Torah.org Home Subscribe Services Support Us
 
Print Version

Email this article to a friend

"The Way of G-d"

Part 3: "The Soul, Inspiration, Prophecy, and the Supernatural"

Chapter 2: "Theurgy"

Paragraph 1

We'll now address a subject termed "theurgy', which is the art of affecting change in the world through the recitation of Divine names and the like. We won't be divulging the process itself, since it's only for holy souls and their initiates. What we will do, though, will be to explain how such things are possible, and the hope is that that will give us insight into the powers of the holy as well as in The Holy One who hears their pleas. But we'll have to review a few things beforehand to put a largely unknown phenomenon into perspective.

If you recall, we said early on that transcendent forces in the Heavens form the backdrop of everything on earth (1:5:3), and that the lot of them are arranged in a specific order with particular roles. Recall as well that we pointed out that there are distinct transcendent forces behind evil, too (1:5:8). And finally, recall that we depicted the transcendent forces as "the sublime and ethereal counterparts" of things (1:5:2); we underscored the point that material things are thus mere projections, physical manifestations, and offshoots of those transcendent forces; and we noted that reality actually lies in that transcendent realm.

It's also important to know that it's there, in the "backgound", where it's decided what's to go on in our world, based on our general and specific needs. And that G-d has seen to it that the transcendant forces affect specific changes down here by being connected to them through a chain of fixed and orderly spiritual phenomena that start far back and reach all the way down (and back again).

Let's now go on from there.

This series is dedicated to the memory of Yitzchak Hehrsh ben Daniel, and Sarah Rivka bas Yaakov Dovid.

Subscribe to Ramchal and receive the class via e-mail.

Please Support TORAH.ORG
Print Version       Email this article to a friend

 

ARTICLES ON EIKEV:

View Complete List

On the HEELS of Moshiach
Rabbi Pinchas Winston - 5766

Choices and Miracles
Rabbi Berel Wein - 5767

Nobody's Neutral!
Rabbi Label Lam - 5762

Email Sponsorship

Hashem Does Not Need Our Mitzvos
Shlomo Katz - 5760

Tefillin: Tied Up
Rabbi Osher Chaim Levene - 5767

It's Our Home
Rabbi Aron Tendler - 5759

The Everything Torah Book

The Healing of the Heel
Rabbi Pinchas Winston - 5764

Thinking Inside The Box
Rabbi Berel Wein - 5764

Intergenerational Dialogue
Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky - 5761

ArtScroll

Nothing But The Truth
Rabbi Pinchas Avruch - 5765

The Ante-Room
Rabbi Dovid Green - 5757

The Beginning of Wisdom
Rabbi Pinchas Winston - 5758

Downtrodden
Rabbi Osher Chaim Levene - 5766

Emulate G-d, Again and Again!
Shlomo Katz - 5761

Watch Your Step
Rabbi Berel Wein - 5765

Treat With Care
Rabbi Eliyahu Hoffmann - 5760


Learning Events and Programs

Project Genesis

Torah.org Home


Torah Portion

Jewish Law

Ethics

Texts

Learn the Basics

Seasons

Features

TORAHAUDIO

Ask The Rabbi

Knowledge Base

Discussion Forum




Help

About Us

Contact Us


Enable popup menus


Download to my HandHeld


Torah.org Home
Torah.org HomeCapalon.com Copyright Information