Cd. Juárez, Chih, Mexico; December 15, 2006 - Kislev 24, 5767
Is Kabbalah kosher (clean) for a believer in Yeshua?
If you want to know about our adventures of Dona Caro and I, you can see the additional bulletins. Now I will create the conclusion of my two bulletins. a) Are you mystic or spiritual? and, b) Historical Kabbalah. It had passed 6 months since my last bulletin. For different reasons I had been unable to write, but I had a very big spiritual warfare.
Messianic Judaism is not clear about its position about Kabbalah. I will tell some of the experiences and later I will express some of my conclusions. I want to remind you this portion of the Scripture:
1 Co 2:15 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1Co 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
My story starts in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico; back in 1998. On the messianic congregation I attended. The mother of the leader told me I was under 40 years old, to young to study Kabbalah. Later on I heard comments about an ex-member of the congregation who lost his sanity because of this "knowledge" on Kabbalah.
My next exposure to the Kabbalist world was in a summer course given in Columbus, Ohio, USA. It was promoted by the UMJC (Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations) On the course titled "Messianic Jewish Theology", the teacher defined theology as "the human perception and interpretation of God." He explained how the Hassidic theology is based heavily in Kabbalism.
On that discussion he compared Yeshua (Jesuschrist) as Metatron. It is interesting that Kabbalist called the Angel of the Lord or of the Presence, Metatron. But this teacher gave another additional step. He suggested that Jewish Kabbalistic theology was healthy. Two nights after classes, discussions were held if Kabbalah was a "sound/ healthy theology."
When I settled at the border of El Paso, TX- Cd. Juáez, Chih, Mx; I began attending a messianic sinagogue part of the UMJC by 4 years. The Jewish leader never promoted or mentioned Kabbalistic teachings. He only criticized the messianic Jewish groups that were teaching Kabbalah. His comment was "it is bad!"
Because I like to visit different groups, by 2000 I visited one of those. In El Paso, the chazzan (cantor) shared stories about Kabbalah. He seemed immersed in a more "profound" spirituality. The leader of that congregation mentioned that the old Sages of Judaism were connected to Kabbalah. He even put Kabbalah as the great Sephardic Jewish heritage. In some of the Bible studies I heard about the 10 sephirot (emanations of God), besides numerology.
For various circumstances, the only active messianic congregation nowadays is this one. The members of former congregations are now part of it. This congregation has suffered changes, the chazzan is not longer there. The leader (rabbi) wants to focus everything on Yeshua, but from time to time I see some Kabbalistic teachings. By this year (2006) he told the congregation that we were moving in the Sod- secret (one of the sephirot levels). I asked his personal position, but he only told me vague definitions.
On the year 2000 this congregation, opened a daughter synagogue on Cd. Juárez. I met several persons. But I never imagined I was again in the world of Kabbalah. The leader each Saturday shared with the congregation his new "findings" in Kabbalah books. At the early stage the congregation never discussed the teachings. They did not know how to read Hebrew. The leader began to mock me. He showed me his Kabbalah books and said "Kabbalah, are you afraid?"
A friend of mine who was attending there tells the leader he does not understand and he doesn't accept this kind of teaching for Saturdays. The translator of the leader has read several books of the subject. But he is not even 40 years old. His life does not show spiritual power. One lady who is an intercessor in prayer, has conformed her calling to the Kabbalistic theology. She believes that she is more "tuned in" with God. She has read some books, but gradually her vision of a personal God has become pantheistic.
By 2001 I had the blessing to meet Dr. Moshe Nangle. In one of the Bible studies, he shared how he setup a Kabbalist Center in Florida, USA. He shows the pantheistic thinking in Kabbalah. He underlined the fact that for the Kabbalists, they want to receive/ search for supernatural powers by doing good deeds (mitzvot) on this World. He told openly he was to teaching in the chazzan I mentioned, because this man pressured him to share his knowledge of Kabbalah. The only problem was that Mr. Nangle throw away this knowledge, when he became a follower of Yeshua the Messiah. He was trained in the Sephardic tradition on South Africa.
But the great event on Kabbalah on my life, was back on TuB'Shevat this year. (Feb-10-2006)
In the house of a messianic Jew in El Paso, Tx, we had this "seder". My mother and me were there. The host copied a book from the Internet called "TuB'Shevat Seder" written by Hassidic Jews. He added some quotes from Yeshua and some verses of the New Testament to make it acceptable for Messianics.
