The Fourth Generation is also the time of the Great Purification of the faith for the world. How much more ,so, is it essential that the faith of Israel, which is the pure faith of Abraham, our father, and the faith revealed in the Holy Torah and in Jewish tradition, be clarified and purified so that it be totally uncontaminated by extraneous doctrines of human intellect which deviate from the truth. Only when Israel’s faith is pure can it be a light of the true faith for the world, a world the majority of which has yet to purify its many forms of idolatry.
So too the tragic historic error of the High Priest Aaron in the face of the golden calf, is prophetically called up into its new final position so as to show to all of the scandalised Israel concerned for the Torah and honour of so many kabbalistic authors of saintly memory etc., that Aaron himself fell and did not understand the great error of the mixed-multitude. Prophetically it happened again. The Avon Ketz of the Fourth Generation is also the Last Golden Calf of History and the Rabbinate and the saintly scholars who fell into the subtle trap, as Aaron, did not understand the idolatrous ideas and doctrines that lay in the Doctrine of Emanation of the Zohar.
Just this understanding is necessary for the correction of Israel’s Sin of the Last Days of Judgement. Just as Aaron had to admit before Moses that he had not understood the evil that lurked within the idolatrous tendency of the mixed-multitude, so must the heads of Rabbanite Judaism lower their heads before the knowledge of Milhhamot Ha-Shem against the false Kabbalah and to understand their great error. Repentance from this sin on the part of the heads of Israel represents nothing less than the first entrance of the Jewish people into its Final Redemption.
Thus Milhhamot Ha-Shem, in the form of the Hherem Mi-Deoraita, contained in the Five Tablets of the Pact of Sefer Mishnat Haim, represents the final clarification and purification of the true faith loved by God Almighty in preparation for the Final Redemption. We must know the God of Israel who gave the Holy Law to Moses and to all Israel. We must know if our belief in is in God Almighty or in the Emanated Small-Faced Cosmic Son-God and Man-God Zeir Anpin.
7. This language hurts the ears, especially in translation where it is not camouflaged by the suave Aramaic incantation-language of the Zohar. What Jew of tradition might ever believe in such an obviously unorthodox metaphysical construction? How is this whole thing possible? To believers in the Trinity it sounds quite nice, but to pious and scholarly Jews who spend their days in contemplating the precious jewels of the Torah, how is it possible?
Rav ElGafeh answers to this in one place: If it were not possible that the heads of Israel fall into error concerning an idolatrous sin, why would it be provided by the Torah that in the case an idolatrous sin hidden to the eyes of all the heads of the congregation, a sin offering must be brought etc. ? The Torah exclaims that an idolatrous sin might be perpetrated even by all Israel without it being recognised.
Obviously those who follow the Zohar do not bow down to crass graven images. They bow down,instead, to extremely sophisticated graven mental images, but they are unaware of its being idolatry. The sin of the fathers is always subtle, otherwise no one would fall into its clutches. It is an erroneous estimation which has its own reasoning behind it, a reasoning on its own standing but not in view of the higher received truth of the faith.
The sin of the generation of Enosh exemplifies the subtlety of the Sin of Fathers. They knew of the existence of the One Living Creator but they deemed that His Governors, the Governing Stars were made for them to reach, reason for which they were visible, and that it was desired by the Creator that people do honour to these great chosen governors. This error then lead them to a second error. Since the stars were such great and influential governors, it was proper that they share in some way the honour of the One who made them, and so they began to add the name El to the name of each star called to by them. This responds to the verse, ‘then they began to profane the name of God’ in reference to the generation of Enosh.
The Hacham ElGafeh demonstrates prophetically, exactly and ferociously that PLACING THE NAMES OF GOD ON TEN EMANATED SFIROT TO BE CALLED TO AS SHARING IN HIS GODLINESS, WHILE BEING CLOSER TO US AND WITHIN OUR REACH WHEREAS THE INFINITE EIN SOF, THE HIGHER INFINITE GOD ABOVE, IS ABOVE THE REACH OF ALL BEING, IS EXACTLY THE SAME SIN OF THE GENERATION OF ENOSH.
Indeed the introductory letters of Rav ElGafeh are all intended to ask the Jerusalmite kabbalist how such a metaphysical concept ever came to be considered a true theology of the Jewish Faith? Our service and our prayers to God are not to be directed to the Higher Infinite Light but rather to the Emanated Zeir Anpin (the Contracted Cosmic Man-God of the World of Emanation). Why didn’t Moses, our teacher, tell us about it, rebukes the Rav, or why didn’t the Prophets of Israel explain it to us so as to correct our error? Why did they let us waste our time and energy praying to the Higher Infinite God who is not interested in our prayers?
But as the Rav cuts the throats of the poisonous doctrines and demonstrates how all this is contrary to the received faith of all the Tradition of Israel, the kabbalist refuses to answer the Rav’s questions. He refuses to acknowledge that the kabbalists objectify Zeir Anpin as a separate God-head since nothing at the level of Emanation is truly separated from God but is totally Divine; only in order to create the worlds below was it necessary that the Infinite Light contract itself in myriad contractions and self-hidings and descents until arriving at the level of Emanation where it is possible to speak of Five Partzufim and Ten Emanated Sfirot; but all this is not something outside of God Himself.
The Hhacham ElGafeh reiterates a kabbalistic formula which states that all our service and prayers must be directed to Zeir Anpin and not to the Infinite Ein Sof. If you are not separating God-heads, how can such a statement be made? And if this Emanated Zeir Anpin is the object of our cult, what has become of the infinite Light of Ein Sof? Has He not remained above while handing over the worldly works to Zeir Anpin, the chosen Son-Partzuf of Aba and Ema!
The kabbalist is scandalised by the Rav’s harsh assumptions of idolatry and throws dirt at his low manner of comprehending the words and terms of the kabbalists who have gleaned these jewels in the sanctity of their higher levels. All that which is spoken about is in terms of extremely fine and elevated lights, while someone who has obviously not entered into the chambers of truth as they has no right to doubt the veracity of their words and to speak in such a demeaning manner about them. Such a one is a kofer, a denier, and is culpable.
The Hhacham ElGafeh answers that one who combats for the sake of the purity of the faith of our tradition, is not a kofer. One who is speaking according to Torah and Mishnah, Talmud, Geonim and Poskim and the Mishnah Torah and Shulhhan Aruch is hardly a kofer. But at the moment that he recognises an error which goes against the tradition, it is a mitzvah to stand up and to call out to demonstrate and to denounce the idolatrous prostitute that has entered into our midst, allowing Israel to deviate from the way of our fathers.
(I’m paraphrasing a few ideas expressed by the Hhacham ElGafeh) ‘Your calling me a kofer and expressing suspicions as to my intentions demonstrate that your own heart is not clean before Heaven and that you are ready to hold false suspicions against an innocent person who asked a perfectly legitimate question: What have we to do with Zeir Anpin and who is this Zeir Anpin that Moses, our teacher, and the Prophets of Israel and Hochmei Yisrael never told us about? Is One who spends his days and nights in studying Torah and Mishnah and Talmud and in fulfilling Mitzvot to be considered a kofer because he refuses to acknowledge the Zohar!’
‘And as far as to my ‘materialising’ the terms and concepts of the kabbalists, it is time you stop pulling the wool over one’s eyes. There is no difference; the kabbalists themselves say that every level of descent on the spiritual levels is a materialisation compared to the level before it. It makes no difference if this is on the level of refined spiritual lights or of matter.’
The kabbalist, nevertheless, obviously unable to answer the Rav’s questions, tries to demonstrate that he is patient and generous as well, and he expounds on some of the basic kabbalistic doctrines concerning the ‘Unity’ of the Ten Sfirot of the World of Emanation. The kabbalist to some measure does not accept that kabbalistic formula that all our service and prayers etc. must be directed to Zeir Anpin. The Rav had cited this point directly from a book called Matzref Emunah (Crucible of the Faith), one among the hoard of kabbalistic works. The kabbalist exclaims that there are some among the kabbalists who do not accept this book cited and to show their scorn for this text they have labelled it Masref Emunah (Burner of the Faith).
Rav ElGafeh takes the point to heart. Why should such antagonism be shown to the author of Matzref Emunah when everything he writes is in accordance with the doctrines of the other kabbalists? It is also obvious that the kabbalists themselves are quite confused about what is considered ‘true’ kabbalah and what is considered a ‘Burner of the Faith’.
8. The reader who is unfamiliar with subject will still not understand what is going on here. What is this kabbalah of the Zohar and what are the kabbalistic doctrines? How is all this possible?
Some years ago in May 1996, Maurizio Piha, a sephardic Jew originally from Alexandria, Egypt, a friend of ours who knew the Tzadik Haim, but who virtually knows nothing of our work in these past thirteen years, called and spoke to Paolo. In brief he said, “I have here before me on the table the Book of ‘Le Sacre Guerre contro la falsa kabbalah’ (our publication of The Holy Wars of Yihye ibn Shlomoh ElGafeh in Italian). I have an extremely important message for Peretz. Tell him that he must have courage and patience and start from the beginning. This book is too important for the entire people of Israel, but this text is for specialists and the layman cannot understand it. Tell Peretz that it is incumbent upon him to explain all this on a level that everyone can comprehend. Let him remember that it is he who received the tradition from the Tzadik Haim and only he can relate it to others. Tell him to be strong and to get to work. The importance of explaining these facts to everybody cannot and must not be underestimated.”
It was then that I began to rewrite this introduction based on the original one. After this introduction, I made an abridged version, with added foot-notes, of the Book Millhhamot Ha-Shem that I had translated previously into English. Also in the first introduction I had attempted to summarise some of the basic kabbalistic formations and concepts. Here is the original attempt: If needs be I shall fill in with foot notes. As in all Sefer Mishnat Haim, capitalised words often show that morethan words, they are terms or categories.
The kabbalists have considered the Infinite God Who Is (EIN SOF) and God the Maker (ZEIR ANPIN) as two separate God-heads, the latter being an Emanated Existence in the ‘form’ of a ‘Spiritual Cosmic Man-God’ who is the Ruler and King over all the worlds. As one might beseech a king to grant him his desire, for it is in the king’s power to give, so are prayers to be directed to the King of the world, and not therefore to the First Cause of all existence.
The World of Emanation (Atzilut) is supposedly a world, emanated from God, more spiritual than the World of Creation (Briah) which has already descended to become created existence. Yet the World of Creation is itself a spiritual world, above the World of Formation (Yetzirah) which is that of the angels and the Source of all forms below. In its turn the World of Formation is higher than the World of Action (Assiyah) which is itself not material but is the ‘Spiritual Format’ of this physical world.
These are the Four Worlds spoken of by all the kabbalists. They represent Four General Categories which can be correlated in man to Action, Speech, Sentiments and Intellect.
Each one of these Worlds has Ten Sfirot. In the World of Emanation these would be the Ten Emanated Sfirot*: Crown (Keter - the Will) of Atzilut, the Wisdom (Hochhmah) of Atzilut, the Understanding (Bina) of Atzilut, the Benevolence (Hhessed) of Atzilut, the Force (Gevurah) of Atzilut, the Splender (Tifferet) of Atzilut, the Eternity (Netzahh - Victoriousness) of Atzilut, the Magnificence (Hod - Glory) of Atzilut, the Foundation (Yesod) of Atzilut, and the Kingdom (Malchut) of Atzilut. The Ten Sfirot represent the Soul-Powers in each world of the Emanator, the Creator, the Former and Maker respectively.**
The reader does not have to understand these terms in order to understand the argument at hand, but only a very general idea of the concepts and consequently the ‘doctrines’ involved. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the idolatrous doctrines to which we refer derive from the concept of Atzilut -Emanation. It is essential to the Sacred Wars that one may not speak of levels or categories in God above or before the Act of Creation. This fact will help the reader not to get confused. We are really not interested in what the kabbalists say concerning their Worlds of Creation, Formation and Action. But in formulating any categories or levels above the Level of Creation, idolatrous doctrines are created, doctrines when translated are closer to the Divine Emanations in the Hindu religion than to the pure Monotheistic faith of Judaism. In comparisan to Christianity, once we know that the John’s doctrine of the Logos represents a false theology, making of Christ the Instrument of God’s creation, we are no longer interested in all the rest of John’s theology concerning Jesus
* See in the Herem Mideoraita the documentation of the dream concerning the Ambassadorial statement of James Baker, then Secretary of State, to President Bush, who asserted that “we cannot say that the Ten Sfirot do not exist, but we can say that it is quite a different matter than the manner of interpretation of the kabbalists”. This sign is part of the New True Kabbalah and cannot be denied. I can also testify to the fact that the Tzadik Haim did mention to me the existence of the Ten Sfirot. The error had also come because the true prohibition of not trying to write or to define or to describe these Ten Sfirot is not a prohibition that may recede in time. To speak about the Sfirot and to try to describe them falsifies them. Only the true Hidden Tzadikim ‘walk’ in the Sfirot and know them. Those others who thought themselves on the level of these Sfirot and who thought themselves harbingers of the Secret Torah that would bring the Final Redemption were receiving an external and distorted light and all that which they revealed in this light is false and useless. If they would have known the true light they would not have written or spoke about it. This fact may be a source of some confusion to serious students, but, first of all, it must be remembered that the above is a testimony of the Tzadik, Head of the 36 Hidden Tzadikim, Haim, who walked constantly in that higher sanctity. It is he who testifies that, although there exists a true secret of the Ten Sfirot, all that which has been written about them is false and useless while underminding the true faith of Israel etc. I might attempt to further alleviate the possible confusion by postulating that it is not of itself prohibited to believe in the existence of Ten Sfirot but it is severely prohibited to believe in or speak or write about Ten Emanated Sfirot of the world of Emanation. These do not exist and every word concerning such become idolatrous concepts etc. All the doctrines written concerning the Ten Sfirot are based on the Ten Emanated Sfirot of the Zohar and are false on whatever level they are intended to explain.The Cosmic Man-God of Atzilut (Zeir Anpin*) has a Cosmic Body called Body of the King (Gufa d’Malka), containing 248 Cosmic Limbs and 365 Cosmic Veins and Arteries.
*‘Small-Face’ that is God in His Contracted and Emanated manifestation at the level of Atzilut. It is a ‘revealed’ manifestation of the Infinite God where He has ‘lowered’ Himself to the Level of the Cosmic Man, or where He is the Cosmic Source of Mankind. Thus He is the Emanation of God from His Infinite State into His revealed state and the Source and God of Mankind below. This is the meaning of the Cosmic Man-God of Atzilut. One can well understand why Christian theologians so loved the Zohar!
The World of Emanation is further classified into Five Partzufim (Faces - Aspects). Crown (Keter), Aba (Father), Ema (Mother), Zeir Anpin (Son of Aba and Ema), and Malchuta (Kingdom) or Nukva* (Female).
*Generally when Aspects are counted, Keter is counted and when Sfirot are counted, Da’at is counted. The Partzuf of Aba (Father) is correlated to the Sfirah of Hochmah (Wisdom), the Partzuf of Ema is correlated to the Sfirah of Bina (Understanding). The Partzuf of Zeir Anpin is correlated to the Six Sfirot (Hhessed, Gevurah, Tifferet, Netzahh, Hod, Yesod). The Partzuf of Nukva is correlated to the Sfirah of Malchut (Kingdom). Again the reader need not understand anything of these terms, but only to have an idea of the ‘system’ which has occupied the time and energies of the kabbalists since the Zohar.
The Partzuf of the Crown represents the Higher Crowned King whose ‘Pleasure’ lies in the Higher Secrets known only to the Higher King, whereas the Lower King represented by Malchut is the King’s Pleasure in commanding His servants and having His will fulfilled. The dominant Partzuf of the Creation was Aba, the Wise Father, while the Partzuf of Ema, the Understanding Mother, put into action the commands of Aba, except for the creation of man, where Ema took it upon herself to generate him even against the good council of Aba*.
*Rav ElGafeh throws brimstone and fire agains the idolatrous connotations of such a division of Emanated Godheads which is closer to the Greek Pantheon than to the second Commandment.
The Partzuf of Zeir Anpin is the ‘generated son’ of Aba and Ema, the Heart of Atzilut who receives from the Intellect Powers above him and is called ‘Man’. The Five Partzufim together are also called Higher Man (Adam ‘Elyon), whereas Zeir Anpin forms a complete Partzuf within the restricted attributes to which it pertains. Thus, according to the kabbalists, the Five Partzufim together represent Arich Anpin (Long Face -Patient), whereas the more restricted Zeir Anpin (Short Face - Short-Tempered) represents the Awarder of good and Punisher of evil.
