The Sabbath in the Classical Kabbalah

The Sabbath in the Classical Kabbalah PDF

Author: Elliot K. Ginsburg

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2012-02-01

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13: 1438404115

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This book is a critical study of the mystical celebration of Sabbath in the classical period of Kabbalah, from the late twelfth to the early sixteenth centuries. The Kabbalists' re-reading of the earlier Jewish tradition has been called a model of "mythopoeic revision," a revision rooted in a world-view that stressed the interrelation of all worlds and levels of being. This is the first work, in any language, to systematically collect and analyze all the major innovations in praxis and theology that classical Kabbalah effected upon the development of the Rabbinic Sabbath, one of the most central areas of Jewish religious practice. The author analyzes the historical development of the Kabbalistic Sabbath, constructs a theoretical framework for the interpretation of its dense myth-ritual structure, and provides a phenomenology of key myths and rituals. It is one of the first Kabbalistic studies to integrate traditional textual-historical scholarship with newer methods employed in the study of religion and symbolic anthropology.

Sod ha-Shabbat

Sod ha-Shabbat PDF

Author: Elliot K. Ginsburg

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2012-02-01

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 1438404123

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The Sabbath has been one of the most significant and beloved institutions of Jewish life since late antiquity. Over a period of several centuries, the classical Kabbalists developed a rich body of ritual and myth that articulated a fresh vision of the Sabbath. The mystical understanding of the Sabbath was assimilated by virtually every Jewish community. This volume is a translation and critical commentary to Sod ha-Shabbat, a treatise on the mystical Sabbath by the influential Spanish-Turkish Kabbalist, R. Meir ibn Gabbai. This important text, the most systematic treatment of the Sabbath in classical Kabbalah, has been inaccessible to the English reader until now. The study includes an Introduction to ibn Gabbai's life and work, accompanied by extensive critical notes that clarify general problems of translation and place the work in its historical context. Broader theoretical issues regarding myth and the ritual process are also discussed.

The Universal Kabbalah

The Universal Kabbalah PDF

Author: Leonora Leet

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2004-09-29

Total Pages: 528

ISBN-13: 1594776121

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Presents a new understanding of the laws of cosmic manifestation through the sacred geometry of the Sabbath Star diagram • Explores three higher levels of consciousness above the four worlds of the classical Kabbalah • Reveals the mathematical code of the laws of all cosmic manifestation This landmark work by an innovative modern Kabbalist develops a scientific model for kabbalistic cosmology and soul psychology derived from the kabbalistic diagram of the Tree of Life and the author's own Sabbath Star diagram--a configuration of seven Star of David hexagrams. This geometric model begins with the four worlds of the classical Kabbalah, which bring us to the present time and birthright level of the soul, and is then expanded to three higher enclosing worlds or levels of evolving consciousness. The Sabbath Star diagram therefore accommodates both the emanationist cosmology of the earlier Zoharic Kabbalah and the future orientation of the later Kabbalah of Isaac Luria. The hexagram elements that construct each expansion of the Sabbath Star diagram configure the cosmic stages of each of its “worlds.” The matrix that is produced by these construction elements configures the level of the multi-dimensional soul that is correlated with each cosmic world. In its final stage, this model unites the finite and infinite halves of the Sabbatical world in a way that exemplifies the secret doctrine of the Kabbalah. Not only does this work offer a new, inclusive model for the Kabbalah but it also provides a basis for complexity theory, with its final extrapolation to infinity. The universality of this model is further shown by its applicability to such other domains as physics, sociology, linguistics, and human history. This universal model encodes the laws of all cosmic manifestation in terms that are particularly coherent with the formulations of the Kabbalah, giving a mathematical basis to many aspects of this mystical tradition and providing a new synthesis of science and spirituality for our time that may well write a new chapter to the Kabbalah.

The Sabbath Soul

The Sabbath Soul PDF

Author:

Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 1580234593

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Enrich your spiritual experience of Shabbat by exploring the writings of mystical masters of Hasidism. Drawing from some of the earliest teachings in the family of the Ba'al Shem Tov through late 19th-century Poland and the homilies of the Sefat 'Emet, Eitan Fishbane evokes the Sabbath experience, from candle lighting and donning white clothing to the Friday night Kiddush and the act of sacred eating.

