An Introduction to Cabala (Z’ev ben Shimon Halevi)
A Pathetic Description/Interpretation of the Tree of Life
[My 1-star Amazon review of “An Introduction to the Cabala: Tree of Life†by Z’ev ben Shimon Halevi.]
There are different Kabbalahs. Professor Moshe Idel, author of “Kabbalah: New Perspectives,†the foremost academic text on the Kabbalah, divides the Kabbalah into two categories: the mystical-ecstatic and the theurgical-theosophical. “Introduction to the Cabala†fits into the second category. In his book “Meditation and the Kabbalah,†Aryeh Kaplan, the late, highly respected Kabbalist, divides the “science of Kabbalah†into three basic areas: the theoretical, the meditative, and the practical. Kaplan classifies the Kabbalah that focuses on the Tree of Life and the Sefirot as the theoretical. Hence, “Introduction to the Cabala†can be categorized as a theoretical and theurgical-theosophical Kabbalah text.
Before I explain why I give this book just a single star, I’m going to provide some personal background, so you know where I’m coming from. I’ve devoted the past forty years of my life to the study and practice of mysticism. I’ve also taught and practiced astrology. I’m an expert in Buddhism (Original, Zen, and Tibetan), Hinduism (Raja Yoga, Advaita Vedanta, and Kashmir Shaivism), Christian mysticism, Daism, and the teachings of J. Krishnamurti. I began studying the Kabbalah about eight years ago; and being Jewish by birth, I was interested to find out if Kabbalah had anything new and potentially enlightening to offer me. Well, aside from the Tree of Life, it didn’t. But as I began to study the Tree of Life and the Sefirot, from both a traditional kabbalistic and an occult qabalistic perspective (Crowley, Fortune, and Regardie), it soon became apparent to me that all of these descriptions/interpretations of the Tree of Life and the Sefirot were pathetic. And perhaps somewhere down the road, I’ll write a text that properly describes and interprets the Tree of Life (and which also elevates the mystical-ecstatic Kabbalah to a higher level). For now, however, I’ll simply explain some of the problems with Z’ev ben Shimon Halevi’s text.
First off, the universe was not created ex nihilo, from nothing, as Halevi asserts. It is impossible for something to come from nothing. Second, the Tree of Life is NOT a picture of Creation; it is a picture of the solar system, with each Sefirah correlating with a “planet.†(Note: the Sun and Moon, from an astrological perspective, are classified as “planets.â€) Third, the correlations that Halevi provides are wrong, and his understanding of the astrological energies represented by the planets is worse than poor. Throughout the text, Halevi provides various keywords that he associates with the Sefirot, and these are entirely subjective and have no basis in any reality. In short, Havlevi is a third-rate occultist who is clueless regarding the Tree of Life; hence, I do not recommend this book.
[My 1-star Amazon review of “An Introduction to the Cabala: Tree of Life†by Z’ev ben Shimon Halevi.]
There are different Kabbalahs. Professor Moshe Idel, author of “Kabbalah: New Perspectives,†the foremost academic text on the Kabbalah, divides the Kabbalah into two categories: the mystical-ecstatic and the theurgical-theosophical. “Introduction to the Cabala†fits into the second category. In his book “Meditation and the Kabbalah,†Aryeh Kaplan, the late, highly respected Kabbalist, divides the “science of Kabbalah†into three basic areas: the theoretical, the meditative, and the practical. Kaplan classifies the Kabbalah that focuses on the Tree of Life and the Sefirot as the theoretical. Hence, “Introduction to the Cabala†can be categorized as a theoretical and theurgical-theosophical Kabbalah text.
Before I explain why I give this book just a single star, I’m going to provide some personal background, so you know where I’m coming from. I’ve devoted the past forty years of my life to the study and practice of mysticism. I’ve also taught and practiced astrology. I’m an expert in Buddhism (Original, Zen, and Tibetan), Hinduism (Raja Yoga, Advaita Vedanta, and Kashmir Shaivism), Christian mysticism, Daism, and the teachings of J. Krishnamurti. I began studying the Kabbalah about eight years ago; and being Jewish by birth, I was interested to find out if Kabbalah had anything new and potentially enlightening to offer me. Well, aside from the Tree of Life, it didn’t. But as I began to study the Tree of Life and the Sefirot, from both a traditional kabbalistic and an occult qabalistic perspective (Crowley, Fortune, and Regardie), it soon became apparent to me that all of these descriptions/interpretations of the Tree of Life and the Sefirot were pathetic. And perhaps somewhere down the road, I’ll write a text that properly describes and interprets the Tree of Life (and which also elevates the mystical-ecstatic Kabbalah to a higher level). For now, however, I’ll simply explain some of the problems with Z’ev ben Shimon Halevi’s text.
First off, the universe was not created ex nihilo, from nothing, as Halevi asserts. It is impossible for something to come from nothing. Second, the Tree of Life is NOT a picture of Creation; it is a picture of the solar system, with each Sefirah correlating with a “planet.†(Note: the Sun and Moon, from an astrological perspective, are classified as “planets.â€) Third, the correlations that Halevi provides are wrong, and his understanding of the astrological energies represented by the planets is worse than poor. Throughout the text, Halevi provides various keywords that he associates with the Sefirot, and these are entirely subjective and have no basis in any reality. In short, Havlevi is a third-rate occultist who is clueless regarding the Tree of Life; hence, I do not recommend this book.
