Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism

Tzohar: Gem of Noah, Light of Heaven

2008-10-07T18:44:00.019-05:00

In Gen. 6, God instructs Noah to illuminate the ark by tzohar taaseh/ "A "brightness you will make." This term, (transliterated as either tzohar or tsohar), which literally means "Bright/glittering/noon light" (The Hebrew word for noon, tzohoriyim, is derived from the same root), is not further defined in the Hebrew Bible. Some translate this simply as "window." Jewish esoteric tradition, however, regards the tzohar to be a kind of luminous gemstone holding the primordial light of creation.

Much of the ambiguity and the imaginative use of the word tzohar is grounded in its status as a hapax legomenon, a word that appears only once in the Bible. That context is Genesis 6:16. In context this seems to refer to a structural feature. Some propose “roof.” Others use “window,” “skylight,” or simply “opening.” Each translation presents a problem in that we already have elsewhere in the Hebrew Scriptures other words for these objects. There are also logic problems: why put an opening in a structure that will subject to torrential rain for 40 days? And since the day and night provided little or no natural light during the Flood (Gen. 8:22; Gen. R. 25:2, 34:11), what would be the purpose? All this invites speculation the tzohar was something unique (Genesis Rabbah 31:11).

The fact that the word for “noon/zenith,” tzohoriyim, shares the same root, but especially because of its linguistic similarity to the word zohar (“shine/radiant”), there arose an assumption that it is a form of light source rather then an aperture to let light in.

Targum Yonatan may be the first source to claim the tzohar was a luminous stone, pulled from the primordial river Pishon (T. Y. Genesis 6:16). This is elaborated on in Genesis Rabbah 31:11:

During the entire twelve months that Noah was in the Ark he did not require the light of the sun by day or the light of the moon by night, but he had a polished stone which he hung up – when it was dim, he knew it was day, when it was bright, he knew it was night.

Another version of this idea appears in the Talmud, Sanhedrin 108b:

“Make a tzohar for the ark.” R. Johanan said, The Blessed Holy One instructed Noah: 'Set there precious stones and jewels, so that they may give you light, bright as the noon [in Hebrew, this is a play on words between tzohar and tzohoriyim].

The same idea is reiterated in the medieval Midrash Pirkei de Rabbi Eliezer 23.

The matter might rest there, but elsewhere in the Talmud, there is another tradition that Abraham also had a miraculous stone:

R. Shimon b. Yochai said, Abraham had a precious stone hung round his neck which brought immediate healing to any sick person who looked on it, and when Abraham our father left this world, the Blessed Holy One hung it from the wheel of the sun. (Baba Batra 16b) [ben Yochai may have had possession of this gem himself, see Zohar I:11a].

This naturally led to speculation that that the stones of Noah and Abraham were one and the same. And given Genesis Rabbah’s allusion to the river Pishon that flowed through the Garden of Eden, the logical origin for this tzohar would be with there, where God hid the supernal light of the first day for the sole use of the righteous:

It was taught, the light which created in the six days…cannot illumine by day, because it would eclipse the light of the sun. Where is it? It is stored for the righteous in the messianic future...He set it apart for the righteous in the future Gen. R. 3:6

And

The Holy Blessed One created many things in His world, but the world being unworthy to have the use of them, He hid them away...the example being the light created on the first day, for Rabbi Judah ben Simon said: Man could see with the help of the first light from one end of the world to the other. Ex. R. 35:1

(also see Talmud Hagigah 12a; Lev. Rabbah 11:7, Gen. Rabbah 41:3 and Zohar I:31b, all homiletically based on Gen. 1:3, Ps. 97:11 and Job 38:13).

Those who possessed it not only had illumination, but access to the secrets of the Torah and all its powers. God created it, but then hid it away for the sole use of the righteous. The angel Raziel gave it to Adam after the Fall. Adam gave it to his children. While in the passage we read, Abraham returned the tzohar to heaven and hung it on the sun, other traditions track its continued use by the righteous of each generation. Joseph used it for his dream interpretations. Moses recovered it from the bones of Joseph and placed it in the Tabernacle.

A text known today as "The Queen of Sheba and Her only Son Menyelek," translated by Sir E. A. Wallis Budge includes this verse:

"How the House of Solomon the King was illuminated as by day, for in his wisdom he had made shining pearls which were like unto the sun, the moon and the stars in the roof of his house."

The Zohar claims that Simon Ben Yochai possessed it in the Rabbinic era (Sanh. 108b; B. B. 16b; Lev. R. 11; Gen. R 31:11; Zohar I:11; Otzer ha-Midrash).

For a related entry, go to: http://ejmmm2007.blogspot.com/2007/04/sapphire-heaven.html

Zal G'mor: To learn more, consult the Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism - http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Jewish-Myth-Magic-Mysticism/dp/0738709050

Bread of Divine Presence: 12 Challah Loaves for Shabbat

2008-09-26T12:50:00.007-05:00

We continue our overview of Hasidic mystical food customs. The number twelve has been a potent figure in Judaism since Biblical times. There were, of course, the twelve tribes of Israel (thirteen, in fact, but we kept it twelve symbolically by defining two - Ephraim and Menassah - as "half-tribes." The very need to force the tribes into a procrustean 12 is indicative of its importance).

It was also the custom to have 12 loaves of lechem ha-panim, "bread of display," "bread of presence," or in that quaint King James idiom, "shew bread" (Leviticus 24:5-9). These were displayed for a week in the sanctuary on a gold table and then given to the priests to eat (yum - B.T. Gittin 60a).

With the end of the Temple service, as part of transforming the Jewish home a mikdash me'at, a small altar, Jews would have bread for Shabbat and festivals on their tables, usually two loaves of challah (bread with a token dedicatory offering removed from the dough before cooking), signifying something different, the lechem mishnah (the two portions of manna) received by the Israelites for Shabbat (Ex. 16:22).

But hang out at a Hasidic shabbat, and you will often see not two, but twelve loaves (Mishmeret Shalom 28e). That's a lot of challah. The custom is drawn not directly from the Bible, but from the pre-Hasidic teachings of Isaac Luria, who insisted 12 should be obligatory. He noted that the in the Zoharic phrase, "This is the table that is before God," the word zeh ("this") equals 12 in gematria - rendering it "12 is the table that is before God" (Pinchas p. 245). Twelve loaves ensured that God would be present at that gathering. These needed to be arrayed 6 on one side of the table, six on the other, just as the lechem panim were.

