Zohar (Midrash HaNeelam)

4 texts in Kabbalah & Mysticism

Everything Was Created At Once

Midrash ha-Ne'elam

Like one moment there’s nothing, and the next, BAM! The whole shebang is right there in front of you? Jewish tradition has a fascinating take on creation that might resonate with t...

CreationHeavenAdam & Eve

The Prince Of Gehenna

Midrash ha-Ne'elam

Jewish tradition has a concept called Gehenna, often translated as Hell, though it’s more of a purgatorial realm of purification. And guarding the gates, or at least playing a key ...

AngelsDemonsHell/GehennaAdam & Eve

The Hidden Garden

Midrash ha-Ne'elam f Zohar Hadash 18a

One powerful idea, found in Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) ha-Ne'elam and the Zohar Hadash, is that the Garden of Eden is actually hidden. So hidden, in fact, that "it ...

CreationAngelsHeavenHell/Gehenna

The Ever-turning Sword Of Flame

Midrash ha-Ne'elam

We all know the story from Genesis: the serpent, the forbidden fruit, the exile. But what then? Did the Garden just sit there, empty and forlorn? Not quite. According to Jewish lor...

AngelsHeavenAdam & EveNoah & Flood