Introduction
Kabbalah is the theology of the Jewish people; it is the way Judaism understands God and the relationship between God and the world. For Kabbalists, all the laws, customs, practices, holidays, and rituals of Judaism are best understood in light of the Kabbalistic teachings about God and of what it is that God wants from humans.
Over the centuries, Kabbalah has become more and more systematized. Brilliant Jewish sages have explored, developed, and refined Jewish theology to the point at which, in the last six centuries, Kabbalah has become a distinct system of ideas, beliefs, technical terminology, and values with its own history, great personalities, controversies, and vocabulary. But Kabbalah, which means “the received tradition,” has always been an integral part of Jewish religious and spiritual life.
Like other studies of divinity and spirituality, Kabbalah deals with ultimate questions: Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? What for? Why?
About This Book
Kabbalah is often thought to be a secret study occupying the minds of elite students throughout the ages. But the “secrets” of Kabbalah aren’t the typical kind in which information is revealed to the few.
There are two kinds of secrets:
Secrets that are kept from the public: When revealed, these secrets are recognized for what they are: clever illusions that, once revealed, can never fool again. Whatever “mysteries” the illusions once held disappear.
Real secrets that are available for all to see: When real secrets are explored, they become deeper and more profound. They become richer and give birth to even greater secrets while their revelations illuminate the world. Such are the so-called “secrets” of Kabbalah.
My goal in writing this book is to help set the record straight and to inform the general public about what Kabbalah is — and also what Kabbalah isn’t.
In recent years Kabbalah has become a pop culture phenomenon, a development that’s resulted in the spread of tremendous inaccuracies and misinformation about the subject. This book is for those who are curious about the subject as well as for those who sincerely want to begin to grasp some of the profound teachings of Kabbalah and to integrate Kabbalistic wisdom into their daily lives.
Unfortunately, some books represent Kabbalah as a New Age, mystical practice dealing with amulets, obscure forms of meditation, superstition, and occult practices. Some books on Kabbalah separate Kabbalah from Judaism, misinforming well-meaning students and encouraging them to think of Kabbalah as a general philosophy of life rather than as a spiritual practice inextricably integrated into Jewish law, ritual, prayer, and study.
Kabbalah For Dummies explains in plain English both the major abstract ideas of Kabbalah as well as the Kabbalistic practices that are part of daily Jewish life. Although the study of Kabbalah can be a major commitment that influences a practitioner’s entire life, a person can pick up on many profound approaches to life just by considering the ideas and perspectives of Kabbalah.
Conventions Used in This Book
Because Kabbalah is a complex and often controversial topic, I had to establish a few conventions while writing to keep things as fair and simple as possible. As you’re reading Kabbalah For Dummies, please keep in mind my conventions regarding the following:
References to God: Kabbalistic notions about God include the fundamental belief that the Almighty doesn’t have a gender, so whenever possible, I refrain from referring to God using masculine pronouns. However, the primary language of Judaism, Hebrew, doesn’t have a neutral gender, so most Hebrew nouns are masculine. In addition, although there’s a female term that indicates God’s indwelling presence in the world, the male forms of God’s names have their own spiritual significance (Kabbalistic tradition has many names for God, as I explain in Chapter 16). In Jewish prayers, for example, God is referred to as “He.” This isn’t sexism; God is neither He nor She, so please don’t be offended when God is referred to as “He.”
The word “Kabbalist”: Throughout this book I refer to things that Kabbalists do or believe. In reality, none of the great (or even not-so-great) Kabbalists ever referred to themselves as Kabbalists. All the great Kabbalists throughout history have been Jews, more specifically traditional, observant Jews. In today’s terms, they’d probably be called Orthodox Jews.
I use the term “Kabbalist” through this book to refer to those people, great sages, or everyday people like me who integrate into their lives the beautiful Jewish practices and profound ideas that are part of Jewish tradition and have explicit connection to Jewish theological — and therefore Kabbalistic — ideas.
A great sage is referred to as a Kabbalist because he wrote about or taught the theology of Judaism and was specifically interested in using the vocabulary and essential ideas contained in the theological, esoteric explorations of Judaism. Even today, teachers who are considered masters of Kabbalah aren’t generally known as Kabbalists; instead, the term mekubal (meh-koo-bahl) indicates that a certain teacher is a qualified teacher of Kabbalah and is known for his or her Kabbalistic teachings.
Hasidism: In recent centuries, there have been two streams of Kabbalah study.
• One is represented by the great rabbi born in the year 1720 known as Rabbi Elijah (also known as the Vilna Gaon). He saw Kabbalah as a subject reserved for study only by the best students.