The Hasidic work Sha'arei Teshuvah proposes a different arrangement: four stacked double-decker on the right, left, and center (274a). Some Hasidim don't actually serve 12 loaves, but will bake large challot made of twelves parts (either braids or just twelve different dough samples) known as yudbeisnik.

Zal G'mor: To learn more, consult the Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism - http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Jewish-Myth-Magic-Mysticism/dp/0738709050

Seudah Shelishit: The Mystical Third Meal

2008-09-01T10:12:00.005-05:00

Hasids do a lot of partying at the end of Shabbat. Before Melaveh Malkah, before Havdalah, there comes Seudah Shelishit. Like many other Hasidic customs, this has ample precedent in earlier Jewish practice.

The obligation to eat three meals over the course of Shabbat is derived from the TaNaKH and elaborated upon in later Jewish law (B.T. Shabbat 117b; S.A. Orah Chayyim 291). Eating three meals, we are told, shields the practitioner from the travails of the Messiah's coming, the messianic wars, and punishment in Gehenna (Shabbat 118a).

Customarily a light meal of bread, salad, and fish are eaten and psalms and piyyut are sung (Ps. 23, for example, and Yedid Nefesh). The classical Kabbalah (Zohar, III:88a) develops mystical rationale for this custom (see my earlier discussion of the significance of bread and fish), and turned this previously personal obligation into a public event where esoteric teachings are to be revealed:

Those who penetrate the secrets of the divine are permitted at this meal to reveal the secrets of the Torah to those who are God-fearing and those who delve into His name, withour fear...

(Hemdat Yammim, I, p. 125, as translated by Aaron Wertham)

Hasidism expands this further:

This meal corresponds to Jacob [the most perfect of the three patriarchs]....this meal contains the essence of the spiritual purpose [to mend the cosmos] (Mishmeret Shalom 29:2)

and also views seudah shelishit as the time to say farewell to the "extra-soul" of Shabbat (Keter Shem Tov 2:21). It is a foretaste of death (the "dying" of Shabbat), so it also a time of profound proximity to God.[1]

Zal G'mor: To learn more, consult the Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism - http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Jewish-Myth-Magic-Mysticism/dp/0738709050

1. Rabinowicz, The Encyclopedia of Hasidism, p. 439.

Melaveh Malchah: After Shabbat Afterlife After Party

2008-08-22T13:32:00.008-05:00

The ritual meal of Melaveh Malchah ("Escorting the Queen") involves prayers, dancing, and songs performed at the close of the Sabbath, often as an extension of the "third meal" and Havdalah (hence it is sometimes called "fourth meal" - trending toward the Hobbit-like).

[A Sabbath Queen brooch]

It is intended to extend the Shabbat rest and experience. Based on a customary practice mentioned in passing in the Talmud (Shabbat 119b; S. A. Orach Chayyim 300), it is greatly expanded by Hasidism into an extended, at time raucous, party.

The ritual marks not only the departure of the Shekhinah ("the Sabbath Queen") from those who have known her special intimacy throughout the Sabbath, but also the taking leave of the "added souls" that join us during the Sabbath. The Shekhinah is thereby strengthened for the ordinary days that will follow. It also benefits the living and the dead. Participation by the living may enjoy various blessings, including relief to illness or barreness.[1]

Loosely connected to the theme of extra-ensoulment during Shabbat, according to one tradition, the souls of departed sinners in Gehenna are spared punishment for the duration of the Sabbath. Performing Melaveh Malchah is understood to extend that reprieve and help ease their term in the punishing afterlife [2].

Zal G'mor: To learn more, consult the Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism - http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Jewish-Myth-Magic-Mysticism/dp/0738709050

1. Wertheim, A., "Traditions and Customs in Hasidism," Essential Papers in Hasidism, p. 372

2. Ginsburg, E., The Sabbath in Classic Kabbalah and Rabinowicz, p. 277, and The Encyclopedia of Hasidism, p. 309

Shirayim: Divine Leftovers, Soul Food

2008-08-19T16:04:00.014-05:00

Sherayim: (“Leftovers”). Food, usually bread, which has been blessed and set aside by a righteous man is a spiritual treasure and much sought after.

The significance of sherayim is derived from several sources. It is consciously understood to be a leftover, based on Deut. 28:5, where the word mishartekha ("your kneading bowl" - "blessed be...your kneading bowl") is interpreted to mean "your remainder."

It is also modelled on the old custom of the peyah, the corner of a field left unharvested and intended for the needy (Lev. 19; B.T. Ervuvin 53b; Orah Chayyim 170:3). The spiritual potential of consuming such remainders is illustrated in this Talmudic maaseh:

After the meal of the day to celebrate the New Month, R. Yohanan would go to the synagogue in the morning and would collect the crumbs and eat them, saying "May I spend my life in the next world together with those who ate here last evening." (J.M.K. 2:3. Also see Sanh. 92a).

The only component missing in the pre-Hasidic tradition is the special role of the Rebbe. This is elaborated from another Talmudic passage which talks of a family experiencing blessing through food distributed by the head of the household (Berakhot 51b). Among the Hasidim it is eaten in the belief that their tzadik’s touch is a "unification" of divine energies and he has released its holy potential (birur ha-nitzotzim). As mentioned in earlier entries, there is a belief that fit food actually contains the sparks of transmigrating souls. Consuming it allows them to move on and blesses the one who ate:

The point of eating and drinking is to locate the sparks, and to locate and restore the migratory souls that are reincarnated in everything that requires tikkun.

Why did God make man feel hunger and thirst?...for this reason it is said "Hungry and thirsty, their souls fainted in them" (Ps. 107:5)...so that he could raise the sparks of the divine, those souls who are 'fainted' in the food. (Taamei ha-Minhagim, pt. 2:3 and Sefer ha-BeSHT 2:24, as translated in Werthheim, A., "Traditions and Customs in Hasidism," p. 386).

Despite this, however, some will keep it as a relic or a segullah charm (inspired by Ex. 23:25). Whatever its fate, it is not unusual to see a scramble by the nearest Hasidim to gain a small bit of these remnants.

