Is Kabbalah a Cult?

I hear and read of so many cutting remarks about Kabbalah from gentiles. They assume that Kabbalah is some sort of dark cult similar to witchcraft or other pagan practice.  This is so far from the truth!
I have been "studying" Kabbalah for over nine years.  Traditional Kabbalah that is.  Not this new age Kabbalah that has become popular with Hollywood stars, like Madonna and brandishing red threads on the wrist to ward off evil spirits...which is ridiculous!

Kabbalah has been around for thousands of years. Some say since the first man, Adam. Others say since Abraham, in which his teachings reached India (Brahmans). It's a way of looking at creation, God, spiritual aspects of life.  It is digging deeper into The Word of God and discovering the mysteries of life and beyond.
The most popular way in which to do this is meditation and use gematria, which uses the Hebrew letters which equal numbers. For instance the letter "B" in English is close to the letter Bet in Hebrew and has the numerical value of 2.  Using the numerical values of letters and words compares to other words and thus one can see some sort of relation in seeking answers. These methods of discovering answers to pining questions hardly resemble some hocus pocus type of cult. Many Jewish Sages have mastered Kabbalah and have revealed to their students hidden mysteries and they are based on the Torah.

I have to ask where Christians get their insights from on life's questions?

I know of a pastor who taught his congregation that on Noah's Ark, there were probably dinosaur eggs on the Ark. How does he know that? Yet, his congregation listened to him.  He must have some thought on that. Maybe he took a peek in some mystery writing? Who knows.

Haven't a lot of us wondered about many questions that the Bible/Tanach doesn't seem to answer? Kabbalah Sages have searched and found many, many answers. Wouldn't you like to know?


A book that I highly recommend is: Personal Kabbalah, by Penny Cohen.

Find out what all the mystery is about.

Neither Here Nor There

People say it's not wise to talk religion or politics. Why? Because most people have formed their own thoughts and beliefs and it's hard to persuade others of your thoughts and beliefs. Religion and spiritual matters are personal. How we relate to God is our own business and we live in a country where we have the freedom to choose how we want to worship.

I can only state what I believe about what I have learned and what I think and feel about what I have learned.
Other then what has been written and documented, my beliefs are mine.
For instance, though the Bible/Tanach is not clear on what happens after we die, I believe that we are judged in how we led our life on earth. By whom are we judged? By God? By our own selves? By a Heavenly Court?
It could very well be that we are judged each by someone or something different. I may be judged by a Heavenly Court, you may be judged by your own self.  What is important in the whole equation is that we must be aware of how we do on this earth. How do we act? What do we say? How do we treat others?

I have heard some Christians say that people who don't believe in Jesus will go to hell. I have to ask, who said? By what I have read in the Tanach, one is responsible for their own sins and not for their father's sins. This is in Ezekiel. But, you see, the point is this. Each person is responsible for their own sins and teshuvah (repentance). Regardless if one is a Christian, Jew, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, etc.
Is it wise to point our fingers at others and accuse? I do recall reading that the angel Samael (hasatan) is the accuser. In the story of Job, hasatan is actually doing God's bidding. God tells hasatan what to do and God is the one who commissions hasatan and all the angels what to do. There is a reason for hasatan. He was created for a reason with several different missions. He does not have the power to do anything.
This is what Judaism knows about hasatan (the satan). He is an accuser, he is the Angel of Death, and he is the tempter. All these tasks have a purpose and believe it or not, this satan actually helps us to learn!

Another thing about Judaism that gentiles do not understand is the Torah (law) mitzvah, "an eye for an eye".
This is not taken literally. It means measure for measure and is meant for the monetary equivalent of being compensated. Do you really think Jews went around gouging eyes out? Or chopping off fingers? I don't think Jesus was literal about turning the cheek. Yet, in those ancient days, indeed radical punishment was stoning. Barbaric compared to lethal injections that we have today. Hmmm.

Neither or nor there.  The best way to lead our personal life is to know what God expects from us. If you are Jewish, that means observing the Torah, the 316 commands/instructions.  For gentiles this means the 7 Noahide Laws.  Be a good steward of acts of kindness, forgive others, watch your speech/gossip, etc.

We can change our micro-world and we can change the macro-world by each acting upon these things.

Life After Death

Olam Ha Ba

Who doesn't wonder where we go, where our souls go after our body expires? I have heard some say that we go live in heaven for eternity. Well, what do we do for eternity? That sure is a long time! Do we play harps and sing songs? I for one do not believe that nonsense. I personally believe that our souls are consciousness and energy. I also believe that heaven or the other side is full of adventure, full of amazing, tremendous things.
From near death experience reports, many tell that they go through some sort of tunnel and then they see light. They are welcomed by family members whom have passed away before them. Many accounts tell that the other side is very real, that it is actually more real than this place on earth. That the colors are so bright, luminous, and hard to describe. Some told of a life review, in which you experience a review of all that you have done while here on earth. Some say they reviewed with God and some say they reviewed themselves and judged themselves.  I have also heard accounts of those who refused to believe in God and refused to live a righteous, moral life. Their accounts are horrifying, some totally separated from God and any one else in darkness.  I guess that would make sense. If one is without "light" and is "dark" (negative), then how can one be light on the other side? Yet, I have heard that some have had these experiences and allowed a chance to rectify and be revived, to come back alive and change their life.

