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Masseket Azilut
''Massekhet Azilut'' (Hebrew: מסכת אצילות) is an anonymous kabalistic work from the early 14th century. It is the earliest literary product of the speculative Kabbala which contains the doctrine of the four graduated worlds (a doctrine not contained in the Zohar) as well as that of the concentration of the Divine Being. The ''Messekhet Atzilut'' opens with the following passage: Dating The form in which the rudiments of the Kabala are presented here, as well as the emphasis laid on keeping the doctrine secret and on the compulsory piety of the learners, is evidence of the early date of the work. At the time when ''Masseket Aẓilut'' was written the Kabala had not yet become a subject of general study, but was still confined to a few of the elect. The treatment is on the whole the same as that found in the mystical writings of the time of the Geonim, with which the work has much in common; hence, according to the ''Jewish Encyclopedia'' (1901) there is no reason for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved throughout history as the main liturgical language of Judaism (since the Second Temple period) and Samaritanism. Hebrew is the only Canaanite language still spoken today, and serves as the only truly successful example of a dead language that has been revived. It is also one of only two Northwest Semitic languages still in use, with the other being Aramaic. The earliest examples of written Paleo-Hebrew date back to the 10th century BCE. Nearly all of the Hebrew Bible is written in Biblical Hebrew, with much of its present form in the dialect that scholars believe flourished around the 6th century BCE, during the time of the Babylonian captivity. For this reason, Hebrew has been referred to by Jews as '' Lashon Hakodesh'' (, ) since an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angelology
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include protectors and guides for humans, and servants of God. Abrahamic religions describe angelic hierarchies, which vary by religion and sect. Some angels have specific names (such as Gabriel or Michael) or titles (such as seraph or archangel). Those expelled from Heaven are called fallen angels, distinct from the heavenly host. Angels in art are usually shaped like humans of extraordinary beauty. They are often identified in Christian artwork with bird wings, halos, and divine light. Etymology The word ''angel'' arrives in modern English from Old English ''engel'' (with a hard ''g'') and the Old French ''angele''. Both of these derive from Late Latin ''angelus'', which in turn was borrowed from Late Greek ''angelos'' (literally "messenge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Louis Ginzberg
Louis Ginzberg ( he, לוי גינצבורג, ''Levy Gintzburg''; russian: Леви Гинцберг, ''Levy Ginzberg''; November 28, 1873 – November 11, 1953) was a Russian-born American rabbi and Talmudic scholar of Lithuanian-Jewish descent, contributing editor to numerous articles of ''The Jewish Encyclopedia'' (1906), and leading figure in the Conservative movement of Judaism during the early 20th century. He was born in Kaunas, Vilna Governorate (then called ''Kovno'') and died in New York City. Biographical background Ginzberg was born into a religious Lithuanian-Jewish family whose piety and erudition was well known. The family traced its lineage back to the revered Talmudist, halakhic scholar, and kabbalist master Gaon of Vilna. Ginzberg sought to emulate the Vilna Gaon's intermingling of "academic knowledge" in Torah studies under the label "historical Judaism"; for example, in his book ''Students, Scholars and Saints'', Ginzberg quotes the Vilna Gaon's instruct ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaufmann Kohler
Kaufmann Kohler (May 10, 1843 – January 28, 1926) was a German-born Jewish American biblical scholar and critic, theologian, Reform rabbi, and contributing editor to numerous articles of ''The Jewish Encyclopedia'' (1906). Life and work Kaufmann Kohler was born into a family of German Jewish rabbis in Fürth, Kingdom of Bavaria. He received his rabbinical training at Hassfurt, Höchberg near Würzburg, Mainz, Altona, and at Frankfurt am Main under Samson Raphael Hirsch, and his university training at Munich, Berlin, Leipzig, and Erlangen (Ph.D. 1868); his Ph.D. thesis, ''Der Segen Jacob's'' ("Jacob's Blessing"), was one of the earliest Jewish essays in the field of the higher criticism, and its radical character had the effect of closing to him the Jewish pulpit in Germany. Abraham Geiger, to whose ''Zeitschrift'' Kohler became a contributor at an early age, strongly influenced his career and directed his steps to the United States. In 1869 he accepted a call to the pulpit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Four Worlds
