|
Berit Menuchah
''Berit Menuchah'' (; also ''Berit Menuḥa'', ''Berith Menuḥa'', or ''Brit Menucha'') is a practical Kabbalah work written in the 14th century by Abraham ben Isaac of Granada. It consists of a system of theurgy which uses the names of God in Judaism and his emanations for spiritual and magical purposes. An English translation thereof was published in 2007. Contents The ''Berit Menuḥa'' focuses on a complex system describing the various hypostases of the divine world and God, and associating them with the niqqudot or vowel markings of the Hebrew script. Especially central is the role of the divine, angelic, and magical names associated with the various sefirot or divine emanations described. They are often given magical uses, and the text usually specifies whether the practitioner needs to be pure or not to use them. Some of the names are typical Kabbalistic names of God, but the majority are derived by Notarikon from biblical verses: Angel An angel is a spiritual (wit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Practical Kabbalah
Practical Kabbalah ( ''Kabbalah Ma'asit'') in historical Judaism, is a branch of Jewish mysticism that concerns the use of magic. It was considered permitted white magic by its practitioners, reserved for the elite, who could separate its spiritual source from '' qlippoth'' realms of evil if performed under circumstances that were holy (Q-D-Š) and pure, ''tumah and taharah'' (). The concern of overstepping Judaism's prohibitions against impure magic ensured it remained a minor tradition in Jewish history. Its teachings include the use of divine and angelic names for amulets and incantations.Elber, Mark. ''The Everything Kabbalah Book: Explore This Mystical Tradition--From Ancient Rituals to Modern Day Practices'', p. 137. Adams Media, 2006. Practical Kabbalah is mentioned in historical texts, but most Kabbalists have taught that its use is forbidden. It is contrasted with the mainstream tradition in Kabbalah of ''Kabbalah Iyunit'' (contemplative Kabbalah), which seeks to expl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abraham Ben Isaac Of Granada
Abraham ben Isaac of Granada (הר"ר אברהם ב"ר יצחק מרמון), also known as Abraham Merimon, was a Kabbalist of the thirteenth century. Works Abraham wrote: *''Sefer ha-Berit:'' A work on the Kabbala. Moses Botarel quotes this work in the introduction to his commentary on the ''Sefer Yeẓirah.'' *'' Berit Menuḥah (Covenant of Rest):'' Another work on the Kabbala valued highly by Isaac Luria for its profound comments. Its language, as well as how Simon ben Yohai is introduced as speaker, shows a striking resemblance to the Zohar, and it may be that the author had a larger version of the Zohar before him than is now extant. Unlike the Zohar, however, Berit Menuḥah is primarily focused on practical Kabbalah and the powers of divine names and angels. *''Megalle ha-Ta'alumot:'' quoted by the author in the work previously mentioned. Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography *Adolf Jellinek, ''Auswahl Kabbalistischer Mystik,'' i.9 (German part); * Michael, Heimann Joseph ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theurgy
Theurgy (; from the Greek θεουργία ), also known as divine magic, is one of two major branches of the magical arts, Pierre A. Riffard, ''Dictionnaire de l'ésotérisme'', Paris: Payot, 1983, 340. the other being practical magic or thaumaturgy. Theurgy describes the ritual practices associated with the invocation or evocation of the presence of one or more deities, especially with the goal of achieving henosis (uniting with the divine) and perfecting oneself. Definitions *Proclus (): theurgy is "a power higher than all human wisdom embracing the blessings of divination, the purifying powers of initiation and in a word all the operations of divine possession." * Keith Thomas: "Spiritual magic or theurgy was based on the idea that one could reach God in an ascent up the scale of creation made possible by a rigorous course of prayer, fasting and devotional preparation." * Pierre A. Riffard: "Theurgy is a type of magic. It consists of a set of magical practices perform ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Names Of God In Judaism
Judaism has different names given to God in Judaism, God, which are considered sacred: (), (''Adonai'' ), (''El (deity), El'' ), ( ), (''El Shaddai, Shaddai'' ), and ( ); some also include I Am that I Am.This is the formulation of Joseph Karo (SA YD 276:9). Maimonides (MT Yesodei haTorah 6:2), Jacob ben Asher (AT YD 276), and Isaac Alfasi (HK Menachot 3b) also included I Am that I Am, as do many later authorities, including Moses Isserles (SA YD 276:9). The original lists are found in y. Megillah 1:9 and b. Shavuot 35a, with some MSs agreeing with each authority. Maimonides and followers give the number of names as seven; however, manuscript inconsistency makes it difficult to judge which are included. Authorities including Asher ben Jehiel (''Responsa'' 3:15), the Tosafot, Tosafists (b. Sotah 10a), Yechiel of Paris (cited ''Birkei Yosef, Oraḥ Hayyim'' 85:8), Simeon ben Zemah Duran, Yaakov ben Moshe Levi Moelin, and Moses Isserles (SA YD 276:13), include the term Shalom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Niqqud
