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Reincarnation in the Jewish Kabbalah
“THE
KABBALAH
The Holy
Kabbalah is the "hidden" or "secret" teaching of Judaism. It
is the mystic path appearing in Judaism just as the Sufis
are to Islam and the Gnostics are to Christianity. In the
same tradition, Jesus did not reveal all of his teachings in
his public sermons. There was a hidden or direct teaching
that was revealed privately and there was a teaching for the
multitudes who would not be capable of understanding deeper
truths.
When he
was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him
about the parables. He told them, "The secret of the
kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the
outside everything is said in parables. Mark 4:10-11, NIV
In
another instance Judas (not Judas Iscariot) asks Jesus why
he intends to show himself to them but not to others
implying a hidden revelation.
Then
Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you
intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" John
14:22, NIV
Jesus
follows with a long commentary and tells Judas that even
though he (Jesus) is giving Judas (and others) special
insight there are yet even more things which Jesus will not
reveal to them because they are not ready for them. That
would make two layers of insight beyond the multitudes.
I have
yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them
now. John 16:12, KJV
There are
hidden teachings which Jesus discussed openly with the
disciples but not with the masses simply because the masses
were not spiritually prepared. To do so would have been to
cast pearls before swine. How could a barnyard animal
appreciate the value of a pearl? Paul indicates that he too
adjusts the directness of his teachings according to the
understanding of the audience. Paul clearly states that
there are teachings which he holds back because the
listeners lack the spiritual depth to comprehend it.
Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as
worldly--mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not
solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you
are still not ready. 1 Corinthians 3:1-2, NIV
Today
what remains of Paul's teachings, which are his public
letters, are milk for spiritual infants. The "meat" was not
recorded as open letters to churches but were taught by Paul
directly to those whom he considered qualified. His
revelation of Melchizedek is another indication of this.
The Holy Kabbalah is the hidden or secret tradition of
Judaism not because it was forbidden but because it requires
a high degree of spiritual maturity and insight to grasp.
The Kabbalah is solid spiritual food that cannot be given to
milk-drinking babes. Also, early Kabbalists did not want the
teachings corrupted and perverted by well meaning but
immature souls. In centuries past, one had to prove
worthiness to be taught the Kabbalah. The divine teaching
and the spiritual practices such as ecstatic communion with
God and meditation were transmitted orally under the careful
and watchful guidance of an accomplished master much like
the guru/disciple relationship that exists between Hindu,
Buddhist, and Islamic Sufi masters and their disciples. For
the most part, the Kabbalah was first committed to print and
published in the Middle Ages releasing it for the first time
into the grasp of the secular body of mankind. Today the
Kabbalah is studied and practiced by many Jews and it holds
the doctrinal center stage for Hasidic Jews.
Hebrew theology was divided into three aspects which are the
law, the soul of the law and the soul of the soul of the
law. The law was taught to every Jew; the soul of the law,
or Mishna, was revealed to Rabbis; while the soul of the
soul of the law, the Kabbalah, was revealed only to the
highest initiates. We have just read that Jesus and Paul
both referred to knowledge that is given to the many as
distinct from knowledge that is given to the few.
According to Kabbalistic history, the teachings of the
Kabbalah were given to a school of angels prior to the fall
of man. The angels later revealed these teachings to Adam so
that the fallen state of mankind might be redeemed.
Specifically, the angel Raziel was sent from heaven by God
to tutor Adam in the divine principles of the Kabbalah.
Various angels were then sent to the Jewish patriarchs to
clarify and intensify the understanding of this profound
divine science. Shem was taught by the angel Tophiel,
Raphael taught Isaac, Metatron taught Moses, and Michael
taught David. Solomon was also a very high initiate in
Kabbalistic wisdom.
The Kabbalistic torch was passed from Adam to Noah and then
to Abraham who immigrated to Egypt where he allowed a
portion of the divine doctrine to be revealed to the
Egyptians. Moses, who was adept in all the wisdom of Egypt,
first learned the Kabbalah there but became most proficient
in it while wandering for forty years in the wilderness.
Moses also initiated the Seventy Elders into the way of the
Kabbalah which they, in turn, transmitted orally to their
students.
In centuries past the teachings of the Kabbalah were closely
guarded but the sacred texts also predicted a time when the
teachings could be accessed by anyone. Today the Kabbalah is
experiencing a tremendous resurgence of popularity and is
being taught by Rabbis in living room study groups or
classes offered through local synagogues. Non-Jews are also
flocking to Kabbalah classes being held in local libraries
and adult education programs. While most mainstream Jews in
our modern world do not court reincarnation, Kabbalists are
unshakably wedded to it. The three greatest books of
Kabbalism are the Sepher Yetzirah, The Book of Formation;
the Sepher ha Zohar, The Book of Splendor; and the
Apocalypse, The Book of Revelation. The following is a quote
from the Sephar ha Zohar.
The
souls must re-enter the Absolute, from whence they have
emerged. But to accomplish this end they must develop the
perfections; the germ of which is planted in them. And if
they have not developed these traits in this one life,
then they must commence another, a third, and so forth.
They must go on like this until they acquire the condition
that allows them to associate again with God. The Zohar
The
"germ" that is planted in them which leads to the
"perfections" is the I AM; it is our oneness in Christ.”
Reincarnation in the Jewish Kabbalah
http://www.reincarnation.ws/reincarnation_in_the_jewish_kabbalah.html
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