Kabbalah Group in SF, August 10, 1995

Reproduction from Z. ben-Shimon ha-Levi's The Way of the Kabblah.

This week we continuted the study the word or Ishah, Woman, which we had started last week.


We then embarked on a rather detailed study of a passage from the Talmud comparing entering the Presence, Shekinah. It goes like this:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .1
_ _ _ _ _ .2
[ _ _ ] _ _ .3
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [ _ ] _ _ _ _ .4
Roughly, this is means as follows:
1. Rabi Eliezer and Rabi Abba dropped themselves inside a cave, which stands alone/in Lord open in face of the force of the Sun (God).
2. Turn/Spin cave [by the method of the Torah]
3. They were going along the path and Rabi Abba said:
4. Opined/said Rabi Eliezer, said [by the method of the Torah] In the move outside, settled, heard the voice of Rabi Simeon who was on his way who was on his way, he Rabi Yehuda and Rabi Itzakh, aproachedsaid, Rabi Simon, on the walls of the cave saw Shekhinah, (the Presence) appear.
We then attempted other translations of the text. In particular, we noted the similarities between this text and the famous passage in Plato's Republic where there is a similar cave scene... Were the Rabis "invading" the space of the Goddess? For in many cultures, the cave is associated with the worship of the Mother. Is the [method of the Torah] a re-interpretation of Goddess wisdom? Also, were the Rabis to be taked literally, or were they some Kerubim or Divine emanations along the path?
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Reproduction from Z. ben-Shimon ha-Levi's The Way of the Kabbalah.

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