Source: Marvin A. Sweeney, Jewish Mysticism: From Ancient Times through Today (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2020), 285–324.
Thispodcast delves into the Zohar, the central work of Jewish mysticism known as Kabbalah, highlighting its nature as a mystical commentary on the Torah that seeks the hidden meaning (sod) within the text. It emphasizes the Zohar's complex structure, composed of various sections and dialogues among rabbis, particularly R. Shimon bar Yohai, to explore profound concepts. Key themes discussed include the nature of God as the infinite Ein Sof and how this is manifested in the finite world through the Ten Sefirot, which are divine emanations organized into triads. The text also examines the Shekhinah, God's presence in the world, often depicted through metaphors of relationship and creation, and addresses the Sitra Ahra, or "Other Side," representing the origin and influence of evil in a monotheistic framework. Finally, it underscores the crucial roles of the Temple and the study and practice of Torah in human efforts to understand and interact with the divine presence, thereby completing and sanctifying the world
Ancient mystical texts hold a unique allure, promising access to secrets veiled from ordinary view. Among these, the Zohar stands as the foundational work of Jewish mysticism, or Kabbalah, often imagined as a monolithic book of divine secrets handed down from the dawn of time.
But what if the author of this ancient text was a medieval entrepreneur? What if its vision of God was less a king on a throne and more a dynamic, interconnected system with a dark side? And what if its holiest passages were interpreted through the lens of shockingly explicit sexuality? The reality of the Zohar is far more surprising and complex than most imagine. This article peels back the layers to explore five of the most impactful and counter-intuitive takeaways from this cornerstone of mystical thought.
Tradition venerates the Zohar as the work of the 2nd-century sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai, who supposedly composed it while hiding from Roman persecution in a cave for thirteen years. Modern scholarship, however, presents a very different picture. The overwhelming consensus is that the text was authored by Moses ben Shemtov de León, a kabbalist living in the fertile mystical landscape of 13th-century Castile. The evidence is compelling and multifaceted: