What is Kabbalah?
Kabbalah is difficult to
categorize because it is a subjective non-falsifiable belief system.
In other words, it rests in non-verifiable philosophy not in
historic fact.
Nevertheless, kaballah is a mystical and esoteric system of observing
and interpreting the
universe and mankind that
also seeks to
reveal the true relationship between
God, man, and the universe. It teaches that there is a divine
being which is neither male nor female that has 10 primary
aspects called sephirot which are represented in the
Tree of Life (see diagram to the left).
Kabbalah teaches that the supreme being created the universe through a series of
those 10 aspects that descended
through various levels until creation was fully
realized.
There are slightly different definitions of the
word "Kabbalah". One source says it comes from the
three Hebrew kbl which means "reception".
Another source says
"Kabbalah is a word meaning "tradition."1
Kabbalah is also know as cabala, cabalah,
kabala, caballah, qabala, qabalah, etc. You do not have to be Jewish
to study Kabbalah and its proponents state that it can adapt itself
to any religious system.
Furthermore, the Kabbalist is supposed to gain understanding about God and
himself by learning to understand these 10 aspects, their
relationship to each other, and then apply the principles thus learned in his own life
to help him return back to God -- Kabbalah teaches the soul's
pre-existence.
Kaballah is the way of viewing reality based upon
subjective, experiential interpretations of the world, life, death,
creation, meaning, purpose, etc. It is an inner-contemplative
movement and is considered to be a way of life.
Kabbalah relies heavily on mystical interpretations of
the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy) as well as the rest of the Old Testament.
Its premises is that there are secret and hidden
meanings in the biblical text that can be discovered by examining
the shape of Hebrew letters, the gematria of words
(mathematical values), and how these word values relate to each
other. The problem is that this method often draws
conclusions that are in contradiction to the plain teaching of the
text that it examines. Thus, Kabbalah can have a variety of
disjointed beliefs. This is why
David A. Cooper, a Kabbalist, says, "Kabbalah does not lend itself
to a straightforward definition or even a clear-cut history...it
teaches us about the mysteries of life, how the creation works,
where we are going, and how we get there."2
Where does Kabbalah come from?
Mr. Cooper in his book, God is a verb asks, "What is it
that cabalists receive? And From whom do they receive it?"1 Mr. Cooper's
questions are extremely important especially since Kabbalistic
theology is unbiblical. It teaches reincarnation, a type of karma,
inner divinity, and no need for a Redeemer. Indeed, we must ask
where does the Kabbalist in the Kabbalist of history get their
information? They get it from the Zohar and the
The Zoar and the
Sepher
Yetzirah which are essentially
mystical commentaries and interpretations of the biblical text as
written and recorded by various Kabbalists throughout history.
Nevertheless, are we to conclude that the philosophy taught through
Kabbalah is godly? If it contradicts both Old and New Testament
teaching, then how can it be from God? We conclude that it is not
from God but is in reality yet another deception that proceeds out
of the Garden of Eden where Satan said "you will be like God," (Gen.
3:5). The Edenic lie echoes through the hearts of mankind and
has taken root in the philosophy of Kabbalah.
Non Falsifiability
Kabbalists claim to receive their
mystical interpretations of reality from beyond themselves.
The more you read Kabbalistic writings, the more you will that it is
mystical and unbiblical. You will also discover
that the philosophy cannot be verified. In other words, there is no
historical fact that verifies Kabbalah. It and borrows heavily
from the accounts written in the first five books of the Bible, but
it also radically reinterprets so many events and so many concepts in the Bible
that it is quite foreign from what the word of God actually says.
Please consider some of the following phrases used in the the books
that teach Kabbalah and notice their ambiguity and New Age "feel".
- connections with other realities
- contemplative exercises
- mystical awareness
- higher awareness
- the worlds of awareness integrate along a continuum
- higher and lower realms of consciousness
- unification of the finite with the infinite
- energy of darkness
- cosmic fluctuation
- inherent light of consciousness
- practicing Kavannah (awareness of the implications of everything we do)
- the path to awareness
- mystical Academy
These kinds of phrases are unverifiable and subjective and have no
inherent meaning apart from assigned philosophical interpretations
given to them by Kabbalah literature. Furthermore, the phrases
are highly reminiscent of New Age teaching that also exalts humanity
to the level of divinity, teaches esoteric knowledge, secrets of the
universe, and also tries to unravel the mystical relationship
between God, the universe, and ourselves -- all based on subjective
interpretations of the Bible.
Both Kabbalah and at the New Age do not rest in
historical facts and historical events that can be verified so as to
support their interpretations. How do you connect with
other realities? In fact, what does that mean? What is "higher
awareness"? How does the finite become unified with the infinite?
The answers that Kabbalah seeks to give to these kinds of questions
are as equally subjective as the phrases that initiate the
questions.
Because there is no way to verify the truth of the 10
aspects of God, that Kabbalah was given to the angels for the
creation of the world, etc., the Kabbalist is left to either believe
or disbelieve based upon his preferences. Instead of believing
what the Bible actually says, the Kabbalist is left with following
the baby and mystical interpretations of a few ancient Jews.
Unlike the Gospels, Kabbalistic literature is full of
philosophical mumbo-jumbo and unverifiable and subjective ideas and
words that are strung together in such a way as to appear to be semi
coherent. The problem is, Kabbalah contradicts the Bible.
Therefore, it is not true.
_________________
References
-
Leet, Leonora., The Secret Doctrine of the Kabbalah. Rochester Vermont: Inner Traditions, 1999, p. 2
-
Cooper, David A., God is a Verb. New York, New York: Riverhead Brooks, 1997, p. 11.
-
ibid, p. 11 (From is capitalized in the original)
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