When Zeir Anpin is in a love-relationship* with Malchut, the ‘influence’ is received by her in the best manner, and thus that which is born from their union**is ‘Godliness’ in a more revealed form***. When, however, Zeir Anpin and Nukvei are separated from one another, the influence drawn into the world by way of Malchut is given over ‘unwillingly’ so that miracles are unseen and the severity of nature abounds.
*Said love-relationship, for the kabb, is the result of Israel’s service and prayers and mitzvot etc. Everything that the Torah commands, according to them, is for the sake of unifying Zeir Anpin and Malchut. This is pure kifrut, exclaims ha-Mori ElGafeh, and it corresponds exacty to the prohibition of ‘RIBUI RESHAYOT’ a ‘multiplicity of reigns’ against which the Sages, of blessed memory, warned in many instances.
** From this derives the ‘sexual language’ of all the kabbalists in describing the unification of Zeir Anpin and Nukvei, a language against which the author screams out with fear for the Jewish fate as he lambasts the Rabbis who permitted such an unscrupulous terminology in speaking about the Holy One, Blessed is He. It is one thing to speak about the symbolic union of the Holy One and Israel represented in the Song of Songs. It is another to create an entire theology of Emanated Divine Male and Female Elements seeking the Spiritual Pleasure of their Union by way of the service of Israel.*** If Christianity thrieved for 2000 years on such a concept, the Zohar dressed the same concept in the scheme of Emanation, elevating the idolatry to a metaphysical level, and has been thrieving on it for the last 400 years. In the end, however, down with John’s Logos and down with Leon’s Emanation, and the world will be purified of idolatrous doctrines.
In general, the world of Emanation is considered the Last Manifestation of Godliness which, although an emanation, is not separated from His Essence. The last emanation in the Atzilut itself is Zeir Anpin who must, however, be joined to Malchut, the receiver of His influence and Female Counterpart, in order that He be the God of the world.
* If you desire to vomit, this is a sign that you are beginning to understand the subject matter. If you desire to cry, this too is good, but it is better for your health that you vomit first. If, however, there is nothing in your stomach to vomit, go to the nearest Synagogue, stand up and pound on the Teva and demand an explanation. With the Aron ha-Kodesh open! The performance of the mitzvot are the ‘secret paths’ derived from and connected to the bodies and limbs of Zeir Anpin and Nukvei Therefore when Israel is adept in complying with the mitzvot and laws, their actions cause the higher bodies and limbs to be joined, while their ‘intentions’ (kavvanot) cause the higher Spirits (Ruhhot) of the Partzufim to be in loving-harmony. For this reason all the mitzvot, services and prayers must be directed to the manifested Godliness in His Cosmic Man Emanation, as He (Zeir Anpin) is in loving-harmony with Malchuta, now called Shechintei, the Divine Presence. It is for this reason that the kabbalists say before the performance of each mitzvah ‘For the sake of uniting Kudshe Brich Hu and Shechintei etc.’. **Hundreds of editions of various Prayer Books (Siddurim) have been contaminated with this idolatrous formula.
And we say that we shall not unite 2 Gods in God or 5 Gods in God or 10 Gods in God, nor shall we have anything to do with such Divine Unifications. For this reason it is prohibited to speak of Divine Emanated Levels and Categories. Any such Levels or Categories necessarily become a Multiplicity of Reigns and Divisions in God, God forbid. Moses, the teacher of us all, taught ‘Be of a pure and simple heart with the Lord, your God’ and he taught ‘The hidden things are to the Lord, your God, while the revealed things are for us and for our children’.
All this is not Torah, nor Prophets nor Tradition. How did such scholars of the Torah fall into such a blatantly idolatrous theology?
