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Thank you Albert
I was born and raised Jewish and learned from traditional books. I still attend services from time to time at Chabad and learned Tanya for a few years. I am not religious. I have looked for answers in many places such as Buddhism, Hinduism, New Age teachers such as Eckhart Tolle, etc. etc. but always come back to the same place of feeling like there is no point to life and what is my purpose. I do not mean this in the depressed way as I love life but sometimes it does feel pointless. I recently considered learning Chumash again from the lens of trying to discover the hidden meanings behind what seems to be a historical account with a pretty harsh G-d. I approached Kabbalah on multiple occasions but never committed. This time I am committed but am wondering if it would increase my understanding if I learned both Chumash and Kabbalah at the same time? I am tiered of not knowing and being lost. I want direction and purpose.
Greetings
My Question – Torah = 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments = 613. In addition there are 7 additional Rabbinical commandments (sages of the Talmud) that we learn of later (Megilat Ester, Saying Hallel: Psalms 113-118 on special occasions, blessings such as when eating food, washing hands before eating bread, eruv on Shabbat, Chanukah, Shabbat candles). Keter = 620. How is this related to Kabbalah?
I read the comments and answers by senior Kabbalists and the below (italicized)was an answer given to another student. I guess what I am asking is to better understand the connection between Torah, Mishna, Gmara, Talmud and Kabbalah or are they all part of Kabbalah just from different perspectives?
“Essentially, we’re always talking about a desire. Our current reality is based on our current nature, the desire to receive. Spirituality on the other hand operates according to a different desire, that of pure bestowal. The different numbers are just a different way to divide up that spiritual desire. This desire can be divided into 613 parts, or 620 parts, or 600,000 pieces, or 125 degrees, or even 10 sefirot.
It’s just like how we can study a person based on his behavior, or based on his anatomy, or based on his external appearance, or his internal chemistry. Ultimately, we’re studying the same person, but from different angles. Same with these different divisions, they are all talking about the same spiritual desire but from different angles or a different scale.
So if we are describing the desire as 620 parts, then we’re talking about the number of corrections that need to be placed over the desire. This number is further divided into 248 desires of bestowing in order to bestow, 365 desires that operate on receiving in order to bestow, and 7 additional desires that are corrected only in the final correction. We’ll learn about this in detail in the more advanced lessons on KabU that deal with the structure of the upper worlds.”
I would like to learn the blueprint for ascension. I would like to learn to see the connections between myself and all other forms of like: Still, Vegetative, Animate, Human so that it is easier to honor differences and to release judgement. I want to feel the connection. I want to earn my soul.
I am Janae Ben-Shabat. I live in Phoenix Arizona. I spent a few years learning Tanya and now am glad to have the opportunity to learn Kabbalah and about the Emergent Universe.