Zal G'mor: To learn more, consult the Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism:
http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Jewish-Myth-Magic-Mysticism/dp/0738709050

The Hasidic Tish: Tabletop Spirituality, Food for the Soul

2008-08-06T21:38:00.013-05:00

(A rebbe's tish among the Satmar Hasidim)

I thought I would spend a few entries discussing some of the distinctive spiritual practices of the Chasidic community, starting with the Tish (Yid. "Table." Also Firen Tish; Farbrengen). Among the spiritual customs of Chasidism is the rebbe's tish, a mass gathering of Chasids around their spiritual leader, in which the sharing of food and drinking is combined with lengthy discourses on Torah, singing (often wordless melodies known as niggunim), and ecstatic dancing. These normally occur at Sabbaths, festivals, or commemorative days, and can last many hours.

The Sages of the Talmud characterized the dining table of the Jewish home as a mikdash me'at, a "small altar," elevating the mundane business of eating to a sacradotal level. The idea of a meal punctuated with Torah study also goes back at least as far as the Talmud (Avot 3:4; Taanit 5b). The practice continued on into the Middle Ages (Zohar II:154a), but early Hasidic masters were critical of their conventions, which focused more on virtuoso demonstrations of homiletic prowess rather than on spiritual inspiration [1].

The Tish, by comparison is focused on cultivating a emotional and spiritual identification between the attending Hasids and their leader. Attendees are encouraged to observe and reflect on the every gesture of the Rebbe, whose actions are understood to be "living Torah." Thus, for example, how the Rebbe handles the food, or which morsel he chooses as his first, are all assumed to convey a spiritual lesson. In most cases, the tzadik makes no effort to explain his actions. It is left to the individual hasid to find the metaphysical implications of the master's behavior. For many devout hasids, the tish is the highlight of their communal spirituality, for some it is more powerful than prayer. By means of notarikon, R. Sholem of Belz found that the initials of the phrase "You spread a table before me" - T'l'Sh - (Ps. 23:5) are the same as the initials for the phrase Tikkun Leil Shavuot, midnight study vigil held by Jews prior to celebrating the giving of Torah. Every evening spent at the tzadik's tish is as if you celebrated a major festival.

While there may be considerable food present, it is the food (usually bread and/or fish*) that is blessed and distributed through the hand of the rebbe that holds the greatest interest. In large crowds, often only those closest to the rebbe get more than a fragment. In very large gatherings, to get any at all is a rare and precious event, enhancing the significance of receiving it. It comes to signify a kind of grace. This food, called shirayim, is considered imbued with great sanctity. While most will eat it, some participants will keep the morsels as amulets.[2]

Among CHaBaD Hasidim, these spiritual hoedowns are often called a Farbrengen (Yid., "Gathering"). Functionally identical to the rebbe's tish practiced by other Chasidic groups, the farbrengen features long discourses on mystical teachings of Torah, interrupted by chanting, song and dance.[3] The crowd is also loosened up by a liberal supply of liquor present at all such events.

Zal G'mor: To learn more, consult the Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism:

http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Jewish-Myth-Magic-Mysticism/dp/0738709050

*Fish has long been held to be a uniquely 'metaphysical' food of special purity and status in the folk traditions of Judaism. Fish need not be slaughtered and kashered as the meat of land animals. The Talmud teaches that fish were spared the destruction of the land animals in the generation of the flood (T.B. Sanhedrin 108a). Fish are not vulnerable to the evil eye. Later reincarnation traditions hold this is because righteous souls transmigrate into fish. To consume them is to assimilate a measure of their merit. Thus fish is always integrated into Hasidic festive events.

1. Werthheim, "Traditions and Customs in Hasidism," p. 383.

2. Rabinowicz, The Encyclopedia of Hasidism, pp. 495-496.

3. Rabinowicz, p. 125.

Hellboy II: A More Jewish Demon Prince?

2008-07-14T14:35:00.009-05:00

[Selma Blair, the most Jewish aspect of the Hellboy films]

I am an unapologetic movie lover. I see all kinds of movies. This includes much that is lowbrow, popcorn, and grindhouse quality (I just enjoyed the low-budget New Zealand camp horror film, Black Sheep). An entertaining movie is just entertaining. I even honor what I call "brilliantly stupid" cinema - films like Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and Dumb and Dumber. I especially love superhero films (I'm a sucker for any kind of mythology), though shockingly few are truly good films, despite the immense amounts of cash lavished on them. Indiana Jones IV, for example, continues in the stunningly mediocre tradition of IJ II. IJ III was only salvaged from the same fate by the brilliant conceit of casting Sean Connery as Indy's dad. Raiders of the Lost Ark seems to me to just have very long coattails that have managed to carry all the subsequent (with an emphasis on "sub-") films.

But I am drifting off topic. I just saw Hellboy II, which with its stunning visuals, great creatures, and refreshingly goofy humor actually excelled past its predecessor (When was the last time that happened, Alien II?). Up until now, there hasn't been much of a Jewish subtext to the character -- he's staunchly Catholic -- except that he is misunderstood and has horns (ha-maskil yavin). However, HB II took a step away from the Christian-based good vs. evil thematics that marked the first film, and took a foray into the pre-Christian traditions of fairy. Though the clear inspiration is Irish folk myth, I was struck by how the backstory (In ancient times fairies and humans struggle for control of the earth, only to settle on a truce once a super weapon is introduced, causing the spirits to retreat into the remote places of the earth) neatly resembles the medieval Jewish tradition about the conflicts between people and shedim. You can see what I'm talking about by going to my earlier entry Demon Lovers, Sword of Power: The Other Children o...

As for HB himself, sorry, no red devils with a passion for cats and big pistols for us, but for a demon lord with a good side that does appear in Jewish tradition, see:
Asmodeus, Ashmodei: King of Demons, Solomon's Alte...

Zal G'mor: To learn more, consult the Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism - http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Jewish-Myth-Magic-Mysticism/dp/0738709050

God: Blessing and Blessed

2008-07-04T16:31:00.003-05:00

Many Jewish prayers begin with the phrase Baruch Atah Adonai...Literally, that's "Blessed are You, O Lord..." Blessed by whom? Ever since Parmenides, western philosophic theology has hated the idea that God is not self-sufficient. Yet the God of Israel is frequently portrayed as in need of humanity's partnership. It is implicit throughout the Bible, where God's anger over humanity's disloyalty betrays an anxiety that He might, in fact, lose us.