The Four Worlds ( he, עולמות ''Olamot'', singular: ''Olam'' עולם), sometimes counted with a prior stage to make Five Worlds, are the comprehensive categories of spiritual realms in Kabbalah in the Seder hishtalshelus, descending chain of Existence. The concept of "Worlds" denotes the emanation of Ohr, creative lifeforce from the Ein Sof Divine Infinite, through progressive, innumerable tzimtzumim (concealments/veilings/condensations). As particular sefirot dominate in each realm, so the primordial fifth World, Adam Kadmon, is often excluded for its transcendence, and the four subsequent Worlds are usually referred to. Their names are read out from Isaiah 43:7, "Every one that is called by My name and for ''My glory'', I have ''created'', I have ''formed'', even I have ''made''" each elucidating the names Atziluth ("Emanation/Close"), Beri'ah, Beriah ("Creation"), Yetzirah ("Formation"), and Assiah, Asiyah ("Action"). Below Asiyah, the lowest spiritual World, is ''Asiya ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Assiah
Assiah (also 'Asiya'MEIJERS, L. D., and J. TENNEKES. “SPIRIT AND MATTER IN THE COSMOLOGY OF CHASSIDIC JUDAISM.” Symbolic Anthropology in the Netherlands, edited by P.E. DE JOSSELIN DE JONG and ERIK SCHWIMMER, vol. 95, Brill, 1982, pp. 200–21. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctvbqs310.15. Accessed 12 Aug. 2022. or 'Asiyah, also known as ''Olam Asiyah'', עוֹלָם עֲשִׂיָּה in Hebrew, literally "the World of Action"GUETTA, ALESSANDRO. “Kabbalah and Rationalism in the Works of Mosheh Ḥayyim Luzzatto and Some Kabbalists of His Time.” Italian Jewry in the Early Modern Era: Essays in Intellectual History, Academic Studies Press, 2014, pp. 185–226. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt21h4w96.13. Accessed 12 Aug. 2022. and Aishah in Arabic) is the last of the four spiritual worlds of the Kabbalah —Atziluth, Beriah, Yetzirah, 'Asiyah— based on the passage in . It is identical with the existing world that we live in. According to the ''Maseket A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atzilut
Atziluth or Atzilut (also ''Olam Atsiluth'', עוֹלָם אֲצִילוּת, literally "the World of Emanation") is the highest of four worlds in which exists the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. It is also known as "near to God."MEIJERS, L. D., and J. TENNEKES. “SPIRIT AND MATTER IN THE COSMOLOGY OF CHASSIDIC JUDAISM.” Symbolic Anthropology in the Netherlands, edited by P.E. DE JOSSELIN DE JONG and ERIK SCHWIMMER, vol. 95, Brill, 1982, pp. 200–21. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctvbqs310.15. Accessed 12 Aug. 2022. Beri'ah follows it. It is known as the World of Emanations, or the World of Causes. In the Kabbalah, each of the Sephiroth in this world is associated with a Name of God, and it is associated with the Suit of Wands in the Tarot. Significance Atziluth is the realm of pure divinity. The four worlds of Kabbalah relate to the Tree of Life in two primary ways: * Firstly, it is taught that the whole tree is contained in each of the four worlds, and in this ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isaac Of Acre
Isaac ben Samuel of Acre ( fl. 13th–14th century) (Hebrew: יצחק בן שמואל דמן עכו, ''Yitzhak ben Shmuel d'min Akko'') was a Jewish kabbalist who fled to Spain. According to Chaim Joseph David Azulai, Isaac ben Samuel was a pupil of Nachmanides. View of the Zohar Isaac ben Samuel was at the Crusader-controlled town of Acre when town was taken by a Mamluk army led by Al-Ashraf Khalil. He was arrested and thrown into prison with many other Jews, but escaped the massacre, and in 1305 went to Spain. Abraham Zacuto states in his ''Yuḥasin,'' that Moses de Leon discovered the Zohar in the time of Isaac of Acre. However, Isaac doubted the authenticity of the Zohar and made inquiries about it of Naḥmanides' pupils, without, however, any satisfactory result. When Isaac met Moses of Leon at Valladolid, the latter took an oath that he had a copy of the Zohar written by Shimon bar Yochai himself in his house at Ávila. However, de Leon died before he could return ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beriahas
