Kabbalah: Why Study Of It Comes With A Warning

Every religion gives rise to mystical offshoots that provide a more personal intimacy with the divine, compared with the dogma and institutions of the mother faith.

These offshoots push the boundaries of devotion, contemplation and knowledge and can inspire believers and reinvigorate the faith.

From Islam came Sufism, from Christianity the medieval mystics – and from Judaism, Kabbalah (which means ‘receiving’)

Despite their mystical leanings, the early kabbalists had to remain very observant of traditional teachings and law, including the Talmud (the foundational body of Jewish law, story and custom) and the Bible.

The Bible expresses the traditional, masculine values of God, exemplified by the mitsvot (commandments). The Kabbalah complements these with an exploration of the more feminine aspect of the divine (symbolized by the female Goddess Shekhinah).

According to Daniel C. Matt (The Essential Kabbalah), the purpose of Kabbalah practice is to take a person back to the “cosmic consciousness” or mystical union that humankind once enjoyed with God at the beginning of creation.

Why the historical secrecy surrounding Kabbalah learning? Traditionally there are restrictions on who and when a person could gain access to kabbalistic teachings, notably: being over 40; married; and of sound heart and mind.

These restrictions were not so silly. Because Kabbalah deals with the deepest issues of self and God, masters know that mystical knowledge can drive a person mad if they are not able to incorporate it into their understanding of the world.

Daniel Matt quotes Kabbalist Isaac of Akko: “Strive to see supernal light, for I have brought you into a vast ocean. Be careful! Strive to see, yet escape drowning.”

Kabbalah teachers have never gone out of their way to find adherents; there is no point forcing learning on anyone who is not ready to receive the wisdom. But it’s an incredibly rich treasury of inspiration and guidance. It belongs not just to Judaism, but to humanity.