What's the story with Kabbalah?
600599
According the Jewish custom, in order to study Kaballah, you must meet 3 requirements...you must be a male who has grown up studying the Torah for at least 40 years. Only then will you have the spiritual foundation capable of sustaining the wisdom contained within the Kaballah.\nStars like Madonna have $ to throw around. All they need to do is way the right amount in front of someone to get what they want.
1097776
what does this have to do w/ religion and spirituality?\n\ntry to get interested....
1000149
A Cabbalist [Kabalist] is an adherent of Jewish mysticism that follows esoteric doctrines or the mysterious art of deciphering the Scriptures.\n\nI don't know much about them personally... they're too secretive it seems.
1011333
I just love how people who dont know about Judaism, and some who do, answer questions incorrectly.\n\nThe Talmudic passage that describes the breaking of glass at a wedding says absolutely nothing about remembering the Temple. The story, in the Talmud, is that there was too much celebration going on at a wedding, and so the rabbi took an heirloom glass vase and threw it to the ground, in order to grab everyone's attention. He then reminded them that although a wedding is when we are the most joyful, full of hope for the couple, even our joys must be in moderation, and the sound of the breaking glass tempered that joy.\n\nCome on, people, who wants to think about the destruction of The Temple at one's wedding?? But everyone understands that when people get too rowdy, things and people can get hurt, so, even joy must be in moderation.
39207
According to Jewish philosophy in the Torah is the blue print to the creation of the world. So, according to that opinion the Torah has existed before the creation of the Universe. If you are talking about the literal five books of Moses it was given by G-d in the year       1312 BC or 3320 years ago
1047603
It's not called the Cabalah, it is Kabbalah the book of Kabbalah is called the Zohar. Kabblah is just a part of the Jewish faith that goes into the more mystical meanings of life. It is not however, the whole offshoot religion every one is treating like the hot thing right now. Also, you are not supposed to read it until you are forty because it is supposed to be for a person who already experienced in life and has had time to learn all the other aspects of Judaism like Torah and Gemara before they will even understand the true meaning of what Kabbalah and the Zohar are talking about.
587782
Yes, I was always amazed about this. Even more intersting is it takes about one whole year for one Torah. I always feel a great deal of respect for these people who dedicate their lifes to this cause and can sit hours one this very detailed work. I know I couldn't.\n\n     I am sure the text is accuate. I respect these people beyond doubt. The debates are from two sources. \n\n     First, what the text means. This is commonly addressed by rabbis and the different interperatations are generaly included in bar/bat mitzvah speeches to show the understanding of the Torah and their knowledge.\n\n     Secound, is the despite popular belief, the language translation from Hebrew to English. While two words may have the same connotation the annotaion may be different. Also langeges evolve over time. See http://www.webster.com/help/faq/etymology.htm\n\n\nOk I'm curious... Schneb. What religion are you? (Schneb sounds Jewish but I tought you were christian) If you don't want to tell its ok as it make no difference to my response.
251916
there u go: http://kodesh.snunit.k12.il/i/t/t3301.htm\nthis link is chapter 1 but you have links to all 10 chapters at the top of the page...\n\nHappy Purim! :)
434821
Hey Seven:  toshke in spain  gave you quite a listing; it pretty much disallowed any ability to respond in this forum, just as you said. \n\nAnother example was proffered by dog, this one having to do with the creation account.  This is a familiar one (as are many from toshke's exhaustive list) and the explanation is quite simple.  Sometimes unfamiliarity with Hebrew terms and their meanings causes not a little confusion.  For instance, at Genesis 1:1, the account states simply:  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  The verb here rendered "create" is bara, meaning:  to create (surprise), to bring in something new. The heavens include all celestial bodies, and that includes the sun and moon.  From here on out, however, the Genesis account describes the preparation of earth for habitation.\n\nIn Genesis 1:16, however, when speaking of  the sun, the Hebrew word is  not bara, but rather asah which means, to ordain, prepare, thus at this juncture, God is not creating luminaries but rather is preparing them for their purpose in relation to the earth.  It should also be noted that the first mention of light uses the Hebrew word ohr meaning light in a general sense.  In the second instance, the Hebrew word is maohr, referring to a source of light.  \n\nOftentimes what appear to be contradictions or error on the surface can readily be understood if given more than a cursory reading.  Sometimes a little research and investigation penetrates the swaddling bands of confusion, just like on the first day when God caused diffused light to penetrate the swaddling bands around earth.
