User blog:Anaverageguy123/Kabbalah revision

Kabbalah is sometimes defined as the "mystical" tradition of Judaism, this is somewhat misleading as the Kabbalah is only one of several forms of Jewish mysticism, and the Kabbalah itself is not fully mystical. Granted there are branches of the Kabbalah, notably "ecstatic" Kabbalah, that stress mystical experience, most Kabbalistic schools, however, place a much greater emphasis upon myth, magic, and theosophy. Of particular interest will be Kabbalistic theosophy which consist of a mythical and conceptual account of the inner workings of the Infinite Godhead and its relationship to the world, in particular humanity. The reader should note that the "Kabbalah" is not the same as the Qabbalah (the former which is used to refer to the Jewish tradition, the latter which refers to the Occultist interpretation of said tradition, it is this interpretation of the "Jewish Kabbalah" that is expoused in Toaru Majutsu no Index).

The major ideas of the Kabbalistic worldview, in logical ordering, include:


 * 1) Ein Sof (The Infinite Godhead/Absolute).
 * 2)  Tzimtzum (Referring to the concealment, or contraction, that the Infinite God undergoes in order to produce the finite world).
 * 3) Sephiroth (The ten archetypal values that serve as the elements of creation and the human psyche).
 * 4) Olamot (The worlds of Kabbalah which represent a progressive concealment of divine light).
 * 5) Shevirah ha-Kelim (Breaking of the vessels that refer to the destruction and displacement of the sephiroth).
 * 6) Netzotzim (The divine "sparks" that become trapped in the "shards" of the shattered sephiroth).
 * 7) Qliphoth (The "husk" which trap the divine sparks and are responsible for a predominantly evil world, they comprise the Sitra Achra or the "Other Side").
 * 8) Tikkun ha-Olam (Restoration of the world via the liberation of the trapped sparks by humanity).

In Toaru Majutsu no Index, it is used as background to explain the situations and concepts that are related to the Abrahamic religions and their God.

The Infinite God
Ein Sof is a term and concept that originates from the early Kabbalist within Spain and Provence, it is used as a technical term to refer to the infinite and unknowable Godhead. A number of negative terms to make reference to the hidden God such as the "the concealment of secrecy," "the concealed light," "that which thought cannot contain," etc. All of which are meant to indicate that Ein Sof stands beyond human comprehension and description, as the Kabbalist often put it "He has no name of His own".

Further, the Kabbalist (specifically Rabbi Azriel of Gerona in the early 13th century) held that it was Ein Sof's very infinitude that renders it unknowable: "Ein-Sof cannot be an object of thought, let alone of speech, even though there is an indication of it in everything, for there is nothing beyond it. Consequently, there is no letter, no name, no writing, and no word that can comprise it". Hence, it is precisely because Ein Sof is "without end" that there is no outside view from which he can be seen as an object.

It should also be noted by the reader that the Kabbalist held that the God of the Bible and Ein Sof are different, the former being universally agreed to be at least one step removed from the latter, therefore Ein Sof can be conceived of as a sort of "God beyond God", an impersonal "that" as opposed to a personal "thou". Kabbalists also believed that one cannot speak about the Absolute in the way one speaks about particular things and their relations to other finite entities. This is because, while the Absolute may be referred to, it cannot be described because to do so would be to contrast it with finite things and thereby rob it of its infinite character.

In relation to the story
The 3rd volume of Toaru Majutsu no Index, Index compares the goals of Academy City, which is to achieve SYSTEM, or One who is not a god yet reaches the will of the Heavens, to the teachings of the Qabbalah, specifically she referred to Ein Sof Ohr, Ein Sof, Ein. The series explains the terms as follows:


 * Ein is translated as null, void, or nothingness, and corresponds to 0.
 * Ein Sof is translated as infinity, and corresponds to 00, and is the emanator of 10 Sephirot.
 * Ein Sof Ohr is translated as infinite light, and corresponds to 000.
 * Ein caused Ein Sof, and Ein Sof begot Ein Sof Ohr.

The reader is reminded that the Qabbalah explained and expanded upon within Toaru Majutsu no Index is strictly different from the Kabbalah that will be covered in this blog. Therefore, if the reader wishes to study more about the particular Qabbalah as described in the series, they are encouraged to visit this page.

