Zohar

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The Zohar - title page of the first printing in 1558

The Zohar , often also Zohar , in Hebrew זֹהַר, is considered to be the most important written work of Kabbalah . The name means "(shining) shine" and goes back to biblical texts with the prophets Ezekiel (Ez 1,28; 8,2) and Daniel (Dan 2,31; 12,3).

The work of Jewish mysticism , written in artificially ancient Aramaic - probably to prove the age of the script -, to a small extent in Hebrew , contains above all comments on texts of the Torah in the form of scriptural exegeses , homiletic meditations, narratives and dialogues, but also to mythical cosmogony and mystical psychology . This includes discussions about the nature of God, the origin and structure of the universe, the nature of the soul, salvation, the relationship between the ego and the dark, about the "true self" to the "light of God" and between "universal energy" and the individual .

In its exegetical character, the Zohar can also be classified as an esoteric variant of the rabbinical midrash . It is therefore also considered the midrash of Shimon bar Jochai .

Emergence

The Zohar is a collection of texts in mostly five volumes. Shimon ben Jochai is named as the author , an important Tannait of the second century, who is also the most important person involved and who is said to have been commissioned by the prophet Elijah to write the Zohar. Shimon ben Jochai is historically considered to be the "father of Kabbalah", but his actual authorship for the Zohar is questionable, mainly for linguistic reasons, so that the script has to be assumed to be pseudepigraphic .

The Zohar first appeared in Spain towards the end of the 13th century (published in “partial deliveries” between 1280 and 1286). The Kabbalist Moshe ben Shemtow de León , who lived in Castile until 1305 , most recently in Ávila , rendered outstanding services to its publication and distribution . Based on literary, linguistic and source theoretical observations, de León was historically ascribed the authorship of the Zohar. According to the diary of the Kabbalist Isaak ben Samuel from Akko , the widow of Moshe de León is said to have admitted that the Zohar was written by her husband; Isaac from Akko did not speak to the widow himself, however, but told the story from a third hand.

content

In his own words, the Zohar aims to help Yisrael through and out of exile.

The Zohar tries to grasp the essence of God and to convey this to man. Since God is hidden, this can only be done in a highly speculative and contemplative , not in a descriptive or instructive form. The focus is always on the interpretation of the Torah as an essential religious foundation. The Zohar recognizes four levels of understanding for biblical exegesis , from the directly literal to the mystical:

  1. the literal text (literal sense, Hebrew pschat )
  2. the transferred meaning (allegory, Hebrew remez )
  3. the meaning in life (interpretation, information, Hebrew drasch )
  4. the mystical meaning (mystery, Hebrew sod )

The first letters of these four Hebrew words form the term PaRDeS ('Obstgarten', related to the German word Paradies ), which indicates the meaning of the study of scriptures as a walk through a blooming garden. This walk is also interpreted as a spiritual walk through the various halls of the Jewish temple .

The Zohar takes up the Kabbalistic ideas of the ten Sefirot as spheres of the manifestation of God. The infinite (Hebrew En Sof ) is recognized as the final expression of divine being . From the En Sof, being has fanned out into the many appearances of the world as if from a single point.

In ethics , the Zohar represents active love for God as the highest value (Heb.דְבֵקוּת Debekut ), which is also expressed in the social focus on fellow human beings. In addition, the Zohar represents a strong ideal of poverty. The righteous person (Hebrew Tzaddik ) is both a Torah scholar and seeker of God, as well as the benefactor who radically puts his own needs behind caring for his neighbor.

According to Johann Maier , the Zohar is , compared to the "comparatively clearly formulated and almost didactically structured main work" of Josef Gikatilla's Scha'are Orah , less well-organized and far more difficult in terms of language and content, but is still one of the texts that "Are written in a comparatively understandable way and remain understandable even in translation, which is otherwise by no means a matter of course for cabalistic literature". According to Bernhard J. Bamberger, the Zohar is “the work of a genius, but it is difficult to characterize. Its content ranges from the sublime to the grotesque, from the deep to the simple-minded and simply incomprehensible. It contains brilliantly original interpretations of scripture, wonderful formulations and parables as well as fantastic myths. In one form or another he deals with all problems and interests of Kabbalah. "

meaning

Soon after its creation, the Zohar gained exceptional importance, first among Kabbalists, then also in Judaism in general, although the other Kabbalistic writings were “pushed into the background” and some were lost. Its distribution increased particularly after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain (1492). Especially for the Hasidic tradition in Eastern European Judaism , the Zohar achieved an almost canonical reputation.

