Jewish Mysticism

Jewish Mysticism

Writter: Evangelos D. Kepenes (July 22, 2025, 13:21)

Mysticism

Mysticism is a type of spirituality that exists beyond the perceptible world and involves a direct, unmediated relationship between the mystic and the divine, through which the mystic is initiated into the secrets of the universe. It encompasses various quietistic ideas and spiritual practices aimed at acquiring apatheia (dispassion), and methods of mental concentration with the goal of transcending the ‘ego’ and existential fear, leading to inner peace through secret knowledge. Successful spiritual ‘athletics’ by mystics leads, according to their doctrine, to self-salvation and contributes to the restoration of the original order of the universe.

The term originates from the verb "μύω," meaning "to close the eyes or lips," hence "μύωψ" (someone unable to see far). Mystics possess secret knowledge and experiences that are not communicated to the uninitiated, grounded in the theory of the pre-existence of the visible. Mysticism appears in various philosophical, traditional, and religious forms with the common denominator of seeking liberation from matter of the fallen soul from heaven and its return to the heavenly higher level of life.

Mystics throughout the ages have accepted a higher, hierarchical metaphysical system which stems from projections of manifestations of a previous supreme, unmanifest, impersonal Energy or Force. For mystics, material creation arising from this "metaphysical system" is a lower level of existence, a reflection and image of a perfect precedent, and the place of exile — for unspecified reasons — for fallen "immortal incorporeal souls." These are incarnated and imprisoned in perishable bodily forms, living their lives without remembering their former glory. For mystics, acquiring secret knowledge is the ‘truth’ (Grk “α λ ή θ ε ι α” )[1] that cures their amnesia, and, through reincarnation, they may achieve redemption and escape from all forms of bodily prison, returning to their celestial homeland.

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[1] The Greek word  "α λ ή θ ε ι α" (truth) derives from the ancient Greek word ‘λήθη’ (forgetfulness) and the prefix α- (not), thus "α-λ ή θ ε ι α" means "that which is not forgotten," therefore "that which is true."

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Jewish Mysticism

Jewish mysticism takes various forms with Gnostic perceptions and an eschatological orientation, rooted in the ancient oral Jewish mystical tradition of the Throne or Chariot, which developed from the first chapters of Ezekiel and Genesis. Early Jewish mystics called it "Ma'aseh Merkavah" (Merkavah = chariot).

In 200 CE, in Palestine, this secret oral teaching — regarded by Jewish occultists as a secret interpretation of the Law given to Moses alongside the written Law — was recorded as the "Mishnah" by Judah ha-Nasi, along with the explanatory work "Gemara." The two together are known as the Palestinian or Jerusalem Talmud, which means "teaching" or "study." By 500 CE, the Gemara was completed in Babylonia, and with the Mishnah it became known as the Babylonian Talmud, compiled by the rabbis Osi and Yosi. Though published separately, in Talmudic education, the more comprehensive Babylonian Talmud prevails. The Jewish mystical tradition culminates in Kabbalah, developed in Spain in the 13th century, meaning "reception" or "transmission" of the doctrine about God and the universe. Kabbalah features polytheistic elements and is heavily influenced by Plato (particularly Neoplatonism), Aristotle, Hermes Trismegistus, and the syncretism of the Hellenistic East. In Kabbalistic theology, God is an impersonal triadic energy.

Kabbalah

“According to the Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Creation of Jewish mysticism), God created the world by combining letters and forming words, so the creation of the Hebrew alphabet is considered one of the first cosmogonic events. Mirroring the cosmogonic process, the Kabbalist uses the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet to communicate with the Divine. Prophetic experience was the highest form of this communication.

”Practical Kabbalah teaches about the relationship between letters and numbers — and their interrelation — based on the principles of Gematria (numerology using Hebrew), Notarikon (Talmudic method interpreting biblical words as acronyms; also used in Alchemy), and Temurah (referring to the process and result of "exchange"), the formation and usage of Divine and Angelic names as amulets, the formation of magic squares, and a range of teachings that formed the basis of Medieval Magic.

”There were two trends among the Kabbalists:

• One dedicated wholly to the doctrinal branch,

• The other to practical and miraculous aspects.

The greatest wonder-worker Kabbalist rabbis were (or were believed to be) Isaac Luria, who, had he not died prematurely (July 25, 1572, at age thirty-eight), would have been or have declared himself the Messiah; and Sabbatai Zevi, who proclaimed himself Messiah, shaking much of the Jewish world in 1665–1666. Over time, many within various Jewish religious groups have declared themselves Messiahs. Notable examples, in chronological order:

• Moses of Crete (5th century CE)

• Ishaq ibn Ya'qub al-Isfahani, aka Abu Isa (8th century CE)

• David Alroy (12th century CE)

• Abraham ben Samuel Abulafia (13th century CE)

• Jacob Joseph Frank (18th century CE) — presented as Sabbatai Zevi's successor

• Most recently, Menachem Mendel Schneerson (20th century CE)

”However, for Jews disheartened by the harsh realities of the Diaspora, where pogroms and massacres were commonplace, many rabbis, especially Kabbalists, viewed redemption only through the coming of the Messiah, who would fulfill four prophecies:

(a) subjugation of other nations

(b) return of Israel to Jerusalem

(c) rebuilding the Temple in its former glory, and

(d) cessation of conflicts worldwide.

”Others pursued more personal, interior paths, yet the majority of Israel waited for the Redeemer, sustained by prophetic, Kabbalistic analyses and rabbinical teachings. The unprecedented persecutions of Christian Spain bound the Messiah idea even closer to Kabbalah, giving rise to new syntheses among (rabbinic) Jewish factions.

”During Sabbatai Zevi’s era, apocalyptic and messianic expectations were in daily focus; everyone awaited the signs of the times, which Zevi exploited by presenting himself as the long-expected Messiah, only to ultimately fail like those before him.

”In the end, the prophecies were fulfilled by people who, although never claiming to be Messiahs, did the most to create the new Israel in modern times: Theodor Herzl with Zionism, the Rothschild family with its power and influence (recipients of the famed Balfour Declaration of 1917), and David Ben-Gurion and the thousands of Hagannah fighters[2], who established the State of Israel, finally providing a homeland for Jews worldwide.” (Hadzialexiou Konstantinos: “Sabbatai Zevi” Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Philosophy)

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[2] Hagannah: “After World War II, a Jewish secret military organization, Hagannah ("Defense"), formed in the years after the Holocaust, fought the British and Arabs — events recounted in Israeli history as the start of Israel’s "War of Independence." Hagannah was the principal Zionist paramilitary organization for the Yishuv (Jewish community in British-mandated Palestine before the state was founded in 1948). Founded in 1920 to defend the Yishuv, it was officially dissolved in 1948, integrating into the Israel Defense Forces shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence.

”In 1931, the Hagannah split and Irgun (Etzel) was founded. Irgun aimed to be a true military organization, not just a militia, following Revisionist Zionism as conceived by Ze'ev Jabotinsky. According to Howard Sachar, Irgun’s policies were rooted in Jabotinsky’s teachings: every Jew had the right to enter Palestine; only active retaliation could deter the Arabs; only Jewish armed power would secure the Jewish state.

”In 1940, Irgun split again, and Lehi (the Stern Gang) was created. At this time, Yitzhak Shamir was the leader of Lehi. In 1943, in an article entitled "Terrorism" for the Lehi publication "He Khazit" ("The Front"), Shamir argued: "[...] neither Jewish ethics nor Jewish tradition can disqualify terrorism as a means of combat. We are far from having moral qualms about our national war. We have before us the command of the Torah, whose morals surpass those of any other code in the world: ‘You shall wipe them out to the last man.’" 

https://atticavoice.gr/istoria/itemlist/tag/%CE%A7%CE%91%CE%93%CE%9A%CE%91%CE%9D%CE%91

