RELIGION
“Search for the secret of faith”, Kabbalah allows us to discover the hidden meaning of sacred texts. Jewish mysticism mixed with Greek currents, creating a new orientation since the end of antiquity and throughout the Middle Ages. It induces communion with divinity. The ritual dictated by the Torah acquires a certain magical power.
Only religious people had the power to pronounce these divine words. The magical and ritual capacities of certain words reappear in theurgic invocations. The symbolism of the Cosmos integrated into the sanctuary is part of the esoteric field. The temple representing the Cosmos is divided into three parts which correspond to the sky, the earth and the sea. The seven branches of the candlestick refer to the seven planets, the twelve precious stones that the high priest carries represent both the zodiacal signs and the twelve tribes of Israel. Freemasonry will also draw inspiration from this symbolism for the layout and orientation of the lodge.
Jewish mysticism, stemming from ancient Greek heritage, is one of the essential constituents of Western esotericism. Kabbalists give as much credit to the hidden life of God as to his intelligible manifestation. According to Kabbalah, the Dibbuk is a spirit that possesses the living being. Based on the principle that each consonant of the alphabet corresponds to a numerical value, the Kabbalistic process (notarikon, ghérnatrie) aims to bring together words which have an identical numerical value. The sacred stone that the Hebrews called Bethel (the dwelling place of God) was considered a condenser of cosmic energy. Moving from cosmic energy to divine energy, the stone became a symbol. An ancient tradition from Judaism, Kabbalah consists of a manipulation of alphabets and Hebrew texts. His practice involves reading and interpreting books such as the Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible), the Zohar, the Zepher Raziel (Grammar of energy letters). Kabbalah is part of an approach that is both spiritual and intellectual. Practiced by initiates in search of meditations, talismanics is the most accessible magical year of Kabbalah. It nevertheless implies knowledge of the evocative systems of the evangelical hierarchies, otherwise the virtues of the pentacles would be extremely limited. The talisman is made during a ritual and is addressed to a specific person. The religion of the Kabbalists proceeds by analogy from the known to the unknown. They consider religion as a need for humanity but are not followers of idolatry. In the 9th and 10th centuries, we find astrological works written in Arabic by Jews (Raban AtTahbari, Sanad Ibn AI). Astrological magic is evident in several passages of the Talmud. The Talmud aims to establish standards of human behavior towards its creator or more broadly, within society. It is a vast account of academic sciences during which masters and disciples discussed and disagreed to decide on problems. The Talmud consists of the Mishnah and the Gemara.
The Torah recognizes and takes into account the existence of mystical tendencies. According to the Torah, the miracle is integrated into the rational perception of the world. However, the Rabbis limit the intervention of miracles. Kabbalah theorizes astrological-talmudic precepts while the Talmud has always shown itself to be somewhatnot very laconic about the process which admitted this perspective. He was content to point out the possibility of liberation from the empire of the stars. Astrology is indeed prohibited by law, but the fact remains that the temptation aroused by such a categorical course of action is omnipresent in everyone’s mind. The notion of destiny is recognized and developed by the Talmud which links the preeminence of three facts: the number of children, longevity and means of subsistence. Destiny always governs the events of life but it is subject to reversals of situations. Thus, a dying patient in order to change his fate will change his name or place of residence.
Hebrew astrology gives importance to the seven days of the week by establishing a correspondence between the specific day of the week of the native and the events which presided over that same day during creation. Thus, the natives of the first day of creation (Saturday) are either entirely good or totally bad. Hebrew astrology is essentially lunar. Witchcraft is practiced in the same way as in other ethnic groups. One of the episodes in Genesis already appears marked by witchcraft. It is about the rivalry between Leah and Rachel around the person of Jacob. The objects used to end this situation are the roots of mandrakes, known for their many virtues and whose roots strangely resemble the shape of the human body. The Hebrews made great use of teraphim, small wooden statuettes sometimes phallic in shape and believed to be endowed with prophetic words. Knowing that the Téraphîrn did not represent Yahweh (GOD), the Jews used it without fear, thus dissociating religion (Yahwism) and magical practices. The Hebrew sorcerer practiced bewitchments through imprecations and curses using lead dolls held by a thread, which slowly melted in the sacred flame of the seven-branched candlestick. These practices were officially denounced.
Furthermore, salt constitutes for the Hebrews the magical element par excellence. To protect your home and family from bad luck, it is recommended to spread salt on the doorstep. To cure a suffering person, the sorcerer transposes the illness onto an animal. Moving a curse onto an animal is common. Red magic is essentially focused on human blood, which allows you to achieve success and defy fate or the gods. The origin of the famous ban on blood among the Jews is due to the fact that blood is the support of the soul. After sacrificing human beings (the sons of King Hie!, for example, were incorporated into the wall and gates of the city during the reconstruction of Jericho), the sorcerers fell back on animal sacrifices. Menstrual blood and that of food animals are the prerogative of sorcerers. These take possession of the soul by engaging in evil operations. In Hebrew magic, the hand of glory (sometimes the foot) is made from the hand of a hanged man. Wrapped in a shroud, sprinkled with saltpeter, pepper, salt and other ingredients, the hand dries for fifteen days in the sun. It will subsequently act as a candlestick with a power of amazement and immobilization.
Yamina GUEHAM
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