Chaye Ha-Olam Ha-Ba is Abraham Abulafia's masterpiece, and a primer on prophetic Kabbalah. Prophetic Kabbalah is a special flavor of Jewish mysticism that owes its name to the Abulafian School. It is different from every other type of Kabbalah, because it does not talk about Sefirot, divine emanations, worlds, etc., but concerns itself with the inner transformation of the self and the direct experience of God. Through the aid of the Hebrew letters and various meditation techniques, the apprentice is led into higher states of consciousness, in order to know his God that created him. Enlightenment is the outcome of those techniques, which open the gates of a new world - the World to Come, or the Next World - to the sincere seeker. The system in Chaye revolves specifically around the 72 Names of God, which are the Expanded Name YHVH. It requires much concentration, because it is not easy, but it is one of the most astonishing techniques. Abulafia describes it as "scientific", because touching certain "divine frequencies" something is going to surely happen. Maybe it will not happen at once, but nevertheless the holy mechanism will begin its motion, and sooner or later this has to lead somewhere. "And when you prepare yourself to speak with your Creator, and ask to be informed of His Decrees, be mindful to clear your thought of all the clutter of the world. And wrap yourself with a prayer shawl, and wear Tefillin on your head and your hand if you can, so that you will be in awe and fear of the Shekinah, which is there with you at that time. And clean yourself and your clothes; and if you can, be sure that your clothes are all white, for all this is very conducive to the intention of love and awe. And if it takes place at night, light many candles until you can see well. Then, take ink, a quill, and a board in your hands. And let them stand as witnesses before you that you are coming to make worship to YHV"H your God with joy and a good heart. And begin with a Permutation of a few letters with the many; and invert them and revolve them quickly, until your heart warms up with their revolutions. And pay attention to their motions and what you produce with their revolutions. And when you feel within you that your heart has heated up with the Permutations, and that with them you came to understand new things that you had not received by Kabbalah from another person and had not come to know through your intellectual contemplation, then now you are ready to receive the Influx." (Chaye Ha-Olam Ha-Ba)

Chaye Ha-Olam Ha-Ba - Life in the World to Come

Religion & Spirituality

Abulafia, Avraham

Judaism

Providence University

Amidst the rich panoply of Jewish Kabbalah, Abraham Abulafia (1240-c.1291) resonates the most with modern, philosophically minded seekers of direct mystical experience. In this Jewish handbook for meditation, Abulafia creatively combines ideas from Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed (Moreh Nevuchim), the ancient Book of Creation (Sefer Yetzira) and Eleazar of Worms' Book of the Name (Sefer Ha-Shem) into an integrated method of concentrating on the Divine Name that opens the path to fulfilling the soul's deepest spiritual longings. Intense practice of Abulafia's methods of meditation propels the attentive soul into a state of awakened receptivity where the active divine influence can reach down to meet and illuminate the human intellect.

Ohr Ha-Sechel - Light of the Intellect

ABULAFIA, ABRAHAM

Secrets of the Torah is the second commentary by Rabbi Abraham Abulafia on the Rambam's Guide for the Perplexed, written around 1280. Guiding the hand of the seeker, Abulafia leads him in his direct experience of God. He explains that the World to Come is a state of consciousness that everybody can reach, but a shift in one's thoughts and perceptions is necessary to reach the eternal life in the Garden of Eden.

Sitrei Torah, Secrets of the Torah, Vol. 1

Sitrei Torah, Secrets of the Torah, Vol. 2

Pardes Rimonim is a classic work of authentic Kabbalah penned by the preeminent scholar, Rabbi Moshe Cordovero (Ramak). A powerful intellect, fertile writer, and gigantic figure in Kabbalah, Ramak (circa 1520-1570) distinguished himself first in Talmudic studies while under the tutelage of Rabbi Yosef Caro. However, he began his Kabbalah studies at age 20 with Rabbi Shlomo Alkabetz, who was both his brother-in-law and composer of Lecha Dodi. In the Pardes, Ramak also displays a marked philosophical influence by the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon, i.e. Maimonides). Indeed, Ramak's encyclopedic work in Kabbalah heralded the renaissance of kabbalistic genius that emerged after him in Safed. A comprehensive work collecting the kabbalistic learning of that time, the original Hebrew version of the Pardes was a single volume composed of 32 parts and was written in both Hebrew and Aramaic. This edition comprises 12 volumes, and this is volume 2.

Pardes Rimonim, Orchard of Pomegranates - Vol.2, Parts 5-8

Cordovero, Moshé

Pardes Rimonim is a classic work of authentic Kabbalah penned by the preeminent scholar, Rabbi Moshe Cordovero (Ramak). A powerful intellect, fertile writer, and gigantic figure in Kabbalah, Ramak (circa 1520-1570) distinguished himself first in Talmudic studies while under the tutelage of Rabbi Yosef Caro. However, he began his Kabbalah studies at age 20 with Rabbi Shlomo Alkabetz, who was both his brother-in-law and composer of Lecha Dodi. In the Pardes, Ramak also displays a marked philosophical influence by the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon, i.e. Maimonides). Indeed, Ramak's encyclopedic work in Kabbalah heralded the renaissance of kabbalistic genius that emerged after him in Safed. A comprehensive work collecting the kabbalistic learning of that time, the original Hebrew version of the Pardes was a single volume composed of 32 parts and was written in both Hebrew and Aramaic. This edition comprises 12 volumes, and this is volume 3.

Pardes Rimonim, Orchard of Pomegranates - Vol.3, Parts 8: 6-26

Pardes Rimonim is a classic work of authentic Kabbalah penned by the preeminent scholar, Rabbi Moshe Cordovero (Ramak). A powerful intellect, fertile writer, and gigantic figure in Kabbalah, Ramak (circa 1520-1570) distinguished himself first in Talmudic studies while under the tutelage of Rabbi Yosef Caro. However, he began his Kabbalah studies at age 20 with Rabbi Shlomo Alkabetz, who was both his brother-in-law and composer of Lecha Dodi. In the Pardes, Ramak also displays a marked philosophical influence by the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon, i.e. Maimonides). Indeed, Ramak's encyclopedic work in Kabbalah heralded the renaissance of kabbalistic genius that emerged after him in Safed. A comprehensive work collecting the kabbalistic learning of that time, the original Hebrew version of the Pardes was a single volume composed of 32 parts and was written in both Hebrew and Aramaic. This edition comprises 12 volumes, and this is volume 4.

Pardes Rimonim, Orchard of Pomegranates - Vol.4, Parts 9-12

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Providence University publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Providence University