• The other is represented by the great rabbi born around the same time, in 1698, known as Rabbi Israel (also known as the Baal Shem Tov). The thrust of his teaching was to bring the wisdom and practice of Kabbalah to the average person, not just to the elite scholar. This effort is called Hasidism.
In this book, many of the sages that I quote and many of the Kabbalistic practices that I address come from Hasidism, which is basically the effort during the last few centuries within Judaism to bring Kabbalah to the masses. Because Kabbalah For Dummies is an effort to explain Kabbalah to as many people as possible, it’s filled with teachings from Hasidism, which is Kabbalah for everyone.
Dates: I don’t use the abbreviations BC and AD to indicate dates in this book because these designations measure time in relation to Christian history. Rather, I use BCE, which means “Before the Common Era” and CE, which means “Common Era.” For example, the year that Columbus discovered America would be indicated as 1492 CE.
Gender equality: Religious groups throughout history have defined participatory roles for men and women in a number of ways. Throughout this book, I’ve tried to approach subjects from a starting point that assumes that both men and woman can participate in all Jewish rituals. However, it’s important to note that the Kabbalistic tradition isn’t gender neutral; it maintains that men and women are spiritually different. When men and women honor and celebrate these differences through practices and roles unique to each gender, they fully realize the deeper spiritual dimension of their lives and the unique contributions to the world that emanate from these different spiritual places.
Pronunciation of Hebrew words: Many Hebrew words and phrases appear throughout this book, and because not everyone’s familiar with the language, I’ve offered pronunciation help. The syllable that has the accent is always in italics. But you should be aware that there are two ways to pronounce many Hebrew words:
• Ashkenazic: This is the Eastern European pronunciation that’s used in most Orthodox synagogues. An example is Shabbos (shah-bus; Sabbath), with the accent on the first syllable.
• Sephardic: This is the modern Israeli pronunciation that’s used in most liberal synagogues in the United States. An example is Shabbat (shah-baht; Sabbath), with the accent on the second syllable.
As you can see from the examples, not only are the pronunciations of the sounds different, but the accented syllable is also different. It isn’t unusual for someone today to bounce back and forth between pronunciations. In the traditional Jewish world I’ve live in for the past 25 years, pronunciation of Hebrew words is generally Ashkenazic. But the modern Israeli pronunciation also has a great influence, and some of my pronunciations reflect this. For example, I sometimes find myself saying both “Shabbos” and “Shabbat” on the Sabbath, sometimes within mere moments of each other. In this book, I mostly use the transliteration and pronunciation commonly used in Israel, but sometimes, especially if it has become common usage, I give the Ashkenazic pronunciation.
By the way, another example of varied pronunciation is the word “Kabbalah.” The Ashkenazic pronunciation is kuh-bah-lah, whereas the modern Israeli pronunciation is kah-bah-lah.
What You’re Not to Read
If you have the time and inclination to read this book from cover to cover, by all means, get to it! However, if you’re only looking for the most helpful, most essential facts and explanations, you can skip the sidebars, which appear in shaded gray boxes throughout this book. They’re interesting (I hope!) anecdotes and pieces of information that supplement the text but aren’t essential for an understanding of the topics being explored.
Foolish Assumptions
When writing this book, I had to make some assumptions about you, dear reader. First off, I don’t assume that you’re Jewish, nor do I assume that you want to be. And although Kabbalah is just as much a spiritual practice as a spiritual theory, I don’t assume that you want to engage in each and every practice.
Following are some additional assumptions I’ve made. If you fit into any of these categories, this book is for you:
You’ve heard about Kabbalah and are curious about it, perhaps because some showbiz personality has said that he or she is studying it or because it was a part of your general education but you don’t have a firm grasp of what it’s all about.
You want to know more about Kabbalah, whether you’re religious or not.
You know little or nothing about Jewish religious practice, which is really the framework of Kabbalah.
Like so many people, you’ve tried to understand what life is all about, and you’ve heard that Kabbalah has its own approach to the big, eternal questions of life.
You’ve heard about some things that the media claims are part of Kabbalah (like wearing a red string around your wrist or drinking Kabbalah water), and you want to know if there’s any truth or authentic basis to these things.
You’re a spiritual seeker, and you’ve heard that Kabbalah is a spiritual approach to life.
You know people who are “into Kabbalah” and you want to understand them better.
You may or may not be Jewish, but you’re curious about Jews who call themselves Hasidic, which means they live a religious lifestyle based on the principles and practices of Kabbalah.
You’ve been told that Kabbalah is a secret tradition, and you want to know what the secret is all about.
You’re Jewish but feel that the Judaism you know is lacking in spirituality — and you’ve been led to believe that Kabbalah is the spiritual path (and sometimes even called the soul) of Judaism.