The Zohar has also generated some resonance among Christian scholars, especially in modern times through the Latin translation in the second part of Christian Knorr of Rosenroth's Kabbala denudata . The speculative power of his language has even led them to draw thematic connections to Christian doctrine, including similarities in the essence of the Triune God. On the other hand, the Zohar also becomes an element of esoteric Christianity in southern Europe in the 12th century. integrated, so that a clear assessment of causes and effects is difficult. Fundamentally, the strongest and most fruitful connections between religions can be seen in mystical traditions.

The modern translations (as of 1995) do not cover the entirety of the Zohar and “leave a lot to be desired”. According to Maier, it is best with English transmissions, “while the French from de Pauly is hardly usable”. Jean de Pauly's falsified Zohar translation and the errors resulting from it in Arthur Edward Waite's The Secret Doctrine in Israel had also criticized Gershom Scholem .

construction

The five volumes of the Zohar consist of the following parts:

  • Zohar (main part, commentary on the Torah according to the sections of the synagogue weekly readings )
  • Sifra di-Tzeniutha ('Book of Concealment ', a dark commentary on the first 6 chapters of Genesis )
  • Idra Rabba ('Great Assembly', ecstatic lectures by Shimon ben Jochai and his disciples on topics of creation)
  • Idra Sutta ('Small Assembly', story of the death of Shimon ben Jochais and his legacy speech)
  • Hechalot ('halls', description of the halls of the temple through which the souls of the pious walk)
  • Rasa de-Rasin ('The Secret of Secrets', Treatise on the Connection of Soul and Body)
  • Saba ('the old man', knowledge of an aged Kabbalist about the soul and the transmigration of souls)
  • Jenuka ('The Child', knowledge of a child prodigy about the Torah)
  • Rab Methibtha ('The head of the school', visionary walk through paradise with reflections on the fate of souls)
  • Sitre Tora ('secrets of the Torah', interpretations of different sections of the Torah)
  • Matnitin (interpretations of the Torah in the style of the Mishnah ).
  • Zohar to the Song of Songs
  • Kaw ha-Midda ('The Measure of Measure', interpretations on Shma Yisrael , one of the main prayers of Judaism)
  • Sitre Otiot ('secrets of the signs', interpretations of the letters of the name of God and the text of the creation story)
  • Midrash ha-ne'elam on the Torah (mystical commentary on the Torah)
  • Midrash ha-ne'elam on the book of Ruth
  • Ra'ja Mehemna ('The Faithful Shepherd', Interpretation of the Commandments and Prohibitions of the Torah)
  • Tikkune Zohar ('Completion of the Zohar', another commentary on the first six chapters of the Torah)

"Messianic Epic" enclosed by the main part

Scholars like Gershom Scholem and Isaiah Tishby had found no messianic subject matter in the Zohar, unlike in the Lurian Kabbalah . Yehuda Liebes, on the other hand, believed that he could recognize messianic events in the Idrot . Until then, it was common to see the narrative framework with reports on the meetings of ten mystics and their exchange of the secret teachings of Kabbalah as a means of combining the homiletic midrashim and individual traditions. Liebes stated, however, that the speeches woven into the Idra Rabba and Idra Sutta were no more important than the narrative itself. New research, such as that of Ronit Meros, suggests that the emergence of the total Zohar extended from 1370 to 1410 and the work of generations of literary teachers and students was reflected in five distinguishable “layers”. The last of these, the “epic layer”, finally subjected the entire editorial team of the Zohar, just like the other literary genres, to the complete form of a midrash, thereby removing all of their original dynamics and structure. According to Meros, the path to understanding therefore leads through a separation of layers and consideration in detail. Such a layer can be formed by fishing out all self-contained, homiletic midrashim-containing narratives in which the heroes belong to the group of ten around Shimon ben Jochai. Put together again, these "scenes" result in a "Messianic Epic", a drama with the following three acts:

  1. Report on the emergence of a brotherhood, which is first presided over by a Rabbi Pinchas ben Jair. However, he regards Shimon ben Jochai as being of equal rank, whom the Roman persecution of religion forces to stay in a cave for thirteen years, the time of his completion. He is assigned the role of leader, it is strengthened, and a pillar of fire from earth to heaven mentioned in this context can be seen as a sign of the approach of the Messiah.
  2. Between the exodus of Shimon ben Jochai from the cave and his death in ecstasy lies the time of his leadership of the brotherhood. He performs numerous miracles and cosmic tikkunim (structuring), but remains the suffering Messiah, defiled and in humility, but also identifiable with the Shechina .
  3. Finally, the disturbed, backward brotherhood deals with the death of their master. His mission does not seem to have been fulfilled yet, and so Rabbi Shimon himself is expected back as Messiah.

