Chapter 8 A Grave Warning

Various people and movements were misled by the physical images in kabbala, most particularly the Sabbateans and Frankists in 18^th century. It is easy to get misled by the metaphors and forget that what is being spoken about in all these images is the One Above. And this is how certain people developed a very grotesque and twisted view of the spiritual realms and the Infinite One Blessed Be He.

Furthermore, when one opens up a siddur with kabbalistic intentions, it's possible to approach it as some kind of engineering manual. Each page discusses along with each blessing or prayer, the scheme of certain names or sefirot being elevated to such and such a place. So that one could think that they are connecting a red wire to a green wire, in some complex machine. And this obviously not the case, since what is being discussed are aspects of G-dliness; the names are names of G-d Himself.

This is also an issue especially in the more poetic descriptions of G-d found in the Torah and the prayer liturgy, that sometimes incorporate the most material imagery in some texts include actual pictures of these images. For instance, the Divine Presence or Shechina is described as a woman with feminine features, and in certain Torah literature these features are described in great detail. Nevertheless, the Divine Presence is also just another name for G-d.

These "faces" of G-d, the wires and cables that lead from infinitude to our finite reality are not Him. He dwells in them and we must recognize His presence there in order to bridge the gap between our physical mortal existence and Him.