993682
There was no such person as Yeshua ben Nazareb.  It is a fictional being, invented by committee 1700 years ago, a retelling of other "saviours" from other religions.  I'll borrow my own words from another posting:\n\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ahd8J7EE5iH6xqL_.MlWehLsy6IX?qid=1006060402294\n----------------------------------------\nThe word "christ" is a corruption of the ancient Greek word "christos", or saviour, and that word is itself a corruption of the Hindu god Krishna.\n\nThere have been more than a dozen "saviours" predating christian mythology, most of them borrowing from each other. You'll also notice that their years of origin go east (oldest) to west (newest), following the "Silk Road" from China between 600 BCE (2600 years ago) until 200 CE.\n\nKrishna\nBuddha\nOsiris \nMithras\nDionysus\nHeracles\n\nAmong many others. Most were born shortly after the winter solstice (Dec. 22), most were born to virgins screwed by a "god", and most "suffered" before they "died" and "went to heaven". \n\nIt's the same stupid fairy tale, regurgitated and retold with local bits added on as it went place to place.\n----------------------------------------\n\nHere's question you won't have an answer for: If you jeebus was such a troublemaker in the land of Palestine, why do the Roman's written records of their occupation make no mention of such a person nor do the dozens of writers from that time, whose words we still have today (eg. Pliny the Elder), not make any mention of such a person?\n\nNobody talked about "jeebus" because "jeebus" wasn't there.  No such person ever existed.
616799
There is layer after layer of meaning in the Bible, especially in the Torah. The surface level contains a lot of valuable truth, including everything you need to know to find salvation and live a holy life. Underneath that, though, are some very profound truths about the nature of God and our relationship with him and each other. Gematria and Kabalah and other forms of Jewish and Christian mysticism try to get at some of those truths, but I think they all miss the mark at least as often as they hit it.\n\nLately I've been thinking a lot about the Temple and the various things in it, especially about Exodus 25 and 26. When you read Ezekiel 43:10-11, it is clear that there are hidden meanings in the design of the Tabernacle and Temple. "You, son of man, declare to the house of Israel, the temple house, so that they may be ashamed of their iniquities. And let them measure its size. And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, the form of the house, and its arrangement, and its exits, and its entrances, and all its forms, and all its statutes, and all its forms, and all its laws, make known to them. And write them before their eyes, so that they may observe all its form, and all its statutes, and do them."\n\nI believe that the Temple and its articles is a pattern of God, of our relationship with God, of ourselves, and of our relationship with each other, especially within the family.
178303
There is no direct correlation of any text of any other religion with with the Kabbalah.  The Kabballah, taken together with the Zohar (or Book of Splender, a commentary on the Kabbalah written in Aramaic), form the basis for the largest collective group of mystics in the world today.\n\nMost of Islam does not support mysticism with the exception of the Sufi branch.  Although much of the Sufi text is poetry, there are several works dealing with mystic topics but few of these have been translated into any foreign language.\n\nAbjad is not a book, but a term often used to describe Arabic Numerology.\n“The word abjad is an acronym derived from the first four consonantal shapes in the Arabic alphabet -- Alif, Bá, Jim, Dál.”
590608
It's all made up.\n\nAdam and Eve were the first people according to a story in a book called the Bible.  This is a book.  This is one theory of how things began.  It was written by men -   millions....billions of years after the fact.  \n\nThere are many stories about creation.  They are all stories.  None of the authors of these books were around when it actually happened.  Every theory about how man came to be is just that - a theory.  \n\nTo be sure, some theories have garnered much more support and a wider audience than others.  But just because one story enjoys better marketing than another doesn't necessarily make it "true" - it's just true to those who choose to believe it.\n\nThere are over 10,000 religions practiced on the Earth.  (David Barrett, The World Christian Encyclopedia)  Many of them have numerous denominations.  Within Christianity alone there are over 33,830 denominations.  \n\n10,000 religions...10,000 interpretations of how life began.  Which one is accurate?  \n\nThere is the Known.  The Unknown.  And the Unknowable.  Your question falls into the 2nd or 3rd category.\n\nI wish you Peace.
1058476
I've asked this question before, actually. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AutS5JZA1SeAz4Wwe_TTd9rsy6IX?qid=1006053111285\nSeems to be a jewish tradition.