[Forgetful Angel, by Paul Klee]

While God in Rabbinic literature places less emphasis on God's frustration, it is at times even more forthright in describing God as less than wholly autonomous. At the very least, it seems, God needs our encouragement:

It was taught as Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha says: "I once entered the innermost part of the Temple to offer incense and saw Akatriel-YaH, seated upon a high and exalted throne. God said to me: 'Ishmael, My son, bless Me [barcheini]!' I replied: 'May it beYour will that Your compassion overcome Your anger. May Your compassion prevail over Your other attributes. May You deal with Your children compassionately. May You not judge us solely with strict justice!' And God nodded to me." (Berakhot 7a).

According to the commentary that follows this maaseh, we learn from this that the blessing of an ordinary person should not be taken lightly. If God says that She wants to be blessed by "mere mortals," one might well ask, who am I to intervene on behalf of God? But on the other hand, who am I to argue with a divine request? To me, this is a great example of rabbinic Judaism's "audacious humility" (or is it "humble audacity"?) -- we recognize our own independent power to improve upon God's creation and even to "improve" God, even if it is achieved, paradoxically, by submitting ourselves to God's will.

But the theme of the interdependence of God and man is portrayed in an even more daring maaseh. In this one, Moses ascends to heaven to receive the Torah, only to find God feeling a little overwhelmed by the business of keeping up with the creation She has unleashed:

Rabbi Joshua Ben Levi also said: When Moses ascended on high, he found the Holy Blessed One tying crowns on the letters. He said to him, "Is there not 'Peace' in your town [won't people even wish me well]?" He answered, "Shall a servant offer a greeting of 'Peace!' to his master?" He said, "Yet you should help Me." Immediately he cried out to Him And now may the power of the Lord be magnified, as You have spoken (Numbers 14:17) (Shabbat 89a)

This is a particularly clever story, because the darshan builds it's startling premise around a verse from the Torah in which Moses offers his verbal encouragement to God, thereby establishing that God's need for us is actually attested to in the central revelation of our tradition. But again, it appears we can best assist God's by heeding to His will, and even more so if we deploy God's own words to sustain Him and His purpose.

Zal G'mor: To learn more, consult the Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism - http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Jewish-Myth-Magic-Mysticism/dp/0738709050

EJMMM Topics

2008-06-04T15:13:00.033-05:00

We must beware lest we violate the holy, lest our dogmas overthink the mystery, lest our psalms sing it away

- A.J. Heschel.

I anticipate that my entries will slow down over the summer. I apologize to my regulars, but I am constrained by several obligations

[Angel applicant, by Paul Klee]

- I am drafting my dissertation proposal, I have committed to writing an article for Parabola Magazine in the Fall, and I am creating a syllabus and lectures for a course on Early Israelite Monarchy for the Jewish Studies Program at UNT to be taught in Spring 2009.

So adding all that to my regular rabbinic duties and I'm feeling pressed for time.

So, until next time, here for your review is list of links to subjects I've written on to date. And, of course, this is just a sample of what you will find if you buy yourself a copy of my Encycelopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism: http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Jewish-Myth-Magic-Mysticism/dp/0738709050 I hope to pick up more actively in the Fall.

JMMM CONTENTS TO DATE

Altered States of Consciousness

Maggid: Jewish Spirit Guide, Revealing Angel

Speaking in Tongues: Channeling and Xenoglossia in...
The Sound of Sheer Silence: Silent Meditation in J...
Devekut: Cleaving to the Divine

Hekhalot Literature / Merkavah Mysticism
Shem ha-Kotev: Jewish Automatic Writing

Amulets and Spells

The Secret Language of Jewish Spells II: The Music...
Defense Against the Darks Arts (Jewish Division): ...
Habdalah of Rabbi Akiba, page 3
The Havdalah of Rabbi Akiba, pg. 2: Angelic Names,...
Havdalah de-Rabbi Akiva: Jewish Sorcery
Hebrew Magic Love Charms Jewish Magic Spells: The Secret Language of Amulet...
Kabbalah Curse or Divine Discipline: What is a Pul...

Angels
Erelim: Tearful Angels, Jewish Valkyries
Metatron: Angel Prince, Enoch Transformed
Metatron: Anomalous Angel of the Countenance
nock, Knock, Knocking on Heaven's Door: Jewish Ps...
Cherub: American Idol/ Israelite Foundation
Elijah the Prophet - Angel of the Covenant
Uriel: Angel of the Presence, the Light of God
Sandalphon: Fiery Wheel, Cosmic Angel
Adiriron: Power-house Angel of the Merkavah

The Angelus Interpres in Jewish Tradition

Comparative Religion

Jewish vs. Christian Angels

Jesus: Myth, Man, or Messiah?

Original Sin in Judaism?

Mohammad: Blasphemy and Violence

Demons, Changelings, and Evil Spirits

Jewish Demonology: Demon Origins
Samael: Demon Prince, Consort of Lilith

Lilith - semen demon or feminist icon?
Vampires: Jewish Goth? Bloodsuckers in Judaism

Asmodeus, Ashmodei: King of Demons, Solomon's Alte...
Mazzikim: Imps in Judaism
Demon Lovers, Sword of Power: The Other Children o...

Spawns of Satan, Children of Cain

Does the curse of Cain live on?
Tehirin: Pure Evil, Demons of Dreams

The Dybbuk: Spirit Possession
Armilius: The Jewish Lord Voldemort

Armilius, Anti-Christ, Hollywood - The Unholy Trin...

Exorcism III: Battling Dybbuks and the Dead

Exorcism II: A Jewish Ritual Against Demonic Posse...

Jewish Exorcism I: Defeating Demons

God and the Godhead

God of TaNaKH, God of Kabbalah Monism, Unity, and Duality in Judaism

Kedushat Levi: Bridging between Void and Fullness

Ain and Yesh: Being and Nothingness in Judaism

The Sacred Feminine in Judaism II

The Sacred Feminine in Judaism I

[Divine] Mother in Israel: Shekhina, Metrona, Im...

Little Less then Divine: Wisdom, Torah, Shekhinah,...

Clouds of Glory: God's Sukkot, God's Shekhinah

Throne of Glory; Mercy Seat of God

Heroes

Moses: Torah Warrior, Master of Angels
Moses: The Jewish Prometheus

Miriam: Prophetess, Diseased and Well

Women Jewish Mystics

Images of Women in Jewish Mythology

Malchut Shaddai: The Kingdom of Heaven in Judaism

Malchut Shamayim II

Humanity

Adam Kadmon II: The Human Cosmos, Conduit of Light...

Adam Kadmon I: Spiritual Man, Primordial Being

Deyokna -Tzelem - Guf ha-Dak: The Astral Body

Holidays

Controversy in Jewish Time: Mysteries of the Hebre...