I need to quote a part of this interesting "seder":
-"Why is one held accountable of not eating a new fruit when presented with the opportunity? Because each life form, even fruit is entrusted to a specific angel. By saying a blessing over a fruit, WE EMPOWER THAT ANGEL TO REPRODUCE MORE OF THAT FRUIT. One who refrains from partaking of a fruit deprives the world of the spiritual influence that the blessing would have provided."
The person who led this "seder" wore black clothing. Some of the guests had not idea what was happening. There was disorder, and the host shout: "Friends, this is a serious thing, if you do it improperly, you can bring disaster on your life!"
On that reunion was a mason on the 32th grade. He shared that this liturgy is taught at the Mason lodge when you arrived into the 18th grade. A friend send me a small note by e-mail "after that reunion, my soul is very troubled, I need to hear from the Lord." Do you believe its our Father's will to live out this "trouble" (confusion)?
By Yom Kippur this year, on the congregation I received a study about the tallit and the tziziot. I was surprised to read this paragraph:
For the purpose of unifying the Holy One, blessed be He and His presence- with a mixture of fear and love, for the purpose of unifying the YH of God's name (masculine) with the VH of God's Name (feminine) in one complete unity, in the name of all of Israel, I wrap myself in this tallit with tzitzit. So should my soul and my 248 limbs and 365 veins be wrapped in the light of the tzitzit which is 613. And just as I am covered by a tallit in this world so should I be worthy of a dignified cloak and beautiful tallit in the world to come- in the Garden of Eden. And through the fulfillment of this command may my soul, spirit, holy spark and prayer be saved from obstruction... Does the God of Israel need our use of Tallit to unite his masculine and feminine parts?
Ending the feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), I had a discussion with one of the elders of he congregation. He was showing his Kabbalah book from a Theosophical Printing Press. He was defensive. He told me I was arguing with my head knowledge. On that moment a Jewish friend arrived. He told this elder that he studied Kabbalah, but when he was praying a thought passed by his mind, as if God said... "if you go deeper in Kabbalah, you will leaving more and more your relationship with Yeshua." This comment upset the elder.
The main problem is that you can pick only what you like of Kabbalah. I will show you some gross teachings...
* Rabbi Yisrael Yaakov Ifergan (37 years old) is one of the most idolized Kabbalah teacher in Israel. His nickname is "X-Ray Man". One night he throws boxes of candles to the fire and proclaims. "This is the work of the rabbi. The heavens are open now. The great Sages are accepting our prayers." Men in wheelchairs prayed for healing, single women for marriages, married ones for children, men to be able to get out of debt. This reunion is called "Tikkun Hazot"- revival meeting- this is a principal Kabbalah even in Israel.
* Rabbi David Batzri- Well know in Israel as great Kabbalah Teacher. He was invited at the beginning of this year by Omri and Gilad Sharon, sons of Ariel Sharon for the recovery of their father. He used a prayed recited by Moses on Miriam's deathbeath (?). He proclaimed a curse over Israelis gays (homosexuals), declaring that their destiny was to reincarnate as rabbits.
* On the Nahar Shalom Yeshiva prayers are made to rectify the wrong of the nocturnal emissions of semen on men. Demons are generated by these emissions. There are other prayers for sexual transgressions as having intercourse with a married woman, homosexual sex and relations with gentile women.
* Pulsa Dinura. Liturgy performed by 20 Jewish men, purified according to the Law. This is performed at night time in a cemetery. The petition of cursing and the God destroyed a sinner, usually an enemy. You asked the angel of destruction to annihilate the enemy. I don't need to add further details...
As believer in Yeshua, do you want to invest your life on this? Can you perceive the dangers? Do you need to know witchcraft with "Jewish" flavor?
Amos 5:25 Have ye offered5066 unto me sacrifices2077 and offerings4503 in the wilderness4057 forty705 years,8141 O house1004 of Israel?3478
Amos 5:26 But ye have borne5375 (853) the tabernacle5522 of your Moloch4432 and Chiun3594 your images,6754 the star3556 of your god,430 which834 ye made6213 to yourselves.
The darkness of Egypt, Babylon and Rome can be felt in Modern Judaism by Kabbalah.
I want to remind you Revelation 2:24. .. We do not need to know the deepest things of Satan, or trying to proof God's presence by the dark side.
Now that we are entering in Hannukah... that the Light of Messiah shines on every aspect of your life. Shalom, Sameach Simcha and Blessing for this new year 2007!
Carlos O. Pérez Hurtado
Cperez91@fmh-child.org