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The Ten Sefirot of Kabbalah

“The central work of Kabbalah, the Zohar ("Book of Splendor"), written in Spain to counter rationalism, endowed traditional Judaism with a hidden, mystical energy. Its central doctrine is the theory of ten "sefirot" (emanations) that exist between the eternal God and His creations, the ten domains wherein the divine efflux extends. The "plenitude" of these sefirot does not emanate from God but remains within Him. The Zohar emphasized ritual symbolism, interpreting ceremonies as secret points of contact between the divine and human, and generally enhanced Jewish self-awareness, even teaching that the Jew possesses a quality of soul lacking in the non-Jew.”

Source: https://www.pemptousia.gr/2012/05/mistikismos/

Kabbalistic mystics do not seek to transmit knowledge intellectually with philosophical terms or words (as Greek philosophers do), nor through hearing the sermon (as with Jesus, "let him who has ears, hear"), but, following Pythagorean methods, teach with numbers and symbols — not to the mind or through the hearing, but through the eyesight.

The whole decade of the Sefirot embodies Adam Kadmon, the archetypal higher celestial man, preceding material creation — the prototype that calls finite humans to become like it. The geometric depiction of the ten Sefirot constitutes the Tree of Life for Kabbalists, along with the twenty-two Paths (equal to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet). The connecting lines of the Paths are areas of subjective advancement in mystic study.

Kabbalah teaches that "The Conscious God projects Himself with all His energy, after which two further Emanations follow, forming the luminous triad," symbolized by a radiant triangle manifested as the Sefirot. The tree of ten Sefirot (Tree of Life) is based on the three Veils of Negative Existence, which in fact do not reveal God but conceal him like all veils. "These three symbolic veils do not distinguish or differentiate from one another. Like Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (according to Greek Orthodox dogma), they are a ‘consubstantial and inseparable Triad,’ and even the highest initiate of this solar system (and those greater still) cannot penetrate their mysteries."

The three veils are:

• Ain (Non-Active [Negative Existence]): In order to self-determine, it manifests as Ain Soph (God the limitless, the infinite), then as Ain Soph Aur (the absolute unlimited, uncreated Light).

The three veils of Negative existence constitute Kether ("Crown") — the first Sephirah, representing infinite existence, the Ancient of Days where the three veils abide. It is the source of Life and Creation, having an androgynous nature. From Keter emanates the second Sefira, Chokmah ("Wisdom"), also called the King, Yah. Next comes the third Sefira, Binah ("Understanding"), the Mother, root of essence, also symbolizing the feminine within us. The interplay between Chokmah and Binah is crucial for understanding how abstract wisdom becomes concrete understanding. With these three Sefirot, the Heavenly Triad is revealed.

Israel Shahak, a scholar of Jewish religion and history, notes about the polytheism of mystical Rabbinic Judaism: "According to Kabbalism, the universe is ruled not by a single God but by several deities who differ in character and influence and emanate from a hazy, distant god (the prime cause) [...] First a male god appeared, called ‘Wisdom’ or ‘Father’, and then a female, ‘knowledge’ or ‘Mother’. From their union a pair of younger gods was born: the Son (also known as ‘Small Face’ or ‘Holy Blessed One’) and the Daughter (called ‘Lady, Matronit, Shekinah, Queen’, etc). These younger gods must unite, but their union is thwarted by the machinations of Satan, who, in this system, is a significant and independent personality. The deity attempted Creation to unite them, but because of the Fall, they became even more estranged [...] The conquest of Canaan and erection of the two Temples favored this union, but their destruction and the Jews’ exile are simply outward expressions not only of the divine separation but of true ‘whoring after strange gods’. The Daughter literally submits to Satan, while the Son, abandoning his wife, takes various satanic female creatures to his bed [...] The duty of devout Jews is by prayer and ritual to restore the perfect divine unity, in the form of the sexual union of male and female deities[3]. Thus, before most ritual acts performed daily by every observant Jew, the following Kabbalistic prayer is recited: ‘For the sake of the [sexual] union of the Holy and his Shekinah ...’ Whatever is said of the Kabbalistic system, it can in no way be called monotheistic, unless we are also ready to call Hinduism, later Greco-Roman religion, or even ancient Egyptian religion, ‘monotheistic’".