The Ritual Mysticism and Magic of Passover

Dreidel Mysticism

Labyrinths

Jewish Labyrinths II: In the Palace of the King

Labyrinths in Judaism I: The Jewish Sacred Path

Medicine

Jewish Herbology and Natural Healing

Monsters and Creatures
Golem: Legend of the Jewish Homunculus

Leviathan II: Demon of the Sea, Messianic Meal
Nefalim, Refaim, Anakim: Biblical Giants

Places

Many Worlds, One God: Judaism on Manifold Creation...

The Jewish Hogwarts has Fallen: A Eulogy for the K...

Sacred Tents, Divine Sanctuaries

Mishkan, Tabernacle - Bridal Chamber of God and Is...

Blessed Darkness: The Torah of Hoshekh

Objects of Power

The Sapphire Heaven

The Rod of Aaron, Staff of Moses: Jewish Wondrous ...

Jewish Magical Rings of Power

Reincarnation and Afterlife

Jewish Reincarnation? Gilgul of the Soul(s)

The Parable of the Vineyard: Reincarnation in Juda...

Gilgul in Waco: Kabbalah and Reincarnation in Texa...

The Guf: Mystical Body, Well of Souls

Texas, Hell, and Governor Perry

Rituals

Lulav: Water and Rain, Masculine and Feminine

Ushpizin at Sukkot: Time to Gather the Spirits

The Spirit of God Hovered Upon the Waters

Four Species - Suspicious
Auteur Mysticism: Innovative Readings on Circumcis...

Angel Adjurations:Drawing Down Divine Power

Brit Milah: Fast Track to Eden

Crack My Cup and Cut Me Up: Jewish Curses

Privy Counsel: Jewish Spirit Etiquette for the Toi...

Severe Agents of God

Angel of Death I: Malach ha-Mavet, Severe Agent of...

A Necessary Evil: The Yetzer ha-Ra

Did Satan Fall?: The Devil is in the Details

Texts

What is a Jewish Myth?

Occult Bible

Reading the Bible with an Occult Eye

Secrets of Bereshit: The Occult Bible III

God Live and Uncensored

Mysterious Ways: The Kabbalah of U2

Misc.

Llewellyn, Levanah, and Love
Esoteric Lecture in Lewisville TX this Saturday
The Perfect Gift for Chanukah, Hanuka, Hanukka, Ch...
Zal G'mor: Go Forth and Learn

Another nice review of the Encyclopedia of Jewish ...

News about the EJMMM
Rabbi Dennis speaking in TX and LA

Judaism, Eroticism, and Zionism - the art of E.M. ...

Geoff Dennis Speaking in Louisiana this Weekend ...

Asmodeus, Ashmodei: King of Demons, Solomon's Alter Ego

2008-05-30T09:29:00.014-05:00

[A fiend for Torah Study. Found at www.davidlouisedelman.com/book-promotion/jewish-werewolves/]

Asmodeus: (Heb: Ashmodei, Ashemdei) An evil spirit. The name Asmodeus may be derived from the Zoroastrian Aesmadiv, the “spirit of anger” who serves Ahriman, the Persian god of evil. Asmodeus is first mentioned in the apocryphal book Tobit, where he slays seven grooms of a young girl before being bested by the hero, who with the help of Raphael, drives him off using the gall of a river fish.

In Pesach 110a he is dubbed the “king of demons.” The locus classicus for Asmodeus is the wonderful Talmudic tale of how he usurps the throne of Solomon (Git. 68a-b) after the king initially binds him to service by means of a magical ring. Surprisingly, the demon is treated rather sympathetically. He both morally instructs Solomon and provides him with the shamir worm, a wondrous creature that helps the king build the Temple. His foreknowledge of human destiny is credited to his daily Torah studies in heaven. The tale reflects an effort by the Sages to reconcile their belief in the demonic with monotheism, portraying evil spirits as yet another tool of God’s inscrutable will. The passage also highlights the belief that magical practitioners can summon and “bind” demons and use their powers for their own purposes, a staple belief of medieval sorcery. The theme of Solomon as the archetypal magician, master of Demons is more fully explored in the apocryphal Testament of Solomon. Again here we see the dual themes of the demon teaching the king humility and so serving as a dark agent of the one God:

So do not ask me so many things, Solomon, for eventually your kingdom will be divided. This glory of yours is temporary. You have us to torture for a little while; then we shall disperse among human beings again with the result that we shall be worshiped as gods because men do not know the names of the angels who rule over us (5:5)

In Kabbalistic works such as Treatise of the Left Emanation, Asmodeus is portrayed as a deputy, or even the offspring off Samael (See Samael: Demon Prince, Consort of Lilith). He is also assigned a consort demoness, Lilith “the lesser.”Like Rabbinic literature, medieval Jewish tales report Asmodeus interacting with august Jewish figures, such as Simon bar Yochai, the Talmudic mystic. In one such story, Asmodeus is portrayed as doing what he does in order to serve both the Sage and God. The bar Yochai story and other references to Asmodeus in Kabbalistic texts, where his name is occasionally invoked to beneficent purposes, reflect the on-going effort among Jews to reconcile the existence of demons with God's undisputed spiritual power.

Zal G'mor: To learn more, consult the Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism - http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Jewish-Myth-Magic-Mysticism/dp/0738709050

Angel of Death I: Malach ha-Mavet, Severe Agent of God

2008-05-21T07:23:00.009-05:00

Angel of Death: (Malakh ha-Mavet, Mar Mavet, Malach Ahzari). God’s agent of death in the world and the most dreaded of all numinous beings.

["The end of man is to die" - Microscript illustration found at www.isidore-of-seville.com/]

First mentioned in Biblical literature simply as Mavet (personified Death), ha-Mashchit (the Destroyer), Malach-Adonai (Angel of the Lord),

And the Angel of the Lord went out and attacked the Assyrian camp; One hundred eighty-five thousand.And when they arose in the morning, they were all dead bodies. (Isaiah 37:36)

in later literature the title “Angel of Death” becomes conventional. God created the Angel on the first day, along with light.

The notion of an angel bringing death probably arose out of the widespread belief in the Bible that those who look upon God would die. In Judges 13:22-23, this logic was also applied to seeing the Malach Adonai.