911166
Shabbat \nLevel: Basic\n  \n\nFor six days you may perform melachah, but the seventh day is a complete sabbath, holy to the L-RD ... it is an eternal sign that in six days, the L-RD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed. -Exodus 31:15-17 \nThe Nature of Shabbat \n The Sabbath (or Shabbat, as it is called in Hebrew) is one of the best known and least understood of all Jewish observances. People who do not observe Shabbat think of it as a day filled with stifling restrictions, or as a day of prayer like the Christian Sabbath. But to those who observe Shabbat, it is a precious gift from G-d, a day of great joy eagerly awaited throughout the week, a time when we can set aside all of our weekday concerns and devote ourselves to higher pursuits. In Jewish literature, poetry and music, Shabbat is described as a bride or queen, as in the popular Shabbat hymn Lecha Dodi Likrat Kallah (come, my beloved, to meet the [Sabbath] bride). It is said "more than Israel has kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept Israel." \n\nShabbat is the most important ritual observance in Judaism. It is the only ritual observance instituted in the Ten Commandments. It is also the most important special day, even more important than Yom Kippur. This is clear from the fact that more aliyoth (opportunities for congregants to be called up to the Torah) are given on Shabbat than on any other day. \n\nShabbat is primarily a day of rest and spiritual enrichment. The word "Shabbat" comes from the root Shin-Bet-Tav, meaning to cease, to end, or to rest. \n\nShabbat is not specifically a day of prayer. Although we do pray on Shabbat, and spend a substantial amount of time in synagogue praying, prayer is not what distinguishes Shabbat from the rest of the week. Observant Jews pray every day, three times a day. See Jewish Liturgy. To say that Shabbat is a day of prayer is no more accurate than to say that Shabbat is a day of feasting: we eat every day, but on Shabbat, we eat more elaborately and in a more leisurely fashion. The same can be said of prayer on Shabbat. \n\nIn modern America, we take the five-day work-week so much for granted that we forget what a radical concept a day of rest was in ancient times. The weekly day of rest has no parallel in any other ancient civilization. In ancient times, leisure was for the wealthy and the ruling classes only, never for the serving or laboring classes. In addition, the very idea of rest each week was unimaginable. The Greeks thought Jews were lazy because we insisted on having a "holiday" every seventh day. \n\nShabbat involves two interrelated commandments: to remember (zachor) Shabbat, and to observe (shamor) Shabbat. \n\nZachor: To Remember \nRemember the sabbath day to sanctify it (Hebrew: Zakhor or et yom ha-shabbat l'kad'sho) -Deuteronomy 5:12 \nWe are commanded to remember Shabbat; but remembering means much more than merely not forgetting to observe Shabbat. It also means to remember the significance of Shabbat, both as a commemoration of creation and as a commemoration of our freedom from slavery in Egypt. \n\nIn Exodus 20:11, after Fourth Commandment is first instituted, G-d explains, "because for six days, the L-rd made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and on the seventh day, he rested; therefore, the L-rd blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it." By resting on the seventh day and sanctifying it, we remember and acknowledge that G-d is the creator of heaven and earth and all living things. We also emulate the divine example, by refraining from work on the seventh day, as G-d did. If G-d's work can be set aside for a day of rest, how can we believe that our own work is too important to set aside temporarily? \n\nIn Deuteronomy 5:15, while Moses reiterates the Ten Commandments, he notes the second thing that we must remember on Shabbat: "remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the L-rd,
523780
It seems to be quite a fascinating study that apparently has been going on since the time of Isaac Newton[?]... But now, with the advent of computer technology, the use of a software program to decode the original Hebraic texts of the OT seems to shed more light into this theory.\n\nI caught a show on either the History or Discovery channel a few weeks ago and it depicted quite a number of bizarre and eerie revelations! Verrrry interestingg... indeed!
664132
In the Sefer Zohar, a major book of Jewish mysticism written in the middle ages in medieval aramaic, there is a whole section on The Guf, it is loosely translated to mean "hall of souls". The Guf and all the souls in it were created at the beginning of time, the same time that God created Adam and Eve. No new souls have ever been created, all souls are as old as the universe. When a child is conceived its soul comes from the Guf, where it has been "waiting" for a body.\n\nFor reason that are unclear, a soul can sometimes return to the Guf after a person dies. The Zohar also says that when all the souls in the Guf have been sent out and the Guf is empty, it will be the end of days.\n\n____________________________________________________________\n\nThe guf\n\nIn Judeo-Christian mythology, the Guf is the Hall of Souls. Every time an infant is born, this is where its soul comes from. Folklore says sparrows can see the soul's descent and this explains their song. But a day will come when the sparrow sings no more, because there are only a finite number of souls in The Guf. It's when the last soul is used, and The Guf is empty, that the world will end. The first infant born without a soul, born dead as a soulless child must be, heralds the death of the world, and so is called The Final Sign.\n\nThe Guf is sometimes described as a columbarium, or bird-house.