More Zohar Information
Index of subjects discussed herein:
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Truth is hidden behind misconceptions |
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Subject: Starting off
The concepts presented in the Zohar can be
very overwhelming at first. That is why this list is established. We are
attempting to remove the "overwhelming" and present the
"concepts" in a more easy to get form for those coming from Christian
circles.
Zohar assumes an intimate knowledge of the Torah (first five books of the Bible)
and a fairly comprehensive knowledge of the rest of the Tanakh (Hebrew
Scriptures). On the other hand, Brit Chadisha also assumes an intimate knowledge
of the Torah and the rest of the Tanakh. The mistake Christians make is assuming
there is no value in studying the Tanakh because "Yeshua fulfill it
all". However Yeshua himself said, "until heaven and earth pass not
one yod (representing HaShem) or tittel (crowns on the Hebrew
letters representing the FIRE of HASHEM) will pass from the Torah until ALL be
fulfilled." (Matt 5:17) As long as we are still waiting on Yeshua's
return, all has not been fulfilled because we still "hope". (Romans
8:24)
Subject: Truth is hidden behind Misconceptions
How does one speak "truth" and
convey its meaning?
Truths are hidden behind misconceptions. That is the only way a truth can be
concealed. It is written, "YHWH dwells in thick darkness". How can
this be when the BC (Brit Chadisha, NT) says, "In him is light and no
shadow of turning". The answer can be seen in this story;
A soldier went to war. His purpose was to confront the enemy. His sergeant told
him, "Hide yourself here behind these bushes and wear this outfit so the
enemy cannot see you." The soldier responded, "Sir, why would I do
that since I am not afraid of my enemy?" The sergeant responded, "In
fighting a war one needs all the advantage he can get to defeat his enemy. The
camouflage gives us the element of surprise. To insure that we truly defeat our
enemy we must use every tactic available to us."
To understand why HaShem dwells in thick darkness we must understand His
purpose.
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Why would HaShem dwell in thick darkness?
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Why would Yeshua reveal the "secrets" of the "kingdom of heaven" through parables and dark sayings?
Because the word of G-d is not for the world. It was intended for the children of light. "It is appointed for you to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven."
Subject: The age of Kabalistic writings
We find the concepts of the Zohar in the ancient writings of the Qumran society who lived in the first century.
The Talmud reports the following:
"Four rabbis ascended into the Orchard, Ben Azzai, Ben Zoma, Acher, and Rabbi Akiva... Ben Azzai gazed and died, Ben Zoma gazed and became demented; Acher became apostate; Rabbi Akiva departed in peace." Talmud, Chicagah 14b
Rabbi Akiva lived in 75-150C.E. He learned these concepts from others. Traditionally, the concepts were passed down orally generation to generation till they were written down in the 1700s. The earliest known document on Jewish mysticism was "The Song of Sabbath Sacrifices". It was recovered from Masada (From: Kabbalah by Kenneth Hansen). The Romans conquered Masada in the first century.