Emet / Truth
Marc B. Shapiro Series: Principle 2
posted Monday, 5 December 2005
[This post has taken me longer than expected, however here is what I have done so far, its about 70% done]
Principle II. The Unity of G-d
MS: opponents of the kabbalah viewed the mystical doctrine of the sefirot, the ten aspects, or powers, of the Godhead, in the same way as the Trinity, namely as a violation of God's absolute unity and thus idolatrous.
R. Isaac ben Sheshet (1326 – 1407, the Rivash, Sh”T harivash no. 157)
R. Moses Cordovero
Shabatean kabbalist Abraham Miguel Cardozo (1626 – 1706)
R' Isaac Lopes of Aleppo
MS: Like Cardoza, they believed that that Ilat Ha'ilot has no involvement with human affairs, being completely impersonal and transcendent. Therefore no prayers are directed toward it. Instead one prays to the 'God' who is immanent, who created the word and exercises providence in it, that is, the God of Scripture, who is identified with either the Sefira (Keter) or the second Sefira (Hokhmah)
Ma'alekhet ha'elohut
R Jacob the Nazirite (twelfth century)
Principle II. The Unity of G-d
Meaning to say to accept that this is the quintessential idea of Oneness. It is not like the oneness of a pair (i.e. pair of shoes - one group) or and not one like a species. And not like man that has many individuals nor like a body that divides into many different parts until no end (everything keeps on being divisible). Rather God is one and there is no other oneness like His. This is the second principle and is taught in what it says "Hear Israel, Hashem your God, Hashem is one."Sources against the Kabbalists with regard to the sefirot
MS: opponents of the kabbalah viewed the mystical doctrine of the sefirot, the ten aspects, or powers, of the Godhead, in the same way as the Trinity, namely as a violation of God's absolute unity and thus idolatrous.
R. Isaac ben Sheshet (1326 – 1407, the Rivash, Sh”T harivash no. 157)
quotes a philosopher who argued that, whereas the Christians believe in 'three', the kabbalists believe in 'ten'R. Abraham Abulafia
Agreed with the philosophers and saw the standard understanding of the Sefirot as even worse than the concept of the TrinityKabbalistsic works (going against a simplistic unity of the unity of God)
R. Moses Cordovero
At the start of the emanation, the Ein Sof, King of all kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, emanated ten Sefirot, which are from His essence, are one with Him and He and they are all one complete unityR' Jacob the Nazirite
the first three and the last three benedictions of the Amidah prayer are directed to the Sefirah Binah. The middle blessings are directed to Tiferet during the day and to Binah at nightDefinite Heresy
Shabatean kabbalist Abraham Miguel Cardozo (1626 – 1706)
the hidden God, called the 'First Cause', it is the Demiurge, the 'God of Israel', who created the world and exercises providence. In other words, it wsa the Demiurge, not the First Cause, who appeared to the patriarchs, sent the plagues, and took the Israelites out of Egypt.Supporters of Abraham Miguel Cardozo's position
R' Isaac Lopes of Aleppo
advocated this position quoting from Cardozo's unpublished Boker avrahamR. Joseph Hayim ben Elijah Alhakam of Baghdad
rejected Lopes's Cardozian position, nevertheless had a very high opinion of himR Jacob Kassin (1900 – 1994, Late Chief Rabbi of Brooklyn's Syrian Community)
Cited Lopes numerous timesKabbalists who advocated similar idea to Cardoza
MS: Like Cardoza, they believed that that Ilat Ha'ilot has no involvement with human affairs, being completely impersonal and transcendent. Therefore no prayers are directed toward it. Instead one prays to the 'God' who is immanent, who created the word and exercises providence in it, that is, the God of Scripture, who is identified with either the Sefira (Keter) or the second Sefira (Hokhmah)
Ma'alekhet ha'elohut
Anonymously authored. Gershom Sholem believed written around 14th CenturyR Isaac ibn Latif (thirteenth century)
The First Created Being, may he be blessed, knows everything by virtue of his essence, for he is everywhere and everything is in Him, as it written, the whole earth is full of his glory(Isa 10:3) and all beings exist through him by way of emanation and evolvement, and nothing exists outside of HimViews at odds with Maimonidean Concepts
R Jacob the Nazirite (twelfth century)
the first three and the last three benedictions of the Amidah prayer are directed to the Sefirah Binah.
The middle blessings are directed to Tiferet during the day and to Binah at nightR. Abraham ben David of Posquieres (Rabad 1125 – 1198)
the first three and the last three blessings are directed to the Supreme Deity (Ilat Ha'ilot), but the middle blessings, which are more personal, are directed to the divine entity which is the manifestation of Ilat Ha'ilot, the Creator (Yestor Bereshit)
comments (3)
1. SS left...
Tuesday, 6 December 2005 6:57 am
What is amazing is that when one studies Kabbalah, it becomes apparent that
for the kabbalists Judaism is not really monotheistic in the sense we were
taught at school. there is no reason for us to object to the Trinity when
the great kabbalists believed that we pray to different sefirot.
2. Steg (dos iz nit der šteg) left...
Wednesday, 7 December 2005 12:05 pm :: http://boroparkpyro.blogspot.com/
Whoa... that Qabbalistic sefira stuff is even more polytheistic than i
thought!
3. YGB left...
Wednesday, 21 December 2005 11:11 pm
The content of the post and the mistaken conclusions of previous commenters
demonstrate the disservice that my good friend Dr. Shapiro has done to
Judaism.