Spark of Jewish Experience

KABALAH-BENEFICIAL OR DANGEROUS

  There is an example of the “adventurous” vs the “practical”. How many remember reading the first volume of the Me’am Loez in English. Many loved  the psycadelic angels and demons and extra terrestrials that were incorporated throughout the book!! Others found it to be not for them.

  Lets take the topic a step further. We humans have many issues and problems that we have to deal with; that’s life. We live a high pressured life style that requires “on demand” quick and precise answers.  Many  Americans benefit by using a psychiatrist to help them through their problems while some of us Jews have Rabbi’s and Kabbalists. Oh yes, you heard right kabbalist not therapist. We  occasionally want to beat the system and come out on top and a kabbalist,  can provide us with precisely that.

 A Kabbalist, if one believes in this approach,  can help give many an angle on some of the tough decisions that one makes. Some believe they get an edge on making difficult decisions consulting with a Kabbalist/Rabbi.

  When I was in the jewelery business I once send out merchandise worth about $20,000 on the recommendation of someone to a store out in Arkansas. The trade book gave them an excellent rating. However, the owner recently retired and handed over the helm to his daughter who was not very capable, to say the least. The daughter sent back the merchandise to the wrong address uninsured!!. After refusing to pay and answer my calls I, with the recommendation of a friend from another neighboring state hired a lawyer. The law is one can only hire a lawyer from the state of which the defendant is being sued. Having a choice of 3 lawyers I asked a kabbalist, Rabbi Shienberger z’l, from the Sanza Rebbi dynasty, who would be the best choice for my case. He chose one & was right ; I retrieved most of my money.

 The question is asked; do kabbalists actually have special powers? Where do they get their powers? Is it possible they can get their energy source from a negative evil side?

There are different types of powers that kabbalists possess which they learned from the Jewish mystical traditions. Every one has a different source of power which they learned from their teacher (Rebbi) through tradition.

1-chochmat hayad- palm reading

2-chochmat hapartzuf- Knowing about an individual by looking at his face

3- combination of Hebrew names

4-koach hanefesh- Some have a gift from G-d; they are able to feel what can happen in the future. Although, at times its not so reliable sometimes, it can be very accurate. The individual can hone and sharpen his gift through learning Torah. This may not be considered kabbalah. It may be genetic.

5-Unknown- There, most likely, may be other forms of power source.

If one does practice the mystical tradition he would have to be granted permission to do so from a superior Rabbi.

 In this weeks parsha we find the collaboration of Bilam and Balak, both experts in black magic, both Jew haters, on a mission to destroy the Jews.

How did Bilam and Balak have knowledge of such powers?

  We learn a very interesting but difficult passage referring to our forefather Avraham: Abraham marries Keturah at the end of  parshat Chayei Sarah, and Rashi tells us that this is Hagar. When the Torah refers to someone by introducing the figure with “Shmo” or “shma” (“His/her name is”) we know that the Torah is describing the person’s essence. In this case we know that Ketura was really Hagar, Abraham’s concubine, but something about her essence involved incense, as Rashi tells us (the word Ketura is related in incense).

 Avraham passed down the power of kedusha to his son Yitzchak. We learned that there has to be an equilibrium in the world or else freedom of choice can not exist. Therefore just as goodness was passed to Yitzchak, so too evil black magic was reviled and given to his other sons.

Interestingly, there are other forms of negative energy. One of which is cross breeding.

The Torah prohibits the cross-breeding of species. This action is called kelaim. Shaatnez is crossbreeding linen and wool, Chessed and Gevurah,  and has tremendous ramification in the spiritual world.

 When these negative energies are created they can be formed to be more of a potent element by Evil people

Evil and impurity are often referred to in the Zohar as “the other side” [sitra achra], meaning the side distinct from, and opposed to holiness. Evil is also referred to as kelipa, meaning literally “shell” or “bark”. The kelipa conceals within it a spark of holiness, which is the vital force by virtue of which the kelipa exists, analogous to a fruit surrounded by a shell or peel. In order to release the holy spark the encumbering shell must be removed.

 

Kabbalah uses the term Kelipah to describe evil. Literally, Kelipah means a “peel” or “shell,” as in the peel of a fruit.

