| Pop singer Madonna came this week to Tel Aviv | | | | by Jewish scholars to start studying it only at the |
| to take part in a congress of Kaballa studies. | | | | age of 40. A younger person does not have the |
| According to press releases, she is going to stay | | | | spiritual maturity needed to cope with its depths. |
| in Israel until Sunday night and will have on the last | | | | The Secrecy doctrine exists since the 2nd |
| day of her visit, the opportunity to visit the | | | | century, but did not appear in any book until the |
| graves of Jewish Tzaddikim (righteous holy | | | | end of the 14th century, when a Spanish Jewish |
| people) near Safed, a small town in northern | | | | scholar named Rabbi Moshe de Leon rewrote and |
| Israel. | | | | edited it in a book called "Seffer Hazohar" (The |
| Why Safed? What does Kaballa mean? (Literally it | | | | book of Glow, in Hebrew). The contents of the |
| means "Receiving" in Hebrew). I am not so sure | | | | book is attributed to the Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai |
| the press has given the correct answers to these | | | | (mentioned above) who had lived 1300 years |
| and other questions related to the background of | | | | before the time of de Leon. Believers claim that |
| this visit. Here is my humble contribution. | | | | Bar Yochai wrote the book, but Kabbala |
| Safed , one of the four "holy cities" in Israel, | | | | researchers say that the text was written much |
| together with Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberias, is | | | | later, in the middle ages. |
| actually a small mountain town (27,000 residents). | | | | "Seffer Hazohar" is not a text book. It is a |
| As opposed to other historical cities in Israel, it is | | | | collection of ideas and Torah material. Only in the |
| not even mentioned in the Bible. | | | | end of the 15th century, another Spanish Rabbi, |
| Its golden era was during the Middle Ages, when | | | | Moshe Cordoveiro, who later moved to Safed, |
| it functioned as a Crusaders fortress and a | | | | wrote structured lessons which enabled a |
| Moslem administrative centre. But it was only in | | | | systematic studying of Kabbala. |
| the 16th century that Safed was a city of | | | | As opposed to the other three layers of Torah |
| international importance, as well as a Jewish | | | | world, dealing primarily with the Jewish religious |
| cultural Capital. | | | | laws, the Secrecy doctrine deals with the |
| What made Safed so special is linked to what | | | | philosophical side of Judaism: For example, the |
| Maddona is looking in Israel for. | | | | eternal question of "Why do righteous people |
| The Jewish congregation of Safed is the oldest in | | | | suffer in our world, and why are wicked people |
| Israel. It has been there for the last 800 years. | | | | so successful?" |
| But during the Crusaders time it was very small, | | | | The Kabbala, developed in Safed by a genius |
| because the Christian knights did everything they | | | | nicknamed "HaAri Hakadosh" in the 16th century, |
| could to massacre Jews (and Moslems). | | | | uses abstract concepts which are |
| The turning point was the conquest of the area | | | | incomprehensible to outsiders: "Elohut" (Divinity) |
| by the Turkish Sultanate. This Moslem empire | | | | and "Tzimtzum" (Reduction), for instance. The |
| gave shelter to the Spanish Jews during their | | | | Divinity filled in the past the whole universe. It |
| mass expulsion in the end of the 15th century. | | | | was later reduced to make room for the present |
| The Turks, who were great warriors and | | | | world. Following this Reduction, the lights of |
| administrators, did not master commerce, | | | | Divinity were accumulated into "Sefirot", the |
| industry and science. They understood the great | | | | vessels which contain the immense Divine lights. |
| potential of Spanish Jews who were experts in | | | | The three upper "Sefirot" did their job. But the |
| these fields, and gave them asylum. | | | | lower six broke into many pieces and scattered. |
| Some of those Jews, a few thousands, came to | | | | This is called in Hebrew: "Shevirat Hakelim" |
| Safed and settled down there. Safed attracted | | | | (Breaking of Vessels). Because of this breaking of |
| them for two main reasons: The good water | | | | vessels, good and evil were mixed with each |
| sources and the closeness to the grave site of | | | | other in the whole universe. The splinters of the |
| the founder of the Kabbala, the Jewish mysticism, | | | | divine lights, called "Nitzotzot" (sparks), fell into the |
| Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. | | | | depths of "Clippot", the evil powers of impurity. |
| The water was needed for establishing a wool | | | | The broken "Divinity" went into exile among the |
| manufacturing centre which became one of the | | | | "Clippot". According to Kabbala, the fate of the |
| biggest in the world, and made Safed a flourishing | | | | Jewish people is similar to that of the "Divinity". |
| city. The grave of Bar yochai, and an ancient | | | | The Jews are still in exile amongst the nations. |
| tradition according to which the Messiah will first | | | | The salvation depends on every person. If people |
| come out Safed, attracted some of the greatest | | | | succeed in collecting all the "Nitzotzot", the |
| Jewish religious scholars of Spain, most of them | | | | salvation of humanity will come. The collection of |
| Kabbalists. | | | | "Nitzotzot" will be done by good deeds, such as |
| In Safed of the 16th century settled down Rabbi | | | | obeying the Jewish religious rules. When someone |
| Yosef Karo, of Toledo, the greatest Jewish Law | | | | does so, he collects "Nitzotzot" and puts them |
| expert of the new era, who wrote the | | | | back in place. He then deals with "Tikun Olam", |
| codification book "Shulkhan Arukh", the third most | | | | correction of the world. |
| important Jewish book, after the Bible and the | | | | The Kabbala has a great influence on Judaism, |
| Talmud. | | | | especially on the Hasidim movement. Kabbalic |
| Another great Kabbalist was Shlomo Alkabetz, | | | | concepts, developed mainly in 16th century Safed, |
| who is known today more for his religious poetry. | | | | have penetrated the Jewish liturgy. One of them |
| His most famous liturgical poem is called "Lecha | | | | is the "Holy matching". Philosophically, this concept |
| Dodi". It is used in every Synagogue to receive | | | | has another meaning, but in the popular cognition |
| Sabbath. His brother in law was Rabbi Moshe | | | | it is perceived as a holy marriage treaty between |
| Kordoveiro, a student of Rabbi Karo, who wrote | | | | God and the Jewish people. |
| the first book which explains the Kabbala | | | | For example, the "Shavuot" holiday, in which the |
| methodically. | | | | Holy Torah was given by way of a pact between |
| The greatest student or Rabbi Kordoveiro was | | | | God and the Jews, has been compared to such a |
| Rabbi Yizhak Luria, who is more known as HaAri | | | | holy marriage. Also the customs of "Kabbalat |
| Hakadosh. Luria Died when he was only 38 years | | | | Shabbat", (receiving Sabbath), were changed |
| old. Only two and a half years he spent in Safed. | | | | following the Safed notion of "Holy matching". The |
| But it was in that short period of time that he | | | | Kabbala followers in Safed started in the 16th |
| created a Kabbalist theoretical movement that | | | | century the custom of going Friday before sunset |
| has had an immense influence on the life of | | | | out of town, wearing white clothes, to receive |
| almost every Jew since then. | | | | the bride, Shabbat. Friday night was the link |
| What does Kabbala mean? If you have time and | | | | between God (the king) and Shabbat (the queen). |
| patience just go to a site called start reading. It | | | | Following the mystical marriage, souls of righteous |
| will take you a few days. Otherwise, here is a | | | | people were born. This custom of going out of |
| somewhat simplified explanation. | | | | town Fridays was abolished after the fall of the |
| According to the Talmud, the world of Torah (the | | | | Safed centre in the beginning of the 17th century, |
| knowledge of Judaism) is based on four layers: | | | | but its influence is felt until today the Alkabetz |
| Pshat (Literal meaning, in Hebrew), Remez | | | | poem "Lecha Dodi", mentioned above. |
| (Implication), Drash (Interpretation) and Sod | | | | HaAri Hakadosh said that "the Shechinah (the |
| (Secrecy). Every one of these layers is a | | | | presence of God) rests above Safed". You can |
| different way of weighing the same words of the | | | | feel it even today. Its clear air and serenity helps |
| Torah. The deepest layer is the Secrecy. The | | | | visitors to contemplate about the philosophical |
| Secrecy doctrine, which includes the Kabbala, is so | | | | subjects I have just mentioned, and others. It is |
| mysterious, deep, and special, that not everyone | | | | worth visiting this place even if you do not have |
| can understand it. Therefore, it is recommended | | | | the faintest idea what you are going to do there. |