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Kabbalah/Why are there different names of God in Kabbah?
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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?
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
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| Rating(1-10) | Knowledgeability = 10 | Clarity of Response = 10 | Politeness = 10 |
| Comment | Bob, you answered my question. I'm going to buy the Kaplan book you recommended. Sherrie | ||
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Robert Waxman
Expertise
Please ask any questions that are relevant to Kabbalah or Jewish mysticism. Other topics to inquire about include: science and Kabbalah, parallel universes, reincarnation, after-death states, cosmology, numerology (gematria), hidden meanings of the Bible, the eternal validity of the soul, Plato and Kabbalah, Vedanta and Kabbalah, and the meaning of life according to Kabbalah.
Experience
Author of "Kabbalah Simply Stated" published by Paragon House Publishers and distributed in 12 countries. Other books: "2012: The Meaning and The Message", "Seven Fundamental Propositions of Esoteric Philosphy" and "The Power of AWE!". Studied Kabbalah with Rabbi Azriel Abraham of Jerusalem and have been teaching since 1999.
Classes include: Kabbalah According To The Scholars, (Scholem, Kaplan, Tishby & Idel), Comparative Spirituality, Latest Research on the Near Death Experience (NDE), and The Future of Religion, Science, and Consciousness. Thousands have attended these classes over the years. Additionally, on-going classes are given all year round along with guest speaking presentations at a wide variety of religious and philosophical organizations.
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(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".
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Completion of Ph.D in 2012 from Saybrook University (Human Sciences); Master's Degree from Skidmore College with concentration in Comparative Religion; (2) B.A.'s from The American University. Additional courses in Philosophy at Columbia University and New York University.
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