24 Kislev · Yahrzeit
Rabbi Avraham Abulafia
Rabbi Avraham ben Shmuel Abulafia was originally from Spain - he lived with his parents in Tudela, where his father taught him Torah and Talmud.
Yahrzeit - 24 Kislev
Resting place -
In 1258 his father passed away. From 1260 Avraham began wandering the world. At the age of 20 he set out from Spain for Eretz Yisrael. His dream of reaching the Sambatyon River in search of the Ten Lost Tribes was not to be realized - the Crusaders stopped him in Akko. He then set off on his way back to Spain. On his way home he spent some time in Capua, Italy, studying philosophy, in particular the Rambam's "Moreh Nevuchim" (Guide for the Perplexed). Unsatisfied, he turned instead to Kabbalah. Returning to Spain in 1271, he settled in Barcelona and devoted himself to the intensive study of "Sefer Yetzirah" and its commentaries, especially those of Rabbi Elazar of Worms, whose kabbalistic teachings he fully embraced. Rabbi Avraham claimed that he was able to ascend to Divine heights through the combination of letters and Divine Names mentioned by Rabbi Elazar of Worms. He had many students, the most famous of them being Rabbi Yosef Gikatilla.
In 1280 he traveled to Rome with the declared intention of persuading Pope Nicholas III to convert to Judaism. The Pope, who was then vacationing in Soriano, learned of his plans and gave an order to burn the fanatical Jew as soon as he arrived. Although a stake was erected for this purpose, Rabbi Avraham continued on his way. However, upon reaching Soriano, he learned that the Pope had died of a stroke the evening before. Rabbi Avraham returned to Rome, where he was thrown into prison, but was released four weeks later.
He then traveled to Sicily and settled in Messina, where he surrounded himself with many students and preached about the imminent coming of the Messiah. His practices and prophecies caused great confusion within the Messina community, and they turned for guidance to the Rashba (Rabbi Shlomo ben Aderet), the leading Torah authority of that generation. The Rashba condemned Abulafia and his followers in the harshest terms and warned the community against participating in a false messianic movement.
The Rashba's condemnation forced Abulafia to seek a new base. He traveled to Greece, where he composed "Vezot LiYehuda" and "Sheva Netivot HaTorah," defending himself against the Rashba's attacks, claiming that the Rashba did not know him personally and had judged him based on hearsay. Indeed, in a later generation, Rabbi Chaim Vital cites him extensively in his book "Shaarei Kedusha."
In total, Rabbi Avraham wrote 26 books, as well as 22 works containing descriptions of his visions. His last known work, "Imrei Shefer," a commentary on Sefer Bereishit, was written in 1291.
Rabbi Abulafia was one of the most important teachers in the history of Kabbalah. He introduced written texts into what had previously been an oral tradition, in which Kabbalah had existed for so long. He disseminated much information that had previously been in the hands of the few, and made Kabbalah accessible to those who could obtain his works. Abulafia claimed that he did this for two reasons: "The theological reason is connected to the final redemption, for which these secrets are necessary, while the human reason is the lack of Kabbalah scholars in his generation." He did not discourage the writing of kabbalistic works and sparked an influx of such literature in the 13th century. In many places in his works Abulafia indicates that he is a prophet, and in others he hints that he has a special mission. There are also many veiled allusions that can be interpreted as messianic delusions. However, according to Aryeh Kaplan (1934-1983), "for the most part this is ambiguous, and it is quite likely that when he speaks of himself as 'anointed,' he means that he is enlightened, not that he is the promised Messiah." All these claims brought him fame in his time, and rabbis either despised him or revered him as a true prophet.
Rabbi Abulafia developed a system based on the Hebrew alphabet. Whereas many methods of meditation involve the repetition or chanting of words or phrases, Rabbi Abulafia emphasizes the importance of writing words down.
At the beginning of the "Kabbalah of Letters," Abulafia says the following: "Take a pen in your hand, like a spear in the hand of a warrior. When you think of something, pronounce it in your heart with specific letters, and also express it with your lips. Listen carefully and watch what comes out of your mouth. Let your ears hear what your lips are saying, and understand with your heart the meaning of all these expressions. Immediately write down each of them. Manipulate the letters and seek other words with the same numerical value [gematria], even if they do not follow my path. And know that this will be your key, opening the 50 gates of wisdom…"
This technique involves the senses of touch, hearing, and sight, and it is highly sought after. Abulafia's basis for this is the story of Betzalel in Exodus, who was given the task of erecting the Tabernacle in the desert after the Exodus. According to Abulafia, Betzalel possessed the mystical ability to manipulate creation (using the Hebrew alphabet to build the Tabernacle, thereby directing the spiritual energy of creation).
Abulafia, according to Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, finds an allusion to this in Tehillim 18:31, which states: "G-d - His way is perfect (tamim), the word of the L-rd is pure (tzerufah)." Both of these words are often used by kabbalists to describe the process of assigning numerical value to Hebrew words and then rearranging them for deeper understanding. Rabbi Abulafia took a step forward, going further than the kabbalists who preceded him, and introduced speech and writing into the meditative techniques of gematria. Thus, instead of chanting a word over and over like a mantra, a person writes the word, rearranging and cycling through the letters in every possible way. On a higher level, Rabbi Abulafia taught that by pronouncing the letters of the Divine Names, accompanied by special head movements and specific breathing exercises, one can achieve prophetic visions. "He who reaches the highest level cannot reveal this to anyone. All he can do is pass on the keys, so that an enlightened person may open the gates that are sealed in order to exclude the unworthy." Rabbi Avraham Abulafia said: "Every one of our choices has its own result. Whoever turns to the vanity of the temporal, his soul will survive in the vanity of the temporal, and whoever turns to the L-rd… who is above the temporal, his soul will survive in the eternal realm beyond time, in the L-rd, may He be blessed."
May the merit of the Tzadik protect Am Yisrael!
https://dailyzohar.com/tzadikim/128-Rabbi-Avraham-Abulafia