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The Zohar (Hebrew: זֹהַר , Zōhar, lit."Splendor" or "Radiance" [a]) is a foundational work of Kabbalistic literature. [1] It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology.
In Kabbalah, the sephirot comprise the inner "life of God;" their unification is humanity's task. When the sephiroth unite above in Atziluth, the Shekhinah unites with God below and blessings are channelled into physical creation. The "Patach Eliyahu" section of the Zohar relates that the sephirot only exist from the perspective of Creation ...
This issue has been crystalized until today by alternative views on the origin of the Zohar, the main text of Kabbalah, attributed to the circle of its central protagonist Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in the 2nd century CE, for opening up the study of Jewish Mysticism. [1]
But above all, Jewish Kabbalah is a set of sacred and magical teachings meant to explain the relationship between the unchanging, eternal God—the mysterious Ein Sof (אֵין סוֹף , 'The Infinite') [30] [31] —and the mortal, finite universe (God's creation). [2] [30]
Kabbalah's beginnings date to the Middle Ages, originating in the Bahir [4] and the Zohar. [5] Although the earliest extant Hebrew kabbalistic manuscripts dating to the late 13th century contain diagrams, including one labelled "Tree of Wisdom," the now-iconic tree of life emerged during the fourteenth century. [6]
Chai as a symbol goes back to medieval Spain. Letters as symbols in Jewish culture go back to the earliest Jewish roots, the Talmud states that the world was created from Hebrew letters which form verses of the Torah. In medieval Kabbalah, Chai is the lowest (closest to the physical plane) emanation of God. [2]
Keter or Kether (Hebrew: כֶּתֶר ⓘ, Keṯer, lit. "crown") is the first of the ten sefirot in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, symbolizing the divine will and the initial impulse towards creation from the Ein Sof, or infinite source.
Jewish ritual objects shown on a gold goblet (2nd century CE) excavated in Rome. The Torah delineates three pilgrimage festivals: Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Each of these is tied to the agricultural cycle of the Israelites, and also has a theological symbolism. Passover celebrated the rebirth of nature, and symbolized the origin of the ...