expenditure

  • First printing: Sēfer ha-zōhar. 3 parts. Mantua 1558-1560.
  • Aramaic text: Martin Dobeš (Ed.): Zohar: the complete Aramaic text. Kabbalah Center International, Los Angeles 2012, ISBN 978-1-908659-28-6 .
  • German translation: Der Zohar - The holy book of Kabbalah . According to the original text, ed. by Ernst Müller. Glanz, Vienna 1932 (these are only translated excerpts from the original). Numerous reprints, most recently: Diederichs, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-7205-2643-2 .
  • English edition and translation: Yehuda Ashlag , Michael Berg (ed.): Zohar: First ever unabridged English translation with commentary . 23 volumes. Kabbalah Publishing, New York 1993, ISBN 1-57189-239-7 (English and Aramaic-Hebrew). Additional edition: Kabbalah Learning Center, 2001, ISBN 1-57189-199-4 .
  • English translation: The Zohar . Translated by Daniel C. Matt. Pritzker Edition. Volume 1. Stanford University Press, Stanford 2004, ISBN 0-8047-4747-4 .

literature

Web links

proof

  1. ↑ Gershom Scholem , Melila Hellner-Eshed: Zohar. In: Michael Berenbaum, Fred Skolnik (Ed.): Encyclopaedia Judaica. 2nd Edition. Vol. 21, Macmillan Reference, Detroit 2007, pp. 647-664. (Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale)
  2. ↑ a b c d Johann Maier : The Kabbalah . Introduction - Classical Texts - Explanations. Verlag CH Beck, Munich 1995, ISBN 3-406-39659-3 , p. 13 f .
  3. ↑ Joseph Jacobs, Isaac Broydé: Zohar. In: Jewish Encyclopedia. Funk & Wagnalls Company.
  4. ↑ Gershom Scholem: The Jewish mysticism in their main currents (=  Suhrkamp Taschenbuch Wissenschaft . Volume 330 ). 1st edition. Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1980, p. 174, 204-223 (English: Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism . Translated by Gershom Scholem and Nettie Katzenstein-Sutro).
  5. ↑ “And because Yisrael will in the future taste from the Tree of Life, which is this book of the Zohar, they will go out, with it, from Exile, in a merciful manner.” - Zohar, Vol. 3, 124b, Ra'aya Meheimna. among others
  6. ↑ Joseph Jacobs, Isaac Broydé: Zohar. In: Jewish Encyclopedia . Funk & Wagnalls Company.
  7. ^ Johann Maier: The Kabbalah. Introduction - Classical Texts - Explanations . Verlag CH Beck, Munich 1995, ISBN 3-406-39659-3 , p. 12 f .
  8. ^ Bernhard J. Bamberger: From Maimonides to Kabbalah ; in Frederick R. Lachmann: The Jewish Religion , Aloys Henn Verlag, Kastellaun, 1977, ISBN 3-450-11907-9 , p. 140
  9. ^ Johann Maier: The Kabbalah. Introduction - Classical Texts - Explanations . Verlag CH Beck, Munich 1995, ISBN 3-406-39659-3 , p. 15 .
  10. ↑ Gershom Scholem: The Jewish mysticism in their main currents (=  Suhrkamp Taschenbuch Wissenschaft . Volume 330 ). 1st edition. Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1980, p. 232, 419 (English: Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism . Translated by Gershom Scholem and Nettie Katzenstein-Sutro).
  11. ↑ KE Grözinger: Jewish thinking . Volume 2, 2005, p. 520.
  12. ↑ KE Grözinger: Jewish thinking . Volume 2, 2005, p. 509.
  13. ↑ a b K. E. Grözinger: Jewish thinking . Volume 2, 2005, p. 510.
  14. ↑ Ronit Meros: Mivnehu schel Sefer ha-Sohar. Lecture at the 12th World Congress for Jewish Studies, 1997. Quoted from KE Grözinger: Jüdisches Denken . Volume 2, 2005, p. 474.
  15. ↑ KE Grözinger: Jewish thinking . Volume 2, 2005, p. 475.
  16. ↑ KE Grözinger: Jewish thinking . Volume 2, 2005, p. 511 f.