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Ma'aseh Merkabah

M a'aseh Merkabah, Hebrew "Work of Chariot," is one of the oldest branches ofJewish mysticism, which consists of theory and practice based upon the descriptionof the chariot of God in the first chapter of the Book of !ekiel Within the systemof Ma'aseh Merkabah this chariot was belie#ed to be the spiritual world itself,di#ided into se#en hea#ens and staffed by #arious wonderful an$elic powers %hestructure of the chariot was describes in handbooks distributed durin$ the heydayof the Ma'aseh Merkabah, which lasted from about & BC until the Middle($es

%he se#eral sur#i#in$ handbooks indicate they were to be used with oralinstruction Many details of the theory were unclear What was clear, thou$h, wasthat the Merkabah mystics were not content to steady and meditate on the structureof hea#en, but they were e)ually interested in $oin$ there throu$h #isionary

*ourneys which are described in detail in #arious accounts

+racticin$ Merkabah was considered to be both holy and dan$erous n

the %almud it is related that a child was studyin$ the scriptures his teacher's home,and he comprehended the secret meanin$ of the word clashmal, radiance, suddenlya fire came forth from the clashmal and consumed him

%he Ma'aseh Merkabah was still practiced in some circles durin$ the firstde#elopment of the -abbalah , and its practice emer$ed into the latter But unlikethe Ma'aseh Merkabah the -abbalah relies on meditation to achie#e spiritualde#elopment rather than ecstatic #isionary e.periences A.G.H.

http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/m/ma'aseh_merkabah.html

MA'ASEH BERESHIT; MA'ASEH MERKABAH (literally, "work of Creation"and "work of the Chariot" !

By! o#e$h a%o, A Bira

Ta&le of Content# Creation Mystery Chariot of /ire +ractical (pplications

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0ource of 1octrines

%almudic terms for the esoteric doctrine of the uni#erse, or for parts of it 2 comp Cabala 3Ma'aseh Bereshit, followin$ Gen i , comprises the cosmo$ony of the %almudic times4Ma'aseh Merkabah, based on the description of the 1i#ine Chariot in !ek i , and on other

prophetic descriptions of di#ine manifestations, such as that in sa #i , is concerned with thetheosophic #iews of those times %he secret doctrine mi$ht not be discussed in publiccclesiasticus 2iii 567553 in#ei$hs a$ainst its study8 "0eek not out the thin$s that are too hard

for thee, neither search the thin$s that are abo#e thy stren$th But what is commanded thee,think thereupon with re#erence4 for it is not needful for thee to see with thine eyes the thin$sthat are in secret " H 9a$ ii 6 says8 "Ma'aseh Bereshit must not be e.plained before two, norMa'aseh Merkabah before one, unless he be wise and understands it by himself"4 H 9a$ 6&athen $oes on to e.plain that the chapter7headin$s of Ma'aseh Merkabah may be tau$ht, as wasdone by : H 9iyya (ccordin$ to ;er H 9a$ ii 6, the teacher read the headin$s of the chapters,after which, sub*ect to the appro#al of the teacher, the pupil read to the end of the chapter :

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doctrine of Creation n like manner the cosmo$onic conceptions of the (pocrypha and of$eonic mysticism must not be considered as indications of the secret teachin$s of the Ma'asehBereshit

Chariot of /ire

0omewhat simpler is the )uestion re$ardin$ the nature of the Ma'aseh Merkabah, which isdesi$nated as "an important matter" in the %almud 20uk 5>a3 and which, perhaps, occupieson the whole a more prominent position than the Ma'aseh Bereshit Just as in the case of thelatter, the purely ha$$adic e.planations of !ek i , as found, for instance, in H 9a$ 6&b, mustnot be taken into consideration %hischapter of !ekiel, it is declared, may be studied e#en byyoun$ pupils, because a boy can seldom reco$ni!e the doctrines implied therein %he ob*ect,therefore, was to find special secrets in these #erses : (kiba is said 2H 9a$ 6?b76@a3 to ha#e$athered his mystic deductions from 1eut ...iii 5 2"and he came with ten thousands ofsaints"3, Cant # 6 2"the chiefest amon$ ten thousand"3, sa .l#iii 5 2"%he Aord of hosts ishis name"3, and -in$s .i. 66, 65 2 li*ah's $reat theophany3 %he Ma'aseh Merkabah,therefore, dealt with esoteric teachin$s concernin$ the #isible manifestations of God, and

hence with an$elolo$y and demonolo$y, thou$h not to the same de$ree as in %almudicliterature (s the story of : (kiba indicates, the other theophanies mentioned in the Biblewere used in the Ma'aseh Merkabah4 H 9a$ 6&b shows, e.g. , that this was the case with sa #i

+ractical (pplications%he Ma'aseh Merkabah seems to ha#e had practical applications %he belief was apparentlycurrent that certain mystic e.positions of the !ekiel chapter, or the discussion of ob*ectsconnected with it, would cause God to appear When : lea!ar b '(rak was discoursin$upon the Ma'aseh Merkabah to : Johanan b

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secret doctrine mentions, besides (kiba, 0imeon b '(!!ai, 0imeon b

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Bike most other ekhalot te3ts! the 6a'aseh 6erkabah reColCes aro nd the knowled e o" secretnames o" 4od sed the r ically "or mystical ascent. 5t be ins with a conCersation between Dabbi5shmael and Dabbi ! Mystical Prayer in Ancient Judaism: An Analysis ofMa aseh Merkavah &oronet Oooks! 1991! p. .

. Jump up 7wart>! p . 22J

J. Jump up 7wart>! p . 2 "".

. Jump up 7wart>! p . 2 "".

8. Jump up 7wart>! p . 2 @ "".

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