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| Seeking = See+King |
The Hebrew word for seek/demand/require is darash" (דָּרַשׁ). The word has a strong emphasis on careful and diligent search or inquiry.
The first verse and the torah where we see this word is Genesis 9:5, where is appears three times!
Genesis 9:5 -- But your blood, of your souls, I will demand [an account]; from the hand of every beast I will demand it, and from the hand of man, from the hand of each man, his brother, I will demand the soul of man.
One of the last verses we find with the word darash is Deuteronomy 23:21 -- "When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee..." — God will darash (require) the vow.
In 2 Samuel 1, the bible tells us that on King Saul's death his crown was presented to David.
Isaiah 11.2 -- the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might,the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
How do you describe the Spirit of the Lord? What is it about the Spirit of the Lord that makes it so special?
Reflections on the Simplicity of Jesus and the Depth of Kabbalah
Let me begin by clarifying. This is not an article about salvation. My focus here is not on who is “saved” or how to secure eternal life. Instead, I want to explore the question:
How do we access, experience, and grow in divine understanding?
As someone with a Jewish background, I’m fascinated by the ways different traditions—especially Kabbalah and Christianity—approach the flow of wisdom from the Infinite into our daily lives. For me, the heart of the matter is not just mystical knowledge or theological belief, but the lived experience of divine understanding: how we receive it, how we lose it, and how we restore it.
Desire, Blockage, and the Need for Return
Repentance—teshuvah (תשובה)—is central in both traditions.
In Kabbalah, teshuvah is a process of return, a way to clear the channels so that divine energy can flow freely again. In Christianity, repentance is met with the assurance of forgiveness through Jesus, which removes the barrier and restores relationship with God.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
—1 John 1:9
Binah: Intuitive Understanding and the Flow of Wisdom
As I’ve studied and reflected, the concept of Binah (בִּינָה) in biblical Hebrew, is the closest word to what we might call “intuition.” It primarily means “understanding,” “insight,” or “discernment. ” Binah also carries the connotation of intuitive perception—especially the ability to discern or deduce one thing from another, sometimes described as reading “between the lines.”
The words and concept of Binah is rooted in the verb bein (בין), meaning “to discern” or “to distinguish.” Rabbinic tradition often links binah to a deeper, sometimes feminine, intuitive insight. Interestingly, the first beautiful allusion, including the root Hebrew letters בין is found in Genesis 2 -- וַיִּ֩בֶן֩ And He built
“And the Lord God built the side that He had taken from man into a woman, and He brought her to man.
—Genesis 2:22 (Chabad)
Here, the creation of woman is seen as an act of binah—a divine ability to bring forth new understanding from what already exists.
Binah is a window into the Divine—a way of accessing Keter, the Crown on the Tree of Life. The Keter is the universal will and wisdom brought down in Light from the Ein Sof.
In Christianity, I’ve noticed that the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh, רוח הקודש) seems to play a parallel but even broader role. Keter (Crown), Binah (Understanding) and Chokmah (Wisdom), form the Supernal Triangle—the highest triad of the ten sefirot--a Holy Trinity of Sorts.
The Holy Spirit: Universal Understanding
Christianity teaches that accepting Jesus brings not just forgiveness, but the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is described as a universal, yet personal guide, bringing wisdom and understanding to all believers. While binah is about individual, intuitive insight, the Holy Spirit seems to represent a more universal, collective understanding—a direct channel from Keter to the community of believers. By the same token, even though the Holy Spirit is considered Universal, there is still an individual relationship, similar to Binah.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
—John 14:26
—John 14:26
The Light of the Devine
Binah is our personal ascent toward the Divine, an individual’s intuitive grasp of deeper truths, while the Holy Spirit is the Divine’s descent, offering universal understanding and guidance to all who are open to it.
In both Kabbalah and Christianity, there is a profound focus on drawing down the light from the Source—bringing divine illumination into our world and our lives.
In Kabbalah, the entire mystical system is built around the flow of divine light (Or Ein Sof, אור אין סוף) from the Infinite (Ein Sof) through the sefirot, gradually descending through spiritual worlds until it reaches our reality.
Christianity, too, is centered on the theme of light. Jesus is described as “the light of the world” (John 8:12), and the Holy Spirit is often symbolized as divine light or fire, illuminating the hearts and minds of believers.
Simplicity and Depth: Two Approaches to Divine Understanding
A beautiful quality of Christianity—especially as taught by Jesus—is its simplicity. The requirements are clear and accessible: faith, repentance, and openness to the Holy Spirit. The teachings of Jesus are direct, practical, and focused on love, forgiveness, and relationship with God.
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
—Matthew 11:30
Kabbalah, on the other hand, offers a more intricate, layered “science” of spiritual connection. For those who want to understand the mechanics of how divine understanding flows, how blockages form, and how the soul ascends, Kabbalah provides a rich framework. It’s not just about faith, but about engaging the mind, heart, and will in a lifelong process of refinement and return.
Daily Living: Where Understanding Meets Action
Both traditions agree: divine understanding isn’t just about mystical experiences or theological knowledge. It’s about choices—how we speak, act, and relate to others. Kabbalah teaches that every act of tikkun (repair) helps restore the flow of divine light, while Christianity calls believers to “walk by the Spirit,” making choices that reflect God’s love and wisdom.
In either belief system, we try to organize our life around principles—love, humility, justice, generosity—knowing that each decision either clears or clouds our connection to the Divine. The Holy Spirit, or what Kabbalah might call an awakened binah, becomes a daily guide, helping me overcome the yetzer hara (evil inclination), what Christians would call Satan, and live more fully in alignment with the Source of understanding.
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
—Micah 6:8
Not Alone in Seeing the Connection
Sometimes I wonder if I’m alone in seeing such a strong relationship between these two traditions. But I know there are others—though perhaps a minority—who see the mystical language of the sefirot and the New Testament’s descriptions of the Holy Spirit as describing similar processes: God’s desire to reveal Himself, to communicate understanding, and to draw creation into unity with Himself. There are some Christian Kabbalists and some modern thinkers have explored these connections, even if it’s not a mainstream view.
A Personal Synthesis
So, as I think through these things, I see Jesus’s path as a beautiful simplification: a way for anyone to access divine understanding and connection without precondition. But I also find Kabbalah’s depth deeply satisfying, especially when I want to understand the “how” behind the experience.
So, as I think through these things, I see Jesus’s path as a beautiful simplification: a way for anyone to access divine understanding and connection without precondition. But I also find Kabbalah’s depth deeply satisfying, especially when I want to understand the “how” behind the experience.
Conclusion
I may be in the minority, but I believe Kabbalah and Christianity compliment each other. I find that Spiritual truth and synergy is revealed when I overlay the teachings of one with the other.
Both traditions, in their own way, point toward the same mystery: that the Infinite desires to be known, and that our lives are meant to be a continual dance between personal insight and universal wisdom—a dance that brings us ever closer to the Divine.
These are my reflections as someone who stands at the intersection of two traditions, seeking not just knowledge, but living, breathing understanding of the Divine. I hope my journey encourages others to explore, question, and find their own synthesis of wisdom and faith.