Several Sephiroth

Zephyros

Got me, I don't know anything about this stuff either. And I don't know any Rabbis.
 

Aeon418

The particular accident happened when the light began to fill the fifth sephira of geburah (strength);

Hmm.... I wonder where the authors of the Lurianic Kabbalah articles on Wikipedia got their information from then? They all seem to indicate it was Da'ath. :confused:
 

Zephyros

They're obviously under the thrall of the Qlippoth.
 

Aeon418

Sounds like it's Geburah's nature to break, it's chief power is disruption.

I remembered reading a different view of Geburah in Aryeh Kaplan's commentary on the Bahir. After a lot of page turning I've found it. I think Kaplan is quoting from an older source here.

Aryeh Kaplan said:
The concept of Chesed-Love is that of freely giving, while that of Gevurah-Strength is that of restraint. When it is said that Strength is restraint, it is the sense of the teaching "Who is strong, he who restrains his urge" (Avot 4:1). It is obvious that man can restrain his nature, but if man can do so, then God certainly can. God's nature, however, is only to do good, and therefore, when He restrains His nature, the result is evil. The Sefirah of Gevurah-Strength is therefore seen as the source of Evil.

There may be no connection, but it's food for thought when you consider that Luria or one of his followers stated (somewhere?) that Geburah existed in the Ain Soph before the appearance of Kether. It is the notion that a God who is 'all good' restrians his nature in an act of Tzimtzum and creates a void in his own substance thereby creating a place for Evil.

I guess this is the sort of mental hoop jumping they had to go through back then to maintain the notion of an all good God.
 

ravenest

I was interested in that take on it as in my astropsychological Tree the normal ToL just couldnt work due to the position of Mars 'up there' it just seemed wrong and the psychological mapping would not fit.

As soon as Mars 'fell' down the Tree to take the lowest left hand pillar, and billiard shot the others around ( ;) ) it all works out nicely.

I was thinking it was because Mars fulfills a different function in 'manifestation' than it does in psychology. In my model, the energy flows through a balance of Saturn / Jupiter and then into Sun, Mars polarises Venus, not through the Sun but via Mercury.


[ Gosh maybe G'D got it wrong .... maybe ravenest should have a word with him ? No, I wont make that joke with a Rabbi :laugh: ]
 

ravenest

I remembered reading a different view of Geburah in Aryeh Kaplan's commentary on the Bahir. After a lot of page turning I've found it. I think Kaplan is quoting from an older source here.



There may be no connection, but it's food for thought when you consider that Luria or one of his followers stated (somewhere?) that Geburah existed in the Ain Soph before the appearance of Kether. It is the notion that a God who is 'all good' restrians his nature in an act of Tzimtzum and creates a void in his own substance thereby creating a place for Evil.

I guess this is the sort of mental hoop jumping they had to go through back then to maintain the notion of an all good God.

Thats helpful.

Not surprised JHVH has Geburah as a companion before the creation of the Tree, I always have placed the 'socio/political' manifestation of that deity as in the Abyss between Geburah and Binah - he seemed very jealous and war like ;)
 

Aeon418

Not surprised JHVH has Geburah as a companion before the creation of the Tree, I always have placed the 'socio/political' manifestation of that deity as in the Abyss between Geburah and Binah - he seemed very jealous and war like ;)

It makes you wonder who ordered all the killing and raping when he has to restrain himself for evil to exist. But then this same restraint is meant to be how he disicplines Israel in the bible.

2 Kings 17:17-18 Israel Exiled because of Idolatry:

Then they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and practiced divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him. So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight.
 

ravenest

I heard a Jew say this ... a learned Jew ; the problem in the past with monotheism is, one cant do what the polytheists do - go to war thinking my God is stronger than yours. If they loose they go "Oh, their God was stronger after all." The post war dynamics play out, usually with an incorporation of the stronger God into the weaker, but due to other dynamics the weaker into the stronger as well. ... A bit like sport ... oh well, we lost - thats how it goes sometimes.

But with only one God, there is no other God to fight or win over or loose to. What if, when fighting for or under God's orders you loose? It must be you that have done something wrong and God is punishing you - therefore failures create a feeling of guilt and expected divine punishments. God becomes cruel and punishes his own people because they must have somehow, knowingly or not offended or disobeyed him ... otherwise there was no reason to loose a 'divinely ordained' battle.

God damn bloody annoying Egyptians ... they SHOULD have been able to kick their arse :mad: ... one day ... one day. ...

http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Egypt/
 

Zephyros

It must also be mentioned, however, that the "wrath" of God mentioned isn't anything like the human version. In many passages we learn that God isn't separate and removed from the world, he is the world. Just like in Genesis and the punishments visited upon Adam for his sin, many of the punishments described in the Bible aren't merely retribution for wrongdoing but natural outcomes of supposed sins. If you stick your hand in the fire you get burned, and if you worship idols you are removed from the protection of God, his "sight." You're removed from the Covenant. In all dealings with God, keep in mind that the Children of Israel agreed to the terms of their own free will, and although it might seem coerced, they did have a choice. The punishments are, then, simple outcomes of breaches of contract.

I don't think the "evil" Luria speaks of is necessarily the evil of sin, but rather imbalanced creation, a lust to act that is too overpowering, power without discipline. This goes back to Eden again, with Adam and Eve becoming "as Gods," with the vision and aspirations of gods, but none of the power and discipline. This is why, for example, childbirth is painful, because although the ambition is there, humanity's creative engine is just too weak. Now, not that I'm proving a point by quoting myself, but I have writted in the past passages about Cain, the "evil inclination" and the significance of the forbidden fruit which I think has some relevance.

To be honest, I've seen many people say that the God of the Old Testament is cruel and wrathful, but I disagree. I just think life is crap, and that fact seems to surprise people who expect Jesus-style fairness, when that's even more absurd.
 

Aeon418

You're removed from the Covenant. In all dealings with God, keep in mind that the Children of Israel agreed to the terms of their own free will, and although it might seem coerced, they did have a choice. The punishments are, then, simple outcomes of breaches of contract.

And what of those who are not bound by contract? The non-Israelites that frequently appear throughout the bible that are either used as tools of Yahweh's vengeance or are slaughtered like cattle for the delight of Yahweh.