subject: Kabbalah,Biblical story of creation [print this page] Kabbalah,Biblical story of creation Kabbalah,Biblical story of creation
You may have read in the popular media of Kabala. People in the limelight such as Madonna have become involved with this mystical aspect of spirituality. You may well of wondered about Cabala what it is all about and even if in any manner are Cabbalists related in any manner to Scientology in its various aspects. Or even has this aspect of Jewish spirituality taken over in the limelight by any manner from Scientology and its followers and precepts.
Literally in the Hebrew language (the historic language of the bible), the word Kabala translates as tradition. Kabbalah as a spiritual practice can be summarized and explained as a form, or even in many authorities eyes, as Jewish mysticism.
Kabbalah can be said to be an attempt to fathom the mysteries of the master of the universe and the mysteries of the creation of entirety. The Kabbalists developed a complete and full philosophic system during the Middle Ages. The Talmud itself contains mystical interpretations of the Biblical story of creation. With the appearance of the Zohar in the thirteen (13 Th) centuries, the study of Kabbalah gained great renown and popularity.
Jewish mysticism attracted itself to many and varied remarkable personalities , some of whom even considered themselves even to be the messiah or Messiach themselves Amazingly even one such event transfixed itself with Abraham Abulafia ( 1240 1291) who regarded himself as the fore-runner of said Messiah / Messiach, even attempting to convert none less than the Pope himself to Judaism.
Kabalistic teaching gained in intensity and scope in sixteenth century Safed/ This town in the upper Galilee in the modern day state of Israel, became a center of Jewish mysticism ; its foremost teachers of Kabbalah included Issac Luria ( 1534- 1572). A practical or miracle-working mystic, Luria claimed that the prophets of creation had been revealed to him personally, by none other than the prophet Elijah. Luria believed that human beings could attain full identification with the Divine Spirit through intense concentration, referred to as kavvanah.