Fall 2008 Abraham Abulafia and the Ecstatic Kabbalah John F. Nash Summary On his way back from Palestine, Abulafia spent a few years in Greece and then moved to braham Abulafia, whose writings were Capua, Italy. There he studied philosophy and A ignored or defamed for six centuries, is theoretical Kabbalah—the Kabbalah based on now recognized as the leading exponent of the the ten sefiroth—probably under the famous important field of ecstatic, or prophetic, Kab- Talmudic scholar Hillel ben Samuel of Verona. balah. The ecstatic Kabbalah focuses on at- Abulafia returned to Spain when he was about taining extreme states of consciousness and 30 years old. In Barcelona he studied under even receiving new revelation from God. It Baruch Togarmi, a rabbi most likely of Turk- contrasts with more familiar branches of Kab- ish origin who had written a commentary on balah that focus on understanding the nature of the early Kabbalistic text, the Sefer Yetzirah. the Divine and its relationship with humanity. It was probably from Togarmi that Abulafia Abulafia developed a system of meditation acquired a fascination for the Hebrew alphabet whose most conspicuous feature was the invo- and language. He also learned three methods cation of “divine names” created from endless of textual analysis which would support his permutations and combinations of Hebrew let- work. Those methods: temurah, notarikon and ters. Over the last several decades the ecstatic gematria, will be discussed later in this article. Kabbalah has been studied in depth by leading During his stay in Barcelona Abulafia began to Jewish scholars, and writings in English are experience visions that gave him unique in- now opening this field to a general readership. sights and also convinced him that he had a 3 This article summarizes and comments on special mission in life. work by Gershom Scholem, Aryeh Kaplan, Aside from Hillel ben Samuel and Baruch To- and Moshe Idel and presents a concise state- garmi, two individuals greatly influenced Abu- ment of Abulafia’s life and contribution to the lafia. One was Moses Maimonides (1135– western esoteric tradition. 1204), the preeminent Jewish philosopher of his time who, like Abulafia, hailed from Abulafia’s Life and Work Spain.4 The other was Eleazar ben Judah of braham ben Samuel Abulafia was born in Worms (c.1176–1238), a leading Talmudist A 1240 at Saragossa, Aragon, a kingdom in and Kabbalist and member of the group known the north of Spain, but grew up in the as the Haside Ashkenaz (“The Pious of Ger- neighboring kingdom of Navarre. Abraham man Jewry”). Maimonides influence gave was close to his father, a pious Jew, who Abulafia’s work a strong intellectual dimen- taught him the Torah and Talmud. After the father died in 1258, Abulafia made a pilgrim- age to Palestine, only to find the country dev- About the Author astated by the crusades.1 He returned to Europe but was never able to settle in one loca- John F. Nash, Ph.D., is a long-time esoteric student, tion. Moving from place to place, Abulafia author and teacher. Two of his books, Quest for the devoted his life to teaching—usually to small Soul and The Soul and Its Destiny, were reviewed groups of students—and writing. By the time in the Winter 2005 issue of the Esoteric Quarterly. of his death, sometime after 1291, he had au- His latest book, Christianity: the One, the Many, is reviewed in this issue. See the advertisements on thored a substantial body of works, many of 2 page 12 of this issue and also the website: which survive. www.uriel.com. Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2008. 51 The Esoteric Quarterly sion. Abulafia’s own background ensured that accusing him of “walking in darkness” and he was conversant with Sephardic (Spanish) dismissing his work as “inventions, imagina- Kabbalism. But Eleazor’s influence helped tions and falsehoods.”7 Chayit’s contempo- launch him onto a path that owed more to rary, Judah Albotini, chief rabbi of Jerusalem, Ashkenazic than to Sephardic tradition and was not critical of Abulafia’s methods, as such, which alienated Abulafia from rabbinical au- but warned that people had lost the purity nec- thorities in Spain and other parts of southern essary to meditate safely on the names of Europe. God.8 Because of Abulafia’s unpopularity, none of his writings was published for 600 While most Sephardic Kabbalists focused on years. Even today, most of his books are the theoretical or theosophical aspects of the available only in Hebrew, many are still in field, their Ashkenazic counterparts in Ger- manuscript, and some are in private collec- many focused on the ecstatic and magical tions. Gershom Scholem and Aryeh Kaplan Kabbalah. German rabbis had devised elabo- discuss his life and methods in considerable rate invocations of the divine names. In most detail.9 But the translation of Moshe Idel’s cases the intent was to achieve mystical union The Mystical Experience in Abraham Abulafia with God, but some individuals sought to dem- is the only book in English devoted exclusively onstrate their spiritual attainment by perform- to his work,10 ing various kinds of magic. It was believed, for example, that a very holy person could Meanwhile, Abulafia had another close shave. bring a clay homunculus—a golem—to life. As Christian Kabbalists would do two centu- Eleazar of Worms explained that, in order to ries later,11 he entertained the dream of recon- be successful, incantations had to be made ciling Judaism and Christianity. In one of his over every limb of the golem.5 Golems could visions, while still in Barcelona, Abulafia re- not speak; but reportedly they could perform ceived a message that he should meet with menial tasks, occasionally serving as house Pope Nicholas III. He made several overtures servants.6 to the pope but each time was rebuffed. Unde- terred, Abulafia set out for the papal residence There is no evidence that Abulafia ever tried to at Suriano, hoping to be granted an audience. create a golem, and in general he regarded Upon receiving news that Abulafia was on his magic as a diversion from true spiritual ad- way, and angered at the Jew’s persistence, vancement. But the procedures he proposed Nicholas ordered that Abulafia should be for achieving ecstatic states were not unlike burned at the stake as soon as he arrived. Abu- those used for such purposes. The Sephardic lafia’s life was spared only because the pope rabbis frowned upon the publication of such died that very day. After being imprisoned for sensitive information. Abulafia’s claim to a month by the Franciscan Order of Friars Mi- have been given a special mission by God fur- nor, he quickly left the Papal States. Abulafia ther alienated him from the authorities. It spent some time in southern Italy and then raised suspicions that he had messianic ambi- traveled to Messina, Sicily, where he lived for tions. Rabbi Solomon ben Adret of Barcelona, about ten years. Later he moved to the island the leading Talmudic scholar of the time, of Comino in the Mediterranean. He was last emerged as Abulafia’s nemesis and denounced heard of in Malta in 1291 and is believed to him in a scathing diatribe. Ben Adret’s stand- have died there in his early fifties. ing guaranteed that other rabbis would follow suit. The study of Abulafia’s writings was Origins of the prohibited in Spanish Kabbalistic schools, and Abulafia eventually was expelled from Spain Ecstatic Kabbalah and Italy. For the rest of his life he searched ome of the prophets of the Hebrew Bible for a haven where he could pursue his work. Smay have experienced states of ecstasy, Solomon ben Adret’s denunciation had lasting and certainly ecstasy and prophecy are closely consequences. In about 1500 CE, a certain linked. But the large-scale exploration of ec- Rabbi Judah Chayit again denounced Abulafia, static states within Judaism began after the 52 Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2008 Fall 2008 destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 notations, including “number,” “writing,” CE. It took two forms. One was the Merka- “revelation,” and “luminosity.”15 The remain- bah movement inspired by the account of ing 22, each identified by a letter in the He- Elijah’s ascent to heaven: brew alphabet, referred to the connecting links among the sefiroth. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a The Sefer Yetzirah placed considerable empha- chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted sis on the Hebrew letters, divided as they are them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a into three “mother” letters, seven double let- whirlwind into heaven.12 ters, and 12 single or “elemental” letters. The divine names, along with all other words in the The word Merkabah was derived from the He- language, were constructed from those letters. brew word for “chariot.” Merkabah mystics The most important name, YHVH (Hebrew believed that they too could visit heaven, the ),16 was so awesome that only the high “throne world,” and experience ecstatic vi- hwhy sions. The ascent re- priest was permitted to speak—or perhaps quired the seeker to ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– chant—it, and then only pass through seven once a year in the pri- “palaces” or “cham- There is no evidence that vacy of the Holy of Ho- bers,” which can be Abulafia ever tried to create a lies. Otherwise it was interpreted as levels of golem, and in general he re- simply alluded to as consciousness.13 Pas- “the Name,” or Adonai sage from palace to garded magic as a diversion was used as a substitute.