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The Kabbalah:
Its Doctrine, Development and Literature
By Christian D. Ginsburg
Published 1863-1864
Book Notes, Outline by Leah Mary Quirk, Soul Natural Alchemy
The Kabbalah... seeks to explain the transition from the Infinite to the Finite, absolute unity, matter from pure Intelligence, relationship of Creator to Creature
1. The Nature of the Supreme Being
2. Cosmogony
3. The Creation of Angels and Man
4. The Destiny of Man and the Universe
5. To point out the importance of the Revealed Law
The Concealed of the Concealed, God, The Endless, Age of the Aged or Holy Aged
En Soph-endless, boundless
Not direct creator, boundless has no will, desire, thought or action, which imply limit and belong to finite beings
En Soph as creator of world in an ‘indirect manner’
Who can comprehend Him who He was before the creation, since He was formless?
After created form of ‘The Heavenly Man,’ used it as chariot to descend and wishes to be called by this form, the sacred name Jehovah
Wishes to known separate by the separate attributes, God of Mercy, God of Justice, Almighty, God of Sabbath and The Being
The Ten Sephiroth
7 Appellations:
1. The Crown- highest point
A. The Aged- first emanation
B. The Primordial or Smooth Point
“When the Concealed of the Concealed wished to reveal himself, he first made a single point, the Infinite was entirely unknown and diffused no light before luminous point violently broke through into vision.” (Sohar, i, 15a)
C. The White Head
D. The Long Face
E. The Inscrutable Height
F. I Am or Ehejah
2. Wisdom
3. Intelligence
4. Love or Greatness
5. Justice, Strength or Judgement
6. Beauty
7. Firmness
8. Splendour
9. Foundation
10. Kingdom
10 Sephiroth with Corresponding Deity, Angels and Body Part
1. The Crown – I Am – [Hebrew] – Head
2. Wisdom – Jah – [Hebrew] – Brains
3. Intelligence – Jehovah – Arelim – Heart
4. Love – The Mighty One – Chasheralim – Right Arm
5. Justice – The Almighty – Seraphim – Left Arm
6. Beauty- God – Shinanim – Chest
7. Firmness – Jehovah Sabbath – Tarshishim – Right Leg
8. Splendour – God Sabbath – The Sons of God – Left Leg
9. Foundation – Mighty Living One – Ishim – Genital Organs
10. Kingdom – The Lord – Cherubim – Union of the Whole Body
Trinity of Triads – Sacred Number 3
‘The Faces’ – 3 aspects in which En Soph manifested Himself
1st Triad- Intellectual World
2nd Triad- Moral or Sensuous World represents moral qualities
3rd Triad- Material World, Power and Stability
3 Sephiroth on Right are Principles of Mercy- The Pillar of Mercy
3 on Left are the Principles of Rigour- The Pillar of Judgement
The center 4 representing Mildness- The Middle Pillar
Man represents 10 Sephiroth
Human form contains everything, as before it did not yet exist, so old worlds were destroyed
The Universe, visible world, further explanation of the Divine Substance, ‘The Garment of God’
The Sephiroth, The World of Emanations, The Image, The Heavenly Man of The Atzilatic World
(1st world) Gave birth to 3 worlds:
1. The World of Creation or the Briatic World
Also called ‘The Throne’ or ‘Metatron’
Pure Spirits
Metatron- name numerically equivalent to the Lord garment and visible manifestations of the Deity. Governs visible world, preserves unity, harmony and revolutions of all spheres, planets and heavenly bodies
2. The World of Formations of the Jetziratic World
World of Angels, still without matter
10 ranks of angels answering to the 10 Sephiroth
Planets, seasons, elements, light
3. The World of Action or The Assiatic World
World of Keliphoth, The World of Matter
Contains spheres and matter, residence of The Prince of Darkness and his legions
Demons – second class of angels, also form 10 degrees answering to the Sephiroth, darkness and impurity increase with the descent of each degree
First 2- absence of all visible form and organization
3rd Degree- abode of darkness book of Genesis describes as having in the beginning covered the face of the Earth
4th-10th degrees- 7 Infernal Halls – Hells
Demons – incarnations of all human vices
Subdivided into endless compartments, to afford a separate chamber of torture for every species of sin
Prince of Darkness – Satan in Bible, Kabbalah - Samael - angel of poison or death, wife called the Harlot or Woman of Whoredom
United = The Beast
Twin Flame
Original state of the soul is androgynous, separates into male and female when descends upon Earth into human body