I recall a story that Peter Jennings, the journalist/Television personality did several years ago before he passed away. The story was about a little three year old boy who would tell his parents how he was a pilot and described the air plane and aircraft carrier to them. A fascinating story about reincarnation. The parents said that there was no way that there little three year old was exposed to this military kind of information, yet this boy described what these things were. One interesting point is that in an interview of this boy when he got older, he recounted how he chose his parents to be reincarnated to. He also stated that he had watched (in spirit) his parents "make love" and he knew that these were the parents he wanted to have. What? He watched? Well, in the Buddhist religion, this is what they believe...is that in choosing your soon to be parents, you watch them create you. Interesting but ewww. However, when we are in spirit on the other side, things like this are looked upon differently. Not at all disgusting.

Is reincarnation real? I don't know. I have no proof. In Judaism, it doesn't matter if one believes in reincarnation or not, the point is to live here on earth the best that you can.  Also in Judaism there is what is called tikkun.  It means repair.  Part of the human task in living on this earth is to repair as individuals and to repair as a whole human species. To connect to God, to live a moral life, and to practice acts of kindness.

Atheists will tell you that they do not believe in God. They say there is no proof. But, I have a suspicion that
deep inside they do wonder about God but refuse to acknowledge God because they don't want anything to do with religion or obedience to God.  I also would have to guess that most atheists believe in something.
They believe in science or humanity (man).
I think about the movie, Contact, starring Jodi Foster and was written by Carl Sagan. Carl Sagan was an intelligent scientist (cosmologist and astronomer) who did not believe in God. But, he, as many other atheists, believed in something. Even that shows through in the movie. I have to wonder where Carl Sagan is right now, he passed away in 1996.

The saddest thing is that when people have denounced their belief in God because of tragedy. None of us truly know why some bad things happen, but they do. It's hard to lean on God when one is suffering terribly.

Christianity beliefs on the here after is about going to heaven, staying in heaven for eternity and if one is not a believer in Jesus, their messiah, then one goes to hell.  I am assuming that is a hell with everlasting fire.

Judaism has differences of opinions. There is no set standard belief in Judaism about the after life. The after life was not really talked about much thousands of years ago in the Israelite community or in the Torah.
It was only when the Christians came on the scene and talked about these matters did the Jews start to question their Rabbis about the after life.  The Christians believed in the here after and being rewarded. The Jews, too, wanted to believe in something greater to come.

In the Torah, there are places that tell us that so and so went to be with his own.  Meaning, when so and so passed away, they went to join their ancestors.   There is an account of Saul contacting a medium to summon the dead in 1 Samuel 28.  This is forbidden to do according to the Torah. If it was forbidden, then there must be some truth to being able to do that.
Sheol is mentioned in the Tanach/Bible.  Sheol is a place where souls are cut off from God, it is darkness, the grave. This very might well be the place or realm  that some near deathers experienced who were cut off from God and light.
Some people believe that there are no such bad places. That even Hitler and the likes will not experience punishment. They simply reincarnate to another life that teaches what they must be taught and experience.
The eastern traditions such as Buddhism calls this karma. In the west, some call it, "what goes around, comes around".  In Judaism it is called "measure for measure", whether regarding here on earth or in another life time.
That would also be a belief held by new agers.

In Jewish Kabbalah there are many "levels" of the soul.  The animal soul and the human foundation soul is called the nefesh soul. It deals with this earthly realm and humans and animals have this level of soul.  Then the next part of the soul is the ruach. This means spirit. Next is neshama which is breath or breath of life.  Then there are two last parts and they are chaya (living one) and yechida (singular one).
Not many people obtain the levels of the last three levels of the soul here on earth. It takes practice, obedience to God, and good deeds. The last level is impossible to obtain. In Kabbalah it is taught that we have a higher self, some call it our guardian angel, who is actually us. The higher us on the other side who guides ourselves through life on earth. Some call this connection getting to know your higher self.

When I think about Genesis and God breathed into Adam, he breathed in the spirit into Adam.
Adam was spirit on the other side before he was made flesh.  When God clothed Adam in skin, that meant he clothed Adam in human flesh/skin and Adam became a human on this earthly plane.

Adam became a human with a nefesh soul AND a ruach soul. Higher than an animal who only has a nefesh soul.

If we have a soul consciousness and it is energy, then energy has to go somewhere. It just doesn't evaporate and disappear for ever.

Many Christians do not realize this but Christianity long ago did believe in reincarnation as did and do some Jews.
http://knol.google.com/k/the-reason-why-christians-don-t-believe-in-reincarnation#

I like the saying by Teilhard de Chardin, "we are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience".

Reincarnate boy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWCUjx4nI98

Judaism 101: The World to Come (Olam Ha Ba):

http://www.jewfaq.org/olamhaba.htm

Chabad: The Soul and the After Life:

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/361897/jewish/The-Soul-and-the-Afterlife.htm