The various legends about the Angel are so diverse it is hard to reconcile them all. Some traditions fuse the Angel with God's other severe agents, ha-Satan and the Yetzer ha-Ra (See earlier entries A Necessary Evil: The Yetzer ha-Ra and Did Satan Fall?: The Devil is in the Details ). Others identify the Angel with Samael [“The Gall of God”](See Samael: Demon Prince, Consort of Lilith). Another strand of tradition teaches that the same angel that brings a soul into the world is also the one who will bring it back. There are also traditions concerning Domah, the angel of the grave, who pronounces the initial judgment against the soul while it still clings to the body. In some texts, he functions exactly as the Angel of Death does. Perhaps in an attempt to pull all the strands together, according to a late tradition there are actually six angels of death: Gabriel over kings; Kapziel over youths; Mashbir over animals; Mashchit over children; Af and Chemah over man and beast (Beit ha-Midrash, 2:98).

According to the Talmud, death is the slowest of all the angels, except in times of epidemic, when he is the fastest. The Malach ha-Mavet is monstrous in appearance: full of eyes that see all creatures (Ber. 4b), and can appear with seven dragon heads (Testament of Abraham). He is robed in a mantle that allows him to change appearance. Death can command hosts of demons (Gen. R. 26). Some traditions hold the Angel was created on the first day, along with darkness, while others say he arose after the first sin (PdRE 13; A.Z. 22b; Zohar I: 35b).

I will follow with accounts of the Angel's interactions with humanity.

Zal G'mor: To learn more, consult the Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism: http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Jewish-Myth-Magic-Mysticism/dp/0738709050
[1] God is utterly committed to following

Many Worlds, One God: Judaism on Manifold Creation

2008-05-16T07:30:00.004-05:00

A pious rabbi was arrested by the Communist authorities in Russia for refusing to comply with the government's anti-religious edicts. In an effort to terrorize him, the rabbi's guard came into his cell, pushed the rabbi to his knees, held a revolver to his head, spun the chambers, and pulled the trigger. The chamber that the hammer struck was empty, but the guard showed the rabbi that there were three rounds in six chambers of the wheel. He returned a second time, repeated the procedure, but was surprised that the rabbi never flinched or even seemed concerned that the next time the pistol would discharge and kill him. "Why are you not afraid?!" He demanded. The rabbi rose to his feet and replied, "What you do fills you with dread, for the simple reason that you have many gods - your ideology, your party bosses, even your pistol - but you only have one world. I, on the other hand, have only one God, but many worlds. What have I to fear?" In that moment, the guard became a god-fearing man, and later helped the rabbi escape. (Story told me some twenty years ago, for which I have never found a written attribution)

I have just come to the shocking realization that my book, the Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism, which otherwise provides a comprehensive summary of Jewish esoteric, aboriginal, mystical, and folkloric subjects, lacks an entry on one interesting topic - the tradition that ours is not God's first or only world! Oh, I mention it briefly in the context of other entries, but I did not dedicate an entry to that one matter, and that is an oversight. So here's what I know -

The teaching that God created multiple worlds before forming this world first appears in Bereshit Rabbah ("The expansion on Genesis"):

...And there was evening [the Hebrew can be read to suggest 'evening' was a reality before now]: hence we know a time order existed before this. R. Abbahu said: This proves the Blessed Holy One went on creating worlds and destroying them until He created this one....This is Abbahu's reason: And God saw everything that He made and behold, it was very good [comparatively] This pleases me, but those [worlds] did not please me. (3:7. Also see 9:2, where the same verse is used as a slightly different way - other sources also use Gen. 2:4: Now these are the generations of the heaven and earth when they [rather than "it"] were created, and Isa. 65:17).

How many worlds? Its unclear, but they added up to a thousand generations of souls, according to one reading, based on Ps. 105:8; 974 according to another. How that latter number? Noah was the 26th Generation of [this] creation, and since the Sages teach that Solomon was referring to Noah when he wrote, Only one man in a thousand have I found... (Eccl. 7:28), they deduct 26 from 1000 and get....974 (Gen. R. 28:4). 974 becomes the working number for prior creations in many subsequent retellings of this legend (Talmud Hag. 13b, Midrash Tehillim 90:13; Shabbat 88b):

R. Joshua b. Levi also said: "When Moses ascended on high, the ministering angels spoke before the Holy One, blessed be He: 'Sovereign of the Universe! What business has one born of woman amongst us?' 'He has come to receive the Torah,' answered He to them. Said they to Him, 'That secret treasure, which has been hidden by Thee for nine hundred and seventy-four generations before the world was created.'" (Shabbat 88b)

Hagigah 13b also gives us the piquant tradition that God did not jettison those earlier generations of souls, but continues to recycle them into the the unfolding generations of this world.

This idea that ours was not the first or only universe continues to be reiterated in various ways throughout the tradition (PdRE 3; Zohar I:24a-b; Or ha-Hayyim 1:12). In Hasidic tradition, the existence of prior worlds is revealed by the fact that the account of this creation begins with bet, the second letter of the Hebrew alef-bet (Gen. 1:1).[1]

This tradition of diachronic universes exists separate from the notion of synchronic multiple worlds, which also exists in Jewish tradition in the (well-known) "Four Worlds" and "Seven Heavens" models, as well as the (not so well-known) "Seven Dimensions of Earth" model (Lev. R. 29:11; Seder Gan Eden; LOTJ p. 15).

Zal G'mor: To learn more, consult the Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism: http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Jewish-Myth-Magic-Mysticism/dp/0738709050

[1] God is utterly committed to following proper outline format. Schwartz, Tree of Souls, p. 71.

The Parable of the Vineyard: Reincarnation in Judaism II

2008-05-10T09:10:00.003-05:00

I've already given an overview of the concept of reincarnation (gilgul) in Jewish mysticism on this site last year (SEE Jewish Reincarnation? Gilgul of the Soul(s) ), but I was teaching the topic in my UNT Kabbalah course this Spring and I mentioned that the number of reincarnations for a soul could be as little as three and as many as 1000. Asked how the Tradition came up with those numbers, I said, "From the Bible," and cited Job 33:29-30. Alas, someone checked me and found it accounted for the 3x but not the 1000 - "Truly God does all these [things] two, three times to a man, to bring him back from the pit, that he may bask in the light of life." I couldn't recall the other prooftext at the time. I searched briefly, but then moved on.

