Re: Kabbalah

yakov travis (ytravis@lynx.dac.neu.edu)
Fri, 7 Mar 1997 13:02:22 -0500 (EST)

What is G-d? All the references to RaMBaM don't deal with the fact that
the Maimonidean ideas about God, which try to wed Aristotelian and
Rabbinic notions, are radically different from Kabbalistic ideas. All
of the great Kabbalists teach that to know G-d, one needs to understand
the Sefirot and their relationship to Ein Sof, the Infinite. This is
no longer for only the few, well advanced in years and learning.

A little while back, someone answered a query about the reasons for not
studying Kabbalah until 40 yrs old and well-learned. One reference was
HaRav Yaakov Hillel's book <Faith & Folly>. This addresses the dangers
of _Practical Kabbalah_. In this book itself, the great Kabbalist
teaches some of the basic ideas of Kabbalistic Theology.

Already in the 16th Century R. Moshe Cordovero wrote his magnum opus on
Kabbalah at the age of 27!!!. Check out his <Or Neerav>, recently
translated into English as <Moses Cordovero's Introduction to Kabbalah>
by Ira Robinson. Therein his requirements are: 20 yrs old, married,
somewhat learned. Read his exhortations about the need to study this
deepest aspect of Torah and the dangers of neglecting it.

Now, almost 400 yrs. later every Tom, Dick and Sally can buy English
works on Kabbalah (Much of it distorted) in any book store. But the great
R. Aryeh Kaplan, has left us excellent, authentic English works on
Kabbalah.

Start with <InnerSpace: An Introduction to Kabbalah,Meditation
& Prophecy>

How can this discussion about the nature of G-d not be based on
Kabbalah???

Le-Shalom,
Yakov Travis