The Origins of Kabbalah
- Adam, the first to attain the single force guiding reality and leave us with the first Kabbalistic text, began Kabbalah’s lineage.
- Abraham introduced the method of attaining spirituality to human society, and emphasized achieving love, unity, and connection above egoistic divisions.
- Whether the first Kabbalist or those studying today, Kabbalah is a method of attaining the eternal and perfect reality hidden behind our inborn egoistic lenses.
Introduction to the Origins of Kabbalah
Kabbalah is often referred to as Judaism’s mystical part, but this is not so. Kabbalists themselves explain that Kabbalah is a method of attaining life’s source. About 3,800 years ago, a resident of ancient Babylon, Abraham, realized that there is one force behind nature’s myriad forces. Moreover, he discovered that this force contains two opposing forces.
The first force pushes each part of nature to a mutual connection. Protons and electrons create atoms, atoms combine into molecules, molecules make matter, and matter produces living organisms that become increasingly complex. People create societies and unite into social networks where the first force drives all parts of nature into a mutual connection.
The second force divides matter. It creates a diversity of forms, what we know as nature on four levels: inanimate, vegetative, animal, and human.
Kabbalists explain that the purpose of existence is to reach a balance between these two forces.
At the time of Abraham, people lived as one big family. The Torah speaks about it in the chapter Genesis (Beresheet): “And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.” But suddenly, there was a sharp upsurge of egoism, i.e., people’s desires to enjoy at the expense of others. People no longer understood each other and animosity arose in human society. Until the days of Nimrod, all people were equal, and no one ruled over one another. But Nimrod began to prevail and rule the land.
This is what David Altschuler, one of the Tanakh commentators, wrote in the 18th century:
“King Nimrod declared that in order not to be in enmity and to live peacefully, people should go beyond the borders of Babylon. They had to move away from each other; only then could they live in peace.”
Abraham stated that it would not solve the problem. The purpose of nature is the unity of opposites. We have to rise above all contradictions and divisions. Abraham began to gather people who shared his vision. People from different tribes and kingdoms joined him. This is how a group called the House of Abraham was born, which eventually became the Jewish people.
The people were called Jewish based on an idea. In Hebrew, “Ivri” comes from the root of “Over,” which means “to the other side,” or “passing from the law of selfish egoistic love to the law of loving your neighbor.” It was Abraham’s group that laid the foundation for the people of Israel, and they lived according to this law: “Love your neighbor as yourself. Whatever you want done to you, do for your brothers” (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah).
Kabbalists explain how people should ultimately be connected in order for humanity to enjoy the most harmonious, peaceful, and happy existence. Namely, it is that humanity unites (“Love your neighbor as yourself”) above divisions and differences (“Love will cover all crimes”), and that such a connection is reality’s principal law. The only requirement to achieve it is for people to have the desire to carry it out. Then we will reveal the single force that controls the universe, which in Kabbalah is called “the Creator,” “God,” “Upper Force,” or “Nature.” Kabbalists give this force several names, but ultimately it is a single force of love, bestowal, and connection. Attaining this force answers our every question, including the main ones about life’s meaning and purpose.
Moses and the leaders of the generations following Abraham continued the path of revealing this single force that created and sustains reality. This knowledge was transmitted orally by the sages and was called “the wisdom of Kabbalah.”
The Very Beginning of the Wisdom of Kabbalah
The first Kabbalistic text was The Angel Raziel written by Adam HaRishon in the form of tablets almost 6,000 years ago, and this text has been passed down through the generations. The Hebrew language presented itself in this text as the language that emerged from the attainment of the single force that guides reality, the Creator. There is also evidence showing that Egyptian hieroglyphics originated from the ancient Hebrew alphabet, which existed during Adam’s time. Today, The Angel Raziel is widely circulated, and on its first page, it is clearly stated that the book’s author, Adam HaRishon, was the first man to attain the Creator. It is important to note that this does not imply Adam was the first human being on Earth. Rather, it means that he was the first person to achieve a spiritual connection with the Creator.
There is a line of key Kabbalistic texts since Adam’s The Angel Raziel, which we describe in more detail on the Kabbalah Books page: Abraham’s Sefer Yetzira (The Book of Creation), Moses’ five books of Torah, Rabbi Shimon Bar-Yochai’s The Book of Zohar, the writings of the ARI such as The Tree of Life, The Gateway of Reincarnations, and The Gateway of Intentions, the writings of Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), and the writings of Kabbalist Baruch Ashlag (RABASH). There were also other great Kabbalists who left us material describing their attainments of the spiritual force of love, bestowal, and connection, including Rambam (Maimonides) and Rashi, who authored texts in the 11th century and are thoroughly documented, as well as the Talmud from the 4th century, which is written in a language still used today.
