Religion 101 Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: Peter Archer
immanent throughout Creation. Kabbalah depicts these two perspectives through the terms Ein Sof and the Sefirot.
Rabbi Meir Ibn Gabbai explains that we cannot grasp Ein Sof — a term first used by Isaac the Blind, which literally means “without end,” or “infinite” — through contemplation or logic. The ultimate nature of God is beyond our grasp, though we may experience a glimpse of that reality and recognize the existence of that which is so far beyond our comprehension. Ein Sof itself is a negative formulation, meaning that there is no end. This is similar to Maimonides’s explanation that we can only say what God is not, because God transcends our human ability to define. To define is to limit, whereas God is limitless. The Kabbalists understood that Ein Sof is beyond language and thought, so nothing could actually be said about it.
The Cosmic Influence of Our Acts
Part of what may account for Kabbalah’s impact on Judaism and its prominent position for a number of centuries is that it invigorated the everyday acts of people by attributing cosmic influence to them. Kabbalists understand their kavana , meaning a person’s focus and consciousness, as having an effect beyond their immediate obvious influence. Though people have always had to grapple with the clear lack of connection between a person’s moral qualities and their fate and fortune in this world, Kabbalah teaches that our actions have an impact, nevertheless, in ways that are not plainly evident.
Religion 101 Question
Who are some famous Americans who adhere to Kabbalah?
Madonna, Demi Moore, and Ashton Kutcher are among the celebrities who say they have been influenced by Kabbalah.
BRANCHES OF JUDAISM
Orthodox, Reform, Conservative
Throughout history, various movements in Judaism have sometimes split up, like different branches growing from a trunk of the same tree. The oldest records we have of an explicit difference of opinion took place in the second century B.C. In that period Jews lived under Greek occupation. The Greeks were an enlightened people and tolerant of their subjects. As a result, many Jews were attracted to Greek culture, known as Hellenism. Those Jews who allowed themselves to be influenced by Hellenism were known as Hellenistic Jews; the Hasideans (not to be confused with Hasids) formed their conservative opposition.
Essenes, Sadducees, and Pharisees
At a later period in history, when Rome conquered the lands of the ancient Israel, Judaism had split into three sects:
The Essenes formed an ascetic and mystical order that consisted mostly of adult males who took an oath of celibacy.
The Sadducees embraced some of the Hellenistic elements of Judaism.
Pharisees, the most powerful group among the Jews, believed that both the written and oral Torah came directly from God and were therefore valid and binding. In accordance with the Torah, the Pharisees began to codify the Halakhah (the Law), insisting upon its strict observance.
Origin of the Synagogue
Because of their disagreements with the Sadducees, who had control of the Temple, the Pharisees developed the synagogue as an alternative place for study and worship. Their liturgy consisted of biblical and prophetic readings and the repetition of the Shema (Judaism’s central prayer).
The Orthodox
What ultimately did lead to divisions within Judaism was the same old controversy, that is, the difference of perceptions concerning the Halakhah and the Torah. During the last millennium and up until the nineteenth century, the Orthodox branch of Judaism was by far the most prevalent.
The essential principle governing Orthodox Judaism is Torah min Hashamayim . This means that the Torah, both the written Law (Scriptures) and the oral Law (rabbinic interpretation and commentaries), is directly derived from God and therefore must be obeyed.
Synagogue services are conducted in Hebrew and men and women sit separately. Women are not ordained as rabbis, nor do they count in a
Rabbi Meir Ibn Gabbai explains that we cannot grasp Ein Sof — a term first used by Isaac the Blind, which literally means “without end,” or “infinite” — through contemplation or logic. The ultimate nature of God is beyond our grasp, though we may experience a glimpse of that reality and recognize the existence of that which is so far beyond our comprehension. Ein Sof itself is a negative formulation, meaning that there is no end. This is similar to Maimonides’s explanation that we can only say what God is not, because God transcends our human ability to define. To define is to limit, whereas God is limitless. The Kabbalists understood that Ein Sof is beyond language and thought, so nothing could actually be said about it.
The Cosmic Influence of Our Acts
Part of what may account for Kabbalah’s impact on Judaism and its prominent position for a number of centuries is that it invigorated the everyday acts of people by attributing cosmic influence to them. Kabbalists understand their kavana , meaning a person’s focus and consciousness, as having an effect beyond their immediate obvious influence. Though people have always had to grapple with the clear lack of connection between a person’s moral qualities and their fate and fortune in this world, Kabbalah teaches that our actions have an impact, nevertheless, in ways that are not plainly evident.
Religion 101 Question
Who are some famous Americans who adhere to Kabbalah?
Madonna, Demi Moore, and Ashton Kutcher are among the celebrities who say they have been influenced by Kabbalah.
BRANCHES OF JUDAISM
Orthodox, Reform, Conservative
Throughout history, various movements in Judaism have sometimes split up, like different branches growing from a trunk of the same tree. The oldest records we have of an explicit difference of opinion took place in the second century B.C. In that period Jews lived under Greek occupation. The Greeks were an enlightened people and tolerant of their subjects. As a result, many Jews were attracted to Greek culture, known as Hellenism. Those Jews who allowed themselves to be influenced by Hellenism were known as Hellenistic Jews; the Hasideans (not to be confused with Hasids) formed their conservative opposition.
Essenes, Sadducees, and Pharisees
At a later period in history, when Rome conquered the lands of the ancient Israel, Judaism had split into three sects:
The Essenes formed an ascetic and mystical order that consisted mostly of adult males who took an oath of celibacy.
The Sadducees embraced some of the Hellenistic elements of Judaism.
Pharisees, the most powerful group among the Jews, believed that both the written and oral Torah came directly from God and were therefore valid and binding. In accordance with the Torah, the Pharisees began to codify the Halakhah (the Law), insisting upon its strict observance.
Origin of the Synagogue
Because of their disagreements with the Sadducees, who had control of the Temple, the Pharisees developed the synagogue as an alternative place for study and worship. Their liturgy consisted of biblical and prophetic readings and the repetition of the Shema (Judaism’s central prayer).
The Orthodox
What ultimately did lead to divisions within Judaism was the same old controversy, that is, the difference of perceptions concerning the Halakhah and the Torah. During the last millennium and up until the nineteenth century, the Orthodox branch of Judaism was by far the most prevalent.
The essential principle governing Orthodox Judaism is Torah min Hashamayim . This means that the Torah, both the written Law (Scriptures) and the oral Law (rabbinic interpretation and commentaries), is directly derived from God and therefore must be obeyed.
Synagogue services are conducted in Hebrew and men and women sit separately. Women are not ordained as rabbis, nor do they count in a
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