July 25: Kabbalalalah

Isaac Luria, the mystical leader of Safed who inspired a major revival of Kabbalah, died on this date in 1572 at the age of 38. Luria, known as “the Ari” (the Lion), left no written record beyond a few poems, but his disciples compiled his teachings into a theology that dominated the Jewish world within a century and became the basis for Hasidic mysticism. Lurianic concepts include Divine tzimtzum (withdrawal to make room for creation), tikkun olam (repair of the world through human deeds that gather the exiled “sparks of holiness”), reincarnation, and complex systems of mystical meaning for the names of God, the words of Torah and liturgy, the holy days of Judaism, and more. Luria was born in Jerusalem to an Ashkenazic father and Sephardic mother. At the age of 22, living in Cairo, he discovered the Zohar, the 14th century “Bible” of Kabbalah that had been printed only recently for the first time. Luria studied and meditated in seclusion for seven years before returning to Israel and settling in Safed, where he joined a growing circle of Kabbalists and attracted his community of disciples.

“Every created entity has a spark of G-dliness within it, a pinpoint of Divinity that constitutes its soul. When we utilize something to serve the Creator, we penetrate its shell of mundanity, revealing and realizing its divine essence. Thus we elevate these ‘sparks,’ reuniting them with their Source.”—Isaac Luria