An orange will not retain its juice if it does not have a protective jacket. However when one eats the orange, one discards the peel. The peel is only there to preserve the fruit. The same is true of the existence of evil.
The Zohar distinguishes among four kelipot, three of which are entirely evil. The fourth, kelipat noga, is the shell which actually envelops the spark of holiness. It thus has direct contact with holiness and is not entirely evil. The other three kelipot surround kelipat noga and are therefore further removed from holiness.

 

Kabbalah divides everything in this world into either Sitra D’Kedushah (the side of holiness) or Sitra Achra (the side of impurity)-literally meaning “the other side,” or the side of Kelipah. There is nothing that is in between-every thought, speech, action, or creation has its source either in Kedushah or Kelipah.

 

The Midrash states that prior to the creation of this world, G-d created other worlds and destroyed them. The first world created was the World of Chaos taken from the word in Genesis 1:2, “In the beginning of G-d’s creating the heavens and earth, the earth was Tohu Vavohu-chaotic and empty. There was a great advantage of the World of Chaos, for it was brilliant and filled with intense Lights. Its great disadvantage was that each Sefirah ( sefirah (pl. sefirot) is a channel of Divine energy or life-force. This most fundamental concept of Kabbalah is that in the process of creation an intermediate stage was emanated from God’s infinite light to create what we experience as finite reality) was egotistic and wanted all the Light for itself, unable to share or co-exist with another. The root of independence and ego therefore stems from the World of Chaos.

 

Such a world could not exist so it was destroyed and a much better World of Correction (Tikkun) was constructed. Where then the new world was called the World of Correction.

Many people beleive one should not get involved with a Kabbalist. What tends to happen is one often begins to rely too much on the kabbalist, on his kochot (strength) hakabala and forgoes his own kochot of the brain. However for those who are able to minimize their request to the “absolutely necessary” then perhaps, it can help one in life.

 

Interestingly, my father z’l passed away from prostate cancer. Unfortunately, it was diagnosed late where it already reached the bone. Nevertheless, it was localized and was under control for many years. After the illness reached an advanced stage there is no standard treatment. All the oncologists basically perform their own doctrine of medicine. Everyone had his own contraption mixing various  medication, such as different hormone therapy with chemo-therapy. I guess one can equate it to the wild wild west, where anything goes. There is no supervision; if it works, it works. Its the same with kabalah; it seems like after a certain time and experience  each kabalist has his own method.

Perhaps the reason for the “wild wild west” disparity is that each one of us, because of our diversity, has the ability to reach the highest level through our own unique way.  Conceivably, it was designed that way. There is more of an individuality; there is more of a particularity when dealing with the higher level. The essence of a person stands out more when one reaches this lofty level. He’s able to rise above with the strength of his name SHEMO.  However, and this is a very important prerequisite, one can only reach that level when he has refined his character by being aware of the importance of giving, performing chessed, and being sensitive to others.

 

Lets take Avraham our forefather; remember he gave the gifts to his children from Ketura. Perhaps we will see why Avraham gave gifts to those sons without string attached  while to his chosen son Yitzchak  he incorporated character development along with the secret kabbalah tradition .  When Avraham had his brit milah (circumcition) at a very old age,he wanted to do chessed-kindness. His trusted servant, Eliezer, whom he sent out to find people, came back saying he couldn’t find anybody to perform kindness. No individual was present in the heatwave. Avraham said I cannot trust my slave. There has to be someone out there.  This is  very strange. Avraham later on trusted Eliezer in finding his son Yitzchak a wife; he was his right hand man. How can he not trust him?

 

Chessed is an opportunity The world is build on chessed-kindness. The love of man kind  that one masters through this great trait is crucial in maintaining the existence of the world. With chessed one  fixes the TIKUN of this world contrasting the world of TOHU VAVOU. Then and only then it will  lead  one to sharpen his own individuality. In this way one is able to bring out the orange from the klipa.

 

I once spoke to an individual, a chasidic fellow, who practically went to every kabbalist in the world. A few years ago, out of frustration he stopped cold turkey. He said “I can get just as close to G-d as they do. Perhaps, at times,  they can give me the right answers nevertheless I’d rather go one on one’. One has to really do his homework in knowing how legitimate a kabbalist is. I know how legitimate my prayers are. I feel I am in control having a conversation with G-d.”

 

Going to a kabalist is not for everybody. For some it can be beneficial however for some it can be destructive