Now, two days after I completed the class, I find the citation that eluded me in David's Stern's excellent Parables in Midrash. The source in Sefer ha-Bahir. It is embedded in a mashal, a parable, a favorite Jewish illustrative tool (this one's about a vineyard, but for the easily confused - warning! warning! warning! - its not the one Jesus taught):

Why does the wicked man prosper and the righteous suffer?
[R. Rahmai replied] Because this righteous man was once a wicked man in the past, and is now being punished.
[They asked him:] But is a man punished for the sins of his youth? Did not Rabbi Simon say that the heavenly court only punishes a man for [the sins he commits from the time he is] twenty years old?
[R. Rahmai] replied: I do not speak of the [same] life; I speak of the fact that he was already there in the past.
His colleagues said to him: How long will you speak enigmatically?

He said to them: Go and see! A parable: What is the matter like? It is like a man who planted a vineyard in his garden, and he hoped it would grow grapes, but it grew wild grapes. He saw that his planting did not succeed, so he cut down the vineyard, tore it out, and cleaned the good grapes from the wild ones, and planted it a second time. When he saw that that did not succeed, he tore it down and planted after he had cleaned it. When he saw that [the third planting] was not successful, he tore it out and [re]planted it.
And how many times? Until the thousandth generation, as it is written, "The davar [lit. "the thing," i.e., the soul] He gave to a thousandth generation" (Ps. 105:8). And that is to say: 974 generation were missing, so the Holy Blessed One arose and planted them in every generation (Hagigah 13b-14a) (Sefer ha-Bahir 195).

There are a complex web of associations embedded at the end of this seemingly straight-forward parable. To tie his claim for reincarnation to all authoritative Jewish sources, the author of Bahir is citing not only Bible, but Talmud as a second primary proof text, a passage that itself seeks to understand a parallelism of Daniel, a thousand thousands of angels serve Him, and a myriad of myriads rise before Him (Daniel 7:10). The Talmud expounds this verse: These [the myriads] are the 974 generations that were uprooted from being created before the creation of the [our] world. God spread them out in each ensuing generation. They are the most brazen people in each generation. In other words, there were myriads of souls that preexisted Adam and Eve (Surprise - Judaism doesn't teach that Adam and Eve were the first people!). This, in turn, [I know, it's hard to keep score] refers to another rabbinic teaching - seemingly unrelated to gilgul - that God created several unsatisfactory worlds before He made this one (based on Gen. 2:4 and Isa. 65:17. Perhaps I'll explain that legend in the next entry).

The point the Talmud is making is that God did not give up on the souls that were part of those creations, but recycles them into His current creation. This in turn offers an explanation of the 'bad seeds,' people that occasionally appear to be trouble from the get-go, like Donnie Bonaducci. Having gone bad in previous lives, they still have a lot of 'bad karma' (not, admittedly a Hebrew word) they bring from the previous cycle of creation.

In any case, what I appreciate is how the author of the Bahir marshals a surprising number of sources and associations to buttress his doctrine of transmigration and compacts them into the end of this little passage (3 tight lines at the end of the mashal in the published edition), astutely giving a simple illustration for the simple reader, but also giving tantalizing allusions for the more sophisticated reader to unpack the full significance of his proof. An impressive demonstration of intertextual argumentation.

Zal G'mor: To learn more, consult the Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism: http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Jewish-Myth-Magic-Mysticism/dp/0738709050

Mysterious Ways: The Kabbalah of U2

2008-05-06T15:46:00.020-05:00

[Ver Sacrum - magazine cover by Kolomon Moser]
So, I teach a spring course in Kabbalah at the University of North Texas. This year, as an extra-credit ('lifnim meshurat hadin')on the final, I asked the students to synthesize what they had learned by offering a kabbalistic commentary to a text of my choice.

I selected U2's song, Mysterious Ways. I thought this offered obvious hooks for the Jewish mystic - mystery, moon, feminine-masculine, moving up and down. Still, I was surprised and delighted with the results. Many students did almost line by line commentaries, others kept themselves to a few sentences (but with some real zingers). Some developed a sustained POV (the song is about reincarnation, or the esoteric interpretation of the Torah, or dibbuk possession, or raising the sparks, or the influence of Lilith) while others offered more encapsulated comments directed to specific lines - one student took a stab at notarikons. Anyway, it was great. I wish I could replicate all their work, but I've got a greatest hits line-by-line series here. Kol ha-Kavod to my talmidim in 4962-002 - I really enjoyed learning with you.

(Addendum: In the last 24 hrs. it has come to my attention that the belly dancer featured in the video of Mysterious Ways is, in fact Jewish. More than that, it turns out Edge and she fell in love and were married in a Jewish-style ceremony in France! Synchronicity or sod ha-emunah, I cannot say, but it leaves me to wonder what really moved me to pick this particular song from the U2 catalog.)

Give a kabbalistic interpretation of the U2 lyrics, “She Moves in Mysterious Ways”:

Johnny take a walk with your sister the moon
V.I - [bring the] union of opposite forces - male and female, yesh [existence] and ain [negation]
K.F. - Come study the meaning of Torah
R.S. - "sister" = Shekhinah.
P.M. - "Johnny" is Kavod.
J.M. - "Johnny" represents humanity, "sister the divine structure" [sefirot]
V.P. - Moon, "yareakh," has the same root as "ruakh," spirit.

Let her pale light in to fill up your room
J.P.H. - Pale = hidden, Light= Wisdom
J. Or - "Room" signifies your body
G.A. - "Room" is the void [tzimtzum]
R.S. - This is the light of the Sefirot
C.A. - This is the relationship between Shekhinah and Man
K. Gr. - The Male and Female balanced in harmony.

You've been living underground
K.F. - You have only seen the garment...you have not understood the true meaning.
P.M. - Kavod's immersion into the material world.
A.D. - One must find the light of God...one has been inhabited by a dibbuk [trapped] in gilgul

Eating from a can
J.Or - This is living with sin.
W. Got - Only eating Torah [plain meaning] rather than the whole meal of Zohar [esoteric meaning].
J.P.H. - Taking Bible only as literal.

You've been running away
W. Got. - [From the esoteric meaning] because it's different.
Sum C. - We run from God/Love.

From what you don't understand...Love
C. Mit - As Rumi and the Old Man [in Zohar] say, "My religion is love."
W. Got - The ultimate purpose.

She's slippy
J.Eh - The creation of Lilith, who was there when Adam came into being.
C.W. - Watch out, you may find yourself with Lilith.
Sum. C. - The Holy Spirit/Love.