The Sabbath Soul

The Sabbath Soul PDF

Author: Eitan Fishbane, PhD

Publisher: Turner Publishing Company

Published: 2012-01-24

Total Pages: 186

ISBN-13: 1580235387

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Enter into the mystery of the Sabbath, into the wonder and light of the seventh day. "We live in a world dominated by speed and distraction, with demands for our attention at every turn.... We frequently forget the restorative blessing of stillness, our desperate need for rest ... a rest that brings us back to the center of existence, a calm that allows us to reconnect with the divine breath at the soul of All." —from the Introduction Enrich your spiritual experience of Shabbat by exploring the writings of mystical masters of Hasidism. Drawing from some of the earliest teachings in the family of the Ba'al Shem Tov through late nineteenth-century Poland and the homilies of the Sefat 'Emet, Eitan Fishbane evokes the Sabbath experience—from candle lighting and donning white clothing to the Friday night Kiddush and the act of sacred eating. Fishbane also translates and interprets a wide range of Hasidic sources previously unavailable in English that reflect the spiritual transformation that takes place on the seventh day—one that can shift your awareness into the realm that is all soul. Personal prayers of the Bratzlav (Breslov) Hasidic tradition express the spiritual dimension of Shabbat in the language of devotional and individual yearning.

Living Kabbalah

Living Kabbalah PDF

Author: Simcha H. Benyosef

Publisher: Feldheim Publishers

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 428

ISBN-13: 9781583308936

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This devotional guide to the Sabbath and Jewish festivals is based on the teachings of a modern-day master of Kabbalah who happens to be a direct descendant of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, the great sixteenth-century kabbalist. Written in an accessible style for the contemporary reader, Living Kabbalah invites us to establish a soul-union with God, particularly on those days in the Jewish calendar when a special Divine energy is available. It aims to produce in the reader the searing emotion needed to enter the altered state of consciousness in which one may relate to the Divine Presence and experience the beauty of Jewish life and religious observance.

Kabbalah on the Sabbath

Kabbalah on the Sabbath PDF

Author: Yehuda Berg

Publisher: Kabbalah Publishing

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781571896025

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In this concise but powerful book, noted scholar and teacher Yehuda Berg describes all of the basic elements involved in the Sabbath, as practiced by students of Kabbalah, and explains the reasons behind each one. In Kabbalah, the period between Friday sunset and Saturday sunset is very different from, and more important than, any of the other days of the week. Kabbalists believe that the Sabbath is the only day when the spiritual and physical worlds are united, making it the most powerful day. The Light force flows continually, giving the opportunity to refuel energy and rejuvenate the soul for the coming week. But, according to Kabbalah, the day is not one of rest, nor is it about worship; it’s about making a connection, which takes spiritual work. This book clearly explains how to make that connection.

Saturn's Jews

Saturn's Jews PDF

Author: Moshe Idel

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2011-09-29

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 1441137319

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This book explores the phenomenon of Saturnism, namely the belief that the planet Saturn, the seventh known planet in ancient astrology, was appointed upon the Jews, who celebrated the Sabbath, the seventh day of the Jewish week. Moshe Idel details how the anonymous, late 14th century Sefer Ha-Peliyah was to have disturbing consequences in the Jewish world three centuries later, interweaving luminaries with the cultural, historical, religious, and philosophical concepts of their day, and demonstrating how cultural agents were inadvertently instrumental in the mid-17th-century mass-movement Sabbateanism that led to the conviction that Sabbatai Tzevi was the Messiah. Exploring how the tragic misperception of the Jewish Sabbath by the non-Jewish world led to a linkage of Jews with sorcery in 14th and 15th-century Europe, associating their holy day with the witches' 'Sabbat' gathering, Idel brings this wide-ranging study into the present day with an analysis of 20th-century scholarship and thought influenced by Saturnism, particularly lingering themes related to melancholy in the works of Gershom Scholem and Walter Benjamin.

Essential Papers on Kabbalah

Essential Papers on Kabbalah PDF

Author: Lawrence Fine

Publisher: NYU Press

Published: 1995-05

Total Pages: 561

ISBN-13: 0814726232

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Concentrating on the theosophical/theurgical trend of Kabbalah, 15 essays, reprinted from academic journals and often translated from Hebrew, examine the body of literature that grew up between the 12th and 18th centuries from several approaches. They cover mystical motifs and theological ideas, mystical leadership and personalities, and devotional practices and mystical experience. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR