Katnut d'Katnut

This was written many years ago.

Hebrew Catholic Reflection on the Bahir

Introduction

The 'Bahir' is a book of ancient Jewish mysticism that was first revealed to a wider audience in the Middle Ages. At its heart it presents the mystical teachings of the mystical school of the first century Rabbi Nehunia ben Ha Kana. His disciples passed on and developed these mystical insights. It is my belief that the 'Bahir' was brought to Provence in the 8th century by a scion of the Royal House of King David in Babylon. This Davidic Western Exilarch is known as Rabbi Amorai in the 'Bahir'. He was known as Aimeri or Aumery in the French Chansons. He is also identified with Machir Todros ben Judah who was also called Theuderic, Duke of Narbonne and Jewish King of Septimania.

A new Hebrew Catholic Havurah (Study group) has been started in the United States. It also has a wonderful new blog. This new group is called Miriam Mystical Rose Havurah in Indianapolis.

The lastest blog begins. "We want to thank everyone who attended our first Chanukah Party. We had about 17 crammed into our little townhouse and it was very cozy. In case you missed it here is what happened.

We began with the lighting of the Chanukah candles with the traditional blessings.

One of the great mysteries of the Jewish Kabbalah and the Zohar is that of the tzachtzachot. The tzachtzachot are the mysterious three sparkling lights within the Godhead. The word is also associated with the idea of an unquenchable thirst or drought. This is a reference to the essence of the infinite God beyond all knowing - the Ain Sof.

The Ramban (Nachmanides) states that the darkness (khoshek) mentioned in the second verse of Genesis is a different darkness than the darkness mentioned further down in verses 4-5. The first darkness is the uncreated male darkness (v'khoshek) and the second darkness is the created female darkness (hakhoshek). The 'vav' (ו) at the beginning of this first mention of darkness alludes to the male and the 'hah' (ה) on the second one reveals the female darkness.

In Jewish Mysticism the term Shekhakim is closely associated with the concept of Manna from Heaven. The Manna was the heavenly bread that God provided the Israelites in the Wilderness. The Jewish mystics also speak of their feeding on the Heavenly Dew or Manna in their mystical adorations of the Divine Presence. For the Catholic Jew this Manna mysticism has great Eucharistic significance.

The Mystery of the Shekhakim is at the very heart of Jewish mysticism. The term shekhakim is the mystical plural [based on the similiar sounds of the words not the spelling] of shekhen and shekhinah which are the male and female forms of the word 'to dwell' (see Bahir 74 & 120). Shekhakim is often translated in the English Bibles as clouds or skies or heavens.

Mark Kinzer

Messianic Jewish Rabbi and theologian Mark Kinzer of the UMJC writes in his recent book "Post Missionary Messianic Judaism" about the Association of Hebrew Catholics and Father Elias Friedman its founder in a section about Hebrew Catholicism. In this he mentions that Father Elias rejects Jewish observances whether biblical or Rabbinic. This may have been the personal opinion of Father Elias and many of those of his generation but it was never the official position of the AHC.

David P Goldman Editor of First Things

Jewish writer David P Goldman in an article in "First Things" entitled “Hebrew Catholics Association” in St. Louis: A Source of Sin? writes:

"...If a Jew converts to Christianity, as a handful do, he or she nonetheless is obligated to perform the commandments of the Torah, including dietary and marital-purity laws, Sabbath observance, phylacteries and so forth. For a Jew not to perform these commandments is to be in a state of grievous sin.

Noah (father of Shem) was also called Menakhem which means comforter or consoler but can also mean in Egyptian ‘Eternal Sun’ which is a symbol of the Divine Will (Ratzon). The names of the three sons of Noah are connected with the tri-une nature of the sun and the three heads of Divine Will represented by the three skull shaped boxes that make up the Ark of the Covenant.

The name of Noah’s son Shem refers to shemesh the fire or essence of the sun also seen as shem yesh (name being).

Bahir 3 alludes to Deuteronomy 33: 23 in regards to the ‘filling’ of God who is also called ‘Berakhah’(blessing), ‘reshit’ (beginning) and ‘khokhmah’ (wisdom). The Bahir explains that the beyt [b] that begins the Torah is the symbol of this filling and blessing. It reveals that the hidden aleph represents the divine Will in the Godhead. The first beyt of Genesis is seen as a vessel (the womb of the Mother) that holds the male Divine Wisdom – this is the uncreated blessing (berakhah).