Section VIII: Kabbalah and Neoplatonism

1. Gershom Scholem in his works, "Kabbalah and its symbolism" and "Origins of the Kabbalah," pay attention to the extent to which the language and imagery of the Kabbalah contradict rational-historical, moral and ritual discourse of classical Judaism, especially in the Talmudic version. He also points to recent origin of the main body of kabbalistic texts (Zohar he dates XIII century and attributed to Moses de Leon (Moses ben Shem Tov de Leon) (1250-1305)). Attributioncase of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai repeats the course, which we find, for example, in Areopagitica, or "ancient" texts of Hermes Trismegistus, or "Poymandra." Scholem also shows the Neoplatonic character of Kabbalistic teachings and defends the thesis of a Jewish neo-Platonism.
2. Guenon criticized the historical location of the Zohar and Kabbalah in the Middle Ages, offering a dating inherent in themselves Kabbalists. The same course repeated Titus Burckhardt on Areopagitica, refusing to apply to the author the term "pseudo-Dionysius." In both cases we are dealing with Neoplatonic corpus, which tradition ascribes to the ancient, no binder with semantic analysis of text. The contradiction can be solved by the hypothesis: corpus (in both cases, as well as in the case of Hermetic) had the character of the verbal doctrine, recorded with use of modern this time way of language fixation. Plato himself, in this sense can be called a fixator, and wonder where he has Socrates and the rest of the dialogues, and where he is. Neoplatonism of Kabbalah is not a criticism and not an indication of its "secondary", but an invitation to the identification in Kabbalah the same topics with other Neo-Platonic doctrines - for example, in Christianity, Islamic esotericism, Shiism, philosophy and mysticism. Kabbalah = Jewish Platonism (the doctrine of the unknowable One (aynsof), its emanations - Sephira, the light of creation, the spiritual man (Adam Kadmon), etc.) is a technical identity of intellectual topics, but not critical and controversial concept.
3. What is the fundamental feature of the Jewish Kabbalah as Neo-Platonism, its difference from other forms of Platonism? Not only in applying his techniques to the interpretation of the Torah. Zohar begins with the words: "As a rose among thorns, so Israel among the nations (goyim) of land." Immediately we see the putting in place of Platonic philosophers and geometers, his academy, the Church of the Christians, community of path (tariqat in al-tassavufe) among Muslims, Jews as a chosen people. Thus, between the lower world and higher worlds is ethnic group, conscious thought the instrumentality of classical Judaism as a religious hierohistorical community. Thus, we find ourselves with the first lines in the context of national-Platonism. Jews here are something as a generalization figure of space and spiritual mediator. Neoplatonic have philosopher, theurgist, light priest. So we can deduce the theory of Jews as a philosopher –people, priest- people, mediator-people.
4. The second difference is that in Kabbalah the common for all Neoplatonists topic of mediation become a dynamic and historical drama. This brings the Kabbalah together with Zoroastrianism, Gnosticism and the Orphism. Mediation is problematic and is deployed in the cycle. Since mediation is a function of the Jews, Jewish history is identified with the dialectic of mediation.
5. The dialectics of mediation (between this and that, between Creator and creature), is conceived in three points: norm, disaster, recovery. It is most vividly described by Isaac Lury (Ari). Norm - is the worlds Atzilut neighbors (direct analogue of genad in Neoplatonism, the term " neighbour " is purely Neoplatonic) and light forehead of Adam Kadmon. But then disaster follows - smashing the vases. Moreover, the concept of Tzimtzum, reducing the primordial principle, Lury puts first- disaster origins even earlier - in the first principle of abandonment and the formation of air (tehiru) as protospace of future creations. From broken vases follows light. It creates a dramatic universe, where nothing is in place. Mediation is problematic, difficult, knocked off course. Finally, in the messianic era (tikkun - Haim Vidal) mediation is restored. This is the end times and the time of resurrection.
6. Problematization of mediation is a drama of the Jews. Jews as mediation share its fate. Problematization of mediation - Galut. Tikkun - Aliyah and the arrival of the Messiah. But: Mediation ethnically fixed, and the problematization of mediation? Kabbalah says, and it is fixed, it is equal to erev, five peoples of the great confusion. They violated the channels of mediation, shot down the link between lower and higher. Erev Rav, the main obstacle to mediation – is an ethnic concept, as well as mediation itself in Kabbalah is ethnic.
7. The identification of Jews with Malkuth and the lower Shekinah - is transparent, it is common place. More difficult is the case with the identification of interference mediation with ethnic groups. There are two versions - Erev Rav are goyim, especially in the two most comprehensible to Jews forms Esau (the Christians) and Ismail (Moslems), the second version - Erev Rav is internal subethnic group Jews, Egyptians (that is still "goyim" by its roots), mingled to the Jews during the exodus from Egypt. In the first case, the drama of mediation leads to a mystical-racist praxis (in particular, justifies the transfer of Palestinians and other projects are segregated), the second all the more difficult. But in any case, messianic times and the restoration of mediation directly associated with racial-ethnic Jewish holy war (standard carrier mediation) and their ethnic opponents (usurper of mediation or a blocker). Going back to Neoplatonic topic we have deal with the identification of Jewish Philosophy (theurgy priesthood) and non-Jewish (tref) philosophy. More difficult in the case when the second hypothesis of equal Erev Rav identification, we identify the people of the great confusion (usurpers and blockers) with a part inside of the Jews. Then drama gets inside-Jewish (political, party) nature. Holocaust and anti-fascism have mystical and messianic forms (holocaust - the last strike of usurpers, anti-fascism - the imperative to combat the false philosophy of the goyim, goyim = fascists).
8. Drama of mediation, becoming a historical prejudice eschatological scenario. It represents as the latest battle for the mediation. In topic of Kabbalistic discourse it is a battle of true mediators, the leader of which is the Messiah, against the usurpers. The victory in this battle offers the prospect of tikkun (Haim Vidal), that is recovery. False philosophy is overthrown; reigns true philosophy.
9. How to assess the situation of post-modern philosophy? And how can we understand the significant role played by Jews in it? Kabbalah and Postmodern. In our topic there are three possible variants
a) a post-modern (covert) version of the true philosophy, or its approximation (so you can understand Levinas, Derrida, Bernard Henri-Levy, Henry Glucksmann or American Jewish globalists from CFR);
b) post-modern philosophy is anti-Jewish goy philosophy of chaos, disintegration and matter, it's Sitre Acher, kliffotic world, the last word in the left column punishing sefirotic tree - that is, the creation of the goyim (the opinion of a number of Israeli ultra-Orthodox heredim);
c) the post-modern philosophy has degenerated subethnic group (Erev Rav in the second interpretation).
Postmodern become synonymous of paradigm is contemporary way of thinking. Therefore, it needs to eschatological assessment. Either it is a new edition of Armilus, or a hidden Messiah. This is an open issue and it would be interesting to hear the range of opinions of experts on the subject.
10. Neoplatonism field - the area where the Jewish tradition can engage in dialogue with other traditions without fear of syncretism, "New Age" and the loss of particularity. Having made short kabbalistic -Platonic vocabulary, we would have a powerful conceptual tool for the correct and very uneasy dialogue. This refers to the painful topics of race, Shoah, Armilus, Palestinians, the Messiah, eschatology, the sacred genocide, modernity and postmodernity.