Marriage – The Holy One – Union
Unity influenced by deeds of man in which he walks if man is pure and his conduct is pleasing in sight of God, he will be united with female part of soul
Intercourse/Conception
Holy One sends a human form which bears the impress of the Divine stamp
Form is present at intercourse, if we were permitted to see the image, would resemble a human face
‘And God created man in His own image’
All human countenances are divisible into 4 Primordial Types of Faces (visions by prophet Ezekiel)
Face of man, lion, ox and eagle
Our faces resemble according to rank in which our souls occupy in the intellectual or moral dominion
Face- Mirror to the Soul
Formation of head indicates character and temper of man
Arched forehead – cheerful and profound Spirit, distinguished intellect
Broad but flat forehead – foolishness and silliness
Flat, compressed on sides forehead – narrowness of mind and vanity
Destiny of Man – reunion with the Deity from which he emanated
The Luminous Mirror and the Non-Luminous Mirror
The Tree of Life and The Tree of Knowledge, Good and Evil possesses higher feeling of Love and lower feeling of Fear
The two feelings of Love and Fear are designed to aid the soul in achieving it’s higher destiny
He who obeys God out of Love has attained the highest degree and already belongs to the saints of the world to come, not serving God out of Fear
In Love is the mystery of the Divine Unity
Love unites higher and lower degrees together, elevates everything to that position where everything must be One
Love corresponds to Mercy (4th Sephiroth)
Fear answer to the Rigour (5th Sephiroth)
2 principles combined is the sacred name Jehovah
Saint for each Sephira incarnated
Which corresponds to the virtue He most cultivates or feature most predominant in character
Saints of the Earth:
4th Love – Abraham
5 Rigour – Isaac
6 Mildness – Jacob
7 Firmness – Moses
8 Splendour – Aaron
9 Foundation – Joseph
10 Kingdom – David
Virtue of Divine wisdom inherent in them, able to decipher signs from God and put into the Firmament
These signs are stars and constellations, which are studied and deciphered by the wise
Transmigration of Souls
Absolute condition of the soul to return to the Infinite Source
If soul fails to require experience or contaminated which is polluted, must re-inhabit body again, until able to ascend in a purified state, Restricted to 3x
If two souls in third residence are still too weak, they are united and sent into one body, so they may conjointly learn
Sometimes singleness and isolation of soul is source of her weakness- chooses companion, soul with more strength and better fortune. The stronger of the two becomes the mother, nurses from her own substance (pregnancy)
Like all living beings, the World also desires to return to Infinite Source
Wants to share the blessedness it enjoyed in first evolution from The Deity
Even the venomous beast, Samael – return to the Deity, however, will only take place with Messiah
Messiah
Cannot be born until all human souls have passed through their probation period of Earth
The Great Jubilee year will commence when the whole pleroma of souls, cleaned and purified return to Source. Then Hell shall disappear, all will become One
The coming of Messiah is retarded by old souls having to re-enter bodies by polluting themselves of previous existence
Explained in Sohar and 53rd chapter of Isaiah ‘he is wounded for our transgressions’
‘He who is far initiated in the mysteries of the Tora will understand all the profound secrets [which are based upon simply literal sense and harmony with it]’ – Sohar
Hebrew language based on hermeneutical values
1. Every letter Is reduce into a numerical value and the word is explained by another of the same quantity. Example ‘Lo! 3 men stood by him, reduced to 3 angels which were Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, are the same numerical value
2. Every letter of a word is taken as an abbreviation or initial of a word
3. The initial and final letters of several words are formed into separate word
4. Two words occurring in the same verse are joined together and made into one
5. The words of certain verses are ranged into squares to be read in different direction from left or right. They are placed over each other and the letters that stand out form new words.
