Katnut d'Katnut

Anti-Jewish Catholics often refer to the Papal Bull from the Council of Florence and quote sections out of the historical context and situation of the document. I thought my readers would like to hear part of my response to one such writer:

"...You quote in your different posts on this blog the same old misunderstanding of the Council of Florence and you elevate any statements that can be read in an anti-Jewish manner to the status of infalliblity while ignoring the continuing infallible magisterium of the Church and Pope today.

Recently I purchased "Hebrew Gospel of Matthew" by George Howard. He presents the Hebrew text and English translation of a Hebrew version of Matthew preserved in the Jewish community and copied into "Evan Bohan" by Rabbi Shem Tob Ibn Shaprut in the 14th century. While I believe the four gospels were written originally in Hebrew (see Claude Tresmontant and Carmignac) we must be careful in accepting that this version of Matthew is the complete original primitive Hebrew text.

I have written and given talks on the significance of the Hand of Miriam also called the Chamsa (five). The Muslims call it the Hand of Fatima. The Catholics know it as Mano Poderosa (the Big Hand). Some Catholic writers have connected the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal with Queen Esther and the Book of Esther. Queen Esther and Mordechai were from the tribe of Benjamin.

The Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta is known as the little daughter of the Divine Will. She mirrors the littleness (katnut) or lowliness (shiflut) of Our Lady. Elsewhere I have discussed that the name Piccarreta means 'very little one' and the mention of this 'very little one' in the Zohar as one of the four chayot (living creatures of the Throne).

“… ‘This is the Chayah which I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chabar’ (Ezekiel 10:20).

In Jewish mysticism an important concept is making the spiritual descent to the chariot (merkabah). In order to ascend one must first descend to where the chariot awaits the soul. Jacob Frank and other Jewish Tzaddikim, such as Rebbe Nachman of Breslev, also speak of descending into the lower levels of the spiritual abyss in order to do the great tikkunim (reparations) for sinners who have been trapped in these lowest levels. This idea is often misunderstood as it was in the case of Jacob Frank.

Virgin Mariam appearing in Egypt December 2009

On this blog on December 7 2009 I spoke of the Signs of the Times and events happening around Christmas. On December 9 2009 began incredible apparitions of the Virgin Miriam (Mariam in Arabic)in Warraq Giza Egypt on the top of the roof of the Coptic Church of St Mary and the Archangel Michael. So far about 200,000 people have witnessed the apparitions- Christians, Muslims and Jews.

Blessed Raymond Lull [1232-1315] in his work "Liber de Lumine"[The Book of Light]speaks of the logoi or energies of God as the nine lamp Candelabrum which in Judaism is the menorah of Chanukah. He is also speaks of it as a Tree and as Flowers. Blessed Raymond Lull seems to have drawn on the Jewish mystical traditions. Lull's ancestors were perhaps Jews, as his surname derives from the Hebrew word Lullim used for mystical spiral staircases found in the Jewish Temple.

One artist's impression of Rebbe Nachman who had red-blonde hair

Yehuda Liebes in his studies on the influence of Jacob Frank on Rebbe Nachman comes to correct conclusions that the mysterious journeys and stays in certain places is connected with Rebbe Nachman's 'tikun ha Kelali' ( universal reparation) connected with the Frankists.

With the advent of the concept of Anglican ordinariates which will allow Anglicans to enter the Church and maintain their structures and traditions, the question is asked if this might be a model for possible Jewish ordinariates in the future. Many of those Catholics who support the continuation of Jewish identity in the Church have been looking for a way that a more corporate organisation of Hebrew Catholics might function in the Church.

Go to Part One 

The Pinnacle of all Human Acts 

Kabbalah states that human righteous acts open a channel (Yesod/Tzaddik) that allows the attributes or emanations of God to flow on to the earthly level (see the Zohar). This channel is called the Sefirah of Yesod or Tzaddik. The Jewish traditions and Scripture associate the Tzaddik with the humble Messiah.