Q.

Religions have long been responsible for most of the unrest and destruction in the world and as we are witnessing all over the world, things are getting worse. If these religions (Jewish, Christian, Muslim) have got it wrong and Kabbalah can be traced back to the same source, then what should we conclude?

Alan, Glasgow Scotland

A.

You are correct that people have not been well served by certain "religious" teachings.  There are no more vicious conflicts than those based on religious ideology, and few so unsparing of its victims.  Over the centuries, countless numbers have experienced torture and death in the name of religion. (The same can be said of various secular ideologies - witness the events of the 20th century with millions of deaths from National Socialism (Nazism), Stalinist Communism, Maoism, the beliefs of Pol Pot in Cambodia, etc.)

The fault, however, lies not with God's words and the spiritual path, but rather with those who misunderstand and misuse those words and who demand an absolutism, which conflicts with love and good sense. True spirit is joyous, embracing and full of compassion for all God's creatures. For those individuals who set out on a path to seek the true meaning of God's teaching, Kabbalah is a powerful light to illuminate this path.

Q.

What Does the Kabbalah Teach about Jesus?

Christie

There is no mention of Jesus in Kabbalistic writing. However, there are some scholars who have suggested that Jesus' original teachings incorporated Kabbalistic thinking. For a study of Jesus, which touches upon this, I recommend a book written by the highly respected Christian theologian, Professor Bruce Chilton of Bard College . The book is called Rabbi Jesus , and is published by Doubleday.

I myself have many students from many faiths including Christians, and my book Kabbalah of Prayer ~ Sacred Sounds and the Soul's Journey is an excellent introduction to Kabbalistic concepts. There are also Christian teachers of Kabbalah (i.e. teachers whose focus is to incorporate the wisdom of the Kabbalah into a Christian perspective). It is very important for every student to find the right teacher, and every one of us should be patient until we find the one we "know" is right for us.

Q.

Isn't it true that the Zohar was written in Spain in the 13th century, making the claim that Abraham, Moses etc. studied the Zohar impossible?

Justin, Ohio

A.

The Kabbalah is a received tradition. It was and is passed orally from master to student, from generation to generation over the centuries. While its origins are shrouded in mystery, many say that the tradition stems as far back as the Patriarch Abraham (see the Sefer Yetzirah, the Book of Formation). So while it is technically true that these individuals could not have studied the Zohar per se, there is an understanding that they were initiates into the mysteries of esoteric Judaism, or Kabbalah.

Q.

Who exactly do Kabbalah followers worship? What are their beliefs?

Ashley, N. Carolina

A.

Kabbalah is a path, not a religion. Those who follow Kabbalah maintain their belief in God, and worship only God.

Kabbalah seeks to understand the mysteries of the universe and to use that understanding as a pathway to experience the living God. As such there is nothing in Kabbalah which contradicts the religious path. In fact the opposite is true: traditional religious practice is encouraged and supported.

Q.

How can we lose our connection to God, when God is ever present?

Anonymous

A.

God is everywhere, embedded in everything. Nevertheless,we can be blind to this. When we are attending to our daily lives, many fall into the trap of believing that looks, success, status, money and fame, and the like, will offer us a pathway to happiness and transcendence. We place our faith in what we are pursuing, despite the fact that only transitory rewards can be gained.

When we are in the throes of our delusions, we lose our connection to the greater reality, and to the sense of awe and mystery which brings with it joy and freshness.

The Tanya (a Kabbalah text) teaches that the higher soul (neshamah), which is our highest wisdom and is connected directly to God, is cloaked by the animal soul (nefesh). The animal soul is the part of us that is simply involved with the seeking of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. The animal soul is in turn cloaked by thoughts, speech and action. Therefore to get to our highest wisdom and live in the presence of God, we have a lot of work to do.

Q.

Where was God in World War ll during the Holocaust?

M.S.C.

A.

Your question is a difficult one, Perhaps one of the most difficult a person of faith must struggle with.

The problem of the existence of evil and the suffering of innocents has preoccupied philosophers and theologians throughout history. Many have attempted answers including the Kabbalah, (see my book Kabbalah of Prayer Sacred Sounds and the Soul's Journey for an explanation of zimzum).

None of these explanations solve the mystery.

One explanation is that when evil effects us it is as a consequence of our deeds, individual and collective. However, the Zohar is quite specific saying that if the Angel of Death has permission to take lives en masse, you better be hiding when death walks. That implies that good deeds and worthiness do not always offer protection. To further deepen the mystery see Isaiah 45:7. "Forming the light, and creating darkness; making peace and creating evil: I the Lord do all these things."

For a religious person then, the very struggle with the problem of evil is a mark of faith. This is a struggle that I engage in with my students, and it is one that the Sound Prayer practices that I teach in my book can assist with.