Chapter 8: The Renaissance and Beyond

Preceding every new stage in the evolution of desires, the appropriate precursor appears. First, there was Abraham; he was the Root. Then there was Moses, representing Stage One, followed by Rabbi Shimon Bar-Yochai (Rashbi), who corresponds to Stage Two. And now the time has come for Stage Three...

In the initial four stages of desire, Stage Three is special in the sense that it is the first time Creation initiates: it “decides” to receive (though just a little) in order to bestow. Thus, when Stage Three of the desire appeared in humanity, people and societies began to initiate changes in virtually every realm of life. New notions appeared and old ones reappeared, and all prospered under the wings of the Renaissance. Religion, science, technology, art, economy, politics (domestic and foreign), philosophy, and every other realm of life was scrutinized and modified, if not revolutionized...

In tune with the shifts that took place at the onset of the Renaissance, Kabbalists began to remove the veil from the wisdom of Kabbalah, or at least to speak in favor of removing it. Since the writing of The Book of Zohar, Kabbalists have set up various obstacles before those who wished to study. It began with Rashbi’s concealment of The Zohar and continued with declaring all sorts of prerequisites that one had to meet before receiving permission to study. The Mishnah, for instance, gives the apparently paradoxical instruction to avoid teaching Kabbalah to students who are not already wise and understand with their own mind, but the text does not specify how is one to come by wisdom if one is not permitted to study...

The earlier centuries of Stage Three in the evolution of desires provided the basis for expansion of land and ideas. The Age of Discovery, the Scientific Revolution, Humanism, the Reformation, and the Enlightenment movement were all parts of a profound change that opened people’s minds and expanded their worldviews. These movements and ideologies enabled people to explore beyond their childhood rearing and reflect on life and its meaning...