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Note

[3] "Shahak adds: "Many contemporary Jewish mystics believe that the same goal can be achieved faster through war against the Arabs, by expelling all Palestinians or by settling many Jewish colonies in the West Bank. The growing movement to build the Third Temple is also based on such ideas."  (From his book:  Jewish History, Jewish Religion, the Weight of 3000 Years)

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A Note from Emmanuel Levinas

A renowned Talmudist, Emmanuel Levinas, trying unsuccessfully to normalize the negative racist impressions formed by Talmudists who practice the theology of the Talmud and its Kabbalistic radiance wrote: "Monotheism is not an arithmetic of the divine. It is the supernatural, perhaps, charisma of seeing beneath the various traditions that each individual continues, one individual as similar to another. It is a school of xenophobia and anti-racism." (Difficile liberte 'Difficult Freedom' 1963, 232, 352)

Conclusion

Ignorance of the Scriptures regarding the knowledge of God, cosmology, anthropology, sociology, and the heavenly kingdom of Christ — whose seat is in the human heart (“the kingdom of God is within you") where love, justice, peace, and solidarity reign — has led and leads to misinterpretations, utopias, and deadly armed conflicts.

The utopia that the poor will also enjoy the earthly riches of the usurping rich, which is still considered Biblical by many God-fearers today, gave pretext for the Crusades, hastening the coming of the ‘kingdom of God’ on earth and a fairer distribution of earthly goods:

"Participation in a crusade meant the crusader ‘took the cross’ or ‘the sign of the cross.’ For their contemporaries there was no doubt that the Crusades were a divine mission; they were described as ‘the Works of God performed through the Franks.’ All those killed during the Crusades enjoyed the privilege of a special indulgence for sins they had committed and were regarded by the people as martyrs. Clerics of the time promoted the view that the righteous need not fear being accused of sin for killing Christ’s enemies; the soldier of Christ could justifiably kill and even more so be killed; when the soldier died, he benefited himself, but when he killed, he benefited Christ. For the clerics, it was acceptable to participate in war as long as, as Thomas Aquinas said, the trophy was not earthly gain but the defense of the Church or the poor and oppressed.” (Wikipedia)

Historically, all oligarchies have exploited the utopias of ‘mystical religious orthodoxies’ to achieve their ambitions through inhumane, antisocial, racist, and violent means, simulating the ‘deity’ of the mystics as an abuser of human nature and an accomplice to their earthly evil expansionist ideological interests. History repeats itself today with Jewish mysticism prevailing among the world elite and representatives and followers of various religions, making the biblical statement “the name of God (of love) is blasphemed among the nations because of you” more relevant than ever before.

Any territorial, economic, or expansionist ideological policy is carnal, wages war against human life and liberty, and goes against the will of the good Creator God. The Apostle Peter wrote to the Jews of the diaspora who had returned to Jesus, the eternal life and true God of their ancestors:

"Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation." (1 Peter 2:11–12)

For more on the effects of Jewish mysticism on contemporary society, see the erudite book by Israel Shahak "Jewish History, Jewish Religion, the Weight of 3000 Years," from which a critical comment by the American writer Gore Vidal is quoted:

"While Muslim fundamentalism is being denounced in the West, Jewish fundamentalism remains unassailable. In this work, which has been both praised and sharply debated, Israel Shahak undertakes a provocative study of the extent to which the ‘secular’ state of Israel has been shaped by religious orthodoxies with potentially deadly consequences. Through his study of the Talmud and rabbinic law, Shahak argues that the roots of Jewish chauvinism and religious fanaticism must be understood directly, before it is too late. He is the most recent, if not the last, of the great prophets."

God is love; turn away from mystical religious orthodoxies.
Christ is our life.

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