Sam Haddad in Questions

Kabbalah religion | Common questions on kabbalah

Common questions on kabbalah

There are common questions on kabbalah religion and Cabbalah’s beliefs and Philosophy with answers From the kabbalah religion’s standpoint.

What does a Kabbalah bracelet mean?

It means nothing. It’s a custom, but not related at all to Kabbalah. wearing a thin scarlet or crimson string (Hebrew: חוט השני, khutt hasheni) as a type of talisman is a Jewish folk custom as a way to ward off misfortune brought about by the “evil eye”.
In Kabbalah, the issue is not protecting oneself against the evil eye, but in not creating it in the first place. This is done by always abiding by the principle law of the Torah: Love thy friend as thyself.” It is our internal action, not an external ornament that protects us.

What do ABBA and IMMA mean in Kabbalah?

ABBA is a nickname for the sephirah of Chochmah, wisdom, while IMMA is a nickname for the sephirah of Binah, understanding. (Actually, ABBA is called the “Partzuf”, or “visage” of Chochmah, and IMMA is the “partzuf” of Binah.)

The explanation given is that Chochmah is like a flash of insight, like the seminal drop that is contributed by the father.

Binah, understanding, takes this seminal drop of insight of Chochmah and develops it into details, examples, and ramifications, much as the mother receives the drop of semen and develops it into a child.

What is the difference between Judaism and Kabbalah?

Kabbalah is primarily an esoteric theoretical apparatus within Judaism for understanding the Torah, the cosmos, God, humanity, etc. It emerged in the medieval period, roughly 1,000 years ago (i.e., significantly later than the Jewish Bible or even the founding documents of rabbinic Judaism).

Judaism is a religion, or even better, think of Judaism as a term that covers several closely linked religions. These Judaisms include some religious communities that have lapsed over the last 2500+ years. Today, the main extant forms can be divided by doctrine between Orthodox and non-Orthodox rabbinic Judaism, and by ethnic cultures that are mostly either Ashkenazic (central & northern Europe) or Sephardic/Mizrahi (from other Jewish communities).

Thus, Judaism includes Jewish beliefs, practices, institutions, and communities.

What is the ultimate purpose of studying Kabbalah?

The wisdom of Kabbalah (the wisdom of reception) first appeared about 5,000 years ago, when humans began to ask about the purpose of their existence. Those who knew it were called “Kabbalists,” and had the answer to life’s purpose and to the role of humanity in the universe.

But in those days, the desires of most people were too small to strive for this knowledge. So when Kabbalists saw that humanity did not need their wisdom, they hid it and secretly prepared it for a time when everyone would be ready for it. In the meantime, humanity cultivated other channels such as religion and science.

Today, when growing numbers of people are convinced that religion and science do not provide the answers to life’s deepest questions, they are beginning to look elsewhere for answers. This is the time that Kabbalah has been waiting for, and this is why it is appearing now—to provide the answer to the purpose of existence.

Kabbalah tells us that Nature, which is synonymous with the Creator, is whole, altruistic, and united. It tells us that we must not only understand Nature, but we must also want to implement this manner of existence within ourselves.

Kabbalah also tells us that by so doing we will not only equalize with Nature, we will understand the Thought that stands behind it—the Thought of Creation. Finally, Kabbalah states that by understanding the Thought of Creation, we will become equal to it and that this is the purpose of Creation—to equalize with the Creator.

Kabbalah is one branch of Jewish beliefs within the diverse world of Judaisms. There are variations of Kabbalah as systems of religious thought. Some current Judaisms rely heavily on Kabbalah. But other Judaisms pay almost no attention to Kabbalah, though vestiges of its influence are found scattered throughout all Judaisms.

So, Kabbalah is a subset of the beliefs & ideas that can be found in Judaisms, with this subset far more important in some Judaisms than others.

What does the Kabbalah say about soulmates/twin souls?

Kabbalah is full of references to the twin souls, starting with the Zohar and other medieval treatises such as “The Secret of the Union of David and Bathsheba” by Josef Gikatilia, and ending with Isaac Luria, the last of the great kabbalists. According to Kabbalah, the complete human being is male and female at the same time and thus was created. But as a result of the Exile of the Shekinah (the “wife” of God), the human being created in divine image and likeness split into two halves. And it is these two halves that we know by the name of “twin souls” (Bashert in Jewish terminology). Quoted from Sefer-ha-Zohar: “Before coming to this Earth, each soul and each spirit is composed of one man and one woman united in one single being. Descending to Earth, these two halves are separated and sent to incarnate two different bodies. When it’s time for marriage, God unites them as before.”

What is the relationship between Kabbalah and the Bible?

The Bible (or Torah) is sublime and spiritual, but, frankly, it can be a bit long on history with its lists of relations. You read about people marrying, divorcing, cheating on each other, and killing one another. A fair question might be: what’s so spiritual about that?

In the framework of Kabbalah, however, the Bible doesn’t tell stories of people. Instead, it presents relations between spiritual forces.

“First, you must know that when dealing with spiritual matters that have no concern with time, space, and motion, and especially when dealing with Godliness, we do not have the words by which to express and contemplate. …For that reason, the sages of the Kabbalah have chosen a special language, which we can call “the language of the branches.” – Yehuda Ashlag, Talmud Eser Sefirot.

sources: 1