AboutBob Waxman, M.A. Expertise Please ask any question relating to the universal aspects of Kabbalah or comparisons between unitive consciousness and the ancient wisdom of Kabbalah. Also, you are welcome to ask questions concerning Comparative Mysticism and Inter-Spirituality. Other areas of special interest are: cosmology, numerology (gematria), hidden meanings of the Bible, what happens after death, the purpose of life, the eternal validity of the soul, the importance of the inner voice, and parallels with modern science.
Experience Author of "Kabbalah Simply Stated" published by Paragon House. The book is distributed in 12 countries. Author of "The Seven Fundamental Propositions of Kabbalah" and "The Power of AWE!". Studied Kabbalah with Rabbi Azriel Abraham of Jerusalem from 1985 -1998, and have been teaching since 1999. Classes include: Kabbalah According To The Scholars, (Scholem, Kaplan & Tisby), Comparative Kabbalah, and Universal Kabbalah. Thousands have attended these classes over the years. Additionally, (4) on-going classes in Sarasota, FL, and many private students by phone. Guest speaking presentations are given throughout the year. Please see current biography at: http://www.bobwaxman.com
Organizations President of The Open Center.
Publications (3) Books, many original articles that can be found on the internet (ezine, netterweb, searchwarp, etc.) "Beyond Madonna - Kabbalah according to the Great Scholars" and "Beyond The Da Vinci Code", see: http://www.robertwaxman.org for more articles.
Education/Credentials Two B.A.'s from The American University in Philosophy and Psychology; M.A. from Skidmore College in Comparative Religion; currently working on Ph.D in Human Sciences at Saybrook Graduate College. Also, graduated from The School of Practical Philosophy in NYC, and certified by The American Seminar Leader's Association. Host of the Kabbalah WebRing on the internet.
Awards and Honors Many certificates of appreciation from various organizations.
Past/Present Clients Longboat Key Education Center, The Open Center, Unity of Sarasota, Center For Positive Living, (5) Jewish Community Centers in South Florida, many synogogues, churches, interfaith groups and religious/philosophical organizations.
Question I saw a chart of Kabbalah and saw many different names of God on it. If there is only one God why are there so many names for him?
Answer Hi Sherrie,
Thank you for your question.
I can understand your confusion about the ten emanations of The Godhead which correspond to each Sefirah on The Tree of Life (Etz Chaiim).
Please understand that there is only ONE "God-Source" in Kabbalah. It is called Ain-Soph (Eyn-Sof), and it defined as the 'No-Thing Without End'. IT is symbolized as being infinite, eternal, omniscient, and incomprehensible. So, since we cannot comprehend IT, there's not much we can say about IT - other than IT is the Ultimate Mystery.
However, from this 'One Divine Source' a process of descending emanation takes place known as "tzim-tzum" - or a process of a contraction of primordial light. This devolutionary process forms ten symbols, known as Sefirot, on The Tree of Life. In the ancient text, Sepher Yetzirah, these ten levels of consciousness, are defined as attributes that symbolize the various aspects of The Godhead.
According to world-renowned scholar Aryeh Kaplan, these ten emanations have English translations that you can find in The Hebrew Bible. Here are a few examples:
*YH - "the Eternal [God]"
YH YHVH - "Yah, The Lord"
YHVH - "The Lord of Hosts"
Elohim - "God of Israel"
Elohim Chaim - "The Living God"
El Shaddai (El Chai) - Almighty God"
Adonai - "King of The Universe"
*Kaplan, A. (1997). Sepher Yetzirah. Maine: Samuel Weiser, Inc., pp. 16-17.
Sherrie, you've asked an excellent question. To learn more about this subject, please read the book cited above. Again, I must stress that these ten "Holy" emanations are not actual 'gods' - they are symbols of the divine (deific) attributes of 'The One Ultimate Reality'.
Another excellent book on this subject is "Kabbalah" by Gershom Scholem (a leading scholar of Kabbalah who taught at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem for many years).
I wish you all the best, and if I can be of further assistance, please send a follow-up question....Bob Waxman