Beri'ah (Hebrew: בְּרִיאָה), Briyah, or B'ri'ah (also known as ''Olam Beriah'', עוֹלָם בְּרִיאָה in Hebrew, literally "the World of Creation"), is the second of the four celestial worlds in the Tree of Life of the Kabbalah, intermediate between the World of Emanation (Atziluth) and the World of Formation (Yetzirah), the third world, that of the angels. It is known as the World of Creation, or Korsia (from Heb. כּוּרסָה - "seat, chair", ''the Throne''). Beri'ah is the first of the four worlds to be created ''ex nihilo'', since Atzilut was emanated rather than created. Thus, although there exist beings that dwell in Atzilut, those beings are overwhelmed by the Divine Light and are unaware of their own existence; in Beri'ah however, the angels are dimly aware of their own existence as distinct from God's. Beri'ah is the abode of the permanent archangels, as opposed to the non-permanent angels which dwell in Yetzirah. Correspondences * The first of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yetzirah
Yetzirah (also known as ''Olam Yetsirah'', עוֹלָם יְצִירָה in Hebrew) is the third of four worlds in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, following Atziluth and Beri'ah and preceding Assiah. It is known as the "World of Formation". "Yetzirah" as in "formation" is as opposed to "Beriah" as in "creation": actually taking whatever matter that was created in "Beriah" and shaping it into the basic elements. Correspondences On the Tree of Life diagram Yetzirah is associated with the sefirot Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod and Yesod. Together, these six sefirot are known as the Microprosopus (Zeir Anpin) also known as the 'Lesser Countenance' or the 'Small Face.' In this sense, it stands in contrast with the Macroprosopus (Arich Anpin). The moment of formation, when the fetus' form becomes apparent, is called "the formation of the child" and corresponds to the world of Yetzirah. The external state of consciousness in the World of Formation is called ״half good and ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sefirot
Sefirot (; he, סְפִירוֹת, translit=Səfīrōt, Tiberian: '), meaning '' emanations'', are the 10 attributes/emanations in Kabbalah, through which Ein Sof (The Infinite) reveals itself and continuously creates both the physical realm and the chain of higher metaphysical realms (''Seder hishtalshelus''). The term is alternatively transliterated into English as ''sephirot/sephiroth'', singular ''sefirah/sephirah'', etc. Alternative configurations of the sefirot are interpreted by various schools in the historical evolution of Kabbalah, with each articulating differing spiritual aspects. The tradition of enumerating 10 is stated in the ''Sefer Yetzirah'', "Ten sefirot of nothingness, ten and not nine, ten and not eleven". As altogether 11 sefirot are listed across the various schemes, two (Keter and Da'at) are seen as unconscious and conscious manifestations of the same principle, conserving the 10 categories. The sefirot are described as channels of divine creative life for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meṭaṭron
Metatron ( ''Meṭāṭrōn'', ''Məṭaṭrōn'', ''Mēṭaṭrōn'', ''Mīṭaṭrōn'', ''Meṭaṭrōn'', ''Mīṭṭaṭrōn'') or Mattatron ( ''Maṭṭaṭrōn'') is an angel in Judaism mentioned three times in the Talmud in a few brief passages in the Aggadah and in mystical Kabbalistic texts within Rabbinic literature. The figure forms one of the traces for the presence of dualist proclivities in the otherwise monotheistic visions of both the Tanakh and later Christian doctrine.Guy Stroumsa ''The Making of the Abrahamic Religions in Late Antiquity,''Oxford University Press p.15. The name Metatron is not mentioned in the Torah or the Bible and how the name originated is a matter of debate. In Islamic tradition, he is also known as Mīṭaṭrūn ( ar, links=yes, ميططرون), the angel of the veil. In folkloristic tradition, he is the highest of the angels and serves as the celestial scribe or "recording angel". In Jewish apocrypha and early Kabbalah, "Metatron" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
