Kabbalah Kronicles 13 – A Faithless S.O.B.

The Kabbalah Kronicles 13 – A Faithless S.O.B.

Uncle Zally, Zalman Velvel

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I have a stormy relationship with Kabbalah.

I love it when it answers a deeply rooted problem in my soul, and I feel fixed, “born again,” if you will.

Then there are the times when Kabbalah seems like a bunch of mumbo jumbo gumbo. The conclusions about what God was thinking when he made the world, make me into a world class skeptic. These conclusions violate my cardinal rule when dealing with people about Faith:

Be very careful when someone tells you what God thinks, and feels. God is quite capable on His Own of letting you know that.

When the storm clouds of Kabbalah thunder, and I’m at the point of wanting to flush it all, I hear the voice of wisdom whisper inside my brain:

“The underpinnings of Kabbalah are practical. If they weren’t practical, they would not have survived 3,500 years.”

Kabbalah was kept secret until 300 years ago. It was revealed during a time of great pain and suffering by the Hasidic people in Russia. Something was needed to fire up the souls of the people who were suffering, and wondering why God would allow such suffering.

The following is the Essence of Kabbalah. Take it to heart, oh blog readers. The logic and simplicity can inspire peace and joy, regardless of how your material needs are met by the outside world. It goes like this:

1- God is good.

2- God made everything, is involved with everything, and loves us. Nothing happens without the approval of God.

3- Therefore everything that happens is for the good.

If you accept the first two precepts, the third follows automatically. If you believe down deep in your heart and soul that everything that happens is for the good, and that our Good God is in total charge and loves you, then you will sleep better at night, and be more peaceful during the day. You can rejoice after a hard week of work, with a day of Sabbath that will charge you up for the next hard week that follows, should it follow.

“But but but but …” you say. “How does Kabbalah explain things that are not good, like poverty, sickness, or God forbid, a child dying?”

There is an important corollary to the third premise. While everything is good, there is Revealed good, which we understand, and Unrevealed Good, which we will only understand after God explains His Plan to us, which in many cases, is not until after we die and are with Him.

Neat, isn’t it? You can’t prove it, or disprove it, but believing it, having FAITH in it, makes you sleep like a baby, and live peaceful as a monk in a monastery. It makes you sing and dance with joy on the Sabbath.

But it requires Faith, and that is my subject. I need to add, this writer, yours truly, has been described by some as:

“The most Faithless S.O.B. they ever met.”

My most recent crisis of Faith was this past Sunday. I took my six year old grandson, Samson, to Barnes and Noble. In the lobby by the front doors, was the book, 30 Second Religion by Russell Re Manning. It contained the “50 most thought provoking religious beliefs, each explained in a half a minute.” It was on sale for $9.95. Samson’s LEGOs cost twice that.

I read the book with eyes like tractor beams, and my jaw hanging open. The diversity of beliefs in religions is unbelievable.

For instance, there are religions that take peyote and marijuana as sacraments, in order to bring them closer to God, and other religions that advocate the exact opposite, not taking any drugs at all, not even medicinal ones like antibiotics. Some religions believe that no clergy are needed in prayer services, and other religions believe the elders

of the church are chosen by God. Some religions believe we are born and die sinners, and other religions believe we come into this world innocent, and can be cleansed and born again. Some religions believe that the way to peace and happiness is to give up everything, and other religions believe that creating abundance and wealth is Holy. Some religions have only one God, and other religions have many Gods, who are constantly procreating and making more Gods and Goddesses. The list of contradictions goes on.

“Holy Mackerel !” I said out loud. “Do people really believe this?”

Yes, they believe it. Seven billion people believe precepts that contradict each other, all accepted as true, because they have Faith in them.

My study led me to ask the question:

If we all believe in the same God, why are there so many differences in the way we worship that God?

If God is all knowing and all powerful, why doesn’t He clue us in on how He wants all of us to worship Him, and act towards each other? Why are there so many books that say they are the One True Way, and all the previous texts are outdated and no longer true? How could a perfect God dictate a book, or inspire a prophet to write a book, and then renounce that book? Why is God changing His Mind so much about religion?

I read the beliefs of my own religion in the book, and looked at it with skeptical eyes. I would encourage all of you to do the same. Study the precepts of the other major religions, then yours, and ask yourself, “If I didn’t have a blind Faith in what I believe, would I still believe it?”

In my case, after a scathing examination of my religion, once again I remembered our practical aspects. Events in our books were witnessed by 3 million people. 3 million witnesses is a lot of testimony.

I don’t mean to malign Faith. I have seen the peace of mind that Faith gives people, and the strength to overcome great obstacles. I have seen Faith help people who were carrying heavy loads, loads that I was spared, thank God. I have seen Faith help people overcome debilitating addictions and fatal diseases. I have seen the power of Faith with my own eyes.

I have also seen Faith manipulated by evil people. They use Faith to get others to deny what they see, feel, and think, be blind to the realities of life, then drink spiked Kool-Aid, after giving them all their money.

Why don’t you take another look at the Essence of Kabbalah, the three principles I gave above, and send me an email with your thoughts. See if you can come up with something better.

This Faithless S.O.B. could not.

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