Tzimtzum
The doctrine of Tzimtzum refer to the concealment and contraction of the light of the Infinite Absolute (Ohr Ein Sof) in order to produce the diverse values, ideas, and entities in the finite creation. Indeed, for the Kabbalist the first act of creation is not a positive act, but a negative and restrictive one. Because the Ohr Ein Sof originally filled the cosmos there was (metaphorically speaking) no room for anything else to exist. Therefore, in order to "make room", as it were, for a finite existence Ein Sof contracts and restricts its light leaving a metaphysical void (known as Tehiru) which is surrounded equally on all sides by the Ohr Ein Sof. It is within this void that creation will take shape. Clarity can be gained regarding this process by using the analogy of a photographic slide, which selectively filters and conceals parts of the projector's pure white light in order to reveal the details of the film being projected. Similarly, Ein Sof can be said to produce and reveal the structures of the finite world by selectively concealing its own infinite and nondual luminescence. And through this Tzimtzum, the Ohr Ein Sof is able to give rise to the ten Sephiroth which serve as the template for both man and the cosmos.

Before proceeding, it should be pointed out that there is considerable disagreement between Lurianic Kabbalist and their Chasidic counterparts on whether Tzimtzum is to be interpreted literally or not, and whether the contraction and concealment only applies to the light of the Infinite God or to both the light and the Deity itself. For the sake of simplicity, I have only elaborated upon the interpretation which holds that Tzimtzum is literal and refers to the contraction of the Ohr Ein Sof while the essence of the divine (Ein Sof) remains unchanged.

Sephiroth
A common definition of the Sephiroth is that they are emanations or vessels which serve to constrict the Ohr Ein Sof through which Ein Sof reveals itself to the world. They are this too, but the Kabbalist also held that the ten Sephiroth are archetypal values that serve as the building blocks and source of all meaning in the world. Together the Sephiroth (of which there are ten in number) and the twenty-two paths (each of which is represented by a Hebrew alphabet) make up the "Tree of Life" which serves as the template for both creation as a whole and the human psyche. According to the Kabbalist, this is the "image" of God in which man was made in. The Ten Sephiroth are:


 * 1) Kether Elyon (Supreme Crown) or Ratzon (Will) As the highest Sephiroth, Kether Elyon is qualitatively different from the other Sephiroth in that nothing can be predicated of it at all. As such, unlike the other Sephiroth, no linguistic sign is used to represent Kether, rather it is equated with the thorn or point of the letter "yud" in the name of God. Kether is also frequently referred to as the "will of all wills" or the "will of God", as such it is viewed as the limitless potential and first manifestation of Ein Sof as desire.
 * 2) Chokmah (Wisdom) This Sephiroth is seen by the Kabbalist as being the first creative act of the Infinite Godhead, as such Chokmah is often referred to as reishit (beginning). The will of God, Kether Elyon, is first channeled through Chokmah; hence Chokmah can be thought of as the intellectual superstructure that builds upon desire. Above all, Chokmah expresses the idea that the entire world can be derived from one simple idea.
 * 3) Binah (Understanding) Binah is the third and final "intellectual Sephirah" completing what is known to the Kabbalist as the "Supernal Triad" (although sometimes Da'at is included and Kether omitted, in that case Binah would be the second of the intellectual triad). Binah is understood as an expansion of of the concealed thought within Chokmah. It is seen as "spelling out", as it were, all the possible details and implications found in the primordial thought of Chokmah. As such, Binah is often equated with the process of reasoning.
 * 4) Da'at (Knowledge) Alternative schemes of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life exclude Kether in favour of Da'at. Da'at appears in-between Chokmah and Binah, not as a separate Sephiroth, but as a sort of "external aspect" of Kether. This Sephirah is viewed as being a union and mediation between Chokmah and Binah (a recurring theme we will see throughout the Sephirothic Tree).
 * 5) Chesed (Lovingkindness)
 * 6) Gevurah (Judgement)
 * 7) Tiferet (Beauty)
 * 8) Netzach (Endurance)
 * 9) Hod (Splendor)
 * 10) Yesod Olam (Foundation of the world)
 * 11) Malkuth (Kingdom)