A significant aspect of the Kabbalistic lineage is that each Kabbalist is a person who researched themselves and reality, using guidance from other Kabbalists and forces that were beyond and above their inborn perception of reality, and attained the perception and sensation of the single force of love, bestowal, and connection that created and sustains reality. Adam HaRishon is the first person to sense and attain the Creator, a spiritual event that is above the biological level, i.e., the emergence of the feeling of the Creator in a human being. Before achieving this state, a person exists on the animate level. The term “Adam” derives from the word Domeh, meaning “similar,” as Adam was the first to achieve a degree of similarity to the Creator through spiritual attainment.
It is also worth noting that human beings existed for tens of thousands of years before Adam. Adam himself had parents and relatives. What distinguished him was his discovery of the hidden force of nature. This is why he is named “Adam,” the first to resemble the Creator in his attitude, perception, and attainment of reality.
Understanding The Angel Raziel and the other Kabbalistic texts mentioned requires studying the wisdom of Kabbalah. These are texts rooted in a language that connects us to the upper forces managing our world. While we might think that we identify certain words, phrases, and concepts in the Kabbalistic languages, their true meaning can only be unlocked via the attainment of the spiritual reality: the single upper force of love, bestowal, and connection that exists above our inborn perception of reality. The grammar and structure are tied to spiritual roots that have not changed over thousands of years, reflecting the unchanging nature of the spiritual forces governing reality. By applying ourselves to the research and attainment of spirituality, we can discover the forces that are behind our current perception of reality, and we will then be able to understand and feel this sublime reality that the Kabbalists before us attained.
Brief Overview of the Wisdom of Kabbalah
While the wisdom of Kabbalah has been described in several languages, the most relevant language for our current era is the language of Kabbalah itself. This is the language that the ARI used when updating the wisdom of Kabbalah for our era, as it points to precise spiritual discernments, processes, and actions. The following is a general overview of the wisdom of Kabbalah describing the upper spiritual reality from the initial thought of creation to create a created being and to fill it with endless delight, through a succession of discernments, processes, and actions that led to the reality we feel today, which Kabbalists call “this world” or “our world.” Also, it outlines how various spiritual processes branch out into evolutionary processes that we can identify in our world’s history and evolution. While much of this language will most likely be alien to any beginner of Kabbalah, it is important to note that Kabbalistic study is beyond mere intellectual study. It is a study that operates on our innermost desire, that by reading about the spiritual reality, we invite that reality to us in the form of what is called “surrounding light” (“Ohr Makif”), and these forces work on developing our spiritual desire until it becomes a full-fledged spiritual desire that can perceive and sense the Creator.
The wisdom of Kabbalah describes how Malchut (the coarsest desire to receive pleasure in creation) in the world of Ein Sof (Infinity) received all the light (pleasure) from its Emanator, felt shame, and performed a restriction to achieve equivalence of form with its Emanator, “equivalence of form” meaning that Malchut applied an intention of love, bestowal, and connection toward its Emanator above its coarse desire to receive.
The wisdom of Kabbalah describes how Malchut (the coarsest desire to receive pleasure in creation) in the world of Ein Sof (Infinity) received all the light (pleasure) from its Emanator, felt shame, and performed a restriction to achieve equivalence of form with its Emanator, “equivalence of form” meaning that Malchut applied an intention of love, bestowal, and connection toward its Emanator above its coarse desire to receive.
The Reshimot (records) from Ein Sof completed their realization, leading to a part of Malchut that is called “from Tabur to Sium,” where no reception in order to bestow was possible. To aid Malchut’s progression toward equivalence with the Creator, Bina descended to the lower part of Malchut, where it introduced the force of bestowal. This interaction led to the emergence of the Parsa, which divided the world of Atzilut from the lower worlds. The Kedusha (sanctity, area of bestowal) resides above the Parsa, while the area below remains
under restriction.
The Breaking of the Vessels
To achieve Tikkun (correction), the worlds of Nekudim experienced what is called “the breaking of the vessels.” This breaking mixed the qualities of Bina (bestowal) and Malchut (reception), and formed the foundation for future corrections. Following the breaking, the remains of the vessels formed the worlds of ABYA (Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, Assiya). The impure Kelim (vessels) were separated and became known as Klipot (shells, husks), which could only be corrected through the created being’s desire to become corrected.