I will not try to answer this question except by the hair of a Tail. The temptation of the Zohar was as the Fruit of Beautiful Intellectual Pleasures that Eve could not do without until she knew her sin. And the subtle blind sin of attaching the names of God to the Ten Emanated Sfirot of the Zohar was the sin of fathers of the generation of Enosh. And the desire to construct a spiritual building that would bind God in heaven to the world below and bring the final redemption, as has been the kabbalistic daring in the past 400 years, was an undesired and hateful building, as the city and the Tower of Babel, and its true intentions are based on the foolish arrogance to ‘bring’ the Final Redemption, instead of waiting for the Signs of God who chooses the Final Goel and decides the time of the revelation of the Final Redemption. And the sin of deifying the Ten Emanated Sfirot derives from the sin of the Mixed Multitude who, for reason of the idolatrous concepts retained from Egyptian ‘theology’, would have deified the Ten Commandments turning them into Ten Divine Emanations, had Moses not thrown them down and shattered them to pieces, so as to destroy the sin in its source. And the sin of the rabbis of these generations who have been beguiled by the Zohar’s Serpent Cunning and simply have had their eyes covered and have not understood the idolatrous mistakes involved, is the sin of Aaron who unwittingly erred and did not understand the idolatrous roots behind the Mixed-multitude’s desire for the golden calf. This sin has returned for its final purification, so as to clear the way for the final redemption.For all these reasons together, it was foreseen by the Prophets of Israel that Israel would fall into ‘AVON KETZ, the sin of the Last Days of Judgement, while the purification of Israel from that sin would represent the return of Israel to its true God at the time of the complete redemption. It represents the Last Terrible Sin of Israel. If it had to come out, this is because it had to be purified before the true faith might reign in the world. Again it will be realised how important it was that the Tzadik Haim himself initiated and authorised the Wars of Mitzvah against the false doctrines that have contaminated Jewish existence for the past 400 years and strangled its spirit from receiving the true spirit of the God of Israel.
Sefer Milhhamot Ha-Shem provides all the necessary keys to understanding the basic principles upon which their false kabbalah has been constructed. The author has ingeniously intersperced his book with citations from the kabbalists and the essential tenets upon which the citation is based on the one hand and the counter citations from the Torah, the Sages of the Mishnah and Talmud, the Geonim and Rishonim etc. on the other. The profound result is that the reader will gain an understanding of the true nature of their kabbalistic system from which he will clearly be able to distinguish between the True Kabbalah of the Written and Oral Law and between the beliefs of the false kabbalah. If the reader will at first be amazed at the striking dichotomy, he will shortly become aware of the incredible perspicacity with which the Mori Elgafeh has seized upon the undeniable principles of their kabbalistic system and its direct contradiction to the True Tradition of Israel’s faith.
In the original introduction, also because of the fact that I did not know if I would afterwards have permission to write about the Tzadik, Haim, I mentioned with short explanations some of the true categories of the Kabbalah. Most people, students of the Torah and not, are very confused about hidden things. People are confused about such questions as the existence of demons, the powers of magic, the powers of the stars, astrology in general, the returning of souls, the secrets of nature, the secrets of the Torah, the Kabbalah Maasit, the higher knowledge of the Hidden Tzadikim. The intention that I had in reporting those categories was to demonstrate that Milhhamot ha-Shem, in demonstrating the falsities of the Zohar theology and of all the so-called kabbalists who claim all sorts of powers deriving from those doctrines, is in no way disclaiming the true ‘secret’ Kabbalah of Jewish tradition.
Destroying the so-called Jewish Mysticism of the past 400 years has nothing to do with the truth of the existence of true hidden traditions of the Torah and even of true hidden traditions of pre-Torah times. There are, of course, many categories of ‘secrets’, as there are many categories of miracles known from the Torah tradition, with each category having a particular ‘secret tradition’ behind it. But here we wish only to highlight the true existence of some of the main subjects of confusion.
I am here not speaking of the Hidden Tradition of the Hidden Tzadikim or of the Secret of their Ascent, but of various categories of secrets which do exist and which have been passed on from generation to generation, from father to son or from teacher to pupil, by word of mouth. For example, secrets of the Kabbalah Maasit, were known among the Sages of Yemen, brought with them from the ancient tradition, as explained. There are, indeed, many levels to the Kabbalah Maasit itself.
Examples of the Kabbalah Maasit are known in tradition from the children of Jacob who sometimes created with it a sheep (or some other animal) and ate it still alive; and sometimes they created pretty women with whom to expel natural passions, and afterwards the women were no more. It is known in tradition that Joseph came complaining to his father, Jacob, that his older brothers were transgressing the will of God by eating the blood of living animals and by laying with women at random.
