"Although its origins are rooted in deep antiquity, from the time of ancient Babylon, the wisdom of Kabbalah has remained virtually hidden from humanity since it appeared more than four thousand years ago. To this very day, only a few know what Kabbalah really is.
For millennia, humanity was offered a wide variety of things under the name “Kabbalah”: spells, curses, and even miracles - all except for the method of Kabbalah itself. For over four thousand years, common understanding of Kabbalah has been cluttered with misconceptions and misinterpretations.
Therefore, first and foremost, the wisdom of Kabbalah needs to be made clear. Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam) provides the following definition in his article "The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah":
This wisdom is no more and no less than a sequence of roots, which hang down by way of cause and effect, in fixed, determined rules, interweaving to a single, exalted goal described as, “the revelation of His Godliness to His creatures in this world.”
In simpler words, there is an upper, all-inclusive force, or “the Creator,” controlling everything in reality. All the world’s forces descend from this comprehensive force. Some of these forces are familiar to us, such as gravity or electricity, while there are forces of a higher order that act while remaining hidden to us.
Kabbalah holds the map or the knowledge of how these hidden forces are structured, and the laws by which they influence us. It teaches us (through books such as The Zohar and other means) how to develop a sense of these forces, and finally, discover their only purpose – to bring us to the revelation of the Creator, the all-inclusive law of nature, while living in this world."
What is NOT Kabbalah?
Myth #1: Kabbalah is a religion.
Fact: Kabbalah is a science - the physics of the overall reality. It is a wisdom that reveals the comprehensive reality that is normally hidden from our senses.
Myth #2: Kabbalah is connected to red strings and holy water.
Fact: There is no connection. Red strings, holy water and other products are a lucrative commercial invention created in the past two decades.
Myth #3: Kabbalah is reserved for a minority of persons and only men over 40 years of age are allowed to learn it.
Fact: During the exile Kabbalah was only studied by a few select individuals. However, since the time of the Ari (the 16th century), it is available to all.
Myth #4: Kabbalah deals with magic.
Fact: Kabbalah does not deal with magic or any other sorcery; rather, it deals with a pragmatic investigation of reality.
Myth #5: Kabbalah is a sect.
Fact: Kabbalah is a wisdom and a science open to every person without any restrictions.
Myth #6: Kabbalah is related to “New Age” and is a trend - a passing phenomenon.
Fact: Kabbalah is humanity’s oldest wisdom. Its beginnings were approximately 5,000 years ago.
Myth #7: Kabbalah is related to tarot cards, astrology and numerology.
Fact: Tarot cards, astrology and numerology, in their mystical practice, have been mistakenly associated with Kabbalah.
Myth #8: There are amulets in Kabbalah.
Fact: In our world, there are no physical objects that bear any spiritual contents. Amulets can only help a person as a psychological support.
Myth #9: Kabbalah involves meditation.
Fact: Kabbalah does not involve meditation. Meditation is another element that was connected to the word “Kabbalah” amid its confusion in the last few centuries by non-Kabbalists.
Myth #10: One needs to have studied the Torah and Talmud prior to approaching Kabbalah books.
Fact: Without Kabbalah, one cannot understand the spiritual meaning of these texts, and is stuck with thinking that they refer to physical events and actions.
Resource: www.kabbalah.info
I study Kabbalah at the
Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education and Research Institute
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