You're sliding down
G.A. - Israel's movement through the ages.
Sum. C. - Down the Tree of Life.
K. Gr. - Too much love [compassion] is dangerous. Must also have justice. Don't slip too far [to one side].
T.H. - "down" conceals the true meaning of the song being about God.

She'll be there when you hit the ground
K.F. - No matter how far you fall, the meaning can still be found.
G.A. - This refers to Shekhina's being at the "bottom" of the sefirot.
P.M. - This is Kavod's willingness to demean himself to glimpse the divine [One must descend to ascend].

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
W. Got - [code] for the three times of "Holy, Holy, Holy" [Isa. 6.6].
C.W. - Its OK to be confused, God is mysterious.
W.D. - Sarcasm. You think the people in Safed are just as pious? They're hanganot-ing.
Sum.C. - Everything is as it should be.

She moves in mysterious ways....
C.D. - It describes the mysterious nature in which the Ein Sof governs the universe.
R.S. - [It is] Shekhinah.
W. Got - She is Zohar.

Johnny take a dive with your sister in the rain
K.Gr. - Water = Divine experience.
A.D. - Go to the waterside and pray. The Shekhinah will reveal the hidden to you and your soul will awaken.
W. Got - [Into] the feminine side of the Sefirot power.
K.F. - Let [God's] glory fall on you; dive as deep as you can.

Let her talk about the things you can't explain
J.P.H. - The esoteric.
V.I. - Donkey drivers and women can reveal things that are profound, even thought they don't seem important.
C.D. - A tzadik or rebbe is required to talk about the things you [the hasid] can't explain yourself.
K.F. - Find the meaning, keep asking questions.

To touch is to heal
J.P. H. - The soul.
C.D. - A nod to the folk healer tradition of the Baal Shem.
J.Or. - The master's kiss [of initiation] on [the disciple's] forehead or eyes.
C.W. - Find an exorcist; she will take this unwanted dibbuk out of you.

To hurt is to steal
J.M. - The divine structure suffers as we sin.
Sum. C. - The human experience hurts, but she /God/Spirit of Love is still present.

If you want to kiss the sky
J.Or - "Sky" signifies God
G.A. - The "kiss of God" i.e., the ideal death. Fulfill the mitzvot if one wants to achieve this.

Better learn how to kneel(on your knees boy)
C.A. - Reaching God...through [bittul] destruction of the ego
K.F. - Learn to look beyond the words.

She's the wave
W. Got - In all things, all encompassing.
C.W. - God is everything
K.F. - She is the Torah, the cause of the world

She turns the tide
C.W. - God is change
G.A. - Israel finds God through Torah.
K.F. - Torah holds the secrets.

She sees the man inside the child
V.I. - Something greater within that is not always evident on the surface - the esoteric.
C.A. - Man as created in God's image.
J.Or - "man" is God, the "child" is worldly man.
W.D. - Find one who can recognize the dibbuk.

One day you will look...back
K.F. - See that the ego slipped away...how warm is the embrace of the soul of Torah.
W. Got - Reflection once you study...you will be come more enlightened.

And you'll see...where
L.C. - Shekhina gives him visions of the glory of God.
J. Ber. - Meditating on the Sefirot, the Divine structure will reveal all.

You were held...how
W.D. - You kept nitzotzot trapped in kelippot because you didn't follow the commandments.

By this love...while
K. Gr. - God as Lover of Israel.

You could stand...there
E. Mas. - By this knowledge Johnny knows God inflicts [?] everyday with His Presence.
T.H. - Fufilling all 613 Mitzvot. You have the choice to "stand" and do nothing.

You could move on this moment
K.F. - Follow the feeling into the glory.
W. Got - Reincarnation, [your soul] moving forward.
J.M. - Return the sparks to their place, help to reunite God with His Shehkhinah.
T.H. - Move forward in your quest to complete them (the commandments).

Follow this feeling...
R.S. - This whole stanza really emphasizes Gevurah and Hesed...the idea of blind justice, while love is seen throughout.
V.I. - Take an emotional rather than rational approach of mysticism.

We move through miracle days
G.A. - Divine experience is not limited to prophetic times but ongoing.
J.M. - As we go further in this, we unlock mysteries we could not previous fathom.
J.Eh - The perfect working of justice is "miracle days"

Spirit moves in mysterious ways
J.Eh - The workings of the Sefirot.
J.Or - Pure spirit = Ein Sof
V.I. - She could also be Torah revealing herslef to the mystic.

She moves with it, She moves with it
C.W. - All change comes through God.
J. Ber. - We are all part of the mysterious God ("spirit") and the divine structure ("She").

Lift my days, light up my nights
R.S. - This line refers to the Nitzotzot, [the divine sparks]
G.A. - This refers to Tikkun.
C.W. - Invite bolder insights into your life.
W. Got - Lighting up the darkness of lack of understanding.
K. Gr. - "Days"/"Nights" - balance.

Zal G'mor: To learn more, consult the Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism: http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Jewish-Myth-Magic-Mysticism/dp/0738709050

Jewish Duality vs. Dualism: The May Synchroblog

2008-05-01T08:33:00.005-05:00

Last month the JMMM blog participated in a multi-blog exploration of mythic motherhood in honor of Mother's Day. In May, the coordinator of this effort wants to do it again, only with the theme of "Duality." As it happens, I have already written quite a bit on this topic. So my contribution this month is to link interested readers back to a series I wrote that revolved around Chassidut, Hasidic philosophy. The way my blog files, the bottom of the list is the earliest entry, so if you want to follow the thread, start with the link labelled "1" and work your way up.

4. God of TaNaKH, God of Kabbalah
3. Monism, Unity, and Duality in Judaism
2. Kedushat Levi: Bridging between Void and Fullness
1. Ain and Yesh: Being and Nothingness in Judaism

Other participants in the synablog include:

Between Old and New Moons
Goddess in a Teapot
The Aquila ka Hecate
Full Circle Earthwise News
Mythprint (all the myth that’s fit to print)
Stone Circle
Women and Spirituality
Frontiers of Wonder
ReligionThink
Paleothea - Sing, Goddess
Quaker Pagan Reflections
Heart of Flame
Pitch 313
Executive Pagan
Druid’s Apprentice
The Druid Journal
Manzanita, Redwoods and Laurel
Dream Builders: A Figment of Imagination
When Isis Rises

Zal G'mor: To learn more, consult the Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism: http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Jewish-Myth-Magic-Mysticism/dp/0738709050