the wicked meet the wicked .....kabbalah is their motto... How much do you know about Kabbalah and what is the first thing that you think of? Personally, the first ideas that comes to my mind are red bracelets and Madonna! The singer/celebrity Madonna has been the poster child for Kabbalah in the last decade. Sporting the red bracelet, she’s embraced this form of Jewish mysticism and has encouraged others to do the same. I have to admit, that’s pretty much the extent of my knowledge. I’m guessing that it might also be the same for you. Therefore, we are going to unpack this mystical practice and examine the basic beliefs that make up the system of Kabbalah that we see today. The following is a list of basic beliefs and facts about Kabbalah: •Kabbalah originates from Judaism and can only be completely understood in view of its Jewish roots. •Kabbalist’s claim it is a hidden or secret doctrine. The Hebrew word Kabbalah means “to receive.” Thus, Kabbalah is to receive hidden knowledge. •Kabbalah teaches that God gave Moses the written law and the oral law. Kabbalah comes from the oral law and is seen as feminine. The masculine side of Judaism is the written law. •Hidden knowledge comes only from the oral law but is understood within the context of the written law. •Kabbalah is a mixture of philosophy, white magic, and meditative practices. •Even if a person does not fully understand Judaism, he or she can still gain many insights into life by studying Kabbalah’s concepts. •Kabbalah seeks to understand the fusion between the physical and spiritual, how humans control the universe, and how they are one with God. •The red string some Kabbalist’s wear is to ward off evil and misfortune. There is so much more to learn about Kabbalah than what I’ve indentified in this list. Therefore, for the sake of this blog post and length, we are going to focus on the aspect of Kabbalah as a secret knowledge. You can learn more about Kabbalah from the links listed below. Christianity doesn’t teach that there is a secret knowledge. The New Age movement, like Kabbalah, claims that the Bible teaches a secret knowledge that must be looked for beyond a passages literal interpretation. However, when looked at closely, this is not the case. Even when Jesus speaks in parables, He reveals the true meaning to the disciples. The disciples were they only people who were willing to hear and understand the Kingdom of God, unlike the Jews whose ears and eyes were hardened (See Matthew 13:13). Jesus spoke in parables to fulfill prophecy and also because if his adversaries knew what He was talking about, it would create chaos and persecution. In the end however, Jesus wanted everyone to know about the Kingdom of God. He didn’t keep it a secret! The Kabbalist’s approach to finding truth is very different than the Christian’s approach. A Christian reads the Bible for what it is. A follower of Kabbalah reads Torah and looks beyond it’s most simple interpretation to find other meanings. They also rely on other teachings and writings beyond the Bible. In addition to Kabbalah’s rejection of Jesus as God and other important doctrine we hold to as Christians, this approach shows again that Christianity and Kabbalah do not teach the same core truth. This is because they are not coming from the same sources. If they do come from the same source, they are not interpreted in the same way. Thus, resulting in two different interpretations and meanings.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 15:08:16 +0000
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