First Post - Introduction to this Blog

Welcome to Cordoverian Kabbalah!  This blog is dedicated to the study of Kabbalah in the spirit of Rabbi Moshe Cordovero (1522-1570).  Cordovero is well-known as "The RaMaK", an acronym formed from the letters of his name in Hebrew.

We will be drawing heavily from RaMaK's writings, but also from primary source texts in the Kabbalah, such as Sefer Yetzirah, Sefer haZohar, and Sefer haBahir.  The posts will not be exclusive to the original work of Cordovero and his teachings, but we will be studying these primary source texts in the spirit of the RaMaK, using the style of Kabbalistic analysis and synthesis that he initiated and perfected.

We will also be studying those Kabbalists and Rabbis whom Cordovero himself studied, such as Abraham Abulafia, Yosef Gikatilla, Maimonides, and many others, as well as RaMaK's students, such as Eliyahu de Vidas, and others of the Safed circle, such as Yosef Karo, Isaac Luria, Chayim Vital, and many others.

If one were to briefly define Cordoverian Kabbalah, we will say that it is a system of maps of spiritual realities.  The primary elements are the Ten Sefirot and the Four Worlds (Olamot), but then this immediately extends to ten sefirot within each of the four worlds, and ten sefirot within each sefirah.  This continues infinitely, but for most practical purposes, it suffices to work with only the first few layers.  Also fundamental to Cordoverian Kabbalah are the 22 Letters (Otiyot) of the Hebrew Alef-Bet (alphabet), especially as these letters relate to the Divine Names (Shemot Qadoshot). 

Note: my use of the term "Cordoverian Kabbalah" is not restricted to the scholarly study of the life and writings of Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, but is intended to conceptualize his method and style of Kabbalah.  Thus, we may end up proposing things that he didn't write, or that are directly contrary to things he wrote, but the overall theme of this blog will be in spiritual harmony with the RaMaK.

Cordoverian Kabbalah can be used as a practical toolkit for analysis of Torah, scripture, and Kabbalistic source texts.  It uses the system of maps to identify correspondences between the sefirot and verses.  There is no limit to the technique: we could identify a correspondence between a sefirah and a whole verse of the Torah, or just one word, or just one letter.  Once such a correspondence is found, we could elaborate on its depth: in which world does this sefirah correspond?  Which of the ten sefirot within this particular sefirah?

The method of correspondences between various elements of the system should not be based on the student's own personal intellectual analysis, but on the facts of the spiritual realities themselves.  This can only be established through vibrational resonance testing, which I will explain in more detail in a later post.  Vibrational resonance is the practical method used to create maps of spiritual realities, and thus then the basis of the method of textual analysis that Cordovero applied successfully in his studies of Kabbalistic texts, especially the Torah, Sefer Yetzirah, and Sefer haZohar.

Whether or not Cordovero himself had direct method of resonance testing, such as the one I use and will describe later, or if he was 'just' spiritually adept enough to be able to determine the correct correspondence is not an important question for us.  The fact remains that RaMaK mapped out a very large number of correct correspondences, as I myself have verified.  Exactly how he was able to determine these correspondences is not knowable by us; but this blog is not focused on academic questions of propriety, but on the theoretical and practical ramifications of this method of Kabbalistic study

Cordoverian Kabbalah is also well equipped as a foundation for Kabbalistic theurgy.  Theurgy is a  system of activites that use spiritual maps and correspondences for achieving practical results.  The desired results could be many and various, and the methods for achieving them sundry.  It is primarily based on laws of spiritual energy ─ if one understands how the events of the physical world are prefigured in the spiritual worlds, and one knows how to configure the settings in the spiritual worlds, then one can influence the unfoldment of events in the physical world.  Cordoverian theurgy builds on the teachings of the Zohar ─ the spiritual worlds can become out of balance, but can be rebalanced by sacred actions performed by the righteous (tzaddiqim).

Only a small percentage of Cordovero's original writings are available in English translation.  I will write a detailed post on his written work and will point out the status of each of these works, as far as availability and contents.  I will say how we will be studying RaMaK's books, and how they will be applied.  It will also be necessary to provide a biographical context for these.  All this will be coming soon.  Please subscribe to the Cordoverian Kabbalah blog to stay updated.