Kabbalah with Commitments

When we say - Kabbalah we usually refer to the Kabbalah of the Ari, of blessed memory, as it expands and details the explanation of the Zohar and learning it stands on its own truth. This Kabbalah is founded on the principles of the holy Zohar and is fully realized in the methods of intentions by the holy Rashash.

The Three Great Wellsprings of the Hidden, Through Their Times (a) The beginning of the revelation of the secrets of Torah in the words of Rashbi to his students, which were written down by them (Rabbi Abba) and his disciples, compiled in a book known among the sages of the generations as Rashbi's Midrash, and known today as the book of the Zohar; the revelation began approximately nineteen hundred years ago. (b) The extensive and detailed explanations of the holy Ari to his student Rabbi Chaim Vital of blessed memory, in the wisdom of the hidden. The Ari of blessed memory passed away approximately four hundred and thirty years ago. (c) The consolidation of wisdom in a concise manner and its editing into the order of intentions for the use of the geniuses of Kabbalah by the holy Rashash, who passed away approximately two hundred and twenty-five years ago. This is the order, therefore - Rashbi in the Zohar, the Ari in the book Etz Chaim and the eight gates, and the Rashash in his annotations (the sun or the book Truth and Peace) on the book Etz Chaim, in his introduction called Rehovot HaNehar and the book Nehar Shalom and in his order of intentions.

These three Pillars of the World, of blessed memory, are the most prominent in the chain of transmission of Kabbalistic knowledge, but they are neither the first nor the last links in this chain, and certainly not unique. The days of Kabbalah are as ancient as the days of the Torah, which it comes to interpret, and surely Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, received the entirety of Pardes of the Torah with its various interpretations. According to tradition, the forefathers knew the Torah (and Kabbalah in general) even before the giving of the Torah: The oral tradition attributes the ancient Kabbalistic midrash known as the Book of Creation to Abraham our father, peace be upon him, even though his name and matter are detailed in the last chapter there. The Sefer HaShmuel, a deep and foundational book in the Zohar, is attributed to Jacob, our father.

However, in the days of our forefathers and throughout the biblical period, the emphasis in the study of the hidden was different from our days, and the main reason for this was twofold: (a) The existence of the Temple and the sacrificial service. Their existence elevated the world spiritually in a way that we cannot match today (and this is the main reason for mourning the destruction); in fact, we cannot even grasp the enormity of the spiritual power of those generations. One indirect proof of this is the attitude of the nations towards the spiritual leadership of the people of Israel then, the respect they showed them and the awe they felt from their presence (and this is not the place to expand). Their worship of Hashem was therefore different in many details than ours.

(b) Prophecy - the exalted spiritual influence flowed abundantly, and for this reason, the phenomena of prophecy were widespread from the period of the forefathers until a while after the establishment of the Second Temple by the prophet Haggai, Ezra (some believe he is Malachai, the last prophet), and Nehemiah. The number of prophets that rose for Israel throughout the generations was about one million two hundred thousand (!), twice the number of those who came out of Egypt. This number includes only those who purified themselves enough to receive prophetic flow; it does not include all the budding prophets who trained in the prophecy schools and then as apprentices of active prophets but whose self-improvement work was not sufficient to elevate them to the desired level.

A Barometer of the Work of the Temple Generations - The Work of the Levites: In the wilderness, their work was carrying the Tabernacle and its vessels. In the Temple, the families of the Levites were divided: some engaged in singing and playing on the tribune (dais) facing the place of sacrificial offerings, and some were appointed to open the doors of the Temple. There was a spiritual depth in their work that is not known to us today. Therefore, the Sages say that a singer who misplaces is liable for death, meaning if one of the musicians tried to help close the doors, he would be liable for death.

Why? Because he was not aware of the secrets of this work and the depth of the intentions required, and his soul at its root did not match this task. However, the doors of the sanctuary, forty cubits high (like a six-story building) of pure gold, were opened by the priests, and the sound of opening in the early morning was heard up to Jericho. May it be His will that we merit to witness them and hear their sound and understand the depth of their intention. The immense spiritual abundance flowed, among other things, from the closeness to generations of spiritual giants such as the forefathers and holy tribes, and to generations where there was a vast community of enthusiastic commandment-observers, such as the generation that participated in the conquest of the land in the days of Joshua, son of Nun, etc.

