PASSOVER: THE CORE MESSAGE
God Rejects Mysticism
Rabbi Moshe Ben-Chaim
“Those with empty brains say, ‘It’s only because fortune tellers and magicians are true, that Torah prohibits them.' But I say just the opposite of their words, because the Torah doesn't prohibit that which is true, but it prohibits that which is false. And the proof is the prohibition of idols and statues” (Ibn Ezra, Lev. 19:31).
What is Passover’s core theme? God freed us from Egypt’s false mysticism to give us Torah life, a life of wisdom and reality. Yet, 3338 years later, Jews abound in their baseless, mystical and Kabbalistic beliefs, projecting onto God physical properties like emanations, location, contraction, “ein sof” (infinity), light, and gender, violating God who said, “Nothing is similar to Me” (Isaiah 40:18,25). Even Moses could not know what God is, “…for no mortal may see Me while alive” (Exod. 33:20). Thus, for anyone to say they know more than Moses violates God’s words of Moses unparalleled mind, “Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses” (Deut. 34:10).
The rule is clear: by equating God to anything, one’s idea of God is false. This is the sin of Jewish mystics.
Jewish mystics create drawings of “sefirot,” imaginary “parts” of God. But to convey what God is through a drawing, or event to suggest God has parts, you equate God to the physical world, and convict yourself of grave sin.
Other mystical Jews speak of Torah’s “inner, deeper realities.” But these mystic Jews can’t articulate what they mean. Furthermore, Moshe, Abraham and literally all other Torah personalities never spoke of such mystical notions.
Maimonides was one of our greatest thinkers and he explained there are only three categories of matters that we should believe as true:
1) Senses: we either see something or hear something so we know that our perception depicts reality.
2) Reason: when our minds say that 2+2=4 we must accept this as a truth. Our minds also say a thing cannot create itself. We know this is true based on reason,
3) Torah: God’s authority deems what is real.
But if somebody tells us that there is a certain power, or that there is mysticism, we do not accept this without any evidence because again, 1) we haven't sensed this power, 2) reason rejects what is inexplicable, and 3) mysticism is nowhere to be found in the Torah. So we rationally reject such a claim. Torah never makes mention of mystical entities or forces, in fact, Torah prohibits the belief in anything but God:
It has been clearly demonstrated to you that the Eternal alone is God; there is none else (Deut. 4:35)
Those nations that you are about to dispossess resort to fortune tellers and horoscopists; to you however the Eternal your God has not assigned the like (Deut. 18:14)
Do not turn to ghosts and do not inquire of familiar spirits, to be defiled by them, I the Eternal am your God (Lev. 19:31).
Thus said God, “Do not learn to go the way of the nations, and do not be dismayed by signs in the sky, for the nations be dismayed by them” (Jer. 10:2).
They (mystical idols) have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear (Psalms 115:5, 135:16).
Thus, the idolatrous nations’ baseless worship of stone gods, fortune tellers, ghosts, and spirits, is equated to the belief in astrology; all are false as Ibn Ezra teaches, and delude man of seeing truth. Additionally as God created everything—even according to mystics—why not relate directly to the Creator as opposed to the (imagined) intermediary forces? After all, He is stronger.
Mysticism Justifies Other Religions
If credence be given to powers without any evidence, then we must accept other religions making the same claims. However God prohibits this because God wishes man to accept reality and reject baseless claims. Precisely for this reason, God orchestrated revelation at Sinai in order that mankind should have mass witnesses upon whom to rely, validating God as the sole power. God provided demonstrable proof of Himself and His will and this never happened with any other religion. In other words, God provided a manner through which we could “prove” what exists and what His will is, and that is based on our senses, namely, what the Jews saw at Sinai. We also reject mystical claims for the same reason: no evidence supports such claims and Torah teaches against mysticism.
The Attraction to Mysticism
When failing to attain a need, mysticism offers one another possible fix. Even lacking reasoning, people say, “It doesn’t hurt to try it.” Desperation needs no rationale. But it does hurt, as following unsubstantiated practices derails one’s mind from following reason. This conditions one’s mind to not seek reason in other activities, which must result in failure.
The Patriarchs & Matriarchs
God records the lives of the patriarchs and matriarchs as examples of human excellence. They approached all aspects of life using wisdom: be it Abraham’s dealings with Lote and Pharaoh, Sarah’s dealings with Hagar, Isaac’s dealings with Avimelech, Jacob’s dealings with Lavan and Eisav and Esther’s dealings with Achashveirosh and Haman. Torah depicts the patriarchs and matriarchs employing psychological and philosophical wisdom, but never once recognizing what people refer to as “mysticism.” When Abraham faced a famine in Canaan, he did not believe some mystical force would feed him, but he traveled to Egypt which had food, even risking his life because they were degenerates. He told the king “Sarah is my sister” so they wouldn't kill him. Abraham did not feel mystical forces existed. He knew that all at play was his psychological acumen, the emotions of others, and nature. And even though he was in contact with God, Abraham did not rely on a miracle. Mysticism is found nowhere throughout Torah. The Ten Plagues teach precisely that imagined forces do not exist. God is the sole power; Egypt was devastated.
The Contradiction
Jews today claim that there are mystical forces. But why do you never see these Jews quitting their jobs and expecting these forces to provide for their mortgage and food? Their actions contradict their mystical claims. Ask them to prove that mystical forces exist. They can’t. When defenders of mysticism don’t live by their claims, and cant validate them, this exposes their mystical claims as baseless.
Why then all the pop-videos endorsing mysticism?
This video generation attracts egos, everyone is creating them. Excluding certain righteous teachers and authorities motivated by true care for others, many create videos for popularity and self-aggrandizement. They feel, “I know Torah’s secrets.” But I have viewed these videos; they offer no substantiation for their claims, primarily because they speak of imagination. Similar to other religions’ promotion of blind faith, these Jewish speakers do not attempt to prove their mystical claims with any scientific, empirical, or airtight logic.
Passover: Rejecting Mysticism
Passover celebrates our rejection of any power other than God. Even Pharaoh knew his astrologers and magicians were useless, as he always called on Moses to terminate the plagues. Why didn’t he ask his magicians? It is as Saadia Gaon said, the astrologers and magicians used sleight of hand, just like today’s magicians.
Jews today are split over rejecting or accepting mysticism. Both opinions cannot be correct: either mysticism exists or it doesn’t. There's only three methods to validate truths: 1) evidence, 2) reason 3) Torah. Not one of these three defend a belief in the “unknown.” And if something is unknown or mystical, it's precisely because it does not exist.