How This Book Is Organized
I organized this book so that you can skip around easily. In order to help you get in, get the information you need, and get out without reading cover to cover, I divided the book into parts that give you one piece of the Kabbalah picture at a time.
Part I: So, What’s the Big Secret? Unmasking Kabbalah
This part provides you with the basics. First, you get an overview of the entire subject, in particular its major ideas and concepts. Because Kabbalah has evolved over the centuries and is populated by many key teachers throughout the ages, a history of Kabbalah is a must. Although I’ve taken great pains to avoid technical language, Kabbalah, like every field of study, has its own unique terms and vocabulary. This part introduces these terms with clear explanations. And because so much misinformation floats around about Kabbalah, I explore and explain what Kabbalah isn’t.
Part II: Cutting to the Core of Kabbalah
Every worldview, philosophy, and religion has assumptions, and Kabbalah is no exception. This part presents what I would say are the two major assumptions at the heart of Kabbalah: The world is in need of repair, and the human soul is eternal. These two assumptions also have a connection to each other: The work of the human soul is to use its body to repair the world. This part explores how Kabbalists participate in repairing the world as well as the nature and journey of the human soul.
Part III: Livin’ La Vida Kabbalah
This part puts the theory of Kabbalah into practice. Kabbalah isn’t just an abstract philosophy, and it isn’t just a system of ideas. Kabbalah is a way of life. There are things Kabbalists do every day, every week, every year, and throughout their lives, from birth to death. These acts and others give expression to the profound and eternal ideas taught by the great sages of Kabbalah. The chapters in this part cover the major activities, celebrations, and rituals that make up the life of a Kabbalist.
Part IV: Fine-tuning the Essential Skills of the Kabbalist
In this part, I define and explore the two almost-constant activities of Kabbalists: study and prayer. Both activities are expressions of one’s relationship to God; the study of the holy books of Kabbalah and the recitation of daily prayers define the ongoing conversation that Kabbalists have with God. This part concludes with an in-depth look at the Kabbalistic view of God, known to Kabbalists as the Infinite One.
Part V: The Part of Tens
Every For Dummies book has a Part of Tens. This part consists of interesting lists people, places, and myths related to Kabbalah. With so much misinformation floating around about Kabbalah, I take on the ten biggest myths circulating in books and in the media. I move on to well-known Kabbalists throughout the ages, of which the cream of the crop are easily identifiable. Even though the well-known artist, Madonna, whose work I enjoy and admire, doesn’t belong in such a list, she’s the first person who comes to mind for many people who know little about Kabbalah, so I discuss her in this part. And because there are many places around the globe of particular interest to Kabbalists, this part contains an enlightening Kabbalistic travelogue. I wrap up this collection of lists with my top recommendations of Kabbalistic books and authors.
Part VI: Appendixes
Here I’ve included a few more handy items that didn’t really fit elsewhere in the book but are important just the same. Appendix A is a list of books and authors related to Kabbalah, Appendix B is a breakdown of the important characters in the Torah, and Appendix C is a convenient glossary of all things Kabbalah.
Icons Used in This Book
All For Dummies books feature icons (little pictures that grab your attention) in the margins to serve you well. Think of them as road signs pointing to different kinds of information in the chapters.
.jpg)
Where to Go from Here
The classic books of Kabbalah don’t begin at the beginning; throughout the ages, students of Kabbalah have jumped into a holy book at any point and started swimming through it. In fact, when studying a book of Kabbalah, it often isn’t until the second time around that the reader begins to really understand the depths of the text. Often, concepts build upon each other, and it isn’t until a student grasps a certain idea that he or she can start building ideas upon ideas.
Kabbalah For Dummies works in a similar way — it doesn’t necessarily begin at the beginning. Like Kabbalists throughout history, why not just jump in wherever you want to begin? Although I’ve tried to provide a useful introduction to the entire subject in Chapter 1, you can just look through the table of contents and pick out something of special interest. For example, if you’ve studied Eastern religions, you know that reincarnation is a fundamental notion, and so you may be interested in the Kabbalistic take on the topic in Chapter 7.
Bob Dylan once wrote the lyric that he doesn’t want to learn something that he has to “unlearn.” Unfortunately, many false notions and half truths about Kabbalah circulate these days, so you may want to first clean the slate and “unlearn” what you’ve heard by turning to Chapter 2, which tells you what Kabbalah isn’t. And you may want to supplement that information with Chapter 17’s take on myths about studying Kabbalah.
But wherever you begin, get ready to enter a profound worldview that has inspired and sustained countless spiritual seekers since time immemorial.