Even when the spiritual reservoir was limited, a limitation that led to the physical destruction of the First Temple, individuals who rose above their generation in their spiritual aspiration, actual self-purification, and outstanding devotion, could, with correct guidance, reach pinnacles such as prophecy. The most prominent example is the prophet Ezekiel: Even though he was not counted among the great prophets like Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, and like Samuel the seer, he merited the astounding revelation of the Chariot and was even commanded to speak of it.

Not only that, but he merited it on impure ground, outside the Holy Land! This serves as encouragement for a shallow generation: encouragement for us at our low level, because everyone is judged according to their deeds and receives their reward, including the spiritual one, according to their deeds. As mentioned above, there were special prophecy schools in their time, and the concept of the sons of the prophets in the sense of prophecy students, it seems, is encountered with the ascension of Elijah the prophet in the whirlwind. Hundreds of years earlier, Saul was sent (before being anointed to the kingship) to prophesy with a troop of prophets, a group of young prophets prophesying under fitting musical inspiration. Even in regular yeshivas, Kabbalah studies at high levels took place, although apparently not in the format we know today.

Thus, it is told of Rabbi Eliezer ben Horkenus, about a thousand years after Samuel and Saul, that he lectured in Kabbalah before his teacher Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai. Prior to the discourse, Rabban Yochanan dismounted from his donkey, wrapped himself in a cloak, and sat. This implies a special respect was given to this type of study. We mentioned earlier that the non-Jews also showed respect for Jewish wise men. They understood the power of Jewish wise men in decoding the hidden, predicting the future, understanding Divine guidance through hints such as dreams, the power of their blessings, and more.

This led to special conduct in several events. Most prominent is the regard Abraham received in the courts of Pharaoh and Avimelech, in front of the King of Sodom and Melchizedek King of Salem, and in the mouth of the Hittites, inhabitants of Hebron ("A prince of Hashem you are among us"). So it happened to Isaac his son. And again to Joseph. Also, the cautious attitude of Pharaoh towards Moses and Aaron is stunning, considering he murdered without hesitation tens of thousands from Israel. In the first exile, when Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon exiled Jehoiachin King of Judah, he seated on his throne his uncle of Jehoiachin - Mattaniah, (after changing his name to Zedekiah); then he exiled with him those described in the scripture as "the craftsmen and the locksmiths," i.e., the best of the people. The word "craftsmen" refers to the Kabbalists, sages of craftsmen, because they correspond to the sorcerers of the Gentiles, spiritual tools, but from the side of holiness; overall, the term "craftsmen and locksmiths" refers to all the layer of wise men among the people and perhaps also part of the nobility.

He probably did so to prevent those who remained from forming a spiritual center around him, from which a group might emerge that would plan to use their power for political rebellion; in practice - it benefitted the Jews by allowing the exiled sages to establish there in the political but not military exile, organizing there a basis for Jewish spiritual life for the few years until the destruction of the First Temple (to build mikvahs, houses of study, and synagogues, and to also create a community basis that later absorbed the scattered exiles). The Midrash also tells us about the special regard Jeremiah the prophet received from the Babylonians, who permitted him to decide whether he would come to Babylon or stay in the land with the survivors.

It should also be noted the special regard shown to Daniel in the courts of the kings of Babylon (and according to one opinion - also in the court of the kings of Persia later) and expressed: He chose to sustain himself, for years, on seeds alone - to not defile himself with the cooking of Gentiles and forbidden foods according to the attainments he reached, among others - due to his scrupulous adherence to kosher food and thus purify his body as a vessel for the elevated soul according to the law, in the king's palace.

He was also ready to give up his life (again, according to the law of "be killed and do not transgress") and not bow to an idol, even when under threat of being burned in a fiery furnace. The lesson for us from him and other spiritual giants is: It does not suffice to acquire knowledge; it is essential to add deeds that will lead to physical purification and purification, both physically and spiritually. To this end, according to Kabbalah, the system of commandments we were commanded at Sinai was intended: an accurate and meticulous system of actions that lead us along the winding but sure path, to spiritual peaks; the only path that leads there; the system crafted especially by the Creator of the world to steer us to the desired goal. It is understood from this that without the observance of commandments, there is little benefit in studying Kabbalah, and it is impossible to achieve the abilities sought by those who study. Without commandments, the study is barren!