions like a step-down transformer of the original energy, is given a Hebrew name that at first glance lacks specific meaning and I think this was done intentionally.

Let me give you an example. The two centermost spheres on the outside columns of the Tree of Life diagram are labeled Chesed (lovingkindness) and Gevurah (strength) respectively. If you can’t visualize the standard diagram, don’t worry; it’s not important at this time. Just below Chesed and Gevurah on the center column is one named Tiferet (beauty). What do these words mean in terms of understanding yourself or the universe?

For hundreds of years now, debates have persisted as to the meanings of those words and there still remains no consensus of opinion. These Hebrew equivalents start to take on some meaning when we realize that each cluster of three spheres exist on the different levels of consciousness: the emotional, the mental and the spiritual. It suggests that our consciousness is a recreated version of the original spiritual energy. The Sephirot channel high-powered Divine energy down to us in useful forms and the diagram is a map of how it gets here. Maybe that’s why the Torah tells us “But, He said, “you cannot see my face, for man may not see Me and live” (Exodus 33:20); it’s like high voltage electricity, too powerful.

The Sephirot exist in all of us. Kabbalah is an attempt to explain the unexplainable; not necessarily in words, but often through intuition. So, this map of energy transformation from the spiritual realm to the physical was intended as a tool for contemplation, a meditative device. “Lovingkindness”, on the emotional level, is somewhat clearer to understand than some others are; it’s closely related to the definition of unconditional love. But what about “strength” or “beauty”? Once you realize that these names exist in our emotions, then, through, meditative awareness, we can sense intuitively what the labels of the Sephirot mean and how they relate to our lives. These names have different meanings for different people. “Beauty”, in an emotional sense would mean something different for me than it would for you. By consistently meditating on the names of the spheres, their true meaning becomes apparent with suggestions to what needs fixing.

Not everything we know comes from books; probably what we know intellectually is just the “tip of the iceberg”. The vast amount of knowledge available lies beyond our consciousness. The Jewish mystics knew that. They knew that the conventional interpretations of the Torah reached the limit of intellectual capacity and tools were needed to transcend the ability of the mind. They knew that the secrets of the universe lurked beyond human understanding, and meditation became their choice to explore the furthest reaches of inner space—our source of wisdom.

Perhaps modern-day mystics have grown to understand that traditional Jewish sources contain all the material necessary for living a happy, healthy, wholesome life. Perhaps in their quest for the Promised Land, they have discovered their unique purpose in life, their oneness with the universe, their true self and a vision of a peaceful world. Those who are presently making the journey will find new meaning in the words of Torah, not necessarily those mouthed by others but a clear conception of how to run your life as God intended it.