6. Letters of the words changed by way of anagram and new words obtained
Hebrew Alphabet
22 letters (10 are vowels) and 10 fundamental numbers designated the 32 ways of secret wisdom
Fundamental number 10, Divided into tetrade and hexade, show the gradual development of the world out of nothing
First existed nothing but the Divine substance- represented by the number One, ‘One is the Living Spirit of God’
From this, the whole Universe proceeded in following Order of Emanations
Number 2 - Air
Number 3 – Water
Number 4 – Either or Fire
After comes the hexade
Each unit represents the 6 directions, 4 corners (north, south, east, west), height, depth, and the center, the Holy Temple, supporting the Whole
22 letters divided into three groups
The three mothers or fundamental letters
7 double consonants, 12 simple consonants
The Three Mothers
Aleph, Mem and Shin, Elements – either or fire, water and air
3 domains – macrocosm, revolution of time and microcosm, all exhibited by 3 fundamental letters
God created:
In the World – fire, water, air
In Man – head, body, breast
In the Year – heat, cold, wet
7 Double Consonants
Beth, Gimel, Daleth, Caph, Pe, Res, Tau
Macrocosm – 7 planets
Time – 7 days
Microcosm – 7 sensuous facilities
These 7 letters have double pronunciation = 7 opposites
Wisdom and ignorance, riches and poverty, fruitfulness and barrenness, life and death, liberty and bondage, peace and war, beauty and deformity
God formed 7 heavens, 7 earths or countries, 7 weeks from feast to Passover to Pentecost
12 Simple Consonants
Macrocosm – 12 zodiac signs
Time – 12 months
Microcosm – 12 active organs
Organs of sight, hearing, smelling, talking, taste, copulating, dealing, walking, thinking, anger, laughter, sleeping
These 22 letters with the power of combination and transposition yield endless number of words and figures, thus becomes type of varied phenomena in creation
Whole creation is One connected Whole
Throughout Whole are two opposites with a reconciling medium, designed to balance each other
Good and Evil, both oppose each other
Good reserved for good, evil reserved for evil. Good purifies evil, evil purifies good
Jehovah
God described by a name forbidden to pronounce by the thrice Holy Tetragrammaton
Jehovah, the Shem Ha-Mephorash
The tetrad of Pythagoras is an imitation of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton
The 4 letters composing this name represent 4 fundamental constituents of the body (heat, cold, dryness, humidity) and 4 geometrical principle points (the point, line, flat and body), 4 notes on a musical scale, 4 rivers in the Earthly paradise and 4 symbolic figures in visions of Ezekiel
4 letters separately have a meaning
First letter stands for 10
In form reminds us of the mathematical point, teaches us God is in the beginning and end of All things
2nd Letter - Number 5
Union of God and Nature, as depicted by 4 – trinity
3rd Letter – Number 6
Formed in combinations of 1, 2 and 3. Symbol of perfection, symbol of cube, the bodies or the world
4th letter – Number 5 as last letter
Symbolizes the human and rational soul, medium between heaven and earth, the expression totality of things
Jesus in Hebrew is Jehovah
In which language of Kabbalah symbol of fire or light, name contains a whole revelation
Shows the Jesus is God himself, The Light (not physical form)
Summary of the Doctrines of the Kabbalah
1. God is boundless in His nature. He has no will, desire, thought, language or action, cannot be grasped or depicted. Called the En Soph. Is in a certain sense non-existent.
2. He is not the direct creator of the Universe. He has no will to create.
3. He has sent forth 10 emanations of Sephiroth, both Infinite and Finite.
4. From these Sephiroth, the Archetypal Man, different worlds have gradually evolved.
5. These Sephiroth gave rise to or created in their own image all human souls. Souls are pre-existent, occupy a special hall in upper world of Spirits. They decide whether to pursue a good or bad course before conjoining the human body.
6. No one has seen the En Soph, it is the Sephiroth in which the En Soph is incarnate.
7. Absolute condition of the soul to return to Infinite Source which it emanated after developing all perfections. If it fails to develop and it migrates to another body, if still too weak it is united with stronger soul which occupy same body, aids weaker companion in obtaining object from which it came down from world of Spirits.
8. When all pre-existent souls have passed their probationary period, the reinstitution of all will take place. Satan will be restored to Angel of Light, Hell will disappear, all souls return to the Deity.