Five Worlds and Concealment
The creation of five worlds—Adam Kadmon, Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, and Assiya—introduced five degrees of concealment on the light of Ein Sof. This concealment let the created being, called “Adam” (man), develop independently, standing on its own with the ability to enact free choice. The created being needs to correct two kinds of concealment: the absence of the sensation of the Giver (the Emanator, the Creator) and the lack of pleasure.
The Creation of Adam HaRishon
Adam HaRishon, the collective soul, a system formed with attributes from both Bina and Malchut. However, Adam HaRishon experienced a breaking, leading to the division of the collective soul into 600,000 parts. These broken parts descended through the worlds BYA (Beria, Yetzira, Assiya), a process that emanated free choice by discerning between good and evil, positive and negative forces.
Humanity's Evolution and the Role of Israel
The development of humanity mirrors the evolution of Adam HaRishon’s soul. The part of humanity with a Reshimo from Bina—known as “Israel”—seeks to achieve direct connection with the Creator (“Israel” from the words “Yashar-El” [“straight to the Creator”]). The rest of humanity evolves under Malchut’s control.
Abraham discovered the Creator as a single force of love and bestowal that created and sustains reality. He introduced a method of attaining a monotheistic perception and sensation, teaching this method to broad circles of people, in opposition to the polytheism of the surrounding cultures, including his own father, Terah’s, idolating ideology.
Israel’s spiritual journey included enslavement in Egypt, i.e., enslavement to our own egoistic qualities: the desire to enjoy at the expense of others. The Exodus marked the reception of the Torah, a system for correcting the soul through mutual guarantee (Arvut). This system enabled the people of Israel to build the First Temple, i.e., those with a desire for spirituality to achieve their highest spiritual state according to the conditions in that stage of evolutionary development. However, internal corruption due to the onset of greater egoistic desires that the people of Israel were unable to regulate with a Masach (screen), i.e., with an intention to bestow, love, and connect above the desires to receive, led to the ruin of the First Temple and the exile of the ten tribes.
The Development of Religions
The fall of Israel from spirituality led to the rise of religions such as Christianity and Islam, which serve as preparatory stages for humanity’s ultimate correction. These religions introduced monotheistic principles but were based on a distorted materialized perception of spirituality. Meanwhile, Kabbalah preserved the genuine path of correction of our egoistic qualities to be with an intention to bestow, love, and connect upon them, and Kabbalah awaited its revelation at the end of the generations, when humanity would find itself increasingly incapable of finding genuine fulfillment, harmony, peace, and happiness. That is, Kabbalah awaited our era, when questions about life’s meaning and purpose would disturb humanity more and more.
The Anthropocentric Era and Modern Challenges
Humanity’s ego grew through the Renaissance, Enlightenment, and Industrial Revolution, shifting focus from spirituality to materialism and self-centeredness. Atheism emerged, prioritizing human autonomy over divine connection. However, such a development set the stage for a deeper spiritual awakening. As Baal HaSulam writes, modern dissatisfaction stems from humanity’s inability to find fulfillment in material achievements alone. People now ask existential questions about the meaning of life and their purpose beyond physical existence.
The Final Correction
The wisdom of Kabbalah provides the method for correcting the Kelim (vessels, i.e., desires) and achieving connection with the Creator. The people of Israel, those with a seed of a desire for spiritual attainment, possess the function of developing their spiritual desire and leading the process of humanity’s correction by first correcting themselves through regular attraction of the surrounding light, and then they will be able to become a critical mass that acts as a conduit for humanity’s spiritual elevation, as it is written, that they will serve as “a light unto the nations.” Such an effort will lead to the revelation of the Creator’s light in all of creation.
The process involves crossing the Machsom (barrier) and ascending through the spiritual worlds to reach Gmar Tikkun (the final correction). At this stage, the collective soul of Adam HaRishon reunites with the Creator, achieving complete equivalence of form. Beyond this, Kabbalists describe further ascents beyond our comprehension.
This brief overview of the wisdom of Kabbalah encompasses the creation of the worlds, the breaking of the vessels, humanity’s spiritual journey, and the ultimate purpose of creation. The wisdom of Kabbalah serves as the connecting point for all sciences, religions, and ultimately all of nature on its still, vegetative, animate, and human levels. Its methodology provides a comprehensive and time-tested path for individual and collective correction, i.e., of a fateful transition from our inborn egoistic qualities to the altruistic qualities of the Creator. As we approach the final evolutionary stages, Kabbalah offers the tools to reveal the eternal and perfect reality hidden behind our inborn egoistic lenses.