In Hebrew orthography, niqqud or nikud ( or ) is a system of diacritical signs used to represent vowels or distinguish between alternative pronunciations of letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Several such diacritical systems were developed in the Early Middle Ages. The most widespread system, and the only one still used to a significant degree today, was created by the Masoretes of Tiberias in the second half of the first millennium AD in the Land of Israel (see Masoretic Text, Tiberian Hebrew). Text written with niqqud is called '' ktiv menuqad''. Niqqud marks are small compared to the letters, so they can be added without retranscribing texts whose writers did not anticipate them. In modern Israeli orthography ''niqqud'' is mainly used in specialised texts such as dictionaries, poetry, or texts for children or new immigrants to Israel. For purposes of disambiguation, a system of spelling without niqqud, known in Hebrew as '' ktiv maleh'' (, literally "full spelling") had develope ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hebrew Script
The Hebrew alphabet (, ), known variously by scholars as the Ktav Ashuri, Jewish script, square script and block script, is a unicase, unicameral abjad script used in the writing of the Hebrew language and other Jewish languages, most notably Yiddish, Judaeo-Spanish, Ladino, Judeo-Arabic languages, Judeo-Arabic, and Judeo-Persian. In modern Hebrew, vowels are increasingly introduced. It is also used informally in Israel to write Levantine Arabic, especially among Druze in Israel, Druze. It is an offshoot of the Aramaic alphabet, Imperial Aramaic alphabet, which flourished during the Achaemenid Empire and which itself derives from the Phoenician alphabet. Historically, a different abjad script was used to write Hebrew: the original, old Hebrew script, now known as the Paleo-Hebrew alphabet, has been largely preserved in a variant form as the Samaritan script, Samaritan alphabet, and is still used by the Samaritans. The present ''Jewish script'' or ''square script'', on the cont ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sefirot
Sefirot (; , plural of ), meaning '' emanations'', are the 10 attributes/emanations in Kabbalah, through which Ein Sof ("infinite space") reveals itself and continuously creates both the physical realm and the seder hishtalshelut (the chained descent of the metaphysical Four Worlds). The term is alternatively transliterated into English as ''sephirot/sephiroth'', singular ''sefira/sephirah''. As revelations of the creator's will (, ''rāṣon''), the sefirot should not be understood as ten gods, but rather as ten different channels through which the one God reveals His will. In later Jewish literature, the ten sefirot refer either to the ten manifestations of God; the ten powers or faculties of the soul; or the ten structural forces of nature. 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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Notarikon
Notarikon () is a Talmudic method of interpreting Biblical words as acronyms. The same term may also be used for a Kabbalistic method of using the acronym of a Biblical verse as a name for God. Another variation uses the first ''and'' last letters, or the two middle letters of a word, to form another word. The word "notarikon" is borrowed from the Greek language (νοταρικόν), and was derived from the Latin word "notarius" meaning "shorthand writer." Notarikon is one of the three methods used by the Kabbalists (the other two are gematria and temurah) to rearrange words and sentences. These methods were used to derive the esoteric substratum and deeper spiritual meaning of the words in the Bible. Notarikon was also used in alchemy. Usage in the Talmud Until the end of the Talmudic period, notarikon is understood in Judaism as a method of Scripture interpretation by which the letters of individual words in the Bible text indicate the first letters of independent words. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angel
An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in various traditions like the Abrahamic religions. Other roles include protectors and guides for humans, such as guardian angels and servants of God. In Western belief-systems the term is often used to distinguish benevolent from malevolent intermediary beings. Emphasizing the distance between God and mankind, revelation-based belief-systems require angels to bridge the gap between the earthly and the transcendent realm. Angels play a lesser role in monistic belief-systems, since the gap is non-existent. However, angelic beings might be conceived as aid to achieve a proper relationship with the divine. Abrahamic religions describe angelic hierarchies, which vary by religion and sect. Some angels have specific names (such as Gabriel or Mich ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sandalphon
Sandalphon (Hebrew: סַנְדַּלְפוֹן ''Sandalp̄ōn''; ''Sandalphṓn'') is an archangel in Jewish and Christian writings, although not in scripture. Sandalphon figures prominently in the mystical literary traditions of Rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity, notably in the Midrash, Talmud, and Kabbalah and is generally seen as gathering prayers and passing them on to God. Origin Although not explicitly referenced in scripture, some of the earliest sources on Sandalphon refer to him as the prophet Elijah transfigured and risen to angelic status.Davidson, Gustav (1967), A Dictionary of Angels, Including The Fallen Angels', Free Press, p. 257, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 66-19757, Other sources (mainly from the midrashic period) describe him as the "twin brother" of Metatron, whose human origin as Enoch is similar to the human origin of Sandalphon. Meaning of name The name ''Sandalphon'', which may be related to the Hebrew sandek, godfather (thereby co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
